Oh AK is an interesting thought! Yeah I was thinking maybe Cape May too, but then I don't know how intense people are about keeping the beach theme there (which, at least in standard form, Bluey and Bingo don't obviously fit.... but cute outfits could be fun for sure)

Hey! It was, of course, and intense weekend, and quite the intense drop of executive orders.... It's been snowing/icy/freezing here, so we just stayed inside (and north of downtown). Most of my better friends in DC planned to be away on vacation for all of this... that was smart, good for them. I hope your day of self care was good to you!

Right?! I kind of wonder how they pre-gauge / determine how massive demand for character meets will be... cause yes I can easily see it being a stupid long line, but also how many kids will wait that long/how many parents will attempt to have their kids wait that long? Or is this is a parent 1 will stand in line and parent 2 and kid(s) go do other stuff for an hour, then they reunite when parent 1 has done a lot of the waiting already situation lol. Oh maybe a VQ?! Can you imagine hahahah

Lol I was thinking Star Wars Launch Bay might be suspect too, but that would be like a whole redesign/way more effort for the company. It would help for sure though with having a more contained space for a legit queue >.>

Oh that's so interesting, because the max occupancy would be totally different. Just curious (no judgement) - what's the angle here? I mean generally 1 bedrooms will be easier to book than studios, and obviously 1-beds you'll get the full kitchen and the in room washer/dryer. I guess in my (admittedly limited!) POV, the studio is for people who want to save points given that both studios and 1-beds will generally sleep ~5 people or so. Would love to hear more about what you think makes the topic special! (Without your insight there, I'm not sure what the angle would be from my personal POV)

Early December is such a magical time and TBH the secret there has been out for year. It's not all that costly on the points chart, but you do get more or less all the magic. This year anecdotally feels pretty bad, but shrug. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if DVC starts to slowly adjust the points chart to reflect demand (aka make early December slightly more expensive and make another season slightly cheaper to balance that change), but for now yeah totally this is.... rough. Even at 11 months! Glad you found this helpful! If you have other questions about DVC, feel free to drop a comment wherever :)

Dang, yeah I thought I recalled you could pick them up at the hotel front desk but didn't see that listed anymore. That's such a bummer!! Thanks for confirming!

You just login with your DVC account, buy the membership online, and then your DVC affiliation on your membership card will switch over from DVC-Y to DVC-BY. I'm not sure exactly how fast that happens, but it's online so it's pretty fast. Not connected to you entering a theme park at all! And the membership is active January 12 - Dec 31, it's not like a year from when you buy it. So if you plan on using it during 2025, I would advise just buying it a day before or so you plan to use the perks to make sure the membership affiliation on your member card updates!

The lock-offs especially felt really bad, but I suppose that's due to the studios also being so bad!! One-beds seem like the sweet spot, which also has the add on itis itch upped for me hahah

Yeah, no arguments here, especially at some of these more in-demand times. It'll be interesting to see if they start adjusting the early December points charts at all...

Ah you only got two days?! This is rough. Anecdotally it feels worse than other years... but as people adjust their reservations // continue walking their reservations, hopefully more opens up. The value one bed availability has been pretttttyyy legit, but I totally get that as a solo traveler it might feel wasteful. On the flipside, maybe a fun splurge...!

@@PixieDustPhD I'm not against doing a one-bedroom solo per se, just not when I'm coming from New York and won't have a car that I can fill with groceries to make a proper breakfast or at least a bunch of snacks. When I'm in Florida full time it could be a fun splurge. Well, I got the second Friday to the following Wednesday at Kidani. I prefer Jambo studios because most of them have partial savanna views, but I think Kidani will be fine. Maybe I'll luck out and get a renovated room? But I think they'll have just started by then so probably not.

Oh I think if you're into like the SEA Lore, the inside of Skipper's canteen is a gold mine. I never really got into that, and also I've only sat in this big hall... there's other side rooms that seem more intricately themed. Okay, apparently I need to pay more attention to Columbia Harbor House lol. I don't think I've ever ordered anything from there either -- will put it on the list! Yeah I think SH71 is the best option in the general vicinity to be honest, no arguments from me haha

Hiya! I have a whole video on that actually, haha kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWqWeKGYYtxjjKM Generally (anecdotally) I'd say between like 1/3 and 1/2 of the time? But it is totally luck of the draw, and there's other factors that play into I'm sure (total occupancy, I would guess shorter reservations have higher chances of getting the room you want).

