What's your favorite studio at WDW?

[kboo]

We are considering buying DVC and so I'm doing a lot of research! We have 2 girls, 4years and 4 months, and are not going to have any more. While a 1BR would be really nice, if we are doing a first purchase of points we probably would want to stay in a studio for the next few years anyway. So... what's your favorite studio, and why? Also interested if the Poly is "worth" the points as we've read mixed reviews here. Some of the factors we are considering are below (obviously), but I'm also wondering if you've owned for a long time, how those factors and their priority change as your kids get older? Right now it seems like proximity to parks is #1 for us, what becomes more important as your kids get older?

-proximity to parks
-size of living space
-murphy bed for the 4 yo
-bathroom setup
-cost (points)

We've most recently stayed at a 2BR BLT (rented points, loved it), and also did a cash reservation in a 1BR at BWV - we were upgraded from a studio so we've never stayed in a studio before, but if buying points would probably want to start small.

Thanks in advance!

 

[lovin'fl]

Own DVC for 10 years now. Been in a studio at every resort but VGF, Poly and VWL.
-The largest are OKW. Value at AKV are small. BLT are small but are laid out really nicely (I think the best layout of all, just wish they were a tad bigger).
-The bathrooms are pretty comparable in all.
-The best for park access are: BLT to walk to MK or monorail to MK and Epcot, BWV and BCV for walking or boating to HS and Epcot...VGF and Poly are good for monorial too but Poly is good for walking to TTC where you have access to lots of transportation. VWL is nice for the boat to TTC.
-The cheapest point cost deals are: OKW and BWV (standard view but be warned that standard view studios are tough to get even at 11 months out...particularly busy times for BWV like F&W). SSR and AKV are next (also value studios are tough to book).
-BWV has the TV flip down bed as do VGF and VWL...I am not sure which others do. The bed is small and has an overhead area making it tight for a bigger kid (maybe up to 10-12 year olds can sleep on it...my DDs-16 last summer could not use it).

BWV seems to cover several of your bases but they expire in 2042 where Poly and VGF have many more years.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Now DVC has made many studios sleep 5. I've been in the Poly and VGF and they each have a 2 part bath area that is very nice.

I really like the set up in the Poly because it is bigger, but I like the Grand Floridian resort better.

I do not particularly like the way the 5th person has been accommodated in the other studios.

 

[lovin'fl]

Forgot about the double bathrooms in Poly and VGF...I haven't been in those. And while Poly is large, I think they are laid out oddly with the double bathroom. Seems they could have done the BLT layout but larger and maybe thrown a stackable W/D in there. But I haven't been in them so I don't really know. Does Poly have the trundle flip down TV bed? I think they do. If I were going to spend that kind of $$$ to buy and have to spend a lot of points to book, I'd probably go VGF over Poly. The ability to upgrade to a 1BR someday and I have seen photos of the rooms and those VGF rooms look really sweet!

 

[lovin'fl]

Another thing to mention is that OKW, which are large, also have two real queen beds in the studios (instead of a bed and a sleeper sofa). So that's nice to have.

 

[kboo]

Another thing to mention is that OKW, which are large, also have two real queen beds in the studios (instead of a bed and a sleeper sofa). So that's nice to have.

Thanks for your input! Yes that seems like something we'd want when the girls are bigger and we are done with strollers!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I think the lack of a sofa in OKW studios negates their charm. It is more like a hotel room.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

VGF is fantastic, but hard to book even as an owner.

 

[Jake & Crew]

We bought into DVC when our girls were 6 and 4. For some reason we were looking at 150 points ( think that was the recommended minimum) however after studying the charts we decided on160 points. We knew we would be going every two years instead of every year due to budgetary reasons ( cost of flights, meals, tickets etc). With 160 we were able to bank/borrow and usually did a split one part studio and second resort 1 bedroom. Twice we took grandparents and did two bedrooms.

My point is you might want to look at more points than a studio because as the kids get older the 1 bedroom is more appealing. We can do a studio for a few days but by the time we move up to our one bedroom we are all ready for it. Especially my husband. A studio with little ones is very different stay than a studio with teenagers.

 

[Anal Annie]

We're just a family of 3 but nearly always just book a studio in order to conserve & ration points. We started our (direct) buy-in process in Dec. of 2006 & closed in January 2007. We prefer more trips to only one (we own at SSR and have enough points to go 2-3 times a year in studios (or one time in a one-bedroom) depending on trip length and resort points cost). Going more often makes the price of buying AP's easier to swallow tho as we feel it extends their value. We only stayed in a 1 bedroom once and that was due to a fluke where it was a very last minute change in plans and that's all that was available. The extra space, king size bed, larger bath & laundry WAS nice - but wasn't nice enough to get us to change our plans to larger units on a regular basis. Our DS is almost 19 now and would PREFER to have a "real" bed as opposed to a sleep sofa but he ain't paying the dues and even the 1 bedroom doesn't offer that and we don't have enough points to do a 2-bedroom. A 2-bedroom would be overkill for the 3 of us so he's stuck on the sleep sofa if he wants to join us. I don't want to cook on vacation (OR to have to plan to go back to the room for meals - major time suck). But we DO use the kitchenettes for breakfasts. Some of the kitchenettes are larger than others and offer more functionality. AKV Kidani's is the WORST (smallest) while BLT's is the best as far as space. VWL, HHI and VB also have nice size kitchenettes. The rest are all smaller.

