Some newbie questions

[Jim&AngieMarriner]

Hey gang!
Well I got some odd news today and it has sparked some changes in our upcomming (may 2011) disney plans. We were going to stay at POR and do the Dining plan and Magical express and all that. But here is where things get interesting. I am active duty Army and just found out that I got picked by name for a short deployment to Afganistan. Its honestly not a huge deal to me, only 4-6 months. Of course it is kinda upsetting the wife but thats beside the point. Anyway I called my sister and let her know what was going on and 30 mins later she called back and said she had something for us. They own timeshares and it seems they can use DVC properties. So she is giving me a week of DVC whenever we want. I am leaning toward BLT but i want to do more research before we decide.
My questions though are this:
1 Can you still do Magical express with the DVC rooms?
2. Can you do the Dining plan with DVC rooms or does it only work for resort folks?
3. What DVC villa would you choose and why? We were going with a moderate resort for financial reasons but since this is points from my sister.....
4. I read that if you want daily mouskeeping you have to pay for it, any one know how much for a week? And if you pay for it should you still tip? (yes i know tipping is a personal prefference but we would have tipped before when it was included in the room cost)
5. Insert advice here, I know ZERO about a DVC villa.

Thanks folks
Jim

[WelshieLover]

We have stayed at a DVC 3 times, once when our friends, similar to your sister, lent us their points. We have stayed at OKW twice and BWV once.

1) You can use Magical Express.

2) You can do the Dining Plan if you are staying at the Villas.

3) Choosing your Villa is really a personal choice HOWEVER a lot goes down towards what parks you like best. BLT gives you a short walk to MK and a monorail switch at the TTC to get to EPCOT. We almost stayed there our last trip but chose BWV instead. My family loves the EPCOT area. We love the short walk/boat ride to EPCT or DHS. We also love to have dinner in EPCOT or at the many restaurants between the BW, BC/YC and Swan/Dolphin. Because BWV is so close to both parks we did find we could make quick stops at the room to rest or even a quick pool break. We did not do that much when we stayed at OKW. We do love OKW and as far as room size goes hands down they are the largest Villa. Also the feel at OKW is so low key and relaxed we would stay there again, but we do prefer the EPCOT area.

4) When you are staying on points you get mousekeeping once or twice during your stay depending upon the duration of your stay. If you are in a 1 bedroom villa or larger you will get a washer and dryer in your room. So you can wash your bath towels. I do not know how much daily mousekeeping is if you pay it out of pocket I am sure someone else will be able to answer that.

You will love staying at a DVC

[hlkeck]

Have fun and thank you for your service.

I love Animal Kingdom, but if you are looking for convenience to parks...definitely consider boardwalk or beach club!

Yeah, extra mousekeeping is like per item, I think. $4 for a towel, $1 for soap. Not sure of all the exact pricing, but we've really never had much of a problem with reusing our towels and keeping our room tidy ourselves.

[diz_girl]

Regarding mousekeeping, for stays of fewer than eight days, you get a Trash & Towel service (self-explanatory, although I think that you get additional toiletries) on day four. You're on your own the rest of the time. If you are staying eight nights or longer, then you get full mousekeeping on day eight, addition to the trash & towel on day four.

You can buy additional toiletries and other mousekeeping services on an a la carte basis. You can also pay for additional mousekeeping.

As an example, for BLT - Full mousekeeping per day is:
$30 for a studio
$45 for a 1 br villa
$60 for a 2 br villa
$75 for a 3 br villa
Remember, the 1br and larger resorts have a full kitchen and mousekeeping cleans that too.

Also for BLT - Trash & Towel service per day is:
$15 for a studio
$20 for a 1 br villa
$25 for a 2 br villa
$35 for a 3 br grand villa
Also, the 1br unit has 2 baths, the 2 br has 3 baths and the 3 br has 4 baths, so the rates are realitively reasonable.

As far as tipping goes, as a resort guest with regular mousekeeping, I normally tip $5 per day for our family of three. A rule of thumb for me is $1-2 per person per day.

[diz_girl]

As far as tipping goes, as a resort guest with regular mousekeeping, I normally tip $5 per day for our family of three. A rule of thumb for me is $1-2 per person per day.

Just a note - I've never stayed at a DVC resort on points (I'm new to DVC), so I don't know if tipping for a DVC resort is different. Someone should come along and give you good information.

When I do stay at a DVC resort on points, I'll probably do additional mousekeeping. If I stay for seven nights, I'll expect to do additional Trash and Towel services on days 2, 6 and 7. I'll then do the full mousekeeping on days 3 and 5. With the automatic Trash & Towel on day 4, the room will be taken care of to some degree on days 2 through 7, with day 1 as arrival day and day 8 as departure day. I'm not messy by any means, but I'll definitely want the room maintained. For a 1 br with 3 additional trash and towel servies and 2 full mousekeepings, that's only $150 for the week. You'll get that kind of cleaning fee with vacation rentals and they only clean at the end, not throughout your stay.

Have a great time at WDW and thank you for your service to our country.

[DizNee143]

not having mousekeeping everyday really isnt so bad..
at home i use my towel from the shower a couple times before i wash it..and i never go through all the toilet paper and such in the rooms that they give you..
i mean what are you missing? coming back to a bed thats made..you can do that..
and extra shampoo and soap..granted i guess if you rely on that as your supply for the vacation i guess that would get low..
and yes i would still tip..wether at dvc..a resort..or a hotel not even on disney property..they are doing a service for you..but again thats just how i feel and i always make sure to leave something! :mickey: