Help me choose resort(s)

mastermind307

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 24, 2010
Here's the deal, I was planning a mother/daughter trip for June 2018. Then we had some unexpected expenses come up so my planning was put on hold. Just found out that our dental insurance will cover part of DD's braces, so now I'm hopeful that maybe we'll be able to go next June as originally planned. I'm looking at resorts again and trying to decide where to stay if we do get to go.

We'll be going for 7 nights and I want to spend around $250-$275/night. So around $1800 total. I am considering doing a split stay, but haven't decided for sure yet. I have it narrowed down to the following resorts that would be within my budget. Some would depend on the cost to rent points (using a company VS renting from an owner) or doing a split stay to stay within budget.

Location and food options, especially CS options, are a couple of our priorities.

POFQ - Might consider POR, but prefer POFQ, have stayed at both
AOA - Little Mermaid room, DD likes the looks of the rooms, never stayed or visited
BWV - Renting points, location is great, stayed here once
AKV - Renting Points, resort looks neat, never stayed or visited
BRV - Renting points, stayed here once and liked it, but that was before all the changes
BCV - Renting points, similar location as BW, never stayed here
BLT - Renting points, never stayed here


Give me the good, the bad, and the ugly of each resort and why I should or shouldn't do a split stay.
 
I'm not expert on the resorts. But if you want the convenience of being within walking distance to the parks, I'd say BLT for any of the days you intend to visit Magic Kingdom and BWV for any of the days you intend to visit Epcot/DHS. Won't make a difference with DAK since you need to bus there regardless of where you stay.

I'm a sucker for trying new things. AoA TLM rooms can save you a good deal of money but be forewarned they are the farthest from the main building and bus stops and it's quite a walk.
 
I'd do AKV out of the choices you listed. I prefer the villa at Jambo rather than kindani.
If ur enjoy ve the Most however POR has the best food court and you ll find very limited at POFQ when ur back late from the parks ( it's one of the only draw backs we note at fq)
Enjoy wherever you stay!
 
Here's the deal, I was planning a mother/daughter trip for June 2018. Then we had some unexpected expenses come up so my planning was put on hold. Just found out that our dental insurance will cover part of DD's braces, so now I'm hopeful that maybe we'll be able to go next June as originally planned. I'm looking at resorts again and trying to decide where to stay if we do get to go.

We'll be going for 7 nights and I want to spend around $250-$275/night. So around $1800 total. I am considering doing a split stay, but haven't decided for sure yet. I have it narrowed down to the following resorts that would be within my budget. Some would depend on the cost to rent points (using a company VS renting from an owner) or doing a split stay to stay within budget.

Location and food options, especially CS options, are a couple of our priorities.

POFQ - Might consider POR, but prefer POFQ, have stayed at both
AOA - Little Mermaid room, DD likes the looks of the rooms, never stayed or visited
BWV - Renting points, location is great, stayed here once
AKV - Renting Points, resort looks neat, never stayed or visited
BRV - Renting points, stayed here once and liked it, but that was before all the changes
BCV - Renting points, similar location as BW, never stayed here
BLT - Renting points, never stayed here


Give me the good, the bad, and the ugly of each resort and why I should or shouldn't do a split stay.
POFQ - no TS restaurant, small and intimate resort, boat transportation to DS
AOA (Little Mermaid room) - never any discounts on LM rooms, quite a walk to Animation Hall, good food court
BWV - scary clown pool, long hallways, no food court, can walk to both Epcot and HS
AKV - very long hallways at Kidani, must take buses for all transportation, no food court or CS at Kidani, peaceful resort and animals outside your balcony if you have a savanna view
BRV - never stayed here, cannot comment
BCV - nice feature pool, views are mostly of trees with some views of the quiet pool
BLT - extremely cramped studios, very generous kitchenette size, easy walk to MK

I'm not a fan of split stays, although I have done them in order to save points or if there is no availability for my full stay. I don't like feeling "homeless" on the day that I switch resorts. Disney makes it easy to do because they will transfer your luggage for you. And it does allow you to sample more than one resort during your trip. But the thought of packing up my stuff after only 3 or 4 nights is not appealing, especially when I have to do it again in another 3 or 4 nights.
 


POFQ - haven't stayed
AOA - stayed one night, very basic four walls around a bed
BWV - haven't stayed, but area is great as is the food
AKV - stayed at Jambo House. Try and get value rooms if possible, less points ($$$)
BRV - stayed at regular Wilderness Lodge, nice and relaxing
BCV - stayed here. AMAZING pool and food.
BLT - stayed here three times. Great for fireworks.


Personally, I'd choose Beach Club for the pool in June, plus close to Epcot. If you're more into MK, Bay lake Tower would be my alternate choice. AKL is another great one, especially if you can score a value room.
 
