Luxury Rooms/Resorts: Worth it?

[girlwiththefro]

Hi everyone!

I have a sort of odd question...

As I was recently watching a video of deluxe/dvc room tours, I started to wonder about something. For two suite rooms and larger, such as the Admiral Suite at the Yacht Club or the Copper Creek Cabins, the in-room amenities are AMAZING! Beautiful kitchen, laundry/dryer, full sized fridge...etc.

I am assuming those amenities are one of the many reasons why a family would choose to stay in one of these rooms... however... I was wondering how long people need to stay to make use of those amenities? My point being that those rooms/cabins are SO expensive that I feel like a family to make actual use of those amenities (making dinner in the kitchen, stocking the fridge, multiple loads of laundry) would mean they would have to stay at those resorts for at least 10 days or more, right? And that would add up to so much money!!! If it is the case that families tend to stay longer in those rooms/cabins because of those extra amenities, does that mean they use the kitchen more than eating out in the parks? In other words, since these luxury rooms are basically like small apartments, do the families that stay there spend more time in these resorts than in the parks?

Sorry if this was a little confusing! Any info helps

 

[snappy]

Our longest stays in a 2 bedroom when traveling with our daughters and a friend or two were for a week, once in OKW, once in BWV, using points. Then we dropped down to 5 nights and did a split stay with a close offsite resort like Wyndham Bonnet creek. Now that my husband and I are going more by ourselves we book either a studio or 1 bedroom. Those burn fewer points. We also travel during months that require fewer points so that helps too.

 

[girlwiththefro]

Our longest stays in a 2 bedroom when traveling with our daughters and a friend or two were for a week, once in OKW, once in BWV, using points. Then we dropped down to 5 nights and did a split stay with a close offsite resort like Wyndham Bonnet creek. Now that my husband and I are going more by ourselves we book either a studio or 1 bedroom. Those burn fewer points. We also travel during months that require fewer points so that helps too.

did you use the amenities in your room? did you spend longer in your room than if staying in a more standard room?

 

[snappy]

Definitely used amenities, kitchen with dishes, full size fridge and stove top, jacuzzi tub in master, washer and drier. Best amenity for me is the balcony. OKW balconies are large and lively. There are a also few 2 bedrooms at BWV that have very large balconies. We choose boardwalk view so great views. We cook breakfast, and eat it and drink coffee in the balcony. Always a drink in afternoon and evening too. Washer/dryer means packing fewer clothes. We have an owners locker in Orlando so we keep supplies that are handy to have in a bigger unit. It’s a good fit for us.

I think when you have visited a lot, using the unit to relax and unwind is valuable, especially with the crowds and limited FP’s. Have fun at parks for a few hours, swim, and chill on the balcony and people watch.

 

[skippytx]

We generally visit for 7 nights and stay in a 1 or 2 bedroom DVC room. We make full use of the kitchen and washer and dryer while we are there.

Different folks like to vacation WDW differently. If you're a park warrior that only uses a room to sleep, these aren't worth it. We take midday breaks and generally visit 2 parks a day.

Reasons we stay in the 1 or 2 bedroom villas
- Washer and Dryer. We can pack less, or pack half suitcases and have plenty of room for souvenirs and the stuff we inevitably buy in our luggage. We probably do 2 loads a day easily.
- Kitchen. We save a ton of money by having breakfast, snacks, sandwiches, and drinks in the room. My kids don't really care for park food (What 7 year old doesn't eat chicken strips and french fries?), so being able to make quick meals in the room is a HUGE deal for us. Spaghetti, Scrambled Eggs, Mac and Cheese, stuff like that. We easily save 300 dollars a trip by eating in the room some meals. It's also great to stock the full fridge with Powerades, Water, Capri Sun, etc.
- Space!!!! The kids take the living room couch and Mom and Dad have their own bedroom. It's also nice during nap time/relax time the kids can go in the bedroom and we can shut the door and still watch TV without disturbing them. Also the 1 bedroom DVC units at Bay Lake Tower (where we stay) have an extra bathroom which is a huge help. The 2 bedroom units have 3 bathrooms total. Makes shower time easier.

