The great debate - DVC - Deluxe - Moderate - Value - or - Off site - how to choose...

[LovesTimone]

So I was having a conversation with my friend, and helping with planning their trip for December... It is a family trip, My friend and her DH, her oldest DD/ SIL and 2 grandkids, 12 and 8 , Their DS and his wife and their 9 year old, and Youngest DD, Her boyfriend, and 11 year old twins...

Her and her DH do not agree on the resort plan ( they are paying for the rooms)... He wants to stay in a value, because of the cost... strictly... so 4 rooms - yet he is already fussing about the size of the room and lack of TS restaurant, pool and a proper bar for drinks...

She on the other hand wants to stay at DVC and rent points...According to her, they can save money by staying in a DVC, and make meals... so that they can save on food cost... I asked her are you going to cook for everyone? and how are you going to deal with all the different lifestyle choices Vegan, Keto, and only organic everything? Her answer is no... everyone can cook for themselves... to which I was like that will never work out.. Plus all the table service meals she is planning on, they are not going to be cooking... maybe eggo's for the kids, or a sandwich ... but not cooking a meal...

The 2 DD's says that a value room won't work for them, as the 12 year old and 8 year old will not sleep in the same bed boy and girl... and the twins are a boy and girl, and they will not sleep in the same bed...

They are both opposed to staying off site, because then the cost of the rental cars come into play, and time to and from the parks wasted. They are renting one SUV, and this way they can run to the store, and the ladies can hit the outlet for some retail therapy.. I was shocked at what a SUV rents for 10 days... WOW!!

My suggestion was they stay in a moderate, with the pull down... and the kids can rotate between the bed and pull down.. or at AOA in family suite, yet that would still be 4 rooms, and a large uptick in the cost.

How do you pick?

 

[amylevan]

If it was me? In this scenario, I’m with her DH and vote value because 4 hotel rooms is $$$$ but they wouldn’t all fit in a DVC anyhow. If the kids won’t share a bed, they can sleep on the floor. If the DDs are that much against it, they can contribute and upgrade themselves.

For the record, I have a brother and shared a bed with him on vacations for years, so I don’t have much sympathy for that complaint.

 

[crazycatstacy]

We have always stayed onsite, however; one year my mom and her husband and his family booked a house off-site so we stayed with them. It wasn't as bad as we expected. You don't really lose any more time going to and from than you do on the busses if you choose a house that is close. I thought I would hate offsite but it was actually pretty nice. I still prefer onsite but wouldn't not do an off-site one again. If they do off-site one person should get an annual pass (if/when they become available) so they can get free parking at the parks. Uber/Lyft is also pretty reasonable if people want to split up and go at different times.

 

[hedg12]

I'd add that it also depends on how often they've been and how often they go. If this a rare treat for them, then DVC all the way. If they go often, then value or off site makes more sense.
We go once a year with extended family (usually 10-12 of us) and the ONLY reason we have for staying on site is transportation - we split up quite often and usually in more groups than we have cars. When we go in smaller groups we generally stay off site now.

 

[LovesTimone]

We have always stayed onsite, however; one year my mom and her husband and his family booked a house off-site so we stayed with them. It wasn't as bad as we expected. You don't really lose any more time going to and from than you do on the busses if you choose a house that is close. I thought I would hate offsite but it was actually pretty nice. I still prefer onsite but wouldn't not do an off-site one again. If they do off-site one person should get an annual pass (if/when they become available) so they can get free parking at the parks. Uber/Lyft is also pretty reasonable if people want to split up and go at different times.

OP here... I think that the reason they don't want to stay offsite is the cost of the rental cars, they would need 4 cars, or someone is going to be having to double up, and there is no way anyone of them is going to want to be without a car or share a car ... so that is a whole different ball game for sure...

I think they both want on site just because everyone can come and go and use transportation easily.. and they are not tied together...

 

[bakerworld]

We like to walk - if the location is not walkable to something (a park or the Springs) then I have to think long and hard about staying. Our one caveat venue is AK-J but it isn't an optimal location and we tend to stay there when we're only visiting the Springs.

When we were watching $$ we ate breakfast (cereal with shelf milk) and snacks/dinner in the room (PB&J), which does save. Also, no souvenirs until the last day each person got to purchase one item. We used the water fountains and said a hard no to snacks outside of the room.

I have to admit in 40 years we've never stayed off-site. We have had rental cars, which come in handy when there is a need for members of the party to evacuate back to the room and others want to continue on.

