Animal Kingdom vs Bay Lake

[La2kw]

I was pretty much responding to the maintenance comment, and not really just to your comment. Sorry for the confuson, but I thought multiple quotes would have been more confusing.

If BLT is contributing to the upkeep of Chef Mickey's and the like, then doesn't the same theory apply to AKV and the eateries in the Jambo House? It might be argued though that it is more likely at AK because of the converted floors in Jambo House.

If BLT will indeed contribute to the upkeep of CR facilities (monorail excluded for my Q), is that why (in part) dues are higher at BC and BWV than at OKW and SSR - they share upkeep costs for the hotel portion? That [sharing the costs] doesn't really make sense to me but I am far from an expert, especially in DVD workings - just offering my opinion here.

Again, I'm not referring to maintenance fees at all. That is someone else's post. Are you sure you read my post?

As to activities, we have stayed at CR and at AKV. IMO you cannot compare the available activities but then we have not yet stayed at BLT (August will be our first trip). In fact, I would say overall AKV definitely has more (non park) activities than any other DVC we have stayed at so far (OKW, SSR, BW, VB), especially for kids and many low- or no additional cost.

What are these activities? Are you referring to crafts or something? No one has given examples of the multitude of reacreational activities that AKV has. I thought I had a pretty thorough list. Did you read my post, or are you commenting on someone else's?

I also think while BLT may have three pools available (does that include the CR pool?) the new pool at Kidani looks amazing - my guess is many guests looking for "more" non-park options will prefer two pools including Kadani than three without, much like what happens at BC.

The BLT pools total includes the ones at CR, just as the AKV pool totals include the one at Jambo. However, all three BLT pools are within a short stroll of each other. If you want to try both pools at AKV, you must either walk about 1/2 mile, drive a car, or take a bus. I honestly can't figure out what is so amazing about the Kidani pool. I have heard that comment a number of times.

BLT will have marina access, but I am not sure what the "way more recreational activities" might be. IMO the additional restaurant (I haven't actually counted, but as CR is geared to convention goers, I'd add lounge and coffee bar facilities as well) and monorail access while definitely features to consider are not "recreational activities".

The marina has boat rentals like water mice, pontoon boats, and Boston Whalers. It's also the location of Sammy Duval's Watersports Center where you can arrange parasailing, water skiing, wakeboarding, and personal water craft. There will also be tennis courts and shuffleboard courts. I consider that a lot more variety than watching animals and doing crafts.

As far as the restaurants, BLT will have access to The Wave, Chef Mickey's, Contempo Cafe, and California Grill. AKV will have access to Sanaa, Boma, Jiko, and Mara. Guess which resort requires you to either walk 1/2 mile, drive a car, or take a bus to try all the restaurants? (hint: it's not BLT)

As I said, I love them both for different reasons, but unless BLT has better options than CR had I would still agree with the OP's statement. Not that it matters - we'll just agree to disagree, plus variety of opinions is what keeps us coming back to different destinations and helps DVC timeshares to "work".

No matter what, I am looking forward to making a first-hand comparison as we will be at Kidani in June and BLT in August - I cannot wait!!

I'd love to hear about your comparisons between the two resorts after your trips. I'm still waiting to hear about all these additional recreational activities that AKV has. No one has listed them, just stated that there are more. I have stayed at the CR numerous times, and only once at AKL. From what I remember, AKV had ostrich egg painting, storytelling, and some other craft. BLT will also have a community hall and as with every other community hall will also offer crafts for the kids.

 

[whitfamily]

A few things...

First, I've come to realize people can be a bit nasty on this board about the resorts. Good lord can we take a deep breathe when someone makes a statement of opinionand not jump down their throat if they disagree?

Now, our view of BLT vs AKV. This is based off the resort tours AND the list of recreation options on the DVC website.

AKV's pool appears to be much more family friendly. For instance, the lay out shows kid slides, BLT does not. AKV pool also seems to be larger than the BLT pool.

For activities, AKV has a playground for the kids called Hakuna Matata Playground-- I see no comprable playground for BLT.

