Another family of 5 question...

[Javin917]

Hi! Sorry for a second thread on the same topic but I didn’t want to hijack the other one! I can be long winded haha!

We are also a family of 5 looking to buy DVC for the first time. The kids are currently 7, 3 and 1. We’ve rented points for 1 bedroom units our past two trips...one at BLT (other than walking to MK, didn’t really like it) and the last one at CCV (loved it). In dream land, we’d buy enough points direct to stay in a CCV 2 bedroom (if only the youngest could stay under 3!), but that’s out of range right now. So we’ve been looking at resale and thought we had it narrowed down to BCV or BRV. We don’t like BLT and don’t like that the only transportation option is a bus at AKV and OKW...we’ve gotten spoiled in that regard! We were fine with having to bring an air mattress for a kid for awhile (eventually adding on points to be able to do 2 bedrooms when they’re older) but in the other thread it seems that the 1 bedrooms are pretty small at BCV and BRV? Would it still be a problem with kids this young you think? Thanks for any help! We’ve been going around and around on this!

 

[lovin'fl]

We bought in 2006 for our young family of 5. My kids were DS9 and twinDDs7. We did 1BR for a few years and brought airbed for DS. We stayed at BWV, SSR, VWL, HHI and OKW all in a 1BR before they hit teen years and we upgraded to a 2BR. Never had an issue. Will just remind you that OKW has the sleeper chair as does AKV, BLT, HHI and VB and VGF has the flip down bed. AND extra bathrooms are at AKV and BLT. Having said that, I agree that it is nice to stay at a resort that has other options than just buses.

However, OKW has the best busing of all DVC in my opinion. If you own OKW and book the HH section (is it's own booking and gets booked before 7 month window much of the time) you can take the HH bus to go to the parks, it's the last stop and goes right out from HH stop. Then, when you come back from the parks the first stop is Penninsular and is right next to the HH pool area and a short walk to any of the HH buildings. So you skip the long internal bus route with many stops. And OKW is right next to Epcot and not far from HS so it's a quick ride to 2 parks and then you can boat to DS. The 1BR there are super spacious.

But we added BWV and HHI as well because we just love the location of BWV and love our beach trips to HHI. I'd like to add a MK resort (would love CCV but can't do 5 in a 1BR and it's so expensive...so torn between BRV and BLT). But we likely will add a big SSR for value. We had AKV points but resold them. Can book there at the 7 month window pretty easily so no need to own there. But that extra bathroom at Kidani and the sleeper chair are really bang on for our family. We are back to doing 1BR now that our kids are all off to college since we never know if they can join us or not (until last minute).

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

BCV and BRV have larger square footage 1BR's than CCV. It is a different layout though and is smaller than the BLT 1BR's although depending on which layout you got at BLT you may or may not notice much of a difference. At BLT the rooms on the inside of the "C" have a full laundry room that takes up more square footage and leaves less for the living area. The outer "C" rooms have the more standard laundry closet and more room in the living area than you'll find at BCV or BRV.

 

[Javin917]

Thank you so much for the responses! I wish we liked BLT because it really is the ideal setup for our family but it just felt like a standard hotel. And our kids are apparently climbers and that half wall on the balcony made it way too terrifying to have them out there. We were on the CCV balcony all the time. And we did have an inside the C room and both that and CCV felt like more than enough space for us, but we also weren’t even considering DVC at the time and didn’t pay any attention to where we’d put an air mattress with the pullout down too. I’m glad to hear that there was no trouble fitting one in! I think we might stick with the plan then of either BRV or BCV...I want one and my husband wants the other haha!

 

[Deb & Bill]

OKW and AKV both have the extra sleeper chair in the living room, plus Kidani has the extra bathroom that will be well liked with a family of five. We've stayed at OKW many, many times and the buses have never been an issue. We'v stayed at AKL several times and haven't had problems with buses there either.

With CCV, there is no option of using an air mattress for a fifth person because they are a hard four there for both the studio and one bedroom.