We definitely have layout preferences but we like to resort hop from trip to trip so sometimes we go to places that are not as high on our fav list. For example we DON'T like the studio layout at OKW even tho our son would prefer to have the bed. It's a really odd shape & they have the TV on top of a tall chest of drawers at a weird angle. Also, the bathroom is not a split bath - so only 1 person at a time can get ready. That's probably the worst feature of the OKW studio layout - impractical from a bathroom standpoint. That said, even tho it's our least fav resort, DH and I are going on an adults only trip for 4 nights this fall so we booked OKW because it's a short trip and simply to save on points as it's the cheapest (and AKV Jambo wasn't 100% available when we booked). We also don't like the Kidani studio bathroom layout (on top of the kitchenette almost being an afterthought). They have the vanity area in the same room with the tub/shower. So again, no privacy - poor layout - so it's next to last on our choice list.

We don't usually worry about resort location to the parks too much. Each resort really has it's advantages and disadvantages in regard to location. We booked BLT once over spring break for monorail access & walkability during a busy time which was nice. We're staying at the Poly for the 1st time in June - looking forward to being on the monorail again. But it's a major points hog so even if we love it when we go we can't book it very often. When we stay at SSR we tend to go to Disney Springs more often. We often book AKV Jambo (love the theming and it is DS's fav) or we book SSR prior to the 7 mo. window for hard to get times - it's our home resort and we like it fine - both are easy on the points if you book std. view rooms. Since we are usually trying to spread our points out as far as we can we're very frugal with our planning and I work out a lot of scenarios on paper before we book to plan out trips beyond the one we're currently booking just to see what options we'll have in the future. We DO also love BCV and VWL too. But they're sometimes booked up early since they're smaller and depending on time of year. And sometimes we just can't "afford" them. We're due a trip to VWL but will wait until the construction there is over. We have also stayed at VGC and Aulani - loved both of those resorts. They're amazing. Wish we could plan another trip in that direction but it's out of our budget while DS is in college.

We have had some AMAZING vacations with our DVC and are glad we bought when we did. Guess I didn't answer the OP's question yet. Hard to pick a favorite studio - I liked the overall size of the ones at VGC and VWL. VWL has 2 closets and a larger kitchenette...so I'd say those 2 win for layouts. Aulani would win for location!! LOL

 

[mom2rb]

Nap time in a studio is hard. Sitting in a dark room while my boys slept is why we bought DVC in the first place. Now that my boys are older, I love the second bathroom in AKL and BLT. Cheaper points than a two bedroom, but way more functional than a studio. You might try to buy enough points for a one bedroom.

 

[lovin'fl]

Nap time in a studio is hard. Sitting in a dark room while my boys slept is why we bought DVC in the first place. Now that my boys are older, I love the second bathroom in AKL and BLT. Cheaper points than a two bedroom, but way more functional than a studio. You might try to buy enough points for a one bedroom.

Yes...that's why we bought DVC too for the master bedroom with door for separate space from kids. And I will add that my knowledge of studios is mostly tied to our 2BR stays so things like bathroom and closest space isn't on my radar (my kids are usually in the studio part). The only actual studios that I myself have stayed in were OKW (and I liked the closet and large table area but we were part of 2BR where MIL and FIL took the master so we had other bathroom and laundry), BWV (didn't notice any issues and it was 4 of us in there but for just 2 nights), HHI (really liked that studio...it is large and had a great kitchenette) and BLT (with DH and I only and it was tight but I loved the galley kitchen area where I could do makeup while DH showered). DDs did mention having trouble finding storage space in the studio part at AKV. BCV we had a 2BR with 2 queens in the studio and that was really nice since we have 3 teens and they gripe about sleeping on a pull out.

But we started off doing 1BRs with 1 kid on a airbed. Then, when they hit teens, we upgraded to 2BRs but it does eat through the points so now we are going back to 1BRs (especially since DS-19 is too busy to- or not interested in- going anytime soon)...and AKV and BLT 1BRs appeal to me for the extra bathroom and sleeper chairs (in case DS wants to pop in for some of the trip).

 

[com_op_2000]

OKW has the largest studios of any of the resorts.
It has two actual beds, not a fold out couch.

