AKV owners: why did you buy there? Any regrets?

[aoconnor]

I bought AKV because the level of theming is unmatched, the point chart is a good value, and the fact that it's a bit removed is actually a plus for me. It's a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of the parks and can really be a vacation in and of itself.

It is a LITTLE further from the parks than the other resorts, but honestly by what-- an extra 7-10 minutes? I think people make too much of the distance.

 

[michelleiada]

We own at Beach Club and just bought a second contract at AKV. It is a beautiful resort. The theming is amazing. Cozy, warm, relaxing, and animals. I love sitting on my balcony in the morning with coffee and watching the animals roam the savannah. And we love having breakfast at Boma.

 

[bumbershoot]

We love the theme, animals, food and lower point chart at AKV.

3 of those things can be enjoyed as a visitor. Have you stayed there? If so have you enjoyed it?

We weren't choosy when we boght; we were offered AKV or Bay Lake. I liked BL's decor and DH liked AKV's. We went with my choice. Then we stayed at AKV and I was SO glad we hadn't bought. It's dark and gloomy to my eyes (they were damaged by lasik back in 2001 and are finally now getting back up to where they used to be in terms of seeing in the dark and getting used to light to dark, dark to light, changes). Animals can be seen as a visitor. Theme can be enjoyed (though for me that's a term used loosely) as a visitor. Food can definitely be enjoyed as a visitor. In our/my three (why oh why?) stays there we have had LOUSY service two of those times, and just "meh" service the last time. Second time the door lock plate fall off as we were leaving it for checkout. And that was just like the final kick out the door for us (though then I had a last minute solo stay and it was available and cheap).

If you've stayed there, like staying there, and haven't had the sort of service my family has had, then that's excellent for you and you should go for it.

 

[Saratoga Springs Tom]

Vanilla...... Chocolate....... Strawberry........It's all about what you, want, like and need. I bought at AKV because it's unique and it appealed to me. I like the rooms and the decor of the resort. It's nice to sit on the balcony and watch the animals wander about, I enjoy the grounds and pools.

 

[suebeelin]

We almost bought akv bc of the longer contract life, but ultimately decided on bwv. This was the right decision for us- no regrets.

We stayed at akv a few years back (kidani) and had a hard time with the bus system (esp with strollers at the time). We infinitely preferred bwv for the easy walk/access to two parks (and no need to fold strollers).

Also, although akv has great dining options, we felt stuck at the resort. We did not make DDP plans bc we had an unpredictable child (with respect to sleep) and were too afraid to be tied down to a reservation. We ended up at the cafeteria every day bc the other dining options were always booked. We just didn't feel like it was "home" or enjoyable at all.

Just our opinion....

 

[DeeCee735]

We love the theme, animals, food and lower point chart at AKV. But, we also like to be close to the action, and even when we stay offsite we always visit the BW and DS. I'm considering buying resale at AKV, but I'm worried at some point we'll be more interested in being closer to the BW or DS, especially when the kiddos are older. We would typically travel early June, so we could probably work with the 7-month window, but no guarantees. Just curious what current owners' experiences have been.

A solution I'm considering is buying a small 25-30 point BWV add on direct (after getting our AKV resale contract) to take advantage of the AP and then bank/borrow to do a week at BWV every 3 years with the 11 months window. Can you buy an add on for a resort other than your home resort? Thanks!

We originally bought at BWV way back in 2000. It was the only one for sale, I think it was the 2nd resort in the DVC family (If I'm incorrect, someone please let me know...). But....it was the location we fell in love with and has remained one of our two favorite resorts even after all this building...

Our second resort is AKV. Stayed there one night because on a vacation a long time ago, we drove down and decided to leave early to get in another night. It was available at Jambo so we stayed there one night and we fell in love. The peace and quiet, the atmosphere, the gorgeous lobby's, and the good food (we very much like Sanaa, Jiko and Boma), the option to have a massage at the fitness center at Jambo House, both pools and Mara the quick service restaurant, and the last, best reason.....the animals! I love the fact that it's not on top of all the action, it's a direct bus ride to the AKV park and mostly because it's got 3 full bathrooms in a 2 bedroom and we when travel with guests it's perfect, roomy and relaxing.

My two cents....buy where you want to be closest to the most. You can add on anytime anywhere. BWV and AKV are very similiar in points costs per night, each with standard and preferred view options, but they are very very different. I am thankful that we have both...giving us the best of both worlds, but if I had to do it again, I do it the same way...BWV first, AKV second.

