Eating Meals In Your Villa--The VGF Deluxe vs. Resort Studio Controversy

[Her Dotness]

I wish there was a “few to none” option that didn’t mention a microwave. We like to have the full mini fridge for things like apples and muffins from home but don’t use microwaves at home or on vacation.

There is now.

Your vote will be welcome.

 

[MICKIMINI]

We typically are in a 1 BR and definitely use the fridge for beverages, mirowave and the washer/dryer daily. We are not big eaters and often split a QS or get kids meals though we do nice sit down meals when our kids are in town. We buy frozen 4 packs of egg/english muffin sandwiches for DH as sometimes he likes a late snack. I always buy a couple frozen pizzas for "emergency" nights (thunderstorms, Paul McCartney concert LOL) when we don't have time or energy to go out. A pint of B & J's sometimes comes in handy...

When we left a few weeks ago there was one container of yogurt in the refrigerator I had to toss. I did a better job not overbuying groceries this time.

I don't mind a couple nights in a studio, but I'm not sure I can give up a kitchenette and especially a real mini fridge. We bought OKW in 1996 because we didn't like the size and lack of amenities in the Values. I love the appeal of the new VGF rooms visually but I want to feel like I'm living large...call me spoiled LOL! I'm hoping for a REAL 1-2BR at the new Poly all decked out with a brandy new kitchen design and full size washer and dryer!

 

[beamreach]

I'd like to get a better sense of how much "must have kitchenette" actually governs the choice of the VGF deluxe studio over the resort one.

For instance, it's just me and DH. We've never fixed meals in our studio except once when we had Cali Grill leftovers and couldn't think of anywhere we wanted to eat out.

That's largely because we'll glom onto the Deluxe dining plan again once it's offered and thus could easily stay in a resort studio, fixing and eating nothing in our villa.

With no dining plan, we might do more eating in, particularly since we'll be staying in 1 bedrooms henceforth.

What are your eating-in habits? Your family makeup? How important is a kitchenette to you?

ETA: A 6/20/22 guest in a RS reported that the BPK manager said there ARE to be microwaves in each studio. They're on backorder, though.

Thread here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/h...day-at-the-vgf-dvc-that-opened-today.3887226/

Simple for us, we never cook or heat up anything...so we much prefer the Resort Studio...nicer room, better location.

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

I don't think we've ever used the stove, oven, pots and pans, any of that. But we make huge use of the fridge (drinks and leftovers) and microwave (popcorn, leftovers). It's great that they now put microwaves in but the beverage cooler was a poor choice. For people that drink milk, the only thing I can think of in these studios is to get those shelf stable Horizon kind and be ok with sort of cold milk.

 

[SL6827]

I wonder which resort Disney will look at next to convert more rooms into resort studios?

 

[Sandisw]

I wonder which resort Disney will look at next to convert more rooms into resort studios?

Maybe after Poly tower, they will think about converting some of BWI or BC into resort studios as a way to start the transition there for the expiration of the 2042 DVCs?

 

[`OhanaHare]

We get snacks for our deluxe studio (just the 2 of us), and a case of water every time. Sometimes Pepsi or Dr Pepper, Ginger Ale.
The most meal like thing we get is rolls, lunch meat, cheese, mustard to have days where we have a sandwich and chips in our room for mid-day break (when we take one lol). We had a one br villa for our wedding and sadly didn't have time to use the stove to cook.

 

[Sykes]

I usually book a 1BR (or 2 BR depending on our traveling party) for the extra space and the king bed, but the new Resort Studios are fantastic and with the two queen beds I like them a whole lot more than the standard Deluxe Studios since we don't usually cook in the room. We do tend to use the refrigerator for drinks and snacks (cheese, etc.), but I found the beverage cooler to be more than adequate for that when I stayed in a Resort Studio last week.

Depending on availability I suspect I may end up saving a good chunk of points and choose to book Resort Studios instead of 1BR+ rooms. (Over the short term, at least, they've declared a metric boatload of villas [all of the new building] despite not selling that many points, so availability should be pretty generous.)

 

[petrola]

nope. not on vacation to cook or eat meals in our room. Can't wait to stay in the resort studios!

 

[DonMacGregor]

I usually book a 1BR (or 2 BR depending on our traveling party) for the extra space and the king bed, but the new Resort Studios are fantastic and with the two queen beds I like them a whole lot more than the standard Deluxe Studios since we don't usually cook in the room.

We book 1 and 2BR villas exclusively (usually 2BR) for two very specific reasons: more space in general, and more (dedicated) sleeping space.

They could come up with a "Expanded Resort Studio" that has 400 more square feet, but if all the beds are in the same space, forget it. Flashbacks to road trips with my parents and sisters, shoehorned into a single motel room, plus many trips earlier in life sharing a room with our own kids, have worn me out on even two beds in one room.

