What is the Issue with Studio's????

[Minniesgal]

Are you kidding me? When you look at the breadth of potential restaurants, including Signature restaurants, you're talking about some of the finest collection of restaurants near any resort anywhere....what more do you want? and you don't have to eat 3 meals a day or constantly. Even with a $200/night bottle of wine per night, you're still coming out ahead in a studio vs. a 1 bedroom. I'm not saying 1 bedrooms are lousy, I'm just saying all of this "you can't stay in a studio" mullarkey is just that....mullarkey. If you want to spend almost $4000 more for a week in a 1 bedroom, all the best to you....I wish I could justify that. But a studio is perfectly luxurious for my family and it allows us to really do it up. I don't go on vacation to sit in my room....can't for the life of me understand why anybody would.

What is mullarkey to you is for us the whole point if buying into DVC. Yes I was serious we find even 1 TS meal out a day too much. Maybe because when we go it is for 15 to 18 nights. We don't eat in because we want to save money we eat in because some night all we want is scrambled eggs on toast instead of going out. We enjoy each other's company and love spending time as a family around the table in the room. That is the whole point of DVC to cater to all different tastes and I am quite serious when I say we will never stay in a studio. I don't want to holiday somewhere without kitchen and laundry facilities but to each his own.

 

[crisi]

Are you kidding me? When you look at the breadth of potential restaurants, including Signature restaurants, you're talking about some of the finest collection of restaurants near any resort anywhere....what more do you want? and you don't have to eat 3 meals a day or constantly. Even with a $200/night bottle of wine per night, you're still coming out ahead in a studio vs. a 1 bedroom. I'm not saying 1 bedrooms are lousy, I'm just saying all of this "you can't stay in a studio" mullarkey is just that....mullarkey. If you want to spend almost $4000 more for a week in a 1 bedroom, all the best to you....I wish I could justify that. But a studio is perfectly luxurious for my family and it allows us to really do it up. I don't go on vacation to sit in my room....can't for the life of me understand why anybody would.

But she is saying that it isn't just about the kitchen, its also about the increased space. For many of us, DVC is about NOT staying in a studio. Its about having the increased space. It isn't about saving money - its about spending more money, but having the kids in another room.

And yeah, its malarkey - you certainly CAN stay in a studio, but I wouldn't own DVC MYSELF to stay in studios - and many people on this board are of the same opinion. There isn't a benefit for me there. Not with the kids. In a few years it will be my husband and I and we are trying to decide whether to keep DVC or not - if we keep in, then a studio for the two of us for a few weeks while we are retired would be fine. (The problem is, that means giving up pets, and I like having pets, we are a few years from needing to make the decision, but it doesn't look like a few weeks in a studio is winning.

 

[brertoad]

The studios at VGF are gorgeous and it didn't seem cramped to me (BLT seems smaller to me). We are a couple who does use our DVC to stay in studios. To me, the kitchenette is an upgrade over the regular hotel room.
I guess it's just personal preference, but we are very happy with the studio accomodations. The kitchenette in the studios is great; a microwave, a mini-fridge, a toaster, and coffeemaker. To us, a 1BR would be a total splurge.

I'd say, save your points, stay in the studio and then dine out for your meals. Part of the fun of being on vacation is eating out. Unless you plan on cooking your meals...even if you did as many said, it's going to COST you money to upgrade to 1BR just so you can cook your own meals!

 

[bakerworld]

Studios are hard to book because everyone's using them -1BR IMO are a complete waste of points, if you really need the space than it should be a 2BR and if you need that much space, then why are you on vacation? When on vacation DH can jump off the balcony in protest but I am still not cooking nor washing laundry. Fortunately for him, after 35 years, he knows how to pack.

If I was a door that little clock would be on there "back in 5 ... days"

Seriously, do what makes you comfortable. A 1BR for us would stress me out instead of relax me.

 

[BenDiscipio]

Look, I'm just speaking out for the ... obviously....large percentage of DVC owners who stay in, and are happy in, Studios...

You're welcome to whatever you enjoy...that's great, and this board is great, but there are times on this board, where the vocal minority make people think that they are stupid for making their own logical choices.

Bottom line is that a 1 bedroom....not a 2 bedroom....a 1 bedroom...is 2x the points in almost all cases as the studios. Do you get extra sleeping capacity? Marginal in some cases....You get an extra room to separate you from your children...and you get a kitchen.

Neither of those are slam-dunk necessities for most folks that are happy to be in the same room as their family on vacation....and have no intention of cooking or needing to cook...or anticipating wanting "scrambled eggs" for dinner at the end of the day...

