New AKV purchase thanks to the board, but a few questions

[ohtarabell]

After 12 Disney vacations in the last 15 years we finally said, "it's time". A big thank you to all on this board who unknowingly spurred us on. You have made a very murky DVC world a little clearer (although, I'm guessing it won't be perfectly clear for some time)! I still have a couple of questions:

Bought 200 pts at AKV. Received the $8 point discount, 200 SSR points, and points in 08 and 09, December use year. I compared it to resale and found with the points for both 08 and 09 and the SSR points (already used for a 2bdr at SSR), it seemed to be a better deal. Basically 400 extra points at an estimated $10 per point = $4,000. Price then is about 76-77 per point ($104-$8=$96 x $200 = $19,200 - $4,000 = 15,200 / by 200 = 76 per point. If I am missing something, well so be it! I think rack rate for a 2bdr at SSR is $700 per night, so if I use that rather than points comparison then I am even better of than resale. If I am completely insane, I'm still okay with it

Questions:

Are AKL and AKV the same home resort from a technical perspective?

Lot's of conversation on the board about staying other than home resort. Any problems ever getting dates at home resort if booking 11 months out, or is this a rare problem?

It appears the 2 bedrooms and 3 bedrooms are easier to reserve than the 1 bedroom. True or not?

My wife loves BWV. I think I would be better off adding on BWV points through resale rather than doubling down on AKV (assuming I want to stay at BWV occasionally). We will typically stay non peak times, so I'm not certain if the 11 month is that big of an advantage.

Is it easy to borrow and or rent points. I have been to the boards and it seems there is plenty of supply/demand should I want to fill in gaps by borrowing. It also appears I can sell off excess points should I need to. I understand that the cost/price received can vary greatly. Comments?

Finally, what about exchange through II. I don't think I will use it much, but is exchanging easy? I know DVC is desirable, but it appears there is plenty of inventory out there. Comments?

Thanks again to all of you. I probably should have done this 15 years ago.

 

[LisaS]

Welcome home!!

Are AKL and AKV the same home resort from a technical perspective?

AKLodge is a Disney hotel, AKVillas is a DVC resort so they are not the same. AKV owns most of the fifth floor and all of the sixth floor of "Jambo House" (the Lodge building) and the entire Kidani Village building. As an AKV owner, you can stay in either building and use the facilities in either building (pools, restaurants, kids activities, etc.)

Lot's of conversation on the board about staying other than home resort. Any problems ever getting dates at home resort if booking 11 months out, or is this a rare problem?

The only time you might have a problem booking your home resort 11 months out would be for New Years Eve since that is the most popular night of the year, especially if you wanted a particular booking category that is a small percentage of the resort (a Value room at AKV, for example). A Concierge room at AKV is always hard to get 11 months out. There are only five 2BR lockoffs so even if they "locked off" every one of them, there would be five 1BRs and five studios. They are very popular and owners jump on the phone right at 9am eastern time at their first opportunity to book their stay.

It appears the 2 bedrooms and 3 bedrooms are easier to reserve than the 1 bedroom. True or not?

I've read here that the 1BRs are the easiest to book, then the 2BRs, Studios and finally the Grand Villas (since there are so few of them).

My wife loves BWV. I think I would be better off adding on BWV points through resale rather than doubling down on AKV (assuming I want to stay at BWV occasionally). We will typically stay non peak times, so I'm not certain if the 11 month is that big of an advantage.

It depends on what you think is "off peak". DVC is often busy at times when the parks are not. For example, early December is a very busy time for DVC but is generally considered off peak for WDW in general. If you want to stay at BWV during the Food & Wine festival (late Sep - early Nov) that can be difficult to get 7 months out. And if you want a boardwalk view or standard view room at BWV, it's not easy to get one if you don't own there unless you go in early May, early Sep or late Jan.

ETA: If you add on points at BWV, you will have two home resorts but in the 11 month window you can only use home resort points to book a stay (BWV to book BWV, AKV points to book AKV). You cannot use AKV points to book BWV until 7 months from check in. Some of us purchase small add-ons and then using banking and/or borrowing to accumulate 2 or 3 years worth of points and stay at that resort once every 2 or 3 years.

