First timer to WDW...which resort would you pick and why?

[northshoremama]

we are Aulani owners so we can book WDW resorts 7months ahead. We've never been to WDW, but looking to go next year, maybe in sept or October.

Which DVC resort would you recommend and why? We are a family of 5...myself, Dh, dd10, dd8, and dd4.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

To be honest, your options will be limited a little by your dates.

Do you want a studio or a 1BR that sleeps 5?

At 7 months in Seotember or October, you might be able to get 1BRs at BLT, BWV or BCV if you are online at 8AM. AKV is almost a sure thing. Someone like drusba can probably speak more to 1BR availability.

Studios that sleep 5 will be a tougher get at 7 months.

 

[CMNJ]

I think early September tends to have a lot more availability at 7 months then late Sept and all of Oct. If you want more specifics I would look at @drusba and @skier_pete posts about availability. Unfortunately you are looking to travel at peak DVC season if you wait until late Sept which last from then until early Jan. Lower point requirements, combined with more moderate weather, special events, and lower overall park crowds lead to lots of people wanting to travel at this time. Many WDW owners book during the home resort window to ensure they have a room then or rent out their points to earn the premium home resort booking prices. If you are looking for more than a few days you may have to split your stay up unless you book AKV, OKW, or SSR. They tend to have the most availability at 7 months (so far the poly has been avail at 8 am 7 months out but by next feb/March that could change as there will be more owners there who can use the home resort advantage).
But to answer your original question and in a perfect world (where you can book any room at resort you wanted) I would look at where you plan to spend the bulk of your time. If that is MK then I would try to get a MK resort. If it is Epcot/DHS then I'd try to get BWV/BCV. If it is all the parks equally then really it comes down to which resort speaks to you (and you have enough points to book as not all villas allow 5 and some that do only have 1 bed and 1 sofa bed). Every resort has it's own feel and advantages/disadvantages. Check them out-there are tons of pics and reviews online and try to narrow it down. Even if you can't book your dream resort at 7 months you could wait list and get lucky.

 

[skier_pete]

I would agree the first question is are you looking for a studio or a 1-bedroom.

The second question is the timing: Early to Mid-September is fairly open at 7 month. Late September into October is not.

Answer those two questions and I will give you an opinion.

 

[Granny]

I would recommend a 1BR unit at OKW or BLT, both of which have the sleeper chair to accommodate 5 people. OKW is larger and will cost fewer points....BLT is walking distance to MK and a monorail (with connector) to EPCOT.

 

[pinklotusflower]

I love BWV but unless your going early September you will struggle to get in, as has been said earlier you maybe very limited in your choices.

 

[Dean]

we are Aulani owners so we can book WDW resorts 7months ahead. We've never been to WDW, but looking to go next year, maybe in sept or October.

Which DVC resort would you recommend and why? We are a family of 5...myself, Dh, dd10, dd8, and dd4.

There are a lot of variables that would affect my thoughts here. Will you have a car, do you have plenty of points, what parks are you planning to visit most? 1 BR vs 2 BR? Do you plan much pool time? Assuming points are no object, everything has availability and that you will not have a car I'd say BLT would be my first thought with VGF second followed by AKV Kidani, VWL, BWV, then BCV. There isn't anything I'd say is a bad choice though I wouldn't do SSR or OKW without a car personally, esp OKW. Studios are not going to be reasonable even for the ones that would fit the group IMO. Part of this is driven by your group size because of the resorts with a second bath in the 1 BR villas. If you're doing a 2 BR or 2 studios (Poly) my thoughts would be a little different. If you're going to do more pool and none park time I'd move SSR up much higher. If you're going to concentrate more on EPCOT/DHS then I'd move BWV/BCV much higher though they will be challenging for a 1 BR with the group.

 

[hakepb]

For 1BR,
BLT and Kidani 1BR have 2 full bathrooms and have a sleeper chair for sleeping 5

BLT has nice park proximity
Kidani Savanna view is something that is very unique.

I would probably lean park proximity (monorail or EPCOT) on a 1st visit, but Kidani is a great backup option

 

[northshoremama]

thank you for the feedback/input thus far.

we will not have a car. as first-timers, i'd like to be close to MK.
i'm open to either a studio that will fit 5 of us or a 1-bedroom (i'll take whatever is available i guess).

i was thinking of the 3rd week of september, but if that's not a good time, i'm open to the second week of september....BUT also wondering how many days will be sufficient for a first-time trip out to WDW. more than likely, we will not be doing universal or seaworld...just WDW.

 

[::danielle::]

thank you for the feedback/input thus far.
i was thinking of the 3rd week of september, but if that's not a good time, i'm open to the second week of september....BUT also wondering how many days will be sufficient for a first-time trip out to WDW. more than likely, we will not be doing universal or seaworld...just WDW.

