Hi Kelly,
It's great to have you back with us at the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I hope you are getting some great advice for your magical first vacation to Walt Disney World Resort.
A major reason that our family became Disney Vacation Club Members was the flexibility to chose from a variety of Resort accommodations, creating a unique vacation with each visit to our happiest places.
When we are choosing our next Villa, we first decide on a touring style for that particular vacation. Sometimes we plan a very theme park focused experience where we arrive at opening ceremonies, enjoy
table service dining for several meals per day, and find ourselves ushered towards the exit at night. We have also enjoyed an entire Walt Disney World Resort vacation without ever stepping foot in the theme parks, believe it or not!
So I think when you are trying to decide between a Deluxe Studio or a 1-bedroom villa, you need to ask yourself how you envision your vacation. If you believe that you might really enjoy slower mornings with some extra lounge time, you might find that you really appreciate the extra space of a 1-bedroom villa. I will say that we love preparing our own breakfast and enjoying our eggs and toast out on a beautiful private balcony. Packing snacks and lunches conveniently from your fully equipped kitchen is also an excellent way to stretch your vacation dollars.
Please keep in mind that 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom Disney Vacation Club Villas also come equipped with a full size washer and dryer. We have used this to pack a little lighter and save some of those extra airline baggage fees.
I hope that helps as you try to make your difficult decision!
Sally