Purchase Animal Kingdom?

[Kim Gillihan]

I am seriously considering purchasing dvc after years of thinking about it. I have gone around and around regarding Saratoga, Bay lake and now I am thinking Animal Kingdom

My reason is I love animal kingdom. The resort looks amazing. I want to purchase a place that there is some value to booking at 11 months. My only concern is location, but I have stayed at pop and the buses didn't bother me. i loved being on site and being able to use the busses. AK seems to be reasonable right now as far as getting more points for my money as well.

I was set on bay lake mainly due to location but I hate that it is so many points to stay there in anything over a studio. We are only a family of 3 now but may grow and or always try to travel with friends so would prefer a one or two bed more of the time and bay lake is so many points probably could't afford to stay there lots of the time anyway.

I love the idea of buying Saratoga but afraid of the 7 month window issue. At leaset at Animal I could opt for concierge level is want to which I read is next to impossible at less than 11 months.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!! If I am missing something, please let me know, it doesn't seem like AK is one of the popular options.... Thanks in advance. KIM

 

[disneynutz]

Buy where you love to stay.
Your resort will become more important to you as time goes on.
Booking CL at AKV is almost impossible.
You get what you pay for. There is a reason why some resorts seem like a better buy.

Bill

 

[Kim Gillihan]

Bill, Thanks... is booking CL still impossible at 11 months?

 

[supersnoop]

I want to purchase a place that there is some value to booking at 11 months.

There's very little benefit at 11 months at AKV. Only the value and club rooms are difficult to book. It's a large resort with lots of rooms and plenty of availability at 7 months. You'd probably pay less if you purchased SSR and booked a standard room than if you purchased AKV and booked a value room.

That said, AKV is a decent "value". When comparing the length of contract and maintenance fees, they come out SSR, BLT, and AKV, in that order.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Yes, even at 11 months CL can be difficult to book. There are only 5 2BR lock-off units in Club Level, for a total max of 10 units. Because someone can block a unit out for 7 days when initially booking, there may be 0 availability on your 11 month date. Many people walk reservations. Waitlists aren't 100% impossible, but because of the small number of units they aren't something to be overly optimistic about either.

 

[disneynutz]

IMO CL at AKV is more of a novelty, done once and done. The room views are the worse, the food and drink okay but not worth the money, the service from concierge, mixed.

Bill

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

AKL is a beautiful resort. You can't go wrong there. The only downside you already know, which is the necessity to take buses, but the buses work well. When I stay there I get such a sense of peace. Good luck.

 

[DVC Doctor]

Pay attention to annual dues as AKV is more expensive than SSR and over time that may add up

 

[Kim Gillihan]

Got it... thanks so much for your information. I am a little concerned about mait fees.... What do you guys think about booking AK at 7 months if I were to buy SSR instead for those reasons? I am just nervous about it and like bill says buy where you want to stay and for me excited about. I know I will like SSR and any of the resorts, the idea of being on property vs. not is the main thing for me, but there is just something about akv I just get excited about. And, I have been reading about people who own blt and are even having hard time getting reservtions at 11 months! What? thats the whole reason to own, I for sure don't want to pay a premium for BLT and not be able to reserve.. crazy

also, I am having hard time deciding how many points! I am afraid to get too few.... seems like if I want a 2 bd I need 300 min or 200 bank and borrow when have guests join us. Its hard to think about spending this kind of money and not have enough points to do what you want!

 

[supersnoop]

And, I have been reading about people who own blt and are even having hard time getting reservtions at 11 months! What?

Standard studios at BLT during the first week of December are difficult to book at 11 months. Club Level at AKV are practically impossible all year. Value studios at AKV are also difficult. Standard studios at BWV during Food & Wine can be difficult at 11 months.

Basically, there are a couple of room types at certain times of the year that might be difficult to book at 11 months, but that's not indicative of the whole program.

