AKL or OKW?

[iloveeeyore]

Which of these would you prefer to have as your home resort, if you had to pick only one (please don't say both...already have adonitis it would be Poly resale). We are considering a 100 point direct contract at one of these two, you know, for the blue card.

As far as we are concerned they have the same drawback...pretty equally undesirable location compared to the more expensive resorts. OKW has advantage in price. AKL has, well, AKL.

Please compare and contrast. Which would/did you choose and why?

 

[TCRAIG]

Depends on what is important to you. l love OKW for the room size, easy parking (we drive), 2 real beds in a studio and overall laid back vibe, however, if you can’t do stairs and don’t want ground floor, or prefer indoor corridors, OKW might not be the place for you. AK (Kidani) has the extra bathroom and a better pool...with that in mind, I own at OKW and have no regrets.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

I don’t own at either but I’d pick AKL. Gives you a chance to snag value rooms. Or concierge rooms. And I do love that extra bathroom in the 1 bed.

 

[davidl81]

I prefer AKL. OKW is very spread out and without a car it can be a chore to get to the main lobby etc. I’m also a fan of the savanna. I enjoy watching the animals in the morning with my girls and a cup of coffee.

 

[Stitch4]

I would pick AKL if I had to choose between the two

 

[i<3riviera]

͏

 

[Ruttangel]

I’ve stayed at both and own at AKV.
Although AKV has better pools I do like the fact that there are smaller, quieter pools at OKW.
Location will depend if you drive to parks or not, slight edge to OKW due to boat to DS but the buses at OKW drove me mad as a lot of internal stops.
The main difference for me is the vibe around the resort, AKV is just special

Ratings
Resort ambience- AKV 10/10 , OKW 5/10
Dining-AKV 8/10, OKW 3/10
Location-OKW 6/10 AKV 5/10
Pools - AKV 6/10, OKW 6/10
Rooms - OKW 8/10, AKV 7/10
Points Chart OKW 9/10, AKV 8/10
Buy in/Dues OKW 7/10, AKV 7/10

 

[The Jackal]

We bought a 100 point contract at OKW for larger family/ friends trips. We plan to get a GV by banking and borrowing. The 100 point contract in the fall will get us 6 nights for just under 300 points. We are not a fan of the sleeper sofas, the new design at RIV and SSR are going to be great. It all comes down to your preference, you can’t go wrong with either.

 

[striker1064]

We have AKV so I am biased, but I would pick AKV - slightly lower dues (although this could change any time due to animal care) and harder booking categories so the option is always available to you (even if it still is virtually impossible at 11 months). OKW and Kidani studios are generally open at 7 months most of the year, but Jambo studios are more popular and are at times already gone before 7 months.

 

[poofyo101]

AKL

 

[zachatak]

AKV - where else can you wake up, sit on your balcony and watch giraffes walk by? We've owned at Jambo for a few years now (swiped a contract for $74/pt - price is also a reason I like AKV) and it is my favorite. I also like that it is off the beaten path and quiet/peaceful to some degree.

 

[kmorlock]

Yes, owning AKV does give you an edge for those value rooms if that appeals to you. We love both resorts equally, often split stay between the 2. With small children in strollers, AKV wins. For space in a 1 bed or 2 real beds in a studio, OKW wins. If access to Springs is important for after parks close and food options, OKW wins again. If having a QS and more posh feel overall is your thing, AKV wins there. OKW has a vibe that you can’t really explain though. Obviously AKV has the animals which is a huge draw, lots of activities and could easily be a resort only stay. If buying enough points that a value room is not on the agenda, I’d go with a lower cost OKW extended contract. AKV is almost always going to have rooms at 7 mos as well as OKW (in normal times, not maybe the next 2-4 years). If it’s a 2042 OKW, walk away and do AKV for the 2057 exp date.