AKV offers Simba's Clubhouse for supervised kids activities-- BLT does not have anything comprable listed.

The Uwanja Camp seems to be a playground for all ages-- BLT does not have anything comprable.

Restaurants, community hall, arcade, etc all seem to be the same.

BLT offers the marina, AKV does not. And the monorail is convienient.

With all of that taken into consideration, and including the extra incentives as well as extra points to stay at BLT, AKV seems like a no brainer. More stuff for our family at a better value.

Also, for the comments about AKV MFs and subsidizing Jambo... Jambo and Kidani are the exact same thing in the eyes of DVC MF's and reservations. If you buy one you are buying the other as well. Kidani will probably fill up first, but they are the same.

 

[jade1]

Actually this had been a good thread comparison for folks looking currently at these resorts. If I had younger kids I would still buy at BLT. It would be easier to stay on occasion at AKV than the other way around IMO. Also the lower dues at BLT would make the stays of fewer ponts at AKV and even better deal (than owning AKV). If you own at AKV and do get a ressie at BLT-the higher AKV dues make it an even worse deal (than owning BLT). If you want more "young kids" activities at AKV-then try to stay there at 7 months, knowing you have BLT to fall back on. But in a few years those young kids will start to avoid the "playgrounds and crafts" and enjoying the beach/boating/parasailing type of activities at BLT. Just my opinion of what my family would do in this situation.

 

[Disnead]

A few things...

For activities, AKV has a playground for the kids called Hakuna Matata Playground-- I see no comprable playground for BLT.

I believe there is one at the CR that is closed at the moment, but scheduled to reopen on 9/1/2009 after the construction on BLT is completed (meaning it is probably close enough to BLT to easily access it).

I believe there are good points to both resorts as mentioned by a previous poster. There is a lot of good information in this thread about both resorts.

Here's my $.02: I do not think that anyone can argue that one resort is more "Family Friendly" than another...there will always be differences that certain families will value more than others (View of animals, ease of access to parks and other resorts, lake activities, quiet pools, great slides, etc.). A blanket statement like that can always be countered by people who value different things. Seems like people on this board feel very strongly about their home resort. Which is awesome...to each his or her own!
All there is to do is for you to choose the resort that best fits your family....as it looks like you have done.

As for us...the value of being within a 10 minute walk to MK, being on the monorail with easy access to our personal favorite restaurants (Chef Mickeys, Ohana, Kona Cafe (Sausage Links!!! I dream about them.), and more), the low maintenance fees, and the speculation that we'll be able to book AKV easier at 7 months than BLT were the major points for my family.
Which is why we chose BLT last week!!

Congrats on your decision...Seems like you have put a lot of thought into it like we did, and I'm sure you will enjoy it!

 

[dozerdog]

Great info on this thread!! We had the very same decision when we bought into DVC this year. We actually started out at AKV and changed to BLT during the "paper work" process. Why the change?? We suddenly remembered that DH & DS are alergic to animals and DH was sick the entire time we were AKL on the last trip to WDW. Why we didn't remember that during the presentation, I don't know, just glad we remembered before everything was finalized!!!

Also, our family is grown and we liked the convenience of BLT vs the "family (ie kid) friendly" atmosphere of AKL. Our final deciding point was the distance of AKL from everything. Our last experience staying there, we actually had a car, and it still took quite some time to get to anyplace else in the "world" from the "savanaah".

To each his own, but that is just how we based our decision to buy at BLT and can hardly wait until Sept. to see the view of the castle from our balcony (another plus!!!)

 

[thelionqueen]

I also think this is a good thread with a lot of good information. I think many DVC owners are very partial to their home resort for a lot of really good reasons; I know I am.

That said, I think the OP did their research and bought where they wanted to stay, CONGRATULATIONS!!

I personally LOVED the interior theming of the rooms @ AKV, but the location and proximity to...hmm..AK..is a huge drawback for me. I live in CO so that is why I wouldn't buy @ VWL even though it's gorgeous, I see it here. Not that either are better or worse than my home of BLT, just my taste and choice.

