Renting points for a split stay to "try out" DVC? AKV and BW/BCV

[MamaBear12]

I have several months of research and cost comparison spread sheets under my belt and DVC makes sense for us. We're leaning towards purchasing at AKV (theme, animals, restaurants, contract length, etc.), but there is definitely something magical about the BWV/BCV area and its close access Epcot and Hollywood studios. I'm thinking it might be worth it to rent points and do a split stay for our trip next year to try out both areas and make sure we buy where we'll want to stay most of the time. Am I crazy for doing this!?

Questions:

1) Is a 4/3 (or 3/4) split reasonable to do while renting?
2) Would you stay BWV or BCV? (2 kiddos, will be 5 and 3) If we buy Epcot resort, we'll most likely buy BWV for the lower point chart and overall cost.
3) Which resort would you stay at first (AKV or BWV/BCV) and which would you devote an additional night to? We're planning 5 park days and 1 full and 2 half resort days to chill. We would make the switch on a park day.
4) Should we switch up room type (studio first then 1 bedroom) to experience the different DVC offerings, or will that bias our resort preference?
5) Can we do the DDP for the first part of our split? We've never used it, but I've done the math and it would be cost effective if we're doing a lot of character meals given our kids are "Disney Children". Was thinking this would be a good way to try out the DDP as well without committing for the whole trip.

Anything else I should consider? Thanks!

 

[butsy113]

I have several months of research and cost comparison spread sheets under my belt and DVC makes sense for us. We're leaning towards purchasing at AKV (theme, animals, restaurants, contract length, etc.), but there is definitely something magical about the BWV/BCV area and its close access Epcot and Hollywood studios. I'm thinking it might be worth it to rent points and do a split stay for our trip next year to try out both areas and make sure we buy where we'll want to stay most of the time. Am I crazy for doing this!?

Questions:

1) Is a 4/3 (or 3/4) split reasonable to do while renting? You can split whichever way works best for your park schedule. I would think 4/3 would be best.

2) Would you stay BWV or BCV? (2 kiddos, will be 5 and 3) If we buy Epcot resort, we'll most likely buy BWV for the lower point chart and overall cost. If you are thinking BWV then that's where you need to stay. I wouldn't buy somewhere until you have stayed there. We actually like the pool better at BWV (we aren't a fan of SAB at BCV). I love everything about the BWV better except the fact that you actually go outside onto the Boardwalk to get food etc. It's all a personal choice

3) Which resort would you stay at first (AKV or BWV/BCV) and which would you devote an additional night to? We're planning 5 park days and 1 full and 2 half resort days to chill. We would make the switch on a park day. I would stay in the Epcot area first and hit Epcot and HS. Then head to AKV to relax, and do AK and MK since you would bus to these anyway.

4) Should we switch up room type (studio first then 1 bedroom) to experience the different DVC offerings, or will that bias our resort preference? It's nice to stay in one bedrooms, except then you get used to it, lol If you plan to stay in mostly studios and only buy that many points then I would stick to a studio. We are a family of 4 and don't like staying in anything less than a 2 bedroom now.

5) Can we do the DDP for the first part of our split? We've never used it, but I've done the math and it would be cost effective if we're doing a lot of character meals given our kids are "Disney Children". Was thinking this would be a good way to try out the DDP as well without committing for the whole trip. Yes you can do DDP for one part of your trip. That could work for you with their ages and desire to do character dining. If you do become DVC members then you could look into the Tables in Wonderland card.

Anything else I should consider? Thanks!

 

[CMNJ]

Anything else I should consider? Thanks!

I saw you said you think you would purchase BWV due to the lower point chart. Keep in mind that many owners have that same thought and there is only something like 20% of villas that are the standard view with the lower point costs. As such you often need to book at 8 am exactly 11 months out to secure a standard view studio (or 2 bed room as all 2 BR there are actually lock off units). This is most certainly the case if you plan to travel during what others have dubbed "fall frenzy". DVC prime booking g time (at this point) is from late Sept to early Jan and during this time most units book much earlier than the rest of the year (except holidays, runn disney weekends, etc). If you plan to travel from mid Jan to early sept you will have an easier time securing a standard view studio but again if you don't book at 11 months there is still a risk for a night or two to be missing. I'd plan on having a little cushion in case you have to book the higher point categories sometimes (otherwise you may have to cut your stay short)

 

[MamaBear12]