Personally, I own at BLT and BWV for the times I want to book my preferred resort at 11 months. I also own SSR for when I want to roll the dice at 7 months, or when I try to piece something together with only a month or two notice.

Based on availability, I, personally, don't see any benefit to the home resort booking period at AKV. You can see some historical data here: http://disboards.com/threads/predic...-some-1-bedrooms-vgc-update-10-21-15.3419112/

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

Just to quantify the difference in Maintenance Fees between AKV and SSR, it is about .98 per point, or $98 per 100 points. In your scenario of 300 points, this would be about $295 per year in additional MF at AKV over SSR. It is something to consider, but not a showstopper. My advice is to buy where you want to stay.

 

[rg35]

I'd suggest buying where you want to stay most. AKV does have a lot of rooms, but there's no guarantee you'll get what you want at 7 months in. Last year I tried to book a 1BR standard at AKV in January for a late June/early July trip, and couldn't get anything. We wound up staying at OKW instead (which is fine - my grandparents were early owners there and it has senitimental value for me, and we like staying there)...but moral of the story is if you really want to stay somewhere you should buy that resort.

 

[Kim Gillihan]

Thank you so much for all of your help! I wish I could say I am 100% sure of what the decision is! I can see the value of Bay lake... Its just so many points to stay there but if need to sell, seems would sell well. But, its expensive! and lots of points to stay there. A lot of the reason for us doing this is to stay in nicer, roomier space and from what I understand, the studios are not roomy.

I will continue thinking and considering, but would like to quick as I would love to make a thanksgiving trip but may already be too late!!

 

[disneynutz]

Thank you so much for all of your help! I wish I could say I am 100% sure of what the decision is! I can see the value of Bay lake... Its just so many points to stay there but if need to sell, seems would sell well. But, its expensive! and lots of points to stay there. A lot of the reason for us doing this is to stay in nicer, roomier space and from what I understand, the studios are not roomy.

I will continue thinking and considering, but would like to quick as I would love to make a thanksgiving trip but may already be too late!!

You need to decide if paying the price to stay at a resort is worth it to you. Everyone has different tastes. likes, and dislikes. Some want DVC at the least expensive price possible, others don't mind staying at the value resorts, and still others want the best resorts with CL. After years of WDW/DVC stays we have settled on BWV, VGF, and VWL as our favorites and we don't mind paying the price to stay there. For us the parks are now an extra with the resorts being the main attraction.

Bill

 

[Kim Gillihan]

You need to decide if paying the price to stay at a resort is worth it to you. Everyone has different tastes. likes, and dislikes. Some want DVC at the least expensive price possible, others don't mind staying at the value resorts, and still others want the best resorts with CL. After years of WDW/DVC stays we have settled on BWV, VGF, and VWL as our favorites and we don't mind paying the price to stay there. For us the parks are now an extra with the resorts being the main attraction.

Bill

 

[Dean]

I am seriously considering purchasing dvc after years of thinking about it. I have gone around and around regarding Saratoga, Bay lake and now I am thinking Animal Kingdom

My reason is I love animal kingdom. The resort looks amazing. I want to purchase a place that there is some value to booking at 11 months. My only concern is location, but I have stayed at pop and the buses didn't bother me. i loved being on site and being able to use the busses. AK seems to be reasonable right now as far as getting more points for my money as well.

I was set on bay lake mainly due to location but I hate that it is so many points to stay there in anything over a studio. We are only a family of 3 now but may grow and or always try to travel with friends so would prefer a one or two bed more of the time and bay lake is so many points probably could't afford to stay there lots of the time anyway.