And don't say that we shouldn't have bought into DVC because of your narrow view of what is and isn't acceptable as a timeshare. We have a place at Disney every year...and, in the long run, it will save me money.

I bought in for $15,000 for 100 points with $541 yearly maintenance.

This year, my accommodations would cost $4,326 if booked OOP last I checked.

It's going to cost me 2 years of points and maintenance...so 1100 in maintenance plus 2 years share of the 50 year $15,000 cost. even if I allocated 1/5 of the purchase price, I still come out ahead. I don't know what people are talking about when they say they aren't saving money over rack rate. I'm going to stay every 2 years for a week and I'll break even roughly after 10 years. That leaves 40 years of ENORMOUS savings....and yes, I know that the MF will continue to rise but the cash price would increase MORE...so the savings will only increase because the $15000 is a fixed cost that won't go up.

It's a slam dunk.

 

[Kidanifan08]

What is the issue with Studios????

That is the question. From a booking standpoint, the one issue is that there are certain booking categories and times of the year when studios are difficult to get. AKV value/concierge, BWV standard and BLT standard are all difficult to get if you are not booking at the 11 month mark. During F&W -- forget about getting a BWV or BCV studio at those resorts if you don't own there. Yes, people get lucky with WL's or short stays, but it is tough. The first two weeks of Dec are tough to get studios at any resort that is not your home resort. The week that includes Christmas is also difficult.

What is the issue with Studios???? (non-booking considerations)

The space. I can stay at a Sleep Inn in central IL for less than staying at BLT, and I get the same amenities and more space. Studios are small. We spent 8 nights in a studio last Dec, and I will never do a whole week in a studio again. I got tired of the stacks of stuff everywhere. And I missed the laundry, living room, larger balcony. We are planning on going next Dec, and I will only go if we can stay in a 1BR; and we don't even spend that much time in the room when we are there in Dec. Oh, and we have had a 2BR every year for the past 5 years and we have never prepared a meal in the villa.

I don't have anything against studios. In fact, we will be in one in April (albeit, on the concierge level at AKV for just 3 nights). A few days are OK. But, we really enjoy the space of a 1BR or 2BR. And, I don't think it has been mentioned, but the AKV and BLT 1BR's have the second FULL bath. We will occasionally do studios for a few nights, but when we go on vacation, we want space to spread out and relax. The studio accommodations simply do not afford us that luxury.

I think that many of the DVC members on these boards are folks who use their DVC as more than just a hotel room. We are 3 of those people. After just 5 years of ownership, I am less concerned about our park touring than I am about the resort experience that we will have on our next trip. Although, this FP+ thing has me a little concerned . . .

 

[catherines_mama]

For us, we have 3 kids and a mix in gender, so we need the added sleeping space a 1 Bdrm provides. The girls often share and our son is on his own. We can't manage that in a Studio.

While I love to cook in the 1 Bdrm that's something I agree I could be flexible on.

My favorite 1 Bdrm is AKV I am obsessed with the 2nd bathroom and am sad VGF didn't do that.

DH and I do solo trips and are doing our 1st as DVC in April and staying in a Studio. We are really excited.

 

[marx]

We stay in a studio with our two children when we stay DVC, and we share a hotel room on other vacations. We almost always eat breakfast in the studios and sometimes other meals as well.

I assume that at some point when the kids are older we will start staying in 2 hotel rooms when vacationing outside of DVC and at that point will also likely switch to larger DVC accommodations.

But for now we maximize our vacation length by staying in a Studio.

 

[crisi]

Bottom line is that a 1 bedroom....not a 2 bedroom....a 1 bedroom...is 2x the points in almost all cases as the studios. Do you get extra sleeping capacity? Marginal in some cases....You get an extra room to separate you from your children...and you get a kitchen.

None of these are necessities, but you do get more than a separate space for the kids and a kitchen when you spend twice the points

• Twice as much space.
• Two bathrooms in some of the resorts (I never got the need for more bathrooms myself for four people, but some members are really delighted by this - and I guess now that my daughter is fourteen and disappears into "her" bathroom for 45 minutes every morning, I'm starting to understand).
• In resorts with a single bathroom, the single bathroom is laid out much better to accommodate someone taking a shower while someone else brushes their teeth
• Washer and dryer in room (this is the another big one to me)
• Two TVs (again, not a big deal for us, but I've heard people who spend rainy days in the room and bring DVDs for the kids loving it).
• A king bed in the master. There are a number of people here who say they book one bedrooms for the king bed - me, I loose my husband in a king bed. On the other hand, if I stick him in a full bed, he whines.
• A jacuzzi tub - I do really like this one. I'm a tub person, not a shower person, and I like jetted tubs, especially after a long park day.
• A lot more storage. The master bedroom closet in a one bedroom at BWV is huge.

