GV @ OKW vs. 1 bds @BWV

[FreeTime]

As some of you know from my telling others no post, I am taking a trip in May with family. There will be 10 of us, 2 that are under 3, 1 that will be 4, 2-12 year ols, and 5 adults. We currently have 2- 1 br at BW. Four and a baby in each room. We really want to stay at BWV because of the pool and Epcot/MGM. However, I can get a GV at OKW. What would you do? I know how cramped a 1-bedroom can be with kids, and I will have the FIL in my room! I am afraid to get the GV in case the other family cancels, then I may be stuck with OKW and not have a BWV or any room for that matter. Please help again! If it is not one dilemma, it is another!

 

[DVCJman]

I would go for the Grand Villa....three bedrooms, sleeper sofa in living room, four bathrooms....you will have to bus or drive to more place, but you will have more room...have fun

 

[FreeTime]

What is the GV square footage?

 

[WebmasterDoc]

GV's are about 2300 sq. ft. They have 4 bathrooms and sleep 12.
OKW 2BR's are about 1350 sq ft.

Enjoy!

 

[HOTMIKE]

I would stick with the 1-bedrooms. Your are not in the rooms enough to feel cramped and with all the kids the convenience of the BW is a must. Hopping on buses for everything is not that fun with strollers and diaper bags. At BW you can get to both Epcot and MGM very easily. Also, there is not much entertainment for the kids at OKW. The pools are boring and there is not much to do. The BW has plenty of entertainment - especially at night. The pool also has a slide which is great for the kids.

 

[ron7654]

I use the GV even if i'm going with 6 people, dont worry about the other family cancelling. The best part about a Grand Villa is you'll need a bus to see your FIL, thats how big they are, and that alone is worth the price of admission! Good luck dear, Ron

 

[KellyDVC]

for two reasons which you must evaluate their relevance to you.

1) Depending on the relationship of ALL individuals among each other, staying in the same place, eating at the same time?, implied group-only activities, etc. A vacation can become less than enjoyable, so certain discussions need to happen before departure, including a) group-meals or each his own and when, b) any baby-sitting expected/needed, c) any nights out and d)regardless of accomodations I recommend you decide who wants to do what/when and only try to involve each in the activities that interest them rather than trudging along with the group knowing they could be somewhere else doing something they want to do. Everyone is on vacation and expects to have fun. Group-think can spoil a vacation.

2) The BWV is ideally located to allow very short hops to two very fun parks (for both adults and children), and the boardwalk/. Given my comments above, getting out for quick one or two hours jaunts (essentially nap length) can make for big attitude adjustments if needed. Not having to worry about buses, etc can make a huge difference, especially if the parties may want to split up in the middle of MGM or EPCOT. We are a family with three young children, and my wife and I have occassionally split up, one with the stroller, one without. Either of us can get all the way back to the room without ever having to take the twins out of the stroller (you cannot do this with a bus).

Anyway, that's my two cents.

 

[robinb]

I have a suggestion that's inbetween the 2 1BR's and the GV. How about a 2 BR and a Studio? We do this all the time when we invite people because it's really easy to just cancel one of the studios if someone deceides not to come at the last minute. We give everyone in the group keys to our 2 BR which allows them to relax in the big unit, eat in the kitchen & use the washer and dryer. You could even make this more flexible by making the 2BR a lock-off which would allow you to cancel the Studio part of it down to a 1BR. This will also save you a lot of points. Your 2 1BRs will cost 504 points for the week, the GV will cost 676 points and the 2 BR and Studio will only cost 437 points.

I'm not sure how the 10 people split up between your family and the other family or if my suggestion would work for you.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

Yep. I would definitely follow Robin's suggestion. This, of course, assumes there is availability.

 

[FreeTime]

Actually Robin I tried doing thr 2br lock off cancel the studio part if I don't need it trick in Sept. It didn't work. They gave the room to someone else and I had to be wait listed for a 1br. So don't anyone try this! I think that we decided on the bw rooms. If I need to escape I'll take my annual pass and go ride my favorite ride, Spaceship Earth, while the FIL won't want to burn a whole days ticket on the day we get there, the day we outlet shop, and the day we swim. Neither will the rest of the family in the other room. YEA!

 

[CarolMN]

I tried doing thr 2br lock off cancel the studio part if I don't need it trick in Sept. It didn't work. They gave the room to someone else and I had to be wait listed for a 1br. So don't anyone try this!

doubletroublemom recently got an email from MS saying you COULD drop a portion of a 2 bedroom lockoff. Looks like either the rules have changed or it depends on who you talk to! Here'a a link to the thread:

http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=100659

 

[loribell]

is for the 2 Bed and a studio. We are going in June with 12 people and are getting a 2 Bed and 2 studios. The Grand Villa is to many points IMHO and I don't want to be cooped up in the same room with everyone for the whole trip. With 3 seperate rooms we can all have our own space and not get on each others nerves. And with the problems you seem to be having with your FIL right now I sure wouldn't want to be stuck with him in my room.

 

[robinb]

Thanks for posting that thread, Carol. I thought that someone had DVC verification that dropping a Studio from a 2 BR was OK, otherwise I wouldn't have mentioned it.

FreeTime, did you ever get your 1BR you were waitlisted for?

 

[dianeschlicht]

I think the 2br and studio or GV would both be good options. I do like the OKW GVs when there are that number of kids. We did a GV at OKW 2 years ago with 4 kids ranging in age from 4 to 12. It was REALLY NICE to let the kids go into a room to sleep while adults could party on another floor and not disturb them. The buses are never a problem for us. THe time on the bus gives us a good down time break, and our time at the villa is usually shorter because we all feel like the bus ride itself was part of the break. It also gives everyone a time to "rev up" for the park again when we head back on the bus.

 

[normr]

The GV is the most expensive choice, the two one bedrooms will be nice but I like the idea of the 2 bedroom and studio the most and the cheapest way to get the most beds.

 

[dianeschlicht]

normr
That would be true if you could insure the units would be close together.

 

[FreeTime]

To answer someones question, no I didn't end up getting the 1 br on the waitlist for the entire week. I was able to a pref view for four nights then we ended up using points at the contemporary. Our airfare was already bought so we had to stay somewhere. In hindsight I should have kept the 2 br bec it cost about the same points as the pref view 1 br and cont. As it was expl to me, if there is someone waitlisted for a 2br and you try to drop part of your 2br then the waitlisted person gets the room bec when the ressie was originally made it was designated as a 2br. This just happened in Sept by the way! I just read the post that said MS said that it is allowed. I will be sending them a very upset email bec I hate having to change rooms on vacation and that is just what I had to do. But maybe the rules have changed since then. Even though I am upset I think the rule should stay in effect bec it isn't fair for someone to hold a room, just in case, bec this may prevent someone else from vacationing.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

Maybe you are only allowed to drop off a portion of a 2 bedroom lock-off if there's no one on a wait-list for a 2 bedroom?

Who knows how they figure out the rules?

 

[Candace]

I was told the same thing about dropping off the studio part of a 2BR last March. I mean, I was told I would have to drop the whole ressie and try to rebook for a 1BR, but if someone else was on a waitlist, I would be below them, so to speak. I vote for getting a 2 BR and a studio so that there would be privacy, but everyone would have access to a larger gathering area, a full kitchen, and a laundry room. The GV's are fabulous, but some time away from one another might be desirable also.