AKV Concierge or BCV-Which would you choose?

[Luv2trav]

If you had a choice between AKV Concierge or BCV (both studios first week of Dec) which would you choose and why?

I have both of these two currently reserved and we need to decide which one we want vs giving the other to friends of ours. I can't decide..I love BC location but I have always wanted to try AK Concierge...

 

[bobbiwoz]

Wow, those are 2 great reservations! If I were to pick one for me, it would be the AKV Concierge.

This is personal, I only stay at BCV when we'll be using SAB. If the location was the important consideration, I pick BWV.

I've enjoyed a few AKV concierge stays and I thought they were special.

Bobbi

 

[akl-fan]

I would go with AKL club - because it is a beautiful resort and the club level offerings are good. December will be really busy in the parks and resorts so the club level lounge will be a little haven away from the madness. Also it may be too cold to swim - therefore negating one of the main draws of BCV which is SAB. I am not a fan of the room decoration at BCV either - AKL looks far more modern imo. Plus you have the animals = not many hotels in the world with a view like that.

There is no doubting that BCV is in a great location but it's bus service to other parks sucks. Akl/v has a great bus service.

With all that said BCV is still a great hotel and if you are not a fan of ethinc foods and design then I would go with it.

 

[com_op_2000]

AKL-CL is getting very hard to book. I would say go with that reservation and book the Sunrise Savanna tour.
You can have your friends over food/snacks/drinks before or after the parks.

 

[disneynutz]

Stay AKV Club Level and you can decide if it's worth future stays there.

Bill

 

[LisaS]

I vote for AKV Concierge. It's a difficult reservation to get so take advantage of the fact that you have it booked and go experience it. If you get a chilly day and want to hang out at the resort, the Concierge Lounge is like a large common living room, something we appreciated on our AKV Concierge stay which was also in a studio. Make yourself a cappuccino (I hope they still have that machine in the lounge!) and grab a snack and sit at a table overlooking the Jambo House lobby. Great place to relax.

As com_op_2000 suggested, reserve the Sunrise Safari tour, available only to AKL and AKV Concierge guests. I don't know what it costs these days but it was great to experience AK's safari ride at a slow pace with plenty of time to see the animals and take photos. It also includes a buffet breakfast in the park. You will need a park ticket since admission to AK is not included in the price of the tour. They scan your park ticket in the lounge before you board the bus for AK.

 

[yeahdisney]

Ooooooo. I love both. What time of year?

 

[AirGoofy]

If you had a choice between AKV Concierge or BCV (both studios first week of Dec) which would you choose and why?

I have both of these two currently reserved and we need to decide which one we want vs giving the other to friends of ours. I can't decide..I love BC location but I have always wanted to try AK Concierge...

Stayed AK Savanna view but not concierge. BC is the only WDW DVC resort I haven't stayed in yet. With that said, I would pick AKV Concierge to do the safari. I thought there may be an age limit it on for children though, which was why we have waited to return there and try and get it.

 

[Luv2trav]

Ooooooo. I love both. What time of year?

Dec1st-6th.

We have stayed at both. So we are experienced with both resorts and love both. It's been a couple years since bcv but I know how hard it is to get concierge. Especially this time of year.

 

[Kidanifan08]

I vote for AKV Concierge. It's a difficult reservation to get so take advantage of the fact that you have it booked and go experience it. If you get a chilly day and want to hang out at the resort, the Concierge Lounge is like a large common living room, something we appreciated on our AKV Concierge stay which was also in a studio. Make yourself a cappuccino (I hope they still have that machine in the lounge!) and grab a snack and sit at a table overlooking the Jambo House lobby. Great place to relax.

As com_op_2000 suggested, reserve the Sunrise Safari tour, available only to AKL and AKV Concierge guests. I don't know what it costs these days but it was great to experience AK's safari ride at a slow pace with plenty of time to see the animals and take photos. It also includes a buffet breakfast in the park. You will need a park ticket since admission to AK is not included in the price of the tour. They scan your park ticket in the lounge before you board the bus for AK.

I agree with this. We loved our concierge stay last year. With the cooler weather, how great to have an indoor retreat. Plus, the giant Christmas tree will be right down below the lounge! The sunrise safari is fantastic. Definitely contact the concierge level concierge to schedule the safari at 180 days. Unfortunately your friends probably cannot go, since they are not concierge guests. It was awesome!

