LOVE BC soooo much....having hard time deciding whether to stay onsite ever!

[princessap]

I was all set to stay at AKL for a few nights before moving to BC for a week making our trip ten nights!! But now I just feel like staying at BC the whole time...it would be 800 for two nights at AKL which is practically our whole week stay at BC!
My daughters really want water slides in their pool...are there any at BC (I cannot remember since we only used the pool once last time!)
Is it worth it to stay at AKL or should we just do a water park day instead and stay at BC for the whole time?
My DH wants to stay at BC the whole time and is trying to convince me by saying we could maybe do two weeks if we stay BC which is a very winning point!

 

[princessap]

over 100 views and no one can help me??

Is there lots to do at BC??

Should i do split stay with akl or just all at bc and do lots of stuff like bbb and dinners instead

 

[JimMIA]

By "BC" do you mean Wyndham Bonnet Creek...or Disney's Beach Club?

 

[MissDaisyofTexas]

I think there are 2 water slides at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. We were there in 2010 and my son (age 5 at the time) wasn't allowed on the one because he wasn't a strong enough swimmer. I think since we've been there they built a new Pirate water slide, which doesn't end in a pool, but I think there's a height requirement on it (anyone know?) But besides the slides, there are 2 lazy rivers, a kids' splash area, and overall the pools are great! I know it's hard, staying onsite is great but it's so darn expensive!

 

[Bellamouse]

Honestly, I looked but didn't answer because it sounded like such a no-brainer to me I kinda wondered why you even asked.

I would never even consider paying $800 for two nights. I would rather do a whole other week at Disney then pay $800 just to sleep in a small room for two nights (and be out of the room all day).

No pool slide is worth $800 to me. But that's just me maybe.....

 

[DaisyFoote]

I've never stayed at BC, but I've been thinking about it a lot. It sounds like BC has a lot of fans. I did stay at AKL on our last trip though. It's nice to do once, but I would never want to go back there again. We had to walk sooo far from our car to our room. We only saw a couple of giraffes from our savanah view room. So, I'd say stay at BC.

 

[mtaaja]

There are 2 pool slides at BC and 2 lazy rivers. I have stayed at both AKL and BC and I would go with BC for the whole stay, especially considering the cost of AKL.

 

[Portugal1000]

We are returning to BC at end of July for 3 whole weeks. This will be our 4th trip there in 4 years.
I agree with other post, its a no brainer. Would never spend $400 to stay in a Disney Resort. We are from UK and lucky enough to go twice a year sometimes. This will be our 9th trip in 7 years and BC definitely my favourite. SSR runs a close second. Last August we stayed at SSR for 3 weeks but that was due to 44% off and free dining which is offered to UK residents every year. We have done that a few times. Great deal but prefer the space at BC. Still actually works out cheaper to stay at BC but that is without eating in Disney restaurants all the time which you would of course get on Dining Plan.
I have an 11 year old son and I just asked him what he preferred, without a doubt BC. Great pools, lots going on, Very close to Disney.
Just one comment on AK, I always found the resort a little dark.
Hope this helps.

 

[snappy]

I like the restaurants at Animal Kingdom lodge, especially Sanaa. I also like the presentations given in the lobby in the evenings, if that is still offered. I also enjoy seeing the animals and talking to the CM 's from different areas in Africa.

Having said that, I found the room dark and small. We stayed in a converted DVC unit in Jambo house.

My DH had to do some work and send some emails while in the room. He had to rearrange the room to get enough light to be able to work.

I will probably always visit the resort in order to eat there and see animals. I am not sure if I will stay there again.

We have stated at BC multiple times in a 2 BR deluxe, once in a 3 BR deluxe, and twice in a 1 BR presidential unit. I really like the location, and we always have a car so that is not an issue.

We own a DVC contract at the Boardwalk, and I love the boardwalk view rooms. I will not give up my stays there. However, when I am out of points, I would prefer the rest of my stays to be in the Bonnet Creek area, either the timeshares at Wyndham Bonnet Creek, Hilton BC or the Waldorf Astoria BC.

You can get to either Downtown Disney or the Studios from WBC in 5 minutes. I like the rooms, we mostly have stayed in Towers 4, 5, and 6.

