# Can we make it in a one bedroom DVC? With my mother???



## Kaseydog2782 (May 1, 2018)

I am exchanging (full disclosure, my mother is) her RCI points for (hopefully) a DVC in Nov. or Dec., specifically the week after Tgiving and first week of Dec. 2019. We have had an ongoing search since Nov & Dec of last year for a 2 bedroom at all of the DVC properties. However, I have been doing a lot of reading and, it seems, the 2 bedrooms are a mythical legend for RCI trade. Our party will consist of my husband, my mother, our 2 kids (will be 1 and 3 at the time) and myself. Which of the 1 bedroom DVC would be most comfortable? I feel we need to expand our search but want to add ones that could comfortably hold the whole gang. TIA!


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## paxsarah (May 1, 2018)

Technically, the 2BRs aren't mythical, they're just extinct.  (They were great while they lasted!)

You would probably do best in one of the villas with a sleeper chair, which I believe include OKW and AKV which are very occasionally sighted. However, the vast, vast majority of DVC exchanges are coming through as SSR. The space isn't as great but could hold the five of you. And I'd say you're taking a chance at not matching at all if you exclude it. (Though, running two parallel searches is the best option if possible.)


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## chalee94 (May 1, 2018)

i agree with paxsarah - OKW and AKV would be great options if they came through, due to the sleeper chair.  But SSR is more likely, which may require you to bring your own air mattress (DVC does not provide rollaway beds or cots).

more problematic, your weeks are pretty much the absolute peak season for DVC owners to book villas due to lower point costs and holiday decorations, so even SSR may require some luck...


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## Kaseydog2782 (May 1, 2018)

chalee94 said:


> i agree with paxsarah - OKW and AKV would be great options if they came through, due to the sleeper chair.  But SSR is more likely, which may require you to bring your own air mattress (DVC does not provide rollaway beds or cots).
> 
> more problematic, your weeks are pretty much the absolute peak season for DVC owners to book villas due to lower point costs and holiday decorations, so even SSR may require some luck...



I read that somewhere else--that those weeks are super busy for DVC. I was thinking that they are usually less busy park times so they would be optimal--didn't think/know about points going further for DVC owners and it making more popular for them. Is there any timeframe that makes better sense? We are pretty flexible.


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## Firepath (May 1, 2018)

I saw minutes ago a 2BR at Bonnet Creek (very close to Disney) for the week of Dec 15-22. We have stayed there and really liked it but wouldn't do it without a car. I think BC is worth checking into. It's a very nice resort.


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## bendadin (May 1, 2018)

Kaseydog2782 said:


> I read that somewhere else--that those weeks are super busy for DVC. I was thinking that they are usually less busy park times so they would be optimal--didn't think/know about points going further for DVC owners and it making more popular for them. Is there any timeframe that makes better sense? We are pretty flexible.



The week before Thanksgiving. It is tucked between Jersey Week and Thanksgiving week. Food and Wine will be finishing up. Everything will be decorated for Christmas after Halloween except Epcot, which is decorated after F&W closes.


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## Dean (May 1, 2018)

Kaseydog2782 said:


> I read that somewhere else--that those weeks are super busy for DVC. I was thinking that they are usually less busy park times so they would be optimal--didn't think/know about points going further for DVC owners and it making more popular for them. Is there any timeframe that makes better sense? We are pretty flexible.


They are the busiest week of the system even though it's slower for Disney otherwise likely due to lowers costs.  ALL DVC 1 BR will sleep 5 except AKV value which would never happen by exchange.  OKW and AKV would be then best but regardless an adult would be on a pullout.  If you change the waitlist though, you may change your place in line but the chance of success are still higher I believe.


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## silentg (May 1, 2018)

Firepath said:


> I saw minutes ago a 2BR at Bonnet Creek (very close to Disney) for the week of Dec 15-22. We have stayed there and really liked it but wouldn't do it without a car. I think BC is worth checking into. It's a very nice resort.


