1BR at OKW question UPDATE POSTED

bnoble said:

klynn: ask Member Services when you have your confirmation. They will either let you put five on the reservation, or they will not. If they let you put five on, then you are all set. Many owners wish Member Services would not do this. But, many other others are glad that Member Services will. No one policy will make all of them happy.

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you are correct that opinions about this differ, and can get heated.
That said, the policy as written in the Public Offering Statement should be the governing authority, regardless if we agree with it.
That policy says four plus one under 3.

I understand that that is your position. For better or worse, your disagreement is with Member Services, not klynn.

bnoble said:

I understand that that is your position. For better or worse, your disagreement is with Member Services, not klynn.

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I wasn't aware of any disagreement. I'm simply stating the rule.

Except that you and I both know that the "rule" isn't followed. Member Services will happily, openly, and "semi-officially" book five into a 1BR for anyone booking with points. So, it would appear that you and Member Services in fact do not see eye to eye on this issue.

I just received the fall 2009 edition of Disney Files (DVC member publication) and it talks about a Vero Beach refurbishment of one and two bedrooms now having a twin sleeper chair in the living room. It makes a joke about Uncle Carl no longer having to sleep in the tub.

Twinkstarr said:

I won't put 3 adults and 2 larger kids into a DVC 2br. My guide even agrees with me.

(Done it once and it still gives me nightmares).

So I certainly wouldn't try a 1br, even at OKW or the new ones with the sleeper sofas.

Like Icydog says, what kind of vacation is that?

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While on vacation( before DVC) we would stay at Embassy Suites. We are a family of four ( two adult size teenagers) and the the Embassy Suite is 481 sq ft. When at Disneyland we stayed at the Grand Californian Hotel which is 275 sq ft. We gave up the extra space for the convenience of being on-site. Incidentally at the Grand Californian Hotel, MS will allow 5 people if only three of the guest are over 18. I would not recommend, but Disney allows it.

We have stayed in a mixture of spaces, hotel rooms, one bedroom and two bedrooms timeshares. I think it depends on what your family is used to and your ability to adjust. Some families like their own space, other can coexist in smaller spaces and be happy. We have a one bedroom CL AKV next summer for 10 days, and I would rather have more days than more space. The one bedroom at AKV Jambo is 710 sq ft, clearly more than a hotel room or hotel suite. At this point in our lives we can adjust to a one bedroom, be fine and happy.

However, once we become empty nesters and they decided to join us on vacation it might be a different story. We will not be used to coexisting and it might be more difficult.

At this point in our lives, I do not mind staying with my husband and children in close quarters. However, I would not want to stay with another couple, or in-laws in a one bedroom nor a two bedroom, because I would need my own space.

it talks about a Vero Beach refurbishment of one and two bedrooms now having a twin sleeper chair in the living room.

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This is a really nice improvement. I have a family of four, but for a variety of reasons prefer to not have my kids share a bed. Having the sleeper chair moves a 1BR from "quite inconvenient" to "a little small" for the four of us.

luvsvacation22 said:

At this point in our lives, I do not mind staying with my husband and children in close quarters. However, I would not want to stay with another couple, in-laws, or extended family in a one bedroom nor a two bedroom, because I would need my own space.

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We have a variety of resaons, of why my kids can't share a bed(my eldest refers to his condition as "having issues", which have been medically diagnosed.)

He also likes a bit of private space during down times, it helps him calm down if he's had to deal with too much.


For us, we made sure we have enough points(DVC,Wyndham) or own 2 bedroom units at our traditional timeshares, since this issue is non-negotiable for us.

Wow! I'm amazed at how much space people need We had eight in a dedicated 2BR at VWL for a week in June, and it wasn't crowded at all (except for trying to eat breakfast at a table essentially for three). My DD, her DH & my DGS3 had the master, with the little one on an air mattress. DS, his DW and their 4 & 5-year-olds took the room with 2Q beds. DS slept with DGS4 & DDIL slept with DGD5. I had the really comfortable sofa bed in the living room. The closets were so big that nothing had to be out on the floor, including my two Owners Lockers. If the kids were teenagers, it would be more problematic, but we could probably still work it out. I just hope I live long enough and am healthy enough to be able to travel with them when grands are teens, and that they still want to go.

The one thing that makes Disney's point system great is the option to stay in a studio, one bedroom, two bedroom or grand villa. Different strokes for different folks!

(except for trying to eat breakfast at a table essentially for three)

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This is my only real gripe with the DVC units. Even in the dedicated 2BRs, there's really only room for four people to eat at a time.

bnoble said:

This is my only real gripe with the DVC units. Even in the dedicated 2BRs, there's really only room for four people to eat at a time.

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To be honest, we find two people at the table to be a bit tight.
That said, there is a little breakfast bar that seats two kids nicely.

Still can't comprehend eight adults in a 2br.

Carl D said:

To be honest, we find two people at the table to be a bit tight.
That said, there is a little breakfast bar that seats two kids nicely.

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We put the kids at the table, and the rest of us used the bar, coffee table or balcony chairs. It worked fine since all we ate was cereal or yogurt. A full breakfast would have been challenging.

Carl D said:

To be honest, we find two people at the table to be a bit tight.
That said, there is a little breakfast bar that seats two kids nicely.

Still can't comprehend eight adults in a 2br.

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When we go for our annual Thanksgiving trip, we try to figure out how you have 8 people in your room and feed them a Thanksgiving dinner(even one you picked up at Publix pre cooked). Where do you put everyone with a full plate?

The table thing has become a pet peeve of mine. At least at VB there's a regular size table. On the small side, but you can get four around it.

Just got back from our Hemlock at Boyne 2br. The table was HUGE, plus they had an extender in the utlitiy closet. With that you could easily get 10-12 around the table(the upstair units at Hemlock have a loft and they do sleep 10).

Update

I called Member Services this morning. I asked them if my husband has to leave early can I have someone else join us. She said that is no problem, I just need to let them know. So technically, I can have 5 listed on the reservation.

klynn said:

I called Member Services this morning. I asked them if my husband has to leave early can I have someone else join us. She said that is no problem, I just need to let them know. So technically, I can have 5 listed on the reservation.

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Awesome!:whoopie:

klynn said:

I called Member Services this morning. I asked them if my husband has to leave early can I have someone else join us. She said that is no problem, I just need to let them know. So technically, I can have 5 listed on the reservation.

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Thanks for updating us!

Have a great trip and enjoy your 1 bedroom! :whoopie:

Klynn, by swapping out your husband and your niece, you're not violating any DVC policy of 4 in the OKW 1BR per night. Many of us here and on the DVC forums have been happily spoiled by more space and privacy than that on vacation. But most people vacationing at or near WDW actually crowd into a hotel room - even the Disney "deluxe" hotel rooms that sleep 5 adults and they do indeed consider it a vacation. So don't feel bad about the opinions you get here. Everyone's got one. You know what your family needs and it changes over time.

Since DVC MS has told you that you may have all 5 names on the reservation, with the way you're handling it, go ahead and get everyone's ME tickets. Have a fun holiday!!! :whoopie:

Twinkstarr said:

When we go for our annual Thanksgiving trip... Where do you put everyone with a full plate? ... The table thing has become a pet peeve of mine.

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Agreed! Most offsite resorts have more spacious kitchens and dining tables than DVCs besides OKW. So we choose OKW if we want the kitchen space onsite. Due to the smallish DVC rooms anyway, we find we're happier planning for larger spaces onsite overall than we might offsite, same as we do when staying at an urban (smaller rooms) timeshare.