Hunnyjar's asking more questions..

[HunnyJar]

All of you were so helpful the last time I had a set of questions, I thought I'd ask a few more. Forgive me if I ramble, but my brain has gone pretty much non-stop on DVC for the last few weeks.. I feel like a need a vacation from planning our vacations.

A little about us.. As I said before we are a family of five.. Our son will be 17 this year. We also have two daughters - three years old and almost two. We generally visit once a year to every other year and we also tend to stay Deluxe with the Poly being our favorite resort.

After learning that several one bedroom villas offer a sleeper chair and will sleep five, I'm wondering what some would think about possibly purchasing enough points for one of those compared to enough points for a two bedroom villa..? My husband pointed out that as our son gets older there might be times when he would be unable to vacation with us, so having a one bedroom villa might be good fit as long as there was a sleeper chair.

While we love the look of the VWL, the BLT is looking very good. We love the fact that it is on the monorail and we also love that we could walk to the MK. We tend to stay at WDW between 8-10 days per trip and spend at least 2-3 days at the MK alone and usually go to MNSSHP if we are there during September/October. (Looking forward to MVMCP if we can manage a visit in December..) With or without kids, MK is our favorite park. Epcot comes in a close second.

I know that we want to buy where we want to stay, so trying to decide the right fit has been hard. We love the look of the AKV over BLT, but location wise it is pretty far from the MK. When we stayed at the AKL in 2007, we had several problems with the bus, especially on the night of our MNSSHP. I'm sure those problems do not happen often, but like I said location wise it is not the closest to where we would like to be.

In the beginning, we were pretty sure we wanted VWL for both style and location. However, we have watched several videos on YouTube that make the VWL look pretty worn, but we have no first hand knowledge. I have read that the DVCs get refurbished a lot less frequently. Any opinions on the matter are appreciated. We also like the look of the BCV, but have read that the bus system can get congested with all the Epcot resort stops. And I know at both of these resorts we would need a two bedroom villa, which is fine.

So, Disers.. What are your thoughts? Opt for a contract (or two) for a two bedroom at VWL or BCV? Or a one bedroom sized contract (or two) at BLT or AK?

 

[Mtnman44]

I think most of this decision is going to come down to your own personal priorities and budget. Just keep in mind, you can always buy more points later if you needed them. So in general, I would suggest getting into DVC at the lower price point and see how things go. AKV is our favorite resort. The 1BR is a huge comfort upgrade from a standard hotel room. It is great.

HOWEVER, if your family's particular habits include a lot of resort time and hotel room time, you may find it frustrating messing with the living room sofa all the time. It is far nice to keep the living room in living room configuration. So in that sense, a 2BR is very nice, even for a family of 4 to 5. I will say that sleeping on a sofa bed or that chair is not great, but from a kid's perspective it may be just fine.

 

[BestDadEver]

All of you were so helpful the last time I had a set of questions, I thought I'd ask a few more. Forgive me if I ramble, but my brain has gone pretty much non-stop on DVC for the last few weeks.. I feel like a need a vacation from planning our vacations.

A little about us.. As I said before we are a family of five.. Our son will be 17 this year. We also have two daughters - three years old and almost two. We generally visit once a year to every other year and we also tend to stay Deluxe with the Poly being our favorite resort.

After learning that several one bedroom villas offer a sleeper chair and will sleep five, I'm wondering what some would think about possibly purchasing enough points for one of those compared to enough points for a two bedroom villa..? My husband pointed out that as our son gets older there might be times when he would be unable to vacation with us, so having a one bedroom villa might be good fit as long as there was a sleeper chair.

While we love the look of the VWL, the BLT is looking very good. We love the fact that it is on the monorail and we also love that we could walk to the MK. We tend to stay at WDW between 8-10 days per trip and spend at least 2-3 days at the MK alone and usually go to MNSSHP if we are there during September/October. (Looking forward to MVMCP if we can manage a visit in December..) With or without kids, MK is our favorite park. Epcot comes in a close second.