I agree with Firepath.Bonnet Creek is a nice place.


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## chalee94 (May 2, 2018)

Kaseydog2782 said:


> I read that somewhere else--that those weeks are super busy for DVC. I was thinking that they are usually less busy park times so they would be optimal--didn't think/know about points going further for DVC owners and it making more popular for them. Is there any timeframe that makes better sense? We are pretty flexible.



Not sure how flexible you mean.

All of the fall is busy for DVC ("fall frenzy" is a thing) - but some weeks are less busy than others, so the week before Thanksgiving is more of a possibility. Staying away from late Sept to early January gives you more options with DVC, but you would miss out on Food and Wine at Epcot and the holiday decorations (which again, with the lower point costs, is driving a lot of the owner demand).

Bonnet Creek gets good reviews and there are other offsite options - one tradeoff is that you'd only get 30 days for advance fast passes which most likely locks you out of Flights of Passage in Animal Kingdom.

Nothing is completely "impossible" but for DVC stays, it's probably more likely to find deposits in Feb or May. But I wouldn't discourage you from going to Disney (DVC stay or otherwise) from mid-Nov to December (avoiding holidays for crowd purposes) since the decorations are really impressive. (Most decorations will be up by mid-November but the resorts usually aren't fully decorated till the weekend before Thanksgiving.)


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## jancpa (May 2, 2018)

I would suggest putting in an OGS for a two bedroom at Bonnet Creek for the weeks that you want in 2019.  
There were no weeks posted as available in open inventory for the week after Thanksgiving for 2018 but they
may have been snatched up by OGS's.


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## Crafty71 (May 2, 2018)

jancpa said:


> I would suggest putting in an OGS for a two bedroom at Bonnet Creek for the weeks that you want in 2019.
> There were no weeks posted as available in open inventory for the week after Thanksgiving for 2018 but they
> may have been snatched up by OGS's.


O-K...I looked on the "Glossary and acronyms" link and I can't find it...OGS means what...? I know I am going to feel stupid once I find out...

Cheers!


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## Karen G (May 2, 2018)

Crafty71 said:


> O-K...I looked on the "Glossary and acronyms" link and I can't find it...OGS means what...? I know I am going to feel stupid once I find out...
> 
> Cheers!


Ongoing Search


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## jancpa (May 2, 2018)

on going search


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## bnoble (May 2, 2018)

I would not put four people in a 2nd generation DVC resort (SSR, VWL, BWV, BCV) let alone five. I would either try to get two DVC 1BRs or (more likely) would take a 2BR at one of the several wonderful close-by properties. In RCI, that's Bonnet Creek (becoming less common in RCI) or Vistana (decent avaiability). In II, that's the three Marriott Palms resorts.


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## famy27 (May 2, 2018)

It's such an issue of personal preference. For us, five in a one-bedroom at SSR is completely fine. It's still much larger than a hotel room, and you have a little one who will probably be in a Pack n Play, so it's really more like four people. We love staying onsite for Extra Magic Hours, onsite transportation, 60-day FP window (especially for Pandora and now Toy Story), and Magical Express. For me, I would book a backup plan I could cancel and hold out hope that the OGS will come in. We have had luck trading in during that window. You will definitely want to put every resort on your OGS, and the more weeks and check-in dates you are willing to accept, the better. I've heard some good things about Bonnet Creek, but I'm kind of over being harassed by timeshare salespeople while I'm on vacation, so I don't think it would be the right place for me. YMMV


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## geist1223 (May 2, 2018)

Double check the occupancy limits. Some Resorts strictly enforce them and a child of any age will count as a person.


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## TravelTime (May 2, 2018)

I think if you are not spending a lot of time in the room, maybe it will work. We tend to get 1 bedrooms at DVC for us and our 2 young kids but as they get older, we will book 2 bedrooms.


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## Dean (May 3, 2018)

geist1223 said:


> Double check the occupancy limits. Some Resorts strictly enforce them and a child of any age will count as a person.


