1 BR at OKW, AKV or BLT for fam of 5?

[DannysMom]

I will be a DVC owner soon (just passed ROFR this week.) We are a family of 5; me & DH, ODS age 9 & 3 year old twins. How comfortable are the 1 BRs at OKW, AKV & BLT for a family of 5?

The idea of being able to stretch points by booking a 1 BR at these 3 resorts is appealing, at least while twins are young. How comfortable is it? I'm thinking it should be OK. Just wanted feedback from people who have done it before. Thx.

 

[spiceycat]

you will be fine.

the least on points in your choices would be OKW. It only has 1 bathrooms.

BLT and AKV-K - has 2 bathrooms in a 1-bedroom.

blt is walking distance to the MK.
OKW is boating, bus or walking to the DD (west side - walking)
AKV-K you need to take the bus to everywhere but it is lovely

 

[bbn1122]

you will be fine.

the least on points in your choices would be OKW. It only has 1 bathrooms.

BLT and AKV-K - has 2 bathrooms in a 1-bedroom.

blt is walking distance to the MK.
OKW is boating, bus or walking to the DD (west side - walking)
AKV-K you need to take the bus to everywhere but it is lovely

We are a family of 5 but our 3 boys are big boys...12,14 and18. We own at BLT,but I seriously looked at OKW for our trip next year since the points would be a lot less than BLT. We stayed at AKL last year and there is plenty of room. The extra bathrooms are great, that was one of the reasons I did not do OKW, plus my sons love BLT and so we booked for next June. BLT is easy to get around very compact as compare to OKW is very spread out. I also love that BLT is part of CR it gives you two resorts in one, plus the being so close MK with little ones would be great you are a monorail ride to the TTC and a boat ride or monorail to 4 other resort.

I would vote BLT...AKL..then OKW, but Bay Lake eats up more points....good luck...

 

[DannysMom]

you will be fine.

We are a family of 5 but our 3 boys are big boys...12,14 and18. We own at BLT,but I seriously looked at OKW for our trip next year since the points would be a lot less than BLT. We stayed at AKL last year and there is plenty of room. The extra bathrooms are great, that was one of the reasons I did not do OKW, plus my sons love BLT and so we booked for next June. BLT is easy to get around very compact as compare to OKW is very spread out. I also love that BLT is part of CR it gives you two resorts in one, plus the being so close MK with little ones would be great you are a monorail ride to the TTC and a boat ride or monorail to 4 other resort.

I would vote BLT...AKL..then OKW, but Bay Lake eats up more points....good luck...

Thank you both for your thoughts. I know the "facts" about the different resorts but haven't stayed at them. It is good to know that they don't "feel" too crowded when filled to capacity.

 

[DougEMG]

Thank you both for your thoughts. I know the "facts" about the different resorts but haven't stayed at them. It is good to know that they don't "feel" too crowded when filled to capacity.

I've stayed in both the OKW and the AKV 1 bedroom and the OKW 1 bedroom was a lot larger. The living room/dining room/kitchen area was huge with a full size dining table in it.

Space wise, OKW can't be beat.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Love OKW( the 1st DVC) it's my favorite resort and it can't be beat for living space! It has a huge outside balcony/patio with a table, 4 chairs and a ceiling fan! One of the resorts with the added sleeper chair, will fill your needs very well!

I also love Kidani, the living space is quite a bit less than OKW but the resort is beautiful and certainly just as adequate for your family!

Depends on what you want, Tropical/Key West decor (OKW) or African/Animal decor (Kidani) Jambo is nice too but the villa layout doesn't work as well as Kidani!

Congrats and

 

[wdrl]

OKW, BLT, and AKV-Kidani Village all have the additional sleeper chair in the living room, so the one-bedroom villas at all three resorts will easily accommodate a family of five.

An OKW one-bedroom offers more square footage (942 sq ft) than BLT (803 sq ft) or Kidani Village (807 sq ft). However, at OKW you run the risk of being assigned a villa on the second or third floor. There are about 49 buildings at OKW and only three buildings have elevators. When you book your villa, you can book a handicapped accessible villa, or you can request a villa on the first floor. HA villas are guaranteed, but requests are not. I'm not sure if your older son has any mobility issues, but I know getting two tired or cranky (or both) 3-year-olds up two flights of stairs after a long day at the Parks can be a challenge.

Congratulations on passing ROFR and good luck on booking your first DVC stay.

 

[DannysMom]

However, at OKW you run the risk of being assigned a villa on the second or third floor. There are about 49 buildings at OKW and only three buildings have elevators. When you book your villa, you can book a handicapped accessible villa, or you can request a villa on the first floor. HA villas are guaranteed, but requests are not. I'm not sure if your older son has any mobility issues.

Thank you. That is an important thing to know that I was
unaware of. ODS does have some mobility issues. At WDW he uses a special needs stroller. Even so, the number of transfers as well as the heat do leave him quite wiped out. I don't know that he could safely do 2 flights of stairs, despite the fact that we do have stairs that he navigates every day.

 

[jekjones1558]

The ages of your kids would have me lean towards AKV because of the great pool area, if you will be going when the weather is warm (sometimes Dec. and January can be pretty cold). For size of unit, the OKW rooms win hands down and the extra bathroom probably isn't quite as important to you now as it will be as the kids get older. If you spend tons of time at MK then BLT would be great. You will do fine with any of these 3 so maybe you should try them all!

 

[sbobbio]

We enjoy AKV for the great atmosphere and have plenty of space to spread out DD 9,7,3 and mom, dad. Be aware of the bus pick up routes at OKW we were the last to be picked up and it was hard to get on the FULL bus

 

[hakepb]

I was going to suggest OKW because 2 bathrooms can quickly spoil you. But with mobility issues... You could minimise the risk at OKW by asking MS put in a medical request for ground floor or elevator bldg, but that is still not a guarantee.

I would lean BLT. You can monorail to MK and EPCOT (if you do not mind the TTC ramps) and that may mean more to you than other room amenities.

 

[DenLo]

BLT and AKV both have two bathrooms for a 1 BR. As your kids get older that might make a difference.