DVC studio or moderate

[dadschum]

Thinking of a trip for summer 2019. 3 adult women and 1 maybe 2 17 year old girls. If 4 people, 2 sleeping surfaces minimum, 3 sleeping surfaces would be better - 4 a bonus. If 5 people, 3 or more sleeping surfaces.

This would be for a 2 night stay, possibly with the regular or deluxe dining plan. I am going to book 7 or 10 days at WBC and then in the middle of that leave WBC for 2 nights to do an on property stay and then return to WBC afterwards. We won't check out of WBC so we will leave most of our belongings there and just taking clothes, toiletries etc enough for 2 nights.

On day 1 we would leave WBC and probably do a park til lunch, check into onsite hotel and enjoy the pool for the afternoon with a special dinner that night somewhere. On our full day it will likely be a pool and rest day and a special dinner. Next day either pool in the morning and then check out, or just check out after breakfast and carry on. Dinners could be signature or Hoop de Doo or something else fun and special.

So our time on site is for pool, rest and some good dinners. A special treat if you will. We don't need a lot of room because I figure once we begin go feel like we are on top of one another we will be going back to our spacious digs at WBC for our personal space needs. But I don't want to be uncomfortable either. And we won't have a lot of stuff with us either to trip over for 4-5 women.

Thinking of a studio at BCV, BWV, BRV or CCV or a moderate or deluxe. Probably don't want to spend more than ~$500 ish for 2 nights. Not sure of meals yet and thinking we would prob do Epcot FW for our half day but really not sure.

What do you recommend and why? Thanks!

 

[VAfamily1998]

$500 for both nights, not each night? I don't think it will be possible to find a studio that low. Moderates would be possible for $250 and under. Since pool time plays a large part in your plans, I would focus on the resort pools and see which one appeals to you the most. The only pool at POFQ is geared heavily towards young children, but you are allowed to use the ones at POR as well. I have stayed at all 4 of the moderates and I enjoyed Coronado Springs the most.

 

[dadschum]

I put in mid June 2018 ( for an estimate) on Davids DVC and came up with BCV studio at $544. BWV at $448 or 560, and BRV at $528 all for 2 nights, if I was reading correctly so I hoped I could do it for $500ish. Maybe not?

 

[VAfamily1998]

I put in mid June 2018 ( for an estimate) on Davids DVC and came up with BCV studio at $544. BWV at $448 or 560, and BRV at $528 all for 2 nights, if I was reading correctly so I hoped I could do it for $500ish. Maybe not?

Oh ok! I didn't think about renting points, I was just looking at the Disney website

 

[_auroraborealis_]

So, the BWV studio you would have seen would be the Standard View; those are likely already gone for your dates. You are VERY close to 7 months for any date in June (and past it for some). BCV also fills up rapidly at 7 months. BRV can be variable.

Drop CCV from consideration. Both the studio and the 1BR sleep 4, hard limit.

I think you need to confirm availability before getting ahead of yourself.

 

[dadschum]

Thanks Aurora - trip is for June 2019 I was just pricing out June 2018 to get an idea of prices. How many months ahead would I need to nail down my plans to get what I want. Will keep CCV in mind if we end up just being 4 - not sure yet.

 

[crazylady]

For BWV/BCV studios, the rooms are pretty small. I can't recommend them for 5 adult size.people. I don't think I would even recommend them for 4 adult size people, but it would prob work in your scenario.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If you want BCV or BWV for 2019 I would still book 11 months out. Demand is increasing there and with two big opens next summer, 7 month availability is going to be poor.

 

[SharonZ]

Have you looked into the requirements for booking a DVC room? You most likely would have to pay 100% upfront, with no changes/cancellations. You may be better off looking at booking a moderate room that you can potentially modify/cancel.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I would book two value rooms. Everyone would have their own bed if it's 4 people. Plus two bathrooms.

 

[senadler]

I would not consider a studio based on your party size. You will have a queen bed, a sleeper sofa, and potentially a small pull down bed. While the small bed was great for my DS6, I am not sure it would work for anyone in your party. I think with your plans for pool time and a good location, you would be best looking at a deluxe, but that will be over you budget.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Are you up to considering more than one room? Three people could fit in a deluxe studio or a moderate rather comfortably. I think it starts to feel a little crowded with 4 adults. With 5 adults, I think you might really feel crowded. However, since it is only for 2 nights, you might be okay.

Moderate rooms are an average of 314 square feet. The smallest DVC studio is Bay Lake Tower at 339 square feet. So, a deluxe studio will definitely give you more floor space, but not all can sleep 5 and those that do will have an adult sleeping on a pull down bed that is slightly smaller than a twin. For frame of reference, I am 5'2" and was able to fit on the pull down but I'm not sure it would have given me the best night's sleep. I didn't actually sleep on it, but wanted to see how I fit. My seven-year-old daughter does love sleeping on it. Of course, the moderates that sleep 5 also have this same pull down bed, so neither the studios nor the moderates really will win out as far as sleeping surfaces, in my opinion.

