110 GF Or 140 AKL

[ahward]

My wife and j have just signed for 110 points at GF via resale. However we are starting to think we made a mistake. As per the contract we have 10 days to withdraw penalty free.

GF is $157
AKL is $107

We are now thinking we should go for AKL due to more points and less upfront cost. Our workings out makes AKL more expensive over the 15 years we expect to have to contract. They are both stripped points AKA available from 2021.

We plan to go May 2022 on our first trip and then every 3 years afterwards. Mostly during August and Christmas. We are a family of 5 which makes things slightly more difficult in terms of needing a AKL 1 bed room.

Our 3 kids are currently 2.5 and Twins at 1 month old. We thought monorail would be perfect for magic kingdom and Epcot but found that transport time from AKL isn’t that bad. However we are still worried about A double pram on busses.

AKL give us more points but we have to use more for a 1 bed room. Where as GF allows us less points for a studio.

Also kids I am sure would prefer animal kingdom over GF.

financially it makes sense to go for GF as it seems the points value are higher and will likely stay the same or even go up. Where as animal
Kingdom has higher due which over time increases cost.

i am starting to lose sleep over this and really struggle. Any help or advice would really be appreciated.

 

[glamdring269]

Studios are hard to come by so I wouldn't go for VGF if you're looking at an every 3 year studio at Christmas. Seems like a recipe for frustration. Out of the 2 I'd personally go with AKV as you'll more than likely have no trouble getting whatever you want in Aug/Dec.

Alternatively, if you're good with studios you might want to take a look at Poly. Currently the best value of the bunch.

 

[ahward]

Studios are hard to come by so I wouldn't go for VGF if you're looking at an every 3 year studio at Christmas. Seems like a recipe for frustration. Out of the 2 I'd personally go with AKV as you'll more than likely have no trouble getting whatever you want in Aug/Dec.

Alternatively, if you're good with studios you might want to take a look at Poly. Currently the best value of the bunch.

We had our tour around Polly , we didn’t really like the vibe. Also they seem easier to book at the 7 month mark than the other two.
I regret not looking at the busses from the resorts. How are they? Do they get over crowded etc ?

 

[chicagoshannon]

Keep in mind that right now borrowing points is limited to 50% of the next years points. Hopefully this will be temporary but we can't count on it. Make sure you're getting enough points when thinking about that.

AKL Kidani has 2 bathrooms with a 1 bedroom. With 3 kids that will be very nice. Maybe see if you can find a 150 point contract there at around $100 or offer that much. You should be able to get that through right now.

Studios sound good but they are tight with 5 people. We use them with 4 and it's not ideal.

 

[glamdring269]

We had our tour around Polly , we didn’t really like the vibe. Also they seem easier to book at the 7 month mark than the other two.
I regret not looking at the busses from the resorts. How are they? Do they get over crowded etc ?

Buses are really just going to depend on time of day. I've been on a bus with a handful of people and I've been on plenty that are completely packed (seats taken + standing). But who knows what transportation might look like in 2022 much less your subsequent trip in 2025.

I do think actually being able to book your accommodation may be the bigger concern for you at this point. I don't own at VGF but the one thing I have read enough comments on is that it is very difficult to get a studio even at 11 months at certain times of year.

I've never been able to book Poly at 7 months but have only tried to do so in early Oct & Christmas.

 

[Cfrone]

Some random food for thought...we are in a similar boat with 3 children (ages 10, 7, 4) and honestly, you'll probably quickly outgrow a studio. When we had just two children, we did a studio at BLT and it was fine but the next two times we went (with three children), we had larger accommodations (a 2BR at BLT with another family and a 1BR at AKV) and I cannot imagine doing a studio again. As the kids get older, fitting all 5 in a studio is going to be a challenge so I wouldn't plan on doing a studio at VGF for the long haul. You can probably get away with a studio for a few years but will probably be looking at 1BR/2BR in the not too distant future.

From staying at BLT a couple of times, I'd strongly recommend taking a look there. The walk to MK and access to the monorail is great with little kids - we were able to roll our stroller right on to the monorail. And BLT gives you the flexibility to grow into larger rooms (Poly only has the studios and Bungalows).

 

[ahward]

Some random food for thought...we are in a similar boat with 3 children (ages 10, 7, 4) and honestly, you'll probably quickly outgrow a studio. When we had just two children, we did a studio at BLT and it was fine but the next two times we went (with three children), we had larger accommodations (a 2BR at BLT with another family and a 1BR at AKV) and I cannot imagine doing a studio again. As the kids get older, fitting all 5 in a studio is going to be a challenge so I wouldn't plan on doing a studio at VGF for the long haul. You can probably get away with a studio for a few years but will probably be looking at 1BR/2BR in the not too distant future.

From staying at BLT a couple of times, I'd strongly recommend taking a look there. The walk to MK and access to the monorail is great with little kids - we were able to roll our stroller right on to the monorail. And BLT gives you the flexibility to grow into larger rooms (Poly only has the studios and Bungalows).

Thank you BLT is slight to expensive for us at and the points required is much higher for 1BR. Thank you for the advise on Studios, we didnt really think about future proofing when they are older.

Has anyone cancelled within the 10 days from when they signed the contract?