DVC is a mix of strict and lenient.  They are lenient in the limits they allow but technical strict once you get to those limits at least verbally.  Unfortunately I've never heard of them actually enforcing them but I wish they would.  Disney and DVC do not count ONE child under the age of 3 at the start of the stay, same for tickets/passes.
2BR that officially sleep 9 plus one under 3 are OKW, AKV, VGF & BLT, the rest sleep 8 plus the one under 3.  They either do this with a second twin pullout (OKW, AKV, BLT) or murphy bed (VGF)
All 1BR sleep 5 plus one under 3 except AKV value rooms from an occupancy standpoint but not all provide a sleep area for the 5th person. Those with pullouts or murphy bed for the 1 BR are listed above.
Some studios have a murphy bed but it's smaller than a twin designed for a child and those sleep 5, the rest sleep 4 (plus the one under 3).  The studios with the murphy bed are BWV, BCV, BRV, CCV, & Poly.


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## Dean (May 3, 2018)

One thing to add is that they have gotten VERY strict on everyone who's in the room being listed on the room prior to arrival.  They often refuse to change them at check in.


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## sb2313 (May 3, 2018)

Dean said:


> One thing to add is that they have gotten VERY strict on everyone who's in the room being listed on the room prior to arrival.  They often refuse to change them at check in.


Is this just with rci exchanges or does this happen with dvc owner bookings as well?


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## Dean (May 3, 2018)

sb2313 said:


> Is this just with rci exchanges or does this happen with dvc owner bookings as well?


Disney in general not just DVC but it is with DVC members direction


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## Jan M. (May 3, 2018)

We've stayed several times at Animal Kingdom Kidani Village in a one bedroom unit through RCI. This is the only resort that has a second bathroom in a one bedroom unit. We never used the sleeper chair that AK and OKW have but have heard they are quite comfortable.

One of the times we stayed at Saratoga Springs our son and granddaughter were with us so we used the sleeper sofa. The next morning our son complained about it so my husband tried it and agreed that it was absolutely horrible. Our son was only there for two nights so the second night we put our then three year old granddaughter in the king bed with us and our son slept on the sofa instead of opening it up into the bed. He said that was much better.

I would bring or buy an air mattress for your mother if you can't get into AK or OKW. Both the Disney resorts we've stayed at had a porta crib in the closet. Your younger child should still fit in one and will still be young enough not to need a ticket for the parks either so there is no need to list more than 3 adults and the older child as staying in the unit.

BTW in addition to Bonnet Creek we really like Star Island and Vacation Village at Parkway. Both were great for our granddaughter and are very easy to get into. A two bedroom unit at either is a two bedroom lock off which is great. Ask to be in a building close to the pool and playground at  either resort. Our granddaughter also loved the water park at Reunion and the units there are all 3 bedroom/3 bath units. VV at Parkway has the best shuttle to the parks of all the non Disney resorts we've stayed at.

If you are staying at a Disney resort and renting a car they are now charging for parking and it will be $24 per day at any of the Disney villas if you aren't a DVC owner. If you don't have a car and will be eating all your meals on the Disney properties of Parks it will be very expensive. We are Florida residents and go to Orlando at least 4-5 times a year. The only advantage to staying at a Disney resort is to have the use of their buses to and from the airport and Parks. When we stayed at AKV we've had a savanna view unit. It was me, my husband and our granddaughter and we all absolutely loved it. If I couldn't get in there and a savanna view unit too, then I would stay at Bonnet Creek, Reunion, Star Island or Vacation Village at Parkway before I would spend the money to stay at one of the other Disney resorts.


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## Dean (May 3, 2018)

Jan M. said:


> We've stayed several times at Animal Kingdom Kidani Village in a one bedroom unit through RCI. This is the only resort that has a second bathroom in a one bedroom unit. We never used the sleeper chair that AK and OKW have but have heard they are quite comfortable.
> 
> One of the times we stayed at Saratoga Springs our son and granddaughter were with us so we used the sleeper sofa. The next morning our son complained about it so my husband tried it and agreed that it was absolutely horrible. Our son was only there for two nights so the second night we put our then three year old granddaughter in the king bed with us and our son slept on the sofa instead of opening it up into the bed. He said that was much better.
> 
> ...


