AKV vs. SSR direct

[braysmommy]

Getting ready to take the plunge into DVC Membership and still debating home resort. I think I have narrowed it down to these 2 resorts but wanted to get some opinions. I keep going back and forth but like AKV more but not in love with the higher MF's. Any recommendations either way or recommend a different home resort?
While I have flexibility when I travel the one thing I will want is a weekend in December for MVMCP. Knowing this what UY would you recommend to have best chance of securing a weekend studio beginning of December?
Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[db24]

Getting ready to take the plunge into DVC Membership and still debating home resort. I think I have narrowed it down to these 2 resorts but wanted to get some opinions. I keep going back and forth but like AKV more but not in love with the higher MF's. Any recommendations either way or recommend a different home resort?
While I have flexibility when I travel the one thing I will want is a weekend in December for MVMCP. Knowing this what UY would you recommend to have best chance of securing a weekend studio beginning of December?
Thanks in advance for your help!

I recently went through the same decision trying to decide what to buy direct. I started going with OKW but something just didn't feel like the right decision. At times I felt like I was trying to talk myself into being happy with OKW and saving some money. So I changed my direct purchase to my favorite resort AKV. I just recommend getting the resort you want. There is nothing at all wrong with SSR, OKW, or any of the resorts, they all have their pros and cons. Sure some resorts have higher maintenance fees but you don't want to regret your decision buying a resort you're not happy with.

If you travel in December a lot a April use year would give you until November 30th to bank points in case you need to cancel close to a December reservation. I was never to concerned about use year personally because we travel at different times during the year. Use year will not effect your ability to make a reservation, use year only effects when you get your points and when you can bank them. You can make a reservation at your home resort 11 months out regardless of use year.

 

[The Jackal]

Use years is when your points are replenished for that year, not when they can be used for a reservation. Determine when you will most often travel, you want a use year that is a month or 2 before when you expect to travel. Banking needs to be done 4 months prior to your use year. So if you have a June use year and have a trip planned in April and cannot for some reason go, those points will expire on May 31 and cannot be banked. Which size room are you interested in. For the first 2 week in December are the 2 busiest weeks for DVC. Studios are all gone before 7 months, besides a day here or there. So if you want a studio for a weekend at AKV in December, you’ll need AKV. Good luck.

 

[RoseGold]

There are some families that a direct purchase makes sense for, but not most. You need to do the math against resale to see if buying direct is worth it in your situation.

Holidays can be very tight, and you very well may be stuck at your 11 mo booking. You have to decide which you like more for what your needs are.

I don't think UY matters as much as getting a good deal in resale. For direct, buying October or December UY right now gets you a whole year extra of points that you can immediately bank.

 

[poofyo101]

There are some families that a direct purchase makes sense for, but not most. You need to do the math against resale to see if buying direct is worth it in your situation.

Holidays can be very tight, and you very well may be stuck at your 11 mo booking. You have to decide which you like more for what your needs are.

I don't think UY matters as much as getting a good deal in resale. For direct, buying October or December UY right now gets you a whole year extra of points that you can immediately bank.

Not anymore. Just Dec now.

 

[dvc lover 1970]

If you like AKV more I would buy there. You need AKV points for value and club rooms. I like both resorts and will probably add on at AK in the future for the value or club room option.

 

[Wedgeout]

Don’t let the current slight difference in MF fees sway your decision. Three year expiration difference isn’t a huge gap. I’d look at which one has what I want that I’ll have a more difficult time getting unless it’s a home resort.

 

[DebLovesPooh]

I had the same debate. What pushed it for me was the chance for the value rooms but, more importantly, I am thrilled every time we stay there. So, if I can’t move at 7 months, I still love being there. We love the pools and the food at both Jambo and Kidani. And giraffes! For this New England girl, seeing giraffes every day in my way to the pool, that’s pretty incredible.

 

[JETSDAD]

We had the same decision to make a few years ago but it came down to the fact that we just love being at AKV so if we were going to be 'stuck' somewhere that is where we'd be happy. Value rooms are an incredible deal but even if you can't get those the standard views are still quite cheap.

 

[braysmommy]

I had the same debate. What pushed it for me was the chance for the value rooms but, more importantly, I am thrilled every time we stay there. So, if I can’t move at 7 months, I still love being there. We love the pools and the food at both Jambo and Kidani. And giraffes! For this New England girl, seeing giraffes every day in my way to the pool, that’s pretty incredible.

Another New Englander here and leaning toward AKV for this very reason.

 

[jccarney]

I was in the same situatio and just purchased AKL direct. The value seeker in me was going to buy OKW. But we had never stayed there so I didn’t know much about it. We stayed at AKL in 2019 and loved the restaurants, pools and the theming. I knew we would love staying at AKL so I decided to go with something I knew we would love. We are foodies and the dining options are one of my favorite things about AKL.

 

[dvc lover 1970]

Getting ready to take the plunge into DVC Membership and still debating home resort. I think I have narrowed it down to these 2 resorts but wanted to get some opinions. I keep going back and forth but like AKV more but not in love with the higher MF's. Any recommendations either way or recommend a different home resort?
While I have flexibility when I travel the one thing I will want is a weekend in December for MVMCP. Knowing this what UY would you recommend to have best chance of securing a weekend studio beginning of December?
Thanks in advance for your help!

