BLT or AKL

[WDW99]

BLT or AKL


We have decided to pull the trigger and FINALLY become part of the DVC family! Been looking for about 4 years. After all the great posts, we have decided on resale!

We are looking to purchase 200 - 300 points. We usually travel to WDW either February or October. So we will get a use year (hopefully) close to October.

My question is which home resort? We have stayed at AKL 1 bedroom and LOVED it. (6 and 3 year olds) BUT have always wanted to stay at Contemporary. We would like to have the option to book 11 months....but is it really necessary at those time? Or should we split it and do 1/2 points at each resort?

Seems like we could trade off every other year. Bank on one, and borrow on the other. Since this is our 1st time, looking for some expert advice!

Any help would truly be appreciated!!!!


We live in California and go to Disneyland about every 4 months. (so we can always use points there too) , just not at hotel.

 

[scooter7487]

We have points at ssr and blt. If I could do it again or could afford to sell and repurchase I would dump blt In A heartbeat and repurchase at akv! Blt views are very nice but IMO that is it! We had a horrible time at blt so I guess I am biased. I am sure you will get views on both sides but we as a family just don't think blt has the magic that the other resorts have. Like I said view was nice, pool was ok, but cleanliness and character/magic was just not there. My opinion would be akv. We have stayed there as well and while it is further away from the other parks the decor and perks out way the proximity of blt. Good luck and welcome home as they say we love dvc just not blt.

 

[Magic3forme]

I have stayed at both, but I personally like BLT better. To me its all about location. being on the monorail is a huge bonus for us.

it was a no brainer for us to buy at BLT. we were just there in July and no problems with our room or service.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

I have BLT and AKV. If BLT wasn't so pricey, I may have done an extra add on with them instead of AKV. The nice thing about AKV is that you can get club level at 11 months, but BLT is such a great location and I loved the room there (1BR). BLT would be ideal for 11 month booking window IMO. AKV is so large, I had no trouble just switching my reservation at AKV 5.5 mths out.

 

[amystevekai&bump]

I own at both - for split stays (MK is our favourite park, so BLT is perfect for that and we love the get away from it all relaxed feel of AKV, which is where we plan to end all of visits!!) - Perfect!!

 

[Kidanifan08]

Both great resorts. I must disclose that I have never stayed at BLT, but have reservations for 4 nights in a lake view studio next month. I had to waitlist to get it at the 7 month mark -- I think that MNSSHP and Epcot F&W add to the appeal of BLT in October. I am hoping to get BLT for a few nights next summer, too.

We own at AKV. We have only stayed at Kidani, but we love it! When we bought in '08, they were selling both, but we preferred the theming of Kidani over the contemporary decor of BLT. We could have gotten BLT for $104/pt at that time! There is no doubt that the location of BLT beats out AKV any day. Even though AKV is a distance from the parks, the bussing is excellent and I never find myself counting the minutes to the park while riding the bus. If I had to do it all over again, I would buy AKV again in a heartbeat.

On the resale market, AKV is going for about $20-25/pt less than BLT. On a 200-300 point contract, that can add up to alot of money. Additionally, you need considerably more points for a BLT stay at any given time of year than AKV -- especially if you want MK view. On the other hand, the MF's for BLT are $1.12 less per point, and will likely stay lower than AKV over the time of your ownership, so that cost difference may balance things out a little.

Additionally, if you ever want to, or have to, sell your DVC, BLT will likely sell a little quicker and retain it's value better than AKV. With that in mind, you may want to try to find 2-3 small contract with the same UY to make up your 200-300 points -- it makes it easier if you ever want to back down on your ownership or unload all of it. Smaller contract sell more quickly, but often go for a little higher price.

Good luck in your decision. There is alot to learn on these pages. Check out the DVC Resource Center sticky at the top of the DVC threads for some good info. Also find the ROFR thread on the Operations page to see what resales are going for. Welcome to the DIS!!!

 

[WDW99]

Great advice, Thanks so much.