 

[Javin917]

Thanks! We do think we’d like AKV but am nervous about buying there never having stayed there. And we haven’t been able to bring ourselves to “give up” a trip to another resort to give it a try. Our concern with the buses isn’t so much the wait for one as it is how much more difficult it is to manage everyone and everything on them! I’ve got 3 kids, the bags, spray fans etc while my husband is somewhere else trying to deal with folding up and holding onto the strollers. We look like a traveling circus!
I was also thinking that it seems like the easiest place out of our narrowed down choices to be able to book at 7 months so we thought we’d pick to have home resort advantage somewhere else. And I know OKW would make a lot of sense but sort of a similar situation. We also don’t love how huge it is...we didn’t like CBR or POR for the size and it seems like those?

 

[Deb & Bill]

Thanks! We do think we’d like AKV but am nervous about buying there never having stayed there. And we haven’t been able to bring ourselves to “give up” a trip to another resort to give it a try. Our concern with the buses isn’t so much the wait for one as it is how much more difficult it is to manage everyone and everything on them! I’ve got 3 kids, the bags, spray fans etc while my husband is somewhere else trying to deal with folding up and holding onto the strollers. We look like a traveling circus!
I was also thinking that it seems like the easiest place out of our narrowed down choices to be able to book at 7 months so we thought we’d pick to have home resort advantage somewhere else. And I know OKW would make a lot of sense but sort of a similar situation. We also don’t love how huge it is...we didn’t like CBR or POR for the size and it seems like those?

That's just an opportunity to learn to pack light for the parks. Seven yr old can help with the three yr old. Leave the spray fans home. Or buy BLT and walk to and from the MK.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I’ve got 3 kids, the bags, spray fans etc while my husband is somewhere else trying to deal with folding up and holding onto the strollers. We look like a traveling circus!

One thing I'd just remind you, although it may seem distant, is the stroller stage ends and you'll still have 30+ years on the contract.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

One thing I'd just remind you, although it may seem distant, is the stroller stage ends and you'll still have 30+ years on the contract.

Just what I was going to say.

I'd weight things more towards a resort that can sleep everyone and that we'd enjoy staying at if we couldn't change vs weighting to much towards a certain stage of strollers.

Also, BCV and BRV both have 2042 expirations vs AKV which is 2057.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Just what I was going to say.

I'd weight things more towards a resort that can sleep everyone and that we'd enjoy staying at if we couldn't change vs weighting to much towards a certain stage of strollers.

Also, BCV and BRV both have 2042 expirations vs AKV which is 2057.

I was definitely weighting towards BLT/AKV with the 30 years comment, largely because if they're in a stroller stage now, the 24-year contracts may be unappealing; that's a common comment. Rivera may be a fit for some of those concerns, but we just don't know enough yet.

 

[Javin917]

Thank you all! This is definitely a lot to think about. And good to remember that although the end of the stroller stage feels so far away, it’s not in the grand scheme. I feel like our heads say AKV or BLT and our hearts say BCV or BRV. Now if I could just win the lottery so the two could agree!

 

[DianeW]

I wouldn't purchase for just the immediate needs of a young family. Those years go by quickly, and before long, a one bedroom won't be comfortable with three children. We are a family of five, and only book two bedrooms at this point.

Also, BRV and BCV contracts expire in 2042. If you're looking for a longer contract, you'll want to check out either AKV, SS or OKW Extended for resale. Obviously VGF, CCV, and BLT will fit the bill, but they're pricier on the resale market. Poly won't meet your needs at all.

We are a family of five and have 300 points at OKW...resale. We love the HUGE rooms and the relaxed feel of the resort. We're planning on adding on 150-200 more points at AKV. Always resale, because the perks from Disney will never add up to the $16,500 I saved with my resale purchase.

 

[lovin'fl]

Well, could do the 2 connecting studios at Poly that is now a special booking category. That's a point eater. Or VGF 1BR. A week in July is @340 for either option.

It is a tough choice. One thing going for you is you want to book a 1BR and they tend to be easiest to get at 7 month window so you will be able to stay at non home resorts. We have used our OKW to book every east coast DVC resort except VGF (just haven't tried that yet because it's a point eater). It's getting harder to do as more and more points are being sold. But most folks are looking for the cheapest point rooms so studios and then cheaper 1BR go. The 2BR that are lockoffs get booked because the studio part gets snagged but that leaves a bunch of 1BR available.

If you are okay with the end date of BCV and BRV...those both are great resorts with lots of great amenities like pools and dining/lounges. We bought BWV but our fave is BCV. And I'd like to add a VWL (or maybe BLT) for a MK home resort. We had AKV, I think I mentioned in last post, but sold it because it's easy to book there at 7 months out.

