Help me choose, AKV or CCV?

[Dyefrog]

Finally, my planets have aligned and I'm seriously considering buying a DVC contract. A little background;
Honeymooned at WDW in '85 for 3 days shortly after Epcot opened. Experienced the magic enough to know we'd be back.

Visited next in Spring of 94. I only know this as I saw the headlines on my morning jog that Nixon had died. We had 3 kids with us, ages 7-4. Probably the most memorable vacation ever. Happened upon a DVC kiosk and listened to the pitch and while interesting and gears were spinning, we had more pressing priorities that most young families endure. If we were within driving distance, it stood a chance but flying 5 at the time and then 6 was pricey.
We visited again in 96, brought our fourth child who was 3 (too young in 94). Wife took our 2 youngest (daughters) in 2001 and then again in 2008, myself, wife, daughters and our foreign exchange student from Norway. That was hoot when we visited the Norway exhibit in Epcot and she fit right in, almost in tears. Needless to say, we went to the front of the line for the boat ride.

Over the years, knowing how much my wife and daughters loved Disney, I would poke my head in the world of DVC but never really could justify the expense. We've since divorced about 12 years now and are still very close and involved with the kids, vacation together, and now our first grandchild. I'll be retiring this summer and all that financial responsibility for all those years has put me in a much better position to make the leap. Not just financially but also timewise with my pending retirement. My youngest interned at Disney in her senior year at college and is a full on Disney fanatic. I really have no good reason now not to buy in but where to make my home resort?

As a building designer, I've marveled at the WDW properties and was really drawn to the Wilderness Lodge so my first instinct was Copper Creek. My partner and I visited my daughter when she interned there a few years ago and she booked us at Coronado which was my first time staying on Disney property and my girlfriend's first trip to Disney. I really came to appreciate the benefits of staying on site but if I paid full price, it would be a stretch to justify. However, DVC to the rescue.

So from our perspective, the parks aren't as critical at our age, or so I think, but we plan on having other family members at times where it will be. We will probably save our trips to the parks when they visit. I'm 64, she's 62 so we will never outlive even the 2042 resorts but I'm looking at the legacy aspects and on paper, it appears the AKV is the better value even though the maintenance is $.40/point more. Not enough for me to sway my decision. I do like the convenience of the monorail at CCV as we would spend time at the boardwalk or other restaurants. May even get the Platinum Pass just for the golfing. Any advice or things I may have missed greatly appreciated. One last thing, I fully expect to suffer from addonitis so maybe in a few years, I add the second choice.

 

[DVCanadian]

I'm 64, she's 62 so we will never outlive even the 2042 resorts but I'm looking at the legacy aspects and on paper, it appears the AKV is the better value even though the maintenance is $.40/point more. Not enough for me to sway my decision. I do like the convenience of the monorail at CCV as we would spend time at the boardwalk or other restaurants.

monorail at CCV? Unless I missed something CCV is bus and boat, no monorail.

 

[RoseGold]

I wouldn't buy with anyone I'm not married to. I'm not clear if you want to buy with your ex or your girlfriend, I wouldn't do either. You can buy as an individual and then you make all the decisions. Heck, you can have people pitch in or whatever financial arrangement you want, without jointly owning Florida real estate.

I'm not clear what rooms you are trying to book or when you are traveling. Those decisions impact what is possible to book, and what kind of home resort makes sense. Nothing wrong with starting with old fashioned SSR points, booking at 7 months and then buying more expensive points. That effectively gives you no home resort until you figure it out. If you travel off peak, or want less popular rooms, that might work indefinitely. It's not like the toddler's school minds if you go to BLT on a Tuesday in February.

If you plan to pass these points down to a kid, I'd have a different answer.

And there is no monorail at CCV unless they really changed some stuff during Covid.

Just mathematically, I think AKL is overpriced right now. AKL is available a lot of the time at 7 months and has gone up a lot since Covid.