It really depends on how you like to vacation at the parks. We like to hit the parks early and late with a break in the middle of the day. With the heat and humidity of September, you may want to seriously consider this strategy. That being said, for us to do all that we want without being rushed, we like a full 7 days. In the middle of the week, we skip the morning at the parks and just hang out. We plan to take that whole day off from the parks but by evening we always want to go and walk around World Showcase or ride that one irresistable ride once more.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

This year, Food & Wine kicks off September 14, so third week starts some of the F&W madness if they maintain those dates for 2017.

 

[northshoremama]

It really depends on how you like to vacation at the parks. We like to hit the parks early and late with a break in the middle of the day. With the heat and humidity of September, you may want to seriously consider this strategy. That being said, for us to do all that we want without being rushed, we like a full 7 days. In the middle of the week, we skip the morning at the parks and just hang out. We plan to take that whole day off from the parks but by evening we always want to go and walk around World Showcase or ride that one irresistable ride once more.

we like to open up DL and take a break in the middle of the day as well. then either go back to DL or DCA after our afternoon nap/break. we haven't yet closed down DL because of our little one, but we normally leave right after the fireworks. so this strategy would work well for MK? maybe we could go to another park in the afternoon.....

 

[Sammie]

The earlier you go the hotter it will be. The earlier you go the slower the crowds will be.

Do you want to take part in Epcot's Food and Wine if so, bookings will be harder to come by but not impossible if you book as soon as they open right at your 7 month window and don't care where you stay. Being close to the MK is going to be harder to get.

Do you want to attend Mickey's Halloween Party? For a first trip, I would stay at least a week.

Some one bedrooms will sleep 5 but provide bedding for only 4. You will have to provide your own in that situation.

 

[skier_pete]

So - based on what you are saying, you may be able to generally have your pick of resorts with a 1-bedroom. If you go 2nd week of September you will definitely have your pick, but even the 3rd week even with Food and Wine opening earlier doesn't really surge. There really isn't much difference weather wise - it will likely be hot and rainy regardless.

Not all the resorts sleep 5 in a one-bedroom. I would say consider maybe Bay Lake Tower. It is handy to both Magic Kingdom and Epcot by monorail. The 1-bedroom sleeps 5, and certainly it's a great location. If you want to use a few less points you could consider the Poly as they are studios, but fairly spacious. (The Grand Floridian studios also sleep 5, but very hard to get into.) You will probably be able to get in there with a lake view at 7 months. Certainly a backup could be AKV - they will definitely be available at 7-months and the 1-bedroom sleeps 5. The location isn't great - especially if you want to concentrate on MK.

As far as how long - my opinion is a MINIMUM 6 days of park time. (2 @ MK, 2 @ Epcot, 1 @ DHS, 1 @ DAK) if you want to take a slower pace you can go longer. We prefer 9-10 day stays - which allow us a more leisurely pace, but we can't always do that.

Oh- and a useful tool is available on the David's DVC point rental site. (I won't provide the website, but they are a sponsor here on the DIS.) If you look at his cost calculator, it shows an option for "point amount" and also "Occupancy" for all the resorts. It's very, very handy to do a quick calculation on how much a trip might "cost" point wise - you can pick your dates, and click between the two tabs to see which resorts allow for 5 in the studios or 1-bedrooms.

 

[asunutgirl]

We own at Aulani also and have stayed at DVC units at SSR and BLT. I don't like the decor at BLT because I'm not a fan of Contemporary style but it doesn't bother me because the location to MK can't be beat. You can walk. I think there are two bathrooms there in the one bedroom. We had a park view and could see the fireworks from our room. Very cool.

SSR is huge and you can walk to Disney Springs from there.

I personally love AKL. We stayed there in the hotel when the DVC units were under construction so I can't speak to the DVC units but it is such an unusual experience if you have a Savannah view. As a DLR vet, AK is my favorite of the WDW parks. Yes, it is farther out but we stayed there without a car. You just have to plan time to ride the bus. I actually love that it is out of the hustle and bustle a bit.

 

[spiceycat]

if you go with BLT then would say at least a 1-bedroom - the studios are BLT are tiny - now love BLT - the walking path to the MK is great!

 

[Disneypapa]

no answer you read here is right or wrong. Everyone's choices are driven by so many different factors. I like resorts on the monorail system due to access, but they are more crowded and cost more points. I like AKV and OKW because they are more remote and laid back, point expense is lower and with OKW, larger rooms. I don't like SSR at all, seems like a huge apartment complex and so far away from theme parks. Isn't is great to have so many choices and they are all really nice.