studio and 2-bedroom MUCH BETTER value than 1-bed and 3-bed

[kapicka]

Looking at going to VGC in June over a weekend with some friends and their families and realizing that on a per person basis the 1 bedroom and 3 bedroom don't have the same bang for the buck.

Cost as a DVC owner works out to:
Studio at a cost of 5.5 points per person per night
1 bedroom is 10 points per person per night (for 4 of us, if 5 people it is 8 pts/person)
2 bedroom is at 7 points per person per night (for 8 people, if 9 people it is 6.2 pts/person)
3 bedroom is at 10 points per person per night if maxed out with 12 people

We have always thought of the studio as a great value but the fact that in the 2 bedroom we can have 2 families (of 4 people each) share one kitchen means that it is a good value for us. And while the allure of a giant 3 bedroom villa is strong we could rent 2 of the 2 bedroom villas (if available) for less points and have up to 18 people there instead of 12.

The math may be somewhat different for different resorts and different times of year but I thought that this observation may be worth sharing for people planning a trip and looking at who to invite and what it will "cost" in points.

 

[drusba]

I looked into this once by going through fillings for the units at BWV. The total points per unit and for the resort as a whole to be sold were determined by a proportional distribution that relied on the square footage of each room. Thus, the BWV 1BR is on average close to about double the point cost of a studio during the year because it is close to double the size of a studio, and the 1BR is about 2/3 the point cost of a 2BR because it is about 2/3 the size of a 2BR, while a GV which is close to twice the size of a 2BR has a point cost that is close to twice the 2BR. You will notice that OKW 2BR's cost about 60% of its GV's. That is because it has the extra large 2BR which is about 60% the size of a GV. Thus, you end up with a seemingly bargain cost per person for a studio or 2BR because number of people that a room could hold was not considered in determining points applicable.

 

[kapicka]

Ok - that makes sense. I guess they're trying to figure out what they can get per square foot of building space (and then possibly comparing that to what they make per square foot for a hotel room as well). Thanks!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Math doesn't come into play when we stay. I cannot share a queen sized bed with my husband and neither of us want to sleep on a sleeper sofa. So a one bedroom saves the marriage. Unless we have a short trip and then we might stay in an OKW studio (two real queen beds).

 

[DonnaL]

I have to agree with Deb. We always get a 1 bdrm for just the two of us for several reasons #1 the king size bed...it's what we have at home and truly have trouble sleeping together in anything smaller #2 we love having the full kitchen....even on trips when we are not doing a lot of cooking...it's nice to have a full stove, full size frig, etc and real dishes, glassware and #3 we also love having the w/d in unit....we travel lightly...and having the w/d right there rather than having to go to a laundry room ensures if we need/or choose to wash clothes every day we can do so easily. Although I do see your point about the size/cost per unit...we have only stayed in a 3 bdrm Grand Villa once in all our years (2001) as DVC members....and that was this past May at HHI for a 5 night stay with two other couples. We loved the GV and we did enjoy the fact that we were all in the same unit for meal preps, or just lounging on the huge balcony in the early morning and evening. However, we had an all day rain one day and couldn't use the balcony because of blowing rain and the six of us were confined to the living room area, which really wasn't that much more spacious than a 1 or 2 bdrm living room would have been. In the future I think we would most likely get 2 studios and a 1 bdrm in order to have the cost savings.

 

[ldo]

I would guess that 1BR are mainly booked by families of 4/5, who want/need the extra room and kitchen and do not want to spend the extra points for the 2 BR. Our family of 5 (3 teens) can fit fine into a 1BR with a sleeper chair. For about the same points, we could get 2 studios, but we would not get connected rooms, in room laundry, or kitchen.

 

[supersnoop]

"Value" is a subjective term. You quantify it as points per person, but others might use points per square foot as their basis.

 

[CarolMN]

"Value" is a subjective term. You quantify it as points per person, but others might use points per square foot as their basis.

Agree and would add that value for me is not necessarily just the additional space, but the other amenities of a 1 bedroom that a studio does not provide - full kitchen, 2 TVs, separate tub & walk-in shower, laundry in the villa & a king bed.

 

[Dean]

Looking at going to VGC in June over a weekend with some friends and their families and realizing that on a per person basis the 1 bedroom and 3 bedroom don't have the same bang for the buck.

Cost as a DVC owner works out to:
Studio at a cost of 5.5 points per person per night
1 bedroom is 10 points per person per night (for 4 of us, if 5 people it is 8 pts/person)
2 bedroom is at 7 points per person per night (for 8 people, if 9 people it is 6.2 pts/person)
3 bedroom is at 10 points per person per night if maxed out with 12 people

We have always thought of the studio as a great value but the fact that in the 2 bedroom we can have 2 families (of 4 people each) share one kitchen means that it is a good value for us. And while the allure of a giant 3 bedroom villa is strong we could rent 2 of the 2 bedroom villas (if available) for less points and have up to 18 people there instead of 12.

