Pros and Cons of 2 2BR vs 3 BR Grand Villa

[DisneyRegulars]

Hi. We are planning a big family trip for next January. My family of three, son will be 5. My brother in law's family of 3 (niece will be 7), and my MIL. I was originally thinking we would fit just fine in a 3 bedroom, but then I looked at the points and realized we could get 2, 2 bedroom units for almost the same or even less points. I'm thinking that having the extra space, in particular the extra space to escape too, might help to make the trip less stressful. We would stick BIL, SIL, Niece 7 and MIL in one 2 BR and my family in the other 2 BR.

So for those of you that have done big family trips is there a downside to the 2 2BR approach that I'm not seeing?

For those of you that have requested rooms be close together, were those requests honored?

Also, BIL, SIL and niece have never been to Disney before, so I'm not sure if that should factor into my decision or not about which accommodations.

We are currently going to book SSR at the 11month and hope to switch to AKV Savannah view at the 7 month mark.

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

 

[VrBchJ]

What about a dedicated 2 bdrm for you and BIL's family (6 people) and a studio for MIL? That way the kids could be together and your MIL could have her own space when she wants quiet time. If one of the kids needs a nap he/she could lay down in the studio for a while.

 

[crisi]

When we did the big family trip, we did two two bedrooms. Because while I love my brother in law, I really didn't want to have to wrap an anchor around him and sink him to the bottom of Bay Lake by the end of the trip - which, if I had to stay in a room with him for an entire week, would have been a necessity by the end of the trip.

The downside is that the rooms might not end up close to one another - in which case you can't move easily from room to room to visit and are calling cell phones to say "we are headed to the bus stop now."

We requested close together and got rooms right next door, but a request is a request - don't count on it happening.

(And we had the same arrangement - I stuck my parents with my sister, brother in law and nephews and my family kept the other two bedroom to ourselves.)

 

[DisneyRegulars]

When we did the big family trip, we did two two bedrooms. Because while I love my brother in law, I really didn't want to have to wrap an anchor around him and sink him to the bottom of Bay Lake by the end of the trip - which, if I had to stay in a room with him for an entire week, would have been a necessity by the end of the trip.

I think perhaps we have the same BIL.

I forgot to add one thing. Niece has Aspergers and her parents are very particular about things, and a bunch of stuff bothers niece that I don't quite have a good hold on yet. (I have a year to learn) I think if they had their own place (with MIL) they would feel more comfortable and be able to have more semblance of home than if there was another family thrown into the mix to rile everything up. Also, MIL lives a 1/2 mile from us, and 4.5 hours from BIL, so I think she would actually enjoy getting to spend time with the niece and that family. If she needs to escape she can hide in her bedroom for a 'nap'. She did plenty of that on our trip together last year. I was also thinking if the kids were up to it (and everyone feels comfortable about it) they could have a sleep over together in either unit.

 

[VrBchJ]

I think perhaps we have the same BIL.

I forgot to add one thing. Niece has Aspergers and her parents are very particular about things, and a bunch of stuff bothers niece that I don't quite have a good hold on yet. (I have a year to learn) I think if they had their own place (with MIL) they would feel more comfortable and be able to have more semblance of home than if there was another family thrown into the mix to rile everything up. Also, MIL lives a 1/2 mile from us, and 4.5 hours from BIL, so I think she would actually enjoy getting to spend time with the niece and that family. If she needs to escape she can hide in her bedroom for a 'nap'. She did plenty of that on our trip together last year. I was also thinking if the kids were up to it (and everyone feels comfortable about it) they could have a sleep over together in either unit.

Ok. This new information puts a different slant on my 2brm/studio plan. Definitely go with the 2 bdrms.

 

[anna08]

We've done 2 2BR at AVK Savannah view - they were not next to each other - I'm not sure with the lay out of the villas if that's even possible, but they were about 4-5 doors apart. You might get them closer if you have a 2BR next to a 2BR lock-off which might be nice for your MIL to have her own door to come and go.

I highly recommend the 2 2BR scenario. You'll save some points and have some time where it's just your family unit together, which I think is good for everybody! Especially if you are the trip "planner" it's nice to have some down time and not feel like you are having to assess everyone's happiness every waking minute.

You'll have tons of together time in the parks, restaurants, line rides, etc... and your niece might need some quiet downtime if it's her first trip to WDW. Back when there were KTTW world cards, we would just switch two of the kids cards so we could access each others villas. I'm not sure you'd want to do that with Magic Bands. I wonder if you could get a plain band with just room access on it for that purpose.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I think perhaps we have the same BIL.