Is it easy to borrow and or rent points. I have been to the boards and it seems there is plenty of supply/demand should I want to fill in gaps by borrowing. It also appears I can sell off excess points should I need to. I understand that the cost/price received can vary greatly. Comments?

I think you are confusing borrowing and transferring points. Borrowing is when you borrow points from a future UY in your own account. Transferring is when you transfer points to/from another DVC member. Members are allowed only one transfer per Use Year either into or out of their account. The one-transfer limit makes it hard to get another member to transfer a small number of points. People don't want to waste their one transfer on a small transaction. But if you needed a large transfer, you shouldn't have a problem finding someone willing to do that.

Finally, what about exchange through II. I don't think I will use it much, but is exchanging easy? I know DVC is desirable, but it appears there is plenty of inventory out there. Comments?

Can't really answer this one since I've never done it. I think it depends on where you want to go and how flexible you are with your dates and how far in advance you begin the process.

 

[Donald is #1]

First: Congratulations and Welcome Home!

Are AKL and AKV the same home resort from a technical perspective?

AKL is the "hotel" portion and AKV is the "DVC" portion. The AKL/AKV resort consists of 2 buildings: Jambo House and Kidani Village. Jambo House is the original building and has AKL on floors 2-4 and AKV on floors 5-6. This is the building that has Boma and Jiko. Kidani Village is the new building and will only contain AKV.

Lot's of conversation on the board about staying other than home resort. Any problems ever getting dates at home resort if booking 11 months out, or is this a rare problem?

I own at AKV also. I had problems booking the first 2 weeks of December at 11 months. This was before the booking rules changed and I didn't realize that I was going to need to call day by day. That being said, I was able to get the one night I was missing at 7 months at a different resort. OK, to be honest, I moved the entire trip at 7 months because I wanted to check out BCV and BWV. For my December trip I am at BWV, SSR, and BCV.

It appears the 2 bedrooms and 3 bedrooms are easier to reserve than the 1 bedroom. True or not?

QUOTE]

Unfortunately, not true. 3 Bedrooms are Grand Villas and they are hard to book because they are so limited. Many people state the 1 BRs are easier to book but my experience is different. I am planning on booking 1 BRs and I am finding that they are just as hard/easy as studios and 2 bedrooms. Also keep in mind the many of the 2 bedrooms are lock-offs. That means that they can be split into a 1 BR and a studio.

My wife loves BWV. I think I would be better off adding on BWV points through resale rather than doubling down on AKV (assuming I want to stay at BWV occasionally). We will typically stay non peak times, so I'm not certain if the 11 month is that big of an advantage.

Please keep in mind that non-peak for DVC is different than non-peak for WDW. For example, the beginning of December is an extremely popular DVC time.

 

[Buckeye Fan]

Congrats on your purchase, and HOME!!!

I'll take a stab at answering your questions below. I'm sure others with different experiences will weigh in as well.

Are AKL and AKV the same home resort from a technical perspective?

Disney has some resorts that are part hotels, part DVCs. AK, BW, BC and WL are part hotels, part DVCs. All that means is that they share a main lobby/lodge. You'll hear the DVC part referred to as "villas." So, Animal Kingdom Lodge is the main lobby, where the hotel is, and Animal Kingdom villas are the DVC units. They are usually attached to or off of the main resort. At Wilderness Lodge, the DVC part is actually detached from the main lodge.

Lot's of conversation on the board about staying other than home resort. Any problems ever getting dates at home resort if booking 11 months out, or is this a rare problem?

There have been some reports of people not being able to get very specific reservations at the 11 month window, but those reports seem to be pretty rare.

It appears the 2 bedrooms and 3 bedrooms are easier to reserve than the 1 bedroom. True or not?

From what I understand on the boards, 1-BRs are actually the easiest to get. (Yeah!!! That's what we always reserve. )

My wife loves BWV. I think I would be better off adding on BWV points through resale rather than doubling down on AKV (assuming I want to stay at BWV occasionally). We will typically stay non peak times, so I'm not certain if the 11 month is that big of an advantage.