I know that we want to buy where we want to stay, so trying to decide the right fit has been hard. We love the look of the AKV over BLT, but location wise it is pretty far from the MK. When we stayed at the AKL in 2007, we had several problems with the bus, especially on the night of our MNSSHP. I'm sure those problems do not happen often, but like I said location wise it is not the closest to where we would like to be.

In the beginning, we were pretty sure we wanted VWL for both style and location. However, we have watched several videos on YouTube that make the VWL look pretty worn, but we have no first hand knowledge. I have read that the DVCs get refurbished a lot less frequently. Any opinions on the matter are appreciated. We also like the look of the BCV, but have read that the bus system can get congested with all the Epcot resort stops. And I know at both of these resorts we would need a two bedroom villa, which is fine.

So, Disers.. What are your thoughts? Opt for a contract (or two) for a two bedroom at VWL or BCV? Or a one bedroom sized contract (or two) at BLT or AK?

I would do a split 100 points blt and 100 akv you get 2 resorts 11 months book, both sleep 5 in 1br (i think) and you can bank borrow for 2br and not miss years .

Or get 175 akv so you can book the value 2br . with the best shot with 11 month booking

 

[DizBub]

Only BLT, AKV and OKW have the sleeper chairs in their living rooms. Of those only BLT and AKV have 2 full bathrooms in their 1 bedrooms. VWL does not give you these amenities.

If you feel you need to be close to MK I would advise you to buy BLT. It's 2 monorail rides to Epcot, giving you access to 2 parks. AKV is beautiful but remote. Disney is not ROFRing AKV because they are still actively selling it. Resale prices at VWL and AKV are pretty decent. BLT is selling for around $85/$90 resale, compared to $165 direct. Right now BLT has the lowest MFs but some think they may go way up in the future.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

As your daughters get older I'm guessing they may want to be in the 2 Bedroom option and that's probably along the lines I'd be looking at. We actually like a 1BR just for the two of us!

Is cost a priority or just a factor? One thing about AKV is that there are also the value options so you could get a 2BR for approx the same number of points for 8 nights as you can a standard view 1BR at MK.

If September is a time you like to go you'll probably have a very good chance of changing resorts at 7 months so perhaps buy the one that feels most right and the right price for you where you wouldn't mind staying and then change the reservation if/when you want. Oct can be a little more difficult but not impossible for BLT or VWL right at 7 months. Getting a 2 BR value room at AKV can be difficult at anytime for someone who doesn't own there.

Regarding VWL. The style is darker and designed to represent a past time (railroad workers lodging while working on the transcontinental). It's part of what we love but it's going to be very different from the modern decor of BLT! Our rooms have always been in good repair and excellent condition. I've had rooms at BLT that showed more wear and tear and it is a newer resort.

 

[HunnyJar]

Thank you all for your insight..

Is cost a priority or just a factor? One thing about AKV is that there are also the value options so you could get a 2BR for approx the same number of points for 8 nights as you can a standard view 1BR at MK.

It's a factor, not a priority. Going to WDW is expensive, becoming a DVC is expensive. That's a given. We also are paying in full and have zero plans to finance anything. If we cannot afford to pay for it in full, we won't do it.

If September is a time you like to go you'll probably have a very good chance of changing resorts at 7 months so perhaps buy the one that feels most right and the right price for you where you wouldn't mind staying and then change the reservation if/when you want. Oct can be a little more difficult but not impossible for BLT or VWL right at 7 months. Getting a 2 BR value room at AKV can be difficult at anytime for someone who doesn't own there.

Most of our trips have been taken in September and October, but we have traveled in December, January and February before. We're hoping to take more trips in December in the future. Thank you for a look at what those months might look like.

Regarding VWL. The style is darker and designed to represent a past time (railroad workers lodging while working on the transcontinental). It's part of what we love but it's going to be very different from the modern decor of BLT! Our rooms have always been in good repair and excellent condition. I've had rooms at BLT that showed more wear and tear and it is a newer resort.