I saw you said you think you would purchase BWV due to the lower point chart. Keep in mind that many owners have that same thought and there is only something like 20% of villas that are the standard view with the lower point costs. As such you often need to book at 8 am exactly 11 months out to secure a standard view studio (or 2 bed room as all 2 BR there are actually lock off units). This is most certainly the case if you plan to travel during what others have dubbed "fall frenzy". DVC prime booking g time (at this point) is from late Sept to early Jan and during this time most units book much earlier than the rest of the year (except holidays, runn disney weekends, etc). If you plan to travel from mid Jan to early sept you will have an easier time securing a standard view studio but again if you don't book at 11 months there is still a risk for a night or two to be missing. I'd plan on having a little cushion in case you have to book the higher point categories sometimes (otherwise you may have to cut your stay short)

Thank you for reminding me of that. We might travel early/mid December or early January some years, which I know is busy for DVC, so we would definitely book early. But otherwise travel will typically be May or early June. I'm planning to buy points based off the more expensive season so we'll be covered.

 

[Hopefully]

I think your research looks great.
I would do a 3/4 split and stay at AKV first. I would go to the MK first with the little ones, AK next and my full day off would be while at AKV.
If you are thinking of buying at BWV that is where I would stay.
I think a studio, 1 BR split is a good idea as it will give you an idea of what your future choices are and it may actually influence the number of points you purchase.
I would do the studio first followed by the 1 BR at BWV

 

[crisi]

I'd put your extra day at AK. Its a great place to just hang and watch animals - and there have been (not sure of the current schedule) lots of activities.

You can get the dining plan for just one leg of your trip - as long as the owner will book it for you. That usually isn't an issue.

I think I'd stay with one room type - the room layouts at BWV and VAKL are so different that you won't really know anyway.

And I'm not sure if I'd switch resorts. I think I'd just stay at one place and then walk around your second choice. IMHO, a room is a room. And you can get a feel for the pool and resort public areas by walking around.

 

[keishashadow]

I have several months of research and cost comparison spread sheets under my belt and DVC makes sense for us. We're leaning towards purchasing at AKV (theme, animals, restaurants, contract length, etc.), but there is definitely something magical about the BWV/BCV area and its close access Epcot and Hollywood studios. I'm thinking it might be worth it to rent points and do a split stay for our trip next year to try out both areas and make sure we buy where we'll want to stay most of the time. Am I crazy for doing this!?

Questions:

1) Is a 4/3 (or 3/4) split reasonable to do while renting?
2) Would you stay BWV or BCV? (2 kiddos, will be 5 and 3) If we buy Epcot resort, we'll most likely buy BWV for the lower point chart and overall cost.
3) Which resort would you stay at first (AKV or BWV/BCV) and which would you devote an additional night to? We're planning 5 park days and 1 full and 2 half resort days to chill. We would make the switch on a park day.
4) Should we switch up room type (studio first then 1 bedroom) to experience the different DVC offerings, or will that bias our resort preference?
5) Can we do the DDP for the first part of our split? We've never used it, but I've done the math and it would be cost effective if we're doing a lot of character meals given our kids are "Disney Children". Was thinking this would be a good way to try out the DDP as well without committing for the whole trip.

Anything else I should consider? Thanks!

1) yes but unless you use a service might be difficult to coordinate booking both reservations seamlessly @ 11 months.

2) BCV lazy river gets deep, as in over an adult's head. We own @ BWV. Even @ 11 months @ 8 am it often isn't immediately available for me to book.

3) Also own @ AKV, would do the 4 nights there, 2nd part of trip. We prefer AK over BW except for Epcot festivals.

4) Are you buying in factoring on staying @ 1 BR or studio? Big difference in points, stay where-ever accordingly.

5) Yes you can coordinate the DP purchse with the renter.

JMHO would go with purchasing AKV as longer contract and far nicer resort to entertain the kiddos.

 

[MamaBear12]

Thank you for reminding me of that. We might travel early/mid December or early January some years, which I know is busy for DVC, so we would definitely book early. But otherwise travel will typically be May or early June.

1) yes but unless you use a service might be difficult to coordinate booking both reservations seamlessly @ 11 months.

2) BCV lazy river gets deep, as in over an adult's head. We own @ BWV. Even @ 11 months @ 8 am it often isn't immediately available for me to book.

3) Also own @ AKV, would do the 4 nights there, 2nd part of trip. We prefer AK over BW except for Epcot festivals.

4) Are you buying in factoring on staying @ 1 BR or studio? Big difference in points, stay where-ever accordingly.