 

[princesscinderella]

Finally, my planets have aligned and I'm seriously considering buying a DVC contract. A little background;
Honeymooned at WDW in '85 for 3 days shortly after Epcot opened. Experienced the magic enough to know we'd be back.

Visited next in Spring of 94. I only know this as I saw the headlines on my morning jog that Nixon had died. We had 3 kids with us, ages 7-4. Probably the most memorable vacation ever. Happened upon a DVC kiosk and listened to the pitch and while interesting and gears were spinning, we had more pressing priorities that most young families endure. If we were within driving distance, it stood a chance but flying 5 at the time and then 6 was pricey.
We visited again in 96, brought our fourth child who was 3 (too young in 94). Wife took our 2 youngest (daughters) in 2001 and then again in 2008, myself, wife, daughters and our foreign exchange student from Norway. That was hoot when we visited the Norway exhibit in Epcot and she fit right in, almost in tears. Needless to say, we went to the front of the line for the boat ride.

Over the years, knowing how much my wife and daughters loved Disney, I would poke my head in the world of DVC but never really could justify the expense. We've since divorced about 12 years now and are still very close and involved with the kids, vacation together, and now our first grandchild. I'll be retiring this summer and all that financial responsibility for all those years has put me in a much better position to make the leap. Not just financially but also timewise with my pending retirement. My youngest interned at Disney in her senior year at college and is a full on Disney fanatic. I really have no good reason now not to buy in but where to make my home resort?

As a building designer, I've marveled at the WDW properties and was really drawn to the Wilderness Lodge so my first instinct was Copper Creek. My partner and I visited my daughter when she interned there a few years ago and she booked us at Coronado which was my first time staying on Disney property and my girlfriend's first trip to Disney. I really came to appreciate the benefits of staying on site but if I paid full price, it would be a stretch to justify. However, DVC to the rescue.

So from our perspective, the parks aren't as critical at our age, or so I think, but we plan on having other family members at times where it will be. We will probably save our trips to the parks when they visit. I'm 64, she's 62 so we will never outlive even the 2042 resorts but I'm looking at the legacy aspects and on paper, it appears the AKV is the better value even though the maintenance is $.40/point more. Not enough for me to sway my decision. I do like the convenience of the monorail at CCV as we would spend time at the boardwalk or other restaurants. May even get the Platinum Pass just for the golfing. Any advice or things I may have missed greatly appreciated. One last thing, I fully expect to suffer from addonitis so maybe in a few years, I add the second choice.

For resort only stays I love AKV, you have access the concierge rooms too by owning there. CCV is not on the monorail line. You have a boat ride to access to MK. OKW and Saratoga have the golf courses running through the grounds. For resale value later on you can’t beat any of the ones on the monorail line VGF, Poly or BLT. BLT has the most rooms and mix of room types of those three, but the architecture is not as exciting as the lodges. It’s definitely a hard choice, which is why we own at a bunch of them.

 

[Dyefrog]

I wouldn't buy with anyone I'm not married to. I'm not clear if you want to buy with your ex or your girlfriend, I wouldn't do either. You can buy as an individual and then you make all the decisions. Heck, you can have people pitch in or whatever financial arrangement you want, without jointly owning Florida real estate.

I'm not clear what rooms you are trying to book or when you are traveling. Those decisions impact what is possible to book, and what kind of home resort makes sense. Nothing wrong with starting with old fashioned SSR points, booking at 7 months and then buying more expensive points. That effectively gives you no home resort until you figure it out. If you travel off peak, or want less popular rooms, that might work indefinitely. It's not like the toddler's school minds if you go to BLT on a Tuesday in February.

If you plan to pass these points down to a kid, I'd have a different answer.

And there is no monorail at CCV unless they really changed some stuff during Covid.

Just mathematically, I think AKL is overpriced right now. AKL is available a lot of the time at 7 months and has gone up a lot since Covid.