Stayed AK Savanna view but not concierge. BC is the only WDW DVC resort I haven't stayed in yet. With that said, I would pick AKV Concierge to do the safari. I thought there may be an age limit it on for children though, which was why we have waited to return there and try and get it.

I don't think that the sunrise safari has an age restriction. We took our 6 year old. I think the evening safari may have a restriction and the Wild Africa Trek.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I vote for AKV Concierge. It's a difficult reservation to get so take advantage of the fact that you have it booked and go experience it. If you get a chilly day and want to hang out at the resort, the Concierge Lounge is like a large common living room, something we appreciated on our AKV Concierge stay which was also in a studio. Make yourself a cappuccino (I hope they still have that machine in the lounge!) and grab a snack and sit at a table overlooking the Jambo House lobby. Great place to relax.

As com_op_2000 suggested, reserve the Sunrise Safari tour, available only to AKL and AKV Concierge guests. I don't know what it costs these days but it was great to experience AK's safari ride at a slow pace with plenty of time to see the animals and take photos. It also includes a buffet breakfast in the park. You will need a park ticket since admission to AK is not included in the price of the tour. They scan your park ticket in the lounge before you board the bus for AK.

Yes, that!

 

[Luv2trav]

Yes, that!

Concierge it is... Thanks for all the replies.

 

[mjc2003]

Not that you can make a bad choice here, but I guess I'm one of the few that would choose BCV. There's been suggestions that that week will be top 5 busiest of the year. Since the Jambo buses stop at Kidani first, I would go nuts waiting in line and having to way 2-3 buses to finally get on something. We experienced this to some degree during a quick 2 day stay at Jambo last August, during a busy but not crazy time.

 

[LisaS]

Not that you can make a bad choice here, but I guess I'm one of the few that would choose BCV. There's been suggestions that that week will be top 5 busiest of the year. Since the Jambo buses stop at Kidani first, I would go nuts waiting in line and having to way 2-3 buses to finally get on something. We experienced this to some degree during a quick 2 day stay at Jambo last August, during a busy but not crazy time.

If buses are a problem that week, the OP can walk over to Kidani and get on the bus there. If I was staying at Jambo House and found the buses to be a constant problem during my stay, that's what I would do. Club Level rooms at Jambo House are above the lobby so the walk to the Kidani bus stop would be 8-10 minutes.

 

[mjc2003]

If buses are a problem that week, the OP can walk over to Kidani and get on the bus there. If I was staying at Jambo House and found the buses to be a constant problem during my stay, that's what I would do. Club Level rooms at Jambo House are above the lobby so the walk to the Kidani bus stop would be 8-10 minutes.

True. With three kids in tow, that's not convenient for me but the OP might not care. Really I was nitpicking; I'd take either room and be happy!

 

[Sammie]

Not that you can make a bad choice here, but I guess I'm one of the few that would choose BCV. There's been suggestions that that week will be top 5 busiest of the year. Since the Jambo buses stop at Kidani first, I would go nuts waiting in line and having to way 2-3 buses to finally get on something. We experienced this to some degree during a quick 2 day stay at Jambo last August, during a busy but not crazy time.

Why would the first week of December be one of the 5 busiest of the year.

Do you mean for DVC resorts,

 

[Luv2trav]

Not that you can make a bad choice here, but I guess I'm one of the few that would choose BCV. There's been suggestions that that week will be top 5 busiest of the year. Since the Jambo buses stop at Kidani first, I would go nuts waiting in line and having to way 2-3 buses to finally get on something. We experienced this to some degree during a quick 2 day stay at Jambo last August, during a busy but not crazy time.

This is one of the reasons I thought about BCV. We stayed a couple days at Jambo last summer and while it wasn't a BIG problem it did get annoying at times. My husband and I are used to standing on buses. I think we are going to save BCV for next summer went SAB will be more useful.

I love to hear everyone's reasons though. More information about concierge is great..

 

[mjc2003]

Why would the first week of December be one of the 5 busiest of the year.

Do you mean for DVC resorts,

Yes, I was speaking in the context of DVC. My understanding is that there is one less week this year between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and December is already wildly popular for DVC'ers b/c of the lower points and holiday parties, decorations, etc...
When you combine the two, it should be a very busy time at the DVC resorts. I thought I remember reading during one of the discussions here on the DIS that early December was one of the 5 busiest weeks last year.
Somebody posted a thread detailing availability throughout the year, of course now I can't find it.