AK 2 bedroom vs. Beach Club 2 bedroom

[tuckymom]

Just looking for pros and cons.

Right now I have a 2 bedroom Beach Club room booked for January 2022. I am also considering AKL (KV) but no Savannah view.

We have never stayed in either place. This is a surprise trip. We've been to Beach Club to restaurants but never to stay. Never even set foot on AKL property.

In bedroom 1) 2 adults Bedroom 2) 2 adults and a toddler and in the pull sofa 1 adult.

We prefer not to drive everywhere which is a super pro for Beach Club. It also appears there are 3 full bathrooms for AKL.

Any advice?

 

[Deb & Bill]

With Kidani, you get a third full bathroom just off the entrance to the villa with a two bedroom. So the person who sleeps in the living room has their own bathroom. BCV won't have the extra bathroom.

The person sleeping in the living room will need to share either the master bath or the second bedroom bath at BCV. So plan on making that decision soon.

 

[DeeBee3]

With that mix of adults, that 3rd bathroom at Kidani looks really enticing. However, you do have to drive everywhere. BC location is amazing. Will you be using the pools? BC pool is highly sought after but it is January so not sure if you would be using.

 

[chicklet2]

Beach Club for sure, location is great in regards to being able to walk or boat to Epcot or Hollywood Studios.You also have the Boardwalk to be able to walk around for leisure or dining. in regards to the room itself, while others have mentioned the extra bathroom may be convenient but I would choose location first.Also with Kidani, buses run little slow or at least they had the couple times we stayed there.we since have switched to rental cars for our stays but if your not getting Savanna view, which even that can at times be disappointing, you will not regret BCV.

we are DVC members and have multiple home resorts, so can say from our personal experience that would be our choice.Either way you will have a great vacay, so go with what you really want.

 

[Nabas]

We have stayed in 2-bedrooms at AKV-Jambo, AKV-Kidani, and BCV.

That's a tough choice - so many different considerations.

The views from the AKV-Kidani Standard Views are not particularly good but the third bathroom is an important consideration since you have 5 adults.

Everyone raves about BCV's Stormalong Bay (SB) but we always find that pool too crowded, especially in the afternoon. You'll be going in January, so presumably the weather won't be hot. Maybe the pool will be less crowded. But be away that the line to get into SB this spring break looked like this, and this is before the Beach Club (i.e. the hotel) opens on May 30. The lines will only be worse once the Beach Club opens.



We're not big fans of the pool at Kidani either. It is too small for the size of the resort. Jambo House's main pool is much better but it's a pain to have to walk over (or take the shuttle) from Kidani.

Kidani has a foldout sofa and a foldout chair in the living room. The foldout chair is a lot easier to deal with than the foldout sofa if there is only one adult sleeping in it.

Since you won't be getting a Savannah view, that means a Standard View at Kidani. These views are not particularly good. Some look directly onto the bus stops and parking lot. Others are OK but not great. (A handful are located at the very end of the Savannah.)

The views from BCV will either be of the quiet pool (with the parking lot in the distance) or of woods.

With all those adults, you'll probably like being near Epcot, the Boardwalk, and Disney's Hollywood Studios (DHS), especially since you don't want to do much driving. From BCV you'll be able to ride the Skyliner to DHS, which is a different experience.

Unless getting that third bathroom is really important to you, I would stick with BCV.

 

[jojomoore]

We have stayed at AKL-Kidani not long after it opened in2009 in a studio standard (parking lot) view. we loved our stay.There was something so peaceful about the savannah . We were transported to another world and the sounds and smells were great. The buses were a little slow at times especially to disney springs. The main drawback for us was the lack of food options. AK lodge is a bit of a trek so we had to take the bus or drive to utilize the quick service options at the lodge.

we stayed at BCV in 2010 in a studio room and loved staying there so much that we never looked back.we stayed at BC two additional times. i believe i like it so much because we grew up going on family beach vacations every year and we love BCVs location. walking to epcot and taking a boat or the skyliner to hollywood studios is great especially if u plan to park hop. We stay in november and pools have never been crowded. two out of the three stays were warm enough to swim. The marketplace at BC doesnt have the largest selection but it is convenient and there is also beaches and cream, the pool bar, ale & compass plus many places at epcot and the swan and dolphin.The two bedrooms at BCV look beautiful. the views aren't very good for either room type but we didnt really mind.

