Just a vent - quibbling with the DH!

[kboo]

I'm surprised how many people do. Obviously budget has a lot to do with it, but the Studios in general are really small. I saved for a few years until I had enough for a week in a 2BR during summer prices. We usually do 1BR, but get 2BR lockoff when we bring others. All our points are at BCV, and while you can get in there at 7 months usually, a 2BR lockoff is pretty tricky due to studio popularity.

I think it's one of those situations where you don't miss what you have never had.

Our first family WDW trip we stayed in a studio for a week (split stay with POR and GF). The POR studio felt extremely cramped, but the Grand Floridian hotel room didn't feel nearly as cramped. On our next trip, DW and I did split stays for F&W last minute, so we had to go with 1BRs. We then did a trip with GPs in a 2BR. Without a doubt, now that I've stayed in 1 BR and 2BR rooms -- hotel rooms (even non-disney ones) really feel cramped.

If you're going park commando, then the studio isn't quite as bad. A lot depends on if everyone has similar sleeping/waking habits. I like to stay up and watch TV, so the separate living space is nice.

I think a lot of this "we can stay in studios" (like my DH) comes from having done fine in hotel rooms at WDW in the past, and I agree with @mustinjourney that some of it depends on not missing what you never had. Our last stay was in a Grand Floridian hotel room and we did great! BUT - we were in a room with a king and a pullout couch, and the baby was only 4 months old and slept either in the crib or in the bed with us. She was an easy sleeper and was just easier to travel with than she is now, when she stands up in the pack and play at 5:30am and screams "Nani!" (her version of her big sister's name), "Mommy!!!" and "Daddy!!!" until we are all awake. But of course the GF hotel rooms are bigger than most studios, and our previous hotel room stay at WDW and elsewhere have been at kid-friendly resorts with large hotel rooms. And on top of that, the DVC rooms we've stayed in have been 1BR and 2BR. Knowing my DH, he is higher maintenance than I am, and he's the only XY with 3 XXs, so I was pretty sure we'd have to go up to 1BR if not 2BR at some point. But I didn't want to overbuy initially and figured we could add points once he stays in a studio and decides we need more space. We have enough to do 1BR at least every other year, which I figured we could do until DH asks me why I didn't buy enough points for a 1BR (or 2BR) every year. This is a pretty common pattern for us.

As for being on the same schedule, I guess for the next few trips, we should have no problem making rope drop. And with the kids waking so early, it is probably a good thing we have to go to bed relatively early too.

 

[mustinjourney]

I think a lot of this "we can stay in studios" (like my DH) comes from having done fine in hotel rooms at WDW in the past, and I agree with @mustinjourney that some of it depends on not missing what you never had. Our last stay was in a Grand Floridian hotel room and we did great! BUT - we were in a room with a king and a pullout couch, and the baby was only 4 months old and slept either in the crib or in the bed with us. She was an easy sleeper and was just easier to travel with than she is now, when she stands up in the pack and play at 5:30am and screams "Nani!" (her version of her big sister's name), "Mommy!!!" and "Daddy!!!" until we are all awake. But of course the GF hotel rooms are bigger than most studios, and our previous hotel room stay at WDW and elsewhere have been at kid-friendly resorts with large hotel rooms. And on top of that, the DVC rooms we've stayed in have been 1BR and 2BR. Knowing my DH, he is higher maintenance than I am, and he's the only XY with 3 XXs, so I was pretty sure we'd have to go up to 1BR if not 2BR at some point. But I didn't want to overbuy initially and figured we could add points once he stays in a studio and decides we need more space. We have enough to do 1BR at least every other year, which I figured we could do until DH asks me why I didn't buy enough points for a 1BR (or 2BR) every year. This is a pretty common pattern for us.

As for being on the same schedule, I guess for the next few trips, we should have no problem making rope drop. And with the kids waking so early, it is probably a good thing we have to go to bed relatively early too.

yeah -- if I didn't have young kids I would NEVER do rope drop. But, like you, it's unavoidable at this time since the kiddos wake up at like 5:30 on vacation.

Another reason that 1 BRs can be beneficial is during nap time. I hadn't thought about this before, but I read a funny trip report that brought it vividly to life. They said that when it was the kid's nap time, they'd leave the park and go to the room and then the parents played rock-scissors-paper to see who had to stay in the pitch black room during nap time (while the winning spouse went to pool/bar). I think she said she came back an hour or two later, the room was still darkened, and DH had a nice scowl on his face. apparently their kid can't sleep with a TV going, so DH apparently sat on the bed the whole time doing nothing.

 

[Matty B13]

We found the closet in the 2 BR at VGF to be a great place for our new born's pack and play, it was huge and our new born slept great.