Have you considered renting points and staying at OKW? The resort has larger rooms, parking at your front door and Olivia's is a nice relaxing TS place to eat. This resort usually has availability and lower DVC point costs than most of the other DVC resorts.

AKV are also good. Cannot beat BLT for location to MK, but accommodations are expensive.
 
How old will your DD be at the time of the trip?

I'm also planning a mother/daughter trip for next summer. DD will be 12. She has requested GF and since we go around Labor Day we get some good deals. If the deal isn't in my price range my other choices are BC (stayed here last trip and LOVED it), BWI or POR/POFQ. I would put CSR on the list but due to the construction it's out.

I've also thought about a split stay with GF/BC or GF/BWI or POR/GF but last trip we did a split stay with Poly and BC and it was a pain being homeless one day. We are midday breaks at the pool people. When we went to BC around 2ish our bags weren't there yet so no changing into swimsuits. Also I don't like changing in public bathrooms or locker rooms.

We spend a lot of time by the pool so an amazing pool complex is important to us. We do RD, midday break by the pool for about 4 hours and then a PM park. So the resort is important to us.
 
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We need a little more information:

How old is your DD at time of trip?

Do you spend most of your time in the parks or will you spend some time at the resort enjoying it?

Which park is your favorite?

Will you have parkhopper passes or APs?

Plusses and minuses on these resorts (IMO):

POFQ - +compact size, beignets -long transport time to some parks, theming
AOA - +theming, food court - lots of families with young kids, noise level
BWV - +location, quick walk to Epcot, fireworks views in evenings, boardwalk, theming - long hallways, no food court
AKV - + theming, pools, savannah viewing, decent QS, wonderful TS -not walkable to any park
BRV - +theming, boat launch to MK, great QS -isolated
BCV - +pool, location, boardwalk, theming -lots of kids, i hate the smell they pipe in (I know most people love it), no food court QS
BLT - +views, location, walk to MK -i literally can't think of any.

If you're an MK loving, park commando the choice is clearly BLT, with BRV slightly behind. If you want to spend time outside of the parks, I recommend (in order): AKV, BWV, BCV
 
POFQ - no TS restaurant, small and intimate resort, boat transportation to DS
Of all you have mentioned, this would be my first option. LOVELY quiet resort. Good food court. Quite good in fact.

AOA (Little Mermaid room) - never any discounts on LM rooms, quite a walk to Animation Hall, good food court

DITTO except I found the food court horrendous on SO many levels (And I usually stay in the values)

BWV - scary clown pool, long hallways, no food court, can walk to both Epcot and HS

Very good food at Boardwalk Bakery but limited options and must go outside to get there.

AKV - very long hallways at Kidani, must take buses for all transportation, no food court or CS at Kidani, peaceful resort and animals outside your balcony if you have a savanna view

NO readily available food. I was ready to sample some of the animals on the savannah

BRV - never stayed here, cannot comment


I'm not a fan of split stays, although I have done them in order to save points or if there is no availability for my full stay. But the thought of packing up my stuff after only 3 or 4 nights is not appealing, especially when I have to do it again in another 3 or 4 nights.

DITTO again. I found the whole split stay thing to be a "Bother" in the words of Pooh!
 
Here's the deal, I was planning a mother/daughter trip for June 2018. Then we had some unexpected expenses come up so my planning was put on hold. Just found out that our dental insurance will cover part of DD's braces, so now I'm hopeful that maybe we'll be able to go next June as originally planned. I'm looking at resorts again and trying to decide where to stay if we do get to go.

We'll be going for 7 nights and I want to spend around $250-$275/night. So around $1800 total. I am considering doing a split stay, but haven't decided for sure yet. I have it narrowed down to the following resorts that would be within my budget. Some would depend on the cost to rent points (using a company VS renting from an owner) or doing a split stay to stay within budget.

Location and food options, especially CS options, are a couple of our priorities.

POFQ - Might consider POR, but prefer POFQ, have stayed at both
AOA - Little Mermaid room, DD likes the looks of the rooms, never stayed or visited
BWV - Renting points, location is great, stayed here once
AKV - Renting Points, resort looks neat, never stayed or visited
BRV - Renting points, stayed here once and liked it, but that was before all the changes
BCV - Renting points, similar location as BW, never stayed here
BLT - Renting points, never stayed here


Give me the good, the bad, and the ugly of each resort and why I should or shouldn't do a split stay.

I've stayed at all of the resorts listed and they are all great, except AoA. If you can afford mod or deluxe, I would take it off your list. It's super loud and chaotic. You really can't go wrong with any of the other resorts listed!
 