We only use the 2 bedroom villas when my BIL and his family come along with us. We vacation together frequently and are pretty close so it's nice to have everyone in the same room.

All that being said, I could never afford the cash rates it would take to stay in one of those rooms, which is why we ended up renting DVC points a while ago and then buying a resale DVC contract.

I think when you have visited a lot, using the unit to relax and unwind is valuable, especially with the crowds and limited FP’s. Have fun at parks fir a few hours, swim, and chill on the balcony and people watch.

This is very true. Much less stress to do everything and see everything when you know you're going to visit again. We do spend a little more time at the resort pool now, or relaxing.

 

[mkla2015]

We booked a 2 bedroom last October for a big family trip. We didn’t cook much but we did multiple loads of laundry daily- it was great!

We’ve also stayed in a 1 bedroom for a week and used the kitchen a few times- mostly for breakfast. I LOVE having the washer/dryer in the room.

 

[Hopefully]

We stay 7 or 8 nights. We eat breakfast in and cook 2-3 dinners in. We use the washer and dryer several times. We love the added space and the amenities.

 

[Lynne M]

The thing to remember about the villas and DVC cabins is that they were created for use by DVC owners. The effective cost of those accommodations is much lower for DVC members than it is to the general public - sometimes hundreds of dollars a night cheaper. That's the lure of DVC. You prepay for years of stays, and in return you get a reduced cost per stay. Don't get me wrong, the price for enough points for 10 days in a 2-bedroom villa every year doesn't fit anyone's definition of "cheap." But it still is much less than booking through Disney Reservations.

 

[Lynne M]

Also, DVC members often vacation differently than the typical park-goer that visits WDW every 5 years. Many members don't visit the parks as much as they used to, spending more time at the resort, doing things outside of WDW. For them, things like a kitchen and washer/dryer are part of the reason they bought, it's more home-away-from-home than hotel.

 

[focusondisney]

As I was recently watching a video of deluxe/dvc room tours, I started to wonder about something. For two suite rooms and larger, such as the Admiral Suite at the Yacht Club or the Copper Creek Cabins, the in-room amenities are AMAZING! Beautiful kitchen, laundry/dryer, full sized fridge...etc.

You know the Admiral Suite at YC, Copper Creek Cabins & the DVC villas most people are answering about here are very different things, right? The named, multi room suites in the deluxe resorts, like the Admirals Suite, are cash reservations & cost over $2500 per night. The people who book those suites probably vacation differently than the rest of us, lol! I was upgraded to The Captain’s Deck Suite at YC a few years ago. It is the largest suite at YC. It has 2 bedrooms, an office area, a huge full sized living room, dressing area, walk-in closet, full separate room kitchen & a dining room that seats 10. No washer & dryer. But I’m sure anyone who can afford that room isn’t worried about doing their own laundry, especially on vacation.

I don’t own DVC, but people I know who do often combine their years points when they need a bigger room for larger family trips. But those same people would never be able to afford one of the named, luxury suites for the same amount of time.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

People don't book the Admiral Suite for a value of "worth it" where they feel the cost of the unit. It really is a relative value proposition. The average family is not booking those.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

As far as just the 2 bedroom suites go:
Our family has 6 people. Many of the rooms at wdw hold 5. Overall we've found 2 bedroom suites for less than paying for two separate regular rooms (plus the 2 bedroom gets us more space, the washer/dryer, kitchen, etc.)

We usually go for 7-10 nights (fewest we've done is 4, most was 19). Usually CL. We spend very little time in the rooms (no resort only days, usually go to parks from about 10 am to close, no naps at the room).

If it's just our family, two regular rooms or a 2 bedroom are good. If we're bringing grandparents with us, we'd consider one of the larger "named" suites, but only bc we know the grandparents would spend more time in the room/at the resort. Allowing grandparents, who helped us so much before, to have the best vacation possible makes the high cost worth it.

