Newbie needs help

[twd1162]

I've read through the FAQs and read through several posts but still have some questions I was hoping someone could help with:

1. I am looking into planning a vacation with my husband and 5 year old son for May 30 - June 5 - would a studio be sufficient?

2. Is there one resort better than another?

3. How does this point thing work? Do I need to make a reservation at a resort and then find someone with the amount of points I need and/or the resort I'm looking for and the week I'm interested in? Also, are there additional costs more than paying for the rented points?

4. Any idea what an average cost would be doing it this way?

I'm sure I have other questions but these are the basic ones I'm wondering.

Thanks for your help.

 

[nuthut]

I can help you and have points available and references too.

 

[nikitta28]

welcome to the board

1) a studio would be plenty but...... if you want the luxury of sleeping in you own room, having a full kitchen- washer dryer jacuzzi tub then opt for a one bedroom. you may save a decent amount of monry just by eating in your room that would partially off set the difference

2) no one resort is better but... my 2 cents having a 5 yr old
A- OKW aka old key west - different buildings make up the resort some closer and some farther away from the pool recreation area. very nice pool. nice kids club house. can take the boat to down town disney. all the rest of transportation is by bus (this means you need to break the stroller down to get off and on the bus) request a room close to hospitality house if you dont want to drag the 5 year old in the blazing sun 1/4 mile to the pool. request a first floor if you dont want to drag the stroller up flights of stairs. nonsmoking if you dont smoke. this resort uses the least amt of points to book a room.
B- BWV aka boardwalk villas- decent pool with fun slide, rooms far smaller than OKW, exceptinally convenient pool area, elevators, very convenient that you are right on the boardwalk for restaurants and some entertainment. boat to epcot or MGM , mostly faster just to walk to epcot. YOU DO NOT NEED TO BREAK THE STROLLER DOWN TO BRING IT ON THE BOAT. (THIS IS KEY FOR SOME PEOPLE) very close walking to swan dolphin and beach and yacht club (therefore their restaurants and bars) takes more points, youre certainly paying for location
C- BCV- aka beach club villas- even more points sometimes, rooms equivocal to BWV (many rooms reports of problems in some of the rooms on the discussion board although ive never had a problem) home to the SAB aka storm along bay- utopia for a 5 year old- dont plan on spending much time at the park after your kid sees this place. all youre gonna hear is "mom i want to go back to the hotel and go swimming" no way to describe the pool, you need to see it. YOU CANNOT SWIM HERE UNLESS YOU STAY HERE. all the other places you can "pool hop" with youre room key that will say "DVC member" even though you're not- because a DVC member made your reservation {aka RESSIE)
D- newly opening SSR aka saratoga springs resort, never been, hasnt opened just yet, buses to all locations but downtown disney. elevators, supposed to have an awesome pool, apparently no pool hoping here either

3) point thing works by negotiating with a DVC member to "rent" their points. points usually go for about $10 per point. you can see how many points you need by going to the point calculator here at this sight. sun night through thurs night are half the points of fri and sat night. make sure you do your research on each "home away from home" resort. room plans are available online. point charts are available here also. If you are a disney newbie- then by all means read everyword of the points/tips here AND buy the unofficial guide to WDW befor you go (and read it befor you go) it will make your experience far more pleasurable. ALSO remember to book your priority seatings well in advance (esp for character dining) and tee times ect... call ahead and ask the room rates for annual pass holders- sometimes they are cheaper than renting DVC member points. some people pay cash for fri and sat and use points during the week (you may have to change rooms if you do this) 5nights sounds like alot but trust me....... if you can go longer than do it!

4) AVG cost....... depends- renting a studio can be very inexpensive compared to the other rooms at disney esp for sun- thurs night stays. remember when renting points there is no tax or extra room charges. renting a onebedroom is double the cost but the benefits are incredible and once you get a onebedroom its very hard to go back to a "regular" room. use the point calculator .

your research will be rewarded tremendously
"hodgepodging" a disney vacation can be a bad experience for a newbie- plan well ahead-

goodluck

 

[wdwendyd]

I'll see if I can answer your questions.
1. A studio is sufficient for you and is similar to a larger regular hotel room. It does have a kitchenette with a microwave and a small refrigerator. A 1 bedroom is SO much nicer. It has a master bedroom with a king sized bed plus a living room with a pull-out plus a FULL kitchen and a 2 room bathroom that includes a shower and tub/spa. Our family especially likes having the full kitchen so we don't have to eat out all the time. (Eating out all the time is not that great with a 5 year old)
2. Each resort has something special about it. BCV and BWV are within walking distance of EPCOT and MGM. BCV has a pool your 5 year old will LOVE! VWL is just a boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom. OKW has larger rooms and is especially good for people with a car. There have been many discussions on this and you will just have to try them all tho figure out which you like the best!
3. Figure out what dates and resort you prefer and post them on this board. The DVC member makes the reservation for you in your name. There are no additional charges. You can also contact a DVC member that has posted that they have points to rent out.
4. The points for a studio from May 30th through June 5th. will range from OKW for 74 to 94 points for the others. You might be able to get Standard View at the Boardwalk for 81 but don't count on it. Most people rent their points for $10 per point.
Hope this helps you!
Wendy

 

[twd1162]

I really appreciate all of your help and advice and will do the research you each suggest.

Thanks.

 

[luvindisneyworld]

There is plenty of people on here that will rent to you for 10.00 a point,so you should not have to go over that price.You can check to see how many points you would need by using the points calculator on top of the page.

 

[luvindisneyworld]

I went and checked for you.The studio at OKW would be 74 points and that would be checking out on the 5th,the 1 bedroom at OKW is 148 points.BWV,BCV,VWL would be 94 points for a studio and 196 for a 1 bedroom.So you are looking between 740.00 and 1960.00 depending on what you want.Hope this helps.
Misty