*The Official VILLAS AT DISNEY'S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT & SPA Owners & Lovers Group*

There are two types of studios: resort and deluxe.

There are two deluxe studio views: standard and lake.

It is speculated that there could be up to 3 different resort studio views: standard, lake and theme park.

"Standard" in both cases refers to the view and not the layout of the room.
So it’s theoretically possible that VGF owners will have up to 5 categories of Studios to choose from.

As @aoconner wrote earlier, the least expensive rooms will almost certainly go first.

But if there is a category of “theme park view”, it will be interesting to see if these go even faster since there would be so few of them, like Club Level at AKV.
 
So it’s theoretically possible that VGF owners will have up to 5 categories of Studios to choose from.

As @aoconner wrote earlier, the least expensive rooms will almost certainly go first.

But if there is a category of “theme park view”, it will be interesting to see if these go even faster since there would be so few of them, like Club Level at AKV.

I wish they’d do Club Level for TPV here. I’d be all over that.
 
I’m not convinced of this.

First, the new Resort Studios are considerably larger in terms of square feet. In the hotel and timeshare industries, square footage is an important consideration for cost.

Second, DVD’s recent history has been to charge as much as they think they can get away with. I suspect the new Studios will require at least as many points as the old Studios.

It would not surprise me I
But no kitchenette (possibly not even a toaster or microwave as i dont think those were mentioned, and only a beverage cooler) and two beds instead of a bed and pull down murphy (some people prefer one or the other). Plus way more inventory. Even if they break it down to standard, lake, TP views, i would bet only the TP view is higher or equal to a normal lake view studio.

Im thinking standard resort > lake resort> standard deluxe > lake deluxe =/> TP resort
 


There’s still a few unique floor plans in Big Pine Key that I’m curious about.

4 Deluxe/Turret rooms - floors 2-5 (5th floor has no balcony)
4 TPV corner rooms - floors 1-4, they have two balconies
1 One bedroom suite - 5th floor, pool view, parlor has no balcony
1 Two bedroom suite - 5th floor, lagoon view, parlor has no balcony

Depending what they do here, there could be up to 3 rooms without balconies. But at a minimum, there are rooms that will have larger floor plans.
 
There’s still a few unique floor plans in Big Pine Key that I’m curious about.

4 Deluxe/Turret rooms - floors 2-5 (5th floor has no balcony)
4 TPV corner rooms - floors 1-4, they have two balconies
1 One bedroom suite - 5th floor, pool view, parlor has no balcony
1 Two bedroom suite - 5th floor, lagoon view, parlor has no balcony

Depending what they do here, there could be up to 3 rooms without balconies. But at a minimum, there are rooms that will have larger floor plans.

And since they've already stated that the Big Pine Key conversion will be all studios, it will be interesting to see what happens to those suites. I'd hate to get a studio that doesn't have a balcony-I remember meeting the people who were in the BRV with no balcony-they were NOT happy!
 
By my count, here’s the current numbers. If they utilize the suite bedrooms and not the living rooms, I can get to 200 and only the 5th floor turret room wouldn’t have a balcony.

1st floor (43 rooms)
  • Courtyard Pool View - 17
  • Lagoon View - 19
  • Park View - 7 (includes 1 corner)

2nd floor (46 rooms)
  • Courtyard Pool View - 19 (includes 1 deluxe/turret with balcony)
  • Lagoon View - 20
  • Park View - 7 (includes 1 corner)

3rd floor (46 rooms)
  • Courtyard Pool View - 19 (includes 1 deluxe/turret with balcony)
  • Lagoon View - 20
  • Park View - 7 (includes 1 corner)

4th floor (46 rooms)
  • Courtyard Pool View - 19 (includes 1 deluxe/turret with balcony)
  • Lagoon View - 20
  • Park View - 7 (includes 1 corner)

5th floor (16 rooms, 2 suites/3 bedrooms)
  • Courtyard Pool View - 8 (includes 1 deluxe/turret without balcony)
  • Lagoon View - 8
  • One Bedroom Suite Pool View
  • Two Bedroom Suite Lagoon View
 


My daughter and I are planning a trip to WDW for early Dec of 2022. We are new DVC owners and own at AKV, so I will book that at 11 months to guarantee somewhere to stay. However, it has always been DD's dream to stay at the Grand Floridian, so I would like to switch our stay at the 7 month mark. How difficult is it to book a studio at GF at 7 months for the first week in Dec? If needed, I am okay using points for 1 bedroom. Is that a more realistic possibility? I prefer Standard but am open to other views if needed. We are hoping to stay one week. Thanks in advance for your insight!
 
My daughter and I are planning a trip to WDW for early Dec of 2022. We are new DVC owners and own at AKV, so I will book that at 11 months to guarantee somewhere to stay. However, it has always been DD's dream to stay at the Grand Floridian, so I would like to switch our stay at the 7 month mark. How difficult is it to book a studio at GF at 7 months for the first week in Dec? If needed, I am okay using points for 1 bedroom. Is that a more realistic possibility? I prefer Standard but am open to other views if needed. We are hoping to stay one week. Thanks in advance for your insight!
The current VGF is nearly impossible to book the first two weeks of December unless you own there. That's everything from studios up to GVs. Even owners get shut out or end up piecing their trip together because there are so few villas there.