The math may be somewhat different for different resorts and different times of year but I thought that this observation may be worth sharing for people planning a trip and looking at who to invite and what it will "cost" in points.

That's the way DVC is setup. The 1 BR and 3 BR are significantly more expense compared to the studios and 3 BR AND comparing the breakdown to other timeshare systems. But it is what it is and it was that way from the start when all of us bought. Each has to decide for themselves how to fit this in with their usage and comfort level.

 

[Minniesgal]

Value to me is not measured in points per person per night.

To me the value f a 1 bedroom is much higher than a studio. The King Master where we can close the door on our son and have some peace, the washer dryer so I can come home without dirty laundry without feeling like I have spent the trip doing laundry. The kitchen so we can have a quick breakfast in instead of losing time in restaurants. And at Kidani and BLT the two bathrooms so we don't all have to share.

I agree when we were travelling as a family of 5 the dedicated 2 bedrooms were wonderful but even for just the two of us i see a 1 bedroom as our minimum. I also like that it is perceived as not good value as 1 bedrooms tend to be much easier for us to book.

 

[Anal Annie]

Guess I'm lucky one here as we only have a queen size bed at home. No need to be jealous of all ya'll kings out there. Studio math works out fine for us. I have always thought the points for the 1-bedrooms were too high. We won't use them unless it's the only thing available (we bought our points based on using studios).

 

[davper]

Math doesn't come into play when we stay. I cannot share a queen sized bed with my husband and neither of us want to sleep on a sleeper sofa. So a one bedroom saves the marriage. Unless we have a short trip and then we might stay in an OKW studio (two real queen beds).

I have to agree with Deb. We always get a 1 bdrm for just the two of us for several reasons #1 the king size bed...it's what we have at home and truly have trouble sleeping together in anything smaller #2 we love having the full kitchen....even on trips when we are not doing a lot of cooking...it's nice to have a full stove, full size frig, etc and real dishes, glassware and #3 we also love having the w/d in unit....we travel lightly...and having the w/d right there rather than having to go to a laundry room ensures if we need/or choose to wash clothes every day we can do so easily. Although I do see your point about the size/cost per unit...we have only stayed in a 3 bdrm Grand Villa once in all our years (2001) as DVC members....and that was this past May at HHI for a 5 night stay with two other couples. We loved the GV and we did enjoy the fact that we were all in the same unit for meal preps, or just lounging on the huge balcony in the early morning and evening. However, we had an all day rain one day and couldn't use the balcony because of blowing rain and the six of us were confined to the living room area, which really wasn't that much more spacious than a 1 or 2 bdrm living room would have been. In the future I think we would most likely get 2 studios and a 1 bdrm in order to have the cost savings.

Agree and would add that value for me is not necessarily just the additional space, but the other amenities of a 1 bedroom that a studio does not provide - full kitchen, 2 TVs, separate tub & walk-in shower, laundry in the villa & a king bed.

Value to me is not measured in points per person per night.

To me the value f a 1 bedroom is much higher than a studio. The King Master where we can close the door on our son and have some peace, the washer dryer so I can come home without dirty laundry without feeling like I have spent the trip doing laundry. The kitchen so we can have a quick breakfast in instead of losing time in restaurants. And at Kidani and BLT the two bathrooms so we don't all have to share.

I agree when we were travelling as a family of 5 the dedicated 2 bedrooms were wonderful but even for just the two of us i see a 1 bedroom as our minimum. I also like that it is perceived as not good value as 1 bedrooms tend to be much easier for us to book.

I am of the same mind as all of the above.

To me a Studio is a hotel room with the added amenities of a toaster and microwave. And to me is a waste of points.

I bought contracts so that I could stay 1 week, every other year in a 1 br. I have 2 contracts so I alternate each contract and can go once a year. To me and my wife, the room and privacy it affords is the best value on the property.

 

[davidl81]

I have trouble with the points difference in a GV compared to a 2BD plus a studio. We did a GV for 8 people a few years ago at BLT and it was great, but very points heavy. I really wanted to just get a 2BD plus a studio so we would have the three separate bedrooms. Of course there is no way to insure that the studio would be any where near the 2BD it really did not work out.

One major plus on the GV is just how big the kitchen/dining/living area is compared to a 2BD.

 

[mom2rb]

I am sitting on the living room waiting for the coffee to finish right now. DH is still sleeping in the bedroom. We are both enjoying our morning. I will probably drink two cups before he wakes up and we go to Food & Wine.

We bought DVC after spending 5 days in a normal hotel room when our boys were 5. We bought specifically for the one bedrooms, the one time I moved us to a studio for the weekend to save points, DH bought more points.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

I don't have an issue with the number of points required since you gain the square footage and a kitchen. I just wish there was a way to sleep more people in a one bedroom than a studio (or at least more comfortably).

 

[Dean]

My focus is that I know of no other timeshare that has such a large spread between studios and 1 BR across the board. I knew the set up going in so I'm not complaining but that's the focus of my appraisal on the subject.