BRV or AKL for first DVC purchase

[sleepymouse]

I have finally narrowed down my options to BRV or AKL. I plan to buy between 125 and 150 points. I am struggling to pick between these resorts. I love the feel of both resorts so am happy to stay at either one most of the time. The biggest plus for BRV is the opportunity to stay in a studio during the Christmas holiday. The biggest plus for AKV is the 2057 expiration. I am not sure how long we will own these contracts, but best guess is 10 years. I would like that the contract have some value after that so I can resell it. A few other things to note ... prefer food at AKL but not having to bus everywhere, prefer proximity of BRV to MK and monorail resorts but MK is not my favorite park. I know that value and concierge studios are hardest to book at AKV, but my interest is a Savanna view. BRV would be about $20 per point cheaper with slightly lower dues. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[DL1WDW2]

No advice for AKL but wonder if you are considering Jambo House or Kidani contract?
I just checked 11 month booking for the holidays at many different resorts standard studio seems to still be available for AKL but it does look like members are walking for BRV holiday dates.
Are you familiar with Walking ?
The 11 month advantage for certain locations are very popular especially if you want standard studio with the lower point category.
I own at BLT and usually have to start walking for NYE standard studio.
The DVC Home Resort advantage at 11 months is not always available.

I do like that the VWL/BRV has a close location to the main lobby building.
AKL Jambo has long hallways and Kidani is a separate building further away from lobby.
I have also heard that the AKL has higher dues because of the cost for the upkeep of the animals. I don’t know if that is true but it does sound expensive , if true !

 

[sleepymouse]

No advice for AKL but wonder if you are considering Jambo House or Kidani contract?
I just checked 11 month booking for the holidays at many different resorts standard studio seems to still be available for AKL but it does look like members are walking for BRV holiday dates.
Are you familiar with Walking ?
The 11 month advantage for certain locations are very popular especially if you want standard studio with the lower point category.
I own at BLT and usually have to start walking for NYE standard studio.
The DVC Home Resort advantage at 11 months is not always available.

I do like that the VWL/BRV has a close location to the main lobby building.
AKL Jambo has long hallways and Kidani is a separate building further away from lobby.
I have also heard that the AKL has higher dues because of the cost for the upkeep of the animals. I don’t know if that is true but it does sound expensive , if true !

I am familiar with walking but will definitely learn more about it once I am an owner. I like to dig deep in whatever I am interested in and learn everything about it. Really, the expiration year of 2042 is the main thing giving me pause on BRV.

 

[bravenyc]

I also love both resorts - they are my two favorites in terms of theming. I would choose BRV if it were me because 1) it is a bit more affordable and I did not want to finance 2) AKL is much easier to get at 7 months (except for value and club level which are hard at 11 mos even if you own there) and 3) because you have the boat to MK.

There is an amazing deal at Fidelity for BRV right now for 150 points for $15,250 that comes stacked with an extra 150 points. The only thing that would pull me to AKL would be the fact that you will more time on the contract. The 2042 expiration was not a huge deal for me because I am older and as 2042 comes closer and my kids are still using it alot and plan to keep going we can always get a second contract somewhere with a longer deed. I was deciding between BRV and BW and ended up putting an offer in on BW because I found a good deal (and because of the location and the fact that BRV is easier to get at 7 mons than BW).

If the expiration is giving you pause, I would buy AKL. Keep in mind that you will still be able to stay at BRV often as it is pretty available at 7 mos - except for the Christmas holiday season. Then you just have to decide between Jambo and Kidani! Aren't these decisions hard? Good luck.

 

[theplanets14]

No advice for AKL but wonder if you are considering Jambo House or Kidani contract?
I just checked 11 month booking for the holidays at many different resorts standard studio seems to still be available for AKL but it does look like members are walking for BRV holiday dates.
Are you familiar with Walking ?
The 11 month advantage for certain locations are very popular especially if you want standard studio with the lower point category.
I own at BLT and usually have to start walking for NYE standard studio.
The DVC Home Resort advantage at 11 months is not always available.

I do like that the VWL/BRV has a close location to the main lobby building.
AKL Jambo has long hallways and Kidani is a separate building further away from lobby.
I have also heard that the AKL has higher dues because of the cost for the upkeep of the animals. I don’t know if that is true but it does sound expensive , if true !

Aren't Jambo and Kidani the same association? So if you own at AKL you can book either at 11 months?

The dues are pretty close to eachother within 30 cents pp so that wouldn't matter as much. So for a 150 pt contract you are looking at <$50 difference in maintenance.

 

[CarolynFH]

Aren't Jambo and Kidani the same association? So if you own at AKL you can book either at 11 months?

Yes, AKV is one association for both buildings, so it doesn’t matter where your deeded unit is. You can book either building at 11 months.

 

[I Run Long]

We own at AK so I am biased, but I would take AKV over BRV for a number of reasons which may or may not be an issue for you: 1) longer term 2057 vs 2042, 2) Better food overall, 3) One contract works for both Jambo and Kidani so it's like owning at 2 resorts - sort of and 4) It has a freakin' savanna! Busses have never been an issue for us. I don't think we have ever waited more than 10 minutes, if that, for a bus - the exception being a bus to Disney Springs. BRV is all busses to other than a boat to MK which you said isn't your favourite park. We stayed for a week in a 1 bedroom value and loved it! We'll try Kidana for our next visit. As far as walking distance to your room - both my DH and I don't care about that. I'm 60 and he's 70 and we have never had any issue with the distances we have to walk - now if you have a physical mobility issue that may be something you want to consider. We walked from Jambo to Kidani one evening for dinner and couldn't believe how close they are. In fact we tested it one day where my DH stayed on the bus coming from the parks. I got off at Kidana and beat him to Jambo House, so yeah, no big deal. Now we love Wilderness Lodge too but we chose to visit there primarily for Geiser Point, but we are more than happy with our AKV purchase. Good luck with your decision. Honestly, you can't go wrong with either.

