PVB/AKL/CCV and modifying reservations

[lovethesun12]

Hello all!

We own at poly (haven't stayed there though, likely a mistake, lol), but haven't been able to shake how much we loved AKL. While I really want to do our (cancelled) poly trip, I'm really considering switching the reservation to AKL at 7 months, especially if we decide on a resort only trip. After discussing with DH, we are looking at purchasing a contract there as well.

The only negative (big negative for us) for AKL was transportation, which is making me look at CCV now since it also seems to have a great theme.

So the questions are:
1) Is transportation better from CCV than AKL (with the boat to MK)?
2) Which resort do you prefer: poly, ccv, or akl?
3) We are considering modifying our poly reservation to add a few nights at either ccv or akl if possible. Is it possible to modify just a few nights of a reservation or would we have to change the whole thing?

Thanks in advance!

 

[CarolMN]

3) If you need to reuse some of the points from the Poly reservation to make the 7 month reservation , you would have to modify the Poly reservation to the actual nights you want to keep at the Poly, and then book the nights at the other resort. You would risk ending up with only the Poly nights and nothing at the other resort if someone grabs the availability before you can get to it. There is no way to "guarantee" both reservations unless you have enough points to book the other resort at exactly 7 months and then shorten the Poly reservation to the desired length.

Can't help with the other two questions. We've stayed at all three resorts and enjoyed them all, but it was pre-COVID and FP+ was still available. We weren't focused on rope drop or getting anywhere in a hurry.

 

[ProudMommyof2]

I have stayed at all 3.
Poly is hands down our favorite. And monorail to MK and EP is awesome.
I love AKL and CCV ( or WL) also. Boat is nice from WL but not the game changer that the monorail is IMO. Still can have some waiting and won’t run in bad weather.
I truly love the AKL theme and they never share buses, so I don’t think it is too terrible.
Good luck deciding, nice problem to have.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

CCV is bus except for MK. And it is a bus shared with Contemporary, I think.

 

[lovethesun12]

3) If you need to reuse some of the points from the Poly reservation to make the 7 month reservation , you would have to modify the Poly reservation to the actual nights you want to keep at the Poly, and then book the nights at the other resort. You would risk ending up with only the Poly nights and nothing at the other resort if someone grabs the availability before you can get to it. There is no way to "guarantee" both reservations unless you have enough points to book the other resort at exactly 7 months and then shorten the Poly reservation to the desired length.

Can't help with the other two questions. We've stayed at all three resorts and enjoyed them all, but it was pre-COVID and FP+ was still available. We weren't focused on rope drop or getting anywhere in a hurry.

Thanks =) I should have enough points to book the second reservation. It really helps to know how it will work in advance!

I think the fact we are rope drop people is why transportation was an issue for us. But we so loved the resort.

 

[lovethesun12]

I have stayed at all 3.
Poly is hands down our favorite. And monorail to MK and EP is awesome.
I love AKL and CCV ( or WL) also. Boat is nice from WL but not the game changer that the monorail is IMO. Still can have some waiting and won’t run in bad weather.
I truly love the AKL theme and they never share buses, so I don’t think it is too terrible.
Good luck deciding, nice problem to have.

Thanks! I think I really need to just give poly a chance. The different room sizes looked nice at the others but the theme at poly seems so nice. It definitely is a nice problem! It would be better if I didn't have to wait three years (border closure) to find out the answer though . It's making me second guess my poly decision before I even stay there =)

 

[krybandt]

CCV is a wonderful option because of the resort. We’ve never found the boat to MK to be a problem, except during storms as someone mentioned, and it’s a quick, relaxing ride. We drove to other parks. Can’t go wrong with Poly and the monorail to MK or EP. Completely different theme and feel, equally immersive experience.

 

[sndral]

When it came time for me to buy more points I had 2 resorts in mind - BWV v. VGF. So I booked my home resort @ 11 months (AKV) & then @ 7 months added a couple of nights at BWV & VGF at the end. Actually staying at the 2 possibilities really helped me decide & I bought VGF. This was an 11 total night stay, not sure I’d want to do a 3 way split on a shorter stay.
I think if you plan to use your Poly points to try out the other resorts, maybe book your original 11 month Poly reservation as 2 separate reservations, then at 7 months modify 1 to a CCV reservation & 1 to an AKV reservation so you don’t risk losing your Poly days? Or 3 reservations if you want Poly + CCV + AKV.

 

[CarolMN]

I think if you plan to use your Poly points to try out the other resorts, maybe book your original 11 month Poly reservation as 2 separate reservations, then at 7 months modify 1 to a CCV reservation & 1 to an AKV reservation so you don’t risk losing your Poly days? Or 3 reservations if you want Poly + CCV + AKV.

This is the way to go if you know you want a split stay. It's a lot less stressful at 7 months. That said, if you normally book something that is a challenge at 11 months (such as BLT standard or BWV standard), getting the initial two reservations at 11 months can be twice as stressful as getting just one.

 

[badeacon]

CCV is bus except for MK. And it is a bus shared with Contemporary, I think.

The CCV bus was not shared with Contemporary when we were there this spring.

 

[Minniemoo15]

I’ve never stayed at CCV, but greatly prefer Poly to AKV. I like AKV and would stay there again, we just looooovveee the Poly.

 

[lovethesun12]

Thanks so much for all the responses! Really looking forward to our poly stay now so I can compare them as well =) Definitely too much time on my hands to think about this. I prefer impulsive decisions .

