One Bedroom Worth It?

[Girlstar30]

Alright guys, so still stuck in ROFR and Riviera cash stay is already booked for September which means we are going and pickings for other resorts are going to be slim. We were hoping to do a three week trip because it's the lowest point season of the year, but to get some resorts we really want to stay at, getting a one Bedroom seems like the only way we're going to be able to snag what we want.

I have never stayed in a one bedroom and it is just the two of us. I like the idea of a king bed we could comfortably share and extra space is always nice. But we won't be utilizing the kitchen because we like to go out to eat on vacations. Using nearly twice as many points for a one bedroom stings because we won't be able to go for three weeks with the points were getting (even with borrowing). We were hoping to stay at PIT (fat chance i know, but who knows what if we love it more than RIV and want that to be our direct resort) The intention of the trip really is to see where our direct home will be as well as vacation, so staying where we are interested in is important to us.

So to the point, would you trade in a longer vacation just to have a one bedroom? Is it worth it to you to pay double points for this? Should I ask my guide if he could hook us up with a PIT room because the intention is to buy direct right after or is that going to be a hell no you went with resale and we won't be fooled

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Tough call on shortening a vacation for a 1BR. But I will warn you - once you experience the 1BR villas instead of the studio, you might not want to return to the studios again! So many niceties about the 1BR. More room, washer/dryer (that's changed our packing requirements significantly, as we'll throw in a load before leaving for the parks and have clean clothes again that night), kitchen (we don't cook either, but do use the fridge a lot for drinks and some snacks we'll bring, and a quiet area if one of us gets up early and doesn't want to disturb the other...... So the 1BRs are expensive, but extremely nice!

 

[Brian Noble]

I happen to like the 1BRs. A lot. Even for two people.

There is just a qualitative difference between "one room for everything we do" to "space for sleeping that is separate from our space for lounging, snacking, etc." If one of you is a night owl, and the other an early bird, no problem!

I know you said you won't cook on vacation. And, I don't either. But having a full kitchen--with real plates, bowls, and mugs--means being able to throw together a simple breakfast (peanut butter toast, cereal, whatever) without having to be presentable. Having a dining table means not having to juggle where the things go on that little postage stamp table that "graces" some studios. I mean, you can do all that in a studio, but the 1BR is just nicer.

Yes, it's more than the studio. But, on the other hand, you are going in September, so the point requirements are still on the low side. It's only a little more than a studio during the times I usually go, in Season 6.

I could be wrong, but I don't think a resale purchase is going to be enough to hook you up with a Welcome Home booking where your Guide pulls some strings.

The other way to swing this: There are a lot of resorts. Sure, you might not be staying in your first-choice resorts, but you're going to own these points for a very long time. There is nothing wrong with trying some other resorts now---resorts you might not otherwise sample if you always have your "first choice." And, who knows? You might discover you really like some of those resorts. For example, I'm one of those weirdos who really likes the more relaxed vibe and spacious grounds of OKW and SSR.

Finally, the availability now is not the availability forever. People change plans all the time. Enter a waitlist, and periodically check to see what's there. Based on your short posting history so far, I suspect you will be the sort of person who enjoys the hunt. And if you are going to be there long enough, maybe a split stay is not the end of the world.

 

[Girlstar30]

Tough call on shortening a vacation for a 1BR. But I will warn you - once you experience the 1BR villas instead of the studio, you might not want to return to the studios again! So many niceties about the 1BR. More room, washer/dryer (that's changed our packing requirements significantly, as we'll throw in a load before leaving for the parks and have clean clothes again that night), kitchen (we don't cook either, but do use the fridge a lot for drinks and some snacks we'll bring, and a quiet area if one of us gets up early and doesn't want to disturb the other...... So the 1BRs are expensive, but extremely nice!

I have heard that returning from 1 bedroom to studio is tough which scares me as well. So what I'm seeing that needs to happen is I need more points

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I have heard that returning from 1 bedroom to studio is tough which scares me as well. So what I'm seeing that needs to happen is I need more points

You'll find that to be a common answer for many out of these posts!! Just not the posts about paying dues......!

 

[Girlstar30]

I happen to like the 1BRs. A lot. Even for two people.

