Studio for Dec 3-7th?

[FayeW]

Is there any point in even trying to rent points for a reservation at BCV or BWV for check in Dec 3 and check out Dec 8th? I think I would be OK with OKW, but we've never stayed onsite and if we take the plunge I would want to be in a convenient location. We always stay offsite and have a rental car, so renting DVC would mean we could use ME and try the dining plan. My concerns with OKW stem from the need to either still have a rental, or rely on the bus transport to go everywhere.

Should I try OKW to get the "onsite experience", or make offsite plans that I can cancel if a studio comes through at BCV or BWV? Family consists of 2 adults, 2 c (age 10 & 12). ** We usually rent a 2bdrm condo offsite, so I'm afraid the studio will be too cramped. I am willing to give it a try for a few days off our trip.**

 

[CarolMN]

You can post your dates and resort preference on the Rent/Trade Board and see if anyone responds. The first week of December is a very popular week for the DVC resorts. AFAIK, there are already waitlists for at least some of the days you mentioned at both BCV & BWV. If so, it is unlikely anyone will respond to your post - most owners will not want to tie up points for a renter to use the waitlist. It is possible that someone has a reservation that he/she cannot use who would be willing to rent it to you.

FWIW, if you are used to a 2 bedroom condo, you are not likely to be happy in a studio. I don't think I would do OKW without a car.

Best wishes -

 

[JimMIA]

Early December is THE busiest time anywhere in DVC, so if you want those dates, you'd better get moving.

We live in Miami, so when we go we drive, and we love the park-at-your-door convenience of OKW and SSR. In fact, driving is so easy, we drive to the theme parks too. [You're onsite, so you don't pay to park] We like to take breaks in the middle of the day (MK in the AM, home for pool/nap time, Epcot for dinner...as an example), so driving is easier for us than bussing. This next trip, though, I think we'll bus at least once to see what it's like. The OKW busses usually get the highest ratings of the DVC resorts, although they're all pretty good, I think.

A studio is not really a comparable accommodation to a two-bedroom condo. It's a step up from a typical hotel room, but any two-bedroom condo is going to have more room. However, if you compare an OKW one-bedroom with your two-bedroom condo, it may have more space and amenities. You'd just have to check to be sure.

On the dining plan, both of your kids are adults in the eyes of the Disney bean-counters, so your cost would be $151.96 per day. Yeah, that includes tax and tip, but still you'd have to do some math to see if it works for you.

For cost, a BWV preferred view studio, for the dates you specified, would be 60 points. You might well have to pay a premium for those dates, so you'd probably pay between $600 and $750 for those five nights. A one-bedroom would be 110 points ($1,100 - $1350) and a two bedroom would be 150 points ($1,500 - $1,800). [I used $10 to +/- $12 per point, which is the normal range). Old Key West would be roughly 25% less than the above prices (80 or 110 points for 1,2 bedrooms). All DVC rentals already include taxes, so there is nothing added.

Good luck on your planning!

 

[Doctor P]

Transportation is actually far better from OKW than BCV to almost everywhere on property (at least time wise). Other than access to the World Showcase at Epcot, in general the buses at OKW will get you to the parks and DTD faster than the boats and buses from BCV (as an example, on our last trip it took us 45 minutes to get from DTD to BCV AFTER WE GOT ON THE BUS and that was without abnormal delays. BCV often/typically shares bus transportation with BWV, Swan, Dolphin, and YC. My only point is that things are not always as they appear. Most people are shocked at how close OKW is to Epcot, MGM, and DTD, and the bus service on all our trips has been very reliable.

 

[FayeW]

Early December is THE busiest time anywhere in DVC, so if you want those dates, you'd better get moving.

We live in Miami, so when we go we drive, and we love the park-at-your-door convenience of OKW and SSR. In fact, driving is so easy, we drive to the theme parks too. [You're onsite, so you don't pay to park] We like to take breaks in the middle of the day (MK in the AM, home for pool/nap time, Epcot for dinner...as an example), so driving is easier for us than bussing. This next trip, though, I think we'll bus at least once to see what it's like. The OKW busses usually get the highest ratings of the DVC resorts, although they're all pretty good, I think.

A studio is not really a comparable accommodation to a two-bedroom condo. It's a step up from a typical hotel room, but any two-bedroom condo is going to have more room. However, if you compare an OKW one-bedroom with your two-bedroom condo, it may have more space and amenities. You'd just have to check to be sure.

On the dining plan, both of your kids are adults in the eyes of the Disney bean-counters, so your cost would be $151.96 per day. Yeah, that includes tax and tip, but still you'd have to do some math to see if it works for you.

For cost, a BWV preferred view studio, for the dates you specified, would be 60 points. You might well have to pay a premium for those dates, so you'd probably pay between $600 and $750 for those five nights. A one-bedroom would be 110 points ($1,100 - $1350) and a two bedroom would be 150 points ($1,500 - $1,800). [I used $10 to +/- $12 per point, which is the normal range). Old Key West would be roughly 25% less than the above prices (80 or 110 points for 1,2 bedrooms). All DVC rentals already include taxes, so there is nothing added.

Good luck on your planning!

Thanks for the advice, Jim. We have kicked around the idea of joining DVC, and have come to the conclusion that we should actually stay onsite before making a decision. I have to decide if trying the onsite experience and the dining plan is worth downsizing to a studio (and giving up a great quote on a 3 bdrm condo offsite). It would only be for 5 days of our 9 day stay, so I'm sure we could manage. We were prepared to cram into one (inside) statesroom for a cruise, so compared to that I'm sure a studio would feel luxurious! On the other hand, maybe we should bite the bullet and rent the 2 bdrm, since if we DID buy, we would want enough points for a 2bdrm, premier season, every 2nd year. It just seems so wasteful to spend that much for 5 days, when we would literally spend a fraction of that offsite for the full 9 days.