Looking for advice(kids are 9,11 and 12)..

[jerryn2368]

So many questions,but here goes..

We wish to stay at the Resorts close to Epcot and MGM so all these questions are geared toward that end....

Would we fit into a 1 bedroom studio?(one child on the floor is no big deal,been there done that)This would effect how many points we buy..I was thinking 200ish....250 max(that would be a finacial strain I think)
Should we buy the new Animal Kingdom resort(for the longer contract),and simply book at one of the other resorts?
Are maintainence fees rolled into the monthly payment plan?
Where do tax write offs come from? If I pay off the contract early(say 5 years out) is that when I lose the write-off? Are the maintainance fees write offs?
I do contract work on the side and can pay off large portions whatever loan I take on,maybe 2 -3 times a year.I hope to pay off whole loan in 5 years.Is that a good idea?

The big question I have is,Should I buy a resale,or buy fron Disney direct?Every bit of me seems to think I should buy a resale(I just do not know why,lol).
My wife and I are 38 yrs old.We realize we may not want to "do Disney" every year.We may want to rent a car,and bring the kids to Universal and other attractions at some point in the future also.

I know I was all over the place with these questions,but I have so many,I think I hit on the big ones.
Any thoughts are most welcome.

Thank you
Jerry (is snowy Buffalo,NY)

 

[Deb & Bill]

You cannot have five in a studio unless one is under the age of three. MS is currently allowing five in a one bedroom, but they do not supply additional linens or bedding. Once the AKV are built and operating, I'd bet they go back to only four in a one bedroom. Some of the one bedroom villas at AKV will sleep five.

Depending on the sex of your children, the extra bathroom in a two bedroom may provide a better stay for your family.

Check the points charts at the top of the page to see how many points you will need for a stay at the resort you want to stay at. Everyone recommends buying at the resort you won't mind staying at. If you cannot make a reservation more than 7 months out, it won't matter which resort you own at since you won't be able to use the home resort advantage.

If you purchase resale, you will have to provide your own financing or pay it outright. Member fees include taxes, which you may or may be able to write off on your taxes. Member fees are paid separately from financing. You can pay them monthly by a direct debit from your bank account of pay them all at once in January when they are due.

 

[melk]

We bought resale because it was such a price per point savings, plus we wanted VWL which I don't think Disney was selling at the time. We are five also, we bought 200 points and it works well for us. For example we didn't go last year so this years trip we had access to 412 points (had 12 banked). We'll spend half the time at BWV, the rest in a GV at OKW. Then if we decide to go next year we'll be able to borrow 200 and just have a bit shorter vacation. I can't help much with the financial questions/tax write-off etc, DH does that end of it, I just plan the vacations, lol!!

I'm sure you'd be happy with DVC, our one regret is that we didn't buy sooner.

 

[jerryn2368]

Ty Melk,those kind of replies are exactlly what will help me decide.
Are there any other families of 5 out there that can help?

 

[BillPA]

You might look into AKV, the 1 BR there will hold 5, each with a bed/foldout sofa or chair. I'm not sure when they go on sale to the general public, soon I would think.

 

[SuziQZee]

We have a family of 5 and June 2007 will be our second DVC trip. We are staying at OKW again. (We love the layout and cheaper points scale.) When we bought we were told that depending on the CM who took our ressie, they might let us stay in a 1bdrm. As my kids get older, I know I'll have to (and want to) get the 2bdrm but while they're still young, I want to get the most out of my money, not to mention, a longer stay. My kids are 7, 9 and 11. Our "Vacation Club Guide" told us that his very young family of 5 stays in rooms that only allow 4 but he wouldn't/couldn't guarantee that we could stay in anything less than a 2bdrm but he did give me the impression that we could stay in a 1bdrm for a few years at least. We LOVE the DVC and hope that we can add points somewhere along the way. This will be our 3rd year in a row going to Disney, eventhough we said we would only go every other year. "What could we possibly do at Disney World every year?" YEAH RIGHT!! We've been planning the next trip on the way home from the current ones. We love taking our extended family with us and love to share Disney with them.

Hope this helps and good luck with buying your DVC~!!!

 

[jdvm]

Before you lock into the studio, I'd strongly recommend you try a one bedroom unit....it's worth it for the jacuzzi and privacy.
john

 

[Dis13]

We're a family of five (8, 10 and 14), and one of the main reasons we purchased DVC was for the two bedroom accomodations. Having 2 bathrooms and bedroom doors that close for privacy are PRICELESS!

 

[ANIMO]

We are a family of 5 also kids are 7, 9 and 12. We used to stay in a studio(with a crib) then bumped up to a 1 bedroom. It suits us fine there is enough room for the kids to "camp out" . Two questions how long do you spend in your room ? We are usually hardly in the room so it's fine for us. The bathrooms are great, and the kitchen where we gather for breakfast every morning to plan the rest of the day.

 

[Dis13]

I just don't understand. Why would you want to make your kids sleep on the floor when it just isn't necessary?

I would never make my kids sleep on the floor just so I could afford to go to Disney World or so that I can go more often.

If you can't afford enough points to have enough beds for your children, then maybe you should rethink purchasing DVC at this time.

 

[jerryn2368]

I guess I am a bad parent.Thanks for making me realize that Dis13.

 

[jdsmom97]

Wow, DIS13. Jump back! We are so tired after a day at disney we could sleep on the roof! A one bedroom is definately roomy enough and if you wanted to be a "good" parent, pack an air mattress. A studio would be crowded for sure. It is really the Disney policy you should consider though, and buying enough points for a 2 bedroom now or enough for a one bedroom and then adding on and paying cash for more points once you get those chunks of change would be wise.