Wow! Thank you for sharing your opinion. We love the look of the VWL and the pictures of the VWL at Christmas are amazing. I will admit I am a little surprised to hear that the BLT is showing wear so soon..

BLT is selling for around $85/$90 resale, compared to $165 direct. Right now BLT has the lowest MFs but some think they may go way up in the future.

I know the prices for buying direct are pretty insane and I cannot imagine what the VGF will go for. Is there somewhere that online has the MFs rumor? I will say the lower cost MFs was one of the most attractive things about BLT.

I think most of this decision is going to come down to your own personal priorities and budget. Just keep in mind, you can always buy more points later if you needed them. So in general, I would suggest getting into DVC at the lower price point and see how things go. AKV is our favorite resort. The 1BR is a huge comfort upgrade from a standard hotel room. It is great.

HOWEVER, if your family's particular habits include a lot of resort time and hotel room time, you may find it frustrating messing with the living room sofa all the time. It is far nice to keep the living room in living room configuration. So in that sense, a 2BR is very nice, even for a family of 4 to 5. I will say that sleeping on a sofa bed or that chair is not great, but from a kid's perspective it may be just fine.

Thank you for your point of view. We usually have the sofa bed at the Poly, so we are used to dealing with losing some of the room space and it has never been much of a problem. It would be nice to spread out, though. As far as room time goes.. We're not there too much. We are more of the park commando types with the occasional downtime.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[chalee94]

We're hoping to take more trips in December in the future.

december is a super-high demand time period for DVC bookings. the 11 month home resort priority for BLT or VWL is highly recommended if you want to stay there during december.

as for BLT's annual dues, it's just normal for a slight bump after sales are completed (and there have been numerous reports that some of the furniture is not wearing well - suggesting that it will have to be replaced ahead of schedule.) no one knows for sure but i wouldn't count on BLT dues staying that much lower than the other wdw resorts.

 

[DizBub]

I know the prices for buying direct are pretty insane and I cannot imagine what the VGF will go for. Is there somewhere that online has the MFs rumor? I will say the lower cost MFs was one of the most attractive things about BLT.

I can't give you a specific site about the MFs at BLT going up but speculation is out there. Don't really know why because just by size, footprint, lack of extensive landscaping, only 1 pool area, etc you would think dues would stay on the low side. Look at SSR and OKW, they are huge.

It may have something to do with what people think are sub-par finishes and fabrics used at BLT and that they will have to be replaced sooner rather than later. One of the main reasons for the "wear and tear" comments.

Personally, I HOPE that's not the case as we have 310 points at BLT.

 

[HunnyJar]

december is a super-high demand time period for DVC bookings. the 11 month home resort priority for BLT or VWL is highly recommended if you want to stay there during december.

Thank you for the tip. I'll make sure to keep that in mind. Are the other DVCs usually as busy in December? I'm hoping not.. We were hoping to turn December into our normal family vacation trip month.

I can't give you a specific site about the MFs at BLT going up but speculation is out there. Don't really know why because just by size, footprint, lack of extensive landscaping, only 1 pool area, etc you would think dues would stay on the low side. Look at SSR and OKW, they are huge.

It may have something to do with what people think are sub-par finishes and fabrics used at BLT and that they will have to be replaced sooner rather than later. One of the main reasons for the "wear and tear" comments.

Personally, I HOPE that's not the case as we have 310 points at BLT.

I appreciate the information! A little worrisome to see that the wear and tear is hitting that location so quickly. How have you found the BLT to be? Did you stay there before you bought? Location wise it seems like a no-brainer, but we're having a bit of trouble just deciding that it is the place we want to be. Usually we try to stay at resorts that have the vacation within a vacation sort of feel and it always seemed like the Contemporary was "hotel" like..

Thanks again!

 

[DizBub]

I appreciate the information! A little worrisome to see that the wear and tear is hitting that location so quickly. How have you found the BLT to be? Did you stay there before you bought? Location wise it seems like a no-brainer, but we're having a bit of trouble just deciding that it is the place we want to be. Usually we try to stay at resorts that have the vacation within a vacation sort of feel and it always seemed like the Contemporary was "hotel" like..

