AKV vs SSR

[nfouey]

These two DVCs seem very comparable to me when considering from a financial prospective only. Clearly the animal lover in my wife voted for AKV. But from what I can tell they both have longer contracts. AKV gets the slight nod there. Price per point are about the same range. SSR has lower MF by about a buck. Both are easy to book at 11 and 7 month mark. But AKV gets the slight nod with booking factor if we want to go economical on a trip and opt for a value studio as those are only a 11 month option.

So...this makes me lean slightly towards AKV if I'm going the value route. BLT is also on my radar too but I think I would rather get more points and trips for what my budget allows. Plus we overall prefer AKV to BLT.

Thoughts?

Everyone seems to be on the SSR brings the most value train but from what I can tell AKV does too! Plus hello..animals!

Thanks in advance!

 

[disneynutz]

IMO buying a resort you love is more important than saving a few bucks on Disney vacations that will cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars anyway during your ownership.

AKV is really remote, SSR has DS, BWV and BCV has Epcot and DHS, BLT, VGF, PVB, VWL has the MK.

Bill

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The best use case for buying AKV over SSR is if you want Value or Club Level rooms.

Among DVC, on a price-per-point basis purchased resale, SSR is the most economical, followed by BLT, followed by AKV. The higher member fee balances out over a 10-15 year period.

 

[CarolynFH]

IMO buying a resort you love is more important than saving a few bucks on Disney vacations that will cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars anyway during your ownership.

AKV is really remote, SSR has DS, BWV and BCV has Epcot and DHS, BLT, VGF, PVB, VWL has the MK.

Bill

I fully agree with Bill here - the real cost of DVC membership goes beyond the initial purchase price and even the dues, and you need to be happy with where you stay. As much as I love my home resort BWV for its location, I also love AKV savanna view! We don't spend all our time in the parks anymore, and I can enjoy hours sitting on the balcony watching the animals (just as I once spent an hour or two on my balcony at BWV, watching eagles perched up on the Swan!).

 

[Cyberc1978]

I agree buy where you love to stay.

BUT, as you also look at the purchase from an economic standpoint you might want to consider SSR. As you mentioned the mf are more in the favor of SSR than AKV.

So on a 100 point contract you save 100$ Per year buying SSR, assuming the spread in mf will remain the same forever. On a larger contract the savings would be more.

The value rooms at AKV, go very fast so don't buy AKV with the only intention of booking value rooms. I read elsewhere that there are 10 value 2br lock off and 8 dedicated value studios.

If you mostly are gonna book AKV, you still might want to consider SSR, since AKV almost always has availability same goes for SSR. So booking the same kinda rooms might make sense with cheaper points. You ofc has to wait until the 7 months mark if you bought SSR and wanted to book AKV or anything else.

Regards

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

One thing to consider re the value rooms at AK is there are no accessible value rooms. I don't know if you or your wife are disabled but that might be a factor. Starting from next year SSR offers lower point rooms according to location so you could opt for those. Also SSR can't beat that walk or boat to Disney Springs. We love AK but we would not like it as our Home resort because we love Disney Springs but each to his own! I totally agree buy where you really want to stay. You can always score the others at some point at 7 months we have.

 

[kniquy]

We were in your shoes trying to decide on our resale. We had a budget we needed to stick to and we wanted the most points for our money - that led us to SSR and AKV. After staying at SSR it is a nice resort, it was not what we wanted to have to stay at. We chose a 120pt contract at AKV. We figured the yearly difference of $150 for AKV was worth to us to know we would be happy if we were stuck there. You really need to weigh your pro/con list for each resort. Seriously write a list and hash it our with your wife. You must have AKV if you want to try CL- it might be something to try once, but often the views are not as good as the SV or if you want to save points then the value rooms book up quick at 11 months.

 

[DizBub]

I know most people buy AKV to have the ability to book value/club level rooms but for us it would be to book Jambo House, period. Other than the underground parking we really don't care for Kidani.

But when it actually came to pulling the trigger on a resale we chose SSR. Just a personal preference.

 

[aoconnor]

I had the same dilemma and also chose AKV. I much prefer the theme there, and the fact that it's a bit remote is actually a positive for me; it adds to the feeling of being transported to another place. I find SSR to be too close to big off-property resorts which are an eyesore in the distance. Plus, the ability to book value rooms on occasion to save points is nice.

