akv vs bwv vs okw

[Jmerilli]

Which one would you choose and why?

 

[Dave006]

Well that is going to be very subjective but here goes. It would help to know when you might be going?

AKV - Nice location near AK and a chance to watch the animals in the resort area in the mornings and evenings. Currently not many food options available to chose from at the resort. Also requires a bus to all parks.

BWV - Location, location, location. Walk to Epcot and HS. More food options available but not in the physical building. You have additional food / dining options at the Swan and YC. Also the Disney Skyliner station is at the Epcot International Gateway to explore other resorts like the Rivera, CBR, and Pop if you are interested.

OKW - large open resort that has recently been remodeled but requires a bus all parks. Near DS area.

Dave

 

[JPM4]

Boardwalk due to location. AKL is the nicer resort IMO but with busses running the way they are right now Boardwalk allows you to walk to 2 places. I just stayed at OKW for the first time and it is HUGE. If you like being secluded and extremely quiet pick this hands down but if you’re not near hospitality house you’ll have to bus to the main area or walk which in the heat is rough.

 

[Jmerilli]

Thanks! We are going dec this year. We already have reservations at pop through Disney but we would like to try and rent dvc. These 3 are the ones on our lists. We are leaning towards boardwalk. There are 5 of us and we will need 2 rooms. We were looking at the studio standard view rooms. Thanks for the info. If you have any more I’m all ears!!

 

[Elsaalltheway]

Thanks! We are going dec 12-20. We already have reservations at pop through Disney but we would like to try and rent dvc. These 3 are the ones on our lists. We are leaning towards boardwalk. There are 5 of us and we will need 2 rooms. We were looking at the studio standard view rooms. Thanks for the info. If you have any more I’m all ears!!

Well that throws a kink into it. BWV is very hard to get studios within the seven month mark. AKL is a bit easier, but will probably be at Khdani, and OKW will probably be open. I've stayed at all but OKW and out of those. If you can get BWV, I would do that, but if you are going for cost and it is still cheaper to stay at PoP. I would stay at PoP. With PoP you have access to the Skyliner to get to two parks and don't have to worry about the buses, you have access to AoA and their food court. If you have a car I would still stay PoP, but if you want to stay at AKV or OKW I've heard the busses can be long waits with all the social distacing, They are not allowing standing, and they are only allowing a fraction of people on the busses. Something to think about.

 

[Jmerilli]

Well that throws a kink into it. BWV is very hard to get studios within the seven month mark. AKL is a bit easier, but will probably be at Khdani, and OKW will probably be open. I've stayed at all but OKW and out of those. If you can get BWV, I would do that, but if you are going for cost and it is still cheaper to stay at PoP. I would stay at PoP. With PoP you have access to the Skyliner to get to two parks and don't have to worry about the buses, you have access to AoA and their food court. If you have a car I would still stay PoP, but if you want to stay at AKV or OKW I've heard the busses can be long waits with all the social distacing, They are not allowing standing, and they are only allowing a fraction of people on the busses. Something to think about.

Thank you!

 

[Jmerilli]

Well that throws a kink into it. BWV is very hard to get studios within the seven month mark. AKL is a bit easier, but will probably be at Khdani, and OKW will probably be open. I've stayed at all but OKW and out of those. If you can get BWV, I would do that, but if you are going for cost and it is still cheaper to stay at PoP. I would stay at PoP. With PoP you have access to the Skyliner to get to two parks and don't have to worry about the buses, you have access to AoA and their food court. If you have a car I would still stay PoP, but if you want to stay at AKV or OKW I've heard the busses can be long waits with all the social distacing, They are not allowing standing, and they are only allowing a fraction of people on the busses. Something to think about.

I think I may be confused on how renting works. If I rent dvc, doesn’t that mean I can stay were ever the home points are? I’m very new to this!!

 

[Elsaalltheway]

I think I may be confused on how renting works. If I rent dvc, doesn’t that mean I can stay were ever the home points are? I’m very new to this!!