We had not stayed there before we bought. They were selling BLT, AKV and SSR/Treehouses when we decided to buy. Chose BLT primarily for location and lower MFs. We did not know about resale. Still, don't regret our purchase.

I think the wear and tear is highlighted by the colors in the general decor. The sofa is a putty color with yellow throw pillows for instance. Sleek lines and hard edges have some dings and dents. I have only stayed there once for a week in a 2 bedroom. We LOVED it. The only real damage we encountered was it looked like someone had taken a ball peen hammer to the front of the stainless fridge, 3 dents in a row. The glass backsplash in the kitchen had some cracks, looks like they came from behind the outlet plates, like someone had tightened the screws too tight. Big long scratch on the dining table. These things in no way diminished our enjoyment of the villa. Our daughter and her husband were staying in a 1 bedroom and their villa was pristine.

I think the reason AKV seems to be holding up so much better is because all the finishes are already distressed looking. Darker fabrics with so much more texture, darker paint on the walls, black appliances, it all just blends together beautifully, damage just doesn't stand out like at BLT.

We are due to go back to BLT in October. Can't wait!!

 

[CarolMN]

......... Are the other DVCs usually as busy in December? I'm hoping not.. We were hoping to turn December into our normal family vacation trip month........

Then you should definitely buy where you wouldn't mind staying if you can't get your first choice. December is arguably the month that sells out faster than any other month of the year (even especially early December).

At the smaller resorts, (VWL, BCV, BWV & BLT) there will be lots of competition for any space that may remain when the 7 month window opens. You will usually find that the standard views, Boardwalk views, and Magic Kingdom views are sold out. In fact, those are sold out just a few days after the 11 month window opens. VWL is traditionally very difficult to get between Thanksgiving and New Year's - you need the home resort booking advantage to stay there consistently during that time.

It is not impossible to get into those resorts at 7 months during December, but IMHO, you need to book as soon as the window opens, be willing to wait list and be lucky! And for December vacations, you should be prepared to stay at your home resort more often than not!

Good luck!

 

[joeyrose]

i was at vwl in a two bedroom in september 2011. nothing looked worn down or in need of fixing up...in my room or the resort. i did have an ac problem...they worked on it, but it never was really right, never got really cool in there.

on huge thing to consider...some resorts are much cheaper on the resale market, particularly those expiring in 2042. i cannot justify paying significantly more for blt. particularly at my age. i will jump on the seven month window for a blt stay.

 

[chalee94]

Then you should definitely buy where you wouldn't mind staying if you can't get your first choice. December is arguably the month that sells out faster than any other month of the year (even especially early December).

yeah, i agree with this. (and this does assume that you actually can and do book at 11 months out. the home resort advantage does you little good if you try to book at 8 months out and the other owners have taken all the spots for december - although you can still get on the waitlist ahead of non-owners.)

SSR, OKW and AKV (specifically savanna view rooms) are larger resorts that are more likely to have availability at 7 months.

here's a good thread to check out for reference:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2919467

 

[HunnyJar]

i was at vwl in a two bedroom in september 2011. nothing looked worn down or in need of fixing up...in my room or the resort. i did have an ac problem...they worked on it, but it never was really right, never got really cool in there.

on huge thing to consider...some resorts are much cheaper on the resale market, particularly those expiring in 2042. i cannot justify paying significantly more for blt. particularly at my age. i will jump on the seven month window for a blt stay.

Thank you for sharing your experience at the VWL lodge! I appreciate it. Glad to hear that everything looked good and I'm sorry to hear about the AC problem. Definitely not good to experience in September.

At what age should you start to really consider the End Year date? My husband and I are both in our early 30's so we haven't given that too much thought, yet.

Then you should definitely buy where you wouldn't mind staying if you can't get your first choice. December is arguably the month that sells out faster than any other month of the year (even especially early December).