 

[Leight19]

Going through pros and cons at base level akv kidani has some of the nicest 2 br with the extra bathroom. The savannah is one of the best hotel perks in Disney even if standard view as many view points around hotel (and may get lucky with partial view). The akv resorts themselves also have excellent activities (look up bead activities) and some of the best dining on property. While savanah vs standard may be slightly less attractive the point charts on standard 2 br can’t be beat. The con list for akv is small but has one large item, transportation to and from parks is bus only and relatively far from everything except ak.

Beach club is also a great hotel with easy access to Epcot and Hollywood studios. Being able to hop into Epcot for dinner is tough to beat (I could grab fish and chips almost as easy as going to quick service at other resorts). You also can easily walk to boardwalk for some great entertainment as well. The other big draw for me is storm along bay. To me and many others this is hands down the best pool on property. My kids loved playin in the sand and while bit young still I’m sure they will love the pirate slide in future. The older members spent much time in the lazy river as well; while I normally don’t do pools when at beach club I’m in Sab almost every night. For me, the only real con is being able to get availability (which sounds like you did) and when compared to akv, you do lose some sq ft and extra bathroom.

From what you said, I would lean towards staying in beach club as sounds like youre not an owner there and historically you would find room in akv easier in future then beach club (and in future maybe can get savanah view).

 

[gillep]

I own at both resorts. Personally, for a two bedroom, I would choose Kidani for the layout and extra bathroom, especially in January. For us, SAB is a huge draw of BCV and the weather in January is just too unpredictable for us so we always stay at Animal Kingdom for our January trips and BCV for our spring and fall trips.

 

[PDXHaugheys]

We have stayed in 2-bedrooms at AKV-Jambo, AKV-Kidani, and BCV.

That's a tough choice - so many different considerations.

AKV-Kidani Standard Views are not particularly good but the third bathroom is an important consideration since you have 5 adults.

Everyone raves about BCV's Stormalong Bay (SB) but we always find that pool too crowded, especially in the afternoon. You'll be going in January, so presumably the weather won't be hot. Maybe the pool will be less crowded. But be away that the line to get into SB this spring break looked like this, and this is before the Beach Club (i.e. the hotel) opens on May 30. The lines will only be worse once the Beach Club opens.

View attachment 567876

We're not big fans of the pool at Kidani either. It is too small for the size of the resort. Jambo House's main pool is much better but it's a pain to have to walk over (or take the shuttle) from Kidani.

Kidani has a foldout sofa and a foldout chair in the living room. The foldout chair is a lot easier to deal with than the foldout sofa if there is only one adult sleeping in it.

Since you won't be getting a Savannah view, that means a Standard View at Kidani. These views are not particularly good. Some look directly onto the bus stops and parking lot. Others are OK but not great. (There are a handle that are located at the very end of the Savannah.)

The views from BCV will either be of the quiet pool (with the parking lot in the distance) or of woods.

With all those adults, you'll probably like being near Epcot, the Boardwalk, and Disney's Hollywood Studios (DHS), especially since you don't want to do much driving. From BCV you'll be able to ride the Skyliner to DHS, which is a different experience.

Unless getting that third bathroom is really important to you, I would stick with BCV.

Thanks for picture of the pool wait! Yikes!

 

[purpliequeen]

We've stayed at both resorts many times - usually during high capacity/popular Christmas to New Year's week. Both have pros/cons.

