AKV regrets?

[Bucketfoot]

One thing about AKV. I’ve notice some comments about being able to book at 7. If you ever plan on getting value or Kilimanjaro rooms that isn’t happening at 7 months. Those rooms are even harder to get than VGC. Even hard to get at 11 months, but doable if you’re diligent.

Really no plans to worry about value rooms, even at 11 months. 2-bed savanna rooms are what I expect will be what we book.

 

[eandt]

No regrets here buying AKV. AK is my favorite park and AKV is my favorite resort. I love getting up in the morning to walk out on the balcony to greet the animals. There is nowhere else I can ever do that! I probably stay there at least once every year or 2 and often more often than that. I never find the distances that bad to the parks. My first stay at AKL was all the reason I needed to purchase DVC.

No other hotel like it ....... we had a value studio so we had a decent pool view but our sons and their girlfriends got to see this every day from their balconies!

 

[mattpeto]

AKV has more villa choices than any other DVC resort. Total villa count of the 2 buildings combined is 458 (708 max if all lock off 2 br.s are booked as separate studios & 1 br.s.) Jambo has 134 villas & Kidani has 324 villas. When it comes to booking your choices are Jambo value (studio, 1 br., lock off 2 br.,) standard view Jambo (studio, 1 br., lock off 2 br.,) standard view Kidani (studio, 1 br., lock off 2 br., dedicated 2 br., GV,) savanna view Jambo (studio, 1 br., lock off 2 br., GV,) savanna view Kidani (studio, 1 br., lock off 2 br., dedicated 2 br., GV,) club Jambo (studio, 1 br., lock off 2 br..) That’s 23 different possible booking categories!

If you look at the map, the MK park area is furthest away from all the other parks. AKV is very close to AK & closer to Epcot & DHS than the MK resorts are to those parks. I think the difference in perception is that AKV is totally reliant on busses & w/ busses you don’t know how long you’ll have to wait for one. Of all the WDW DVC properties AKV is the only one that doesn’t have an alternate transportation option to somewhere, eg VGF, BLT, Poly have monorails, boats, and walking; Riviera has Skyliner; BWV & BCV have walking, Skyliner, & boats; OKW has boats to DS; SSR has boats & walking to DS; BRV & CCV have boats.
People who drive seem to love Kidani’s under the building parking & multiple elevator banks making it easy to park relatively near their villas.

Yes.

The AKL is far from the parks is a myth. I do hope they add a transportation option eventually, but not sure if they will add to that without building more villas first.

 

[mattpeto]

We own a single contract (resale) at AKV. All things being equal, I'd probably own at Boardwalk. But 2042 really bothered me.

AKV is the only DVC resort that I would consider staying at without having WDW park tickets. (Maybe a small exception for OKW and SSV - if the trip was built around other theme parks like Universal/SW, etc).

AKL is a destination on it's own (savanna, restaurants) and the room inventory is quite robust, it makes it pretty care-free to get a studio, or a 1/2 bedroom for anytime at 11 months. The value and club level rooms are more limited, but plenty of consolation rooms at least to get.

 

[intamin]

We own a single contract (resale) at AKV. All things being equal, I'd probably own at Boardwalk. But 2042 really bothered me.

AKV is the only DVC resort that I would consider staying at without having WDW park tickets. (Maybe a small exception for OKW and SSV - if the trip was built around other theme parks like Universal/SW, etc).

AKL is a destination on it's own (savanna, restaurants) and the room inventory is quite robust, it makes it pretty care-free to get a studio, or a 1/2 bedroom for anytime at 11 months. The value and club level rooms are more limited, but plenty of consolation rooms at least to get.

Oh noo what a terrible consolation prize to have amazing food, a zoo, incredible theming with a cheap point chart. Just terrible

 

[ajiuo]

Yes.

The AKL is far from the parks is a myth. I do hope they add a transportation option eventually, but not sure if they will add to that without building more villas first.

I actually think it’s time for a second resort. Animal Kingdom is majorly themed after Africa and Asia… I think the second Animal Kingdom resort should be Asian themed. Maybe they could even possibly have some Asian animals… then a transportation system that goes to animal kingdom and the new Asian resort.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

We have our first DVC trip coming up in August. We own Poly resale but decided yesterday to add AKV-Kidani for a couple nights in a 2BR. While I sometimes wonder if I am doing DVC wrong since the bookings I want are available at 7 months and are stress-free (no walking required,) I appreciate that DVC allows me to book a LV studio at Poly and a 2BR SV at AKV without much of a hassle. Our August vacation will be the nicest one we've ever taken and the rooms will cost us less than $2,000 (based on MFs.)

 

[CarolMN]

We have our first DVC trip coming up in August. We own Poly resale but decided yesterday to add AKV-Kidani for a couple nights in a 2BR. While I sometimes wonder if I am doing DVC wrong since the bookings I want are available at 7 months and are stress-free (no walking required,) I appreciate that DVC allows me to book a LV studio at Poly and a 2BR SV at AKV without much of a hassle. Our August vacation will be the nicest one we've ever taken and the rooms will cost us less than $2,000 (based on MFs.)

Wonder no more! It's a huge perk if what you want, when you want it, is easy to book! May it ever be so.

 

[starfrenzy]

No regrets at all! We loved staying at our home resort, Kidani, in a 2-bedroom last May, even though I didn't have enough points for a savannah-view.

I was back for a short 4-night trip staying at Coronado Springs in November and spent one whole day just hanging out at Jambo House and Kidani. It's a wonderful place.

Also, people act like it's so far away from non-AK resorts, but it's not really further from Epcot & HS than the monorail resorts are.

 

[sethschroeder]

AKV is a great resort. Not for us for a whole WDW trip but its a great resort itself.

 

[Bearval]

We are thinking of buying a smaller resale contract at AKV to use primarily for split stays. Do people who have AKV as their home resorts have any regrets about buying there?

My only regret is that I didn't find out about this board until after I purchased a small direct contract ( we have added resale point since then) so I could get a blue card. Family wanted AKV and in hindsight I didn't know all of the ins and outs of DVC at the time. If I had a redo, I would have bought BLT now knowing I could get a 2 bedroom at 7 months at AKV if needed and would be paying less in MFs for all of my points. Right now I am looking to get ~ 160 resale points at BLT and sell my AKV resale points ( keeping my 75 AKV direct so I stay grandfathered).