My first visit to WDW was @ the Contemporary, my husband's and my sons too, it is by far the epitomy of everything Disney-to us and I wouldn't own anywhere else. Not counting a monorail ride to Kona Cafe (PP-my husband dreams about the sausage there as well..) for my Tonga Toast & Kona Coffee, or a monorail ride to Epcot. Those are big draws as well, FOR US! Good thing there is a DVC for everyone-BLT is just my favorite

 

[disdad09]

We are very pleased with our choice of BLT.
The DW is not a big fan of AK and we love the thought of being a 10 min walk from what we consider to be the heart of WDW.
Our young kids love MK.
We love the thought of having the luxury of using the monorail to get to MK and epcott and not have to wait for the buses.
We also love the beach activites available at BLT.
We are not a great fan of the safari but like they say to each his on and that is what makes DVC the best time share around.

 

[bethy]

I wasn't interested in BLT because I have very little interest in the MK. My personal Magic Kingdom is DisneyLAND. I have beaches and watersports two blocks from our house. We have water everywhere (that you can actually swim in) in the Pacific Northwest.

So I bought VGC so I could walk to my Magic Kingdom, watch the fireworks and World of Color show from the viewing lounge. Visit the spa. And be in the middle of all the exciting action. I bought AKV to get away from it all. To stay at a resort unlike any other in the Western Hemisphere - or really in the world. To stay somewhere as different from VGC as possible. I adore the total and complete immersion and themeing experience there. We prepare two thirds of our meals in the villa anyway (due to allergies and $$$ savings) and so AKV offers sufficient convenient and delicious eating options for us.

The only thing that gets me about AKV is that I am bummed about the high MF's. But it is worth it to us I think. Based purely on cost, BLT is the better long term deal IMO.

 

[disney1474]

Well....after much back and forth discussion we have decided to go with AKV!!! AKV offers our boys so much more than BLT will. We are so excited and cannot wait to visit our new home away from home in the near future!!

Congrats and welcome home!! Great decision. We just returned from Kidani and had an awesome time. The busses were great, no long waits and the longest ride we took was to MK (17 min). I've waited longer for a bus at other resorts closer to the park!! What makes AKV even more special is the education you get from the CM's who are from Africa. We learned so much from them and about the animals. BLT will be an awesome resort as well and obviously can't beat the location but you will be visiting MK so don't worry!!

 

[disney1474]

Sorry they are booked from Nov-Jan last I checked.. We bought into BLT as our home and we had to settle for a bay view.
As for the debate between the two, we came to the conclusion that although AKV are BEAUTIFUL, how often would we even be in the room except to sleep. So we opted for convenience over beauty. A walk from BLT to MK, monorail access to Epcot? Can't beat it!

How often are we really in the room?? Quite a bit!!
That was our theory as well, but......as we have been members for a few years now we spend more time enjoying the resorts, the pools, the many activities and of course viewing the animals. Viewing the animals at the resort enables you to observe their behaviors. Thats what I like about it. It's not like the quick safari ride at the park. And when the new savanna opens up, we will be able to view the new animals from the pool area as well

 

[thelionqueen]

We stay in our room quite a bit as well but like having access to other amenities too. The down side to AKV for us, even though I love the interior decor, is the limited dining (too eclectic for our simple tastes) the lack of proximity to other resorts, parks and, the other resort theming. When I go to DisneyWorld I have no desire to visit Africa or stay in resort themed as such. I visited there once for dinner, and while a quick visit was nice, it's just not something I want to immerse myself in every waking moment, again, that's just us.

Of course seeing the animals would be great, but for me, I would watch for about 10 minutes then want to get going and moving. And for me that would be walking to a park, or walking to the monorail to get to another resort or park. Or walking to the "beach" to go parasailing or rent watercraft, or take the monorail over for our kid's pirate cruise, and I could go on and on.