 

[eeyoresmom]

The thing to remember about the villas and DVC cabins is that they were created for use by DVC owners. The effective cost of those accommodations is much lower for DVC members than it is to the general public - sometimes hundreds of dollars a night cheaper. That's the lure of DVC. You prepay for years of stays, and in return you get a reduced cost per stay. Don't get me wrong, the price for enough points for 10 days in a 2-bedroom villa every year doesn't fit anyone's definition of "cheap." But it still is much less than booking through Disney Reservations.

Hundreds of dollars less is an understatement. I needed one night in a 2 bedroom at Beach Club to complete a reservation. It wasn't available on points through DVC and I was going to pay cash for $1242. Luckily the night I needed came available for points. My true cost as a DVC owner is $420.

 

[westie55]

The Admiral suite and the cascade cabins go beyond your typical 2 bedroom dvc unit. I think most people staying in those units are doing so for luxury and space over the convenience of a kitchen and laundry facilities even if they do use those amenities. With small kids or babies especially, it definitely doesn't take a lengthy trip to need to do laundry! Mine can generate a load in 1 day lol. Even with certain amenities, the prices of those rooms aren't saving anyone money! The appeal is in the luxury. Now... a 2 br at OKW etc may actually be booked for practicality and cost savings with a larger group. Note: I have never stayed in the cascade cabins or the admiral suite... But I wouldn't be opposed to the idea If only money grew on trees!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I really don't think anyone is booking 10 nights in a cabin or bungalow or 2-bedroom suite with a kitchen just so they can cook their own dinners . . . . I think most people, even if they have a ton of money, are looking for the most effective way to use it. I have a friend who bought into DVC specifically to stay in the bungalows, but she does very short trips (2-3 nights) and doesn't use the kitchen. She is there for the ambiance and the view. She also brings extended family so is usually at capacity in the bungalow. I just planned a trip for another friend who could afford to stay anywhere on property and opted for a hospitality suite with CL access at CR with a connecting king bedroom. We priced out everything and based on what she was looking for for her family (space, CL access, proximity to MK) and, in comparison to 2-bedroom suites at GF, it was a bigger bang for her buck. We also could afford to stay in 2-bedroom CL suites, bungalows, cabins, etc., but once I start pricing things out and I see that, with a discount, I can typically get a 2-bedroom at BWV or BCV for the price of a regular, garden view-CL at Poly, it's a no-brainer. We also fairly consistently stay in grand suites at Swan or Dolphin (again, with a discount, for less than a standard at Poly). I use the laundry a lot, but I have never, ever used the kitchen in a DVC unit (except for the fridge) and never will.

 

[Nancyg56]

Others have already pointed out that the resort suites and the DVC villas are not the same thing, and that anyone booking cash for the resort suites is probably not considering the value of amenities in the same way most of us do.

With that said, we booked a cash reservation at OKW for 9 days, and it was totally worth it. We did have the advantage of FD, so that made it a good value for us. We used the kitchen to reheat food, make coffee. The washer and dryer were used A LOT> And I could have moved into the jacuzzi thumb and felt no regrets that I missed anything. I refuse to cook on a vacation, so I would never pay for a kitchen space. For those who like to cook a few meals a full kitchen can make a huge difference in how that value is considered.

I do think that value is personal though, and for those who love to tour RD to park close the value may not be there. For folks who consider WDW as a central spot for their vacation, and use the amenities as part of the vacation, with the parks only one component, you cannot beat a villa or deluxe room.

I would also point out the the Deluxe rooms are nto laid out the same as most DVC villas, so be careful in what you book. WE love the Poly but would never book a DVC room there (I have no idea what they call those rooms, but "villa" is not a description I would use for that space) because there is not two real beds in that space. It is a pull out sofa, and IMO that space once it is opened is tight.

WE are the relaxed vacationers, so a deluxe room is worth the money to us, and while the 2 bedroom villas would not usually be our first choice, I would consider them if the cost was right.