One more thing...use year does not matter in terms of making or securing a reservation but it does matter in terms of your banking window. So if you purchase a february use year you will have to bank your points by september 30th. Also if for some reason you cancel your trip in Oct or Nov, you will have to use those points by Feb 1. However if you purchase a June use year points will have to be banked by January 31 so if you cancel your december reservation in (for example November you can bank the points into the next use year ) same holds true for August Oct or December. My personal favorite use year is June because it covers the school summer vacation and Christmas. But if you are buying direct I would purchase December to get last years and this years points so in essence you are getting a year of free points but only with the december use year. So the way it works when purchasing direct is if we are not in that month you get those points from the previous year.

 

[Bing Showei]

I don't think UY matters as much as getting a good deal in resale.

I would recommend the complete opposite. If this year has taught me anything (and whoa Nellie, this years taught me a lot), it’s that UY doesn’t matter until it does. And when it does, owners end up scrambling to recover. A lot of owners learned that the hard way.

Saving a few dollars today on a “good deal” while not being mindful of your known travel habits will cause a lot of frustration for you long term. Your travel habits are likely to change over the course of the contract life, but if you know you’ll unually travel during a certain time today, it would be worth building in a little extra insurance in case your trip goes south... or the locust/four horsemen plan their visit during your vacay.

 

[poofyo101]

AKV imo.

 

[SomePixiedust]

I tossed back and forth between the 2 for several months and then with the 100 pt minimum jumping to 125 at some point this month I decided to pull the trigger on SSR. For us, the lower cost and maintenance fees made sense with our lifestyle. We do 3-4 shorter trips (between 3-5 nights each time) a year. We are very flexible in our schedule and by Disney standards are spur of the moment. Usually booking 3-4 months out. One trip is usually planned out further than that. I was leaning towards AKV initially because although I've only visited there and never stayed, I started loving everyone's reviews and want to stay in a savannah view at some point. Then the more I thought of it, I realized it's not where I would want to stay every time (I also purchased BWV resale). Being that we will book most of our trips at the 7 month mark or later, our home resort doesn't really matter and we're happy to stay wherever is available. The proximity to Disney springs is great for our adult daughter if she chooses to take a trip down with friends. We also like to visit French Quarter and Riverside so that is also a location bonus. We went BWV resale first to let that dictate our use year, looking for Aug, Sept, Oct and wound up with Aug. Then called direct for Aug SSR and got it with no problem. It works for fall and holiday travel and also for winter. We live in the northeast and if we travel in Jan-Mar the odds of a trip being cancelled due to weather is very possible so we still have until March 31 to bank if needed. As others have mentioned, the use year doesn't enter into booking, only banking. If you want a Dec studio your best bet will be to book your home resort at 11 months out and if you want to change it, look around at 7 months so be happy with your home resort for a Christmas stay. AKL is beautiful, but SSR is close to Disney Springs and festivities there. (win-win)

 

[dvc lover 1970]

I would recommend the complete opposite. If this year has taught me anything (and whoa Nellie, this years taught me a lot), it’s that UY doesn’t matter until it does. And when it does, owners end up scrambling to recover. A lot of owners learned that the hard way.

Saving a few dollars today on a “good deal” while not being mindful of your known travel habits will cause a lot of frustration for you long term. Your travel habits are likely to change over the course of the contract life, but if you know you’ll unually travel during a certain time today, it would be worth building in a little extra insurance in case your trip goes south... or the locust/four horsemen plan their visit during your vacay.

I agree. if buying resale, buy the cheapest you can find, again use year does not matter. If buying direct in the next month, buy December use year to get last years points free any other use year you will only get 2020 points at this point in time, with December you will get 2019 and 2020 until December 1 - then you will only get 2020 points

 

[braysmommy]

I have been contemplating and running numbers over the weekend comparing direct and resale. I think resale will be the way to go for me, as a single mom, and I'm actually going to wait until my mortgage is paid off before buying. I think I got wrapped up in the minimum increase happening on the 19th and felt I "had to buy now". For now we will continue to visit and stay in a value resort or rent points if we want to stay somewhere else. Thank you for all the responses!

 

[BBCM]

IDK. My first 160 point contract cost me $140 more a year at a resort I love (AKV) versus a resort I hate (SSR). I considered my second contract at SSR but I just couldn't do it. SO much prefer knowing I can book my home resort and love my stay versus having to desparately try to switch at 7 months. (Not to say I don't switch quite a bit, but we do a nice mix of home resort stays and other stays. I'm just saying to me the cost of the differences in most annual dues aren't enough to push me away from a resort.

 

[SomePixiedust]

I have been contemplating and running numbers over the weekend comparing direct and resale. I think resale will be the way to go for me, as a single mom, and I'm actually going to wait until my mortgage is paid off before buying. I think I got wrapped up in the minimum increase happening on the 19th and felt I "had to buy now". For now we will continue to visit and stay in a value resort or rent points if we want to stay somewhere else. Thank you for all the responses!

It’s very easy to get caught up in everything. Step away from the boards . Sounds like you came up with a reasonable solution that works for you, stick with that.

 

[Theta]

Are AKV and AKL DVC the same?

Some DVC villas are in Kidani and some in Jambo house? So you can book at either?