 

[crazycatstacy]

OP here... I think that the reason they don't want to stay offsite is the cost of the rental cars, they would need 4 cars, or someone is going to be having to double up, and there is no way anyone of them is going to want to be without a car or share a car ... so that is a whole different ball game for sure...

I think they both want on-site just because everyone can come and go and use transportation easily.. and they are not tied together...

OMG I feel like the price to rent four cars would pay for a Disney vacation! I would choose value room then. Maybe the same-sex cousins would want to sleep together?

 

[robinb]

The trip is this December? If so, it's too late to book DVC. There is a glut of DVC points from people not travelling last year and it's incredibly difficult to book anything this fall through the new year as people use their points.

They could get a 7 bedroom house with a private pool for about $3,000 a week all-in. We stayed in a pool home one year and it was really great. I loved walking out the back door and being able to play in the pool. But ... car rental prices are ridiculously expensive. Even if they selected a smaller car each one would be about $500 per week, or an extra $2000 for 4 cars. Uber/Lyft is a lot cheaper but they may run into surge pricing if they stay until park closing. There is an Uber/Lyft thread somewhere on the DIS that would be good to read if they decide to stay offsite.

If they really want to stay onsite, I would recommend that they book 5 rooms at a Value instead of 4. The 5th room would be for the 4 kids that won't sleep together and the boys can share a bed and the girls can share the other bed. Or, just book the 4 rooms and have the parents swap cousins. But, my spidey sense says that the SILs are exaggerating and they really don't want to stay in a Value and are grasping at the sleeping arrangements to force a move to a Moderate or Deluxe.

 

[Lumpy1106]

A couple of cost-saving ideas;
Stay in (2) Fort Wilderness cabins. Those sleep 6 each and have bunk beds for the kids
Rent the Minivan for just a day or two - long enough to get everyone on-property, do the retail therapy and do a run or two to the grocery store. Take the Minivan back to the airport on the retail therapy day and whoever goes with takes DME back on property. Everyone takes DME back to the airport at the end of stay. Also, www.autoslash.com - save's me $100's every time I use it.

 

[melissalovesfigment]

I would try for Pop Century if you go value. You can take the Skyliner over to Riviera and Caribbean Beach for nicer bars and restaurants. I haven't found DVC rental availability for more than 1 night in December in any room category so this is probably not an option. We are going to stay at the Dolphin in December. Not great theming but we like the location and it is priced like a moderate.

 

[pinkxray]

I wouldn’t rent DVC points. You never know who will back out at the last minute and leave you paying for an empty room. Plus if you are traveling this Dec there is nothing available.

Im sorry, but if I was getting my room paid for by my parents for my whole family I would agree to value and say thank you. The difference between values and moderates is a lot when paying for 4 rooms.
If the difference between a value and moderate isn’t the biggest deal and you are okay paying the cost I would stay at a moderate with a pull down bed to help the sleeping issue.

I am typically a deluxe girl but if my room is being paid for I would suck it up and sleep with my sibling for a week. The values are fun and they will all have a great time with the large family.

 

[olwyngdh]

If my grandchildren refused to share a bed, my daughter could pay for her own room. Sorry, but paying for their room is a gift and should be accepted with grace rather than complaint.

 

[TwoMisfits]

I'm on the "stay offsite and rent 2 minvans/vans" camp. Get an enormous house and just commute. Heck, get 2 houses side-by-side - this is 4 full families worth of people and that costs money. There's no way around that.

In fact, I might just book 4 offsite condos, one per family, and tell them to figure out their commuting costs (ubers or rental)...or as I said, get 2 vans/minivans if you want to stay cheap...you don't want folks ready to kill each other by day 5, and it sounds like the tweens/teens may be doing that with their parents if it's one room, one bathroom for each family.

 

[Belle1962]

I would rent separate rooms at value or moderates. I shared a bed with my niece until she was in her teens and my son spent plenty of time sleeping on floors. The issue of boy/girl is solved by having each parent sleep with a child. If the others are already causing issues then book one room for each group and let them worry about who is sleeping with who.

 

[loves to dive]

This may sound old fashioned but if hubby is paying for it, then hubby gets to choose. As far as what the kids want, if they want to pay for it, they can get what they want, if not, suck it up and be happy you are getting to go at all. Sort of a "my house my rules" sort of situation. My money, my decision. I'm taking my son, his SO and their infant daughter in Sept. and when I was asking for opinions as to where to stay my son was all over, Mom, you decide and we will be happy.

