Occupancy Thread

kathleena · Jul 3, 2004

that the 5th person has to be under age 3.

What Disney is saying is that the room will accomodate 4 adults plus one child under the age of three per the beds available in the room.

They allow more than four people over the age of 3, but will just not give any extra beds.

We had 2 adults and three kids, 5,8, and 10. All legal and upfront and told right to MS upon booking the room what their ages are no problem, no questions asked, no issues.

And Crisi :teeth:

I agree.

gina m · Jul 3, 2004

Hi Mike ...We are a family of 5, including teenagers and a young twentysomething. We try to bank one yr and go the next, getting a two-bedroom. We bought 175 points. Usually that works out great for us. However, if you go at a time when points are less and go Sun.-Fri. or even Sat., you should have no problem getting there every year. It's been terrific for us & we're so glad we bought when we did. :Pinkbounc

The 2-brms can't be beat for a crew our size...even adding on 1-3 persons. If you're a little low on pts one yr you can also get 2 studios...less room, but not less than a hotel room...and very economical (Aug 16th on it's only 13 pts for a studio!) So there are lots of options...best of luck. I hope it works out as well for you as it has for us!

jimmytammy · Jul 3, 2004

I wont bother with a debate of 5 in a room. My thoughts are consider a resale of OKW. By doing that you may be able to afford a 2 bed stay at least once a year. Just a thought.

Dreamfinder2 · Jul 3, 2004

Just asking ... is anyone personally aware of problems that have arisen because of a villa having more than its stated occupancy limit? For instance, were you kept awake all night because there were 8 folks partying in the 1 BR right above your head during spring break? (Yeah, that's an extreme example.)

Just curious.

Disney Doll · Jul 3, 2004

I guess I am a rule follower,, and have never understood the "rules apply to everyone but me" mentality.

DebbieB · Jul 3, 2004

Originally posted by Disney Doll
I guess I am a rule follower,, and have never understood the "rules apply to everyone but me" mentality.

DVC makes the rules and they are the ones allowing exceptions to their rules. If they grant an exception, it's not "breaking the rules".

chris1gill · Jul 3, 2004

Just wanted to mention another alternative for those families of five... The BWV studio plus legally fits a family of five, IMHO it would be much more cramped than the one bedroom, but it is a legal room for five....

or, two studio's cost roughly the same as a one bedroom if you're looking for a second bath!

As stated OKW has the biggest one bedrooms!!!

crisi · Jul 3, 2004

Originally posted by Dreamfinder2
Just asking ... is anyone personally aware of problems that have arisen because of a villa having more than its stated occupancy limit? For instance, were you kept awake all night because there were 8 folks partying in the 1 BR right above your head during spring break? (Yeah, that's an extreme example.)

Just curious.

What's the difference between eight noisy people and four noisy people? What if we put four partying college students in a room, and next door have a five person group of women over 60 who roam Epcot and are in bed every night by nine (they get up early, but they sit around and knit quietly).

i.e. Noisy and/or distructive guests should be taken care of regardless of the occupancy of the rooms. If someone has their stereo playing full blast at midnight, that's a problem if there is one person in the room or eight.

lenshanem · Jul 3, 2004

What's the difference between eight noisy people and four noisy people? What if we put four partying college students in a room, and next door have a five person group of women over 60 who roam Epcot and are in bed every night by nine (they get up early, but they sit around and knit quietly).

OK, that got a laugh out of me. I was trying to picture myself years from now sitting out on a BWV boardwalk view quietly knitting away as the boats passed by...

panfan · Jul 3, 2004

Also...
Eight noisy people partying is not the same as a family with three litte kids who would most likely be asleep by nine o'clock. ( Same as the Epcot Ladies....LOL)

FLYNZ4 · Jul 4, 2004

Personally... I could not care less how many people others want to put in their condos. I personally like a lot of room, so I bought enough credits for my projected use of WDW in a unit that is comfortable to me. That will usually be a 1BR for my wife and myself, and a 2BR when we have kids along. If someone else wants to fill their unit to overcapacity... then that is just fine with me.

If there is too much noise... I will complain... and it doesnt matter if it is just a couple, or a family of 10.

What I do not understand... is why some people are so judgemental of other's choices. If you are not staying in the room... why would you possibly care how many people are sharing a sink and toilet?

/Jim

rbuzzotta · Jul 4, 2004

As a family of 5 myself, I now find it a luxury with a 2 BR!! Especially with a teen and the bathroom!! We did buy an additional resale to accomodate our time at WDW.

IMO, 5 in a 1 BR isn't too bad if for a short period of time.............but we go for 2 weeks and need the room.......

I personally don't understand the sq. footage thing about fire codes. We have stayed at POR in a small hotel room before and it is much smaller than a DVC 1 BR!!! Always confused me as to where the reasoning for that came.........

As for noisy people................yikes..........we had a very noisy family above us last summer!!! Kids constantly flushing toilets and very heavy walkers and runners...............do I think they were over the occupancy limits.............who knows, just very loud!!! Did I complain..................no, but next time I will!!! Live and learn...........

Happy Birthday Cat · Jul 4, 2004

As a family of 6 it was easy for us to make the DVC decision. It seems that most things are geared toward groups of four or larger than five. Five seems to always be the "odd man out". Maybe you should consider adding on to your family to fit your DVC situation?