BLT has a second Bath in the 1BR as well.  The closest non DVC timeshare other than bonnet creek is Silver Lakes and it's often available through RCI, it's Gold crown for part of it, Silver for the rest.


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## Jan M. (May 3, 2018)

Dean said:


> BLT has a second Bath in the 1BR as well.  The closest non DVC timeshare other than bonnet creek is Silver Lakes and it's often available through RCI, it's Gold crown for part of it, Silver for the rest.



I have a friend who stayed at Silver Lake and she really liked it. However her kids are grown and she has no grandchildren yet. How is that resort for young children? Do they have a really nice kid's pool, activities for younger kids and a decent sized playground? Those are the things we look for. We have a second granddaughter who is almost old enough to start spending several week vacations in Florida every couple of months with Grandma and Papa.

In our experience and observation from having been at the Disney Parks so much, when you take younger children to Disney it often isn't anywhere near as much fun for them, or you, as you think it will be. We have dirt cheap Florida resident weekday select annual passes so can go to one of the Parks for just a few hours and just do the rides and shows our granddaughter likes. Unlike most people who come for a Disney vacation we don't feel like we've wasted a whole lot of money if we don't spend the whole day or try to do as much as possible which is exhausting and often stressful for little kids and their parents too.

Our older granddaughter who is now 6 actually did more at Legoland and enjoyed it more when she was 2-early 5 years old. We had the awesomer level annual passes which also got is into the Sea Life Aquarium, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum and the Orlando Eye. They are all in the same complex on International Drive. All three of us enjoyed them and you have unlimited access with  the awesomer passes. Those annual passes cost $149 plus tax, you don't have to be a Florida resident, include the parking, and there are no blackout dates. Prices may have gone up since we last bought them. If a family were to come back for another vacation within the next 12 months one of the biggest expenses, their entertainment, would already be paid for.

Another annual pass we got was for the Crayola Experience. Great for a rainy day or a less demanding day.


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## Inhislove (May 12, 2018)

Silver Lake has a decent game room, as well as a good number of activities (gator land comes, magician shows, show two movies in a movie theater onsite every night, etc). One of the pools is zero entry.

Use Sherberth Rd to access Disney property- it’s only a few miles from animal kingdom. Animal Kingdom Lodge is a great free activity for kids that age!


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## TheHolleys87 (May 13, 2018)

Getting back to your original question, be aware that the 1-BR DVC units have one king bed and one pullout queen couch. Some - but not SSR, which is what you’re most likely to get via RCI - have the pullout chair as well, but most do not. So keep that in mind when considering who will sleep with whom. 


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## Deb & Bill (May 14, 2018)

Your one yr old will not count towards occupancy and can sleep in the pack and play that is provided in each villa.  Your three year old will need to sleep with you or your mother.  You'll get one king bed and one queen sleeper sofa at SSR. 

Only BLT, OKW and AKV (not the value villas) have the twin sized sleeper chair in the living room. And that chair is too heavy and wide to move to the bedroom in case you were wondering.


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## Irishheart (May 27, 2018)

_Often we think the second bath is more important than a second bedroom at DVC!   I just made a change to our July reservation from a one-bedroom to a two-bedroom unit @ OKW since a cousin decided to join us and I was crossing my fingers one was available (it was).  But late November is pretty tough unless planning begins very early.  We got a late start with that ourselves this year and have decided to wait until late February or early March 2019 and maybe catch some Spring Training games to boot.  But I heartily agree that the holiday decorations are wonderful!_


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## chriskre (May 27, 2018)

Deb & Bill said:


> Your one yr old will not count towards occupancy and can sleep in the pack and play that is provided in each villa.  Your three year old will need to sleep with you or your mother.  You'll get one king bed and one queen sleeper sofa at SSR.
> 
> Only BLT, OKW and AKV (not the value villas) have the twin sized sleeper chair in the living room. And that chair is too heavy and wide to move to the bedroom in case you were wondering.



