Can you help me decide between Kidani and BLT?

[Disneyfriend]

After years of vaguely considering joining DVC, I think we *might* be ready to take the plunge.

We're having a hard time deciding between Kidani and BLT, and thought you dear people would be the perfect resource for helping us think it through.

Here's the pertinent information:

• We are looking to do probably 250 points. Probably can't quite swing 2 separate contracts of 160 points/each.
• We have stayed recently at Kidani and thought it was beautiful. However, we are concerned about the eating options there. We are huge Boma and Jiko fans, but were only mildly impressed with Sanaa. And *none* of these restaurants are places where we would want to eat more than once in a vacation (maybe twice for Boma, but still).
• Even if we buy into DVC, we will probably eat most lunches and dinners in a restaurant. That's a huge part of the fun for us. Therefore, restaurant access is moderately important to us.
• We love the location of BLT and really covet the *walk* to the Magic Kingdom. We would love the monorail access plus boat access to Ft. Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge, and all the recreation options on the water. However - a big however - the Contemporary Resort has never been very appealing to any of us. The pictures of BLT (particularly the jarring color schemes) leave us cold, frankly. (No offense is meant, truly.)
• The current price for a Kidani Point is $102; $117 for BLT. We plan to use maybe 50-75% of our points at WDW, with an occasional stay at Disneyland and/or the Aulani.
• We currently have 2 preschoolers plus two teens launching. Over the foreseeable future, we will alternate between 1 BRs and 2 BRs depending on who is travelling with us. Eventually we hope to host the occasional family reunion with spouses and grandchildren.
• We don't really want to do resale.
• We are focusing on these two resorts in part because of the extra bathroom in the 1 and 2 BR units, and because they are so new.
  I know the price for BLT is about to go up.
• We don't want to do Aulani as our home resort, because we don't plan to be in Hawaii forever and don't foresee wanting to come back frequently.

Any thoughts or input?

 

[MEK]

Wow - I am sure you will get a lot of thoughts on this. I have stayed at both resorts and they both have their pros and cons. At BLT you can not beat the location. Its awesome and it lends itself to great pool hopping in addition to the easy MK access. I stayed there in September and we had a blast pool hopping to the Poly and the GF.

Location aside, I prefer the theme of Kidani. I LOVED it there. I loved the music, the art work, the bright colors. Personally, I think the decor is much nicer than BLT. Again, this is strictly personal preference. I love the savannah. I love the pools there (Kidani and AKL). I love all the restaurants. Sanaa is really good. There are plenty of great options and the CM's are wonderful there. The BLT pool is kind-of "eh".

Here's what I noticed. BLT really just looks like any other high rise condo complex anywhere. There is nothing special about the theme. Kidani - totally opposite - the theme is totally immersive. The downside is the location is not as great.

Good luck with your planning. I have been a DVC member for 3 years and I have had no trouble trying different resorts. My home is SSR, but I have also stayed at VWL, Kidani, BLT, Vero, and I will be staying at BCV this May. If you don't travel during peak holiday times its easy to move around at the 7 month mark.

Good Luck with your decision.

You won't go wrong with either resort.

Edited: I just reread your post and see that you already aren't that keen on the BLT theme. I stayed in the studio there and I didn't want to say this originally, but I thought the furniture had the "ikea" feel to it. Kidani's furnishings are much nicer. I got the feeling that Disney was cheaping out a little bit when they built BLT because the furniture is that - cheap, modern looking stuff. (OK - I said my true feelings...again - just my opinion)

 

[Disneyfriend]

Thanks, MEK. It is *definitely* a tough decision. I agree that I prefer the decor at Kidani infinitely more than at BLT. But boy is it hard to beat the BLT location.

Really stuck here.

 

[mjc2003]

Disneyfriend, just curious, and if you don't want to answer you certainly don't have to; why no to resale? I ask b/c we are in the midst of buying BCV via resale, and have found the process to be incredibly easy. We will get the same exact arrangement we'd get by buying direct (we explored both), and we are saving about $6,000 for the same package. I think Kidani points are reselling for around $75-$80.

As an aside, I have stayed at Kidani and toured BLT. Did not like the latter at all for the reasons you describe. Kidani felt like I was on vacation, BLT felt like my office building.
To each their own. We chose BCV for the following reasons: 1) Best pool in Disney, 2) Proximity to Epcot for dining, 3) Can walk to two parks. My point is, whatever your gut priority is, stick with it.

Good luck.

 

[Kidanifan08]

We have points at Kidani. We purchased in "08, before BLT opened, but were able to tour the models. We were immediately turned off by the modern (cold) decor at BLT. The rooms at Kidani are warm, cozy and quiet. We have not stayed at BLT, but I would have concern about the bus service to other parks, since this is shared with Contemporary. The buses stop at Kidani first (usually empty) and then go to AKL. The ride to all four parks is reasonable, with MK being the longest ride. Kidani has a small resort feel, with the smaller lobby and entrance area -- that is something we like. The savannah view rooms are awesome, although the non-savannah view offer a cost savings when needed.

