Studio worth it?

[siren0119]

Did a search and didn't really see anything that answered my question, apologies if it has been discussed before?

Hubby and I are looking into possible DVC membership in the near future and are working out the approximate points size we would reasonably use. I have also been watching YouTube videos of the various room types at different resorts (we're planning to buy resale, so we can choose a home resort we love). Looking for some honest assessments of whether a DVC Studio is really worthwhile vs booking at a regular room without DVC, considering the expense? From what I've seen of the studio walk throughs, they don't seem to offer much over regular rooms. We are normally travelling with 2 adults and 2 kids (age 11 and 9 currently) for some trips, but would build in adult-only getaways if we had points to use.

Appreciate the feedback!

 

[Kervisk]

The Wife and I only Stay in Studios because we do not really have a need for a full kitchen. I have stayed at all levels of resorts in WDW from Value to Deluxe and can tell you a Studio is much nicer then a regular hotel room. you do not get the Daily Housekeeping but honestly that is something we don't really need and most the time in the past we would go 4 days without housekeeping. I do like having the small kitchenette in the studios with a microwave toaster and mini fridge compared to nothing at all as I was able to have cereal for breakfast and bagels before rundisney races. Also in the long run if you vacation at Disney a lot you can save money we are staying at the Poly for 8 nights in a studio (spilt Bathrooms) with a Lake view and when I priced it out for about 6500 dollars at a cash rate. I have stayed in the One Bedroom also this year at the Boardwalk and the room was great but honestly for two people that don't really cook on vacation it was too big and a waste of points. The only Downside to buying resale and not having a direct contract will be you cant get all the same membership perks but you save money

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The key is really planning horizon. If you are not planning 7-11 months out, studios are the first to book up.

 

[siren0119]

The key is really planning horizon. If you are not planning 7-11 months out, studios are the first to book up.

I'm a chronic planner lol - already working on our vacation plans for 2020 and halfway through next year's plans! So 11 month booking is NBD, which is part of what's driving us to resale (so we can pick a home resort we can book at the 11 month window).

The Wife and I only Stay in Studios because we do not really have a need for a full kitchen. I have stayed at all levels of resorts in WDW from Value to Deluxe and can tell you a Studio is much nicer then a regular hotel room. you do not get the Daily Housekeeping but honestly that is something we don't really need and most the time in the past we would go 4 days without housekeeping. I do like having the small kitchenette in the studios with a microwave toaster and mini fridge compared to nothing at all as I was able to have cereal for breakfast and bagels before rundisney races. Also in the long run if you vacation at Disney a lot you can save money we are staying at the Poly for 8 nights in a studio (spilt Bathrooms) with a Lake view and when I priced it out for about 6500 dollars at a cash rate. I have stayed in the One Bedroom also this year at the Boardwalk and the room was great but honestly for two people that don't really cook on vacation it was too big and a waste of points. The only Downside to buying resale and not having a direct contract will be you cant get all the same membership perks but you save money

Totally agree on the housekeeping, we really didn't need much beyond clean towels when we stayed 8 days at POP last year (I wish I had known about the credit for declining Mousekeeping then!)

I actually looked at the "perks" for DVC and there wasn't much of an advantage to DVC perks over just getting annual passes and TiW. The benefits of DVC over resale (for us) weren't enough to justify the huge cost difference.

I was more thinking along the lines of whether studios were worthwhile over a standard room at one of the moderates or values, considering the initial cost pain. I do like the idea of having a "paid for" place to stay once we paid off the initial investment for many years to come. We stayed at POP last time and had the fridge and a coffeemaker but no microwave, we got lucky with a room close t the dining hall where DH could warm up oatmeal for breakfast and we had cereal for the kids, plus a fridge where we could store snacks and lunch fixings for the parks. If there's not much advantage to Studio DVC over regular rooms elsewhere on property, it might make sense for us to wait a little longer and buy enough points for a 1 bd or larger every year. I'm an obsessive number cruncher when I get a bee in my bonnet LOL

 

[lovin'fl]

My opinion is no. We bought, as a family of 5, for the 1BR and 2BR units, to have separate spaces for adults and kids. We have stayed in studios here and there but still prefer the 1BR, even with just DH and I now. We like the washer/dryer and separate living room for one to go while other is still sleeping or working. But most folks these days are buying to stay in studios. Just doesn't make sense to me. We'd have continued booking POR with free dining if we didn't mind the regular room set-up.