I love the idea of buying Saratoga but afraid of the 7 month window issue. At leaset at Animal I could opt for concierge level is want to which I read is next to impossible at less than 11 months.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!! If I am missing something, please let me know, it doesn't seem like AK is one of the popular options.... Thanks in advance. KIM

In terms of long term costs SSR will be the cheapest with BLT next then likely OKW and AKV. OKW scares me due to the transition issue. Ultimately you'll need to decide how you'll handle it and what you're most comfortable with. All of those are reasonable options. If you're OK getting stuck with SSR part of the time, that'd be my preference in this scenario. Certainly AKV value and BLT standard offer savings and benefits. If you want something that gives you a great 11 month option but still is relatively cheaper long term, I'd go with BLT, the lower due will end up being cheaper than AKV long term in all likelihood. If you just love AKV and want to stay there most of the time I don't see anything wrong with owning there. I am of the opinion that getting into AKV standard or savannah (Kidani) won't be that much of an issue but might require use of the wait list at times. Of course your unit type and potential volume could affect the issues. If you were a party of 5 and looking at 1 BR (instead of 3 right now), I'd drop SSR out. For studios I'd add BWV & VWL to the mix. If you're looking at sufficient volume, say 250 points or more, I might consider a combo with 2 home resorts. It doesn't sound like you've stayed at AKV, I likely would before buying there unless you've had multiple value stays. The other component is how for out can you book. For some of these options if you can't book 11 months out day 1, owning there does you no good anyway.

 

[Kim Gillihan]

Bill, I hear ya.... I will continue to think... sounds like for the most part AK is not hard to get into in general if I were to buy SSR...but Bay lake is still good option and in demand but more expensive. For me it may come down to less bay lake points or more AK or SSR points... to me I am thinking more points are more important.... I will continue to read and figure it out. We are still park crazy with my 8 year old and will be for many years which is why Bay lake sounded so good... but I am fine with busses... they don't bother me. I have only stayed on property once, at pop. Loved it. Just stayed at Wyndham bonnet creek last June, it was awesome, but hated driving to parks.. love just getting on a bus.

Thanks so much for your wonderful insight!!

 

[Kim Gillihan]

Dean,

you bring up some interesting points, I thought about doing a combo like you suggest.. but worry that if I want to book a 2 bedroom for a group I would then have to wait until 7 months because I wouldn't have enough points at either resort... am I missing something?

We are 3 now, possibly could grow to 4 and love to travel with other families when possible.

I think I would really like Bay lake in a 1 bed and larger.. I am not thrilled with the little studio situation. That's my main issue with BLT. But, location is awesome.

 

[ToddyLu]

You would need to book a split stay, say use 100 points and stay at BLT and 100 points and stay at SSR...or bank and borrow two years or points to book one year you do SSR and one year do BLT.

You do know about resale, right?

 

[ToddyLu]

We own 210 points at AKV, which we LOVE. DH and I do not have children and we enjoy going with family at times. I have been lucky enough to book two value studios the last few years when we take family....ummmmm...not this year. When I tell you I stalk the DVC website, I mean I count and recount everything and watch it for days. This year everyone was walking a reservation and there were no value studios for the first day at all. I am happy for those DVC members that got one because it is a very good option. Just makes it more difficult to stretch our points. For us we would never ever stay at BLT again...no personality....so everyone is different and there is nothing wrong with that.

In say 8 years you will have a 16 year old wanting to go to Disney Springs at night with a friend they brought. SSR makes that a good option. You and DH enjoy an evening of drinks and TV and the kids are in a known environment that you feel good about ( I hope it is still like that). So don't discount the fact that DVC will CHANGE THE WAY YOU DO DISNEY. You have made a financial commitment to the location....you age....the parks don't change fast enough and you decide to skip the fireworks and enjoy the resort....and then like DH and I you tell co-workers you enjoyed your room and watched TV on vacation. DVC makes DSINEY fill like home in a sense...you are so comfortable after 5-6 years of ownership. At least we are. It isn't so much about "Disney Vacation" and it is just a lovely vacation in a "deluxe" resort. In a way it spoils you. At 10 years ownership you decide to do a non park trip. I see it happening to us and I never would have believed it. It is GREAT!