Opinions??? 12 nights BLT and Kidani...

[ssxa]

Hi everyone...for no reason other than we just cannot decide...We are staying 12 nights late Sept into early Oct. Never been to WDW, have two sons 9 and 7. Would you recommend staying at BLT then Kidani or Kidani then BLT. We are going to do 6 nights at each. Conveinience of BLT, horror stories about catching busses, quiet time with the animals more food choices...we've discussed it 100 times and can't make up our minds....Help...

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hi everyone...for no reason other than we just cannot decide...We are staying 12 nights late Sept into early Oct. Never been to WDW, have two sons 9 and 7. Would you recommend staying at BLT then Kidani or Kidani then BLT. We are going to do 6 nights at each. Conveinience of BLT, horror stories about catching busses, quiet time with the animals more food choices...we've discussed it 100 times and can't make up our minds....Help...

We avoid split stays anyway we can. We unpack and settle in. So my advice is don't do a split stay. If you are a DVC member, those resorts will be there the next time you want to stay. If you aren't a DVC member, you can still find a member to book them for you at 11 months out.

 

[ssxa]

We were a little worried about the split stay, but due to the fact that the
13+hr flight from Hawaii is torture plus about a $1000pp...not sure we can ever afford to visit WDW again...we did buy DVC at VGC in 2009. Always wanted to stay at AKV at some point, the only reason we are planning to stay at BLT is conveinience...to the parks

 

[Deb & Bill]

We were a little worried about the split stay, but due to the fact that the
13+hr flight from Hawaii is torture plus about a $1000pp...not sure we can ever afford to visit WDW again...we did buy DVC at VGC in 2009. Always wanted to stay at AKV at some point, the only reason we are planning to stay at BLT is conveinience...to the parks

Yeah, I forgot about that. Will you have a rental car? That could make it a bit easier from either resort. We're looking forward to BLT to use the monorail to go to Epcot for the F&W Festival. and, of course, we can walk t the MK. AKV will make it easier to go to AK and then you just have to worry about DHS.

Each resort will have pros and cons. And I don't think the order of your stay will make much difference. Have a great trip.

 

[ssxa]

Thanks!

 

[spiceycat]

you will be tired when you arrive - I think - so would go with AKV first then BLT.

now if you arrive ready to go would go with BLT, then AKV

 

[Dean]

Hi everyone...for no reason other than we just cannot decide...We are staying 12 nights late Sept into early Oct. Never been to WDW, have two sons 9 and 7. Would you recommend staying at BLT then Kidani or Kidani then BLT. We are going to do 6 nights at each. Conveinience of BLT, horror stories about catching busses, quiet time with the animals more food choices...we've discussed it 100 times and can't make up our minds....Help...

I would do BLT first for several reasons. We usually try to be busier early and not so much later or alternate busier trips with quieter trips. You'll likely spend more time at MK early in the trip as well as be busier earlier. I'd reserve more pool and down time as well as the AK park for the AKV time.

 

[rlovew]

If you are talking about during this year- if you don't already have the resorts booked you may not have any choice for BLT- it is already after the 7 month window for the time period you are talking about- ignore me at the moment if you trip isn't until 2013.

 

[Kidanifan08]

With 12 nights, a split stay is very doable. AKV and BLT are great resorts, especially for your kids. You have to get a savanna view room at AKV. Sanaa at Kidani is great, but Jambo has the QS restaurant, Boma buffet and Jiko, which gives you a little more variety.

Some of the opinions may change if you tell us what kind of rooms you are thinking about. Hopefully with 12 nights, you have a 1 BR in the mix, primarily for the W/D, not to mention the space. If 1 BR is an option, try to put that in the second half of the trip.

We did split stays with our 8 nights in Oct '11 and 9 nights last week. The switch day is a bit of a loss, but with 12 nights, a little down time may be in order.

If you are planning on doing studios, start with BLT. The BLT studios are small, and you will appreciate moving to a bigger room. If you are doing 1BR's, you can set it up however you wish. You should have no trouble getting AKV and you may still be able to get BLT, despite the fact that it is F&W at Epcot.

 

[ssxa]

Thanks for all the replys! We are looking at 1bdrms only. Also only Kidani and BLT because we want the two bathrooms. I booked the first part online for 6 days at Kidani and got it, the second 6 days at BLT...got the first 5 but not the last day! Bummers...I'm going to call member services tomorrow and see if I can switch it around (BLT first 6 then Kidani second 6) because that way I can get all 12 days confirmed now. I don't want to be on a wait list wondering if we are going to get in a room or not, especially since I haven't bought my plane tickets yet...they are still right at $1000 each!

 

[GettinReadyforDisney]

We own points at both BLT and AKV and have done a split stay in the past. We did BLT first, then AKV, and would do that again in a heartbeat.

We lilked BLT first, because, when your vacation first starts, you are so excited and full of energy. BLT is, in our opinion, in the heart of the hustle and bustle. The Contemporary and BLT are like staying in the city -- with the the monorail, being so close to WDW and easy to get to Epcot, plus an easy monorail ride to other resorts. We love to hop on the monorail to have dinner at other resorts by the way. We find staying at BLT to be fun and exciting.

WDW is an active vacation!!! So, as the time wears on, you get get tired. To us, going to AKV, either Kidani or Jambo, is more of an escape. We find it more relaxing than BLT . . . just what we need at the end of our time at WDW!!

That being said . . . you really can't go wrong either way. We love both of those resorts.

 

[ssxa]

Thank you for all the replies!!! I am going to call member services and see if I can switch my reservations for 6 at BLT followed by 6 at Kidani...fingers crossed...

 

[ssxa]

Didn't even have to call! All reservations made online and confirmed! 6 nights at BLT 1bdrm Lakeview followed by 6 nights 1bdrm Savanna view! Sooo excited!! Thanks again for all the replies!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Didn't even have to call! All reservations made online and confirmed! 6 nights at BLT 1bdrm Lakeview followed by 6 nights 1bdrm Savanna view! Sooo excited!! Thanks again for all the replies!

Isn't it nice to get it when you want it? Have a great trip.

 

[ssxa]

Yes it is! Thanks again!!!

 

[Kidanifan08]

That sounds like a great trip! Now you can start working on your ADR's!! Definitely eat at Sanaa at Kidani. Also consider Boma.

Your boys might like the Pirates and Pals cruise that leaves from the dock at the Contemporary . We did it in Oct and are doing it again in June. It's a neat way to see the Wishes fireworks show and it's relatively inexpensive.

Have a great trip!!

 

[ssxa]

Thanks! I will have to look into the Pirates and Pals cruise...never heard of it, but I'm sure the boys would love it!!!

 

[vdub322]

We are doing a BLT/Kidani split stay next month. We are starting at BLT 1 BR Lake View for 5 nights and then headed to Kidani 1 BR Savanna View for 3 nights. We chose to do it in this order because our kids will be excited to get to the MK as fast as possible (especially our DD3). We figure that adding the quieter atmosphere of Kidani at the end will work for us because we will be ready to take it slower by that point. We plan to spend part of our "switch day" by the awesome pool at Kidani. Enjoy your trip!

 

[ssxa]

In the end, that is what we decided also. Thanks for the post and enjoy your trip!!!