 

[eeyorepixie]

I can not comment on BC since I have never stayed there before, but if it is choise of 1 week vs. 2 week to me it is a no brainer.

 

[Donnainnj]

Our last trip included 4 nights at AKV (1BR 2 bath standard view) and 9 nights at WBC (2BR). If the price was the same at AKV and WBC we would choose AKV, but that of course is not the case, I paid more for the AKV for 4 nights then WBC for 9, at that difference, WBC won hands down.
Donna

 

[princessap]

Our last trip included 4 nights at AKV (1BR 2 bath standard view) and 9 nights at WBC (2BR). If the price was the same at AKV and WBC we would choose AKV, but that of course is not the case, I paid more for the AKV for 4 nights then WBC for 9, at that difference, WBC won hands down.
Donna

Thanks for the reply. Do you think my kids will be missing out by not staying onsite at AKV?? was thinking of doing dinner at Sanaa after our ak day...would you suggest that or not?

 

[princessap]

thanks to everyone for their replies....I am leaning toward doing the whole stay at BC and maybe doing 12 nights instead of ten, if I can convince DH!
I am worried that my kids will be missing out by not staying onsite at all, that is why I am torn??
I want to do lots of dinners and experiences like BBB etc. So the extra saved money could be used for those things.
For those who have never stayed onsite, do you feel like your kids or missing out??

 

[KellyWasHere]

thanks to everyone for their replies....I am leaning toward doing the whole stay at BC and maybe doing 12 nights instead of ten, if I can convince DH!
I am worried that my kids will be missing out by not staying onsite at all, that is why I am torn??
I want to do lots of dinners and experiences like BBB etc. So the extra saved money could be used for those things.
For those who have never stayed onsite, do you feel like your kids or missing out??

We stay offsite and onsite. My kids are young, 5 and 3, and I don't think they feel like they're missing out on anything. They liked the theming at All-Star Movies, but I don't think it was something they would've missing, as long as they have a nice water play area and a playground. There's plenty for them to see in the parks. When they get older, 13-14ish, we might want to stay onsite so they'll have the option of using the Disney transportation and going off on their own if they want ...

 

[Beemitchcowski]

thanks to everyone for their replies....I am leaning toward doing the whole stay at BC and maybe doing 12 nights instead of ten, if I can convince DH!
I am worried that my kids will be missing out by not staying onsite at all, that is why I am torn??
I want to do lots of dinners and experiences like BBB etc. So the extra saved money could be used for those things.
For those who have never stayed onsite, do you feel like your kids or missing out??

We are going to Bonnet Creek too and we are very excited!
Have you ever been to Disney with your kids before and stayed onsite? We are taking our kids for the second time..but have never stayed onsite..We stayed at Windsor Hills last time...We enjoyed it..it was very relaxing! I did feel though that we were "missing out"..but part of me thought that maybe its just because I got the little voice in my head repeating what some people say "Its just not the same..staying offsite..the magic that you miss out..yaddda yadda"....but you know what..it instantly shut off when I was able to put the kids to bed and hang out on a nice comfortable sofa to eat a bowl of icecream....and just relax!

In the end..my son loved having his own pool! ...We could of went almost anywhere for that!..So I think that as long as your kids have a fun area to go swimming--Which I here Bonnet Creek has an excellent pool for kids and a lazy river...they will be happy

I don't think that they will realize that they are not staying "inside of Disney"...because from what I understand..BC is within the gates...its just not owned....

I would have a really hard time spending $800 for 2 nights...I would feel like I would have to spend soooo much time at the room/resort to justify it...plus isn't AKL kind of far out when compared to other resorts? Meaning would it be closer/more convenient for you to be able to use Disney Transporation those few days?

 

[happymommy]

I've stayed onsite (almost exclusively in the past) and now that our kids are older, offsite several times in the last few years.

I've also stayed three times at AKL, so can definitely comment on that. Haven't stayed at Bonnet Creek, but have seen photos and know where it is.

To me, moving is a big hassle, and you pretty much lose a day, with packing and unpacking, checking in again, etc... I don't care for moving at all from one resort to another.

