Disney Vacation Club 101: Accommodations – What Do You Get?

This is the second in our series of articles on Disney Vacation Club. You can read the introduction to DVC at Disney Vacation Club (DVC) 101: What is DVC?

One of the draws of buying into Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is the wide range of accommodations you can book. Studios are most like the other regular hotel rooms at Walt Disney World. Villas, which range from one- to three-bedroom units, are a whole of other level of vacationing. There are similarities and differences in all these between the resorts. Hopefully having everything in front of you at once will help you compare and choose the best rooms for you and your family.

Before you read this, I’d like to thank Disney.com for making this information transparent and easy to find…but I can’t. So instead, a big shout out goes to the following sites who helped me fill in the blanks:

• David’s Vacation Club Rentals
• DVCNews.com
• Mouseowners
• AllEars.Net

Also, when there was conflicting information online, I went with the majority when possible or my best guess or recollection from a previous stay. Finally, any errors in these charts that can’t be explained any other way are probably the result of the cat trying to help with my typing – call it feline error.

A note about room capacity: all DVC rooms can also have a child in a Pack N Play (you’ll find it in the closet) who doesn’t count against your capacity numbers.

Hey, Laurel, what’s this “sleeper chair” thing I keep seeing? Think of a big, cushy upholstered chair, then imagine folding out the seat like a chaise lounge. That’s a sleeper chair. Would I sleep in one? No. Would I put a kid in one and not think twice about it? Yes.

OK, what about the “trundle bed?” It’s a bed that flips down from the cabinet the TV is on. No, I haven’t slept in one, though I did see that they’re easy to pull out when I stayed in a Grand Floridian one bedroom in April.

For more information about the Walt Disney World and Disneyland resorts listed below check out our pages on them:

• Old Key West
• Boardwalk Villas
• Beach Club Villas
• Wilderness Lodge Villas
• Saratoga Springs Resort and the Treehouse Villas
• Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House and Kidani Village
• Bay Lake Tower
• Grand Floridian Villas
• Grand California Villas

How the DVC Studios Line Up

First let’s look at a studio. All DVC resorts have studios. They are most like a regular hotel room in square footage, but you may be surprised to hear their layouts are different. Studios (except Old Key West) have only one bed. So if you’re traveling with a family of 3 or more, someone is sleeping on the sofa despite the room capacity of 5. The value studios at Jambo house are converted standard rooms, which explains their small size.

One Bedroom Villas

This is where things start to get interesting, because you’re finally seeing where DVC accommodations shine. Villas have a master bedroom, full kitchen, and living room. They also have washers and dryers. If you hate coming home with lots of dirty clothes to wash, just want to pack lighter, or even if your kids can’t eat a Mickey bar without getting chocolate on their shirts, you’ll love the convenience of having these right in your room. You’ll notice that while the square footage of a one bedroom is more than twice that of a studio, the room capacity is the same or will hold one more person. A one bedroom is really for giving you more room to spread out. You’ll also notice that the newer resorts will have an extra half or full bathroom – which is very handy when people are getting ready in the mornings. The one bedroom is my preferred room type when traveling with my partner. We have room to work and aren’t elbowing each other out of the way. Passive-agressive “sharing” of the one desk/table in a hotel room isn’t a great way to get anything done.

Two Bedroom Villas

The two bedroom villas work great for couples traveling together, or families who don’t want to see their kids’ stuff all over the public areas. You’ll see some of the accommodations below listed as lock offs. Two bedroom units are either “dedicated” or “lock off.” A lock off is a studio with a connecting one bedroom. You’ll have two different entrances to your villa (your Magic Band/Key to the World card will unlock both doors). The size and amenities of a lock off equal those of a studio plus a one bedroom. I prefer a dedicated two bedroom, but take a look at the number and types of beds you get with each – it may sway you one way or the other. Again, newer resorts will have more bathrooms.

Three Bedroom Villas

Finally the creme de la creme of DVC rooms – the Grand Villa. They’re big (huge in the case of the Grand Floridian). They’re well-decorated. They’ll hold 11 of your closest friends (or far more than that if you’re Len Testa). They’re also in limited supply. Not every resort has them. Boardwalk only has seven. Most are two levels. I have stayed in Grand Villas at Saratoga Springs, Bay Lake Tower, and Animal Kingdom Lodge – Kidani, and at the Treehouses. They. Are. Awesome. And they cost a whole lot of points.  Grand Villas have a separate dining room, and tend to have great views because they’re nearly always on the top floors of their resorts. Treehouses are a different story. Treehouses have 3 bedrooms, but 2 baths. However, what they lack in space (capacity of 9) they make up for in design. A Treehouse at Saratoga is a relative bargain if you only need to sleep 9.

What’s your favorite DVC room type? How do you choose which type you stay in – space or cost? Did you learn anything surprising looking at everything at once? Talk about it in the comments.