Are Premium Views At DVC Resorts Worth It?



View from our window: Giraffe, Wildebeasts

It’s time to book your DVC vacation, but now you’re tasked with deciding if you should book a Standard View room or one with a Premium View. Any DVC resort room you book will have a large window, patio or balcony, but depending on the view you choose you could be viewing a lake, theme park or the parking lot. So how do you decide if you should spend the extra points to book a Premium View room? Let’s analyze a view factors to decide if DVC Premium Views are worth it.

Like most decisions you make when planning your Disney vacation, whether or not a Premium View room is worth it will mostly depend on how you like to travel and how much value you put into a Premium View. Here are a few factors you should consider when booking your room.

How Much Time Will You Be Spending In Your Room

Every family is unique and every vacation is different. When deciding if a Premium View room is worth it, think about how much time, if any, you plan on spending gazing out the window or lounging on your balcony. If, like many families you’ve got a packed schedule in which you’ll be running around the Disney Resort all day and return to your room late in the evening with just enough energy to pour yourself into bed, then maybe a Premium View would be an unnecessary use of extra points. 

However, if you’ve been to the parks hundreds of times and are planning to hang out at the resort for a day or two, get late starts each morning or return to your room early each evening to enjoy the sunset and a glass of wine on your patio, then it might be worth the extra points to take your lounging experience to the next level.

Which Resort Are You Staying In?

Premium Views at each resort are different. For example, the Grand Floridian offers Lake View and Standard View rooms. While Lake Views guarantee a lovely view of the lake, they do not guarantee a view of the theme park. So if you’re dead set on having a view of Magic Kingdom’s fireworks, you may wish to save your points and book a reservation at the California Grill instead.

Alternatively, if you have small children who are obsessed with animals, a premium Savanna View room at Animal Kingdom Villas might make your Disney vacation extra special. While some may argue that you can just head downstairs to the savanna viewing areas, if you love letting your children marvel at the mastic animals living in the savanna while you sip your coffee in the morning, no one can tell you that this extra experience is not worth the additional points. However, keep in mind that the Savanna View rooms do not guarantee that you’ll have animals outside your window every morning as AKL’s animals are free to roam the savanna and may be grazing on the other side of the property.

There are also many resorts that offer amazing Standard View rooms. For example, some Boardwalk Villas Standard View rooms have a great view of the new Skyliner and the World Showcase at Epcot. Select Standard View rooms at Bay Lake Tower offer views of Magic Kingdom’s fireworks. If you aren’t lucky enough to get booked into one of these well angled rooms at BLT, you can always head on over to Top of the World for a prime firework viewing spot.

How Many Points Do You Have Available to Use?

Another main factor to consider is how many points you currently have available for your vacation. If you’re planning on booking several vacations this year and need every point you can get, then it may be best to stick with Standard View rooms. After all, if faced with the decision of a Premium View or not going to Disney at all, I’d imagine most of us would forego the view for more time at the Disney Resort.

As an example, if you book a Theme Park View, 1-bedroom at Bay Lake Tower for 5 nights during Dream season it will cost you 241 points. While the same room with a Standard View would cost 176 points. If you feel that those extra 65 points can be better used for another vacation, by all means, stick with the Standard View and I guarantee no one will complain about your extra Disney vacation time.

Do you have a favorite view type at a particular resort? Share your story below and let us know why you feel Premium Views at DVC Resorts are worth it.

Guest Author

Katherine Rand

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