Have any of you “split your contract”…..say 100 at BLT and 100 at AKL? If so is that a good idea, as far as banking/borrowing goes?

 

[kenny]

We have points at ssr and blt. If I could do it again or could afford to sell and repurchase I would dump blt In A heartbeat and repurchase at akv! Blt views are very nice but IMO that is it! We had a horrible time at blt so I guess I am biased. I am sure you will get views on both sides but we as a family just don't think blt has the magic that the other resorts have. Like I said view was nice, pool was ok, but cleanliness and character/magic was just not there. My opinion would be akv. We have stayed there as well and while it is further away from the other parks the decor and perks out way the proximity of blt. Good luck and welcome home as they say we love dvc just not blt.

That is the beauty of DVC. A resort for everyone. My family feels the exact opposite. We owned both SSR and BLT and ended up selling SSR and buying all BLT, and then adding on some more

While we liked the relaxed feel of ssr, we thought BLT was so much more magical. You are right in the mix of all the action. Chef Mickeys has the characters, the amenities were great and the views were the best in Disney. Just can't beat the MK view.

Plus we LOVE the location. MK is our favorite park, with or without kids, and Epcot is second. So nice to have the monorail right there and the ability to walk to MK.

As for character, personally we think BLT/CR has a lot. Yes it is VERY different then AK or any of the other resorts but has a modern, clean, upscale look and nothing screams character like watching the monorail go right through the building. Plus CR has lots of sentimental value for DW.

However, we have never stayed at AKV so my opinion is a little bias. Theming wise I would say that AKV probably has the best of all the resorts. However, it just seems SO FAR from everything. That was one thing we liked at SSR. While it was far from the parks, at least we could walk to DTD. At AKV you need to take transportation everywhere. While not a big deal to some, it seems like a hassle to us.

Having owned at two resorts, there are good and bad. yes you can book 11 months at both and if you borrow/bank you could be fine. We tried it for a while then got fed up. We only had 100 BLT pts so even with borrowing/banking we couldn't get enough pts to get a MK view. Had to always wait and hope to get it at 7 months.

My suggestion if you are going soon would be to visit both. We bought SSR sight unseen. We liked SSR a lot and I would stay there again in a heartbeat. However, the moment we walked into BLT/CR we just KNEW we were "home".

 

[DisDadDoc]

That is the beauty of DVC. A resort for everyone. My family feels the exact opposite. We owned both SSR and BLT and ended up selling SSR and buying all BLT, and then adding on some more

While we liked the relaxed feel of ssr, we thought BLT was so much more magical. You are right in the mix of all the action. Chef Mickeys has the characters, the amenities were great and the views were the best in Disney. Just can't beat the MK view.

Plus we LOVE the location. MK is our favorite park, with or without kids, and Epcot is second. So nice to have the monorail right there and the ability to walk to MK.

As for character, personally we think BLT/CR has a lot. Yes it is VERY different then AK or any of the other resorts but has a modern, clean, upscale look and nothing screams character like watching the monorail go right through the building. Plus CR has lots of sentimental value for DW.

However, we have never stayed at AKV so my opinion is a little bias. Theming wise I would say that AKV probably has the best of all the resorts. However, it just seems SO FAR from everything. That was one thing we liked at SSR. While it was far from the parks, at least we could walk to DTD. At AKV you need to take transportation everywhere. While not a big deal to some, it seems like a hassle to us.

Having owned at two resorts, there are good and bad. yes you can book 11 months at both and if you borrow/bank you could be fine. We tried it for a while then got fed up. We only had 100 BLT pts so even with borrowing/banking we couldn't get enough pts to get a MK view. Had to always wait and hope to get it at 7 months.

My suggestion if you are going soon would be to visit both. We bought SSR sight unseen. We liked SSR a lot and I would stay there again in a heartbeat. However, the moment we walked into BLT/CR we just KNEW we were "home".

Well said!

