AKV vs WLV - Help me decide

[HatboxHaint]

I would love to hear opinions and experiences on AKL vs WL.

I want to rent DVC points for this stay(s) from a reseller. I am considering a week at either WLV or AKLV OR a split stay.

I am thinking about the first week of October or first week of December trip. My biggest reason to pick WL would be proximity to MK. We stayed at CBR last october and the trip on the ferry/monorails from MK back to the parking lot at the end of the day was just packed and slow and awful. The worst was leaving MK pre-party start and trying to use the resort monorail to get to GF for an ADR, surely the boat would have been better. One thing I thought about was a split stay where the 1st half of the week we stay at WL and go to MK and then the 2nd half of the week we would stay at AKL.

 

[danikoski]

Both AKL and WL are great resorts, beautiful and well themed. I've stayed at AKV-Kidani and I am staying at WLV in about a week. The boat ride to MK, Contemporary, and Fort Wilderness won it for us this time for WLV, but the savannah view rooms at AKV are amazing and unique. Both resorts feel secluded and away from the theme park craziness.
One thing to consider is the availability for WLV through a DVC reseller. WLV sometimes books up quite quickly using DVC points. We wouldn't have been able to stay at WLV except I happened upon a studio that popped up in normal Disney inventory and I was able to apply a 35% discount I had.
For AKV, we rented points, and we were about 6-7 months out and were able to get a 2 bedroom savannah view without a problem.
Also, not sure how many people you have, but room occupancy may be an issue. A studio at AKV holds 4, while WLV holds 5; a 1 bedroom at AKV usually holds 5, while WLV holds 4; and the 2 bedroom at AKV usually holds 9, whereas WLV holds 8 (although if you get a lock off - studio plus 1 bedroom-you could fit 9, but the max occupancy, the last time I checked, was 8).

 

[Deb & Bill]

I would love to hear opinions and experiences on AKL vs WL.

I want to rent DVC points for this stay(s) from a reseller. I am considering a week at either WLV or AKLV OR a split stay.

I am thinking about the first week of October or first week of December trip. My biggest reason to pick WL would be proximity to MK. We stayed at CBR last october and the trip on the ferry/monorails from MK back to the parking lot at the end of the day was just packed and slow and awful. The worst was leaving MK pre-party start and trying to use the resort monorail to get to GF for an ADR, surely the boat would have been better. One thing I thought about was a split stay where the 1st half of the week we stay at WL and go to MK and then the 2nd half of the week we would stay at AKL.

The first week of December is the most popular time for DVC members so the villas get booked early at 11 months out. You've just passed the date when members start booking, so you'll want to make that reservation just as soon as you can.

VWL may be harder to get than AKV because it is very popular at the holidays and is much smaller than AKV.

Studios get booked the quickest (and the studio at VWL is very popular any time of the year). Two bedroom villas get booked next, one bedrooms next.

 

[AThrillingChase]

Timing wise - if you decide to go in December and are able to find an available room at VWL, I would stay here. It is consistently ranked as the number 1 choice for Christmas decorations among the resorts on the boards. Plus, something about the cabin/wilderness theme just screams holidays!

That said, I love AKL. It is probably my favorite resort. I like to mix and match resorts and do split stays and try all of them, but AKL is the first one I have decided to return to. And I am very excited about it! It is just very, very unique. I also booked rental points via Lauren at DVC Rental Store for my stay next month (they have it set up as a payment plan vs pay all up front).

I should also add - while WL was beautiful and I loved our room and that boat is a nice perk - if you miss that boat (and they can fill up quickly since some are smaller in size) you may be waiting quite a bit for another one. I also had terrible bus service that week, the worst I have ever experienced at any level resort (talking 45+ min wait for a bus back to the resort to arrive, and not at the end of the night, just no bus came). But, I think any resort can have bus problems at one time or another. I know AKL is further out and that makes people nervous, but I actually had my best bus service experience there. You don't share with other resorts due to location and stops are really what kill time more than anything else. And since it is further out they seem to really make an effort to have them running smoothly and quickly. Honestly, both resorts are beautiful!

 

[Jersey Brian]

Our home resort is WLV and we have stayed at AKL... AKL was nice with the Savannah view for one trip. It is far from everything and it seemed like all buses were on the road for a minimum of 40 minutes (except AK)... WLV is so much more convenient.... its a trade off between # of points and location, location and location...

 

[DizDaD7]

If you Split stay you'll see plenty of similarities between the 2, because it was the same architect, that designed them. The theming is different obviously, and AKL/V is more spread out, but both are awesome. Especially at XMAS time...The huge tree in the lobbies... Nothing screams more Xmas than that....Either will be great. Enjoy your trip.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Both are wonderful of course. Depending on the size and makeup your family/group, the 1BR at Kidani with the 2 bathrooms is a sweet option.

I probably prefer WLV, with the nice boat access to MK, and to the Contemporary and campgrounds. But honestly, you cannot go wrong with either one. I find that AKV is distracting from park outings, I just want to look at the animals constantly, which is not a BAD thing I guess.

I have 2 nights at Kidani in 3 weeks, cannot wait!

 

[jtwibih]

We love AKL but if you are looking for convenience, WL is better

 

[MrsDuck]

AKL is my favorite but WL is great for proximity to MK & access to EPCOT via monorail.