 

[southerngirl528]

However, OKW has the best busing of all DVC in my opinion.

Been an OKW member for 25 years and have stayed all over. Absolutely agree with this!

wouldn't purchase for just the immediate needs of a young family. Those years go by quickly, and before long, a one bedroom won't be comfortable with three children. We are a family of five, and only book two bedrooms at this point.

We were a family of 5 when we bought, and bought mainly to get those awesome 2 bedrooms. Now that the kids are all young adults, we often get a GV to get together! DVC has been a wonderful purchase for our family and we have added on a few times since the early 90's.

 

[lovin'fl]

We were a family of 5 when we bought, and bought mainly to get those awesome 2 bedrooms. Now that the kids are all young adults, we often get a GV to get together! DVC has been a wonderful purchase for our family and we have added on a few times since the early 90's.

And OKW GV are the cheapest point ones to get and you need to own OKW to get those...great deal. Really only do-able GV, pointwise, at WDW...well the Treehouse villas aren't bad either. NYE, a couple years back, we got a GV at HHI as we took friends that had kids who were friends with my teen kids so everyone could have fun. Now with college aged kids, we likely will start having boyfriends and girlfriends to bring. SIL is going this summer with her three 20-something aged kids and 2 of their partners which brings them to a party of 7 adults. They are cramming in a 2BR. Should be cozy.

 

[Javin917]

I really do appreciate all of the help on this! My husband and I talked and we keep putting AKV/BLT/OKW on the table for practical reasons and then taking them off. Following the advice of buy where you want to stay, that’s BRV for me and BCV for him even with the shorter contracts. It’s seeming like it might make more sense for us to just wait until we can buy enough points for a two bedroom at one of those if we are going to outgrow it so quickly. It’ll also give us a chance to try out a few more places first.

 

[lovin'fl]

BCV, of the two, might be better because of the pool for the kids and because it is harder to get at 7 months out. Except Dec...Dec is tough to get BRV at 7 months out. You could get a small contract now with plans to add on down the road. And can than have 2 small contracts, one at each resort.

Edit to add...plus BCV and BWV will get harder to book as Star Wars Land opens at HS. BCV would be even more primo property when that happens.

 

[kboo]

That's just an opportunity to learn to pack light for the parks. Seven yr old can help with the three yr old. Leave the spray fans home. Or buy BLT and walk to and from the MK.

One thing I'd just remind you, although it may seem distant, is the stroller stage ends and you'll still have 30+ years on the contract.

I really do appreciate all of the help on this! My husband and I talked and we keep putting AKV/BLT/OKW on the table for practical reasons and then taking them off. Following the advice of buy where you want to stay, that’s BRV for me and BCV for him even with the shorter contracts. It’s seeming like it might make more sense for us to just wait until we can buy enough points for a two bedroom at one of those if we are going to outgrow it so quickly. It’ll also give us a chance to try out a few more places first.

Unlike you, we actually really like BLT, and not just for the walking distance reasons. And we have 2 kids 6.5 and 2.5, so we are seeing the end of the climbing phase with our little ones. That said, there is something to be said for the extreme convenience. At our first BCV stay, DH was really bummed that we'd bought BLT instead of BCV,* but then after we stayed at BLT again and after experiencing SAB (the BCV pool) with a toddler, we realized that we liked the expansive views from the room and the restaurants at BLT more than the public areas and pool at BCV.

Have you actually stayed at BCV? Not to knock it, because it was on our short list to buy for a while, but the pool doesn't get easy for parents of small kids until they are at least 7 or 8. The lazy river is all-deep, the entrance to the big slide is across the walkway to Epcot (and there's another slide and small pool there, and both of those are far from the sandy beach area, which is still not easy for a toddler. We will definitely go back there, but will wait a few years. Also, no views to speak of.

The 2 bathrooms at BLT and AKV 1-br are also a game changer. Especially during potty training and the years just beyond, it's helpful to have more than one toilet in the mornings and evenings.

The proximity of BLT to MK also helped because we would sometimes split our kids up - one parent with the older kid who didn't need to nap, while the other parents stayed at the resort with the napper. Being able to easily walk to MK makes it easy to mix it up and change plans without taking a lot of time.