 

[DebbieB]

It really comes down to personal preference. I originally bought enough points for 2 trips per year, 5 to 6 nights each in a 1 bedroom. Since it was only BWV or OKW, 250 was enough for that. I wanted the space and luxury of a 1 bedroom. That was my preference, not a necessity.

 

[holula]

For just me and my fiancée we fit fine in a studio. We don't spend a lot of time in the room and we have a car with us so we will eat off property. We use the room to sleep and have a snack for breakfast (think toast/granola bars etc).

I have done a studio with a friend and her child and I constantly felt like I was tripping over things with the pull out all the time. So if we ever have children we will definitely be doing a one bedroom.

 

[pouncingpluto]

It really comes down to personal preference. I originally bought enough points for 2 trips per year, 5 to 6 nights each in a 1 bedroom. Since it was only BWV or OKW, 250 was enough for that. I wanted the space and luxury of a 1 bedroom. That was my preference, not a necessity.

Right.. Some people buy into DVC to save money. They put as many people as they can in the smallest possible unit, taking advantage of the pullouts. They avoid weekends and popular times of year. Others buy in bc the bigger units are really sweet. They know they aren't saving money over staying in a moderate or deluxe room, but they are getting a serious upgrade in accommodations.

 

[cdtommie]

Wanted to chime in even though this thread has run it's course: did a one bedroom once for kicks and a studio now 40 plus times (just two adults). The studio has always worked fine for us and would never consider booking a one bedroom again given 2X the points (and we have a pretty decent amount of points). Just seems like a waste of points for our lifestyle, obviously if we had kids we would probably feel different. Laundry is not a big deal - just use the washer/dryer's once a trip, and I make a wicked ham egg and cheese with sauteed onions on an english muffin with a nine inch griddle we pack for breakfast..at night usually in a park or end up in a lounge or a late dinner at a signature restaurant somewhere so preparing a dinner in the room ain't gonna happen. More spacious deck? When we stay at BWV we bring the happy hour down to one of the high tops on the BW for a little extra ambiance.

 

[Anal Annie]

We just bought into the VGF last week, and ever since then all I've been hearing is how we will not be happy with just a Studio, and we should have bought enough points for a 1-bed. I don't understand this AT ALL, as we walked the Studio's, and LOVE them. They are bigger than any deluxe resort room we would stay in, and have capability to sleep 5. I think the room is more than big enough for our family--and has much more room than most (f not all) the resort rooms we've stayed in previously. The 1-beds are beautiful, but that is alot of points to use--hence our decision to buy enough for standard/lake view Studio (195).

Am I missing something? I know there are not alot of Studio's at VGF, but I plan on using the 11mos window to the exact day we plan on checking in. I personally just don't see the need to have excessive points for a 1-bed if we really don't need to use it? We spend ALOT of time at the resort--but not a bunch of time in the actual room. We LOVE the GF, so we figured Studio was the way to go to buy into the resort.

Ahhh....Don't let anybody pop your new owner bubble!! People who say things like that are spoiled and obviously can afford to own enough points for a 1 bedroom and are not concerned with how many nights they can vacation. I personally think the 1-bedroom point charts are the worst value offered. Our DS would still have to sleep on the pull-out sofa even in a 1-bedroom. I am not going to cook on vacation (beyond using the coffee pot and toaster or microwave) so having a full kitchen is of little draw for me. If we HAVE a washer & dryer I might do a load or two of laundry - but again, it's my vacation and I pack enough clothes to last me the entire time so I don't HAVE to worry about doing laundry. A w/d is not a deal breaker for me.

We own 250 pts. at SSR and always use studios. While we own enough points for 1 week in a 1 bedroom we can get TWO weeks in studios so that's what we prefer to do. Due to a last minute medical emergency and a forced change of plans for our vacation last summer we had to cancel VGC and Aulani and booked a 1-bedroom at SSR for 9 nights instead because we had to use or lose the points. This was the only time we ever stayed in a larger villa. Yes. Sure. It was nice and we enjoyed the king size bed & extra space BUT it wasn't nice ENOUGH to spoil us to the point of losing 1 whole week of vacation for it. We'd still rather have longer or more vacations. If we could afford to add-on then maybe we'd consider splurging on a 1-bedroom from time to time but for the most part we're happy with our studios and adding on is not an option for us. I enjoy the convenience of having the kitchenette available for breakfasts (our only meal "in") and we feel lucky just to be able to afford to GO to Disney.