Best of luck and happy planning.

 

[TheGecko]

With the current price of AKV trending downward, it might be the best deal at DVC when you factor in years left on the contract (40), and accommodations. It is also one of the few resorts which will sleep 5 in a 1 bedroom without trouble, which really helps out with my family of 5.

 

[disneynutz]

With the current price of AKV trending downward, it might be the best deal at DVC when you factor in years left on the contract (40), and accommodations. It is also one of the few resorts which will sleep 5 in a 1 bedroom without trouble, which really helps out with my family of 5.

If supply and demand are what causes prices to rise and fall, trending downward prices might mean that more are selling than buying. You have to ask yourself why? We sold several of our AKV contracts.

Bill

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

If supply and demand are what causes prices to rise and fall, trending downward prices might mean that more are selling than buying. You have to ask yourself why? We sold several of our AKV contracts.

Bill

There's nothing worse with the DVC basics at AKV than any other resorts. You make it sounds so nefarious Bill.

 

[drusba]

Bought AKV before it opened in 2007. Owned at BWV for 10 years before that. Had previously stayed at AKL and really liked the resort, including particularly the theming, savanna view, pool, and restaurants (Boma is one of the best buffets). The addition of the pull out twin size chair in the living room of the 1BR was also a plus.

When we purchased, we assumed that we would always just stay at Jambo when we stayed at AKV, with its three restaurants, and never that mammoth addition they were building called Kidani. Now ten years later, we wonder whether we will ever stay at Jambo again. Kidani 1BRs and 2BRs are much larger than Jambo and the extra bathroom and sleeper chair makes them ideal. Moreover, if you ever do GV's, Jambo's are great, but the two story windows in the living room, and the extra queen size bed and tv at alcove at top of stairs at Kidani make them ideal. Also, the ability to park under the building fairly close to room no matter where it is is unique to Kidani, and the kid's water play area at the pool is ideal. As to bus transportation, we have actually found AKV to be among the best, with fewer delays than others and easy trips to parks because you do not stop at another resort. Example: the last two trips we had were AKV and BLT. The bus trips to and from studios took about the same time except returning from the park was quicker to AKV because for BLT we had to stop at WL first. The Epcot bus trip from AKV and double monorail from BLT were also comparable in time except at BLT we had one those apparently too common occurrences now, when the monorail was down for a few hours during one of the days we wanted to go to Epcot. The trip to AK from AKV is less than 10 minutes.

Also, in response to DeeCee735's question above, BWV was the second resort to open at WDW but the fourth resort to open overall as both Vero Beach (Oct 1995) and Hilton Head (March 1996) opened before it.

 

[disneynutz]

There's nothing worse with the DVC basics at AKV than any other resorts. You make it sounds so nefarious Bill.

Nefarious? If the prices are lowering, there is a reason, people are selling and the demand is down. The possible reasons are the location, the size, the novelty of the animals wear off, other resorts are just more popular. For prospective buyers while the purchase price may be lower than the other resorts, the selling price may also be lower later when they decide to sell.

Bill

 

[TheGecko]

Nefarious? If the prices are lowering, there is a reason, people are selling and the demand is down. The possible reasons are the location, the size, the novelty of the animals wear off, other resorts are just more popular. For prospective buyers while the purchase price may be lower than the other resorts, the selling price may also be lower later when they decide to sell.

Bill

I fear this is the trend in Disney and DVC in general. The whole experience is getting on the very pricey side. I priced up an equivalent vacation to the one I took at CBR three years ago and it was close to $1,000 more than I paid three years ago with the same tickets and dining plan. Staying inside the park bubble is becoming a very expensive proposition, DVC or otherwise. Flights are also starting to spike in prices this year. It might be a perfect storm for prices to fall.

 

[johnsgrl]

I bought my first resale contract at AKV for several reasons: the peace and quiet, watching the animals and the fantastic pools and food. It was the only resort that I felt I could do a no parks trip if I wanted. With grandchildren popping up like mad, I will need to take them all at times so would need bigger units and the point values are fantastic. As an added bonus there is so much to do there if we want a minimal or no park trip, the in-laws would love to come but are not up for the parks anymore. We plan to take each of our kids families ( 5 adult children, 2 have already started their own families) so 2 bedrooms will be a must. DH and I also enjoy a "private" trip for food and wine, so we bought a 50 point add on at BWV for those trips. We are still deciding on whether we want to go to Food and Wine every other year for Sunday- Thursday (50 points) or bank for an every other year trip.

