Excited newbie :)

[Lisa x]

Hi everyone!

Last October we were walking through DTD and stopped to have a little look at the DVC stand, before we knew it we were on our way over to SSR and had bought 350 points per year! and Our home resort is Animal Kingdom!

We go to Orlando every year, this year will be my 13th time but my husbands around 25th time and we have NEVER stayed at Disney we usually stay at Hard Rock, Villas or I Drive area hotels.

We have just booked this years trip and have booked 14 nights at Kidani with a savannah view room and during the two weeks, we have managed to book 2 nights at BLT with a Magic Kingdom View room

Is there anything we need to know about what to do? We really are brand new to this and despite going every year and knowing the place inside out, we have no idea what to expect from staying at Disney, I'm pretty certain we will love it!

So, iv read about mousekeeping and tips and things, can you please advise what we should do? Also, Disney tickets, we usually get the 14 day ultimate, is this still our cheapest option? I know we can get $100 off with DVC but not sure what tickets they are for!

Finally, what is the transport like from kidani to all of the parks, is it regular or will we be best off using our hire car?

Anything else that you think will be useful for us to know we will be extremely grateful of!

Thank you very very much!

 

[akl-fan]

Welcome home, I am sure you will love DVC -we do!! We bought AKV back in 2008 and Kidani is our home too.

When staying on property you will be entitled to free magical express if you don't hire a car. This is coach transportation from MCO to you hotel and back again. If you do hire a car then I would recommend joining Avis preferred. This a free loyalty scheme. They try, if you are a member, to get your car to you within 5 minutes. You go straight to the parking garage and bobs your uncle - no waiting in long queues in the airport.
The bus transport from Kidani is excellent and it is the first stop. We only take our car to the water parks.

You can get a DVC discount on an Annual Pass, this only works out cheaper if you take two 14 day trips in one year. ie Sep 14 -28 one year and the 1st - 14 Sep the next year. You have to buy the premium annual pass to have al the same benefits as the ultimate ticket.
As a DVC member( or AP holder) you can now get the TIW card. It costs $100 and get you a discount of 20% at most TS restaurants and some counter service ones. Your DVC membership will also get you a smaller discount a some restaurants. You will get a list when you arrive it is always changing.
DVC rooms do not get full housekeeping. You get a trash and towel service on day 4 and a full clean on day 8. Mousekeeping is not a tipped position ie, their wages and not made up by tips. However many people do tip and the going rated is around $2 dollars per person. You can pay for housekeeping to come in every day but this is expensive - around $60 per day for a two bedroom villa.
If you choose to do a split stay, Disney will move all you belongings including food etc to your new villa. They will refrigerate anything that needs to be kept cold. I really like to do 7 days at AKV then move over to BLT.
You can order groceries to be delivered to you resort and bell services will keep them chilled etc. Most people use either Garden Grocer or WEGOSHOP. We no longer do this but pick up ours from the Publix supermaket which is a 3 minute drive from AKL. It is on a par with Tesco in the UK.
If you want to minimise the amount you travel with you can store stuff with a company called owners locker. They will deliver a big purple box which you fill at the end of your trip and they will collect it from your resort. They then bring it back the day you return. You can get a discount through the DVC website. people leave for example - hair straighteners, dishwasher tablets, salt/pepper, shampoo and booze.
Last tip - check out prices to fly with Virgin from Manchester. It is so much cheaper than anywhere else.

 

[Lisa x]

thank you so much for your reply!

We have already booked our flights from Manchester with Virgin Atlantic. We managed to get 2 upper class flights for the price of one using our flying club miles, we do it this way each year, works out well for us!

We will probably go to the publix on 192 when we arrive! I like to have a look for new things haha!

We were more clueless when it came to leaving tips for the cleaners etc as this is not something we have done before!

We will definitely look into Avis for the car hire as we have yet to book that!

From the sounds of things, the 14 day ultimate will probably be our best bet then as we don't plan on returning until next October!

Thank you for taking the time to reply, very grateful of the information! Will most definitely look into the lockers to save carting stuff each time too!