 

[allaboutthemouse]

*I vote rent a house off property and get rental cars, have done this with big family trips and love the space. Factor in the parking $, it is what it is.
*All Star Music is opening end of October…I think they have newly renovated family suites that might work?
*Rent an rv and camp @ the fort. Just know you have to pay the rv rental plus site rental, so sometimes doesn’t save much that way. And even though rv rentals say they can sleep ten, that is only if you fold down the table and couch to make a bed which I don’t recommend because it takes away living space. But you can cook and grill, have your own food, etc. We love the Fort. It is huge, so we have found having a golf cart is a must for getting around, which does add to the price as well.
*I have to say, as a family of six (four boys, two of which are as big as adults), everyone needs their own bed, so it is difficult finding lodging in hotels without paying an arm and a leg. We are taking the kids to Universal in august, with a side of Disney, and oh my, universal hotel layouts for rooms with many people are awesome, (like, I can fit my whole family in a suite)…

 

[LovesTimone]

OP here...

I talked to my friend last night... and this is how things panned out...

My friend and her DH, and their son, his wife and 9 year old son are staying at Beach Club Villa DVC, 2 bedroom - their son boss is the DVC owner, and is gifting it to him, because of all the hard work he put in last year. He had already booked for Dec. and is just changing it to their son's name... His boss got Covid, and their son stepped in and up to keep everything running, and basically took over, and saved his business, not only kept it open and running, he actually grew the business, and added more $$$ to the bottom line... so in turn he gave him a huge raise, and promotion to his assistant and is teaching and grooming him in the business. Just goes to show you hard work pays off... This was something that just came up, and what a great surprise, their son had no idea what this was coming.

The 2 DD's and their families, decided on AOA family suites, so that they have much more room to move around in, 2 bathroom and the kids don't have to share a bed, plus a door for some adult privacy...

Her DH was so happy, that he had to only pay for the family suites... My friend was happy because now she has more money for retail therapy!!!

Our friends live in GA, and were planning on flying in, they found it soooo much cheaper to rent a large SUV in GA, and drive down instead of flying renting 14 days, was just a bit more than renting for 10 days at the airport, and they are getting a bigger SUV... Their kids will be all flying in, using Uber to get to their resorts. They all live in different areas of the country.

I did ask her if this would not have happened what where the going to do, she said rooms at AOA, family suites. She said they talked about it and 10 days in a long time for the families to crammed together like this...

They also decided on a couple of TS meals during the trip, and the rest they are just going to wing it... Each couple wants a date night, so they will make their own ADR's, and so they are going to take turns watching each others kids. Looks like things are coming together nicely for them...

 

[HeatherC]

Stay at Bonnet Creek which is basically onsite. Rent a couple villas. Everyone can use Uber to get places if they don’t want to use their shuttle. Would save a ton of money over 4 hotel rooms.

 

[robinb]

Wow! That was convenient that the boss had a 2-BR booked at BCV for 10 days in December. It was very nice of him to gift it to the son.

As for the daughters, I would suggest that they book studios at BCV instead. Some are available for cash on Disney's website. They are about $100 more per night and they are smaller than an AOA suite and they only have one bathroom but everyone will be together. The time actually spent in your room is not all that much and having a common base for a family vacation will be worth it. In addition, the son's 9-year old son will have his cousins around him instead of being alone with adults the whole time. Also, the kids are the perfect age for SAB and everyone can use it on the up-and-up. The 2BR can be a base of operations and gathering place. I know that many people do family vacations in separate resorts but I think it's more trouble than it's worth.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Wow! That was convenient that the boss had a 2-BR booked at BCV for 10 days in December. It was very nice of him to gift it to the son.

As for the daughters, I would suggest that they book studios at BCV instead. Some are available for cash on Disney's website. They are about $100 more per night and they are smaller than an AOA suite and they only have one bathroom but everyone will be together. The time actually spent in your room is not all that much and having a common base for a family vacation will be worth it. In addition, the son's 9-year old son will have his cousins around him instead of being alone with adults the whole time. Also, the kids are the perfect age for SAB and everyone can use it on the up-and-up. The 2BR can be a base of operations and gathering place. I know that many people do family vacations in separate resorts but I think it's more trouble than it's worth.

Or check out the Swan/Dolphin right nearby.