 

[ldo]

We love AKV. We found having a full kitchen and laundry in the room was very nice. Plus an extra room to put kids to bed and then still be able to watch TV, etc. I'd pick a 1 BR over studio anyday (also family of 5). Plus, think about that extra spaces as kids grow. Also, AKV has an excellent community hall (parents must stay) where our kids spent countless hours doing crafts, coloring, playing ps4 with every Disney/Pixar game. We got off a Disney cruise and DD wanted to go back to AKV and liked it better than the kids club on DCL. The animal enrichment activities are fantastic at AKV--making a wreath studded with molasses/seeds for birds, weaving leaves to hang for giraffes with a guide from Africa talking to us.
Being on a monorail is nice--we used it with hotels. You have to fold up strollers to get on the bus. As long as you don't leave the park right when it closes, the buses are not that big of a deal. I don't see a big difference between buses to AKV vs other DVCs maybe 5-8 minutes more. We are very happy with AKV.

 

[RoseGold]

There are just so few studios at VGF and it is so tight at Christmas anyway, this sounds like a bad plan.

I agree you will need a 1BR eventually, and BLT is a good balance of cheaper 1BRs and a long, good value contract. AK is much easier to book at 7 months.

You could also go with the old cheap SSR points and book whatever you can get at 7 months. This might not work for the next couple years, but it has historically worked all right, especially for 1BR.

 

[ahward]

We love AKV. We found having a full kitchen and laundry in the room was very nice. Plus an extra room to put kids to bed and then still be able to watch TV, etc. I'd pick a 1 BR over studio anyday (also family of 5). Plus, think about that extra spaces as kids grow. Also, AKV has an excellent community hall (parents must stay) where our kids spent countless hours doing crafts, coloring, playing ps4 with every Disney/Pixar game. We got off a Disney cruise and DD wanted to go back to AKV and liked it better than the kids club on DCL. The animal enrichment activities are fantastic at AKV--making a wreath studded with molasses/seeds for birds, weaving leaves to hang for giraffes with a guide from Africa talking to us.
Being on a monorail is nice--we used it with hotels. You have to fold up strollers to get on the bus. As long as you don't leave the park right when it closes, the buses are not that big of a deal. I don't see a big difference between buses to AKV vs other DVCs maybe 5-8 minutes more. We are very happy with AKV.

I really don't like the idea of having to fold up a stroller which is a double. What are the buses like? why do you have to folder them/? What if kids are asleep? etc?

 

[RoseGold]

If you are having doubts, CANCEL. There are plenty more contracts out there. Take your time. DVC is not going anywhere. The masks and uncertainty about the parks might even make prices keep going down.

 

[limace]

I’d rescind now before you do anything else-there will always be another contract. And then research til your eyes bleed. As others can explain better than I, an every three years plan is hard and will typically involve you losing some points. You have a ton to think about and consider.

 

[Cfrone]

I really don't like the idea of having to fold up a stroller which is a double. What are the buses like? why do you have to folder them/? What if kids are asleep? etc?

You'll have to fold the stroller on all the buses; a pain but no way around it (at least that we're aware of). On our first two trips, we brought our large City Select double stroller and it was a pain to deal with on the buses. On our most recent trip we used a double folding umbrella style stroller and it was much easier to deal with on the buses.

 

[ahward]

You'll have to fold the stroller on all the buses; a pain but no way around it (at least that we're aware of). On our first two trips, we brought our large City Select double stroller and it was a pain to deal with on the buses. On our most recent trip we used a double folding umbrella style stroller and it was much easier to deal with on the buses.

We dont like the idea of having to wake young kids then fold the stollers, it may be a deal breaker for AKL

 

[ahward]

If you are having doubts, CANCEL. There are plenty more contracts out there. Take your time. DVC is not going anywhere. The masks and uncertainty about the parks might even make prices keep going down.

We are going to sleep on this before cancelling, I am assuming they wont be taking any deposit until after the 10 days?

 

[Rm4OneMore]

We dont like the idea of having to wake young kids then fold the stollers, it may be a deal breaker for AKL

Have you tried the Minnie Van service yet? On our last trip in 2018 we made heavily use of the service, especially after waiting 3 hours with our, at the time, 6 & 3 year old for a bus after the Magic Kingdom fireworks.

 

[ahward]

Have you tried the Minnie Van service yet? On our last trip in 2018 we made heavily use of the service, especially after waiting 3 hours with our, at the time, 6 & 3 year old for a bus after the Magic Kingdom fireworks.

No i havent how does it work, does it provide 3 car seats for the children?

 

[ldo]

If you're only going every 3 years, the stroller issue with sleeping kids will likely be mute after 1-2 trips. We bought a timeshare week at the beach largely because of the fabulous shaded zero entrance pool when I had 3 kids age 3-7--it was a delight for me to sit at waters edge while they played. We outgrew the need for that pool in 4 years. Wish I'd thought more long term.

 

[Rm4OneMore]

You use the Lyft app to order the vehicle. They pull right up to the park/resort and whisk you away. It saved us so much time. I'm honestly not sure about three car seats. I know they do have two, although Florida's car seat rules are more relaxed than our state's, and my son did not have to use a car seat.

 

[chicagoshannon]

We dont like the idea of having to wake young kids then fold the stollers, it may be a deal breaker for AKL

you're gonna have to fold the stroller at some point as the monorail doesn't go to 2 of the parks.