Studio worth it?

[OneOftheB's]

You have to consider if you really want to stay at a deluxe level resort or are just as happy with moderate or value. If you are happy with the "lower" quality resort, then DVC isn't for you. If you are a deluxe only kind of family then DVC becomes more attractive.

We are also a family of 4, with kids of a similar age as yours (11 & 8). We stay in studios; it works for us. We realized we were spending serious $ staying at deluxe resorts a couple of times a year and wanted to stay at the same level but at a lower price, hence our DVC contract. I'm not interested in cooking meals while at WDW, and at this point we don't need additional room. I can see that changing in the next couple of years (which is why we are considering adding points).

I'll also add, that my personal opinion is that if you can't pay your points off at time of purchase or very soon thereafter, it's not a good deal financially.

 

[Deb & Bill]

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.

There really aren't two bathrooms in the Polynesian studios, just a two room bathroom. One room has a tub/shower, sink and toilet. The other portion has a sink and a shower, no toilet.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

There really aren't two bathrooms in the Polynesian studios, just a two room bathroom. One room has a tub/shower, sink and toilet. The other portion has a sink and a shower, no toilet.

Makes it even less appealing then! Lol.

 

[lovin'fl]

Makes it even less appealing then! Lol.

And our Tokelau studio room (tied with the BLT lake view studio off Skyway bridge) was nosiest room we've had at WDW.

edit ***shoot, we stayed in Tokelau (I think I've twice now said Morea)

 

[Frederic Civish]

And our Tokelau studio room (tied with the BLT lake view studio off Skyway bridge) was nosiest room we've had at WDW.

edit ***shoot, we stayed in Tokelau (I think I've twice now said Morea)

We just recently stayed at Tokelau, and our room was on the side of the building that faces the major ferry, over by the TTC. It was also in the 1/4 of the building that was closest to the water, so we were 'near' the boats. I had heard that the horns from the ferry were very loud, yet I only heard them 2 or 3 times in our entire 4 days, and I'm not sure anyone else in our party even really noticed them. So, I guess it is all subjective.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

A DVC studio locks you in for cost over life of contract but isn't much of an upgrade from a deluxe unit. I mean, a microwave and laundry access is nice, but it's not really a huge value proposition vs. the inflation hedge on room costs.

 

[southerngirl528]

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.

All DVC resorts are considered Deluxe resorts so IMO the rooms are definitely at least a little nicer than moderates and certainly nicer than the value resort rooms.

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.

Agree this is a GREAT idea for you! Saw you say in a later post that ya'll plan on doing this. I think it will help you a lot.

I've been a DVC member over 25 years. In those days most of us bought to stay in villas/1 bedroom or larger. So like a couple of PP have said, we are also spoiled (blessed!). IMO, the Poly has the nicest studios for DVC because of the split baths and the fact that virtually all rooms have the capability to connect if you ever did have a larger group or want more room. (there's only a handful of studios at PVB that do not connect) We rarely stay in a Studio, even when just 2 of us. But on the occasion we have, we have liked it fine.

What I have loved about membership is that we can stay in far nicer accommodations than I would have ever paid out of pocket. For example, we love to do Grand Villas and they are SUPER pricey. But I can justify it on my points. And as a PP mentioned, if I factor in the cost of maintenance fees for the stay vs. cash price, I am usually at 25 - 30% of cost. And THAT I like!

 

[lovin'fl]

We just recently stayed at Tokelau, and our room was on the side of the building that faces the major ferry, over by the TTC. It was also in the 1/4 of the building that was closest to the water, so we were 'near' the boats. I had heard that the horns from the ferry were very loud, yet I only heard them 2 or 3 times in our entire 4 days, and I'm not sure anyone else in our party even really noticed them. So, I guess it is all subjective.

Noise was from doors slamming in hallway and kids running in hallway and neighboring toilets flushing. Our Tokelau room was the inside end, away from water so we didn't hear boat horns.

 

[bwvBound]

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.

And don't forget to factor in Resort Tax and Parking fees if booking Disney Hotels ... neither of which are charged to DVC owners staying on points.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

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!