Well welcome then. Actually even when you rent there has to be availability. I own at DVC. I can see if there is any availability and that might help you. It's best to ask at 11 months hour. When you rent points you are actually asking an owner to secure a slot at the place you want to stay, and if there are no owners who own at that resort available you have to wait till the seventh month mark and then you still need an owner to see if there is availability. If there is not, Then just like the other resorts there are no rooms available. There are different places like at AKL there is two different places, Khdani and Jambo. You have to chose what one you want, And either a standard view or savanah view. Standard is cheaper. And then you need to decide if you want a studio or one bedroom or two bedroom. And Studios don't have two queen beds, they have a bed with a fold out couch. Unless its OKW then you get two queens. But one bedrooms and two bedrooms have full kitchens. So what are you looking at? I can see if there is rooms available. That might narrow it down for you.

 

[Elsaalltheway]

If you were to have five people there are some resorts that sleep five in the studios. But again, one is only a twin and one queen and one fold out. And a lot of two bedrooms go real quick too.

 

[Wishuponastar0412]

Thanks! We are going dec 12-20. We already have reservations at pop through Disney but we would like to try and rent dvc. These 3 are the ones on our lists. We are leaning towards boardwalk. There are 5 of us and we will need 2 rooms. We were looking at the studio standard view rooms. Thanks for the info. If you have any more I’m all ears!!

Are you looking for this year? If so, there is currently no availability for the whole trip. That of course can change, but just something to think of. However, if next year you are ahead of the game!

I own at AKV- Kidani. I had no problems booking my January Marathon weekend trip 11 months out with standard view. I switched to OKW as we were originally having my cousin stay and wanted 2 full beds. If I wanted to switch back now, I'd have to be on the waitlist. I'm currently on the waitlist for Boardwalk Standard, but not hopeful it will come through since there are not many of them and most are booked at 11 months. I am not stuck on staying Boardwalk. OWK is the easiest since it only has 2 booking categories and neither of them are based on view. It's also pretty big so easiest to get a room there. I personally have only stayed AKV and BWV- we love both but for different reasons. AKV is much more relaxing. We had a Savannah view which we loved. We just loved sitting on our balcony and seeing the animals. It really didn't feel like Florida! BWV has the ease of getting into the parks. We went to mainly Epcot that stay and loved being able to jump back to the hotel and have time to relax. We also stay at Pop a fair bit- my husband loves the Skyliner. Honestly, you can't do wrong with any of them!

 

[Jmerilli]

Well welcome then. Actually even when you rent there has to be availability. I own at DVC. I can see if there is any availability and that might help you. It's best to ask at 11 months hour. When you rent points you are actually asking an owner to secure a slot at the place you want to stay, and if there are no owners who own at that resort available you have to wait till the seventh month mark and then you still need an owner to see if there is availability. If there is not, Then just like the other resorts there are no rooms available. There are different places like at AKL there is two different places, Khdani and Jambo. You have to chose what one you want, And either a standard view or savanah view. Standard is cheaper. And then you need to decide if you want a studio or one bedroom or two bedroom. And Studios don't have two queen beds, they have a bed with a fold out couch. Unless its OKW then you get two queens. But one bedrooms and two bedrooms have full kitchens. So what are you looking at? I can see if there is rooms available. That might narrow it down for you.

We definitely want 2 studios. There are 5 of us but my family needs a different space from my parents. We don’t get along living together like that...haha We are going December 12-20. I would love some help if you could look for any availability. Thank you so much for all the info you’ve given me!

 

[Jmerilli]

Are you looking for this year? If so, there is currently no availability for the whole trip. That of course can change, but just something to think of. However, if next year you are ahead of the game!

I own at AKV- Kidani. I had no problems booking my January Marathon weekend trip 11 months out with standard view. I switched to OKW as we were originally having my cousin stay and wanted 2 full beds. If I wanted to switch back now, I'd have to be on the waitlist. I'm currently on the waitlist for Boardwalk Standard, but not hopeful it will come through since there are not many of them and most are booked at 11 months. I am not stuck on staying Boardwalk. OWK is the easiest since it only has 2 booking categories and neither of them are based on view. It's also pretty big so easiest to get a room there. I personally have only stayed AKV and BWV- we love both but for different reasons. AKV is much more relaxing. We had a Savannah view which we loved. We just loved sitting on our balcony and seeing the animals. It really didn't feel like Florida! BWV has the ease of getting into the parks. We went to mainly Epcot that stay and loved being able to jump back to the hotel and have time to relax. We also stay at Pop a fair bit- my husband loves the Skyliner. Honestly, you can't do wrong with any of them!