At the smaller resorts, (VWL, BCV, BWV & BLT) there will be lots of competition for any space that may remain when the 7 month window opens. You will usually find that the standard views, Boardwalk views, and Magic Kingdom views are sold out. In fact, those are sold out just a few days after the 11 month window opens. VWL is traditionally very difficult to get between Thanksgiving and New Year's - you need the home resort booking advantage to stay there consistently during that time.

It is not impossible to get into those resorts at 7 months during December, but IMHO, you need to book as soon as the window opens, be willing to wait list and be lucky! And for December vacations, you should be prepared to stay at your home resort more often than not!

Good luck!

Thank you so much for all that information. Definitely something we didn't know. I will admit now I'm a little worried.. I knew we might have some problems booking in December, but I had no idea it would be that bad.

Also if we were to purchase points here in a month or so and there were banked and current 2012 points would there be any chance of us taking a December trip this late in the game? My husband has to book out his vacation time in January so we can't change our December vacation dates.

yeah, i agree with this. (and this does assume that you actually can and do book at 11 months out. the home resort advantage does you little good if you try to book at 8 months out and the other owners have taken all the spots for december - although you can still get on the waitlist ahead of non-owners.)

SSR, OKW and AKV (specifically savanna view rooms) are larger resorts that are more likely to have availability at 7 months.

here's a good thread to check out for reference:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2919467

So, let's say we go ahead and buy at either BLT or VWL and try to book a trip for a December, but the rooms are booked.. We wait list for a resort. Does this mean that if our wait list doesn't come through that we just cannot use our DVC points at all? Is it common that all the WDW DVC locations reach capacity?

Thanks again for the help everyone. It's greatly appreciated!

 

[chalee94]

At what age should you start to really consider the End Year date? My husband and I are both in our early 30's so we haven't given that too much thought, yet.

1) most people don't really hold the contract for 30+ years. they own for a while - then circumstances or interests change - then they sell.

2) if you are one of the few who does hold on forever, you might prefer to own at BLT (or SSR or AKV) as they have a longer end date. maybe those will be worth more in 2035...maybe not.

it's hard to know for sure. it's a personal decision.

Also if we were to purchase points here in a month or so and there were banked and current 2012 points would there be any chance of us taking a December trip this late in the game?

it's hard to say there's "no" chance but if you looked at the link i posted, a lot of nights were completely booked up by the 7 month window...and this is 2months later...

So, let's say we go ahead and buy at either BLT or VWL and try to book a trip for a December, but the rooms are booked..

i would give up completely on BLT or VWL and try to get in at a larger resort, like SSR or OKW.

We wait list for a resort. Does this mean that if our wait list doesn't come through that we just cannot use our DVC points at all? Is it common that all the WDW DVC locations reach capacity?

if your waitlist doesn't come through, you would still need to use your pts for a stay before they expire or you lose them completely. if they are current pts and you are within your banking window, you could bank them to the next UY. if they had already been banked, you could still rent or give away to friends a reservation you are able to make with them.

it is not common that all the resorts are at capacity (if you look at the stickied DVC resource thread, SSR is enormous)...but it can happen, and more commonly in december.

i have been on waitlists that have never come through. i was "stuck" at OKW (as i had made a reservation there at 10-11 months out) and that was fine with me.

going forward, if you can book a BLT trip at 11 months out, you might run into issues with standard or theme park views but would likely not have problems booking lake view stays in december by calling in january...

 

[Meggysmum]

We own at BLT simply because we love the location and I like the slightly quirky decor. I have to agree that some of the finishes have not been the best and I expect my MFs to rise to try and solve the problem.

However we always need the option of the sleeper chair at the moment as we travel with two teens but I really couldn't justify buying enough points for a 2-bed as it won't be too long until it is just me and hubby travelling.

We like to travel in October and so have booked at the 11 month window and got what we wanted. However I know that DVC can become pretty much sold out in some categories but that does tend to be for very specific dates. We couldn't get New Years eve in any one bed or studio but we did leave booking until one week past the 7month window so I wasn't surprised.