 

[sleepymouse]

We own at AK so I am biased, but I would take AKV over BRV for a number of reasons which may or may not be an issue for you: 1) longer term 2057 vs 2042, 2) Better food overall, 3) One contract works for both Jambo and Kidani so it's like owning at 2 resorts - sort of and 4) It has a freakin' savanna! Busses have never been an issue for us. I don't think we have ever waited more than 10 minutes, if that, for a bus - the exception being a bus to Disney Springs. BRV is all busses to other than a boat to MK which you said isn't your favourite park. We stayed for a week in a 1 bedroom value and loved it! We'll try Kidana for our next visit. As far as walking distance to your room - both my DH and I don't care about that. I'm 60 and he's 70 and we have never had any issue with the distances we have to walk - now if you have a physical mobility issue that may be something you want to consider. We walked from Jambo to Kidani one evening for dinner and couldn't believe how close they are. In fact we tested it one day where my DH stayed on the bus coming from the parks. I got off at Kidana and beat him to Jambo House, so yeah, no big deal. Now we love Wilderness Lodge too but we chose to visit there primarily for Geiser Point, but we are more than happy with our AKV purchase. Good luck with your decision. Honestly, you can't go wrong with either.

I agree with everything you said so have decided to go for AKL. For me, the best thing going for BRV is being able to book a studio around Christmas. That, however, should not outweigh everything else. My husband and I have no issue walking and I agree with you that Jambo and Kidani are close enough to one another to not be a problem.

 

[I Run Long]

I agree with everything you said so have decided to go for AKL. For me, the best thing going for BRV is being able to book a studio around Christmas. That, however, should not outweigh everything else. My husband and I have no issue walking and I agree with you that Jambo and Kidani are close enough to one another to not be a problem.

Good luck to you - I hope you are able to land the perfect contract!

 

[RoseGold]

I don't think BR is a good value for points, and I almost always would say CCV instead. But I think it makes sense if your reason for buying in is a studio at Christmas at WL. Even CCV, which I like as SAP points, is really underweight in studios. BR points are expensive, so you are going to pay for this plan:

https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/blog/best-economical-dvc-resorts-to-purchase-fall-2022/

Off-peak, its not hard to book AK savanna with other points, so I would go BR.

Especially holding for 10 years, 2042 could sneak up on you and really make BR go down in value. That's a risk you have to accept or not. The alternative, obviously, is CCV. BR is not a hot ticket right now. I would be making AGGRESSIVE offers. You only need one. Fidelity has one listed for $100 right now, as opposed to the 119 in that linked chart. Maybe at $100, you don't care as much about the value in 2032.

 

[sleepymouse]

I don't think BR is a good value for points, and I almost always would say CCV instead. But I think it makes sense if your reason for buying in is a studio at Christmas at WL. Even CCV, which I like as SAP points, is really underweight in studios. BR points are expensive, so you are going to pay for this plan:

https://www.dvcresalemarket.com/blog/best-economical-dvc-resorts-to-purchase-fall-2022/

Off-peak, its not hard to book AK savanna with other points, so I would go BR.

Especially holding for 10 years, 2042 could sneak up on you and really make BR go down in value. That's a risk you have to accept or not. The alternative, obviously, is CCV. BR is not a hot ticket right now. I would be making AGGRESSIVE offers. You only need one. Fidelity has one listed for $100 right now, as opposed to the 119 in that linked chart. Maybe at $100, you don't care as much about the value in 2032.

I decided in the end that there were too many pros on the AKL side and that AKL will be just as beautiful during the holidays. I can just stay in other resorts when we travel in the summer. Also, my gut/intuition was pulling me in that direction. It is never a good idea to ignore my gut . Either way, I appreciate your insight.

 

[Roxas_XIII]

I was also on the fence between AKL and BRV, and all the pros/cons you listed for each are almost exactly my sentiments as well.

I ultimately picked AKL because of the contract length, and I have no regrets. I even have an upcoming trip to BRV thanks to a wait list request successfully coming through (not a holiday trip, though, but still cool!) -- so I still get to experience BRV even without a contract. I think the only thing in which we differ is the fact that I intend to keep my contract through it's entire length, which played a big part in my decision. That being said, even if you do plan on selling in a decade, I anticipate that AKL will have the higher value.

 

[sleepymouse]

I was also on the fence between AKL and BRV, and all the pros/cons you listed for each are almost exactly my sentiments as well.

I ultimately picked AKL because of the contract length, and I have no regrets. I even have an upcoming trip to BRV thanks to a wait list request successfully coming through (not a holiday trip, though, but still cool!) -- so I still get to experience BRV even without a contract. I think the only thing in which we differ is the fact that I intend to keep my contract through it's entire length, which played a big part in my decision. That being said, even if you do plan on selling in a decade, I anticipate that AKL will have the higher value.

I just had an AKL offer accepted yesterday, and it was sent to ROFR today. Hoping I can get my account with points before 7-month booking window opens because I am planning on spending Christmas there.