BLT or AKV ??? Please help !!!

[grumpynprincess]

After 4 years, my wife and I decided to purchase DVC. We figured the time was right ( 2 year old girl and 1 year old boy)
our only problem is which resort. My wife prefers AKV because my daughter loves animals and she thinks BLT doesn't have "that Disney feel"
I prefer BLT because of the convenience of the monorail and I think AKV is far from everything ( except AK)
I also think the 11 month window will come into play because BLT is smaller and booking AKL at 7 months would be easier then booking BLT at 7 months ( if we decided do try the other resort)
the price difference is not an issue.
Please let me know what you think and why you chose AKL or BLT ?? Thanks
also, if anyone could tell me how to change the counter on the childrens ages below I would appreciate it
thanks again

 

[cogero]

Not sure how many points you are looking to buy but We have a contact at both.

I am also not sure how often you are planning on going per year. Also remember the point charts are higher at BLT over AKV. I know one of the more seasoned members will give you a more detailed answer.

 

[mac_tlc]

We had a similar dilemma , although our children are not young. I preferred AKV..the decor, theme, etc. My wife and daughter preferred BLT -- location, styling. My son -- well he's 15 and has no preference (on almost anything!!).

For us, we chose BLT for two reasons:
1) Long Term cost -- Even at $8 more per point, the lower maintenance fees more than recover that difference is 6-7 years.
2) We felt that the 11 month window was critical to get an MK view at BLT, but not as critical to get a SV at AKV. We probably sacrificed a concierge room at AKV, since I those are almost impossible at 7 months.

Another option, depending on the number of points you are looking at is to split it between the two. IMHO, not as convenient, but certainly an option.

mac_tlc

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

First, I think you can change their ages by going into your signature.

Now for your main question,
We bought at BLT because we stayed at CR for our vacations. We love the monorail, easy walk to/from MK, boat ride to FW, shops at CR, restaurants at CR.....
Some people have mentioned you can buy at both, if you want to. I guess it depends on how many points you want to buy. I did not do that, so hopefully people who have can comment.
Have you stayed at either resort yet? Seeing we stayed at CR many times, we were familiar w/the area, how to get to parks.....It was a no brainer for us.
Not to confuse you but my sister stayed at AKV & her family loved it!
Good luck!

 

[whitfamily]

We bought AKV.

First to us BLT just seemed like a regular hotel. The ambiance reminds me alot of the fancy contemporary hotels you see in Europe, NYC, LA, etc. We wanted a place that was warm and welcoming... something that felt like home!

As for the distance- AKV is less then a five minute drive to any of the parks. We prefer to drive ourselves, so the monorail did not play in our decision at all. Also we know that as we go more and more we wont necessarily want to just do parks-- AKV seems to have more to do and the pool has received rave reviews.

BLT also requires more points for a stay than AKV does. So while the MF's might be more you're getting more for your points. So I think from a value/cost side they are exactly the same.

Thats how we made our decision. I don't think you can go wrong either way. One thing I have learned from the boards though is DO NOT buy BLT for the MKV. You are not guaranteed the beautiful view in the sales pamphlets and are just as likely to get a parking lot view with MK on the horizon. We almost bought BLT solely for that reason and are glad we did not.

 

[disneynutz]

My wife prefers AKV because my daughter loves animals and she thinks BLT doesn't have "that Disney feel"

Looks like the decision has been made.

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

Location !!!!

My main objective in any hotel at Disney is to be close to the parks. The convenience of getting in and out especially at closing is the most important thing to ME-- So that's why I choose BLT and BW-- best access to 3 parks. (it doesn't hurt that I like them the best too)

Nothing is better than to walk a 5 minute walk to be home at the BW or take a 5 minute monorail at closing or 8 minute walk to the BLT at MK closing.
Last year, we went to the AK and got back around 5:30, ate a pizza from the BW outside near the pool and relaxed a bit. At 8:00 I asked the kids if they wanted to go to the Mk and watch the fireworks (at 10:00) They said yes, so off me and the girls went. 8:15 we got on the bus, got to the MK at 8;50 (had to stop a 2 more hotels) and made it thought the gates in time for spectro magic. After that we shopped till Wishes. At 10:10 we bolted out of the park and waited for a bus for about 20 minutes and never made it back to the BW til 11;00. 1 1/2 hours on a bus to see the fireworks

Yes, its was worth it, but so much time is wasted waiting for buses if you want to park hop--- With the BLT-- I can decided at 8:45 and be at the park by 9:00 and be home again in 15 minutes from the last shell. To me that is priceless.