My daughter is travelling in September and I booked her a standard view at BLT last week which amazed me as I presumed they would have been sold out but I think I just got lucky as most dates are full.

We would also never have considered financing to buy to buy DVC and bought direct as there weren't many BLT contracts around at the time. However our situation has changed a bit recently and a yearly (rather than every other year) vacation looks likely so we have just added on with resale.

I think if you are prepared to book at exactly 7 months you stand a reasonable chance of getting most things (except special rooms like Value at AK).

 

[chalee94]

it is not common that all the resorts are at capacity (if you look at the stickied DVC resource thread, SSR is enormous)...but it can happen, and more commonly in december.

i posted this earlier and had a second thought.

it's not common for all the resorts to be booked up completely at 6-7 months out. that is true.

but ultimately, there are just enough pts for all the DVC owners to stay every night of the year at every DVC resort (adjusted slightly for a few pts DVC holds for maintenance purposes.) so as you get closer to arrival date, all DVC resorts should be close to 100% occupancy or else some members are not using their pts for anything and just losing them into the "void."

 

[Kidanifan08]

All of you were so helpful the last time I had a set of questions, I thought I'd ask a few more. Forgive me if I ramble, but my brain has gone pretty much non-stop on DVC for the last few weeks.. I feel like a need a vacation from planning our vacations.

A little about us.. As I said before we are a family of five.. Our son will be 17 this year. We also have two daughters - three years old and almost two. We generally visit once a year to every other year and we also tend to stay Deluxe with the Poly being our favorite resort.

After learning that several one bedroom villas offer a sleeper chair and will sleep five, I'm wondering what some would think about possibly purchasing enough points for one of those compared to enough points for a two bedroom villa..? My husband pointed out that as our son gets older there might be times when he would be unable to vacation with us, so having a one bedroom villa might be good fit as long as there was a sleeper chair.

While we love the look of the VWL, the BLT is looking very good. We love the fact that it is on the monorail and we also love that we could walk to the MK. We tend to stay at WDW between 8-10 days per trip and spend at least 2-3 days at the MK alone and usually go to MNSSHP if we are there during September/October. (Looking forward to MVMCP if we can manage a visit in December..) With or without kids, MK is our favorite park. Epcot comes in a close second.

I know that we want to buy where we want to stay, so trying to decide the right fit has been hard. We love the look of the AKV over BLT, but location wise it is pretty far from the MK. When we stayed at the AKL in 2007, we had several problems with the bus, especially on the night of our MNSSHP. I'm sure those problems do not happen often, but like I said location wise it is not the closest to where we would like to be.

In the beginning, we were pretty sure we wanted VWL for both style and location. However, we have watched several videos on YouTube that make the VWL look pretty worn, but we have no first hand knowledge. I have read that the DVCs get refurbished a lot less frequently. Any opinions on the matter are appreciated. We also like the look of the BCV, but have read that the bus system can get congested with all the Epcot resort stops. And I know at both of these resorts we would need a two bedroom villa, which is fine.

So, Disers.. What are your thoughts? Opt for a contract (or two) for a two bedroom at VWL or BCV? Or a one bedroom sized contract (or two) at BLT or AK?

We have been DVC members since Oct 2008. Our home resort is AKV, but we have stayed at OKW, SSR, BWV and BLT. We have stayed at BLT twice and had to WL for the studio in Oct, but got it within about a week of doing the WL.