The extra $1 in dues is really a drop in the bucket compared to the overall cost of a Disney vacation (flights, tickets, meals etc). Buy whichever one you like more.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

These two DVCs seem very comparable to me when considering from a financial prospective only. Clearly the animal lover in my wife voted for AKV. But from what I can tell they both have longer contracts. AKV gets the slight nod there. Price per point are about the same range. SSR has lower MF by about a buck. Both are easy to book at 11 and 7 month mark. But AKV gets the slight nod with booking factor if we want to go economical on a trip and opt for a value studio as those are only a 11 month option.

So...this makes me lean slightly towards AKV if I'm going the value route. BLT is also on my radar too but I think I would rather get more points and trips for what my budget allows. Plus we overall prefer AKV to BLT.

Thoughts?

Everyone seems to be on the SSR brings the most value train but from what I can tell AKV does too! Plus hello..animals!

Thanks in advance!

I always caution against buying for the cheapest room as that's what many do and you might not always be able to get it so the value rooms may or may not be something you can get. Just don't buy at a point that you have to get that category. However, we too like AKV a lot and I don't have any particular caution against buying there if that's where you most likely want to stay anyway and if the value category is what you want to aim for then you'll want to buy there to have the chance. One thought though - because of the dues it might be just as economical to buy SSR and then book standard view at AKV at 7 months. Or savannah view will be cheaper because of the dues and with the value room you don't know if you'll see a savannah or the trees around the pool or even the porte cochere. And for booking any other resorts at 7 months the economics will be better with the lower dues of SSR if the purchase price is the same. However, I'd also consider the times you want to go and if it is a busy DVC time then you should at least be ok with the idea you might have to stay where you purchase.

 

[nfouey]

I think I was using the option of getting a value room at AKV as an added "pro". In all likelihood we will be booking studio or 1br savanna views. Just like the idea that if I wanted a lower cost option to save points for a bigger trip the next year it was there. Also like the "pro" of club level as well. Just need to figure out if those pros are worth the extra buck per point MF given I could purchase for less at SSR and still get my Savannah view studio or 1br at the 7 month mark.

I think the biggest thing that even has me considering AKV is we love it there and the extra 3 years in the contract. So if for example I bought 200 points and using today's MF, I would be spending about 8,200 more over the lifetime of the dvc ownership to have the following:
1. 3 more years on the contract (2700 a year over those 3 years!)
2. First dibs at value and club level
3. Piece of mind that if something changes and AKV becomes hard to book at 7 months I still get to stay with the animals!
4. The right to call AKV home.

I know the dues are important but they just seem so small month to month and I don't think I would even notice them! It's when you add it all up that makes you say "hmm!"

 

[kniquy]

You really have to do what makes you and your family happy. Like a PP mentioned it isn't always about the $$. Some people go nuts (financial people) with analyzing better options for every last dime. Vacations are suppose to be a bit of a splurge (within your means of course). You can start small with your initial purchase and if you feel the need you can always add on at a different resort down the road. If it no longer works for you you can sell for not too much of a loss. Just keep reading all that you can on these boards and ask lots of questions.

 

[bwvBound]

I like using SSR points to book AKV. I don't go for either AKV Value or AKV Club units as I want a reasonable guarantee of an enjoyable savannah view!

 

[Dean]

These two DVCs seem very comparable to me when considering from a financial prospective only. Clearly the animal lover in my wife voted for AKV. But from what I can tell they both have longer contracts. AKV gets the slight nod there. Price per point are about the same range. SSR has lower MF by about a buck. Both are easy to book at 11 and 7 month mark. But AKV gets the slight nod with booking factor if we want to go economical on a trip and opt for a value studio as those are only a 11 month option.

So...this makes me lean slightly towards AKV if I'm going the value route. BLT is also on my radar too but I think I would rather get more points and trips for what my budget allows. Plus we overall prefer AKV to BLT.

Thoughts?

Everyone seems to be on the SSR brings the most value train but from what I can tell AKV does too! Plus hello..animals!

Thanks in advance!

AKV will be about 20% more expensive than SSR long term if you make comparable assumptions at the same points. One would have to use value roughly 2/3 of the time AND to buy the less points to make them about the same cost. BLT will be less than AKV long term for the same points. I also feel that the building design gives some protection for long term dues over the other 2. Certainly if one wants AKV, esp if view or value is important, AKV is a reasonable option.

 

[disneynutz]

A pro isn't much of a pro if you don't use it or can't use it. CL at AKV isn't worth the cost IMO, worse views on property and very, very difficult to book.