5) Yes you can coordinate the DP purchse with the renter.

JMHO would go with purchasing AKV as longer contract and far nicer resort to entertain the kiddos.

Thank you! AKV is definitely #1 on my list. Just want to be 100% sure.

 

[LSchrow]

I would opt for 3 days at AKV first, using more resort days (as resort itself is lovely, but we find transportation can be very time-consuming).
for the last 4 days, I would opt for BCV or BWV - which are quite different, despite their similar location (we own at both, but greatly prefer BWV for amazing views, quieter interiors, community hall, etc). Whichever EPCOT resort you decide to book, be sure to spend enough time at the other - lounging in the lobby, touring outside the resort, having something to eat, seeing if they have activities that interest you & your family, etc.
enjoy!

 

[bigtony777]

I would recommend the full non-park day at AKV. It is a great resort to just hang out with everything to do there. There are also many things for kids on the boardwalk in the evening, but you can catch that easily on the way back from Epcot or HS. If you are going to book a 1 bedroom, I would book that for the second half. You will have a washer/dryer and could do some laundry that you have from the beginning of the trip.

 

[sndral]

If you stay studio at one and 1 br. at the other that will impact how you feel about the resort. If you plan is to stay in studios after you buy, then stay in studios at both resorts. If you plan to stay in 1 br.s stay in a 1 br. for both legs.
I stayed in an AKV 1 br. to 'test drive' it before I bought. Thereafter, using those AKV points I stayed at BWV & VGF in a 1 br., again to be sure where I wanted my next batch of points to be.

 

[disneynutz]

AKV and AK gets old IMO, we sold most of our AKV contracts, don't like the remoteness of either.

You want a less expensive room but are willing to buy the DDP which is difficult to justify cost wise? For a short stay the deluxe DDP was worth it but Disney keeps raising prices so not really worth it as much now. Spread sheet your meals to compare savings and consider that the DDP results in over eating.

BCV is more kid friendly because of the pool, BWV has more adults but it has an activity center, we own both.

Consider an Epcot resort stay and a MK resort stay. We use our VGF and BRV points for MK stays and our BWV points for our DHS and Epcot stays.

A couple of nights in a 1 bedroom will give you an idea of your future. For us staying in studios got old pretty fast.

Bill

 

[mousehockey37]

AKV > Boardwalk. We haven't stayed at the Beach Club however. The whole atmosphere at AKV is so immersive. The rooms are wonderful and the beds are some of the best you'll get. The room we had at the Boardwalk was one of the converted hotel rooms and you could tell it was. There wasn't any "special" feeling to it, except for hearing the boats outside.

 

[MamaBear12]

AKV and AK gets old IMO, we sold most of our AKV contracts, don't like the remoteness of either.

You want a less expensive room but are willing to buy the DDP which is difficult to justify cost wise? For a short stay the deluxe DDP was worth it but Disney keeps raising prices so not really worth it as much now. Spread sheet your meals to compare savings and consider that the DDP results in over eating.

Thanks! I did crunch the numbers on the regular DDP, and while our kiddos are still "Disney children" we actually come out ahead on the plan if we do a lot of character dining since 1 character meal is often the cost of the entire kids plan for the day, so their snacks and counter service meal are essentially free. I'm not sure if we'll like having the plan though, so I thought doing it for part of the trip would let us try it without being stuck with it the whole time if we don't like it.

 

[MamaBear12]

AKV > Boardwalk. We haven't stayed at the Beach Club however. The whole atmosphere at AKV is so immersive. The rooms are wonderful and the beds are some of the best you'll get. The room we had at the Boardwalk was one of the converted hotel rooms and you could tell it was. There wasn't any "special" feeling to it, except for hearing the boats outside.

We're definitely leaning towards AKV! What attracts us to BWV is really just the location and the hustle and bustle of the boardwalk itself. But with our likely travel times (not sept-Jan), we can probably book an occasional Boardwalk stay or a split stay if we want a break from AKV. AKV definitely has that "wow" factor!

 

[kboo]

If you stay studio at one and 1 br. at the other that will impact how you feel about the resort. If you plan is to stay in studios after you buy, then stay in studios at both resorts. If you plan to stay in 1 br.s stay in a 1 br. for both legs.
I stayed in an AKV 1 br. to 'test drive' it before I bought. Thereafter, using those AKV points I stayed at BWV & VGF in a 1 br., again to be sure where I wanted my next batch of points to be.

