AKL vs. SSR

[kimpulse]

Hi, I'm new here! DH and I booked a bounce back offer in May for a trip in November '11 with His Parents, His sister and one of our best friends from childhood. His folks and sister haven't been to WDW since 1978, and our friend is a Disney vet like us. We are having trouble deciding whether we would be more comfortable in 2 rooms at AKL or a 2BV at SSR or OKW. We love AKL, but have never stayed at the other 2. We are in our 40's, so are the other 2 traveling with us, and the 'rents are in their late 60's, if any of that matters. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. TIA!

 

[Bobsdisneymoney]

Our home resort is SSR. We love it, because it is beautiful and has quick access to DD. The rooms are really nice. Most have a view of a pond, or DD. One thing to consider, especially for the 60 year old people in your group, is that SSR is VERY spread out!! It is somewhat difficult to get to the hub of the resort. You might have to do A LOT of walking! If they like to golf, SSR has its own golf course. There are several pools that you can enjoy, but sometimes you had to walk a good while to get to them. People LOVE the Tree houses too!! You might check into them. If you get the Vacation Club 2 bedroom villa, you will have a full kitchen, which is VERY nice. You will also have the Jacuzzi tub.
I have heard that OKW have LARGE rooms! Your family might like that. We love SSR, you just have to weigh your advantages.
When we visited AKL it was spread out from the other resorts and parks. When you are at SSR, members of your group can take the boat or just walk right over to DD, where there is SO much to do. Good Luck with your decision!

 

[Disflyer]

We have never stayed at AKL but have been to SSR many times, I would just add to what the pp said. SSR is lovely, the rooms are as nice as most other villas that we have stayed in. I would only caution you that if you get a water view room at times the traffic to and from DTD can be a bit much, if you would rather have the peace and quiet that AKL offers than the buzz of DTD right next door that may be a factor to consider.

 

[jimandami]

Any reason you haven't considered a 2 BR villa at AKV? Or is it not available?
We have rented DVC points for our last 4 WDW trips and honestly, I can no longer imagine staying in a "regular" room

 

[kimpulse]

Thanks for the advice everyone! We got to check out SSR on our last trip, as we ate dinner at Turf Club. I loved the feel of the place, but hadn't considered the size issue. We usually rent a car, so the isolation of AKL isn't really an issue. Still, I'm leaning toward SSR because I love to try new resorts. Space wise, do you feel that 6 people would be comfortable in a 2BV at SSR?
(Oh and I hadn't considered a villa at AKL due to the cost)

 

[jimandami]

Kim,

If you rent points from a DVC member, a 2 BR at AKV will probably be cheaper than booking a 2 BR at SSR or OKW through Disney reservations. Renting points for AKV is one of the best deals, IMHO!

 

[kimpulse]

Kim,

If you rent points from a DVC member, a 2 BR at AKV will probably be cheaper than booking a 2 BR at SSR or OKW through Disney reservations. Renting points for AKV is one of the best deals, IMHO!

Thanks for the info. If you don't mind my asking, who do you go through to rent points? I've never done it and I'm a bit leery about it.

 

[nolanboys]

You would be very comfortable in a 2 bdrm with 6. If you got a 2 bdrm at AKV Kidani, you would also get an extra bathroom. We love having the kitchen and laundry in the 2 bdrm and having the extra space is great. Savanna views are quite a bit more, but a standard view at AKV would be more than SSR, but pretty close. You can look at the DVC section under renting. Also, the timeshare store rents points for $12 a point and david's vacation rental does for about the same I think. If you are going through Disney, you may also want to consider THV at SSR. They would be hard to rent points for, but they are available directly from Disney as well and the same price as 2 bdrm. They would give you 3 bdrm - although one would have bunk beds. They are well appointed and tranquil. You really can't go wrong.I would go with a villa if possible. We like to relax and visit with people when we go with them, and having a living room makes it easier to do must that.

 

[jimandami]

Thanks for the info. If you don't mind my asking, who do you go through to rent points? I've never done it and I'm a bit leery about it.

We have rented both from David on DVCRequest.com ($13/point) and from DVC owners on the rent/trade board here ($10-11/point). I know it is a little nerve wracking but we have had nothing but positive experiences. If you are leery, going through David gives you a little extra security bc he runs it as a business. However, if you want to save even more, there are a lot of trustworthy people on the board here. We just always make sure we go with an owner who has been a member here for a long time and has a lot of posts. We also make sure we both sign a contract and use paypal. Hope that helps!

 

[kimpulse]

We have rented both from David on DVCRequest.com ($13/point) and from DVC owners on the rent/trade board here ($10-11/point). I know it is a little nerve wracking but we have had nothing but positive experiences. If you are leery, going through David gives you a little extra security bc he runs it as a business. However, if you want to save even more, there are a lot of trustworthy people on the board here. We just always make sure we go with an owner who has been a member here for a long time and has a lot of posts. We also make sure we both sign a contract and use paypal. Hope that helps!

It helps a lot, I think we are definitely going to stay in AKV or SSR treehouse, two places I hadn't even considered. Glad I asked!

 

[rentayenta]

A 2 bedroom villa is far superior to 2 rooms at any resort. Full kitchen, living space, washer/dryer, and roomy bathrooms......What about a 2 bedroom at AKV? The best of both worlds.