If it were me, I'd rather have the space of a villa, the washer/dryer and kitchen, even if it's just for snacks and morning coffee! We do cook a bit of easy things on vacations, since after a long day, the kids would rather eat in their jammies and relax than go out to eat. I love grilling some simple dinner, toss a salad, make a simple side dish, and relax then. It's not much work really! Plus the money we save is huge. We enjoy a nice lunch a couple of times sometimes, then simple dinners in.

I would go for a longer stay at the villa rather than a room at AKL. The first time we stayed there at AKL, it was just myself and my kids (ages 4 and 6) so we didn't get a rental car and we did enjoy that. But now there's no way we'll all 4 stay in one hotel room and actually enjoy it!

Even if your husband can't come the whole 12 nights I'd say go for it! Most often, my husband can't join me and the kids the whole trips, but Disney is so easy without him, even when my kids were little.

 

[Brian Noble]

I said this in your other thread, but I would not put the four of us in a single hotel room if it were free.

 

[2Pirates2Princesses]

I also posted in your other thread but I wanted to also add that you can always visit the Disney resorts for the experience. This is what we plan to do if we rent a condo or house for our next Disney trip. You can't swim in the pools if you aren't staying there but you can take a stroll around the AKL grounds to take in the theming, see the animals, make a dining reservation for one of the resort restaurants or eat in the food court, visit the gift shop, etc. The Disney resorts, particularly the Disney deluxe resorts, are great to visit to experience the theming, but I don't think I can justify the price to stay at one even for one night; especially considering that we can rent a really nice condo for a week for around the same price we would pay for one or two nights in a Disney deluxe resort.

 

[Donnainnj]

Thanks for the reply. Do you think my kids will be missing out by not staying onsite at AKV?? was thinking of doing dinner at Sanaa after our ak day...would you suggest that or not?

We did not eat at Sanaa, I wasn't sure my older girls would find something they liked there. I do not think the kids would be missing out. We really liked both resorts, I think the reason I would choose AKV if money was no object was for the "Disney Magic". I think the pools are pretty close in quality. Both are good. Both resorts had comfortable rooms with all you needed. We had 2BR at BC so the living room was actually used for living more. I think we had a 35% discount on the room at AKV and it was still more expensive there for 4 days then 9 at BC. We did have daily maid service at AKV which is nice, but you only get that if you are going through Disney and not an owner. My daughter is giving her 2 cents, and she said the animals, the theme and the little arcade are things they would miss out on. Take this with a grain of salt, coming from a 15 year old that doesn't pay the bill. But if the kids don't know what they are missing they will have a wonderful time either way.
Donna
(note: when I asked DD-15 if she would rather stay 4 nights at AKV or 9 at BC, BC came quickly out of her mouth)

 

[DCTooTall]

I'll chime in as well and say go with WBC for the full stay. If your kids really want water slides and the like, add in an extra day and with the money you'd still save, hit Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach.


As for missing out staying offsite.... Honestly I don't think so. I grew up going to disney every year as a kid in the 80's - mid 90's, before and During Disney's huge Hotel Building boom. My Parents owned timeshares, so we never stayed onsite. I remember all the fun times I had as a kid at our home resorts and can still remember enjoying playing around those places as a kid. I'm also still (Obviously) a HUGE Disney fan and don't feel that I missed anything growing up by not staying onsite.

Since I've started going back as an adult the past few years, I've done a few quick stays onsite, and still don't feel like I'm missing anything when I go Off-site. I enjoy driving, and Disney Transportation from the resorts just seems too slow getting around for me. When i've been at the onsite places, I still find myself not spending much time at the resort because i'm off doing things elsewhere on property. I may end up exploring the resort and some of it's fun nooks and crannies, details, and food options... but that's something I can do even if I'm not staying onsite and isn't really worth the huge premium I end up paying to stay there.

From a practical standpoint, I honestly feel the only things I'm missing by not staying onsite are my tickets on my room key, a mickey wakeup call, the ability to charge to my room using the key, and/or packages delivered to my room. All of those aren't worth the extra cost to me. (and package delivery to the front of the park is just as good and lets me enjoy my goodies quicker since its there when I leave instead of at my room the next day.)