I forgot to add one thing. Niece has Aspergers and her parents are very particular about things, and a bunch of stuff bothers niece that I don't quite have a good hold on yet. (I have a year to learn) I think if they had their own place (with MIL) they would feel more comfortable and be able to have more semblance of home than if there was another family thrown into the mix to rile everything up. Also, MIL lives a 1/2 mile from us, and 4.5 hours from BIL, so I think she would actually enjoy getting to spend time with the niece and that family. If she needs to escape she can hide in her bedroom for a 'nap'. She did plenty of that on our trip together last year. I was also thinking if the kids were up to it (and everyone feels comfortable about it) they could have a sleep over together in either unit.

Two 2-Bedroom villas sounds like the best plan for your group. Then, if the BIL/SIL decide to cancel, you can cancel the one two bedroom and keep MIL with you.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

Especially if you are the trip "planner" it's nice to have some down time and not feel like you are having to assess everyone's happiness every waking minute.

This is a very good point, as I would totally be assessing everyone's happiness level. 2 units would give me some downtime from that.

 

[double r]

We were going to do the same thing as you with a 3br but 2 2br would seem much better plus I think the night time separation would be a sanity help. Believe it or not we both just ended up towing our campers down as they threw a dog in the mix so we told them NO DVC then

 

[crisi]

This is a very good point, as I would totally be assessing everyone's happiness level. 2 units would give me some downtime from that.

And if you don't know what your niece needs, especially since her needs are special ones - and her parents are picky - that is going to be a losing battle guaranteed to drive you towards the anchor and Bay Lake solution. Not that they are bad people, but that if you have a drive to please and they have issues being pleased, it won't end well.

Always remember that its your vacation, too. And make the decisions up front that will make it possible for you to return from vacation saying "that was fun, I'm glad we did that" rather than "Oh My God, Never Again."

 

[Muhlenberg]

Ok. This new information puts a different slant on my 2brm/studio plan. Definitely go with the 2 bdrms.

Ditto.

We liked being in the grand villa. (There were 9 of us. DH, DS25, DD27, other DD and her family including 2 little girls, my mother and me.) It made planning/visiting very easy. The only one we had though with "special needs" was my mother. My DD and her family basically did their own thing most of the time, and our paths crossed a little. She was trying to adhere to nap times, and the rest of us had trouble getting out the door early enough. We had dinners together, and times in the afternoons/evenings together.

Under your circumstances, I would go with two 2-bedrooms. Just be aware that it may seem like you are two families that, while technically traveling together, you really just happen to be at WDW at the same time.

To make it easier to get two rooms close together at AKV, they should both be Savanna, or both be standard view. We had a 2-BR Savanna and a standard studio, and while by Disney standards they were fairly close together, the standard view studio was down the hall a little farther. It also made our request (near lobby) basically ignored. At SSR, I think it would probably be easier for the two rooms to be close together, but I could be wrong.

Oh and ditto what Crisi said.

 

[SugarLoaf]

I agree. In your particular situation, I would do the two two-bedrooms for the extra space and privacy.

We always do a 3-bedroom. We do the three bed-room because my niece and nephew are small, and wake up early and it's fun for them to come out and play with us while their parents continue to sleep or get ready. Which would be much harder if we were in separate places or floors. And it's nice for meals.

It's really a trade-off. But far less of a trade-off it seems for you, given you would enjoy the separation/extra privacy, and space!

 

[Disney Doc]

Do you really need a two-bedroom for your family of three people, one of whom is a 5-yr-old? (Such a refreshing change from the people that insist 4 adults and an infant are "perfectly fine" in a studio!)

 

[Deb & Bill]

Do you really need a two-bedroom for your family of three people, one of whom is a 5-yr-old? (Such a refreshing change from the people that insist 4 adults and an infant are "perfectly fine" in a studio!)

I think the MIL would be in with that family. So it's nice to give her a real bed.

 

[amym2]

Do you really need a two-bedroom for your family of three people, one of whom is a 5-yr-old? (Such a refreshing change from the people that insist 4 adults and an infant are "perfectly fine" in a studio!)

That was my thought also... if MIL is going to stay with the other family, you'd probably be fine in a 1bdrm for the three of you. At AKV you'd get two bathrooms. Our kids love the sleeper chair.