My bad, I thought I read on another thread that CCV was on the monorail.
Will most likely buy resale.
I will be buying this on my own. Nobody else will be on the deed until I transfer to kids so I will pass these down.
The only outside connection could be that my ex might want to buy one herself but obviously, not tied to mine. If I have points to spare, she would be a potential renter if she didn't buy her own. Haven't yet discussed it with her though. Her family and mine, as well as ours, do co-mingle if that's the right word, so having a large family gathering could be a thing.
I've thought about the SSR approach but as a home resort, I see no advantages of the 11 month window since bookings are usually easy to get even at 7 months. My guess is CCV would be the hardest to book at 7 months compared to AKV and SSR as you seem to elude to.

 

[Wedgeout]

What a heartfelt write up. Wonderful family dynamic and congratulation on the retirement. Wasn’t sure if you are planning resale or direct purchase. Either way my opinion is AKV is too isolated from the rest of the activities and resorts. Plus with only bus service. Therefore of the two choices, I’d go with CCV. Yes, monorail isn’t at the resort but in very close proximity. I completely understand your fondness of the architecture! Keep in mind, whatever resort you call “home”, you will have plenty of opportunities to book at AKV and others. I realize you have the legacy aspect in mind. I’ll just throw it out there with your Norway memory, getting perhaps a Boardwalk resale contract. Multiple Villa options/categories. Walking access to two parks and multiple travel options to explore other places during your visit.

 

[Dyefrog]

What a heartfelt write up. Wonderful family dynamic and congratulation on the retirement. Wasn’t sure if you are planning resale or direct purchase. Either way my opinion is AKV is too isolated from the rest of the activities and resorts. Plus with only bus service. Therefore of the two choices, I’d go with CCV. Yes, monorail isn’t at the resort but in very close proximity. I completely understand your fondness of the architecture! Keep in mind, whatever resort you call “home”, you will have plenty of opportunities to book at AKV and others. I realize you have the legacy aspect in mind. I’ll just throw it out there with your Norway memory, getting perhaps a Boardwalk resale contract. Multiple Villa options/categories. Walking access to two parks and multiple travel options to explore other places during your visit.

Thank you all, great feedback. I'm leaning towards CCV based on everyone's input. I really like that you threw the Boardwalk into the mix as the nightlife and "things to do" aspect is a factor. I do think the AKV may be a better choice if the kids were still kids but as active seniors, not so much. Poly was also in the running early on but are the room choices limited to studios (sleeps 5) or the bungalows (sleeps 8) with nothing in between? I suspect most of the time it would just be the two of us but once word gets out, who knows.

 

[Marionnette]

I'll just throw this out there for your consideration. If a 2042 resort is not out of the question, and you love WL, how about BRV instead of CCV? Shorter contract life but much less expensive plus the competition for studios there is not as fierce as it is at CCV. You would be on the same grounds as WL, same pools and transportation options, same dining.

 

[DVCsloth]

I like AKV, but CCV is one of my favorites. I think there is more to do there and the boat can bring you to MK, Contempoary or Fort wilderness. I'm a little biased though because CCV is one of my home resorts. I like to take the baot to MK but the family would rather do the bus, so I just meet them there. I have never had any issues with the busses at CCV but I have only owned less than 2 years. Studios are small so if we stay in a studio it is only 2 or 3 nights then we either switch to a 1 BR there or go to another resort. My other home is VGF and the studios are larger there but we like to stay in the 1 BR there if we have the points. Good luck, I think they are both great resorts, also BRV is easier to get a studio and they are due for a refurb. The expiration date can actually be a positive if you get a good price because you are not locked in for so long.

 

[JimC]

My advice is buy based on what is most important to you. Some value lowest cost, others contract length, location, villa options, theme or amenities. If cost, look at both purchase and dues combined.

My wife and I enjoy both of these resorts. Our preference is AKV.