At AK you are really limited to AK and it's amenities unless you rent a car or take a bus. The view of the animals can only go so far, then I want access to the rest of the "world". Not bashing AKV, just not my taste and my .02

 

[Golden Rose]

We bought AKV over BLT for several reasons. (The first and most obvious is that BLT wasn't available when we bought, but we were pretty certain it would be shortly, so that is partially a non answer.) The Contemporary is our least favorite monorail resort. To us, it feels like generic luxury resort. We stay at enough of those that it doesn't feel magical to us. I am not trying to bash it, and let me say, the views and the location do feel magical. We have considered adding on there at some point, and we will probably try to stay there next year, if we can get it at the 7 month window. If we do get in, we may turn out to love it so much that we'll make purchasing it a priority.

The main reason we bought AKV is that DS is an animal nut. AK, not MK, is his favorite park. We seem to spend about half every vacation at AK. We know we'll want SV rooms for years to come, and even if he gets to the point where he doesn't care as much, we'll enjoy having the chance to sometimes book CL.

(We also bought at BWV, because we love the Epcot resort area. We knew we wanted either BCV or BWV, as Epcot is DH and DM's favorite resort. We did chose this over BLT, because we love being able to walk to Epcot for dinner in the evenings.)

For us, many of the resort activities don't matter. We don't go parasailing or boating at WDW, no matter where we stay, so we don't weigh that into our decision. We do go out for nice dinners regularly, but AKL has one of our favorites (Jiko) and CR has another (Cali Grill), so that didn't give one the edge. Both have nice pools. I don't yet know if we'll turn out to love one more than the other. AKL has the playground right by the flamingos, which DS really enjoys; flamingos are his favorite bird, and no place else is going to have that combination. Plus, the savannahs are a huge draw for us, as we do spend time sitting on our balconies relaxing and we care a lot about our view. That said, MK view would also fill that role for us. Even LV does, to a lesser extent. AKV got the slight edge for us, but we were still tempted by BLT. Make that, we ARE still tempted by BLT.

We're not adding on any time soon; we've got too many other expenses right now. We bought both AKV and BWV last year. We're looking at buying Hawaii points in a few years. We will eventually buy points at some MK DVC, but if GF or Poly look like they're going to happen in the near future, we'll wait for them. If they're not even under construction by the time we're ready to buy, we'll buy BLT.

 

[Agent P]

My DW and I just bought into AKV. I was leaning towards BLT for the cheaper fees and the initials (mmm, bacon).

My DW loves animals, went to AK 3 times in 7 days just to go on the savannah ride (oddly enough on simba 1 each time) She walked into the demo rooms for BLT and turned around and walked out, too modern for her taste. AKV was more of a home feeling for her. That made the choice easy.

Thought about SSR, stayed the week in carousel, way too long of a walk to the pool and food.

I'm just happy I have an excuse to get out of MI every winter for a week.

 

[smjj]

We were waitlisted at both BLT and AKV for our next vacation. BLT cames thru first. I feel both have a lot to offer and I am looking forward to the visit. We own at OKW and love this resort but want to try each one. There is something at each for all different likes. I sometime giggle when I read folks talking down one over the other. They were made so different from each other because we are so different from each other. We all have our preferences and need to understand what we may not care for others love...smjj

 

[whitfamily]

My DW and I just bought into AKV. I was leaning towards BLT for the cheaper fees and the initials (mmm, bacon).

My DW loves animals, went to AK 3 times in 7 days just to go on the savannah ride (oddly enough on simba 1 each time) She walked into the demo rooms for BLT and turned around and walked out, too modern for her taste. AKV was more of a home feeling for her. That made the choice easy.

We felt the same way about the rooms. AKV just seemed to have a more homely feel for us.

We were waitlisted at both BLT and AKV for our next vacation. BLT cames thru first. I feel both have a lot to offer and I am looking forward to the visit. We own at OKW and love this resort but want to try each one. There is something at each for all different likes. I sometime giggle when I read folks talking down one over the other. They were made so different from each other because we are so different from each other. We all have our preferences and need to understand what we may not care for others love...smjj

Our goal is to do the same thing through the years. I think AKV will be our main destination, especially for the longer more planned out trips. But we're hoping to stay at every resort. In our first trip next week we'll knock out Boardwalk and AKV.