RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DVC ARCHITECTS AND DESIGNERS

[Deb & Bill]

I disagree studios should be 4 people- but this thing where studios are 5 and 1 bdrm is 4 is just plain stupid. I wish they had a trundle under the TV and a murphy bed rather than the pull out couch in all the studios. I expected not to like Riviera but that murphy bed was wonderful when it pushed up to leave a couch!

Those trundles to go up to give you a table/chairs are nice. If they combined the table/chairs trundle and a murphy I would buy a new home resort in a heartbeat.

They don't have trundles any more at WDW. Those were the beds that pulled out from under the regular bed (mostly at moderates), so the person was almost sleeping of the floor. Then you push it back under the bed during the day. They mostly have murphy beds the fold down from the wall.

 

[DougEMG]

What Disney should do is:

• increase points of studios
• decrease points of 1 bedrooms
• reduce all studios to 4 people only
• increase minimum buy in to 1 week of points in a 1 bedroom

Now they will never ever do any of these things as it they will make it harder for them to sell points.

 

[Chuck S]

What Disney should do is:

• increase points of studios
• decrease points of 1 bedrooms
• reduce all studios to 4 people only
• increase minimum buy in to 1 week of points in a 1 bedroom

Now they will never ever do any of these things as it they will make it harder for them to sell points.

Well, obviously points were way cheaper then, but when OKW opened, minimum buy in was 230 points. And it sold very well. But they also had the incentive of free park passes until the end of 1999.

 

[MICKIMINI]

Grab bars in all showers and bath tubs. It became a necessity a few years prior to TKR and afterwards so I don't fall.
We had a walk in shower installed - with two grab bars which cost $50-60 retail.

I believe that would eliminate some who reserve accessible walk in showers for safety as for instance, OKW villas (aside from studios) would all have grab bars in the walk in showers.

My guess is the resistance is esthetics not cost, as I was on the architecture board at my private gym (5000 members) and fought hard for that one detail in all showers. The architects agreed it was a great idea, however they were never installed after renovations of multiple locker rooms. There are two accessible showers in the locker room I use and they are always in use - for the grab bars.

An easy, inexpensive safety addition any time DVC does a hard renovation or builds new.

 

[Evita_W]

I think all DVC members know that the first thing to go when trying to book at DVC are the studios. That is because the 1 bedrooms are almost twice as many points and sleep the same number of people as the studio. I think that would change if you do two things. 1. Put a queen bed and sofa bed in the bedroom instead of a king bed ( which they have done in the newer resort studios) and 2. Put a separate door in the bedroom to the hallway. This would do two things One allow you to sleep four in the bedroom and secondly not wake up those sleeping on the sofa or Murphy bed in the living room if the people who are staying in the bedroom need to go out. Make it like a one bedroom lock-out unit. This would make the one bedrooms more popular and avoid seeing all the studios scooped up at the 11 month mark. It’s too late for the current resorts but would be a good idea for any new ones.
Any other ideas?

I would hate this, we will often book a 1 bedroom because we want the king bed.

Also, no more sofa beds, make them all pull down Murphy beds instead.

 

[mistysue]

They don't have trundles any more at WDW. Those were the beds that pulled out from under the regular bed (mostly at moderates), so the person was almost sleeping of the floor. Then you push it back under the bed during the day. They mostly have murphy beds the fold down from the wall.

I'm thinking of the murphy bed that pulls out sideways under the TV then. It's very different from the full sized murphy bed in the Riviera rooms- and I with both of those murphy beds were everywhere.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I would hate this, we will often book a 1 bedroom because we want the king bed.

Also, no more sofa beds, make them all pull down Murphy beds instead.

I don't see how they will work at OKW in the living room. Studio, yes. Larger villas, no, because of all the windows in the living room. That murphy bed would cover the windows. There are much better sleeper sofas than the ones they currently have with the scratchy fabric and uncomfortable cushions. I just want chairs and sofas that are higher so I can get up from the seat. When my butt is lower than my knees, it's hard to get up once you get old.

 

[Evita_W]

I don't see how they will work at OKW in the living room. Studio, yes. Larger villas, no, because of all the windows in the living room. That murphy bed would cover the windows. There are much better sleeper sofas than the ones they currently have with the scratchy fabric and uncomfortable cushions. I just want chairs and sofas that are higher so I can get up from the seat. When my butt is lower than my knees, it's hard to get up once you get old.

Perhaps not at OKW, but everywhere else should use the large pull down Murphy beds instead of sleeper sofas.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Team king bed

 

[nerdboyrockstar]

What Disney should do is:

• increase points of studios
• decrease points of 1 bedrooms
• reduce all studios to 4 people only
• increase minimum buy in to 1 week of points in a 1 bedroom

Now they will never ever do any of these things as it they will make it harder for them to sell points.

Interesting that you mention this. Even when Disney prices out the DVC rooms for cash, it's like a 50% difference in the cost of Studios vs 1-Bedroom Villas. But it's not double the price like the points are...

 

[MJtwinmom]

I wish the POLY would have built 1 & 2 bedrooms. I will never book here bc of this. Please do not get me wrong I love this resort. As a mom of young kids the value of a washer/dryer is priceless. Only a family of four here and we will only book 1 bedroom. Now as my boys get older we will only book 2 bedrooms as we wouldn‘t want them sleeping on a sleeper sofas. Just me but two teenage boys + don’t want to share a thin framed bed. Again just me but that’s not a relaxing vacation to me.

 

[CarolMN]

What Disney should do is:

• increase points of studios
• decrease points of 1 bedrooms
• reduce all studios to 4 people only
• increase minimum buy in to 1 week of points in a 1 bedroom

Now they will never ever do any of these things as it they will make it harder for them to sell points.

Maybe they should, but selfishly, I am very glad they haven't and hope they won't. One of the reasons I bought DVC was to avoid the constant hunt for discounts. I am not anxious to increase the competition for the 1 bedrooms. I like it the way it is - probably one of the very few who do, LOL.

 

[Chuck S]

What Disney should do is:

• increase points of studios
• decrease points of 1 bedrooms
• reduce all studios to 4 people only
• increase minimum buy in to 1 week of points in a 1 bedroom

Now they will never ever do any of these things as it they will make it harder for them to sell points.

When you look back, to the original OKW point charts and minimum buy in, the 230 points minimum was enough for a week in a one bedroom in every season, except Premier season, where it would get you 5 nights. It was 79 points short for that full week. And it was enough for over 3 weeks in a Studio in adventure season. At the 345 points that I eventually built up to, that was enough for 5 weeks in a studio in adventure season.