 

[Shellyred8]

The difference in Bed configurations might be the biggest difference that I could see impacting you. Most DVC studios only have one real bed and then a pull-out sofa. Most regular non-dvc rooms will have two queen beds.

 

[siren0119]

The difference in Bed configurations might be the biggest difference that I could see impacting you. Most DVC studios only have one real bed and then a pull-out sofa. Most regular non-dvc rooms will have two queen beds.

True, but in that case even the 1bedroom's only advantages would be the kitchen and the washer/dryer since they are the same sleeping setup. Our kids are at an age where sleeping in the same room isn't an issue, though I could see possibly banking points to get a 2 bedroom for longer stays less frequently (for the additional space plus more home-like setup) rather than booking a 1 bed or studio more frequently. So much to consider!

 

[crisi]

It depends. Generally speaking, you'd be able to stay in a DVC studio for about what you'd pay to stay in a moderate. That factors in time value of money. But there are pros and cons.

DVC studios are usually (except OKW) and queen bed and a pullout couch. If you want two real beds, that's a problem and it isn't worth it.
DVC studios are often connected to Deluxe resorts - so if you'd rather stay at the BC rather than out a POR, it might be worth it (note, if you want to stay at the BC, you need to buy BC points and book at least seven months in advance of travel)
DVC studios have a kitchenette and access to free laundry, so if you want do do a little laundry and have a mircowave in your room - it might be worth it.
DVC requires that you plan far in advance and has cancellation policies that are harder to work with than cash, if you need flexibility - its probably not worth it.
DVC requires a large upfront investment - if you don't have the cash lying around, it probably isn't worth it.

 

[crisi]

True, but in that case even the 1bedroom's only advantages would be the kitchen and the washer/dryer since they are the same sleeping setup. Our kids are at an age where sleeping in the same room isn't an issue, though I could see possibly banking points to get a 2 bedroom for longer stays less frequently (for the additional space plus more home-like setup) rather than booking a 1 bed or studio more frequently. So much to consider!

Oh, the sleeping setup is way different - the kids are in a different room. We call this the nookie tax - and it makes vacations so much more pleasant when your kids are asleep behind a closed door. It is however, very expensive nookie.

 

[Henwen88]

We really like studios when it's just husband and myself traveling, as well as the certain studios with the pull down trundle when my daughter comes too. I enjoy having a sofa/coffee table since hate sitting on my clean bed with nasty park clothes on. Also don't really know how I'd travel without the fridge/microwave lol... we have been DVC spoiled. That being said, we like 1 BR when possible since I enjoy the washer/dryer in the room.

 

[disneynutz]

If you have an interest in a DVC studio or even trying out a one bedroom you should rent a reservation from a DVC owner. The experience will answer questions and help you decide.

Bill

 

[siren0119]

It depends. Generally speaking, you'd be able to stay in a DVC studio for about what you'd pay to stay in a moderate. That factors in time value of money. But there are pros and cons.

DVC studios are usually (except OKW) and queen bed and a pullout couch. If you want two real beds, that's a problem and it isn't worth it.
DVC studios are often connected to Deluxe resorts - so if you'd rather stay at the BC rather than out a POR, it might be worth it (note, if you want to stay at the BC, you need to buy BC points and book at least seven months in advance of travel)
DVC studios have a kitchenette and access to free laundry, so if you want do do a little laundry and have a mircowave in your room - it might be worth it.
DVC requires that you plan far in advance and has cancellation policies that are harder to work with than cash, if you need flexibility - its probably not worth it.
DVC requires a large upfront investment - if you don't have the cash lying around, it probably isn't worth it.

Two beds vs one and a pullout aren't necessarily a dealbreaker for us, if the kids are coming with us they are being run ragged and crash LOL
Free Laundry isn't a perk I was aware of - in-room isn't a requirement but not having to pay for it would be nice. And the microwave definitely would be a perk we'd take advantage of. We're still talking about whether a full kitchen would be overkill for the way we vacation or if it'd be useful.
Planning in advance - I'm already a chronic planner so I'm usually working on the framework of our vacations 18 months ahead lol
Upfront cost - that's part of what we're calculating out now, it'd be a bit before we actually dive in, but buying points for frequent studio bookings would be able to happen sooner than a bigger contract.

Oh, the sleeping setup is way different - the kids are in a different room. We call this the nookie tax - and it makes vacations so much more pleasant when your kids are asleep behind a closed door. It is however, very expensive nookie.

LOL - for us maybe not so much. If we're vacationing with the kids we aren't making "us" time without them...part of the appeal of DVC is building in a solo couple trip once a year, that'd be our nookie tax LOL

If you have an interest in a DVC studio or even trying out a one bedroom you should rent a reservation from a DVC owner. The experience will answer questions and help you decide.

That's definitely in our plans! Partly to check out the rooms firsthand and partly to narrow down which resort we'd want as our "home" resort.

 

[lovin'fl]

So it actually sounds like it's not a bad idea for you, OP. Studios do get to use laundry rooms free. If you don't mind sleeper sofa or no daily housekeeping then maybe it's not bad for you. We don't use much of the kitchen in the 1/2BR units. We put drinks in the fridge and make coffee. Put all dirty dishes in dishwasher on check out day. But we don't cook. So we don't miss a kitchen when we do stay in a studio. I'd just recommend you buy at the resort you want to stay at. Studios are toughest to book and are gone, many times, before the 7 month window...if not, they go shortly after. So you'd need to book home resort at 11 months out.

 

[buzznina]

If you have an interest in a DVC studio or even trying out a one bedroom you should rent a reservation from a DVC owner. The experience will answer questions and help you decide.

Bill

This It really makes a BIG difference staying in a room compared to doing a walk through/tour.

 

[CraigInPA]

My wife and I bought DVC because we became used to Deluxe resorts. The convenience of a monorail resort, especially Poly (walk to TTC for Epcot monorail, monorail to MK), and BLT (walk to MK, monorail to TTC-transfer to Epcot monorail) is a huge factor in our enjoyment of a vacation. Endless bus trips to go anywhere was not something we could tolerate. We've stayed all over WDW, and became used to the amenities available at the Deluxe resorts, but not the price. We rented DVC studios to try out the resorts on our short list before buying. We stay in studios (it's just the two of us) and don't feel like we've taken a step down from a regular hotel room at all.

Our upcoming trip to BLT would have been $5k for the room compared to a room booked at the Contemporary. As it is, our annual maintenance fees are something like 25% of that. Factor in the time value of money, and 1/40th of the buy in price to account for the use of one year out of 40 remaining when we bought the resale contract, we're still saving 50%.

 

[siren0119]

So it actually sounds like it's not a bad idea for you, OP. Studios do get to use laundry rooms free. If you don't mind sleeper sofa or no daily housekeeping then maybe it's not bad for you. We don't use much of the kitchen in the 1/2BR units. We put drinks in the fridge and make coffee. Put all dirty dishes in dishwasher on check out day. But we don't cook. So we don't miss a kitchen when we do stay in a studio. I'd just recommend you buy at the resort you want to stay at. Studios are toughest to book and are gone, many times, before the 7 month window...if not, they go shortly after. So you'd need to book home resort at 11 months out.