This! Our first stay in a DVC unit was a 1BR at BWV in 2015, and DH and I both love the resort. IMO the clown pool is fun, and depending onhow small your kids are, the kiddie pool area is more manageable. Now that we have 2 kids, 1 a toddler and 1 a new swimmer, DH and I would have to split up at Stormalong Bay. That said, the kid in my REALLY wants to check out SAB for myself!!

-Also - we booked a similar split stay to try out VGF and BCV, knowing we already loved BLT and BWV. We thought we'd make a decision where to buy after trying all of the resorts, yet here we are, having closed on BLT just last week... (more on this below).

AKV and AK gets old IMO, we sold most of our AKV contracts, don't like the remoteness of either.

You want a less expensive room but are willing to buy the DDP which is difficult to justify cost wise? For a short stay the deluxe DDP was worth it but Disney keeps raising prices so not really worth it as much now. Spread sheet your meals to compare savings and consider that the DDP results in over eating.

BCV is more kid friendly because of the pool, BWV has more adults but it has an activity center, we own both.

Consider an Epcot resort stay and a MK resort stay. We use our VGF and BRV points for MK stays and our BWV points for our DHS and Epcot stays.

A couple of nights in a 1 bedroom will give you an idea of your future. For us staying in studios got old pretty fast.

Bill

What Bill said - we love AK and Boma and Sanaa, and have usually gone to dinner and spent a few hours at AKL on each trip. But with our kids still pretty young, we have liked the ability to just walk to a park for a few hours, or resort hop easily, too. On our more recent trips, we've done character meals in the resorts* in addition to park character meals (CP, BOG dinner, princesses), and it is much easier to go to any resort from BLT since you can walk to the MK bus stop and get on a bus going anywhere in WDW. The ease of getting around and the # of options (boat, monorail, walking, bus) plus very low maintenance fees relative to the other resorts made BLT very attractive to us, even though we may like GF or Poly more overall for our MK resorts.

Also - although I know it is most cost effective to stay in a studio, and we've all stayed in hotel rooms together many times, having stayed in DVC 1-br and 2br, we are already looking at ways to maximize our points (or add on) so we can stay in bigger villas less often. Ha.

*resort character meals: Ohana, 1900 PF, Bon Voyage breakfast (a pain in the butt to get to unless you're staying at an EP resort) all have characters that are hard to find anywhere else, and are worth a try.

 

[Shellyred8]

When we initially bought into DVC, we bought enough points to stay in a Studio. Then we stayed in a 1BR once and I wish we would've bought more points. I love the extra space in the 1BR and the laundry. As your kiddos get older, you might enjoy the extra space too.

We own at BWV and love that area. When considering where to buy, make sure to factor in which resort YOU like the best. Not necessarily where your kids like right now. As your kids grow up, their likes may change. We have stayed at AKV a couple of times and it was nice. But the convenience factor at BWV is what sold us on that area. We really enjoy the Boardwalk area and being within walking distance to 2 parks. At AKV, you have to take the bus everywhere. That means folding up the strollers every time you have to get on a bus. And unfolding them every time you get off the bus.


AKV may be the place for you, but I just wanted to throw these few additional thoughts out there for your consideration.

Good luck with your decision and enjoy what ever you decide to go with. After all, you will be at Disney!

 

[CraigInPA]

I'm surprised, with children that age, you're not considering BLT with the easy walk to MK...

 

[MamaBear12]

I'm surprised, with children that age, you're not considering BLT with the easy walk to MK...

The walk to MK is appealing, but for whatever reason the theming and resort just really don't appeal to me. And while we love MK, AK is my favorite park and EP is my husband's, which is probably why we're drawn to AKV (theme) and BWV (location).

 

[michelleiada]

Renting points to try out DVC is wise. We did it many times before we finally purchased. We own at Beach Club and Animal Kingdom and my only regret is not buying sooner. We have done a few split stays. I prefer to start at Animal Kingdom as I find it more relaxing and then we move over to Beach Club where we are in the middle of eveything and can get to and from the parks with ease. There is also a lot to do in the Epcot resort area without visiting a park. If you decide to try out a one bedroom you will likely never want to go back to a studio. It is so nice to have a kitchen, especially with young children, and a washer and dryer.....oh...and the privacy of a bedrooom for Mom and Dad is a perk too. Good luck with renting and I hope you enjoy your stays. Once you try DVC...you will be hooked. It is one of the best decisions that we have made.