We have never stayed at BRV/CCV but have visited often and really love it. Artist Point is one of our favorite restaurants on property. But we never considered either while buying because of the transportation/stroller issue - I told myself that for now, we'd buy a reasonable contract that worked for us, use those points to sleep around, and when we were done with midday breaks and strollers, we could always consider adding on at a different resort, or renting points if booking at 7mo didn't work for us.

If you have more trips coming up, think about renting points to stay in each of the resorts you're still considering, and try BLT on the outer part of the C, where you can have some more "Disney" views. Also try using the transportation from MK as well - we found that staying at the contemporary, you can get by bus to any other resort by walking to the MK bus area and boarding a bus there. We resort hopped to AKL/AKV and ate at Sanaa and Boma on a break day, took the boats to WL/BRV/BCV, took a bus to the Boardwalk area, in addition to the the monorail resorts, obviously.

*(He wanted to sell our BLT contract and buy BCV right away. When I told him our second resort plan was for an EP resort and we could debate BWV v. BCV when we started looking, he stopped. Then when we started talking and looking in earnest at BWV and BCV - I had even made offers on contracts at both resorts - we talked again and ended up buying VGF.)

 

[Javin917]

I haven't quite figured out quoting yet, but the pool and the BCV popularity down the road were my husbands major pros for buying there. And we have stayed at BC, but not the villas, and it was an adults only trip so way different experience at the pool! After reading him the post above (really need to figure out quotes haha!), which basically listed all of my pros and cons for the options, I think I've finally swayed him. The suggestion of a second contract down the road is really helpful. Right now, we primarily go to MK and those resorts nearby so I feel a MK resort makes more sense. Adults only trips or trips when the kids are older and more into HS and EP would be great at BCV, and we can look into a second contract there then.

We've also finally come to accept that BLT does make the most financial sense (thanks for helping with that realization everyone haha!). Booking there at 11 months, are standard view 1 bedrooms still tough to get and we should plan on lake? We had requested outer C last time, but got inner C. Bad luck or is outer C tough to get too? For the number of points we need and the time of year we usually will end up traveling (June), the initial cost of a contract is about the same as a BRV with enough points for a 2 bedroom. I'm now trying to convince myself that the longer contract and lower dues make it worth it.

And my apologies! I know I'm going around and around...I'm driving myself crazy!

 

[Cindyel]

I haven't quite figured out quoting yet, but the pool and the BCV popularity down the road were my husbands major pros for buying there. And we have stayed at BC, but not the villas, and it was an adults only trip so way different experience at the pool! After reading him the post above (really need to figure out quotes haha!), which basically listed all of my pros and cons for the options, I think I've finally swayed him. The suggestion of a second contract down the road is really helpful. Right now, we primarily go to MK and those resorts nearby so I feel a MK resort makes more sense. Adults only trips or trips when the kids are older and more into HS and EP would be great at BCV, and we can look into a second contract there then.

We've also finally come to accept that BLT does make the most financial sense (thanks for helping with that realization everyone haha!). Booking there at 11 months, are standard view 1 bedrooms still tough to get and we should plan on lake? We had requested outer C last time, but got inner C. Bad luck or is outer C tough to get too? For the number of points we need and the time of year we usually will end up traveling (June), the initial cost of a contract is about the same as a BRV with enough points for a 2 bedroom. I'm now trying to convince myself that the longer contract and lower dues make it worth it.

And my apologies! I know I'm going around and around...I'm driving myself crazy!

Don’t worry.....You will get addonitis like the rest of us and wind up with more than one contract!!! That can be your opportunity to have both home resorts in the future. We are also a family of 5. We have been taking the family to Disney since my oldest was 3 and 1 year old twins. We looked at BLT in 2008 and it really wasn’t going to work for us. It also felt like a hotel room in NYC which we didn’t love(we are from the northeast). Fast forward to 2014 and we wound up revisiting DVC on the Disney Fantasy and bought at VGF. We love it!! We have a DD19 and Twins DD17 DS17. We have stayed in everything from a studio to a 2 bedroom and were comfortable in all. We stay in studios in VGF all the time and have plenty of room. The split bath is a gift! We put it up to a family vote whether to stay less time in a bigger room or more days in a studio and the studio wins every time! We went to HHI and fell in love there and added on. We went to Aulani last year and it was great! Bottom line...pick the contract that works for you. Start booking your trips and enjoy. Those stroller days end quick and the years to focus on are when they are adult size people but are still kids!