Cheers, thanks so much! If you're planning a DLP trip I hope you have an awesome time!!

Hi! So this was from my October 2023 trip and they were still actively doing renovations and I got put in a not-renovated room. I believe now that the refurb is complete the rooms do all have that pull down murphy style bed :)

Yeah I think that's kind of exactly the right mindset lol. Like it's fun and sure go do it, but is it really ALL that impressive? Eh. If you are a huge space person maybe? There are a couple of funny details in the bathrooms that I enjoy, like it's cute. I'm not hating on it. But the competitiveness for the reservations is pretty astonishing to me, personally. If you do just wanna go check it up I think largely folks have decent luck putting their name on the waitlist for the lounge day of. Rope drop opening time, put your name on the list, they'll text you when it's almost your turn (I think?), then grab a drink, enjoy the vibes, and check it off the list haha

@@PixieDustPhD Thanks for the tip! I hadn't thought to try the walk up list.

Ah for what its worth, the SSE lounge is just a lounge (not specific to DVC) I believe! It will be interesting to see how they handle it... I suspect competitive reservations? But who knows. And yeah I don't think the company has actually confirmed the space, but that seems to be the easy top candidate from people on the internet who are more familiar with the parks layout than I am haha Yesss I think it'll be so cute! And I don't dislike Aerosmith by any means, but this just feels like a more natural fit. I hope your holidays were great! We only had one candle incident that was a close call hahaha

@@PixieDustPhD Ah - that's why I didn't remember that it was a DVC lounge - because it isn't 🤣

Yeah Im pumped for both of those rides to get a bit of a makeover haha. I know it'll be a bummer for some people, but hopefully it's a net positive. Oh they redid the EPCOT scene at the end for Soarin' too? That's great. I love that. So nice that they paid attention to that. Ah yeah bummer about the April trip but that makes so much sense. And I mean hard to beat that 2 bedroom life so plenty to look forward to! Oh Treehouse Villas! I think those are unofficially scheduled to start refurb sometime this year too, which would mean it would be a fairly recently refurbished room in summer 2026. You make many valid points about the niche these rooms occupy! I hadn't really considered that. But yeah bigger/probably better than the FW Cabins (and a better location for many), not as bougie expensive as CC Cabins... definitely has a market there. And a good video idea! I do feel a bit like a fraud comparing things I have no experience in (I've never even toured a treehouse villa for example!), but maybe I'll get over those negative voices in my head lol

@@PixieDustPhD Having made students write compare/contrast writing samples for 24 years, on a myriad of arcane topics there's no fraudulence in a bit of research of this type!

Hey! thanks for the info--very kind of you to share! Good to know your contiguous on-site stay counted and your eligibility window did not reset with your WL stay. And just fyi for your future trips, in case you don't always stay deluxe, they recently expanded eligibility so anyone staying on-site can buy LLPP! (But I mean, who knows what the future holds honestly lol things can change so quickly)

It is funny to try to figure out why the switch from Lakeside to Lakeshore.... I also think really this name change does nothing for the confusion about Wilderness Lodge vs Ft Wilderness, and now you've got a Lakeshore/side Lodge at Ft Wilderness lololol Ooohhh I love that you basically loved SSR! That's so good for you to know, especially with availability sometimes being competitive elsewhere. As a big snob about proximity to theme parks, maybe I do need to try out that SSR to Disney Springs walk myself and see if it dramatically improves my opinion. Bike rental, fun! A skill I never learned, whoops lol. But yeah the split stay idea is great, if you're up to it :) Yes the BRV refurb looked so good and I too hope they go that direction for AKV. It would be stunning! And omg yay upgrade! Wow! How did you find out if you dont mind me asking? Like did you go check in at the front desk and a CM let you know, or did you do the online check it and then surprise it was a 1 bed? Worst for transpo... that's such a great thought. I think AKV has to be up there, but I totally hear your argument about WL/Fort Wilderness too. I think Maybe Fort Wilderness is worse in my minds eye than Wilderness Lodge, because even having a car doesn't fix it in some cases (like if I stay at the Cabins, sure I can park a car there, but if I want to go over to Hoop Dee Doo my car does me basically no good lol). But yeah I generally really cringe at the pace of the boat transport--same for the friendship boats between BoardWalk and Beach Club and Hollywood Studios... so slow! If I was just a more chill person maybe I could enjoy the slow pace, but that's not for me haha. Sorry this took so long to read/reply. I can't even begin to explain the shenanigans going on in my day job (that really have been going on since October but dramatically escalated in ridiculousness in December). It sounds like I may get some relief starting in a couple of weeks though. Fingers crossed. I hope your holidays were awesome!!