That's what I've been noticing too - so we are narrowing down to one or two resorts we see as being viable "home" resorts for us, and then we plan to rent points to check out the ones we consider likely to buy. The kitchen might be nice if we planned on going for a long stay (and using Disney as a home base for visiting other things in the Orlando area), but that would be for less frequent trips.

Ultimately our goal is to be able to plan for one family trip down to Disney with the kids every year and then one adults long weekend (we are festival junkies and would love to be able to hit F&W or IFOA on a regular basis), but with some flexibility if we wanted to bank points to book a longer trip once in a while. We've traveled a bit and so far Disney has been everyone's favorite place to be, so I don't doubt we'd make good use of a long-term landing spot there. I'm sure I;ll have lots of questions for seasoned folks as we get closer to making a final decision, but I appreciate all of the responses for this round!

 

[kniquy]

DVC is worth it from a cost perspective because it does save you money compared to disney direct rooms. For example i was able to book 2 studios for 3 nights each at Poly - direct cost for 2 studios for 3 nights- for that same time frame would have been $2000 each. But my cost in points was approximately 160 points or about $1000 in maintenance fees. You get more amenities when you go 1BR and above.

 

[Donna M]

Studios can work now, but I am hearing they are getting harder to reserve, and things change. Think about your plans for 5 and 10 years out. You and the kids will want some separation to make for a really nice vacation. That's what is so nice about DVC, you aren't just staying in a hotel room with two beds and a chair; it is a vacation home. We bought when the kids were 13 and 15, back in 2004, when points were $89. We were able to buy 300 points to stay in a 2bd during our school vacation. Now there's a grandchild with another on the way and a son in the military, so vacations changes. We bought 200 more points, bring extended family, and stay at the VGF. We own at SSR and haven't had a problem getting 1 or 2 bd units for the times we go. It's great now without kids because we enjoy the resort without going to the parks all the time.

I love my DVC, but not if we only stayed in a studio. The selling point for us was the space. (and a good price back then)

 

[Deb & Bill]

The only studios we ever book are OKW studios and just for the two of us for a short trip. We have a two night trip coming up in Dec and we'll be at OKW in a studio. Every other time, it's the two of us in a one bedroom villa. If our son (or him and a friend) can join us, we'll still usually get a one bedroom. The two of us don't sleep if we are in a queen bed together, so we get two queen beds and we each get one. We stayed at the BWV in a studio for one night and I took the sleeper sofa. Luckily, we didn't get to bed until 4:30 AM (we were at the ER after the Tower of Terror 10 Miler) and we were departing around 7:30AM. The sleeper sofa was horrid for me. Kids can sleep on the sleeper sofa, but not me.

To me, studios aren't really much different than a hotel room except they have the microwave oven. All the hotel rooms pretty much have coffee makers and refrigerators now. You get daily full cleaning with the hotel rooms, but not with DVC (only service comes every four days and even then it is limited unless you stay eight nights or more).

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

We are buying for the 2 bedrooms and want the upgraded experience. I do not think you get an upgraded experience with the dvc studios. For example, we love Poly but did not want to buy there because we do not want to rent their studios. Except for the fact that there are two bathrooms in the poly studios, the regular rooms are much, much nicer. The rooms are much larger and have two real beds plus a very comfortable sleeper sofa plus plenty of storage to unpack your clothing. The dvc poly studios have no, shockingly, no place for your clothing, one regular bed and one pull out bed (ugh- wait until your kids are around 12 and complain incessantly about this) and one, let's be honest, basically toddler bed, or a bed that is slightly larger than a toddler bed. What was Disney thinking with this? Also, the idea of not having fresh towels grosses me out. And I am not interested in walking down the hall or further to wash my own towels. I don't mind washing them with the washer/dryer in the room, because I can throw them in the washer and leave.