Yes, I am looking for this year. If we found someone with points at bwv would they look for availability on our dates first before we purchased points?

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you are renting, you might be able to find some reservations that the brokers have that they are re-renting for guests who decided they didn't or couldn't go at the time of the reservation. OKW studios have two queen beds and are pretty spacious. It is pretty difficult to find two studios next to each other (only four buildings have studios side by side). Most of the time they are at opposite ends of the buildings. So you might be on the same floor, but opposite ends or one on top of the other, or even different buildings. Most of the buildings at OKW do not have elevators, just stairs. Olivia's, the table service restaurant, is pretty good. Goods to Go is a poolside counter service with only outdoor seating. OKW is the first DVC resort, so the rooms are larger. DVC realized when OKW was successful that they could make the rooms smaller and sell them for more.

BWV has studios that sleep five with a queen bed, double sleeper sofa and a bunk sized (not as big as a twin) murphy bed under the television. There is no information when BWInn will reopen, so some of the dining isn't open at the BW. Standard view usually get booked up first, so it might not be available for you. Plan on Preferred, non-BW view.

AKV has studios with one queen bed and one double sleeper sofa. Only Kidani Village is open right now and I'm not sure when Jambo House will reopen. Jambo House has DVC villas on the fifth floor and those are renovated hotel rooms. Kidani Village is all DVC villas and they were built as villas to begin with. If you are looking at the Value villas, they are all located in Jambo House and might not be available since they book up quickly by owners at AKV. Plan on a standard or savanna view at the minimum.

DVC members can book their home resort at 11 months out and any DVC resort at seven months out. So being four months out you might have difficulty finding a DVC resort available. But this year has been very different because of the virus. You cannot check on availability and the DIS doesn't want DVC members to look for availability because it changes so quickly, What you find right now, might be gone in five minutes.

Yes, I am looking for this year. If we found someone with points at bwv would they look for availability on our dates first before we purchased points?

You don't buy points unless you are purchasing your own DVC contract. You are purchasing a reservation made with points. An owner or broker might require a deposit to make the reservation. Then you would pay the remaining owed either right then or within so many days of the start of the reservation. It depends on what the owner/broker's terms are.

 

[Deb & Bill]

When you purchase a DVC reservation, you'll want to make sure you sign a contract to rent the reservation. DVC requires a contract to be signed for renting.

Final point. If you get a private message from someone you did not initiate the conversation with, ignore that message and report it to the Webmaster. That is the way inexperienced renters get scammed. If you decide to use the Rent/Trade Board on the DIS, read all the sticky threads at the top of the page before you do anything on that page. You don't initiate a request, you respond to someone offering their points.

You probably want to delete the dates you are looking for in your original message so you don't get these scam messages.

 

[Jmerilli]

If you are renting, you might be able to find some reservations that the brokers have that they are re-renting for guests who decided they didn't or couldn't go at the time of the reservation. OKW studios have two queen beds and are pretty spacious. It is pretty difficult to find two studios next to each other (only four buildings have studios side by side). Most of the time they are at opposite ends of the buildings. So you might be on the same floor, but opposite ends or one on top of the other, or even different buildings. Most of the buildings at OKW do not have elevators, just stairs. Olivia's, the table service restaurant, is pretty good. Goods to Go is a poolside counter service with only outdoor seating. OKW is the first DVC resort, so the rooms are larger. DVC realized when OKW was successful that they could make the rooms smaller and sell them for more.

BWV has studios that sleep five with a queen bed, double sleeper sofa and a bunk sized (not as big as a twin) murphy bed under the television. There is no information when BWInn will reopen, so some of the dining isn't open at the BW. Standard view usually get booked up first, so it might not be available for you. Plan on Preferred, non-BW view.