But once VGF2 goes on sale, studio availability will change. It will still be hard to get inside of 7 months because a lot of DVC members who do not own at VGF will want to use their "cheaper" points to stay at the flagship resort. And the first two weeks of December will be stiff competition right at 7 months.
 
The current VGF is nearly impossible to book the first two weeks of December unless you own there. That's everything from studios up to GVs. Even owners get shut out or end up piecing their trip together because there are so few villas there.

But once VGF2 goes on sale, studio availability will change. It will still be hard to get inside of 7 months because a lot of DVC members who do not own at VGF will want to use their "cheaper" points to stay at the flagship resort. And the first two weeks of December will be stiff competition right at 7 months.

Thank you for this info. It's not what I had hoped to hear, but it's good to have a realistic sense of what to expect.
 
My daughter and I are planning a trip to WDW for early Dec of 2022. We are new DVC owners and own at AKV, so I will book that at 11 months to guarantee somewhere to stay. However, it has always been DD's dream to stay at the Grand Floridian, so I would like to switch our stay at the 7 month mark. How difficult is it to book a studio at GF at 7 months for the first week in Dec? If needed, I am okay using points for 1 bedroom. Is that a more realistic possibility? I prefer Standard but am open to other views if needed. We are hoping to stay one week. Thanks in advance for your insight!
We bought at VGF exactly because we want to stay there in the first two weeks of December and knew it would be nearly impossible to book there otherwise without getting extremely lucky (I.e. a cancellation).

Really though, the first 2 weeks of December are among the hardest to book at any DVC resort. Low points, good weather, moderate crowds, and Christmas decorations!
 
We bought at VGF exactly because we want to stay there in the first two weeks of December and knew it would be nearly impossible to book there otherwise without getting extremely lucky (I.e. a cancellation).

Really though, the first 2 weeks of December are among the hardest to book at any DVC resort. Low points, good weather, moderate crowds, and Christmas decorations!

Thank you for your reply! I wonder if we should consider booking sometime in Nov? When does the holiday decor usually go up at GF?
 
I’m not convinced of this.

First, the new Resort Studios are considerably larger in terms of square feet. In the hotel and timeshare industries, square footage is an important consideration for cost.

Second, DVD’s recent history has been to charge as much as they think they can get away with. I suspect the new Studios will require at least as many points as the old Studios.
I agree on both points. The bigger room with a second bed and arguably better location (closer to the main building) might allow them to charge more.

The second point is even better. Disney is converting these rooms to DVC for the sole purpose of making serious bucks. The more points they plan to charge per night, the more points they have available to sell. I'd be shocked if the new rooms didn't go for more points than the existing studio villas. My prediction is that these go for more than the existing studios and that current villa studio rooms sell out fast. I hope I'm wrong!
 
I agree on both points. The bigger room with a second bed and arguably better location (closer to the main building) might allow them to charge more.

The second point is even better. Disney is converting these rooms to DVC for the sole purpose of making serious bucks. The more points they plan to charge per night, the more points they have available to sell. I'd be shocked if the new rooms didn't go for more points than the existing studio villas. My prediction is that these go for more than the existing studios and that current villa studio rooms sell out fast. I hope I'm wrong!
One of my worries is that VGF2 rooms end up requiring a lot more points than VGF1 Studios, and then Disney in a few years "balancing" this by increasing the point required for VGF1 Studios!

Since Disney has already announced that VGF2 is part of the same association as VGF1, it sounds like an easy way to hike up the price of VGF1 Studios without violating the law.

But existing VGF1 owners would be furious. They might even be able to successfully sue.

IMO, the way that creates the least headache for everyone is to use the same point chart for VGF1 and VGF2 Studios, with perhaps a third category for the handful of VGF2 Studios that have a view of the Magic Kingdom.

We'd end up with 5 different types of studios to book:
  1. VGF1 Standard View
  2. VGF2 Standard View
  3. VGF1 Lake View
  4. VGF2 Lake View
  5. VGF2 Theme Park View
Some owners will prefer 2 queen beds, and some owners will prefer a sink and microwave.
 
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Couldn't they get the same result by keeping the points per room the same as VGF1 but charging more per point to purchase? Then everyone wins. Sort of.
The risk is that, like everything, VGF2 won't sell in sufficient volume if it is priced too high.
 
I have my first stay at VGF coming up over New Years weekend. I've booked a 1 bedroom standard view. I'll be traveling with my husband and 17 year old daughter. We'll be meeting my CM daughter. She'll be doing some grocery shopping in advance of our arrival, fortunately for me. Any tips/tricks on staying and cooking at VGF? I stay at the GF all the time, just new to the Villas. Looking forward to having the option to cook/eat in the room. What's the coffee situation there? Pot or Keurig?
 

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