Check out the points charts. It takes considerably more points at all times of the year to stay at BLT. So, in addition to the difference in $$/pt, you will need more points for the same vacation at BLT.

We have friends who recently bought at BLT, even after spending a week with us at Kidani. There are certainly perks to being near MK and on the monorail circuit. For us, it is nice to leave the parks and feel removed from the commotion.

The resale market is an interesting idea. I sometimes wish we knew about it when we purchased, although we did get developer points to use at SSR, which was nice to have, and the $$/pt incentives were good. There are some great deals out there on the resale market -- good luck with your decision!

 

[mdsd8700]

We own at BLT so I would say BLT simply because of the location. Will agree theming at AKV is better.

Also not sure why you wouldn't want to do resale.

Not exactly sure if I uderstood what you meant with point purchase. However if you do purchase directly through Disney you don't have to do separate 160 point contracts. If you want a total of 250 points you can break that down into what works best for you. (2) 125 point contracts or (1)100 point and (1) 150 contract, etc. We broke our 170 point add on into 3 contracts so we could divide equally between our 2 children.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[FindingFigment]

If you are buying Direct, remember that you can have your contract split into smaller contracts in case you want to sell later. You never know what the future holds and it doesn't cost any extra do so. And 250 point contracts take much longer to sell than 125 point contracts. Or if it were me, I would get it broken up into something like two 100 point contracts and one 50 point contracts. Or another option, since you have 4 children, you could buy 260 points and have it broken down into four 65 point contracts and then you'd have something to pass on to each child when you're finished with them, etc.

 

[FindingFigment]

Not exactly sure if I uderstood what you meant with point purchase. However if you do purchase directly through Disney you don't have to do separate 160 point contracts. If you want a total of 250 points you can break that down into what works best for you. (2) 125 point contracts or (1)100 point and (1) 150 contract, etc. We broke our 170 point add on into 3 contracts so we could divide equally between our 2 children.

Good luck with your decision.

Oops, I was slow in composing my thoughts and typing them out.

 

[DizGirl20]

My choice is AKV. I'm going to echo a few things that have already been mentioned. First, I much prefer the theming at AKV to BLT. It depends on what you are looking for, but AKV to me is much cozier/homier and I personally like having the 2-resorts-in-1 option (i.e. Kidani and Jambo). Don't forget AKV also has a concierge option (although it requires a lot of points). AKV stays require less points than BLT.

While BLT is great for access to the Magic Kingdom, think about how often you will be visiting the MK. As my kids have gotten older, they prefer Epcot and Hollywood Studios and even Downtown Disney over the MK. We always rent a car when we visit, so for us staying at AKV is not a problem. Some people here on the boards complain about the busing... while others rave about it.

The one big advantage BLT has over AKV is access to the other resorts via the monorail. There are obviously many more options available to you if you stay at BLT. For us, we love all 3 AKV restaurants or we just hop in the car and drive elsewhere to dine. Good Luck! I am personally deciding where to add-on and it's not easy.

 

[arthur06]

If you are looking at direct you could always go with 125 at BLT and 125 at AKL. Then you have the option to alternate years of one resort then the other... We own 125 at BLT now and hopefully within the next 18 months will add on the same at AKL...

 

[ToddyLu]

DH and I are partial to AKV obviously. BLT does nothing for me. To me theming is very important on vacation. AKV is away from everything, yes I will give you that. DH and I are in our 40's--no kids. We find that the AKV vibe is much more relaxing. I love the pool area and to me it has a more exotic feel. I mean what happens when everyone grows up in 15 years--will you and your DH still want to stay at BLT? Each of the resorts is wonderful in its own way...I am just not a location kinda girl...doesn't matter to me. Just sitting here thinking....I can "walk to MK" form the bus. You certanily have picked two resorts at OPPOSITE ends of the spectrum. Plus AKV has got the value 2 bedrooms.

 

[ToddyLu]

If you are looking at direct you could always go with 125 at BLT and 125 at AKL. Then you have the option to alternate years of one resort then the other... We own 125 at BLT now and hopefully within the next 18 months will add on the same at AKL...

How's that for having your cake and eating it too...now that's what I'm talkin bout.

 

[dbs1228]

Just got home today 6 nights at BLT and 1 night at AKL. We own at BLT and loved the location (we have 3 teenaged daughters and they LOVED staying at MK after midnight and being "home" in 10 minutes!) but DH and I loved the quite of AKL. I am considering adding on at AKL so we can do our 10 nights in a split stay 5 ni of action and 5 ni of peace and quite!

 

[Disneyfriend]

We have points at Kidani. We purchased in "08, before BLT opened, but were able to tour the models. We were immediately turned off by the modern (cold) decor at BLT. The rooms at Kidani are warm, cozy and quiet. We have not stayed at BLT, but I would have concern about the bus service to other parks, since this is shared with Contemporary. The buses stop at Kidani first (usually empty) and then go to AKL. The ride to all four parks is reasonable, with MK being the longest ride. Kidani has a small resort feel, with the smaller lobby and entrance area -- that is something we like. The savannah view rooms are awesome, although the non-savannah view offer a cost savings when needed.