 

[billsfan]

We own at both and like each one for diffrent reasons. We plan on banking and borrowing so we can stay at AKV one year, BLT the next year and then Various 3rd yr. We seem to always travel in October. With you traveling in October or February you will be traveling at two and maybe three diffrent seasons. Also if you plan on getting one bedrooms all of the time I believe you'll need closer to 300 pts a year.

Looking at the point charts and the times you are planning on going and if want to own at both resorts I would purchase 125 pts at the AKV and 165 pts at the BLT. Through banking and/or borrowing this should get you a one bedroom AKV savana view one year and then get you a one bedroom BLT Magic Kingdom view the next year.

 

[Silver Queen]

SSR is our home resort and we are very happy with it, however, Kidani runs a close second. We love the theming, the animals, and the relaxed environment. We feel that the concrete and glass environment of BLT is neither attractive or restful. In addition, there's very little landscaping. We're not that impressed with being near the monorail. different opinions...that's what makes Disney work for so many people.

 

[amystevekai&bump]

Great advice, Thanks so much.

Have any of you “split your contract”…..say 100 at BLT and 100 at AKL? If so is that a good idea, as far as banking/borrowing goes?

Yes we did exactly that in 2009 - 100 at BLT & 100 at AKV.

So glad I own at both and we have subsequently added aother 50 at AKV.

Although as another poster has mentioned, 100pts doesn't get you very far at BLT and ideally I want to add on another 50 there as well.

So far we haven't had any problems, but I can already feel how much further my points at AKV can stretch, and you really do 'pay' a premium points wise for MK view at BLT.

I am torn really, I absolutely LOVE to be near the monorail, but I really do think having 4 booking options (including the real bargain values) at AKV are the best kept secret of DVC - no one really focusses too much on that, but having the 11mth window and being able to choose whether to be frugal with your points with value/standard stays or splurge on a savannah/concierge room is a real benefit to me. I am hoping that I enjoy the standard view at BLT so that I have more flexibilty there too - although I have been spoilt so far by the MK view I feel!!!

 

[DizGirl20]

This is what we love about AKL:

1. Theming
2. Amazing restaurants
3. The BEST Cast Members
4. Cultural presentations in Kidani Library every night
5. Ability to book concierge
6. Having the option to book Kidani or Jambo is like having 2 resorts in 1!
7. Safaris
8. Animals
9. Kidani Pool is a lot of fun
10. As our kids have gotten older, we actually enjoy that is a bit away from all the "action". Nothing is really that far away (*we always rent a car).

Good Luck with your decision!

 

[dizfan]

We have stayed at both resorts and like them both for different reasons.

When we bought, we had it narrowed down to AKV or BLT. In the end, we choose BLT.
One of the factors that tipped the scale for us was the size of the resorts.

(Data from WebmasterDoc's DVC Resource thread)
AKV - 46 Dedicated Studios - 0 Dedicated 1BR villas - 140 Dedicated 2BR villas - 250 Lockoffs - 22 Grand Villas = 134 villas within Jambo House (AKL) , 324 villas in Kidani Village for a total of 458 Units / 708 Max. Available Rooms.

BLT - 0 Dedicated Studios - 0 Dedicated 1BR villas - 148 Dedicated 2BR villas - 133 Lockoffs - 14 Grand Villas = 295 Units / 428 Max. Available Rooms

Until both resorts are sold out, there's no way of knowing how easy/difficult it will be to book at 7 months. Our educated guess was that it would be easier to book AKV at 7 months than BLT at 7 months. Our educated guess was based on reports that the two larger properties OKW and SSR are easier to book than the smaller resorts.

Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with either one. It really depends on what your preferences are.

 

[WDW99]

Thanks again for all the posts! One last question?

Let’s say I buy resale points (125 BLT) with a September use year (2011 points).
1. We bank them this year
2. Next June we use our 2011 points, our 2012 points and we borrow enough from 2013. That way we get a TP view, 1 bedroom.


What am I missing? Then next year I buy AKL points. Does this make any sense?