@@PixieDustPhD No worries, Jacqueline! Happy New Year! I figured you were just taking time off for the holidays. Yes, my holidays were fun. No Florida travel like I've said, it's time to scale back on the high priced holiday tickets and get ready for the final shove in a year! Hope your job is ok at this point. Yeah, what is Disney thinking about with these barely distinguishable names? Maybe they should do something like organize WL, CC, BR and the CC cabins clearly on the national park theme and the rest of it more explicitly on a regular more casual camping theme? I have never had a problem with AKV transport. I mean, manage your expectations--it's always going to be a bus and nothing else. But I have never waited long, never had a full bus pass me, and the travel times are not long. I can now say that SSR wasn't bad either. WL is markedly worse than both. I waited 25 minutes for a bus to MK. I actually get very anxious when I feel stranded and there are no transport options. Like racing heartbeat anxious. I don't think WL is my thing in general. It's not close to anything and I didn't think Geyser Point was very special. But that room was very nice! I had no idea I'd been upgraded until I walked in and saw the kitchen. I wonder if it happened because it was a one night stay? Oh yes, I'd love for you to stay at Riv and SSR so we can compare notes. Speaking of refurbs, have you heard that people--me included--are having trouble booking AKV at the 11-month mark, most likely due to rooms being taken out for the reno? I may not be able to do my holiday trip this year.... Thanks, Jacqueline and Happy New Year again!

I've never purchased an AP either, but personally I don't think I would spend my points on it. 75 direct DVC points for a uh ~$1150-ish AP values the points at roughly $15/point. That's not awful, but I mean DVC itself sells the one time use points for $20 per point... so... definitely the AP conversion rate definitely undervalues them imo. That being said, I also only have 150 direct points to spend, so I certainly would not throw half of them to an AP I could just put on a credit card and call it a day. But if I had, I don't know, 300+ points I might be singing a different tune! No judgement from me, just adding some layers of perspective to the convo :)

@@PixieDustPhD ahh and totally agreed and thanks for the further details on the DVC to AP pricing! - I won't go there, ha, as it does take a big bite away from DVC points that could be much better used for a resort, cruise, etc IMHO.

Oh yes totally, good point. I totally glossed over it because I feel like we've all been smacked in the face over and over about 'qualifying members' haha, but yeah I 100% assumed it would be direct only points and thank you for letting me know that got confirmed!!

Hi - thanks for those kinds words and I'm glad this helped! I basically started my channel because I was very annoyed by all the folks who take 45+ minutes to cover topics I felt could be covered in 10-15 minutes if they just cut the fluff and spoke at an efficient pace. So I actually purposefully go this fast--it's part of the channel mission/ethos. But! I do update all the captions, and I find reading along is super helpful for comprehension, so if you also learn better that way you could turn captions on. Also you can adjust the playback speed via your KZbin settings if that's helpful. Thanks again!

The sofa in the living room does convert to a bed, yes!

Ha, I also have an engineering background so we probably have a common frame of thought :)

​@@PixieDustPhD I can see it!

Ooohh can't wait for the full report out! So glad you enjoyed your escape away :)

Congrats on your recent-ish purchaes and I'm glad this was helpful!

LOL he's just chillin hahaha. I just ask him to be quiet when I film these room tours and like he can stay and chill, or he can exit the room. And he chooses to stay so that's that hahahah

Oh for sure, if you were already going to buy a single entitlement memory maker at WDW this just makes sense period. A lot of people who buy the AP via DVC though also buy the memory maker add-on, so a perk for some but not for all! Overall, such a strangely constructed bonus program in many regards haha

@PixieDustPhD I can understand but as a west coast resident who only owns enough points to go to DW 5-6 days a year, and no need for the extra discount perk (since just being a DVC member gives you all the same discounts), as well as no need to park a car, the AP isn't worth it for me (you need to go at least 10 days to recoup cost without the extra factors). This, however definitely is, since I always want Photopass.