AKV has studios with one queen bed and one double sleeper sofa. Only Kidani Village is open right now and I'm not sure when Jambo House will reopen. Jambo House has DVC villas on the fifth floor and those are renovated hotel rooms. Kidani Village is all DVC villas and they were built as villas to begin with. If you are looking at the Value villas, they are all located in Jambo House and might not be available since they book up quickly by owners at AKV. Plan on a standard or savanna view at the minimum.

DVC members can book their home resort at 11 months out and any DVC resort at seven months out. So being four months out you might have difficulty finding a DVC resort available. But this year has been very different because of the virus. You cannot check on availability and the DIS doesn't want DVC members to look for availability because it changes so quickly, What you find right now, might be gone in five minutes.

You don't buy points unless you are purchasing your own DVC contract. You are purchasing a reservation made with points. An owner or broker might require a deposit to make the reservation. Then you would pay the remaining owed either right then or within so many days of the start of the reservation. It depends on what the owner/broker's terms are.

Thank you!

 

[Jmerilli]

If you are renting, you might be able to find some reservations that the brokers have that they are re-renting for guests who decided they didn't or couldn't go at the time of the reservation. OKW studios have two queen beds and are pretty spacious. It is pretty difficult to find two studios next to each other (only four buildings have studios side by side). Most of the time they are at opposite ends of the buildings. So you might be on the same floor, but opposite ends or one on top of the other, or even different buildings. Most of the buildings at OKW do not have elevators, just stairs. Olivia's, the table service restaurant, is pretty good. Goods to Go is a poolside counter service with only outdoor seating. OKW is the first DVC resort, so the rooms are larger. DVC realized when OKW was successful that they could make the rooms smaller and sell them for more.

BWV has studios that sleep five with a queen bed, double sleeper sofa and a bunk sized (not as big as a twin) murphy bed under the television. There is no information when BWInn will reopen, so some of the dining isn't open at the BW. Standard view usually get booked up first, so it might not be available for you. Plan on Preferred, non-BW view.

AKV has studios with one queen bed and one double sleeper sofa. Only Kidani Village is open right now and I'm not sure when Jambo House will reopen. Jambo House has DVC villas on the fifth floor and those are renovated hotel rooms. Kidani Village is all DVC villas and they were built as villas to begin with. If you are looking at the Value villas, they are all located in Jambo House and might not be available since they book up quickly by owners at AKV. Plan on a standard or savanna view at the minimum.

DVC members can book their home resort at 11 months out and any DVC resort at seven months out. So being four months out you might have difficulty finding a DVC resort available. But this year has been very different because of the virus. You cannot check on availability and the DIS doesn't want DVC members to look for availability because it changes so quickly, What you find right now, might be gone in five minutes.

You don't buy points unless you are purchasing your own DVC contract. You are purchasing a reservation made with points. An owner or broker might require a deposit to make the reservation. Then you would pay the remaining owed either right then or within so many days of the start of the reservation. It depends on what the owner/broker's terms are.

Thank you!

 

[chalee94]

NM

 

[mister morrow]

i really don't think you will have a lot of difficulty finding standard studios considering everything going on at the moment; people are continuously canceling their vacations and i think many will opt out or move their vacation dates in the upcoming months if everything remains the way it is now. just keep in mind the dates you are looking at are typically the most expensive of the year, so renting may be a better option! have fun!

 

[disneygolfer1985]

We own at the Boardwalk and I can attest that going over thanksgiving through the end of the year requires reservations be made at the 11th month mark. Now this year may be different as the festivals aren’t in full swing, but over the holidays it is a favorite location because you’re not relying on transportation to get back.

 

[Marionnette]

i really don't think you will have a lot of difficulty finding standard studios considering everything going on at the moment; people are continuously canceling their vacations and i think many will opt out or move their vacation dates in the upcoming months if everything remains the way it is now. just keep in mind the dates you are looking at are typically the most expensive of the year, so renting may be a better option! have fun!

I own at BWV and I think that a renter would have a lot of difficulty snagging a standard view studio, even under current circumstances. A lot of owners have waitlists in for those studios, so if someone cancels another owner with a waitlist will get it before the villa becomes available for anyone else to book.

And the OP wants two of those studios. So, there’s an even smaller chance of getting what they want. My advice is to focus on getting what owners call a Pool/Garden View. They are the most plentiful in number at BWV and the last studios to get booked up.