CCV Cabins, hands down. I want to
live there, not just stay there, lol. But they are SO MANY POINTS for just 2 bedrooms.
I just loved the layout and the decor. The two-side fireplace that could be enjoyed in the living room, or out on the screened porch with rocking chairs was fantastic. We also loved having the screened porch with picnic table to eat at, loved that we could pipe in the music from the parks and fireworks, and of course, the heated jacuzzi tub out on the porch was the icing on the cake.
That said, the Cabins only have 2 bedrooms, and the second bedroom is a queen with a pull down bed. It works for our family, as none of us are particularly tall, and at least at present, our 18 year old doesn't mind having the pull down beds at all. We had our nephew and his girlfriend with us one night, and they stayed in the living room. You can definitely fit larger groups, and we are admittedly getting SPOILED by being
DVC owners -- our travel before was often 1 BRs with our two boys in the living room, and we started doing 2BRs after becoming DVC owners, and now we really like having the extra space. I'm a morning person, and my DH, sons, and nephew are NOT, so I hated feeling like I was disturbing the living room sleepers getting up to make coffee in the morning.
When staying with larger groups. however, the Grand Villas are significantly better in that regard.
The CCV Grand Villa has a crazy amount of space! If you're traveling with friends or a family group, the third bedroom is actually in its own area - it's down a hallway off the dining room area, and the bathroom is ensuite, so you can shut the door and have some privacy. It was perfect, as we were traveling with our friends and our godson, so they were able to have their own space and area. The second bedroom is off the hallway leading to the master bedroom, and on the opposite side of the villa from the third bedroom, so our family was also in our space/area.
The AKV Grand Villa - we've only stayed in Jambo House, but want to try Kidani - also has a large amount of space, but the second and third bedroom are off one hallway from each other (the third bedroom is ensuite, so again can have more privacy; the second bedroom has a bathroom across the hall. There's also a fourth bathroom off the grand foyer entrance to the villa). The balcony is huge and animal viewing can't be beat. It also has a pool table room. Admittedly, my SIL and her family loved the pool table, and our friends enjoyed playing pool too, so that was a win overall, but it feels a bit like wasted space, and we almost wish it had a media room like VGF that could be made into a fourth bedroom. That said, when we stayed there with my SIL & family, we DID turn the pool room into a makeshift bedroom. They brought adjustable curtain roads and curtains, so that we could make makeshift "doors" on the entrances into the room, and then an air mattress for my eldest nephew and his girlfriend to sleep on. The only downside is you do have to go THROUGH the pool table room to get to the master bedroom.
We've also stayed in a Theme Park View Grand Villa at Bay Lake Tower, though only for 1 night. First, the theming is NOT my style. It was nice, just I like Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge theming over the futuristic modern of BLT. That said, the villa was fantastic in terms of space and layout -- It is two floors, with bedrooms 2 and 3 on the second floor AND having its own entrance on that second floor (so you can take the elevator one level up and get into the rooms, rather than enter through the main door and walk up the stairs). There's also a little living room area on that second floor, with a queen pull-out sofa bed, so our nephew and his girlfriend slept there, and thus weren't disturbed by folks up and about in the kitchen early in the morning. The living room was open to the second floor, which mean two levels floor to ceiling windows to look out over the Magic Kingdom -- the view to watch the fireworks just could not be beat. Being able to walk to/from the Magic Kingdom can't be beat, either. I'd definitely stay there again, even though the theming isn't my jam.
If you can't afford the point costs of the Grand Villas, I do highly recommend the Treehouse Villas at SSR. The biggest downside is that if you don't have a car, they are a pain (and take a long time) to get to/from. But it's a great amount of space for the point cost, and has three bedrooms -- bedroom two is only a single queen, and bedroom three is a set of bunkbeds, however. This was the first "large villa" we stayed in (again with my SIL & family as well as my BIL). and we would definitely do so again (we bought SSR points partly for SAP and partly to get priority for THVs over the holidays).
We eventually want to stay in all the Grand Villas! Though technically not a GV, our next splurge is the Polynesian Bungalows in May over my birthday / Mother's Day for 3 nights. We'll see how it compares to the CCV Cabins, though I'm to understand the plunge pool there isn't heated.
After that, well, our current plan is to do the CCV Cabin again over Thanksgiving 2023. Perhaps in 2024 we'll try a different Grand Villa (still have VGF, BWV, RIV, SSR, and AKV-Kidani to go -- plus HHI, AUL, and VBR. I really want to try the VBR cottages!). The tentative plan for Thanksgiving 2025 is AKV-Kidani, as we will likely be there with my SIL and family again.