Yeah I should probably put an update in the description, for sure lol. For such a minor update (that's the only thing that changed, right?) I just don't think it justifies an entire separate video. I usually mention small news bits in my monthly creator update, but ultimately I definitely am not a Disney news channel hahah :)

It actually is a major update which a lot of people aren't aware of! The cost of those deluxe resorts are ridiculously expensive so to have it available at all resorts is huge🩵 You did a great video covering this, just saying it could probably help a lot of people if you addressed it.

Literally our main disagreement. I hold out hope Riviera can change my mind once I stay. We'll see haha. Eee so 1 day now?! YAY. Can't wait for you to get in some well earned relaxation.

Yeah the ticket deals just feel SO constrained. There's the household rule, the this exact number of days, the weekdays only, at WDW it's a pretty short use window too... and then yeah I saw the prices drop and the WDW discount was sssaaaadddd lol. I mean better than nothing if it works for you, but to your point not gonna work for all travel plans (maybe most travel plans? It's just so restrictive)!

Yeah you can definitely like straight up ask for them not to do the whole schtick! I have friends who have successfully done this and they said it wasn't weird lol. But yeah "corn" as a veggie is hilarious. Compared to Sci-Fi that's so hard... mostly because I don't actually eat burgers (I know, I know, I'm a very strange eater) so I feel like I haven't had like "the featured thing" at Sci-Fi? I personally prefer 50's prime time, but I mean I don't know that deep fried cheese puck has a choke hold on me LOL

Oof yeah I saw the ticket discounts/details were released and ehhhh yeah the lack of flexibility is rough. If I want a 4 day ticket at Disneyland, better off buying that then doing a 3 day through this "perk" and a single 1 day ticket, which is frustrating for sure. And yeah I think I'll probably forever gripe about the household rule. Just feels so unnecessary. It's not an annual pass, it's a single ticket!

LOL literally when you used to be able to sit at the bar at Tune In Lounge and order off the whole menu... ideal. No reservation, no schtick, just got to eat and drink the good things. I really wish that was still a thing.

Every trip omg I love a tradition. But yeah food is definitely better than I would expect if you only paid attention to the general discourse. Milkshake to go! Brilliant!! I'll file that one away for next time for surrrreee

Literally my anxiety brain takeaway from these dang videos is "well if I just got a small BWV contract..." like the home resort priority up through like 7 months + 1-2 days is nearly always fine (there are a few rooms that are clear exceptions to this and book out well in advance, but it feels like a true minority). It's that 7 month scramble that freaks me out!!! But literally I don't need more points, truly hahahaha

Yes definitely - agree WDW is just the perfect thing :) So soon, ah early December... gonna be so magical. I can't wait to hear about it. Thank you! One of my best friends from my PhD program is coming to spend the holiday with me, so I'm really excited. We booked some excellent restaurants for our meals haha. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too! Hope you get a nice little break :)

Ommggg yay! Don't you love it when the extra effort pays off?! Congrats, how exciting!!!

Ooohhh congrats on the booking and how exciting! I am not a fan of most of the mattresses on the pull down beds I've tried out, but also my body is riddled with injuries so I recognize I'm quite a bit more sensitive about this stuff than most. I hope it works out for you and you love it! Agree the points cost for everything you get in the resort is soooo good.

Ugh I know that availability is like artificially high right now... there's no chance it stays this good by the time I want to book something over there haha, but we can hope (even if that's a bit delusional?)!

@@PixieDustPhD I'll get there eventually, but the points chart is so high and I expect the whole resort to be uncomfortably crowded. I think the standard view duo studio is the same points as an AKV savanna view deluxe studio. Savanna view! C'mon!

Yeah poly points chart isn't kind, but neither is Riviera's! haha. It will be crowded though for sure for sure. AKV remains such a steal. AKV and BWV, the points cost for what you get is just chefs kiss unmatched.

@@PixieDustPhD Riv standard view isn’t bad. Comparable to Beach Club and Bay Lake; less than Poly and VGF. AKV I keep pinching myself. This summer being able to get a savanna view for my mother and aunt AND score a value studio for myself both for probably fewer points than a Riv preferred studio was amazing. Actually, I should add the points and compare out of interest.

OK couldn’t help myself and looked. Yeah, it was 26 points per night for both AKV studios. One Riv preferred would’ve been 21; Poly would’ve been 24 and GF theme park view 28. So yeah, magic!