Resale AKL or VWL?

[~MandR~]

We have been owners at OKW since the '90s. The contract is more than we're using so have it up for sale and going to downsize at AK or WL. Seems like there a lot of AK on the resale market. Something going on with the resort, or in the future, that would create members to want to sell?

Our first thought is AK with VWL as our second choice but just want to be sure. Thanks in advance.

 

[nalajms]

We bought AKV with the hopes of getting CL and value rooms. Values have been very hard to come by, and CL almost impossible! When we downsize, it'll be the first contract to go. The dues are high and there's not much booking benefit prior to 7m. Most of the time standard and savanah rooms are widely available at 7m.

I can understand VWL if you really prefer to stay there, otherwise I'd buy at SSR (lower price and lower dues).

 

[Kidanifan08]

The dues are the big issue with AKV. The resort is awesome and the rooms are in great shape. We have all of our points at AKV and have had pretty good luck with value and CL at 11 months, but we usually stay in 1 or 2BR villas. It is quite easy to get a savanna or standard view at 7 months, so if you don't take advantage of planning far in advance, you might as well own somewhere else. The one advantage to owning VWL would be the 11 month window for Christmastime. If you plan at less than 7 months most of the time, you might as well own SSR. If you do use the 11-month advantage, you may be better off with BLT or BWV.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

AKV is the 3rd largest DVC resort (only SSR and OKW are larger) so by sheer numbers that will mean that if 10% of the owners at every resort decided to sell then AKV will have more contracts for sale than say VWL which is the 3rd smallest DVC (2nd smallest at WDW) so I don't think the number of contracts is any indication of something "wrong" with the resort - it's just big. Which like OKW and SSR usually means it can be booked at 7 months. As was mentioned though it does have the highest MF's of any WDW resort - for 2015 it's at $6.30/pt vs VWL at $6.03. However it does have the value rooms which have very low point requirements and is the only DVC with concierge rooms and if you intended to book either of those consistently then you would want to own there.

One other difference to consider - AKV contracts end in 2057 and VWL in 2042 if the number of years remaining makes much of a difference.

 

[~MandR~]

Thank you everyone as you're giving me things to think about. I love AKL and VWL so this is a tough one as both are incredible, IMO. Ours is still for sale but once it goes the smaller contract will be one of the two...hmmm.

Kathy, your pic....cattle dog or corgi? We have Australian shepherds.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Thank you everyone as you're giving me things to think about. I love AKL and VWL so this is a tough one as both are incredible, IMO. Ours is still for sale but once it goes the smaller contract will be one of the two...hmmm.

Kathy, your pic....cattle dog or corgi? We have Australian shepherds.

A blue merle Cardigan Corgi. Can't quite see the short legs in the photo! We get lets of people who ask if he is an Australian shepherd/Basset Hound cross. We also have a brindle Cardigan and they make quite the pair.

Good luck with your sale and your decision!

 

[quinnc19]

Another advantage to owning AKL is the ability to get Jambo when you want. I have seen the standard studios (which are pool view) be booked at 7 months fairly often. Those are a good value, IMO.

 

[drusba]

In resale price, the two are fairly close to each other with AKV averaging a little more. AKV has higher dues (currently $6.30 per point compared to VWL's 6.03). Some may think that has to do with paying for care of the animals but the main difference is actually property taxes. It appears all the DVC resorts other than AKL are in Orange County. So is AKL but only partly because part of the resort is in Osceola County. That does not mean double taxation but the tax rates applied to the portion in Osceola are higher than those in Orange.

Outside the higher dues, AKV has some ownership advantages over VWL, the most siginficant of which is that it has a 2057 end date compared to VWL's 2042, and when that difference is considered its resale price is actully the better of the two. It has value rooms at low point cost for which you really need to be an owner to reserve. Even its standard rooms have a lower point cost than VWL but you can usually get those AKV standard view rooms 7 months out as a non-owner most of the year and thus that is not a significant ownership advantage. The animals may be considered an advantage but savanna and standard view are usually open 7 months out except for a risk otherwise during some extremely high DVC demand times and thus the animals can be considered only a small advantage since non-owners can easily get reservations. It has the better bus sytem of the two including because it does not share with any other resorts but that of course is soemthing non-owners can also enjoy.

Other than dues, VWL has some ownership advantages over AKV. Though it is open 7 months out much of the year, there are significant periods when it tends not to be avaialble 7 months out and those are the middle of Oct, the weekend in Nov when Food & Wine ends, most of Thanksgiving week, the first two weeks of Dec, Christmas week, and marathon weekend in Jan. If you want VWL for any of those periods then iyou need to seriously consider purchasing it.

Personal sense is that AKV wins the choice mainly because of the 2057 end date, but you are not likely to be wrong with either choice. Even if you do not personally expect to last beyonf the end dates, they could take on significant importance in 10 years or so when you might want to sell.

 

[disneynutz]

I would wait and see what the next new DVC project is. Rumor is that it will have a WL theme or that DVD will convert some WL rooms to DVC.

Bill

 

[~MandR~]

Thanks everyone for the responses. A lot of food for thought. I have read the WL rumor in a few places and it would make sense with the popularity of the resort.