Booking 1-Bedrooms vs. Studios

We stayed in studios for most of our past trips. We added on after 9 years. We don't visit WDW every year now. It is more like every other year. We stay at least 2 weeks. This summer will be 16 nights. Me, my DH, and two kids (15,17) now stay in a 2-bdrm. The kids will each get their own queen bed and our living room will stay a living room. I do use the refrigerator. We have frozen waffles or oatmeal for breakfast. We also do laundry. I'm not packing 16 days worth or re-wearing sweaty clothes.
 
DH sleeps horribly so I like 1BR's when he can make the trip. If not then I've gotten rather cheap about the points and book studios. I'll throw in a 2BR here and there if family comes along but then multiple studios sometimes are the choice. :) I'm going to especially blame PVB for this as various family has wanted to stay there to try it since it opened and honestly I like the resort. It got me back into the smaller rooms more frequently and now I'm doing it at other resorts too.
 
DH sleeps horribly so I like 1BR's when he can make the trip. If not then I've gotten rather cheap about the points and book studios. I'll throw in a 2BR here and there if family comes along but then multiple studios sometimes are the choice. :) I'm going to especially blame PVB for this as various family has wanted to stay there to try it since it opened and honestly I like the resort. It got me back into the smaller rooms more frequently and now I'm doing it at other resorts too.
I like the Poly, too, but have a very hard time booking there. Miss the in-unit washer/dryer & I can usually get a standard view 1 bedroom at the BWV for the same or just a very few points more than the PVB studios.

I do book studios on the rare occasions we do a split stay (for 2 or 3 nights of an 8 or 9 night stay). Usually we just stay the entire trip in a 1B SV at BWV.
 
We prefer 1br ( sometime a 2 br if our oldest brings a friend). We only book studios when we stay at Poly. Our boys are 10 and 14 and The extra space makes a big difference and its nice for the hubby and I to have outer own private space. I also really like having the full kitchen. I make breakfast almost every morning before we leave and with the full kitchen we are not limited to toast and cereal. And as we stay multiple times a year I find we spend more and more time at the resorts and occasionally make lunch or dinner in the villa.
 


We are a family of 4 and plan to usually do a 1 bedroom. I want the washer and dryer and the full kitchen, plus the space for some of us to sleep and some of us to be awake.
 
I usually do a one bedroom if I'm going to OKW, even for solo trips. But because of the point cost, on the rare occasion I go to a different resort, I usually get a studio. And the older you get, the better those 1 bedrooms will look. :teeth:

But those of us that purchased early in DVC generally have more points.

Wow, I admire you! I stayed in a 1 BR solo once, when solo (a family emergency at the last minute meant DH couldn't join me) and felt I had TOO much room. Yet, for DH and I, we always book a 1 BR. I'm with you on the point values, being OKW owners and looking at the relative point values at other resorts is one reason we book OKW so much.
To the OP, our children were adults when we joined, but I can't imagine 2 adults and 2 children in a studio. One reason we joined DVC was for the "home-like" accommodations, and we feel that only 1 BRs offer that. Like someone said, the washer-dryer is a definite plus, the full size refrigerator with a freezer, and the dining table.
 
Thanks again to all the posters, all very helpful thoughts.

It sounds like many who like the 1 BRs want/need the washer/dryer, kitchen, and/or purchased DVC because they wanted the extra space for their typical party size.

We purchased DVC for the proximity to parks and ability to stay at specific resorts at a discount, where we would previously only ever consider staying in a 'typical' hotel room. We specifically don't want to cook/clean on vacation, with the exception of cereal for cheap/quick breakfasts, so it really comes down to whether or not we *need* the extra space. For those like us, it sounds like the advice is to try and stay in studios as long as we can to conserve points.

The post about the 1-Bedrooms being more useful when the kids are younger, and not so much when they are older, made me think. I could see this being the case for us as well. Right now our kids' bedtimes are quite different from ours, but that likely won't be the case in another 7-10 years. So having the separation may be more valuable when they are younger.

However, I also see us staying in the room more and more as we continue to visit, so we may end up wanting the larger accommodations as time goes on.

Lastly, the post about staying in 1-BRs at cheaper point resorts and studios are more expensive point resorts is a strategy I see us employing as well... and "ending" with the 1-bedroom makes sense to me, too.

Again, a whole lot of very helpful perspectives--I really appreciate it!
 


We are relative DVC newbies but have jumped in with a few contracts since last fall. We've done a ton of research, and through dozens of spreadsheets we decided on what seemed to be a solid number of overall points. Our thought was that we would be fine in studios, though we built in some wiggle room for 1-bedrooms every now and then.

However, as we've made our first reservations, and I actually had to "spend" the points, I could not bring myself to book a 1-bedroom. It was much easier to book 1-BR's on my spreadsheet ... My logic has been "I'd rather spend 7 or 8 nights than 4 or 5 nights", or, "we can squeeze in an extra weekend trip if we don't spend the points on a 1-BR here."

My wife and I have two children--5 and 1. At this stage, I am sure we have plenty of space in a studio. I've read on here that many of you prefer 1-BRs as the kids get a little older, but I'm curious if any have felt like the larger rooms, while nice, just aren't worth it (assuming studio availability, of course).