Check out the points charts. It takes considerably more points at all times of the year to stay at BLT. So, in addition to the difference in $$/pt, you will need more points for the same vacation at BLT.

We have friends who recently bought at BLT, even after spending a week with us at Kidani. There are certainly perks to being near MK and on the monorail circuit. For us, it is nice to leave the parks and feel removed from the commotion.

The resale market is an interesting idea. I sometimes wish we knew about it when we purchased, although we did get developer points to use at SSR, which was nice to have, and the $$/pt incentives were good. There are some great deals out there on the resale market -- good luck with your decision!

Kidanifan, thank you for making your very first post to me and welcome to the Disboards!!

It sounds like you have been very happy with your Kidani purchase. I do agree that the villas are just beautiful, and very peaceful. And we had mostly good bus service during our 8 nights there.

Thanks again!!

 

[Disneyfriend]

We own at BLT so I would say BLT simply because of the location. Will agree theming at AKV is better.

Also not sure why you wouldn't want to do resale.

Not exactly sure if I uderstood what you meant with point purchase. However if you do purchase directly through Disney you don't have to do separate 160 point contracts. If you want a total of 250 points you can break that down into what works best for you. (2) 125 point contracts or (1)100 point and (1) 150 contract, etc. We broke our 170 point add on into 3 contracts so we could divide equally between our 2 children.

Good luck with your decision.

Ahhh, I did not know this!! I truly learn something every time I come on here . . . thanks so much!

 

[Disneyfriend]

If you are buying Direct, remember that you can have your contract split into smaller contracts in case you want to sell later. You never know what the future holds and it doesn't cost any extra do so. And 250 point contracts take much longer to sell than 125 point contracts. Or if it were me, I would get it broken up into something like two 100 point contracts and one 50 point contracts. Or another option, since you have 4 children, you could buy 260 points and have it broken down into four 65 point contracts and then you'd have something to pass on to each child when you're finished with them, etc.

No, I appreciate your response! Maybe 4 contracts would be the way to go?

Thanks much!

 

[Disneyfriend]

My choice is AKV. I'm going to echo a few things that have already been mentioned. First, I much prefer the theming at AKV to BLT. It depends on what you are looking for, but AKV to me is much cozier/homier and I personally like having the 2-resorts-in-1 option (i.e. Kidani and Jambo). Don't forget AKV also has a concierge option (although it requires a lot of points). AKV stays require less points than BLT.

While BLT is great for access to the Magic Kingdom, think about how often you will be visiting the MK. As my kids have gotten older, they prefer Epcot and Hollywood Studios and even Downtown Disney over the MK. We always rent a car when we visit, so for us staying at AKV is not a problem. Some people here on the boards complain about the busing... while others rave about it.

The one big advantage BLT has over AKV is access to the other resorts via the monorail. There are obviously many more options available to you if you stay at BLT. For us, we love all 3 AKV restaurants or we just hop in the car and drive elsewhere to dine. Good Luck! I am personally deciding where to add-on and it's not easy.

No, it's not easy!!

You mention the concierge option - thanks for the reminder. We stayed AKL concierge way back in 2001 and it was delightful!

 

[Disneyfriend]

How's that for having your cake and eating it too...now that's what I'm talkin bout.

Yeah . . . splitting our points is starting to sound really good.

 

[hbg4]

I own at AKL, but I have stayed at both. BLT is one of my favorites. I just love the clean modern decor and the little island layout in the kitchen. Having young kids and teenagers you'll find that Magic Kingdom will be the most popular park due to it's late hours with much to do and the extra parties there such as MNSSHP. The walking distance to MK is a plus. Also being able to resort hop the MK resorts to see the Christmas decor is a plus.
Last thing, it will be harder to get into this resort at the 7 month window than AKL

 

[taaren]

Just a note because I live in Hawaii, too, and there's a few other HI DIS'ers on here who have had the same problem: you may have trouble signing contracts for a Florida timeshare Direct from Disney because they are not allowed to sell it to you over the phone/fax/mail or even at Aulani due to sales regulations imposed by state law to prevent predatory sales.
I had to fly to California to buy my VGC contract direct since my guide said (and has also told me this about add-ons since then) that she could not sell it to me without me physically coming to sign in Cali, though I was able to do my resale add-on resale through phone/e-mail/mail with TSS in Orlando.
Another Hawaii DIS-er wanted to buy SSR/VGC but they would only sell him Aulani because of those regulations. Contact your guide to find out for sure, maybe the rules have changed or you know of a way around them, but you may have to go back to Florida to buy a FL timeshare (or the Cali/Chicago/NY office?).
Oh no, another trip to the mainland and Disney? Horror!