Over time you will figure out how you're going to vacation and what is important to you and your family. Owning at a less point intensive and cheaper resort like SSR works well for us. We could never afford to own at the Poly or BLT but enjoy the opportunity to try to book these pricey types of resorts at 7 months for shorter trips (they eat up way too many points to go for a full week for our budget). Don't let anyone get you down over your decision to use studios. They ARE better than regular hotel rooms and they are your home away from home.

 

[jodifla]

I've been going to WDW for 40 years. So for me and my DH, it's also about the resort and relaxing.

We typically get 2 bedrooms for just the 3 of us. And we often have friends joining us for about half the time. So it's TOTALLY worth it to have a big kitchen and make a great meal and spend an evening laughing and talking and drinking on the OKW porch while the kids are sacked out. And before I hit the sheets, I can have a nice hot jacuzzi bubble bath, which will feel just right on old bones after 8 hours walking around a park.

It's great to not have to bolt out of bed, because the kids are playing in the living room, so I can doze.

It's great to have a leisurely morning in, maybe throw a load of clothes in the dishwasher so I don't have so much to do when we return.

Disney Dining has really declined over the past 10 years, so I'd rather eat some meals in the room and not be a slave to the reservation plan.

Frankly, if DVC was just studios, we wouldn't have bought. He bought in to stay in the 1 bedrooms and up. We have done studios, for very short trips. They're OK, but to us the value is the space.

 

[Tink523]

We love having the 1bedroom, however we would stay in studios to get more weeks. Now flights cost so much we cut back to less weeks and 1 bedroom. I wish flights were cheap again! It is all personal preference.

 

[boxer]

We love having the 1bedroom, however we would stay in studios to get more weeks. Now flights cost so much we cut back to less weeks and 1 bedroom. I wish flights were cheap again! It is all personal preference.

I remember getting DING flights from BWI to MCO for like $45 each way! It was cheaper than actually driving TO the airport and parking!

 

[Anal Annie]

I remember getting DING flights from BWI to MCO for like $45 each way! It was cheaper than actually driving TO the airport and parking!

Even just 2 or 3 years ago we were able to get round trip flights on Air Tran or SW from BWI for like $120. Now you can't even hardly find ONE way for that. I miss the competition between SW & AT from the good 'ole days...we definitely did more long-weekend type trips back then.

 

[wordwitt]

We bought DVC with the intention of using it for myself and my daughter (12) and maybe a friend to stay in a studio for 4-5 nights/year in May for my daughter's birthday. My husband said he had no interest in going to WDW, and it was my thing. Well, we bought our points resale, and the contracts were loaded with points that needed to be used in 2013. So my husband decided to join us over Labor Day at a 1 bedroom at BWV, and he decided he liked it.

Fast forward to the trip we're taking in May 2014. I drained all my points in order to book a 2 bedroom lock-off savanna view at Kidani for me, my husband, our daughter, and 2 of her friends. And oh yeah, my in-laws (who swore they'd never go to WDW) decided to join us, so I had points transferred in to my account to get them a studio.

At my daughter's age, a lot of the fun for her is sharing her trip with friends. If it's just me going, then a studio would probably be fine. If my husband goes, however, for privacy reasons I think it's important for the girls to have their own bathroom and space. So this is just another example of the differences in the kinds of families and groups that may use DVC, and why the points you have are never enough!

 

[lovetotraveltx]

Our daughters are now in their 20's and there are only 4 of us but if our points allow we go for the 2 bedroom. The 1 bedroom is more than enough space for us but I prefer the girls to have an actual bedroom and I love having the extra bath with shower in their room.

I wish there was some kind of configuration without pull out couches like maybe 2 doubles in the one-bedroom instead of a king so they could have a bed.

If we are doing a busy park vacation I would do a studio for the first few disney days and save points then do a bigger nicer room/resort for end for the facilities and relaxation.

A studio is basically a hotel room with 2 double beds. 99% of the hotels I book have a fridge in each room or we ask for one.

Also, OP, we bought from disney in 2008 just enough points to have a studio for a week thinking that would be plenty. In 2010 we added on a lot more points as it wasn't plenty! We did resale for the extra points and got an awesome deal due to a divorce