 

[Dean]

Hi. We are planning a big family trip for next January. My family of three, son will be 5. My brother in law's family of 3 (niece will be 7), and my MIL. I was originally thinking we would fit just fine in a 3 bedroom, but then I looked at the points and realized we could get 2, 2 bedroom units for almost the same or even less points. I'm thinking that having the extra space, in particular the extra space to escape too, might help to make the trip less stressful. We would stick BIL, SIL, Niece 7 and MIL in one 2 BR and my family in the other 2 BR.

So for those of you that have done big family trips is there a downside to the 2 2BR approach that I'm not seeing?

For those of you that have requested rooms be close together, were those requests honored?

Also, BIL, SIL and niece have never been to Disney before, so I'm not sure if that should factor into my decision or not about which accommodations.

We are currently going to book SSR at the 11month and hope to switch to AKV Savannah view at the 7 month mark.

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

In general a 3 BR will be about the same as a 2 BR plus TWO studios. For this group I'd likely do the 2 BR plus one studio and request they be close (not guaranteed) for less points or a 2 BR plus a 1 BR rather than two 2BR units. You could all fit in a 2 BR if I'm reading correctly (7 total), esp for a dedicated 2 BR with 2 queens in the second. If you're got the points, the GV is certainly a nice luxury though. It's more difficult to reserve a 3BR, they often have stairs and if your group changes, it'll be more difficult to switch around, esp if someone cancels. Remember many GV have stairs with one BR downstairs if that's an issue.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

Do you really need a two-bedroom for your family of three people, one of whom is a 5-yr-old? (Such a refreshing change from the people that insist 4 adults and an infant are "perfectly fine" in a studio!)

Well we've become a bit spoiled by DVC and we added on specifically so we could stay in 2 bedroom units with our family of three. When my son goes to bed we would like to be able to relax in the living room instead of feeling awkward all huddled in our bed way before bedtime. We have done five trips in a one bedroom trying various sleeping arrangements including air mattresses in the master, and it's just not quite right. Hence the add on for a two bedroom for us.

I know there are a bunch of ways to save points, but we have adequate points. The question was more aimed towards trip dynamics if the traveling party is split up between two rooms vs staying altogether. I'm leaning towards two places so we all make it out alive.

We will be doing almost all of our touring together in the parks I think.

 

[crisi]

I know there are a bunch of ways to save points, but we have adequate points. The question was more aimed towards trip dynamics if the traveling party is split up between two rooms vs staying altogether. I'm leaning towards two places so we all make it out alive.

Someone who shares not only a brother in law, but a sense of humor.

By the way, last year we spent three nights on a HOUSEBOAT with my sister, brother in law and nephews, and everyone returned - AND we had a better time than most of us anticipated (it was my mother's birthday present to herself, so we all sort of had to go no matter how much we thought it wasn't a great idea). My nephews are both neurotypical, but both can be challenging in age and temperament. And I have teens - no one wants to be in close proximity with a churlish fifteen year old for four days.

But if you have a choice, give everyone some space.

We stayed - four of us - in a Grand Villa because our guests fell through (for a good reason, it was my husband's brother and his girlfriend and he passed away from cancer, she, understandably, decided not to go along - in fact it was almost the kids and me, my husband nearly passed on the trip) and we had too many points for our trip - they are HUGE (way bigger than a houseboat). However, you'd be sharing a kitchen, someone would likely end up sleeping in the living room where with two two bedrooms you get four bedrooms instead of three. Even with all that room, with a child who has issues with disruptions to routine and is already in an unfamiliar environment, and some family who are difficult to please, you could still wind up with family wanting to strangle each other.

 

[dbs1228]

I know there are a bunch of ways to save points, but we have adequate points.

I feel the same exact way! We have stayed in a 1 bedroom once when it was the 3 of us for 1 night. It was fine because of the second bathroom and DD was 16 at the time but if I was going for more then 3 nights and there were more then 2 of us I would book a 2 bedroom and if there is more then 3 of us we always book a 2 bedroom that is why we bought into DVC in the 1st place . I think you are making the right choice with 2 - 2 bedroom villas. We did the GV a year and a half ago at BLT and cannot wait to stay there again this NYE but we have 3 older DD's and we let each one bring a friend - they all have the upstairs we have the downstairs! Good luck and have fun

 

[sophia315]

I also vote for the 2 2 bedrooms for this trip. See how it goes and if you go again as a group then you could try the grand villa but since there is an individual with special needs it may be best for the separate downtime.