Help! Pop or DVC (AKL or SS)?!?

[TikiWiki33]

DH and I are booked for a late Sept trip at Pop (7 nights). It was the resort we stayed at our first/last time (14 years ago!) and I knew a mod/deluxe wasn't in the budget. I assumed DVC would be too pricey, so I didn't look into it until today. Now I see we can book a standard studio at AKL or SS for the same price as Pop. We're big park people, but we're also a bit older now (mid-40's) and will be spending more time at our resort. A clean, quiet room and reliable transportation are our top concerns. Will we regret moving our reservation?

AKL:
Beautiful theming, a bit worried about transportation time to MK. Touring Plans says 50 min by bus (!) Is this really the case?

SS:
Theming seems...a bit boring? But still pretty. Does it feel "Disney" enough? Transportation times seem on par with Pop, but I'm not crazy about 4 stops within the resort. Does it "feel" like a long time to get out of the resort?

Pop:
Nostalgic for us, a known quantity, and the skyliner for easy-ish resort hopping on our arrival day.

Random info about or trip:
2 days at MK, 2 days at DHS, 1 at EP, 1 at AK.
Planning reservations at Boma, Yachtsman Steakhouse, The Boathouse.
No car.
Already bought "cancel for any reason" trip insurance.

What would you do?

 

[Marthasor]

I would pick AKV over Pop, but you need to be ok with having zero flexibility with the DVC rental reservation.

 

[CarolynFH]

AKL:
Beautiful theming, a bit worried about transportation time to MK. Touring Plans says 50 min by bus (!) Is this really the case?

No, that would not usually be the case - maybe if you walked up to the bus stop just as a MK bus was pulling away and the next one was delayed beyond 20 minutes and there was an accident or other slowdown on the roadway, but not usually. The ride from AKV to MK is probably 15 minutes, maybe 20; the unknown will be the wait time for a bus, but they usually come every 15-20 minutes.

DH and I were at AKL-Kidani Jan. 16-19 in a savanna view studio. Our biggest complaint was the long hallway - using my fitness watch, it was a quarter of a mile from our studio to the lobby and 0.4 mile to the bus stop. Fortunately, we don't do parks from open to close anymore, so we weren't already exhausted by the time we were walking back in the evenings!

We stayed at SSR last June, in the Paddock section with the 2nd bus stop right outside our building. It was somewhat of a longer bus ride to the parks but not outrageous, but I'll admit we had our car and were going offsite for dinners and then driving to the parks, so we didn't ride the bus all the time.

FYI - we've stayed at Pop a couple of times before, when we were out of DVC points, and we wouldn't mind returning there. However, it's nice having the couch in the DVC studios as a place to sit, read, watch TV, when not spending all day and night in the parks.

 

[DisneyRunner2009]

My DH and I have recently purchased DVC at AK. We have not used it yet, but obviously love the resort and what it offers. I'm going to give you my perspective solely on transportation. I find busing to and from AKL as part of the adventure, so time doesn't really concern me. I would just plan time accordingly. At Pop and AKL you would need to take a bus to Disney Springs and MK, so no advantage there. At Pop you use the Skyliner for DHS and Epcot. You could also use the Skyliner for the Yachtsman reservation. The Skyliner is a game changer. It opens up more dining options without going into a park. For example CBR, Riviera and the Boardwalk/Beach Club loop. It's a 20 minute ride to Epcot from Pop. I would rather be moving on the Skyliner than waiting for a bus at park close. If you stayed at Pop, you could take the Skyliner to DHS and transfer there for your Boma reservation. We did that at Christmas. My DH and I just like the availability to hop the Skyliner for something to do. We don't always have to be in a park. If it's just the two of you, that extra bed at Pop could remain up which gives you the use of a table.

 

[Aela]

Also AKL gives you extra evening hours, so that’s a major bonus. That said we moved from Pop this trip to Swan. It was only $20 more per night (after the resort fee).

 

[TikiWiki33]

Also AKL gives you extra evening hours, so that’s a major bonus. That said we moved from Pop this trip to Swan. It was only $20 more per night (after the resort fee).

Oh, I didn't even think about that. Thanks!

 

[Mickeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee]

I assumed DVC would be too pricey, so I didn't look into it until today. Now I see we can book a standard studio at AKL or SS for the same price as Pop.

Hi, I apologize if this is considered hijacking a thread, but where did you check to see you could book the studio?

 

[TikiWiki33]

Hi, I apologize if this is considered hijacking a thread, but where did you check to see you could book the studio?

No problem! I contacted David's Vacation Club Rentals about a Boardwalk studio. They didn't have any available, but they offered an AKV studio instead.

 

[ppony]

EASY choice for me. ALK, then SS, the Pop. The quality of the first 2 resorts and rooms in them is far above Pop. AKL has more Disney feel than SS, but both are more sophisticated and subtle. Pop is honest more garish. Not knocking it, it's just a description of the style of architecture. SS isn't very Disney-like in theming, but honestly, Disney Springs is right within view of most of the resort. that's a big DISNEY to me. I've only stayed there once in a treehouse. Loved that.

Unless you only plan to visit MK distance to AKL is really moot. Especially if you're comparing to Pop. The distance is nominal and Pop is going to be more crowded on the busses.

We used to own at AKV and love it, but we only rent points now at DVC resorts because it honestly is the best way to go if the resort you stay at and the rooms matter more than a place to sleep,

Have fun!