I second, the need for the extra room during nap time, our little one wouldn't have made it in a studio.

 

[kboo]

yeah -- if I didn't have young kids I would NEVER do rope drop. But, like you, it's unavoidable at this time since the kiddos wake up at like 5:30 on vacation.

Another reason that 1 BRs can be beneficial is during nap time. I hadn't thought about this before, but I read a funny trip report that brought it vividly to life. They said that when it was the kid's nap time, they'd leave the park and go to the room and then the parents played rock-scissors-paper to see who had to stay in the pitch black room during nap time (while the winning spouse went to pool/bar). I think she said she came back an hour or two later, the room was still darkened, and DH had a nice scowl on his face. apparently their kid can't sleep with a TV going, so DH apparently sat on the bed the whole time doing nothing.

I am almost laughing out loud over this, except that we have done this before as well. Luckily, DH is a bit of a workaholic so often he could work on his laptop quietly while our kid slept. But often he would have to duck out of sight on the balcony or in the bathroom until she was asleep before coming out into the open. This was also a reason why we bought at BLT, so I could get a quick adult's fix at MK. ha!

 

[mustinjourney]

I am almost laughing out loud over this, except that we have done this before as well. Luckily, DH is a bit of a workaholic so often he could work on his laptop quietly while our kid slept. But often he would have to duck out of sight on the balcony or in the bathroom until she was asleep before coming out into the open. This was also a reason why we bought at BLT, so I could get a quick adult's fix at MK. ha!

fortunately our kids were trained to nap with the presence of a lot of other noises. We would almost always have music or a TV on -- and at least one of our three dogs will find something to bark at. It's been nice that they will sleep through most anything...especially at night.

 

[kboo]

So - we stayed at VGF and BCV studios on rented points just last week and ... on the VERY FIRST DAY at BCV, DH walked around SAB and said, "Why didn't you buy here! We should have bought here instead!!!" Like, we haven't even stayed at our home resort on our own points yet. I also told him that if we wanted to buy at an EP resort we should wait to see if prices come down a bit in the winter, because even *I* wouldn't buy at these prices.


My plan is working perrrrrfectly.... mwahahahaha

ETA: problem is, now he really really really wants BCV, while I want BWV because it's a little closer to HS and because point costs are lower.

 

[DduzDis]

My plan is working perrrrrfectly.... mwahahahaha

Brilliant!! Good for you.

 

[ScubaCat]

VERY FIRST DAY at BCV, DH walked around SAB and said, "Why didn't you buy here! We should have bought here instead!!!"

That's pretty much how it always goes. Most people that buy elsewhere regret it. That's why all our contracts are at BCV.

 

[kboo]

That's pretty much how it always goes. Most people that buy elsewhere regret it. That's why all our contracts are at BCV.

Until your DW lets you sell them (to us), right?

For our first buy-in (in March), I had specific price points, UY and # of points I was looking for at either BCV, BWV, or BLT. There was pretty good inventory then, but the BLT contract we bought was the first best one that fit our criteria that came on the market. My grand plan was always to have contracts at MK for a Feb UY and EP to cover summer+fall. Indeed, our point rentals in August (VGF and BCV) were originally chosen to try out other DVC to see where we'd want our home resort. We did love VGF also, and I wouldn't write off the possibility of buying points there someday too.

(At the prices BLT contracts are listed right now, we could probably sell our stripped BLT contract - no points until 2019!!! - at a significant "profit" making our 2018 trips virtually costless. Hmmm. DVC arbitrage....)

 

[mustinjourney]

Until your DW lets you sell them (to us), right?

For our first buy-in (in March), I had specific price points, UY and # of points I was looking for at either BCV, BWV, or BLT. There was pretty good inventory then, but the BLT contract we bought was the first best one that fit our criteria that came on the market. My grand plan was always to have contracts at MK for a Feb UY and EP to cover summer+fall. Indeed, our point rentals in August (VGF and BCV) were originally chosen to try out other DVC to see where we'd want our home resort. We did love VGF also, and I wouldn't write off the possibility of buying points there someday too.

(At the prices BLT contracts are listed right now, we could probably sell our stripped BLT contract - no points until 2019!!! - at a significant "profit" making our 2018 trips virtually costless. Hmmm. DVC arbitrage....)

I do wonder if the stock market has more of an impact than seasonal impacts on DVC pricing.

Honestly, with all the new stuff coming out at DHS, the new gondola system coming online, and expansion plans at Epcot, I don't see prices dropping much unless the economy tanks again.

Which of course it is due for an adjustment based on historical trends.

 

[ScubaCat]

Until your DW lets you sell them (to us), right?

If I had an alternate place to sleep, they'd be yours immediately! I hope she never reads this.