Studio vs. One Bedroom

[GreatScottFamily]

Greetings,

I am in the process of completing my first DVC purchase (200 AKL through resale). We have picked AKL as it's our favorite place to stay!

My question for those of you in the know is this: Is the daily point requirement for a one bedroom and all the perks that come with it (addtional space and kitchen, etc) worth it vs. a studio (more nights)? I haven't yet had the luxury of staying in anything bigger than a studio, but feel like the nearly double chunk of points is a steep premium...

I know it will likely become a must as my son moves from toddlerhood to being a young boy. For now he's still crib bound!

Thanks!

 

[arthur06]

a 1br is worth the extra points. If we take the kids we always try to get a 1br or larger. If it is just DW and I a studio works out fine.

Our kids are young, so we like to have the extra room for naps and the fridge for snacks.

 

[hakepb]

I agree, the point premium is steep!

It truly depends on your financial situation.
If it is not a huge deal, then yes the 1BR is worth it! King bed, whirlpool tub, better food/snacks in room, in room laundry helps packing, more privacy...
But if it meant the difference in 4 vs 8 days at WDW each year, then I would gladly take the studio!

 

[Pakey]

We have owned for many years and have stayed in studios, 1 br, 2 br and grand villas.

For us, if it's only two people, a studio is okay. Not great, but okay. For 3 or more people, I'd never stay in a studio. I'd rather stay in a regular hotel room over a studio if it's more than 2 people.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Welcome to the Disboards!

I would have spent the premium, but there wasn't a DVC when our DSs were young, in the '80s! I would have given anything for a place to hang out with DH while the boys napped or slept!

Bobbi

 

[Boardwalkin]

Once you stay in a 1BR it is hard to go back.

 

[taaren]

For us it depends on both how many people and how long the stay is. We like the one bedroom when (or larger) we have more than 2 adults or are staying longer than three nights. Usually we like a large crowd and get the two bedroom, but even if its just three or four of us once we get to more than a long weekend, having the kitchen and washer/dryer and privacy just makes the trip more vacation-ey than being squished into a small studio, which reminds us of being in the hotel room back before DVC. In longer stays we tend to chill in the room more and enjoy each other's company, cooking, drinking, partying, and be a little less park intensive.
Just got back from a weekend in a studio at Aulani, which was fine since we spent all of our time trying to explore the resort, enjoy the pool but I wouldn't have wanted to be in there for more than 3 nights. Gotta admit though, the kitchenette/mini-refrigerator was awesome, though I did miss cooking for myself and the washer/dryer. It kinda felt like being in a DCL cabin.

 

[Anal Annie]

Family of 3 here who have only stayed in studios...our goal is to stretch our points as far as we can for as many nights / trips as we can. Whenever I look at the point charts I feel like the one bedrooms are the worst value point wise because our DS would still have to sleep on a sleep sofa. That's his biggest complaint about the DVC units - he's 14 now & would really prefer a regular bed. (And before anybody chimes in about the studios at OKW having 2 beds that was our first ever DVC stay & we hated it - it was dirty & in poor condition and don't get me started on the bus service there). Plus we like to resort hop and we just don't have enough points for larger units at some of the resorts and in order to get our DS a real bed we'd have to go to a 2 bedroom - that's overkill for a family of 3 IMO. ANYWAY, I am not on vaca to cook anything beyond toasting a bagel or to do laundry (since we have an Owners Locker I can pack for a week in carry-ons). We get along fine in studios but as the saying goes your actual mileage may vary. I can't see ever staying in a 1 bedroom for the points required.

 

[jel0511]

We're a family of 4 and stayed in a studio exactly only ONCE and never again!!! Just too cramped for the 4 of us. We have stayed in 1 bedroom exclusively since then (bought 10 years ago), but just added on to be able to go to two bedrooms from now on. My kids (13 and 10) began complaining about sharing a pullout and sleeping on pullouts in general. So we are a 2 bedroom family now. Something to keep in mind especially if you're considering expanding your family in the future.

 

[jupers]

I think it depends on the type of trip. If you're going commando the a studio would be fine. We used to stay in mods so the four of us in a studio would be ok.

 

[juncker]

One bedroom units are not the most economical use of points for the number of occupants. I don't think anyone is arguing that. The plus is that one bedrooms are generally easier to book than the studios because of this.

Different strokes for different folks. If we were all rich and each had over 1,000 DVC points every year, nobody would ever get a studio. Reality is that many DVC owners are frugal and would rather stretch the length of their trip and a studio will do that.

