some newbie questions...

[gigi1313]

we're planning to try dvc (as a precursor to owning perhaps?!) by renting points for our upcoming august/september vacation, but i have a few questions...

1. maid service is weekly or daily? can you pay extra for daily? what about garbage pickup/removal if mousekeeping is weekly?

2. comfort... is a studio really enough room for a family of four for seven nights? on last year's trip we stayed at pop and got to connecting rooms (at $55/night, so it was both comfortable and economical)

3. rollaways... do any of the dvc properties offer them, still keeping the # of people to 4

4. pools... which dvc has the best pool for an 8 and 10 year old? i'm torn between boardwalk's kiester coaster and beach club's stormalong bay...

5. transporation... will dvc'ers be included in the use of the free bus service (magical express?) to/from orlando airport?

any experienced dvc'ers w/input on any of the above (and probably more questions as time goes on) please chime in or pm me!

 

[drusba]

1. maid service is weekly or daily? can you pay extra for daily? what about garbage pickup/removal if mousekeeping is weekly?

On fourth day you are there they do a trash and towel service (empty trash and clean up some and change towels). There are places available to dispose of trash otherwise. If you stay more than a week, they come on the eighth day and do a full cleaning. You can order daily full sevice cleaning for all or any one or more of the days you are there for an extra cost ($25 a day for a studio).

2. comfort... is a studio really enough room for a family of four for seven nights? on last year's trip we stayed at pop and got to connecting rooms (at $55/night, so it was both comfortable and economical)

Room is quite a bit larger than Pop but smaller than two Pop rooms; however, personal belief is that no single hotel room is big enough for four; others will express a different view.

3. rollaways... do any of the dvc properties offer them, still keeping the # of people to 4

No

4. pools... which dvc has the best pool for an 8 and 10 year old? i'm torn between boardwalk's kiester coaster and beach club's stormalong bay...

All pools are good; Stormalong Bay is the premier resort pool in WDW; Keister Coaster is fine though.

5. transporation... will dvc'ers be included in the use of the free bus service (magical express?) to/from orlando airport?

You do not get free bus service to and from airport.

 

[kruegeme]

My wife and I stayed in a studio at BWV's several years ago and it didn't seem much bigger than one of the rooms at GF or CS. Depending on the age of your children, you might want to look at a 1 bedroom at OKW as they seem to be the biggest. Not sure how their studio's compare to the other resorts. Plus you would have a kitchen.

 

[tjkraz]

You do not get free bus service to and from airport.

Actually DVC has confirmed that when the Magical Express service begins on May 5th, DVC members WILL be eligible to utilize it free, in the same manner as cash resort guests.

 

[Caskbill]

On fourth day you are there they do a trash and towel service (empty trash and clean up some and change towels). There are places available to dispose of trash otherwise. If you stay more than a week, they come on the eighth day and do a full cleaning...

That's not quite correct.

If you stay less than eight nights, they do trash and towel on day 4.

If you stay eight nights or more, then they do full cleaning on day 4, and trash and towel on day 8.

 

[gigi1313]

thanks for all the replies...

so, no rollaways, no matter the number of people in the room... drat! my concern is that ds/dd don't share a bed well... they are both used to their space (he has a queen sized bed and she a full) and the last thing i want is kids that don't sleep well on vacation... that's really a drawback for me, even w/a one bedroom, there are still only two beds, right? and by the time i rent dvc points for a one bedroom, i could get two rooms as a cash guest at a moderate... or one room as a cash guest at a deluxe w/a daybed or rollaway... oh, man... i am soooo conflicted...

 

[tjkraz]

Many people recommend buying airbeds for young children to use. Target has these neat ones that are Disney themed (Buzz Lightyear, Princess Castle) that run about $50. They roll up into a small duffle for transport. But when inflated they are a legitimate 6' long kiddie bed.

For older kids, you can get just a plain, ole no-frills airbed that will get the job done.

Our long term plans are to get a couple of air beds for our kiddies and let them sack out on the 1b living room floor. But that will probably last into their teens at best. By then, we'll have to move up to a 2B with the legitimate beds and an extra bathroom.

Nothing beats a 1B (well, except a 2B or Grand Villa ) with the Washer / dryer, whirlpool tub, balcony, full kitchen, etc. If you'd prefer to vacation in two rooms at a moderate, go for it. But I love my DVC!

 

[gigi1313]

hmmmm... an airbed... that's a thought... are the studios big enough for it not to be a nightmare tripping over it?

i really want to talk dh into dvc ownership... my concern is if we rent and it's a nightmare (not enough space, tired kids, etc) then there will be no convincing him... i realize that vacation is like life, it's never going to be perfect, but i need this one to be perfect! LOL!

 

[tjkraz]

hmmmm... an airbed... that's a thought... are the studios big enough for it not to be a nightmare tripping over it?

The airbeds would probably be so close together that it would be the same as putting them both on the sofabed. And you'd have to deflate them every night or you'd never be able to move around in the room.

With a One Bedroom, you could have one sleep on the pull-out sofa (which I understand to be VERY comfortable at Saratoga Springs) and squeeze in the airbed either in the master bedroom or elsewhere in the living room / dining area (particularly if you want some privacy!)

My $.02 would be that you really need to think long-term here. Your children are going to be teenagers before you know it. By that time you'll need the extra bathroom and legitimate beds for the kids. If you're going to buy into DVC, I would get enough points to afford a Two Bedroom, or at least plan to add-on points in the next 3-4 years to get you to that level.

Remember that you can use banking and borrowing to combine two or three years' worth of points for one stay. If you don't plan to visit every single year, you could buy 150 points and have 300 to use every two years.

The economics of it are a different story. You'll have to work through those numbers yourself based upon your projected travel habits. In the end, my guess is that paying cash for two moderate rooms will prove to be cheaper. But two moderate rooms don't give you 1700 square feet of livings space that includes an in-room washer and dryer, full kitchen (save money on meals), balcony, whirlpool tub, three TVs, DVD player, and so on.

Another option would be booking two studio rooms, but DVC doesn't have any studios that connect. The resorts would try to put you in the same vicinity, but it would probably mean you and your SO splitting up, each taking one of the kids.

Good luck.

 

[gigi1313]

thank you again for your input... it's looking like maybe dvc is not for us right now unless we do less frequent trips and a larger unit, which is a definite possibility (and would make dh happy... i prefer quantity to quality, he's the complete opposite!)

 

[kweaver]

FWIW, there is room for a standard Aerobed next to the sofa in a 1BR (we did this at SSR over the summer). There is also room for it next to the King in the master.