Since you have little ones who will probably be spending a lot of time at the MK, you should really consider the convenience over the atmosphere. If you really want to experience the AKV you could always book a split stay. Moving is a pain (you need to pack and unpack twice, but Disney will tranport your bags and you just need to check in to the new place). Since we own at both the BLT and the BW we will be doing a split stay mostly every time. This FEb we will stay at the BW for 3 days, move over to the BLT 4 days and then go to VB for 2 days. That way we get to experience the best of 3 worlds

Also, like others have said, BLT is probably going to be harder to book at the 7 month window. (right now its easy because its not sold out- but it is the best location for those that love the MK)

 

[Paging Tom Morrow]

I'd compromise and split the contract as 50/50 between the two resorts. This may mean that you'll have to purchase as resale contract first if you are buying less than 320 points, but it will serve all the masters.

 

[OH Daisy Fan]

I'm one of those poor members that bought right before these two! LOL...but we actually have not had an issue getting into any of the DVC resorts at the 7 month window (except at Christmas when we wanted Wilderness). We even got a 2 bedroom at BLT for March at 6 months!

With all that said....you might just want to go with what your wife wants? BUT---your children do grow up. And while they love animals now, when they are teens and might go off on their own at the parks, the location of BLT might work better.

 

[Mike2023]

We had to make the same choice 5 months ago. Then the price per point was the same at both resorts.

BLT looked like a great hotel, but we also loved AKL lots.

It ended up coming down to dues. Its just so much cheaper a year.

Good thing for us is that we go slow times of the year, so I dont think it will be hard to get AKL at 7 months out. I did not have a problem for Jan 3 to 7th.

Bottom line though, you need to book where you would be happy staying. If BLT does not do it for you, then find something that does.

 

[Big Kid]

We are buying at AKV because:
1) We love the theming and the animals, and are pretty sure that our now 2-year-old will for years to come.
2) Since we'll never have as many points as we would like, I anticipate that we'll be booking the 1BR values at AKV for 18 points per weeknight (with a good chance of a savannah or pool view) far more often than we'll book 1BR standard views at BLT for 25 points per weeknight. At 34 points per weeknight, we probably won't be able to afford MK views at BLT very often.
3) I hope that since we'll be going every year now that we're DVC members, we won't feel as much pressure to see everything every trip so the 30-minute bus ride to and from MK won't be a big deal.

That said, BLT looks very cool and convenient so it will be our split stay on our first trip home.

 

[Dean]

IMO, there are other factors you may want to consider. These include unit size, AKL concierge possibilities, how often you'd use your points at a non home resort among others. It isn't as simple as what you like most unless you'll stay there almost all the time.

 

[ToddyLu]

DH and I do not have children...so the easy access to MK wasn't an issue and didn't care fore the BLT decor. DH loves photography...AKV is where we landed...our first trip is coming up.

 

[grumpynprincess]

thanks for all the replies!

we defintitely have an interesting decision to make.

although BLT is $8 more a point I think it is the cheaper alternative in the long run due to the MF's.

our guide was saying that AK MF's are more likely to increase at a greater rate b/c it costs more to maintain the animals and the larger resort and she was saying it was cheaper to maintain BLT because it is a a highrise.
does that make any sense or are they just trying to "push" BLT over AKL??

again, thanks for all the replies and any info is greatly appreciated.

 

[Dean]

thanks for all the replies!

we defintitely have an interesting decision to make.

although BLT is $8 more a point I think it is the cheaper alternative in the long run due to the MF's.

our guide was saying that AK MF's are more likely to increase at a greater rate b/c it costs more to maintain the animals and the larger resort and she was saying it was cheaper to maintain BLT because it is a a highrise.
does that make any sense or are they just trying to "push" BLT over AKL??

again, thanks for all the replies and any info is greatly appreciated.

If your guide was saying AKV will increase at a faster rate than BLT, I would definitely disagree. It's very likely that BLT will increase faster than all others and very unlikely it'll be the cheapest one in the long run. SSR is likely to be the cheapest long term. BLT will likely remain reasonable due to the increased number of points there but it's extremely unlikely the spread will remain to the degree it is there now. IMO it would be an extremely poor choice to buy BLT thinking the maint fees would be an asset long term.

I was also wondering the reason you're looking at these two properties only. I haven't seen anything you've posted that would suggest you plan to stay at either most trips. There may (or may not) be other choices that would be a better fit for your situation and expectations.

 

[mac_tlc]

I have to disagree with Dean on the maintenance fees. The smaller footprint of BLT, certainly versus AKV and maybe others, leads to less grounds maintenance, landscaping, etc. The animals themselves are an incremental cost item at AKV that exists at no other DVC.