 

[momto3pirates]

We bought at AKV before it opened. We love the resort. We have made good use of the value villas. It allowed us to take trips with large groups staying in multiple rooms. Last year we sold our AKV points and bought BWV. Nothing wrong we just wanted a change. I know we could keep AKV and try for BWV at 7 months, but we tend to go at busy times and I don't want that kind of stress.

 

[Dean]

We love the theme, animals, food and lower point chart at AKV. But, we also like to be close to the action, and even when we stay offsite we always visit the BW and DS. I'm considering buying resale at AKV, but I'm worried at some point we'll be more interested in being closer to the BW or DS, especially when the kiddos are older. We would typically travel early June, so we could probably work with the 7-month window, but no guarantees. Just curious what current owners' experiences have been.

A solution I'm considering is buying a small 25-30 point BWV add on direct (after getting our AKV resale contract) to take advantage of the AP and then bank/borrow to do a week at BWV every 3 years with the 11 months window. Can you buy an add on for a resort other than your home resort? Thanks!

I'd likely do it differently. Buy resale at BWV and likely retail at BWV as well. That way you have a better chance of getting what you want and to get the standard view. The only way I'd buy AKV in this situation is to use routinely for value or concierge. One should be able to get in to AKV routinely otherwise though it may require the wait list some times.

 

[momtwoboys]

I would LOVE to buy a resale contract at AKL! our fav of all the DVC we have stayed at

 

[quinnc19]

To elaborate on a PP's stated benefit of having booking priority at Jambo, the standard views there are either pool or less desirable (re-categorized) savannah. I much prefer these views to the standard views at Kidani.

 

[DisneyDiana]

I have absolutely no regrets about buying at AKV. To us the animals do not get boring. We love the atmosphere, the food, everything. I book a week in a value at least once a year. I also have points at BWV if I decide to do a F&W trip.

 

[Dean]

With the current price of AKV trending downward, it might be the best deal at DVC when you factor in years left on the contract (40), and accommodations. It is also one of the few resorts which will sleep 5 in a 1 bedroom without trouble, which really helps out with my family of 5.

It would have to be a a fair amount lower than SSR to be the cheapest, it's currently around 20% more roughly, or the dues would have to catch up somewhat in terms of being lower comparatively. I don't think the difference between say SSR & AKV is anything of true $$$ value, certainly not enough to matter.

 

[kristenrice]

I've thought about that as well, but I know we would like to take advantage of the low points of the AKV value studios some trips (especially while the kids are younger and we're going more frequently) so we can "splurge" on getting a 2-bedroom or 2-3 studios and bring family along other trips. I've read that those values are typically gone before the 7-month booking window. I think extended family would enjoy AKV over the other resorts as well, so having the 11-month window for those trips would be nice as well.

Just for your information, there are only 18 value studios at AKV and 10 of those make up part of a 2BR. No matter what time of year you travel, please do not plan on being able to get 2-3 value studios for an entire trip. It is possible, but it is not a guarantee, even as an owner.

We are a family of 4 (2 daughters) and we bought a 100-point resale contract back in 2008 when the girls were 3 and 5. At the time, we could book a value 1BR for our 5-night June stays for 100 points. There was an adjustment to the point chart in 2010 so we have had to tweak our travel plans. Now, we do more split stays, alternating between studios and 1BR's. With only 100 points, the AKV points chart is very appealing, especially for those 1BR's in the value category. Now that the girls are 11 and 13, they are really starting to enjoy Epcot. They loved our most recent trip to F&W and it was their first time staying at BWV. If I were starting over, it would be a very tough decision between BWV and AKV. Since we prefer 1BR's and we don't typically stay over a weekend, we have a better chance of getting a room (preferred view) at BWV during F&W at 7 months than those who want studios. On the flip side, we would probably not have a chance at a value 1BR at AKV during the same timeframe.

When we bought, we also did not plan on taking the girls out of school for vacation. Our plan was to travel over spring break (first week of April) and early June, right after school gets out. The girls actually have a fall break now which allows us to travel in October and we only have to pull them out of school for 2 days. So not only has our resort preference changed a bit, but our planned vacation times have changed as well. If I had to do it over, I would probably still buy our contract at AKV and take my chances at BWV in the fall. We actually enjoy split stays so even if we could only get 2-3 nights at BWV, we'd be happy.

The beauty of DVC is that you can be flexible and there is something for everyone. If everyone loved AKV, then it would be VERY hard to get a reservation there. I like the fact that there are plenty of folks who do not like it and would prefer to stay elsewhere.