At some time, try both, and then decide based upon each situation what is right for your trip. Even if you decide that studios are the way to go for you, at times you may have points that need to get used. In that case, go for the bigger room.

 

[dmoore22]

There pros & cons to each. When all of our kids are with us (we have six) the two bedroom was cost effective in that, even though our visit was shorter than if we had used points for two studios, we saved by having a large majority of meals in the villa, packing lighter since we had a laundry room right there which meant we didn't need to hang around while the clothes are being washed, plus the comfort factor. Now that we are empty nesters a studio is more than adequate. If one or two of our older children come with us we find the accommodations at an OKW studio to be just fine. There is no correct answer other than "It depends" upon the type of visit and number of folks coming with you. You can always add points later if you find your initial purchase is inadequate. We bought an add-on through resale. In spite of being empty nesters we often consider adding on even more. We have grandchildren that will be old enough within the next couple of years to enjoy WDW.

 

[psac]

For us, it's all about the King bed. We travel a decent amount, and are used to getting king beds in hotel rooms, and at Disney, that seems to be an extreme rarity without booking special categories. A lot of those special categories (like the deluxe king at GF) are REALLY expensive. Switching to DVC 1BR from our resale purchase will have a quick break-even because of that.

 

[Granny]

One bedroom units are not the most economical use of points for the number of occupants. I don't think anyone is arguing that. The plus is that one bedrooms are generally easier to book than the studios because of this.

Different strokes for different folks. If we were all rich and each had over 1,000 DVC points every year, nobody would ever get a studio. Reality is that many DVC owners are frugal and would rather stretch the length of their trip and a studio will do that.

At some time, try both, and then decide based upon each situation what is right for your trip. Even if you decide that studios are the way to go for you, at times you may have points that need to get used. In that case, go for the bigger room.

I think this is very pragmatic advice. Obviously, there is no right or wrong decision.

I know it will likely become a must as my son moves from toddlerhood to being a young boy. For now he's still crib bound!

I agree you don't need the 1BR space since your child will be sleeping in the same room with you. On the other hand, you might find it very luxurious to be able to spend time in the kitchen/living room area doing things while your son takes his naps.

For us, DVC was all about upgrading accommodations. For others, it was about economics. Neither is a wrong reason for buying, but I think the answer to your question lies in why you bought into DVC in the first place.

 

[Mtnman44]

Yes, it is worth it. In my opinion, having affordable access to rooms of this size is the best reason to buy DVC in the first place. It will probably change both the quality and quantity of your future vacations at WDW!

The 1 BRs at Kidanni have two bathrooms and a sleeper chair which is extra nice. One note, while doing laundry may not sound like anything to be excited about, having such easy laundry access right in your room means you can pack a lot fewer things for long trips. This is definately better than lugging around and paying the airline for multiple suitcases.

 

[OurDogCisco]

For us at minimum we require a one bedroom. We find especially at Disney the kitchen saves us a ton of money. We have two kids ages 11 and 14 and for a week stay if we eat every meal out you can easily spend over $1,500. I find meals aren't something you can skimp on at Disney because of how active you are so a studio just doesn't cut it for us. I think depending on your current family situation you'll need different things at different times.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I need a comfortable bed and one queen bed shared between the two of us just isn't going to do it. So we need the king sized bed to have a good night's sleep. If it were just the two of us for a very short stay, we might manage at OKW because we each could get one queen bed.

But we don't do short stays because it isn't cost effective.

And once you get a GV, you'll never go back to a studio, ever.

 

[TinkHappy]

I am all for the 1bdrm for the washer and dryer alone. Also, you mentioned your son is a toddler, he is going to need a nap. It would be nice if you were able to put him down for a nap and have a seperate living area to rest, watch tv, have a snack, etc...

Also, when he gets older, he may want to bring a friend with him.

Just food for thought.

BTW...Welcome!!!

 

[GreatScottFamily]

Thanks for all the great replies.

I had a sneaking suspicion that many would lean toward the 1Br. I too think that that is just a great way to go once children are in the mix. Of course this just means even more meticulous planning in my future to maximize every last point and moment in WDW!

We did feel a little cramped in the Studio on our last visit to AKV (July '11). I just wish I could spend more time there thus the frugal side of me pulling at the luxury side of me! Ahh the age old quality vs. quantity debate lives on.

Cheers
-- Mike

 

[Granny]

Ahh the age old quality vs. quantity debate lives on.

Otherwise referred to here as "addonitis" in deciding whether the owned points are adequate.