 

[Rick195275]

Thanks =) I should have enough points to book the second reservation. It really helps to know how it will work in advance!

I think the fact we are rope drop people is why transportation was an issue for us. But we so loved the resort.

If the nights you want to switch are still available at poly right now I would split your reservations ahead of time. Just use a different member of the party as the lead guest or add an extra dummy person if possible to 1 of the reservations so MS doesn’t merge them on you. Makes modifying much easier and if you don’t get what you want you still have your original reservation which can be put back together as 1. For what it’s worth poly is one of our favorite resorts! I think for me it’s #1 bcv, #2 poly and #3 akl. My daughter who is the other Disney nut would swap poly and bcv we definitely suggest giving poly a try!

 

[lovethesun12]

CCV is a wonderful option because of the resort. We’ve never found the boat to MK to be a problem, except during storms as someone mentioned, and it’s a quick, relaxing ride. We drove to other parks. Can’t go wrong with Poly and the monorail to MK or EP. Completely different theme and feel, equally immersive experience.

I really appreciate your response! The boat at CCV sounds so awesome. We also loved POFQ when we stayed there, and the boat to Disney springs was definitely one of the key reasons. Also really enjoyed the boat ride from BCV.

Apparently the real issue is I just want to stay at all the WDW cash and DVC resorts at the same time which is a serious problem .

 

[lovethesun12]

If the nights you want to switch are still available at poly right now I would split your reservations ahead of time. Just use a different member of the party as the lead guest or add an extra dummy person if possible to 1 of the reservations so MS doesn’t merge them on you. Makes modifying much easier and if you don’t get what you want you still have your original reservation which can be put back together as 1. For what it’s worth poly is one of our favorite resorts! I think for me it’s #1 bcv, #2 poly and #3 akl. My daughter who is the other Disney nut would swap poly and bcv we definitely suggest giving poly a try!

Thanks! We are planning to switch to different dates and aren't 11 months out yet (will be soon) and I definitely plan to do this.

I think the reason I've been back and forth with poly is that our next stay may be resort only, and loving (and looking at) AKL the 1-2 bedroom would be nice for a resort only trip vs access to the monorail. But either way I'm sure it will be awesome. Split stay at this point seems like it might be the most awesome. If it's resort only might even throw in CCV to try them all, lol.

 

[RanDIZ]

I own at AKV and CCV. Both have their advantages. If it’s a resort only stay, then AKV when operating normal is the place to be. Arguably the best restaurants on property and not to mention there’s 2 savanna’s. I like to split stay these 2 since MK is a boat ride away from CCV and AK is a short bus trip away from AKV. Everything else is about in the middle of both so no real advantages there. If you’re keeping half POLY then I’d do the other half AKV especially if you plan to buy there to make sure that’s where you want to be.

 

[DebLovesPooh]

If you think you would use the kitchen during a resort only stay, it may be worth getting a 1-bedroom for a few nights at either CCV OR AKV. I love the kitchen and laundry and so for me, poly was never an option.

 

[sndral]

I own at AKV and CCV. Both have their advantages. If it’s a resort only stay, then AKV when operating normal is the place to be. Arguably the best restaurants on property and not to mention there’s 2 savanna’s. I like to split stay these 2 since MK is a boat ride away from CCV and AK is a short bus trip away from AKV. Everything else is about in the middle of both so no real advantages there. If you’re keeping half POLY then I’d do the other half AKV especially if you plan to buy there to make sure that’s where you want to be.

There are actually 4 savannas at AKV/AKL. From the overlook out by the pool at Jambo you see Uzima Savanna. From the Arusha overlook by the lobby at Jambo you see Arusha Savanna. From the overlook by the lobby at Kidani (and also upstairs above Jambo’s lobby) you see Sunset Savanna. From the overlook by the pool at Kidani you see the small Pembe Savanna.

If you think you would use the kitchen during a resort only stay, it may be worth getting a 1-bedroom for a few nights at either CCV OR AKV. I love the kitchen and laundry and so for me, poly was never an option.

Yeah, I love the extra space in the 1 br.s & having the washer/dryers there. I like hanging out in a separate living room rather than studios which feel more like hotel rooms to me. And of course, w/ the 1 br.s you get a king bed v. the queen bed in studios. I also like the spa tub & of course Kidani 1 br.s have 2 real bathrooms - unlike the 1 bathroom + the shower/sink room set up at the Poly. IME, trying out a 1 br. led to a ‘need’ to buy more points because they are pricey pointwise.

 

[Rick195275]

Thanks! We are planning to switch to different dates and aren't 11 months out yet (will be soon) and I definitely plan to do this.

I think the reason I've been back and forth with poly is that our next stay may be resort only, and loving (and looking at) AKL the 1-2 bedroom would be nice for a resort only trip vs access to the monorail. But either way I'm sure it will be awesome. Split stay at this point seems like it might be the most awesome. If it's resort only might even throw in CCV to try them all, lol.

We do a split stay every trip! Love getting to stay/explore multiple resorts every trip. I think poly is actually nice for resort only trip too! Has a great pool and splash pad, trader sam’s, good dining options with a ton of great options next door at grand flo and monorail away at bay lake tower and poly is a gorgeous resort IMO with the beaches and tropical feel, it’s very relaxing. We enjoyed CCV but only had a 1 night stay and we did a Christmas party that night so didn’t properly explore the resort and want to go back!

 

[lovethesun12]

Thanks so much to everyone who has contributed so far! The advice has been really valuable to me, especially those
recommending booking split stays. That is definitely going to be a major help!