Occupancy Thread

[Dean]

Originally posted by Happy Birthday Cat
The rules state 4 and one child under 3 in a crib.

Hopefully not being nit picky but the actual rules state 4/4/8/12 period. MS has taken the liberty to allow one under three in addition, which I think is reasonable. Just people need to realize that even that is a flexibility beyond the actual written rules.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Most who talk of using an air mattress here are actually still within the occupancy guidelines for the size unit they are in. We use an airmatress in a 2 bedroom with only 6 people (occupancy limit of 8) when "kids" don't care to share a bed. If you "ask for another key" you will be testing if they do actually enforce the occupancy limit.

 

[Pa@okw95]

When people exceed athe capacity limit the pools, buses, boat,etc. could be effected along with the wear and tear on the units. The capacity limits are there for a reason. Most people that use an air matress do so because they have kids that are different sex and do not want to sleep in the same bed. Most members obey these rules, I hope you do. You need a 2 bedroom with 5 or more.

 

[FLYNZ4]

IMHO, The biggest reason to stay within room capacity is for the comfort of your family. The occupancy limits are fairly generous... and I believe that your comfort would be compromised if you push the limits... (ie: too many people, not enough space, not enough bathrooms, etc).

In any case... there are no practical limits on how many keys you can get... ie: people lose keys, and front desks do replace them. They may not all be activated... but from a physical appearance, there is no way to know that.

I am not advocating that you push the limits... but if you choose to do so, I do not believe that getting enough resort identifcation keys will be the primary issue.

/Jim

 

[Mike]

We just returned from WDW and we took the DVC tour. I was thinking that there was no way that I could afford this since I would need a 2 BR for my family of five. My guide told me that even though the 1 BR says "sleeps 4" that is not an occupancy limit and we could bring an aero-bed for the third child. The only rule is that a rollaway couldn't be used due to fire codes but that aero beds were fine. Is this true or was this a sales ploy? I could probably swing this if I only get a 1 BR. Will I be able to put 5 people on the reservation for a 1BR so everyone gets a Resort ID for E-nights and EE? I don't want to have to sneak somebody in.

 

[lenshanem]

Be prepared. This topic causes much debate here.

Don't take any of it personally!

Hope you make the right decision, good luck!

 

[Dreamfinder2]

Yeee-haaaaah!

Here we go.

Your guide, by all accounts, was pulling your leg. Unless #5 is under the age of 3, 4's the max.

You'll have this confirmed pretty quick from other sources, I'll wager.

150 points will get you a 2BR at SSR for four nights during Magic and Dream seasons, with some change; five nights during Adventure and Choice. That makes for a quickie annual trip. But, with some creative banking and borrowing, and depending when you vacation, you can have a better than decent vacation to WDW every other year.

Check resales, too.

 

[lenshanem]

Another topic for a thread -

DVC doesn't really work well for a family of five. It almost forces that size family into the larger unit. Not everybody is rolling in the dough like many on this forum.

Did the CM fail to mention that age three thing? That only lasts for what? THREE YEARS! You have DVC for fifty!

To me they should have made some of the one bedrooms have two queen beds instead of the one king size bed. It would have made DVC much more appealing to more families IMHO.

Good thing we stopped at two kids. If we ever get a surprise we'll have to buy more points! OK, I'm done.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have to say that that 'guide' has really irked me. What would happen if someone bought that line, hook, line and sinker and then found they couldn't get what they had been told? That sure would stink. I would buy 200pts. and then you could rest assured you could get your 2 bdrm. We only bought 150 and I now wish I had gone with 200. The 150 are fine for what we need but the extra 50 wouldn't have been all that much more and would have given us a little flexibility. Or just go every other year, for a little longer period of time. With banking/borrowing you can make it work.

 

[kweaver]

Mike -

Our guide told us the same thing. Others here at the DIS have been told that 5 in a 1BR is acceptable, though DVC documents show that 4 and an infant is the official limit. If they were to start enforcing that, you could have a problem.

People here have reported no problem putting 5 on a reservation for a 1BR. Our family of five (kids 10, 6 and 3) stayed in a 1BR last month at SSR. While I personally longed for a 2BR (for privacy and for the extra bathroom!), the 1Br unit was more than enough space for a five of us.

We used an aero bed for the little guy. It fit both next to the king in the master and next to the sofa bed in the living room. The new sofa beds are extremely comfortable.

