Re-Thinking Where to Stay for 5 Year Anniversary

[scanne]

Well, I've been saying for the past year that I want to stay at the Polynesian in a LV concierge room for our 5 year anniversary trip in July 05.

Now the party that will be going on this trip will be:

Me, DH, DS1, DBaby2, my mom, my dad and maybe my grandmother.

If we stick with the Polynesian I think we'd get two or three rooms. So I was thinking that with a 2 (almost 3) year old and a one year old we'd be better off in a two bedroom villa. How easy is it to get a 2br villa at Beach Club or Boardwalk? I don't want OKW because I want to be close to a theme park, and I don't want Villas at WL because we stayed at the WL last August. Does Disney offer AP holders any discounts on suites? I was thinking maybe a suite at the Polynesian or GF...but I know that's going to be pretty darn expensive unless there are codes out for the suites.

So, would you just stick to the Poly concierge or go with a villa? And would you rent points for the villa or book through Disney? I will be using Dreams Unlimited again, as well, so I know my agent there will always be scouting for deals to pop up.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Lexxiefern]

As far as I know Disney does not discount suites.

I would go with a 2 bedroom villa at BWV. I have stayed in a one bedroom and it is wonderful! I think it will definately be cheaper if you rent points.

 

[shelly3girls]

Just a thought, but maybe split the stay. Stay for the weekend at the Poly Concierge then move to the BCV for the weekdays. This way you get to experience both and you will not have to rent points for those expensive weekends. If you rent points during the week it would be a lot cheaper than two rooms at the Poly!
I also think the pool at BCV is great for young children. My 2 year-old love it and made out great. I was able to really relax while she played on the "beach" and in the water at the baby pool!

 

[jel0511]

First off, Disney doesn't discount suites, so you'll have to pay rack rate for those. Also getting a 2 bedroom villa with any code rate will be hard to find, since WDW only retains 2 - 3 % of the DVC resort rooms for cash bookings, with the rest being allocated to DVC members. If you really want a villa, the best way would be to rent points from a DVC member. You'd be able to lock up a ressie 11 months in advance (be sure you want to go, since members usually have a no-refund policy). You do give up daily housekeeping in renting from a member, but you can pay for housekeeping yourself once you arrive. I think it's $40 per day for a two bedroom. One week in the summer at either BCV or BWV (Preferred view) would run you $3500 by renting points. Also, take into consideration that a two bedroom villa probably would only have two real beds (the few dedicated at BCV with two queens in the 2nd bedroom are usually booked up by DVC members) a king in the master and a queen in the 2nd bedroom. The other bedding would be queen pull-outs in both the living room and 2nd bedroom. I don't think you'd want to spend your anniversary on a pull-out and not a good option for older people since those beds provide minimum support. Personally, with sucn a diverse group of people, I'd stay at a resort and get separate rooms for everyone.