The Great Studio Debate

[HayGan]

OK - first off let me say that I think that every one's situation is different and that what works for one certainly may not work for another. DVC is great because they offer different options to meet practically any one's tastes/needs and the flexibility to chose to select accommodations around those tastes/needs. With that said, I personally don't understand the shock and terror that many people express when others talk about plans or decision to utilize the studios. We are a family of 4 (DH, me and 2 wild and energetic boys, 6 & 8) and we do just fine in a studio. We travel to Disney World to spend time enjoying what the whole Disney World complex has to offer. Sure we like our breaks but we don't need hundreds of square feet to enjoy a little down time. Maybe it comes from the fact that we don't have a huge house (~1,500 sf and by choice not necessity) and are accustomed to actually sharing a great deal of our regular living space that contributes to the fact that studios don't bother us. We don't ever see ourselves as being a family who utilizes the kitchen aspect of the the non-studio units much as we have been pretty efficient in coming up with healthy and quick meals around just the appliances available in the studio (for those meals we don't eat out.) We will continue to most likely stay in studios with 1 BR mixed in here and there. We like to stretch our points and and sacrifice some sf to get more time overall in WDW. We think the studios overall give us more bang for our buck!


So, I am curious to hear others thoughts on The Great Studio Debate? Why do you think studios do or don't work for you?

 

[tjkraz]

Our kids are about the same age as yours. While a studio would work, I still view it as less than ideal.

The biggest factors that come to mind are:

1. I don't like being locked-into my kids' sleeping times. Even on vacation I'm usually up late checking emails, reading a book or just watching TV. That's usually not practical when you've got little ones in the same room.

Similarly, in the morning I don't necessarily want to bounce out of bed at the time of their choosing.

2. Having the laundry facilities in the room.

3. We probably do a little more meal prep in the room than you do. Rarely do we "cook" anything elaborate, but we keep sandwich and salad fixins in the room, frozen waffles, eggs, etc. Most of that CAN be done in a studio, but it's more difficult (small fridge, fewer utensils, limited dishware, etc.)

We enjoy bringing family and friends to come along, so we often go one step further and book a two bedroom villa.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Yeah.... we'll see if you feel the same when those boys are 16 & 18.

 

[Goofy's apprentice]

Our kids are teenagers and I definitely see the change from the pre-teen years. A studio was fine then.
However, the 1-bed is much preferable...
1. - love the laundry - we pack less, it's easy to do some every day
2. - love the kitchen - we don't do a lot of cooking, but last vacation the teenagers took on the responsbility of breakfast for a few mornings. We had pancakes, french toast, eggs. It was wonderful. We relaxed on the balcony and then shoved everything into the dish washer.
3. - love the separate bedroom - when your kids are older and you don't spend as much time running around with them, you are more relaxed....don't necessarily fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.....need I say more
4. - love the choice of sleeping and waking times - when we stay at SSR they can be out at DTD and come home after we have already headed to bed

We do still book studios....but that is usually to conserve on points and for those times that it are 'adults only' trips. Another benefit of the time when the kids are older !!!

 

[xipetotec]

I didn't realise there is a "great debate". The way I see it, the studios are a "nice hotel room" ... basically what you'd get in most regular hotels, but with a kitchenette and that's plenty for 4 of us.

I mean we usually go with my mother and a bunch of family, she tends to get a 2-bedroom cause she wants a central place where people can do laundry and make breakfast and stuff and everyone else ( over thet 8 people ) can stay in studios. but honestly, we hardly go there. We eat in our room and we're happy with it.

 

[Doug7856]

We use both. The studios definitely give us more time at WDW in a nice hotel room, but meals are more expensive since there is no kitchen. In the 1 BR we love the extra space, not being tied to our 6 year old's sleeping schedule (as Tjkraz said so well), and the luxury of space! Overall, the studios are used for what remains of our "do it all" vacations and the 1 BR is for the "let's just enjoy our time" vacations. If we bring family, we go with the 2 BR's.

It's great that DVC is so flexible to accommodate so many vacation styles!

 

[ACDSNY]

Our trips are 7 nights or more so I've got to have the washer/dryer in my room. I don't want to pay for the extra towels we would need if using a studio and I'm not wasting time trying to get into the shared laudry facilities. We also do all breakfasts in our room too.

 

[Luv2trav]

Before we bought into DVC we rented and stayed in 2 bedrooms. Our last 2 trips were studios and to be honest we enjoyed it. Our children are only 7 and 5... I can imagine as they get older we will need more space but for now it's perfect for us. We could use a little more storage and room but honestly it's not worth the extra points for us. Plus we always do the dining plan so we don't need the kitchen. I will admit I miss the laundry facilities but my DH does the laundry and he enjoys the late night laundry breaks to the laundry room... One of the things I love about him...