I'm not expert on the resorts. But if you want the convenience of being within walking distance to the parks, I'd say BLT for any of the days you intend to visit Magic Kingdom and BWV for any of the days you intend to visit Epcot/DHS. Won't make a difference with DAK since you need to bus there regardless of where you stay.

I'm a sucker for trying new things. AoA TLM rooms can save you a good deal of money but be forewarned they are the farthest from the main building and bus stops and it's quite a walk.

We don't mind walking so the walk from LM rooms to the main building wouldn't bother us. I'm not sure how appealing the resort would be to us overall. I showed DD pictures and she liked the LM rooms because they had teal and that's her favorite color. I'd still consider a stay at AOA, but I think it's moved to the bottom of my list.

I'd do AKV out of the choices you listed. I prefer the villa at Jambo rather than kindani.
If ur enjoy ve the Most however POR has the best food court and you ll find very limited at POFQ when ur back late from the parks ( it's one of the only draw backs we note at fq)
Enjoy wherever you stay!

If we decide on AKV, I think we would pick Jambo or Kindani. The main drawback for us is having to take a bus everywhere, but the resort looks amazing. If we don't stay there, I think we should at least take time to go visit it.

POFQ - no TS restaurant, small and intimate resort, boat transportation to DS
AOA (Little Mermaid room) - never any discounts on LM rooms, quite a walk to Animation Hall, good food court
BWV - scary clown pool, long hallways, no food court, can walk to both Epcot and HS
AKV - very long hallways at Kidani, must take buses for all transportation, no food court or CS at Kidani, peaceful resort and animals outside your balcony if you have a savanna view
BRV - never stayed here, cannot comment
BCV - nice feature pool, views are mostly of trees with some views of the quiet pool
BLT - extremely cramped studios, very generous kitchenette size, easy walk to MK

I'm not a fan of split stays, although I have done them in order to save points or if there is no availability for my full stay. I don't like feeling "homeless" on the day that I switch resorts. Disney makes it easy to do because they will transfer your luggage for you. And it does allow you to sample more than one resort during your trip. But the thought of packing up my stuff after only 3 or 4 nights is not appealing, especially when I have to do it again in another 3 or 4 nights.

I worry about feeling "homeless" on the day we switch resorts. We often rope drop and then are finished early afternoon and head back to the resort. We might not be able to do that so that's definitely something to consider. We may go visit family in Ft. Myers in the middle of our vacation, so we wouldn't be "homeless", but our room might not be ready when we come back and check in at the new resort.

POFQ - haven't stayed
AOA - stayed one night, very basic four walls around a bed
BWV - haven't stayed, but area is great as is the food
AKV - stayed at Jambo House. Try and get value rooms if possible, less points ($$$)
BRV - stayed at regular Wilderness Lodge, nice and relaxing
BCV - stayed here. AMAZING pool and food.
BLT - stayed here three times. Great for fireworks.


Personally, I'd choose Beach Club for the pool in June, plus close to Epcot. If you're more into MK, Bay lake Tower would be my alternate choice. AKL is another great one, especially if you can score a value room.

We loved the location when we stayed at BWV and so that's the area I would like to stay at again. We'd like to try BC, but it is a little more expensive that BWV standard view (if I could get that). But we could stay in the same area, but try a new resort at the same time.

Have you considered renting points and staying at OKW? The resort has larger rooms, parking at your front door and Olivia's is a nice relaxing TS place to eat. This resort usually has availability and lower DVC point costs than most of the other DVC resorts.

AKV are also good. Cannot beat BLT for location to MK, but accommodations are expensive.

I have considered renting points, that's the only way I can afford any of the deluxe resorts. I've looked at OKW and it seems so big and it seems similar to to the moderate resorts. And with only DD and me, we prefer to have the couch so we have a place to sit. But if a really good deal came along, I might consider it.

I'd like to stay at BLT, but it is on the higher end of my budget. That's where a split stay would make it more affordable.

How old will your DD be at the time of the trip?

I'm also planning a mother/daughter trip for next summer. DD will be 12. She has requested GF and since we go around Labor Day we get some good deals. If the deal isn't in my price range my other choices are BC (stayed here last trip and LOVED it), BWI or POR/POFQ. I would put CSR on the list but due to the construction it's out.

I've also thought about a split stay with GF/BC or GF/BWI or POR/GF but last trip we did a split stay with Poly and BC and it was a pain being homeless one day. We are midday breaks at the pool people. When we went to BC around 2ish our bags weren't there yet so no changing into swimsuits. Also I don't like changing in public bathrooms or locker rooms.

We spend a lot of time by the pool so an amazing pool complex is important to us. We do RD, midday break by the pool for about 4 hours and then a PM park. So the resort is important to us.


We need a little more information:

How old is your DD at time of trip?

Do you spend most of your time in the parks or will you spend some time at the resort enjoying it?