Not sure when you are planning on traveling, but why don't you try to use your AKV at BWV for an upcoming vacation? See how easy/difficult it is to get reservations, and see how you like it. Unless you're going at peak times, we've had GREAT luck getting reservations where we want them, and I'm not always calling at the 7 month window. We've stayed at every resort with the exception of Beach Club. It's not because I couldn't get reservations, we just haven't tried yet. Maybe this summer!!!

Is it easy to borrow and or rent points. I have been to the boards and it seems there is plenty of supply/demand should I want to fill in gaps by borrowing. It also appears I can sell off excess points should I need to. I understand that the cost/price received can vary greatly. Comments?

At the end of the day, we've either used or banked our points. Just remember, you are only allowed one transfer in or our per use year. Some others may weigh in on this.

Finally, what about exchange through II. I don't think I will use it much, but is exchanging easy? I know DVC is desirable, but it appears there is plenty of inventory out there. Comments?

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law trade out all of the time. People on the board will report that it's not a good value, but they've traveled all over the world on their DVC points. They have had good luck trading out, but she puts in her requests about 12 - 18 months in advance, and her range is pretty broad. She'll give them a 6 week span in the summer, and put in 3 or 4 locations. They've gone to Hawaii, Aruba, Spain, Germany, France, England, etc. What most people say, though, is that you can rent out your points for more money than that trip will cost. It will also allow you to book through anyone on your terms. May be something to consider.

Thanks again to all of you. I probably should have done this 15 years ago.

We all say that! I wished we had purchased sooner, too. We just weren't in a position to financially. And, yes, these boards are GREAT!!! You'll learn a ton. Congrats, again, on your purchase!!!

 

[Buckeye Fan]

Here's another site that has some good information:

http://allears.net/acc/dvc.htm

 

[ohtarabell]

Donald and LisaS:

Thanks for the replies!!! It appears as if you need to be a point svengali to understand all the ins and outs. I was not aware that members could only transfer points once a year. That explains a few things. Haven't even seen AKV, but I am comfortable that animals will remain a draw pretty much forever. I also believed that 3 vs 2 bathrooms could be important to families. I have stayed at BWV, BCV and will be staying at SSR on developers points in December. I think my basic attitude is any resort is okay with me. After all, they are all very nice resorts and each has it's own thing to offer. I'm hoping that this general lack of expectations regarding where, will keep me sane and unfrustrated with my purchase!

My other observation is that that the clear best way to acquire BWV is thorugh resale, I will probably wait a litlle while and see how the economy affects resale prices. I can't see them increasing in the near future. Disney could just choose to support the market through ROFR, but if things get really painful out there, they may need the cash/debt elsewhere.

 

[ohtarabell]

BuckeyeFan:

Thank you! Clevelander here and have lived in Dayton, CBUS (powell) and now Hudson near Cleveland/Akron (with stints in KC and Dallas). I support the Bucks in a big way, but I find the picture of your children a bit offputting! They are wearing the wrong orange and brown

 

[Buckeye Fan]

BuckeyeFan:

Thank you! Clevelander here and have lived in Dayton, CBUS (powell) and now Hudson near Cleveland/Akron (with stints in KC and Dallas). I support the Bucks in a big way, but I find the picture of your children a bit offputting! They are wearing the wrong orange and brown

Okay...first things first. I've forgiven Pryor, for the most part! And...what happened to our special teams? Uhhhhgggg. We were at the game and prior to the fumble, the game was definitely going in our direction. Oh well...can't cry over spilled milk.

The Bengals on the other hand...my husband and son WORSHIP the Bengals. Why? I'm just not sure. They have been BAD since I was in middle school, and I'm 38!!! I remember a few years ago we were down at Disney right before Christmas and the Bengals were playing in some sort of playoff game? Anyway, we couldn't go to ESPN Zone because they might not be on a TV DH and DS could see. Really????? What would make one think that people wouldn't want to see the Bengals? Unfortunately, Cleveland isn't much better this year.

Welcome to the Disboards and shoot me a PM if you need anything! Glad to help you any way I can. - Bridgett