 

[southerngirl528]

Hmm. If you're asking which DVC WDW resort studios are the best for a family to stay in, I vote for the Poly Villas because they are quite large, have a queen, sofa bed and a pull down "murphy" bed plus those split baths. And if you need add'l room it's super easy to be able to get connecting as virtually all studios ARE connecting. (caveat: requests are never guaranteed but that said, if they know you have young kids, every effort will be made to get you connecting)

I'm a 23 year OKW owner and love that OKW studios have 2 "real" beds, but as said that means no sofa for lounging. If you plan on being out and about most of the time, I think that's no big deal. IF you're going to spend lots of time at the resort it could make a difference. The baths at OKW are not split like Poly or BLT but there is a sink outside of the main bath area where one can get ready while someone else showers or uses the facilities, so to speak.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

On the other hand, if you're using a studio for more than 2, there's not really a sofa for lounging unless you fold it up every day.

And maybe there are people who do that, I dunno. I find sofa-folding to be a nuisance.

 

[lovin'fl]

On the other hand, if you're using a studio for more than 2, there's not really a sofa for lounging unless you fold it up every day.

And maybe there are people who do that, I dunno. I find sofa-folding to be a nuisance.

SIL has DVC and a family of 5 like us. She has a kid on the sleeper in the living room, as do I. She folds up the sleeper EVERY day where we keep it open (I do love the resorts with the sleeper chair too so we can have DS sleep on that and keep it open while the sofa is still usable as a sofa). There is a chair and the edge of the bed to sit on if watching TV but DH and I just go in the master and if we have a 2BR then DDs are in the studio part while it's just DS in the living room. A 2BR for 5 of us is nice in that we have 3 TVs. We are usually pretty wiped out whenever we are in the room so there's no hanging out as a group in the living room. SIL...they are neat freaks and they even unpack completely (won't even have stuff out on the counters). When we do Disney with them we just meet up in their villa since they always have the sofa put back together.

 

[kboo]

SIL has DVC and a family of 5 like us. She has a kid on the sleeper in the living room, as do I. She folds up the sleeper EVERY day where we keep it open (I do love the resorts with the sleeper chair too so we can have DS sleep on that and keep it open while the sofa is still usable as a sofa). There is a chair and the edge of the bed to sit on if watching TV but DH and I just go in the master and if we have a 2BR then DDs are in the studio part while it's just DS in the living room. A 2BR for 5 of us is nice in that we have 3 TVs. We are usually pretty wiped out whenever we are in the room so there's no hanging out as a group in the living room. SIL...they are neat freaks and they even unpack completely (won't even have stuff out on the counters). When we do Disney with them we just meet up in their villa since they always have the sofa put back together.

LOL, OP here; I like to unpack completely even for short trips (1-2 nights!) I'm probably the type to fold the sofa bed every day. It's really interesting seeing everyone's responses - a lot of food for thought since everyone has a different preference. We've never stayed in a studio before but have done hotel rooms with ODD. Our upcoming trip we will be in a hotel room with both DDs and that will probably make DH want to go for 1br... That said, if we are buying into DVC we are being a little cautious and it seems we might want to start with enough points for a studio and then add on if we really want to do 1br. I feel like the upcoming trip next week will help us decide whether DVC is right for us, or whether to continue renting points and reserving hotel rooms.

 

[lovin'fl]

You can always add on (and you likely will) but it's tougher to downsize unless you have multiple contracts but if you were to buy one 250 point contract for 1BR use and then realize you can do studios...then you can't break off 50-100 points to sell them. We initially bought 200 when we lived in NC and figured we'd go a lot (driving down) then we moved to MD and didn't think we could afford to fly and go all that frequently so we wanted to break off 50-100 and sell them but you can't. Turns out we go more than we thought (we just drive many times) and ended up adding on more points instead. Everything we have since added has been 25-100 point contracts and we even ended up reselling one of them last year. We are at 405 now with 6 contracts and 3 resorts.

 

[lovin'fl]

And by the way...our BWV is 55 and 25 point contracts for 80 points and we can make that 80 points go far. We plan to use them every year for F&W and can do a studio for a week or a 1BR (standard view) for like 4 nights. And we can walk to 2 parks. Plus they have the TV trundle bed in the studios. They go for about $90s per point resale. Can really stretch points at BWV. Just can be tough to get the standard view studios, mostly during busy BWV times like F&W.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

It really varies for your needs. For 2 people my favorite studio is now BLT TPV. With 2 children along too? It would no longer be my favorite. Second favorite is actually VGC studios. It's just a few minor differences but they were improvements. Otherwise except for VGF and PVB with the extra baths and now the older resorts with the murphy beds I don't see enough of a difference in the room and would instead be looking at the resort itself for preference.