thelionqueen
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2005
- Messages
- 5,384
CAST
Me-Very young acting 40 (did I just write that?
) year old mother of 2 sons-DD12 & DD8. DH, very old acting (yes I did write that 
) 50 year old fantastic father and husband.
Trip-5/23-6/4/2010. First 5 nights @ BCV (1BR), next 2 nights @ AKV (first time-1BR) and 5 nights @ SSR 2BR. This is our first attempt at switching resorts 3 times, yes everyone else thought we were crazy too
We actually had a very easy, well let's say easier than I thought, time switching and didn't affect our itinerary very much at all...where to start.
The Good
Beach Club
Arrived @ BC to have a lovely CM named Sherri ask our name and escort us to the front desk and present us to the desk CM for check-in. Very nice touch and made us feel welcome! Surprisingly, all our requests were met and our room was ready at 1:30 when we arrived!
Room was clean and well stocked with all kitchen utensils, etc. Crowds @ SAB were VERY low! I was incredibly surprised by this but was very nice.
Even though we got notice that the slide would be out of order until the end of May, it was up and working fine. No schlepping over to BWV to annoy all their residents with our presence at their pool
Smore's at movies at the beach every night was a HUGE hit for my sons...that was definitely their favorite part of staying @ BCV. CM's went above and beyond at every point, and we had an excellent stay over all.
The Bad @ BC
SAB water is SOOO warm
I mean it was truly like swimming in a hot tub, I did not like it at all. That's really the only complaint about BC. But it will make me rethink my future summer trips @ BC.
The Good
Animal Kingdom Villas (Jambo)
The lobby is breathtaking! This was our first trip every to AKV as I had avoided it for years. But I decided to book a weekend for my kids who thought they would enjoy the animals.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the gift shop!! The CM's were AMAZING and the store was always clean and well stocked with great items. I spent a lot of my time here!
The views from the main lodge (rocking chairs, firepit, etc) is amazing.
The rooms were exactly as I had pictured, and I loved the island and openness in the kitchen.
The Bad-AKV
Let's just say I'm glad I visited AKV, as I had never done in the past, but I'm glad it was only for 2 days.
The hallways are narrow and dark and it felt like I was in a cave nearly our entire stay. The rooms are laid out well and open, but SO dark! I had to read my book outside on the balcony as I could never get proper light anywhere else.
The hallways go on FOREVER!!! Each hallway looks like the other and seem never ending! This is one major reason I will not return.
The resort itself is very far from "the action" and the long hallways made it seem even moreso.
I had a savannah view which definitely was not worth the extra points. The majority of our view consisted of a HUGE fenced area that was flat dirt, and dirt road and a very small portion of what I would consider a savannah. I went to the front desk to inquire, as I was certain this couldn't be a savannah view. She assured me it was a savannah view, and there was no animal refuge viewable from my room (she said that type view is noted on the room number). Let's just say that we had to pull the drape about halfway closed to block out the view of the empty gated dirt. We saw some giraffes which were wonderful, but other than seeing them briefly one afternoon, the rest of the animals that visited were vultures (sign?)
We walked to Kidani and were surprised how tiny the pool area was. Everyone kept telling us how awesome it is for kids, and it just didn't live up the hype for me. Jambo was definitely the better pick IMO, but I did just walk through, didn't stay.
All in all, I'm glad we stayed @ AKV, but will not return. Again, DVC has something for everyone and am glad I experienced it first hand.
On to Saratoga...
After our stay @ AKV, we were anxious to get "back into the fray" so they say. It seemed as if we were isolated from everything @ AKV and were ready to go. Bell services came up and got our bags and delivered them to the different resorts with no problems at all. Even our frozen and refrigerated foods made it cool/frozen and on time. VERY happy with this service although it did cost $10 each pickup and drop off..but it was well worth it.
Our room @ SSR was not ready until 4:00 but we expected as much. When we arrived in our dedicated 2br we were AMAZED how wonderful and clean it was!! All of our requests were met, and we were thrilled!
Reader's digest version of our SSR stay is that it was WONDERFUL in every way, and we just LOVE IT!!! CMs were fantastic, pool was cool and excellent and we wished we had stayed here instead of AKV.
For those of you still reading this "Stephen King" version of a trip report..thank you! We had a WONDERFUL trip and great DVC accommodations and experiences we will cherish!!! I am not trying to anger AKV lovers by my comments, these words are simply my opinion on our experience!! Any questions, please ask away!