DVC can still save you money over booking a Disney Deluxe hotel room. But if you are good with Moderate it might be similar although it hooks you into it. If you're happy with a Value room then nope, I wouldn't even consider it. And the DVC studios are not really different enough from a hotel room to not really focus on the financial aspect of it. If you drive the new parking fee will factor in but if you don't drive it remains a non-factor in the comparison.

 

[zavandor]

DVC changes the way you vacation at WDW. I used to stay offsite and pack as much park time as possible from rope drop to park close.
Now I'm much more relaxed, go for rope drop, use a few FP late afternoon then have luch somewhere nice and leave to enjoy the resort in the afternoon. Back for night entertainment.
This is much more enjoyable because of DVC:
- you don't NEED to cram every possible attraction every trip because you know you'll be back for the next 30-50 years
- deluxe resorts offer so much more than value and moderates
You might start with a studio and then evaluating later if/when upgrading to a 1B. Beware, 1B are full of germs, of a disease called addonitis. It seems that people staying there contract the disease and go back home with the impulse to buy more points to always stay in 1B or bigger rooms.

 

[siren0119]

DVC changes the way you vacation at WDW. I used to stay offsite and pack as much park time as possible from rope drop to park close.
Now I'm much more relaxed, go for rope drop, use a few FP late afternoon then have luch somewhere nice and leave to enjoy the resort in the afternoon. Back for night entertainment.
This is much more enjoyable because of DVC:
- you don't NEED to cram every possible attraction every trip because you know you'll be back for the next 30-50 years
- deluxe resorts offer so much more than value and moderates
You might start with a studio and then evaluating later if/when upgrading to a 1B. Beware, 1B are full of germs, of a disease called addonitis. It seems that people staying there contract the disease and go back home with the impulse to buy more points to always stay in 1B or bigger rooms.

HAHA yeah I can totally see getting "infected", or spoiled, or whatever you want to call it One of the things that appeals to me about DVC is the long-term commitment. We are Disney adults, and it looks like our kids aren't going to shake off the magic even as they get older. The nightly prices of rooms at Mods are only going to increase over time, but once the DVC is bought, that's a fixed cost other than MF. Knowing I can rent points out to offset that when we know we won't use them is a nice perk too.

 

[kniquy]

You can always buy in small for week every other year and then decide to add on as your family grows or you just decide that you want to go more often or stay in larger rooms. That is the situation I am in. We bought AKV to go every other year, but we stayed at Poly and fell in love so we are looking at a small add on there for every other year.

If you want a studio because that is all that your points can afford then it is almost a necessity to book that at 11 months. If you wait until the 7 month mark then you will be limited with the studios available, but usually can get into larger rooms, but then at that point your points will only afford you less days in a larger room.

 

[kboo]

When we first bought, we dipped our proverbial toes in the (Bay) Lake and got enough points to go once a year, every other year staying in a studio and every other year in a 1Br. Well, that ended pretty quickly. (See signature below). Our upcoming trips are: 2Br, hotel, studio, studio (2 adults only), 1Br...

Deluxe hotel rooms have 2 real beds, and now that our little one is out of a crib, having 2 real beds would be nice. We are still doing a few studio stays, especially at high points times (VGF Easter and Christmas, I'm looking at you!) but are now leaning toward 1Br where the girls can sleep on the pullout and we get our own room. As a PP said, it's the nookie tax (even if we are too tired by the time we get back to the room).

 

[aoconnor]

As Kat said when you do the math DVC studios end up costing about the same per night as a moderate resort. So there are definite savings on that front.

Once you go to 1 bedrooms and higher all those savings go out the window and then some. 1 bedrooms are double or more the points of a studio... so certainly more expensive than booking a deluxe resort room for cash. It just depends if the kitchen and extra space that valueable to you. Also remember that 1 bedroom units still only have one real bed, so not ideal for traveling with a group (except children who don't know the difference).