 

[AnnaS]

Lot's of great responses. Have you stayed at either one? Let us know what you decide

 

[skip-seglipse]

We own at AKL but have stayed at OKW for half our trips. My grandparents bought there in the early years when it was just called "Disney Vacation Club Resort", so the place has tons of sentimental value.

OKW Pros:

• I like that it is a non-typical hotel layout. It's more like staying in your own townhouse.
• Pool quick service is better than AKL (vs. Kidani, at least. We've never stayed at Jambo)
• Rooms have the most square footage
• Extremely easy parking (we always have a car)
• All recreational activities are near the main pool
• Smaller, quieter pools throughout resort
• Olivia's is a good restaurant that really flies under everyone's radar
• "Key West" theming is very well done
• Boat service to Disney Springs
• Community Hall

OKW Cons:

• Many internal bus stops can add time to your trip if you don't have a car
• 1 Bedrooms only have one bathroom (vs. 2 bathrooms at Kidani). We are a party of 5 so that extra bathroom can be pretty invaluable.
• Very small fitness center

AKL Pros:

• Great theming and atmosphere
• Great dining options
• Aside from getting to MK, AKV is actually a shorter trip to most theme parks than other resorts that are considered to be in "more desirable" locations. It's faster to AK and DHS from AKL than it is from monorail resorts. AKL may be in its own end of WDW, but it's not far from most things.
• Lovely pool areas
• 1 Bedrooms have two bathrooms
• Underground parking at Kidani means your car is always cool
• Interesting cultural demonstrations
• Also has a Community Hall
• Savannah views available
• Must own here if you want value rooms.

AKL Cons:

• Maji Pool Bar has meh food options for poolside lunch
• Some don't like the dark furnishings/room decor
• Long walk to the lobby and/or pool from rooms that are at the ends of the Kidani corridors, depending on what wing you are in.
• "hotel" layout
• Savannah views are overrated; the selection of animals isn't terribly interesting to look at after a day or two. We've determined that the Savannah view point premium isn't really worth it (for us).

 

[kanerf]

I own at both and prefer AKL. At AKL (Kidani) you can park in the underground garage so your vehicle does not roast all day. At AKL you have elevators and while you can be a long distance from the lobby, at least you are walking through air conditioned hallways. AKL has many excellent food options and of course the views. I usually stay in studios and the AKL ones are nicely sized and themed, the OKW ones are basically like a motel with two queen beds and a very small TV. Now the one bedrooms at OKW are huge, the biggest on property, so it kind of depends on what you will be staying in.

 

[bobbiwoz]

OKW has only three buildings with elevators.

I own at AKV, and that’s the one I would pick given your choice.

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

The heart of this to me is whether you like a hotel setting or a condo one. I personally like privacy, peace, and, well, just parking outside of my room so OKW wins every time over AKL for me. If you are more of a "being in the middle of the action" person, then AKL is the place for you.

 

[RoseGold]

I would go AKV.

AKV has the same contract length and almost as good point chart. It sells easily on resale, and it has some room categories that are very hot and require ownership to book -- club level and the value rooms. For the points, the resort is breathtaking and the only one I would consider off monorail. I would gladly get a slightly higher chart to stay AKL over OKW/SSR.

They rank about the same in value on that other site, SSR is slightly better than both because it has lower dues.

 

[davidl81]

If you do not have a car with you OKW can be a pain (same with SSR), as internal buses have a good amount of stops and it can be a good walk to the main pool etc. But some people really like the vibe at OKW and really like the condo feel to it. Personally if given a choice I would book at AKL every time over OKW, but that is just my preference.
The one true advantage to owning OKW is if you would want to book Grand Villas (3 bed rooms). OKW has by far the cheapest option on the Grand Villas and you normally need the 11 month booking advantage to get those for a week or so.

 

[skip-seglipse]

Unless you have mobility issues, why are elevators so important to people? It's really not hard to walk up stairs a few times a day. We've stayed with our young triplets so I've had to carry a lot of suitcases and supplies up to the 3rd floor. It's not really a big deal.