There is just a qualitative difference between "one room for everything we do" to "space for sleeping that is separate from our space for lounging, snacking, etc." If one of you is a night owl, and the other an early bird, no problem!

I know you said you won't cook on vacation. And, I don't either. But having a full kitchen--with real plates, bowls, and mugs--means being able to throw together a simple breakfast (peanut butter toast, cereal, whatever) without having to be presentable. Having a dining table means not having to juggle where the things go on that little postage stamp table that "graces" some studios. I mean, you can do all that in a studio, but the 1BR is just nicer.

Yes, it's more than the studio. But, on the other hand, you are going in September, so the point requirements are still on the low side. It's only a little more than a studio during the times I usually go, in Season 6.

I could be wrong, but I don't think a resale purchase is going to be enough to hook you up with a Welcome Home booking where your Guide pulls some strings.

The other way to swing this: There are a lot of resorts. Sure, you might not be staying in your first-choice resorts, but you're going to own these points for a very long time. There is nothing wrong with trying some other resorts now---resorts you might not otherwise sample if you always have your "first choice." And, who knows? You might discover you really like some of those resorts. For example, I'm one of those weirdos who really likes the more relaxed vibe and spacious grounds of OKW and SSR.

Finally, the availability now is not the availability forever. People change plans all the time. Enter a waitlist, and periodically check to see what's there. Based on your short posting history so far, I suspect you will be the sort of person who enjoys the hunt. And if you are going to be there long enough, maybe a split stay is not the end of the world.

I didn't compare the point requirements to other seasons, that would make me feel better, think ill do that right now! I don't think I will be able to pull strings with resale either, but I suppose it's worth a shot the guide knew everywhere we were staying on our January trip before we went, I'm not sure if they pulled some strings because we were staying at 5 different resorts with the intention of buying or it was just luck, but we experienced some pretty nice rooms, especially was surprised that they put us in a blt refurb room a week after release.

I kind of do want to stay at SSR because it's on my resale radar and I would love to love it there. I love split stays as long as they're 3 nights or more, but I do have a wait listing question. Could I waitlist just one night and when/if fulfilled, just keep on waitlisting only one night at a time? I think i read somewhere that you have more chances to get what you want like this, but I'm not sure if allowed or a good idea? And yes I would love the hunt and would refresh a hundred times a day to get what I want

 

[Disney Spaz]

I agree with the difficulty of going back to a studio from a 1bdrm. I would also suggest a split stay if possible, even if it is just to save some points and extend the trip. Plus if you can do some nights in a studio and some in a 1bdrm, even at the same resort, you will get the vibe for the size and convenience differences between the two room catagories.

 

[Brian Noble]

the guide knew everywhere we were staying on our January trip before we went

That's because Disney has invested in their CRM platform over the past few years, and for good reason.

 

[Girlstar30]

I agree with the difficulty of going back to a studio from a 1bdrm. I would also suggest a split stay if possible, even if it is just to save some points and extend the trip. Plus if you can do some nights in a studio and some in a 1bdrm, even at the same resort, you will get the vibe for the size and convenience differences between the two room catagories.

That's true, maybe i can pull off 3 weeks staying In a combo 1 bedroom and studio and then it will answer my question of whether it's worth it or not!

 

[Girlstar30]

That's because Disney has invested in their CRM platform over the past few years, and for good reason.

Yes i was a little creeped out by it when he said "I'll pick you up at ccv on the 9th or we can meet up when your staying at GF when I was inquiring like how did he know lolll he could see everything

 

[DeeBee3]

For a long trip like you want to plan, I would definitely do the larger room. I would have to do laundry and we have done it in the community areas, but so much more convenient to do in the room. We have 4 of us and have mainly done studios, but now that the kids are older we have to plan for 1 bedrooms. We also do not eat meals in the room unless they are leftovers or bought in the QS and brought back to the room. However, the extra space for food and snacks, plus cleanup, is also wonderful.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Could I waitlist just one night and when/if fulfilled, just keep on waitlisting only one night at a time? I think i read somewhere that you have more chances to get what you want like this, but I'm not sure if allowed or a good idea? And yes I would love the hunt and would refresh a hundred times a day to get what I want

You can waitlist for one night, but keep in mind you can hold a max of 2 waitlists at a time. Not sure of the exact strategy you're thinking, but it's not like you could have 5 1-night waitlists going at the same time. On the other side, if you manage to get a few nights reserved individually as 1-night stays - if they're the exact same room type and location, Members Services can merge consecutive nights into a single reservation so you don't have to change rooms.