Which park is your favorite?

Will you have parkhopper passes or APs?

Plusses and minuses on these resorts (IMO):

POFQ - +compact size, beignets -long transport time to some parks, theming
AOA - +theming, food court - lots of families with young kids, noise level
BWV - +location, quick walk to Epcot, fireworks views in evenings, boardwalk, theming - long hallways, no food court
AKV - + theming, pools, savannah viewing, decent QS, wonderful TS -not walkable to any park
BRV - +theming, boat launch to MK, great QS -isolated
BCV - +pool, location, boardwalk, theming -lots of kids, i hate the smell they pipe in (I know most people love it), no food court QS
BLT - +views, location, walk to MK -i literally can't think of any.

If you're an MK loving, park commando the choice is clearly BLT, with BRV slightly behind. If you want to spend time outside of the parks, I recommend (in order): AKV, BWV, BCV


DD will be 11 (her birthday is August 16, so she'll almost be 12 when we go). We will swim some, but I don't see us spending all day at the pool. We will rope drop and be done early afternoon and might or might not go back to the parks in the evenings. I actually have 2 sets of tickets I purchased before there were expiration dates on them. One is 6 day base ticket and the other is a 7 day PH. I'm not sure which set we'll use on this trip. Probably will depend where we stay. If we stay at an EPCOT resort, then the PH would come in handy. We don't really have a favorite park, but Test Track is DD's favorite ride so we'll go to EPCOT at least twice and more if we stay in the EPCOT area and use the PHs. Magic Kingdom is usually a 2 day park for us, but DD is older and there's a lot of the rides she's not interested in anymore. Animal Kingdom was a one day park, but with Pandora it might be a 2 day on our next trip. Hollywood studios, it will depend on what is actually open when we go, but probably a one day park. We also want to do mini golf, we keep saying we're going to and never have.


DITTO again. I found the whole split stay thing to be a "Bother" in the words of Pooh!

The reason I'm considering doing a split stay is because DH isn't coming with us so this the perfect time to try it. There's no way I could do it if he was coming. Another reason is my sister and her family recently relocated to Ft. Myers for a job and I can't go to Disney and be 3 hours from them and not see them. So either I drive down for a couple days in the middle or end of my trip or they come up and spend a couple days at Disney. If I go down to Ft. Myers, I was thinking of going to Disney Tuesday-Friday, Ft. Myers Friday-Monday, and back to Disney Monday-Friday. So a split stay would actually work out well and then since I'm not at Disney over the weekend, the cost is slightly cheaper to rent points. But then I'd either have to drive to Disney (16 hours) or fly and rent a car (more money).

I've stayed at all of the resorts listed and they are all great, except AoA. If you can afford mod or deluxe, I would take it off your list. It's super loud and chaotic. You really can't go wrong with any of the other resorts listed!

Neither of us like loud and chaotic things so I'm really beginning to think that AOA might not be the resort for us unless we do a split stay.
 
If you go to AKL, it will be either Jambo or Kidani.
As others have said, Jambo is what I recommend. That is where the food court, beautiful spacious lobby is. I'm sure those who have stayed at Kidani will say it's nice too, but there is just more at Jambo and it's beautiful.
 
My family stayed at AKL Jambo house (2 nights) in June and then switched to Poly(7 nights). My husband and I have talked about it a few times and we both preferred AKL. I have always wanted to stay at Poly but I think that was a one time thing but will definitely stay at AKL again.
 
I would recommend AKV and/or Beach Club and Boardwalk (both offer similar amenities, with the exception of Stormalong Bay).
 
I'll stick up for AKV - yes, if you rely on Disney Transportation rather than driving yourself or renting a car, it can be marginally more inconvenient, but that whole resort is like a separate theme park that you actually get to sleep in. Best food on property (at all levels), great pool, best theming and the best grounds of any resort. The whole experience is magical - and it's usually a comparative bargain to other deluxe resorts. Especially if you're doing a split stay, I'd keep that in the mix. I've only stayed in Jambo House and just loved it.

Barring that, my favorite is BWV - I just love the rooms, being near 2 parks (well, one and a half until Star Wars and Pixar Lands are built) is great, Epcot World Showcase is my favorite place to visit (and such a short walk away) and heck - I look out my window, and there's the Boardwalk ! One of my absolute favorite places in the world to just sit and hang out.

As for split stays, I've never found packing up and moving a bother. I spend a lot of times in hotels for work - I can have that room loaded up and bug out in about 10 minutes at 5 in the morning half-asleep if I need to. I'm doing my first split stay in Disney this fall and I'm not worried about it at all. I'll have the luggage ready before we leave for DHS in the morning, and when we bug out, we're just driving straight to our next stop. Easy Peezy.
 

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