Wow....great info! Good reasons for both ways! Haha
We are a young (35) family of 5...so i know we need to be aware of which rooms allow 5. Love BW view from BWV but also like longer contracts and concierge at AKV....ugh...decisions! Haha
With use year, do i need to plan for points to be available at 11 month window or just before vacation? For example, on an October vacation, i would book the November before....so do i get a use year of aug/sept or oct/nov so use points are in bank before booking?
Thanks!
With AKV you could do a 1BR with five since it has the large chair that folds out to a bed in the living room. BWV 1 BR has bedding only for four because it lacks that chair. Also be aware that AKV Kidani 1BRs are significantly larger, by 100 sq ft, than those at BWV (AKV Jambo 2BRs are about same size as BWV's). They allow 5 at BWV in a 1BR but you need to provide your own bedding for the fifth and that would be a signifcantly more cramped arrangement than AKV Kidani 1BR.
As others have mentioned it is recommended that you get a use year that begins shortly before usual time to go. But the reason for that has to do with being able to bank points if you have to cancel. It is unrelated to when you can go or when you can call to reserve. Your question seems to be asking about calling to reserve and impact of date you call on points used. The date you call to reserve is irrelevant to the issue of points used. Best way to describe is by example. Let's assume you have a September use year so points start annually September 1, and expire Aug 31 of the next calendar year unless banked. You want to go October 2013 and call November 2012, 11 months out. As to points you will use, you always look at date you will be at WDW not date you call to reserve, Thus, when you call Nov 2012 you could use for the Oct 2013 trip: (a) points from Sep 2012 use year if you bank them into September 2013 use year; (b) points from September 2013 use year which will be your "current" use year points for that trip; (c) points borrowed from Sep 2014 use year if needed to complete desired reservation.
We own at both BWV and AKV. We bought BWV about 15 years ago when there was not a concern about end date. If I were 35 today (I can only vaguely remember that age) I would most likely avoid buying at BWV despite that I consider it the best resort to have if you can get boardwalk view (the best) for which you usually need the 11 month window. I view AKV as a close second for both its savanna view rooms and excellent decor.
Nevertheless, at same time I would not purchase AKV mainly to assure getting concierge. Only part of the handful of concierge 2BR lock-offs have savanna view and it is not even a good savanna view from those rooms. Moreover, concierge rooms are, from what I can tell from viewing on-line booking, actually the only rooms on site where you face a risk of not getting them some times of the year even if you try to reserve exactly 11 months out because they go so fast. At Christmas time they were gone by 8:02 in the morning when on-line check-in started at 8, meaning they went to the ones who could type the fastest, and, because you can reserve up to 7 nights from time of arrival, all were gone for the entire week by Dec 27, meaning, for example, somebody with a start date of December 28 could not get nights of Dec 28, 29, 30, and 31 even if trying to book at exactly 8 a.m. on Jan 28.
Bill
Yes you want a UY just before you usually travel. This is very important if you have to cancel a reservation.