 

[Deb & Bill]

No more wire hangers!!!!

Oops, see my signature block.

I could put a studio (non-OKW) into my bedroom at home. I have an older home and while we only have three bedrooms, they are very large.

 

[Simba's Mom]

The main reason that studios don't work for us is that we fight over the TV. I watch the "Disney propoganda" channels all the time, while DH is adicted to sports (when he's not playing golf). A 1 BR has 2 TVs. But that's just us. I say, if you want a studio, "Different strokes for different folks" (showing my age here).

 

[WaltEeyoreWorld]

We do not even have children and prefer one and two bedrooms. We see it more of a place to relax on vacation rather than a room to sleep in. If we are only going to commando the parks then a studio is probably fine for most short trips. But we prefer to take more time in the room in the mornings, evening, have good breakfasts, etc. You also get a little spoiled by other time shares. We have a few Marriotts where we get 2 bedrooms all of the time even when it is only my wife and I traveling.

 

[MBELSANTI]

I am a single parent, so there is just the 2 of us, but I would prefer a 1 bedroom over a studio any day. I will however stay in studios because of lack of points. My reasons for wanting the 1 bedroom are the whirlpool tub( love to soak with bath bomb from Basin after day at parks), the washer/dryer and the separate sleeping spaces. Plus DS likes to watch cartoon channels and rent movies, and I just want to watch the Weather Channel.

 

[123Disney]

It really depends on what you need for that particular vacation. When we have both teenage boys we want a 1 or even 2 bedroom. If its just my DH and I we prefer a studio. Another thing to consider is how many points you have. If it was the difference between 1 trip or 2, or even not going, a studio works just fine. That's the beauty of DVC. You're not locked into any particular system. You can change vacations as your family needs change. What ever you decide, have a great trip!

 

[marynvince]

For us with 4 kids nothing less then a two bedroom will do, even with less kids I'd want a private bedroom The wife is usually relaxed on vaction and that means I enjoy the full size fridge, I like cooking, even on vacation..not all of the meals but especially breakfast and the occasional lunch or dinner. Did I mention

 

[dianeschlicht]

I hated it when we traveled with our kids and had to sleep in the same room as them. Our kids were grown by the time we purchased DVC, and we still will not do studios except for an occational last night of a weekend if we need to conserve points. When it's the 2 of us, we stay in 1 bedrooms and if we have even one guest, we get a 2 bedroom. That way we get more bathrooms too!

 

[artesian]

Although we prefer the 1BR in order to stretch our point out we do stay in the studio alot with a family of 4. It's cramped yes but you know what it's Disney afterall. Seems like every other or 3rd year we do the 1 BDR. I'm thinking when the kids do get a little older the studio will be tougher.

 

[Sully]

DW and I stay in studios all the time. We are both retired. We stay for a month at a time in Feb. SSR is better than OKW with one bed and a sofa. We do a lot of cooking in the studio. We bring along an electric frying pan and our own dishes for the month stay. Computers and a printer are brought along for DW part time job. It may seem like indoor camping, but we are at WDW, HHI, and VB. It is much better than a WI. winter. We do end up spending about 60 days a year in a DVC studio. We only bring all the cooking stuff when we drive down in Jan.-Feb.

 

[edk35]

Yeah.... we'll see if you feel the same when those boys are 16 & 18.

I have to agree.

 

[edk35]

The main reason that studios don't work for us is that we fight over the TV. I watch the "Disney propoganda" channels all the time, while DH is adicted to sports (when he's not playing golf). A 1 BR has 2 TVs. But that's just us. I say, if you want a studio, "Different strokes for different folks" (showing my age here).

THAT TOO...........more TV's in a 1 or 2 bedroom.

 

[edk35]

Well we are a family of 5 so no studio in our future any time soon. When our dd goes off to college next fall there will eventually come a time that she will not go scared: ) but we would still get a 2 br because we have two boys one that is a freshman in high school and the other 4th grade. They want their space too. So if it were me and dh ONE DAY sure I can see us staying in a studio or 1br. but as long as our kiddles are with us...2 br all the way baby.... even if it means 1 trip a year or not going one year. We have gone a lot to Disney over the years....we have done those commando trips over and over. I am tired of staying up late and getting up early a week or more straight. I want a different type of Disney vacation and I feel DVC is perfect for that.