(Pets and grandkids are the two universal exceptions to the shared sleeping space rule, but that's it...)

 

[mumto3girls]

While at the parks we are more likely to stay in a studio than we are at HHI or VB. We generally do breakfast in the room—frozen pancakes, bagels etc. if we have a 1 bedroom DH will often cook sausage. Typically we eat out for lunch/dinner. We would always have snacks and drinks in the room as well.

At the beaches we would usually do breakfast and lunch in the room. Might make Mac and cheese, frozen pizzas, fruit, sandwiches and salads. Often would have leftovers from dinner the previous night for lunch. Dinner would almost always be out. At the beaches we usually do a 2 bedroom; a 1 bedroom if running low on points.

A room with just a beverage cooler would not really work for us except possibly on a short 1-3 night stay at the parks where we were barely planning to spend time in the room.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

My answer doesn't quite fit the poll...

If we plan to prepare meals and/or eat in the room, we book at 1BR+ or a Fort Wilderness Cabin. So if I'm in a Deluxe Studio, the answer is zero. Therefore, I don't consider a Resort Studio to be a downgrade.

 

[KristiMc]

We use the kitchen some at Hilton Head but when at WDW we only really use the toaster for a bagel in the morning.

 

[Little E]

Hi there! Like many here, we make breakfast in the room, and we eat our other meals in the parks or resorts. We do simple things like cereal and milk, yogurt, bagels, etc, so the kitchenette is important to us.

The other deal breaker for me between the deluxe studio vs the resort studio is the lack of the second shower! We mostly travel as a family (DH, DS20, DS18 and me). DS20 is a llllloooonnngggg shower-er, so having two showers and two places to get readying the am is a MUST wherever we stay.

While the kitchenette is important, the second shower is the dealbreaker for us. I find it interesting that no one is really talking about the lack of a second shower with the new resort studios.

 

[Sandisw]

Hi there! Like many here, we make breakfast in the room, and we eat our other meals in the parks or resorts. We do simple things like cereal and milk, yogurt, bagels, etc, so the kitchenette is important to us.

The other deal breaker for me between the deluxe studio vs the resort studio is the lack of the second shower! We mostly travel as a family (DH, DS20, DS18 and me). DS20 is a llllloooonnngggg shower-er, so having two showers and two places to get readying the am is a MUST wherever we stay.

While the kitchenette is important, the second shower is the dealbreaker for us. I find it interesting that no one is really talking about the lack of a second shower with the new resort studios.

Most DVC studios don’t have a second shower so that could be why. I know VGF does, but others don’t.

But they do all have kitchenpettes…well except for the tower rooms at RIV.

 

[tweetykl]

We have never been to WDW but have done DLR twice this year and Aulani. We have had a one bedroom or larger for each stay. Please remember, DLR is so close together. My family is also Covid cautious which just means we don’t indoors except with a small group.
With all of that said, we have found that we eat in our rooms so much more than we thought we would. Breakfast is made and walked into the park with it. We like to do an afternoon rest and we would either eat in the park and take left overs back or eat our leftovers at lunch. Dinners were more snacks for us or if we were exhausted, we would get food to go and eat in the room. The only real cooking we did was eggs. The washer and dryer is a must for us though.

 

[kes601]

Most DVC studios don’t have a second shower so that could be why. I know VGF does, but others don’t.

But they do all have kitchenpettes…well except for the tower rooms at RIV.

Poly, RIV (w/exception of the Tower), and VGF1 all have two showers.

 

[npatellye]

We book mostly 1 bedrooms and sometimes 2 bedrooms. This is because we just like the space over a studio with 2 kids. Now that the girls are older (9 and 7), I’m pretty sure we’re about 3-5 years away from moving to 2 bedrooms. We don’t really cook in the villa but we keep bagels, butter, etc. for breakfast, sandwich items, juice, and ice cream in the fridge. When we went in November 2020, that’s probably the most we have ever “cooked”; that was a frozen pizza, a frozen lasagna, and some frozen breadsticks.

 

[Sandisw]

Poly, RIV (w/exception of the Tower), and VGF1 all have two showers.

Yes, which leaves the bulk without them…could be why people aren’t as concerned that BPK is without them.

 

[Wiltony]

We will have 11 people in a GV for a week over christmas. We plan to have zero TS reservations. We will be eating every breakfast in our room, prepare many "to-go" lunches, and for dinner we will either do QS while out at the parks, or come back to the room. We plan to have a nice, big family Christmas dinner as well.

We will be buying a LOT of groceries and it is absolutely imperative that we have a full kitchen!