 

[TCRAIG]

Personally, there’s no way I could stay 3 weeks in a studio even as a solo traveler. Having the washer and dryer in the room is a game changer for me along with a real kitchen with a real refrigerator and freezer. It’s so nice to have my water bottles frozen to take into the park, keep leftovers and grab a midnight snack if I want.

 

[Girlstar30]

For a long trip like you want to plan, I would definitely do the larger room. I would have to do laundry and we have done it in the community areas, but so much more convenient to do in the room. We have 4 of us and have mainly done studios, but now that the kids are older we have to plan for 1 bedrooms. We also do not eat meals in the room unless they are leftovers or bought in the QS and brought back to the room. However, the extra space for food and snacks, plus cleanup, is also wonderful.

Yes we did community laundry last time and It was not fun going back and forth and we also had to pay $150 extra for extra luggage and buy a suitcase from Amazon during our trip with all of our clothes we had to bring and extra shopping. So you actually made me see that a one bedroom IS a better option for us because we need more room for more shopping the only good thing about the community laundry is we did meet some very friendly dvc owners and we're gabbing in their the whole time about dvc

 

[Girlstar30]

You can waitlist for one night, but keep in mind you can hold a max of 2 waitlists at a time. Not sure of the exact strategy you're thinking, but it's not like you could have 5 1-night waitlists going at the same time. On the other side, if you manage to get a few nights reserved individually as 1-night stays - if they're the exact same room type and location, Members Services can merge consecutive nights into a single reservation so you don't have to change rooms.

Seems risky, but could be worth it i have no strategy, just praying people cancel one night at a time

 

[Girlstar30]

Personally, there’s no way I could stay 3 weeks in a studio even as a solo traveler. Having the washer and dryer in the room is a game changer for me along with a real kitchen with a real refrigerator and freezer. It’s so nice to have my water bottles frozen to take into the park, keep leftovers and grab a midnight snack if I want.

Thank you all, I am officially convinced!

 

[Disney Spaz]

That's true, maybe i can pull off 3 weeks staying In a combo 1 bedroom and studio and then it will answer my question of whether it's worth it or not!

I do not normally recommend split stays as DH and DD both cannot stand them but with just two people, potentially three weeks of vacation time, plus wanting to get more information I think a few changes over three weeks might not be a bad option. Plus it really will give you a comparison with the studio versus 1 bdrm differences.

I will also warn you, not that it would be as big of a deal for 2 people staying in a 1 bdrm but, the Poly Tower 1 bdrms have two bathrooms. This is what sold us on adding on at PIT versus CCV. Again not a big deal with two people but just adding our DD it makes a big difference for her to have her own space. Her showers have been known to go almost 2hrs.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Your guide cannot and will not help you book a room with resale points based on an intention to buy direct points at a future date.

Book the best thing you can when the points close and utilize the waitlist feature and stalking the system to see if you can get what you want before your trip. I have had good luck with the waitlist feature at the FL properties.

 

[Disney Spaz]

Thank you all, I am officially convinced!

Also please let us know how it all goes. I would love to hear your thoughts after your trip and what you decide regarding adding on.

 

[Girlstar30]

I do not normally recommend split stays as DH and DD both cannot stand them but with just two people, potentially three weeks of vacation time, plus wanting to get more information I think a few changes over three weeks might not be a bad option. Plus it really will give you a comparison with the studio versus 1 bdrm differences.

I will also warn you, not that it would be as big of a deal for 2 people staying in a 1 bdrm but, the Poly Tower 1 bdrms have two bathrooms. This is what sold us on adding on at PIT versus CCV. Again not a big deal with two people but just adding our DD it makes a big difference for her to have her own space. Her showers have been known to go almost 2hrs.

This is now really making me think I should book a riv 1 bedroom as well to do a PIT vs RIV 1 bedroom showdown!