HBC

Dreamfinder2 · Jul 4, 2004

Re my hypothetical question: My point exactly. For those of us who happen to be neighbors, party size is irrelevant, because you could have the knitting ladies (I love my mental picture!) or four party animals. Perhaps even a shrieking 3 year old (like the one sitting down from us during Spiderman 2 yesterday - not passing judgement here; when DD was 3, she could shriek with the best of 'em. It's made her a better cheerleader, too.)

Point is - party size is just a side factor in whether you're disturbed by noisy neighbors or not, and I think complaints, properly applied, are appropriate. As to whether or not 5 in a 1 BR is right or wrong, looks like Disney has left that up to our own interpretation. We had five in an AKL concierge room a couple of years ago (queen bed, bunk beds, and a day bed), and it was close communion, for sure.

Whatever. Live and let live, and if the Disney folks feel they need to crack down and enforce the assumed occupancy rule, then we'll all just adjust.

crisi · Jul 4, 2004

Originally posted by lenshanem
OK, that got a laugh out of me. I was trying to picture myself years from now sitting out on a BWV boardwalk view quietly knitting away as the boats passed by...

We took my mother in law and her sister - that's what they liked to do. Roam Epcot and sit on their balcony (overlooking the BW) and knit.

The only problem with putting five of those ladies in a studio was they need proper bedding - they don't get back up too easily after they've been lying on an aerobed on the floor! But they certainly wouldn't have been noisy or distructive, and they grew up in an era where you used one bathroom with your many siblings very efficently - my mother in law was shocked when we moved into a home with more toilets than people (we had children, now we have three toilets and four people - plus an unfinished 3/4 bath in the basement).

zurgswife · Jul 4, 2004

OK...Just gotta add my 2 cents...

We purchased DVC on a trip when our kids were 3m, 3,4,5.....we were staying in a studio plus...that CRO placed us in...

Now our DVC guide also told us that a 1bdrm would be perfect for our family with everybody being so young. We followed his advice for a few years. It wasn't until I got to these boards and was tarred and feathered for mentioning that we put 6 in a one-bdrm that I realized that I was commiting the ulimate sin.

I think our oldest was 8 when we decided that we needed a 2 bdrm and it has been wonderful.

So, if it works for you and Disney is aware of the number of people then go ahead.....

on the bathroom thing...we lived 6 people in a house with only 1 bathroom for almost 3 yrs while we were renovating...we survived... :sunny:

Johnnie Fedora · Jul 4, 2004

I have posted on this topic often. Each DVC family of five needs to make this decision on their own. Past threads like this often lead to heated discussions with we "5ers" being called all differents variations of liars, cheaters, thieves, and dreaded...bad parents. Nice to see more families have come out of the woodwork to post their vacationing experiences w/o the fear of being shouted down.

We own plenty of points to do a 2-BR each trip if we choose to. However, I don't like the layout of all the 2-BR units. I like to be able to see what the kids are doing, and I don't like the balcony set up in the 2nd BR at some of the multi-story WDW resorts. Our oldest can unlock the patio doors and our youngest will not hesitate to climb on a chair and hang on the railing.

We gear our room accomodations to fit our stay, and the amount of vacation time I have. We almost never stay in a studio as we like the kitchen. While our kids are small a 1-BR is plenty of space, especially when we are out of the room a lot. OTOH, we always get a 2-BR at HH, as we spend more time in the room there and there is not a balcony off the 2nd BR.

To all families of five...enjoy your DVC accomodations whichever ones you choose. It's the flexibility that makes DVC so great.

Dean · Jul 4, 2004

The reality is that the occupancy limit is 4 period. MS has stretched it already to 4 plus one under 3. The guids are sales people and I'm certain they cannot put it in writing. And members should not be surprised if DVC gets much more strict in the future in this area. Most timeshare are very strict when it comes to occupancy limits.

wdwdvcdad · Jul 4, 2004

Originally posted by Pa@okw95
Buy enough points so you can stay in a 2 bedroom, you are over the limit in a one bedroom. There are other places you can stay that fit 5 at WDW. I believe Fort Wilderness has some nice places. Off site there are plenty of great spots that fit 5 or more for that matter, but not a one bedroom at DVC. i think we may see a crack down on people that do this, especailly the guides that say this. It is time too many guides are telling people this when it is not true.

5 in a 1 bedroom is fine. You are not over the limit, obviously, since MS will book it for 5. They will even book a studio for 5 people. So, go & have a good time and don't worry what is said here, Disney makes & enforces the rules, not it Disboards.

wdwdvcdad · Jul 4, 2004

Originally posted by FLYNZ4
Personally... I could not care less how many people others want to put in their condos. I personally like a lot of room, so I bought enough credits for my projected use of WDW in a unit that is comfortable to me. That will usually be a 1BR for my wife and myself, and a 2BR when we have kids along. If someone else wants to fill their unit to overcapacity... then that is just fine with me.

If there is too much noise... I will complain... and it doesnt matter if it is just a couple, or a family of 10.

What I do not understand... is why some people are so judgemental of other's choices. If you are not staying in the room... why would you possibly care how many people are sharing a sink and toilet?

/Jim