 

[Deb & Bill]

With the addition of the one bedrooms that sleep five at the AKV, I foresee DVC not allowing five in a one bedroom any longer once the new villas open. They have been violating fire regulations for several years now. So, if you have a family of five, you'll have to stay in a two bedroom or the one bedroom that sleeps five at AKV.

 

[tobidisney]

There is nothing wrong with 5 in a 1 brm. My fisrt home was only 650 sq ft, smaller than the 1 brm at DVC!!!

Families of 5 have it alot tougher than those "perfect" families of 4. We take an air matress and our kids take turns. The closet at the Boardwalk was big enough to store the matress in the day without even deflating it!!!! I am sure you will have no trouble fitting it in the room for sleeping!!.

IMHO (and I know I will be flamed for this) the 1brm could fit more than the 4 (5), to me when on vacation the more the merrier and hell...if you want to squeeze ( not quite) your 5th kid in.... go for it!!!

Boy what a terrible parent you are...taking your kids to disney!!!!

Fire extinguisher at the ready......

 

[WendyinNC]

Every weekend my 8 year old DD begs to sleep on the floor in the den so she can stay up late and fall asleep watching tv. My 6 year old DS always wants the pull out bed in my home office. But, don't ask my 11 year old DD to sleep on the floor. It all just depends on your kids. We are now a family of 6, with the addition of the baby, so it's a 2br for us; however, I don't think there is a problem with putting kids on the floor. I would just rather have the additional space.

 

[tobidisney]

The fire code garbage.....

the DVC rooms are much larger than the rooms at Port Orlean's and you can get 5 in a room there!!!!

Ok Flame away!!!!

Sorry , this is a touchy one for me

me &DH DS13 DD4 DS4:

grouphug: my family of 5!!!!

 

[dis-happy]

We're a family of 5 and always book a 1 BR and find there is plenty of room. We drive, so bringing an air mattress is no problem. A sleeping bag works as well. As a kid (and even into college) a night in a sleeping bag on the floor was no big deal---not sure when this newest generation became the mattress-or-else generation!

As your children get more into their teens (or if someone wants to bring a friend along) the 2 b/r may look more appealing.

If you always want to stay near Epcot/MGM you'd better buy at BWV or BCV and use the 11 month booking window. We never financed so I don't know what's deductible other than the portion that goes toward property taxes.

 

[Lynne M]

Not making ANY comments on anyone's parenting skills, or the occupancy limits. Not any of my business. I'm only going to discuss the comfort issue.

Just wanted to say, that IMO, I personally wouldn't spend the large amount of money it takes to buy DVC, especially if it's going to be a financial stretch, to stay in rooms that might be uncomfortably small for my family, and wouldn't have enough beds for everyone. I don't see where there's a benefit. You're not really getting upgraded accommodations if you're in an studio. It's not going to save you any money, and at least in the FW cabins, or the All-Star Family Suites, there's enough beds for everyone.

In a studio, there's a queen bed and a full-size sofabed. It won't be too many years before two of your kids won't want to sleep together on that little sofabed, and you'll need to bring two air mattresses. There's really not enough room in a studio for two twin air mattresses with the sofabed open, someone's going to be sleeping between the bathroom and the sinks. You'd have to leave one of the family members off the reservation, and they won't have a resort ID, so they wouldn't be able to participate in EMH or the dining plan, and if you stay at BCV, one of you wouldn't be able to use the pool.

The same goes for a one bedroom, except that you'll have room for two air mattresses in the living room. Right now, MS is letting 5 stay in a 1BR, but our contracts say that the occupancy limit is 4. Meaning, that they're doing it off the books and they could decide to enforce the contract any day.

Sleeping on the floor might be fun for the kids now, but they won't be as thrilled as they get older.

I'd work the numbers and see if you can afford enough points to stay in a two-bedroom. The bottom line is, it costs a heck of a lot of money to buy into DVC if you're going to be LESS comfortable than you would be in two value rooms, or a cabin, or a family suite.

 

[gracelrm]

We're also a family of five and have done the air mattress thing in a 1 BR on several occasions. Our kids are 6,10 & 13 and our 13yo daughter always volunteers to sleep on the air mattress. However, the kids are getting older and DD is spending more "prep" time getting ready, so this year we'll have a 2BR. One of our sons has bad dreams and also "wanders" during the night, so I've never been comfortable having him that far away in the 2BR. I will still worry about that this summer, but figure if he's still roaming at night, I'll put him on the couch in the living room so I can hear him when he's up. I think in the future I'll regret having to spend the extra points for a 2BR, but we've added on enough over the years to be able to have the 2BR villas for our trips.

 

[jodifla]

Not making ANY comments on anyone's parenting skills, or the occupancy limits. Not any of my business. I'm only going to discuss the comfort issue.

Just wanted to say, that IMO, I personally wouldn't spend the large amount of money it takes to buy DVC, especially if it's going to be a financial stretch, to stay in rooms that might be uncomfortably small for my family, and wouldn't have enough beds for everyone. I don't see where there's a benefit. You're not really getting upgraded accommodations if you're in an studio. It's not going to save you any money, and at least in the FW cabins, or the All-Star Family Suites, there's enough beds for everyone.


.

yes, exactly! The beauty of DVC is space, glorious SPACE!!!! Kitchens, and laundry rooms, and balconies!

Too many people in this board have no romance in their relationships anymore. Heck, we got DVC so we could have a little privacy! DS in his room, DH and I in ours for most of the week. He shares with us on the few days a week we have guests.

Could I cram five people in a studio? Sure.

But one thing you realize when you buy DVC, is YOU DON"T NEED TO VACATION THAT WAY ANY MORE. Because you'll be going back for 40 or 50 years.

Spend the points, and make it a REAL vacation. We normally go Sunday thru Thursday to make the points go further.