Without DVC , our only options would have been all of us in one standard room at POR with a trundle bed (No way.), or reserving two rooms elsewhere (no kitchen and laundry...still expensive).

 

[lenshanem]

goofy4tink, this also happened to us. We bought the 150 and immediately realized it wasn't enough and added on 50 more within a few months. We had bought BCV right before it sold out and ended up on a waitlist for the add on, but it came thru very quickly.
At least if someone was buying at SSR they have some time to add on if necessary.
I agree, too that the CM was misleading... OR is it just this board that has become so militant about the occupancy limits?

Katie, you have a good point. I didn't even think about the other options at WDW for a family of five. Very limited indeed, looks like DVC is still a good option even if you have to buy more points for the two bedroom. Buying two rooms every trip could add up fast!

 

[BEACHCLUBVILLAS]

How old are your kids? Two studios might work. We have done that with our 15/17 year olds.

 

[mikesmom]

Eventually you will need that 2 bedroom even if it works out now. Once they are pre teens or teens you will be dealing with 5 adult sized people in one bedroom with one bathroom. There goes the vacation

 

[DebbieB]

I would ask your guide to put that in writing for you in case you run into problems down the road. It will be interesting what he says.

Katie - Just wondering, did your reservation say 5? Did you get 5 resort ids? If so, I think that sets a precedent for allowing this. I think DVC would have a huge mess on their hands if they decided to enforce the 4 rule because so many families were told 5 was OK. I know the written contract is legally enforceable but it would still be a mess for them with accusations of misrepresentation from guides.

 

[Laurabearz]

We are a family of 5 also, and as someone said the rooms availlible for a fam of 5 are exxtremely limited EVERY WHERE... Most hotel chains dont allow 5 in a room. Sucks.

I am part of the crowd that would love to see DVC change the occupancy limits of a one bedroom to 5. We would still get a two bedroom, but when the kids are older, we would like to downsize to a 1 bedroom, because we wont be in our room as much.

I love Debbie's idea of asking your guide to put it in writing. I doubt he will though.

lenshanem mentioned two queens in a one bedroom... OOOHHH I would love that, but not so much for me and the kids, but for our yearly girl trips! LOL

With all that said, if you can only purchase 150 points, I would bank and borrow, go every other year, in a 2 bedroom.

Let us know what your guide says if you ask him to put it in writing.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

We used an aero bed for the little guy

Can you share what size aero bed you used. I have a queen and have wondered if it would fit in the master bedroom. Our son may take his girlfriend this Fall, and we have a one bedroom. She would get the sleeper sofa, so I need something for him. We have used our aero bed at OKW, but I know that SSR is a bit smaller and just wasn't sure.

 

[Chuck S]

WHile you most likely would not have any issues with DVC putting 5 into a 1 bedroom, I wholeheartedly agree with the posters that say you will need that 2 bedroom as your children grow due to comfort. 5 people that have 3 teens in the group can be very uncomfortable sharing a single bathroom.

 

[CapeCodFam]

Hi,

We are family of 5 and are not worried about it. Our guide also stated a family of 5 is fine. They will not provide extra bedding nor room keys.

I'm personally not comfortable having my young ones so far away from the master BR and worrying about the 2nd entry door, etc. (2BRs can be a studio connected to a 1BR). When our kids are as big as adults, we'll go less often and use a 2BR.

We stayed in a BWV studio in June and found it to be bigger than non-dvc rooms that have bedding for 5.

I don't believe we're going to see DVC make a stand on this one. They get more $$ out of me taking 2 trips a year in a studio/1BR than they'd get from a few days in a 2BR.

 

[goofy4wdw59]

... Uh-Oh!
On a DVC tour, the guide told us much the same thing as you Mike. I don't think they will put what they told you in writing as they aren't going to provide bedding for five. IMO, this is an intentional gray area, and they are leaving it up to the 5-family to handle--why would DVC allow the guides to continue mentioning this to 5-families? DVC is pretty strict about how it sells, so, I don't think this is an occasional mis-informed guide.
We also have a twin aero bed that we haven't used yet but plan on using in the future. We did purchase enough points for two-bedroom stays.
Do what you feel is most comfortable for you. Good Luck with your decision!

 

[mrsR123]

Mike:

Have you done any research on resales? We two have three kids and have outgrown any one-room hotel accommodations. (Basically, if there are only two beds, Momma don't sleep!)

We just bought 230 points at OKW that will put us in a two bedroom for nearly two weeks next June using two year's points.