We regards to the remoteness of AKV, we actually like that. We have a 6yo DS, so we are in the noisy, boisterous parks all day. When we leave, it is nice to get away to the quiet peacefulness of Kidani. We had one bus issue during one of our stays where we had an early ADR at CP and the bus did not come for about 40 minutes. This was during our last Dec visit (2010) and it was FREEZING at the bus stop. Otherwise, the Disney transportation has been great. One of the reasons we prefer Kidani is the fact that the buses stop there first. HS and EPCOT are fairly quick trips from AKV. Obviously AK is a quick trip. We also love the pool and splash play area. The restaurants are great, but I can somewhat understand why people dog Kidani for the lack of a QS restaurant. That does not bother us and we couldn't care less. The extra bathroom is awesome. The wide range of room types with different point requirements is great, too, and offer some flexibility from year to year if you need more points for a trip one year and need to conserve the next. We did a CL stay in June, and the sunrise safari was awesome! It is tough to get CL if you don't own AKV. There are some great AKV bargains on the resale market.

When we have stayed at BLT, we enjoy the proximity to the park, but we never feel like we have completely escaped the chaos of the park. That darn EWP is a nuisance! Aside from MK, getting to any of the other parks is not ideal. I will include EPCOT in that statement, since every time we went there it was easily a 30-40 minute time investment with the monorail. We also missed the opening of an EPCOT EMH on our trip last month due to the inefficiency of the monorail. The pool area at BLT is not very exciting and the splash area seems like an afterthought. The slide is pretty good. Don't get me wrong, we like staying at BLT, but for us it is just a bland high rise hotel close to an awesome place!

With regards to December, I would say that if you want to go (particularly during the first week of Dec), then plan on your home resort or SSR. We are going this year in Dec and at the 7 month mark, SSR was the only other resort we could get for 8 nights. We'll be at Kidani (obviously), and we are completely OK with that.

You have a 2 and 3 yo. Our 6yo starts 1st grade this fall, and we are not sure that we will be comfortable with pulling him from school much longer. This will keep us from traveling during those fun times like Sept, Oct and Dec. We have resigned ourselves to the fact that we will be traveling June/July/Aug. With that in mind, I get the sense that we will probably be able to get into other resorts at the 7 month mark, since those months are not quite as popular as others for DVC members. If your kids will be in public (or even private) school, that may become a consideration for you, as well. Our school district is pretty militant about pulling kids during the school year.

Good luck in trying to make your decision!

 

[HunnyJar]

We own at BLT simply because we love the location and I like the slightly quirky decor. I have to agree that some of the finishes have not been the best and I expect my MFs to rise to try and solve the problem.

However we always need the option of the sleeper chair at the moment as we travel with two teens but I really couldn't justify buying enough points for a 2-bed as it won't be too long until it is just me and hubby travelling.

Okay, the raising of the MFs to cover the needed repair or replacement definitely makes sense. Hopefully, they are able to take care of the problems that people seem to be experiencing.

The 1 bedroom vs 2 bedroom villas has really been weighing on my mind. I don't mind paying the extra to get a 2 bedroom if we actually end up needing it but right now I'm wondering if we do. Like you, we have a teenager and my husband pointed out who knows how long he will be able to vacation with us, which is why he is leaning 1 bedroom with sleeper chair.

I'm wondering if it might be a good idea to buy a large enough contact for a 1 bedroom with sleeper chair and see how it goes and if it seems like we want/need the extra room buy a second contract. Not actually knowing how the rooms look/feel makes this decision difficult. I know when we stayed at the Poly last year we all fit (with two play yards set up) and had no real problems about the room size or lack of space.

I think if you are prepared to book at exactly 7 months you stand a reasonable chance of getting most things (except special rooms like Value at AK).

I appreciate you sharing your experience with me. This makes me feel a bit better. I was starting to seriously question the likelihood of being able to get a room.

i posted this earlier and had a second thought.

it's not common for all the resorts to be booked up completely at 6-7 months out. that is true.

but ultimately, there are just enough pts for all the DVC owners to stay every night of the year at every DVC resort (adjusted slightly for a few pts DVC holds for maintenance purposes.) so as you get closer to arrival date, all DVC resorts should be close to 100% occupancy or else some members are not using their pts for anything and just losing them into the "void."

That's interesting. Thank you for sharing.

 

[HunnyJar]

We have been DVC members since Oct 2008. Our home resort is AKV, but we have stayed at OKW, SSR, BWV and BLT. We have stayed at BLT twice and had to WL for the studio in Oct, but got it within about a week of doing the WL.