Me-Very young acting 40 (did I just write that?
) year old mother of 2 sons-DD12 & DD8. DH, very old acting (yes I did write that ) 50 year old fantastic father and husband.Trip-5/23-6/4/2010. First 5 nights @ BCV (1BR), next 2 nights @ AKV (first time-1BR) and 5 nights @ SSR 2BR. This is our first attempt at switching resorts 3 times, yes everyone else thought we were crazy too
We actually had a very easy, well let's say easier than I thought, time switching and didn't affect our itinerary very much at all...where to start. The Good
Beach Club
Arrived @ BC to have a lovely CM named Sherri ask our name and escort us to the front desk and present us to the desk CM for check-in. Very nice touch and made us feel welcome! Surprisingly, all our requests were met and our room was ready at 1:30 when we arrived!
Room was clean and well stocked with all kitchen utensils, etc. Crowds @ SAB were VERY low! I was incredibly surprised by this but was very nice.
Even though we got notice that the slide would be out of order until the end of May, it was up and working fine. No schlepping over to BWV to annoy all their residents with our presence at their pool
Smore's at movies at the beach every night was a HUGE hit for my sons...that was definitely their favorite part of staying @ BCV. CM's went above and beyond at every point, and we had an excellent stay over all.
The Bad @ BC
SAB water is SOOO warm
I mean it was truly like swimming in a hot tub, I did not like it at all. That's really the only complaint about BC. But it will make me rethink my future summer trips @ BC.The Good
Animal Kingdom Villas (Jambo)
The lobby is breathtaking! This was our first trip every to AKV as I had avoided it for years. But I decided to book a weekend for my kids who thought they would enjoy the animals.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the gift shop!! The CM's were AMAZING and the store was always clean and well stocked with great items. I spent a lot of my time here!
The views from the main lodge (rocking chairs, firepit, etc) is amazing.
The rooms were exactly as I had pictured, and I loved the island and openness in the kitchen.
The Bad-AKV
Let's just say I'm glad I visited AKV, as I had never done in the past, but I'm glad it was only for 2 days.
The hallways are narrow and dark and it felt like I was in a cave nearly our entire stay. The rooms are laid out well and open, but SO dark! I had to read my book outside on the balcony as I could never get proper light anywhere else.
The hallways go on FOREVER!!! Each hallway looks like the other and seem never ending! This is one major reason I will not return.
The resort itself is very far from "the action" and the long hallways made it seem even moreso.
I had a savannah view which definitely was not worth the extra points. The majority of our view consisted of a HUGE fenced area that was flat dirt, and dirt road and a very small portion of what I would consider a savannah. I went to the front desk to inquire, as I was certain this couldn't be a savannah view. She assured me it was a savannah view, and there was no animal refuge viewable from my room (she said that type view is noted on the room number). Let's just say that we had to pull the drape about halfway closed to block out the view of the empty gated dirt. We saw some giraffes which were wonderful, but other than seeing them briefly one afternoon, the rest of the animals that visited were vultures (sign?)
We walked to Kidani and were surprised how tiny the pool area was. Everyone kept telling us how awesome it is for kids, and it just didn't live up the hype for me. Jambo was definitely the better pick IMO, but I did just walk through, didn't stay.
All in all, I'm glad we stayed @ AKV, but will not return. Again, DVC has something for everyone and am glad I experienced it first hand.
On to Saratoga...
After our stay @ AKV, we were anxious to get "back into the fray" so they say. It seemed as if we were isolated from everything @ AKV and were ready to go. Bell services came up and got our bags and delivered them to the different resorts with no problems at all. Even our frozen and refrigerated foods made it cool/frozen and on time. VERY happy with this service although it did cost $10 each pickup and drop off..but it was well worth it.
Our room @ SSR was not ready until 4:00 but we expected as much. When we arrived in our dedicated 2br we were AMAZED how wonderful and clean it was!! All of our requests were met, and we were thrilled!
Reader's digest version of our SSR stay is that it was WONDERFUL in every way, and we just LOVE IT!!! CMs were fantastic, pool was cool and excellent and we wished we had stayed here instead of AKV.
For those of you still reading this "Stephen King" version of a trip report..thank you! We had a WONDERFUL trip and great DVC accommodations and experiences we will cherish!!! I am not trying to anger AKV lovers by my comments, these words are simply my opinion on our experience!! Any questions, please ask away!