Personally, I'd tell you to go deluxe studio. I have used David's multiple times and have had friends and family book through them and have always had a very pleasant experience. I cannot recommend them enough, especially when you consider how the price will be very comparable to what you would spend on a moderate. Since you want to have a lot of pool time, I also highly recommend the deluxe resorts as their pools are great. I'm sure you know all about how wonderful Stormalong Bay is at Beach Club which is why you are considering it and, in my opinion, Boardwalk's slide is the most fun on property. However, can I also suggest you consider Saratoga Springs? I know it is a large resort which can be difficult if you a specific area, but we stayed there a few years back and were in The Springs area (area with one of the pools and the main building with dining) and had a fantastic time. We could use the pool in The Springs area, which was a lot of fun, or walk a short distance to The Paddock which also has its own pool with water slide and a small counter service dining location at the pool. We loved having the two major pools and the grounds were so peaceful and relaxing. Plus, because it is so large and one of the older resorts, it is usually easier to find a room here and is often one of the two cheapest vacation club properties. If you don't end up at Saratoga, I still highly recommend renting points and staying in a studio over one moderate.

 

[Mike_Mac]

Have you looked into the requirements for booking a DVC room? You most likely would have to pay 100% upfront, with no changes/cancellations. You may be better off looking at booking a moderate room that you can potentially modify/cancel.

Not plugging any one DVC renting company out there over another, but at the DVCRentalStore, you do not have pay 100% upfront; just half once they find the points you're looking for. They also provide (for a small fee) a cancel-for-any-reason plan, which allows you to recapture a portion of your reservation (100%-0% based on how far out you cancel) should the need arise. The plan also allows you to change trip dates or even change DVC locations, subject to availability. It was also nice that we didn't have to commit any fees until after they had confirmed that the villas we wanted had availability. I don't recall what services the competing companies offer.

To provide perspective on costs, my family rented DVC points for Boulder Ridge Villas at WL next week (5 days to WDW!!). We rented the points 11 months ago for $1590 for a typical studio for six nights. The equivalent WL room would have cost us about $3000, assuming we could capture a 20% discount from rack rate. So, even buying the protection plan (because 11 months out, things can happen), we're still money ahead from staying at a deluxe resort, and we're doing better than some moderate rack rates for the Christmas season (even AoA is starting at $400/night). Plus for the price, we are getting the exact location we want for the Christmas season.

Regarding size, we will comfortably fit 3 adults and 1 child in the regular studio room quite nicely, and we will only be there for sleep and an occasional rest break.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

We've stayed 3 adults to a studio. I wouldn't do 4 adults. There just isn't enough space even if there are enough sleeping surfaces.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Worth mentioning: You cannot book 5 in either a BLT or Saratoga studio. Exceeds capacity.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Worth mentioning: You cannot book 5 in either a BLT or Saratoga studio. Exceeds capacity.

Yes, thank you for clarifying.


I really do think that with 4 or possibly 5 adults, you will want to do 2 rooms. I can't see sleeping 5 adults comfortably in any of the mods or a deluxe studio.

 

[dadschum]

This is all great feedback. Thanks - and keep it coming. Factoring into the final decision will be if we are 4 or 5 people. If we are 5 it will be 2 teenage girls so aside from comfort for all of us, a place that has something of interest for them or allows them some autonomy will play into the decision. Also our final dining choices too may play a role for convenience sake.

If we are staying at WBC for the duration (except these 2 nights) then we are kinda sorta on Disney property in terms of location and has a pretty cool pool area too. So I am trying to find something that will give us the WOW factor. We are partial to Wilderness Lodge for its décor and it has a great looking pool, and BCV and BRV would be in the area of the Boardwalk area restaurants.

2 rooms at CSR would work as it is more "adult" with a neat pool. And the renovations will be done by 2019. Maybe even CBR once we have an idea of what the renovations are like. The AsMu suites would give us plenty of beds but that is sort of a step down from WBC. POR and POFQ 2 rooms is also possible. with access to both resorts and a boat to DS.

Lots to think about.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You can't book five in a Copper Creek studio, either. Limit for the studio and the one bedroom is four persons. If you do get a studio that sleeps five, one of your teens will need to be smaller. The murphy bed is shorter and narrower than a twin bed. But I'd never to five grown women in a studio. Much too small. At a minimum, I'd do Kidani Village or BLT in a one bedroom to get two full bathrooms (plus one king bed, one queen sleeper sofa and a twin sleeper chair).