Even given the current disparity, if BLT increased 2% more every year than AKV, it would take almost 20 years before BLT is more than AKV. On a cumulative basis, the breakeven is over 25 years.

Of course the breakeven is different for all resorts, but I do agree that the ultimate fess will be reasonable t BLT.

mac_tlc

 

[Dean]

I have to disagree with Dean on the maintenance fees. The smaller footprint of BLT, certainly versus AKV and maybe others, leads to less grounds maintenance, landscaping, etc. The animals themselves are an incremental cost item at AKV that exists at no other DVC.

Even given the current disparity, if BLT increased 2% more every year than AKV, it would take almost 20 years before BLT is more than AKV.

Of course the breakeven is different for all resorts, but I do agree that the ultimate fess will be reasonable t BLT.

mac_tlc

I didn't say they would surpass AKV, only that the difference would decrease. While BLT has a smaller footprint it also has the monorail and higher taxes. We'll see where it ends up but I'd be willing to bet that within 2-3 years of selling out it's at least in the same range as SSR and OKW.

 

[eporter66]

You are in a great position either way because you are joining DVC!!!

The dilema you are having is the advice I recieved here when we decided to buy into DVC - which resort for your home? We ended up buying at SSR because the price was right, at the time it was $79 per point. Here is why we made our decision.

1. Our first decision was how many points, and we opted for the minimum of 150 (at that time). We did not want to be tied to Disney for every vacation, and we figured at most we would go once a year. If we did not go - we could roll our points and have 300 for the next trip. So how many points and you think you will use your membership are very important to consider before buying. We are happy with what we got, and with a little borrowing, we have always stayed in a 1 Bedroom (and with the cheaper points a 2 bedroom at OKW). So it works great for us.

2. Make sure to read on this board about Use Year. There are some very imformative threads - understand how this works. Basically it comes down to when you can bank points, but it is important to understand

Now the good stuff :

In our minds, just being able to vacation in WDW in these types of accomodations we felt we could not go wrong. SSR was the most affordable for us. I read all the posts, and everyone made the point to say buy at the resort you like the best.
This is your dilema as you and your wife like different resorts. Is there a compromise you could come up with? Is there a stronger opinion or feeling on one side or the other?

Personally - your feelings are like mine, for location I love BLT, but for the theme and feel, I would fall into the AKV camp (we are staying in October). I have been to AKV and not to BLT, but from the looks, I like AKV better.

You dont always have to stay at your home resort. And with your kids so young, if you travel at non-peak times (for now), you have a better chance at getting the resort you want. Let me tell you that I have been able to book resorts at the 7 month window with no problem so far. We usually travel in October, and I have booked Boardwalk, OKW, AKV, at the 7 month window. My only strategy in this is to book our home resort at 11 months, and then call at the 7 month window for availability and try another resort.

Good luck with your decision, but you can't lose. Also - we bought SSR in 2003 and have no regrets. We love the resort, and after our trip in October we will have stayed at 4 of the resorts, and have liked them all for different reasons.

One thing I will add - we have always rented a car at Disney. If you do pick AKV and rent a car, I promise you that you wont feel so far from everything.



Eric

 

[mac_tlc]

I didn't say they would surpass AKV, only that the difference would decrease. While BLT has a smaller footprint it also has the monorail and higher taxes. We'll see where it ends up but I'd be willing to bet that within 2-3 years of selling out it's at least in the same range as SSR and OKW.

The only thing we know for sure is that the taxes will go up! It's hard to predict based on a non-sold-out resort, but currently the taxes and transportation portions of BLT's dues are the lowest of any WDW DVC. The DVC's with direct park access have lower transportation charges, due to fewer bus routes, but, as you state, the monorail is an unknown since we have nothing to compare it to. Now its .1728 per point for BLT vs. .4004 for SSR vs. .5656 for OKW.

Interesting.

mac_tlc

 

[Dean]

The only thing we know for sure is that the taxes will go up! It's hard to predict based on a non-sold-out resort, but currently the taxes and transportation portions of BLT's dues are the lowest of any WDW DVC. The DVC's with direct park access have lower transportation charges, due to fewer bus routes, but, as you state, the monorail is an unknown since we have nothing to compare it to. Now its .1728 per point for BLT vs. .4004 for SSR vs. .5656 for OKW.

Interesting.

mac_tlc

Let me put it another way, BLT owners are underpaying at present and when all the actual costs are passed on it will not be nearly as cheap as it is now.