Had my "tour" and met my guide today--I'm pretty much decided to buy, but having a hard time deciding between Animal Kingdom and SSR. Does SSR not have any restaurants on-site? Are any planned?
SSR has an onsite restaurant (Turf Club Bar & Grill), the somewhat upscale counterservice Artist's Palette ("upscale" because it offers chef selection dinners, salads, gourmet flatbreads as well as hot dogs and chicken tenders). But it also has walking and ferry boat access to DTD's host of restaurants: Raglan Road Irish Pub, Portafino's, Wolfgang Puck, Bongo's, House of Blues, Planet Hollywood, Fulton's Crab House, Capt. Jack's, Earl of Sandwich and a newly planned Dinosaur-themed restaurant.
AKV has Boma's, Jiko's, Mara counter service, and another planned table service restaurant in the new Kidani building. All offer African-styled cuisine. There is no walking access to other restaurants though the closest ones by car are in Animal Kingdom and I believe the All Star Cafe.
What in your opinion are the advantages and disadvantages of each (the price difference is not significant enough for that to be of consequence). On the one hand the Animal Kingdom theming appeals to me, but I am afraid I may get tired of it; on the other hand (and maybe just because I haven't seen it in person) SSR by contrast seems "blah."
AKV offers 3 more years of ownership (expiring in 2057 vs. SSR's 2054). It also provides for 5 occupants in the one bedroom units vs. 4 at SSR. (With the inclusion of a sleeper chair.) One bedroom units also have an additional bathroom. But these benefits are for the newer Kidani buildings. The existing Jambo house units (at the Lodge) are smaller than expected due to retrofits.
AKV offers a wider point schedule spread. You can book value rooms for less points than you would at SSR. Or you can spend more points and stay in concierge rooms (there are only 15 rooms max). Concierge gets you concierge lounge privileges, services and access to book the Sunrise and Sunset safaris.
AKV has a lot of wonderful theming related to an African savannah as well as native guides to broaden the experience for guests. Because it is such a unique theme, it has many devotees and is a great novelty for owners.
On the flip side, SSR is styled like a sprawling health spa resort just outside a busy city. The rooms are lighter in decor and outfitted with typical upstate NY style furnishings. Elegant or pretentious, depending on your POV.
There are 5 "neighborhoods" of SSR that are interconnected through landscaped walkways and a system of lakes. The buildings are designed in the same way, with around 20 units each, and set up so the balconies of each unit overlook a waterway, golf course fairway or side courtyards. (A few units will look out over a landscaped courtyard next to the parking lot.)
The biggest selling points to SSR are the cost (among the lowest dues), ease of parking (each building has its own parking lot), landscaping (owners frequently enjoy walks around the resort), proximity to DTD (guests often visit DTD during a stay for shopping, dining and shows).
As an added bonus, SSR also offers an onsite full service spa as well as a top rated golf course. It has become a hit with adult and teen travelers. But for the kids, the resort also boasts 4 pools (two themed with water play areas), two playgrounds, a lively Community Hall, tennis courts.
Both AKV and SSR require the use of cars or busses to get to theme parks. AKV is only a mile to AK while SSR is only a mile to EPCOT. Still there are no walking paths to either, only roadways. However, they each operate a standalone bus service so you won't be stopping off at other resorts on your way.
Is the location of one preferable to the other? I know AKV is close to Animal Kingdom and SSR is across from Downtown Disney--are they pretty accessible to the other parks (especially MK and Epcot?)
They would each have the similar travel times to MK. (AKV busses take World Drive and SSR busses take the back route by Fort Wilderness.) SSR is a tad closer to EPCOT while AKV is closer to AK.
I've read threads talking about how quiet SSR is and noisy AKV is--is this true? (Other than the current construction noise of course).
AKV noise is associated with the ongoing construction (which will be finished in 18 months) and the design of shared lobbies. AKV's Jambo House has a 6 story tall central lobby with surrounding wings that spiral out into the savannahs. Rooms closest to the lobby (as the concierge and value rooms are) may be picking up the noise from that lobby. Otherwise, it's no different than any other hotel.
SSR is built with sound-absorbing walls to shield guests from the noise of DTD's night club atmosphere. But also, since you have a system of several buildings spread throughout the resort there simply isn't one giant lobby to radiate noise. The resort tends to always feel quiet and empty, until one enters the highest traffic areas: bus stops at park opening, Artist's Palette for breakfast and dinner, the Carriage House at check-in, etc.
I am really having a hard time deciding and would appreciate others' insights on how they made their decisions!
We purchased SSR before AKV was even announced. We did tour it ourselves first. (We also were frequent Disney visitors so had been to all the resorts except Old Key West.) For us, being able to access our car easily as well as the landscaping of the resort made us want to be there. We were also frequent DTD visitors so being able to walk over for meals, movies, or shopping was a big bonus.
We chose not to add on at AKV (instead adding on at SSR) a year later because we felt AKV was more a novelty love for us. Also the lack of being able to do walk anywhere off the savannah made it a downgrade. It is an immersive type of resort that can be restricting at times. (After 5 consecutive trips to Boma's we just tired of African cuisine.) We also felt that since it is a fairly sizeable resort we would have ample opportunities to book a room at 7 months. Booking value or concierge is not a goal for us. We'd want savannah view.
The best advice I can give you is to look at the numbers and ask yourself where you'd be the least disappointed to stay. There will be times that the only room you can book is at your home resort, 11 mos. in advance.
Good luck!
SSR is like chicken...you can do a lot with it. lol!! 