Take an air mattress for the 2.5 year old. 
Unless you have the dining plan judging by what I see going on in DVC unit occupancies nobody is checking magic bands for all.  I am not sure if the Murphy twins have made their way to SSR but a small to medium sized adult can sleep perfectly fine on those if they don’t have trouble getting up from a low position or remember to watch their head while going to the bathroom at night.    Take a small nightlight just in case.    

Housekeeping is doing trash service every day now but she is in and out without batting an eye.   



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## Deb & Bill (May 27, 2018)

CCV are a hard four for both the studio and one bedroom and it does not have a murphy bed.


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## chriskre (May 27, 2018)

Deb & Bill said:


> CCV are a hard four for both the studio and one bedroom and it does not have a murphy bed.



That's interesting.
I wonder why they are backtracking on CCV with the 5th occupants.
I've never understood why they allowed that in the first place but
maybe because people were already doing it.


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## Dean (May 27, 2018)

chriskre said:


> That's interesting.
> I wonder why they are backtracking on CCV with the 5th occupants.
> I've never understood why they allowed that in the first place but
> maybe because people were already doing it.


I think it's the physical plant, there simply wasn't enough room to do so.  Personally I think doing it at any location was a mistake.


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## Cyberc (May 28, 2018)

Dean said:


> I think it's the physical plant, there simply wasn't enough room to do so.  Personally I think doing it at any location was a mistake.


I agree, there shouldn't be 5 in a 1br let alone in a studio. But its much better to cramp 5 into a 1br than it is in a studio.

IMHO the two top reasons for disney doing this is.
1. They can sell the dvc membership for families that requires room for 5, they can stay in a studio or 1br because the 2br option is too expensive point wise.
2. when Disney splits the costs of running the resorts between DVC and the regular disney hotel, then they always(so I read) use the occupancy limits to calculate the split. With 5 in a studio or 1br then the DVC members pay more of the annual cost to run the resort.

I dont know if option #2 is just because its easier as "one size fits all"  per room type when the calculation is done. It could also be that its because Disney want members to pay more of the annual costs. Might also be a combo.


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## montygz (May 29, 2018)

1. There is plenty of room in a 1BR for five at SSR, but you must bring an air mattress and bedding for the extra person.
2. You must set up all five people in the room ahead of time via DVC. They will send you five magic bands, etc. It's all fine and accepted.
3. If you arrive at the hotel and want to add a 5th person, or you forget to add someone ahead of time, the hotel side can't add a 5th person even when they want to. The computer system on the hotel side won't let them do it. Also, once you are checked in to the resort, the DVC side can't fix the reservation because their computer system won't let them do it once you are checked in to the resort. We booked a last-second stay and neglected to add our kids to the reservation via DVC ahead of time. The front desk at the resort could only add two kids, so that means one kid didn't get a working room key and there could of been issues for Extra Magic Hours at the parks.


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## Deb & Bill (Jun 5, 2018)

chriskre said:


> Take an air mattress for the 2.5 year old.
> Unless you have the dining plan judging by what I see going on in DVC unit occupancies nobody is checking magic bands for all.  I am not sure if the Murphy twins have made their way to SSR but a small to medium sized adult can sleep perfectly fine on those if they don’t have trouble getting up from a low position or remember to watch their head while going to the bathroom at night.    Take a small nightlight just in case.
> 
> Housekeeping is doing trash service every day now but she is in and out without batting an eye.
> ...


The murphy beds are smaller than twins.  They call them bunk sized.  Shorter and narrower.  The one bedrooms do not have the murphy bed, except for GFV.   AKV, OKW and BLT have the twin sized sleeper chair in the one bedroom living room (except for the AKV-Value villas at Jambo House).


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