If we decided we were "1-BR people", we would need to buy more points *someday*. We really have enough for now, but I'm always thinking about the long-term. I know the answer is to try it out and make a long-term decision after experiencing different room types. But I'm still curious how DISers have thought through this, if anybody else struggles with 'spending' their points on a larger room for the same number of people, and what their experience has taught them.
We’re a family of 3. Purchased DVC before daughter. We didn’t approach DVC thinking about what accommodations will best suit us. We’ve stayed in studio, 1 BR, & 2BR (with extended family). Our home resort is WL & I do find the studio on the smaller size for us 3. It would be find for just 2. My preference is a 1BR. A 1BR doesn’t feel like a hotel room, gives you a bigger bathroom & bed. The laundry room & kitchen isn’t a big deal to me. I really don’t want to be cooking or doing laundry on vacation. I guess the decision on a room for us is when we’re going, how long, & how many points available at the time ( especially expiring/banked points). Also keeping in mind use year, when I’d be getting more.
 
If we only travelled once a year, we could justify the 1-BR since we'd have extra points to burn anyway. However, since we usually do 2-3 trips every year, and tend to have varying travel party sizes from 2 to 10 people, we will economize when necessary. And for just the two of us, we don't find much convenience in a 1-BR since we don't cook. The washer-dryer is nice but given the points differential between a studio and 1-BR, we could just send our laundry out to be done and still come out ahead.

In a world where points flowed like raindrops on an Orlando afternoon in August, I have to admit that I'd take the 1-BR just because I could, but in the real world where I have to use up real points, there just isn't anything of much value (to me) to justify all those extra points.
 
For us it comes down to what we are doing on the trip. If we are parks heavy then studio is fine for crashing in. But if we are down to lounge then we want the 1 or 2 bdrm. Last year we were 8 nights in the 1bdrm and only 4 days in parks, so enjoyed the space and resorts more.
I will also say we have done many many split stays. DO NOT do first half in a 1 bdrm and then go down to the studio. You've been warned.lol.
 
We bought enough points to get a 1br for a week once a year. However, we found that if we stay in studios, we can go more frequently. So, now we usually stay in studios. We will occasionally do a split stay and do a studio for the first part of the stay and then a 1br for the second part of the stay. I admit, I do like having the laundry facilities in the room.

While the kiddos are little, you should be fine with a studio if you don't have a need for the full kitchen and the in-room laundry. If the kiddos need to burn some energy, take them outside and let them run around. If the weather isn't cooperating, you just have to get a little more creative. :)

Once the kids get older, you might find that you want a 1br.
 
Nookie. Vacations are far more pleasant when adults get adult time. That was true when our kids were toddlers, and it was true when they were teenagers, and its true now.

And the washer dryer. Flying with carryons is a pain to pack for two adults and two young children that really don't manage their own luggage well. Once they got old enough to really handle their own luggage, we could pack enough - but by then had discovered the wonder of coming home with clean clothes.

And breakfast. Disney breakfasts are in general very expensive and not very good. We like to make sure we are going to get through the first three hours of park time. So eggs or pancakes.
 
We are probably in the minority but with just the two of us, we rarely book a one bedroom. In fact, we only book a one bedroom when we are at HHI ( one of our home resorts). For our WDW resorts, we never book a one bedroom because we don’t cook dinner. The studios are fine for breakfast and lunch.
It’s a lot less points for a studio.
 
We bought DVC specifically to stay in 2 bedrooms instead of hotel rooms (studios) with our family of four. Now that it’s just two of us, we still prefer and use the full kitchen and laundry facilities of a 1 bedroom. Two or three nights in the beginning of a trip, to try out a new resort, is about all we’ll do in a studio.
 
Different factors can affect your decision.

Our family of 5 is staying in a studio this coming winter. I would have loved to book a 1 bedroom but in the BW/BC area where we want to stay 1Bedrooms only accommodate 4.
 
Different factors can affect your decision.

Our family of 5 is staying in a studio this coming winter. I would have loved to book a 1 bedroom but in the BW/BC area where we want to stay 1Bedrooms only accommodate 4.
Both BWV and BCV will permit a fifth person in the one bedroom when booked through DVC. BUT, you have to provide your own bed (like an air bed or cot), plus sheets, towels, for the fifth person. You'd have more room in the one bedroom for five people versus the studio.
 
Both BWV and BCV will permit a fifth person in the one bedroom when booked through DVC. BUT, you have to provide your own bed (like an air bed or cot), plus sheets, towels, for the fifth person. You'd have more room in the one bedroom for five people versus the studio.
This is what we do. Our first time at BWV we booked a two bedroom. After that visit we found we could make do with the one bedrooms there. I would not do it at SSR or Boulder ridge. Too small.
 
We have rented studios for the past 5 years... we are now DVC owners and I only anticipate us ever staying in studios going forward. We bought 250 PVB points which gives us enough for 10 nights a year. Having a longer trip is more important to me than space.
 
This is what we do. Our first time at BWV we booked a two bedroom. After that visit we found we could make do with the one bedrooms there. I would not do it at SSR or Boulder ridge. Too small.
Those three are nearly identical in layout and size. And all allow a fifth person in the one bedroom when booked through DVC. But no bed, sheets or towels for the fifth person are provided.
 
Those three are nearly identical in layout and size. And all allow a fifth person in the one bedroom when booked through DVC. But no bed, sheets or towels for the fifth person are provided.
I find SSR and br much tighter. Furniture may?
 

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