I appreciate you sharing your experience! I'm still learning about wait listing so this is interesting!

We regards to the remoteness of AKV, we actually like that. We have a 6yo DS, so we are in the noisy, boisterous parks all day. When we leave, it is nice to get away to the quiet peacefulness of Kidani. We had one bus issue during one of our stays where we had an early ADR at CP and the bus did not come for about 40 minutes. This was during our last Dec visit (2010) and it was FREEZING at the bus stop. Otherwise, the Disney transportation has been great. One of the reasons we prefer Kidani is the fact that the buses stop there first. HS and EPCOT are fairly quick trips from AKV. Obviously AK is a quick trip. We also love the pool and splash play area. The restaurants are great, but I can somewhat understand why people dog Kidani for the lack of a QS restaurant. That does not bother us and we couldn't care less. The extra bathroom is awesome. The wide range of room types with different point requirements is great, too, and offer some flexibility from year to year if you need more points for a trip one year and need to conserve the next. We did a CL stay in June, and the sunrise safari was awesome! It is tough to get CL if you don't own AKV. There are some great AKV bargains on the resale market.

We did enjoy our time at the AKL and I've read that Kidani is even better than the Jambo house, especially the rooms. Do you happen to know how long it takes to walk from Kidani to Jambo? We'd love to try the CL sometime, but I think I read somewhere that there are only 10 rooms that a CL..? The price for the AKV is definitely appealing as well.

When we have stayed at BLT, we enjoy the proximity to the park, but we never feel like we have completely escaped the chaos of the park. That darn EWP is a nuisance! Aside from MK, getting to any of the other parks is not ideal. I will include EPCOT in that statement, since every time we went there it was easily a 30-40 minute time investment with the monorail. We also missed the opening of an EPCOT EMH on our trip last month due to the inefficiency of the monorail. The pool area at BLT is not very exciting and the splash area seems like an afterthought. The slide is pretty good. Don't get me wrong, we like staying at BLT, but for us it is just a bland high rise hotel close to an awesome place!

The location is the biggest draw for the BLT for us. It would be truly amazing to wake up with the Cinderella Castle as one of the first things you see in the morning (provided you pay for the MK view) - The high rise hotel feel is one of the things we like least about it. We take one vacation a year so we like to try to surround ourselves in our vacation. The hustle and bustle of the Contemporary is a little worrisome. Having said that the rooms are lovely and we like the thought of having all the other monorail restaurants at our fingertips.

With regards to December, I would say that if you want to go (particularly during the first week of Dec), then plan on your home resort or SSR. We are going this year in Dec and at the 7 month mark, SSR was the only other resort we could get for 8 nights. We'll be at Kidani (obviously), and we are completely OK with that.

That's interesting! Thanks for sharing. Before this thread I didn't know how busy the DVC resorts were. I figured they would be during Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's but I had no idea the whole month of December would be so busy.

You have a 2 and 3 yo. Our 6yo starts 1st grade this fall, and we are not sure that we will be comfortable with pulling him from school much longer. This will keep us from traveling during those fun times like Sept, Oct and Dec. We have resigned ourselves to the fact that we will be traveling June/July/Aug. With that in mind, I get the sense that we will probably be able to get into other resorts at the 7 month mark, since those months are not quite as popular as others for DVC members. If your kids will be in public (or even private) school, that may become a consideration for you, as well. Our school district is pretty militant about pulling kids during the school year.

Good luck in trying to make your decision!

Have definitely have given the month choice a lot of thought. Our 16 year old is home schooled through a local charter program. That affords us a lot of flexibility. He goes to a normal classroom setting once to twice a week or so and the rest of the time he uses a laptop for online classes, so taking a vacation during a time when school is normally in session is not as difficult for us. Not sure what will happen when our little ones get ready for school, but it's a good thing to keep in mind!

Thank you again for your post. It's nice to have other people's point of view and to hear their experiences.