 

[crisi]

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

Remember DVC is for the long term. If you aren't going to use it regularly for at least ten years, then it isn't worth it, no matter how you cut it (although some people have gotten lucky and bought down, sold up and made money short term, it isn't something to count on - particularly right now - prices are high). Over the next ten/fifteen/twenty years you are going to discover that your patterns with your kids change. And if they are regular Disney kids, they'll likely gain some park independence as well over time. In middle school my son had turned into the tween/ teen brat - and he would join us in the parks late after sleeping in - the trip before that he walked back to Boardwalk on his own when his sister wanted to do one more thing he wasn't interested in. In high school we left him home, and my daughter took a friend - and they didn't spend much time with us at all. You may take trips that are pool and lounging in the room with kids who think that is more enjoyable than park attractions they've seen twenty times. You'll start taking trips that fit in to their schedules - which might be less than ideal for when you want to be at Disney - and you may get those adult only trips unplanned - as they can't get the time off work, or have rehearsals for the play over break.

We live far enough away that its always airfare, so our pattern is less frequent trips (generally every other year) in a bigger room. And our trips aren't terribly long - maybe five nights total. But with a bigger room, we can do things like have our daughter take a friend. She's off at college now, and my son is still at home - but still not terribly interested in going to Disney with his parents - so our patterns will likely change again.

Make sure to do some imagining of what your life will be like in ten years, and how Disney/DVC and studios will all fit into your family at that time.

 

[siren0119]

Remember DVC is for the long term. If you aren't going to use it regularly for at least ten years, then it isn't worth it, no matter how you cut it (although some people have gotten lucky and bought down, sold up and made money short term, it isn't something to count on - particularly right now - prices are high). Over the next ten/fifteen/twenty years you are going to discover that your patterns with your kids change. And if they are regular Disney kids, they'll likely gain some park independence as well over time. In middle school my son had turned into the tween/ teen brat - and he would join us in the parks late after sleeping in - the trip before that he walked back to Boardwalk on his own when his sister wanted to do one more thing he wasn't interested in. In high school we left him home, and my daughter took a friend - and they didn't spend much time with us at all. You may take trips that are pool and lounging in the room with kids who think that is more enjoyable than park attractions they've seen twenty times. You'll start taking trips that fit in to their schedules - which might be less than ideal for when you want to be at Disney - and you may get those adult only trips unplanned - as they can't get the time off work, or have rehearsals for the play over break.

We live far enough away that its always airfare, so our pattern is less frequent trips (generally every other year) in a bigger room. And our trips aren't terribly long - maybe five nights total. But with a bigger room, we can do things like have our daughter take a friend. She's off at college now, and my son is still at home - but still not terribly interested in going to Disney with his parents - so our patterns will likely change again.

Make sure to do some imagining of what your life will be like in ten years, and how Disney/DVC and studios will all fit into your family at that time.

Oh we've definitely thought that far ahead. I think I had mentioned it before, but our motivation for DVC was partly to have the ability to take a week with the kids, plus a long weekend just us every year (so about 11-14 days per year). My kids are not young, but they are definitely showing signs of being full on Disneyphiles like their parents so I don't expect the magic will wear off in the next 10 years for them. Having the DVC while they were at college might mean fewer trips during the year, but maybe a single stay in a larger unit to reconnect as a family between semesters. Having it when they are on their own then becomes a gift of either time with grandkids, or the ability to gift them a stay as they grow their own families. And more nookie trips for the old folks

 

[DSLRuser]

We are normally travelling with 2 adults and 2 kids (age 11 and 9 currently)

Appreciate the feedback!

My kids (12 and 17) have become "accustomed" or "spoiled" with 1 bed room. Any trip we take, they ask if we have a condo (1 bedroom or better) or a hotel room (studio). Apparently, they can't sleep when we snore, and don't like the TV channels we watch.

But you are correct. A studio is a hotel room with an extra sync and a microwave. Only you can decide it's worthiness.

 

[bobbiwoz]

There was no DVC when we raised our sons, mostly in the ‘80’s, but what I would have given to have two connected rooms! A one bedroom would have been awesome! We rented a trailer in FW to make it work for us!

The two of us get either a studio or one bedroom these days, depending on the trip and our point status.

 

[ElizabethG]

We stayed in studios on most of our trips (bought in 2009). I have two teenagers now, so that is a little tight, but still doable. We just added on during our summer cruise, so we'll probably get 2-bdrm units from now on.

From your posts, it sounds like being a member is the right move for you. Many DVC members say they wish they just bought more points when they originally purchased (that was true for us). So, I would encourage you to get a many points as you comfortably can! Add-ons seem so much more expensive when you think back to your original purchase.