Pros of Kidani: The animals are so wonderful - we love sitting on our balcony. It's so peaceful & quiet. Granted, with a standard view, you'll still have balconies, but not the animal view. There's animal viewing throughout the resort though so this isn't a deal breaker. Sanaa is incredible. If anyone has a car, underground parking is a huge plus. You can park literally beneath your villa and easily bring your stuff up (inc groceries). Walk to Jambo isn't bad, and there are shuttles that go back and forth - not to mention you can hop on a bus that's going in the right direction. Buses aren't that bad. (You really don't need a car here unless you want to get groceries - but then you'd want a car to get groceries if staying at BCV too.) Buses don't share with any other resort so the only bus stops are Jambo & Kidani. This is awesome compared to other resorts like OKW & SSR which have MULTIPLE bus stops. Even BC, Boardwalk, Swan & Dolphin often share (maybe not now due to COVID) and it's painfully slow with that many stops. As people mentioned, 3 bathrooms. The villas also seem larger in general/more spacious.

Pros of BCV: Amazing location. Boardwalk/walking along the lake is just beautiful. Walk to Epcot and now the Skyliner. Walk to DHS (although this is a long(er) walk). Great options for food. Beaches & Cream is my fave. Accessing SAB shouldn't be too bad when you're there as it'll be cold(er). Don't need a car. Love the Marketplace.

 

[justme0729]

If not Savannah view, I would stay at BC! AKL is beautiful and relaxing but BC is closer to the parks and more convenient. With a Savannah view, AKL would feel very special and unique but without, you might not enjoy it as much.

 

[Heather07438]

Looks like BC is the popular choice and I agree. I’d keep that reservation and save AKL for a future visit. Savannah view is totally worth it.

Beside all the points made, I think the couple with the baby would appreciate being able to pop back to the room from 2 parks. It’s a short walk from EP and the boat ride is great from HS.

 

[Pasta88]

Just looking for pros and cons.

Right now I have a 2 bedroom Beach Club room booked for January 2022. I am also considering AKL (KV) but no Savannah view.

We have never stayed in either place. This is a surprise trip. We've been to Beach Club to restaurants but never to stay. Never even set foot on AKL property.

In bedroom 1) 2 adults Bedroom 2) 2 adults and a toddler and in the pull sofa 1 adult.

We prefer not to drive everywhere which is a super pro for Beach Club. It also appears there are 3 full bathrooms for AKL.

Any advice?

We were deciding between the two resorts for January 2022 as well. Not sure if you saw this on the Disney site- the pool at Kidani Village will be closed for refurbishment beginning in January. That was a deal breaker for us. We booked Beach Club!

 

[Doberge]

The living area adult having access to an "own" bathroom is really nice. May depend on importance of that bathroom. If it's like an adult kid of the room with two adults and they're okay sharing a bathroom between three of them you may be able to get away with the beach club setup. Beach Club has a better pool but Kidani is so very nice and arguably has a better area for toddlers. I also realize you may not use the pools at all in January.

But given your interest to not drive anywhere then I'd probably vote Beach Club and just deal with the bathroom situation.

 

[drusba]

I would usually choose Kidani because of the larger room and three bathrooms. However, for January you should probably avoid Kidani if there is a desire for a pool. The Kidani pcol will be closed for refurb from Jan to April. You can use the one at Jambo but that is a half-mile away

 

[Happy2BMommy0812]

Is the person on the pull out fine sharing a bathroom with the people in the master or 2nd bedroom? If so, I’d go BC for the location. Unless the adult is very uncomfortable sharing a bathroom, I think BC offers more than a Kidani standard view.

The 3rd bathroom might be nice, but I personally do not care for Kidani at all (I like Jambo, but no 3rd bathroom there). That’s just me though, we don’t like the look ofthe building, the food, or the pool (although that is closed). And we love the look, food and pool at Jambo.

If a 3rd bathroom is important, BLT has a 3rd bathroom...