 

[vacay77]

DH and I are booked for a late Sept trip at Pop (7 nights). It was the resort we stayed at our first/last time (14 years ago!) and I knew a mod/deluxe wasn't in the budget. I assumed DVC would be too pricey, so I didn't look into it until today. Now I see we can book a standard studio at AKL or SS for the same price as Pop. We're big park people, but we're also a bit older now (mid-40's) and will be spending more time at our resort. A clean, quiet room and reliable transportation are our top concerns. Will we regret moving our reservation?

AKL:
Beautiful theming, a bit worried about transportation time to MK. Touring Plans says 50 min by bus (!) Is this really the case?

What would you do?

I'd choose AKL, a savanna view. It's a beautiful resort BUT transportation can be an issue. The ride itself isn't 50 minutes however, it can take that long just to find a bus. In our experience, we had to wait longer for their buses versus other resort buses. That can be frustrating at the end of the day when you are ready to come back to the resort and it can also be frustrating first thing in the morning if you want to rope drop.

 

[Nabas]

We have stayed at all three resorts you mention.

AKV is by far the nicest, especially if you can get into Jambo House. A fantastic lobby, great pool, very nice store, very nice food court, and WDW’s best buffet.

AKV consists of two buildings, and Kidani Village isn’t as good as Jambo House. But both give you access to the animals on the Savanna!

SSR is very nice but is large and spread out. It can be a long walk to the main building (which has the food court and main pool). Buses run through the resort, and you can always wait for one of those to get to the main building.

As already mentioned, the issue with AKV buses is not the travel time - it's waiting for the bus to show up! At one time or another, we've run into this at pretty much all WDW hotels. But having stayed at AKV this December, we ran into this issue twice over a 5-night stay. The first time, the bus we wanted was just pulling away as we walked up. The second time, we waited an hour (!) at the Magic Kingdom in the early evening (well before closing), watching 3, 4, and even 5 buses for other resorts drive by during the same time period.

 

[TikiWiki33]

Thank you everyone for your advise! We decided to grab the AKV rental. The positives seem to outweigh the negitives, overall. And since it's currently (slightly) cheaper than staying at Pop, we can put our savings towards Uber rides as needed .

 

[Aela]

Thank you everyone for your advise! We decided to grab the AKV rental. The positives seem to outweigh the negitives, overall. And since it's currently (slightly) cheaper than staying at Pop, we can put our savings towards Uber rides as needed .

When we did AKL for our trip we used Minnie Van a lot to help off-set the waits. So that’s a good idea

 

[Nabas]

When we did AKL for our trip we used Minnie Van a lot to help off-set the waits. So that’s a good idea

Minnie Van is not being offered at this time.

We have used Uber a couple of times since the theme parks reopened in 2020. We have not had any problem with this.

 

[Aela]

Minnie Van is not being offered at this time.

We have used Uber a couple of times since the theme parks reopened in 2020. We have not had any problem with this.

Yeah I know. That’s why i said Uber is a good idea!

 

[eandt]

DH and I are booked for a late Sept trip at Pop (7 nights). It was the resort we stayed at our first/last time (14 years ago!) and I knew a mod/deluxe wasn't in the budget. I assumed DVC would be too pricey, so I didn't look into it until today. Now I see we can book a standard studio at AKL or SS for the same price as Pop. We're big park people, but we're also a bit older now (mid-40's) and will be spending more time at our resort. A clean, quiet room and reliable transportation are our top concerns. Will we regret moving our reservation?

AKL:
Beautiful theming, a bit worried about transportation time to MK. Touring Plans says 50 min by bus (!) Is this really the case?

SS:
Theming seems...a bit boring? But still pretty. Does it feel "Disney" enough? Transportation times seem on par with Pop, but I'm not crazy about 4 stops within the resort. Does it "feel" like a long time to get out of the resort?

Pop:
Nostalgic for us, a known quantity, and the skyliner for easy-ish resort hopping on our arrival day.

Random info about or trip:
2 days at MK, 2 days at DHS, 1 at EP, 1 at AK.
Planning reservations at Boma, Yachtsman Steakhouse, The Boathouse.
No car.
Already bought "cancel for any reason" trip insurance.

What would you do?

For a few $ more I would also throw BWV and BCV into the mix as considerations especially if concerned with transportation. Walk to 2 parks and Skyliner availability if you desire.

 

[vacay77]

Thank you everyone for your advise! We decided to grab the AKV rental. The positives seem to outweigh the negitives, overall. And since it's currently (slightly) cheaper than staying at Pop, we can put our savings towards Uber rides as needed .

Have a great time! I don’t think you will regret it - it’s a beautiful resort.

 

[Nabas]

For a few $ more I would also throw BWV and BCV into the mix as considerations especially if concerned with transportation. Walk to 2 parks and Skyliner availability if you desire.

I agree that BWV/BCV location is awesome, especially for someone concerned about transportation. The issue is availability.

The OP mentioned going for 7 nights in September. BCV is not available for 7 nights, which BWV Garden/Pool View is only available for 7 nights in the first half of the month. The 7-month booking window for September starts tomorrow. Presumably, whoever they are renting points from doesn't have BWV points to rent.

There's a risk that the 7 nights they want will not being available at BWV.

 

[TikiWiki33]

Bingo. BWV was our first choice, but we were too late to book the standard view studio through a broker. And we wanted to keep the room at a certain price point. Next time we'll start looking earlier; the location looks great!

 

[Nabas]

Bingo. BWV was our first choice, but we were too late to book the standard view studio through a broker. And we wanted to keep the room at a certain price point. Next time we'll start looking earlier; the location looks great!

Did you get Jambo House or Kidani Village?