 

[crabbie1]

You also get 10% Off most shops for the regular AP and 20% off the premium AP.You also get 10% off in the disney shop over here in the UK.
We are also newbies and take our first DVC trip in august. Our home resortt is WLV though but combining there with 5 nights BLT.
When you take your tickets to upgrade them you may get offered a different credit depending where you go.We used DTD and we ended up paying $107 to upgrade each to the standard AP.As we only do one of the water parks and there is a discount with the AP to buy the ticket we didnt think the PAP was worth it for us but to be honest I wish I had bought one PAP to get the 20%off the shops as we did sooooooooooooo much shopping. I have heard that MK tend to be better for doing upgrades and that the 7 day premium passes are easier to upgrade and you get a better discount.
Welcome aboard Lisa

 

[irenep]

HOME

Great info so far and a wonderful trip in the pipeline. I really like AKL and the bus service is usually pretty reliable although I have had a couple of issues there when trying to get in for opening and to DTD so I prefer to use the car. Don't forget that when staying on property with a car you will get a parking permit that entitles you to park for free at all the parks as well as your resort.

Your DVC membership also comes with discounts for lots of things - one of our favourites is hiring the little boats from the marina at BLT and riding around the lakes but check out the welcome pack or web site for benefits.

Have a great trip home!

 

[Elise79]

Welcome home!

The others seem to have covered tickets and transportation already! I will say it doesn't matter where we stay as long as we don't want a drink I would rather drive than take the buses!

I will tell you about housekeeping:

It is only every 4 days - so you will not get any housekeeping at all at BLT.
Here is the housekeeping information:

Housekeeping Services

Trash & Towel Service
For stays of seven or less nights, Trash & Towel Service is provided on day four, regardless of whether you're using Member-discounted cash, Vacation Points or a combination of both.

With Trash & Towel service, Housekeeping will:

Empty trash and replace liners in trash bins.
Provide fresh bathroom linens.
Replace shampoo, facial soap and bath soap.
Replenish facial tissues, paper towels and toilet paper.
Replenish coffee, sugar, cream and sweeteners.
Replenish dishwashing liquid, dishwashing detergent, sponges and laundry detergent as needed in one-, two- and three-bedroom Vacation Homes.

Full Cleaning Service
For stays of eight or more nights, Full-Cleaning Service is provided on day four and Trash & Towel Service is provided on day eight. After that, the cycle begins again on day 12, regardless of whether you're using Member-discounted cash, Vacation Points or a combination of both. With Full-Cleaning service, Housekeeping will provide everything included with the Trash & Towel Service, plus:

Change the bed linens.
Vacuum and dust the Vacation Home.
Clean the bathroom(s).
Clean the kitchen/kitchenette and wash the dishes.

Pay As You Play
With Pay As You Play service, you'll be provided with the following amenities free of charge at the start of your stay. After that, you may purchase more for the following fees:

• Toiletries Package, $5.00 - 1 facial soap, 1 bath soap, 1 shampoo, 1 conditioner, 1 shower gel
• Coffee Package, $3.00 - 1 package of coffee, 8 sugars, 8 creamers, 8 artificial sweeteners
• Towel Package, $6.00 - 4 bath towels, 2 hand towels, 4 washcloths, 1 bath mat
• Laundry Detergent (only in One-, Two-, and Three-bedroom Vacation Homes), $1.00 - 1 box

Additional Full - Cleaning Rates:

Studio/Inn Room - $30.00 per day requested
One-Bedroom - $45.00 per day requested
Two-Bedroom - $60.00 per day requested
Three-Bedroom - $75.00 per day requested

Additional Trash & Towel Rates:

Studio/Inn Room - $15.00 per day requested
One-Bedroom - $20.00 per day requested
Two-Bedroom - $25.00 per day requested
Three-Bedroom - $35.00 per day requested

Note: Rates are subject to change

Personally, we do not tip now we stay DVC. I tend to empty the trash myself as and when needed. If we make a mess I tidy it up. They only come in and make/change the bed and swap the towels.

TBH I actually find daily housekeeping unnecessary now we have had a few DVC stays - my villas is my home and I look after it and keep it tidy.