Most owners don't keep their contracts full term, thousands sell every year so is a long contract a pro?

My post above listed the other resorts and extra bang for the buck. As an example, buy BCV, you get the best pool on property, BC lobby and restaurants, yacht club lobby and restaurants, the boardwalk and the boardwalk restaurants and the boardwalk lobby and facilities, the S&D restaurants, plus you can walk to Epcot or DHS or take a boat to get there and you get crescent lake.

AKV you get the AKV restaurants and some animals.

Bill

 

[ldo]

we bought ALV b/c we prefer to stay at AKV over SSR, or almost anywhere else. I like booking @ 11mths and am happy to stay at AKV. I don't like the whole switch at 7 mths thing, and we usually go at busy times, so knowing I have my reservation locked in makes me happy.
IMHO, at AKV, you get a very relaxing pool experience at Jambo, nice spa/sauna, beautiful lobby with a high-end hotel feel--what I am looking for on a vacation.
But, just stayed @ SSR for a week and thought it was very nice.

 

[nfouey]

we bought ALV b/c we prefer to stay at AKV over SSR, or almost anywhere else. I like booking @ 11mths and am happy to stay at AKV. I don't like the whole switch at 7 mths thing, and we usually go at busy times, so knowing I have my reservation locked in makes me happy.
But, just stayed @ SSR for a week and thought it was very nice.

Thanks! We have stayed at both too. As well as YC (not DVC of course but gives us idea of BCV). We found SSR to be lovely and were plesenty surprised.

However, right now AKV is our favorite and price per point seems to give us the most bang for our budget. While currently AKV is very easy to book at 7 months, I wonder if that changes over the years or even just post Avatar addition at AK.

I think we all get stuck on the idea of SSR, AKV, and OKW will always be available during most times of year without tons of advance warning. But if things change and I have to be "stuck" someplace I would want that to be AKV over SSR.

 

[drusba]

Do you believe that you (or your spouse) might want to go to WDW and stay at AKV rather than SSR during the Thursday before Columbus Day in Oct through the second weekend after Columbus Day, during early to mid-November, during Thanksgiving week, during first two weeks of Dec, during Christmas to New Years, or during the Thursday to Sun of marathon weekend in Jan? The reason I ask: those time periods now have a serious risk of not being available at 7 months out at AKV even if looking for Kidani standard or savanna view.

Two years ago and before, AKV rarely filled standard and savanna view rooms before 7 months out except for some risk for a couple days in the first week of Dec, Thanksgiving, and NYE time, and Jambo could fill at some other times. The high demand DVC quarter from late Sep to marathon weekend in Jan gets worse every year, and for 2016 AKV had issues of having rooms fllled before 7 months out, even Kidani standard and savanna view, for many of the days during the periods I mentioned; 1BRs were the only exception and studios were the worst of the group of rooms. And if the trend continues, it will likely get worse for that entire last quarter as time progresses unless DVC does a point reallocation that significantly raises the points needed for the times that are currently adventure or choice season during that quarter.


Thus, if your preference is to stay at AKV rather than SSR during that high demand late Sep to marathon weekend in Jan period, I would highly recommend you shoose AKV, particularly if its asking price is close to the same as SSR. Moreover, if your prefernece is Jambo you probably should buy AKV even if your travel times will be other times of year, to assure being able to get it when you want to get it. What I do not recommend is even considering the possibility of getting club level rooms or value as an advantage in making the decision because that possibility may not even exist many times of the year. Club Level studios (and thus 2BRs) and even 1BRs often, generally fill about 85% of the year either BEFORE or within less than a minute after the 11 month window opens at 8 a.m. online. Value now has that same risk during the entire high demand quarter and it has also disappeared before or exactly at 11 months out at a number of times during the rest of the year. In other words, do not buy AKV with any expectation that you will actually be able to get club level or value rooms when you might want them.

 

[ColonialMouse]

We own at AKV, and honestly I think we would have been better off with more SSR points. We've never stayed at AKV when we couldn't have gotten the reservation at 7 months, so we're just paying extra maintenance fees. We've stayed in 1 and 2BR Savannah views. Really like it a lot, even with the remoteness. But personally I sort of wish we hadn't bought there. But again, the maintenance fees aren't high enough that I'm going to sell the points, either. And maybe one day I'll be able to snag that value studio in October if I want to....

Bruce