Tell me what you love about your home resort.

[Coach81]

SSR- the scenery, the laid-back style, the size, the pool, the spa.. We LOVE IT!!!

 

[StitchFan73]

Just wanted to say I am still reading and enjoying "seeing" your home resorts through your eyes. Everyone has brought up really greats points I didn't even consider.

Keep 'em coming!

 

[disneynutz]

Just wanted to say I am still reading and enjoying "seeing" your home resorts through your eyes. Everyone has brought up really greats points I didn't even consider.

Keep 'em coming!

Seeing the resorts through everyone else's eyes can be a starting point, but I repeat, you really need to see them through your own eyes.

We own at 5 resorts and they are all different. The things that we like and dislike at the resorts are the complete opposite of what some of the others have posted.

Make a list of what's important to you, then start a resort list matching their amenities to your list. You won't be sorry.

Bill

 

[Good Ol Gal]

we love VWL. we originally bought at SSR, sight unseen... heck the resort we had seen was FW at that time!

While we really loved it for two years, we went and visited VWL one December while touring the resorts and fell in love!

• the atmosphere
• short ride to MK by boat, bus or car
• sitting at the beach listening to the waves
• Roaring Fork
• Roaring Fork's ice cream machine (this is kiddos fav)
• WCC
• sitting on the balcony
• animal watching
• sitting in the lobby

We did do a small VWL add-on so we could book at 11 months. Prior to that we were using our SSR points at 7 months, but we now wanted to stay during Christmas week and we knew that would be nearly impossible to do without the 11 month advantage.

Fast forward to now and we've finally realized that we need more VWL points than SSR. Don't get me wrong, we still like SSR, but VWL is where we dream about.

So, we are in the process of buying more VWL and possible selling our SSR. Right now we have 535 SSR and 148 VWL. Our goal is to flip the points and have ~500 VWL and 175 SSR.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

Wow we thought we were the only nuts to buy site unseen. We had only gone to diner at Flying Fish. After diner we strolled the Boardwalk fell in love with this location. . We never even stopped at a kiosk to hear a sales pitch. We came home did some research and bought from the TIMESHARE STORE

You are not the only ones who were nuts. We bought OKW sight unseen in 2000 after only one stay at Dixie Landings in 1999. Found out about it and researched it online, and purchased resale. For our first home resort stay we treated the immediate family to six nights in a OKW Grand Villa over NYE 2001. What a great trip !
Our second purchase was "kinda" sight unseen, too. We had stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge several times before the Villas there were built. We enjoyed our stays there so much that it was not a question as to whether or not we would purchase there, but simply how many points we wanted to buy.
We're quite happy with both our choices. When we arrive at our resort for our vacation we always feel like we just come *home* again. And isn't that how we all want to feel ?

 

[loriss]

We chose Old Key West b/c it is a very relaxing, laid back place. We love the excitement of the theme parks when we are there, but like to escape that frenzy and get the kids settled in for relaxing naps & bed time.

Stolling around, pool hopping with in OKW & taking the small boats to the Marketplace are personal moments that we enjoy!

Lori

 

[billsfan]

We chose AKV because we feel we could stay a week there and not have any reason to go to a park. We havent done that yet but in the future it will be done. We also like that the AKV is away from most everything and seems very relaxed.

With that said we also own at the BLT and we bought there because of the convience of the monorail to the MK & Epcot and all of the great resturants at the MK resorts.

 

[CarolynFH]

When we bought in late 97 it was OKW or BWV or nothing. We chose BWV due to location but over the years have found we love it for that very reason. We've enjoyed staying at AKL, VWL, and OKW as well as offsite but are always happier at BWV.

That being said, we're booked at BLT in January -- and I think we may love it too for much the same reason! We can hardly wait to walk to MK, and we'll love being able to ride the monorail to Epcot and get the "introductory tour." I just hope we don't get the "add-on blues"!

 

[HsvTeacher]

Our home resort is AKV. There are many reasons we like it.

We love the theming...warm colors, dark woods, etc.

While we love WDW, we like being able to "get away from it all" while we are there. We look at the distance from the parks as a bonus. (We also always have our car.)

We love being able to wake up every morning and looking at the savannah. We also like to watch from the balcony at the end of the day.

The pools and kids' water play area are amazing!

We love the convenience of underground parking. It's nice to be able to get out of your car and walk a few steps to your room.


We originally thought about buying into BLT, but changed our minds after touring. My DH and I usually stay in a studio, and we hated the layout of the BLT studios. They are small, and the bathroom sink is in the kitchenette. It totally skeeves me out to think of using a kitchen where someone has done "bathroom things." Blech!

 

[Grumpygrandpa]

My favorite resort is VGC (though I haven't stayed in villas yet). My first trip home to the VGC will be this coming spring break. Many people talk about the great proximity of BLT, BWV, VWL and BCV. But nothing beats VGC. You have an entrance to the park in your resort. I can ride on GRR and get soaking wet and be in my room changing 5 minutes later. The best thing about DLR is the lack of buses and how close everything is.

My favorite resort at WDW (I don't own there yet) is VWL. Peaceful, Homey, Comfortable, Well landscaped and I really like the short boat ride to the MK.

 

[BLT_BobbyComics]

I picked BLT. The reason was I LOVED the feel of it. Liked the fact of it "exclusivity" feature by only allowing guests into the tower. The view of the Castle (Not all rooms offer this though). The only DVC resort to offer the Monorail. I also liked the look and feel of the rooms. Very "cool" feel to it all.

 

[RDP]

We bought at AKV and have just come back from 2 weeks in a 2 bed. We bought unseen and are very pleased. The rooms are well kept and the decour is fine. The undergroung parking is very helpful with small kids as you have direct access to your floor straight from the car. You can escape the hustle of the parks and have access to 2 large onsite pools with an excellent wet play area that our 2 and 4 yr old loved. We have no regrets.

 

[jmminarik]

OKW is our REAL DVC home as far as we are concerned. We LOVE the huge rooms and the big spacious dining porch. I feel like the porch is an added living room.

We agree, though we call it the verandah. Porch sounds so...small.

I like the size of the kitchen in the 1&2 BR's as well. Since we are not doing the parks commando style, I like to relax and do some cooking in the room. Unlike many who shun cooking 'while on vacation', I find it relaxing and cathartic, especially since I don't get to do as much as I'd like at home and quite frankly, WDW food gets old after a while...a short while.

 

[JimC]

My advice is to buy based on what is most important to you -- cost, theme, location, amenities or whatever you consider key to your enjoying your membership.

For us:

OKW -- value there and to use for booking at other resorts at 7 month interval, original resort with a theme and design we particularly enjoy

BCV -- location for easy access to CP and OL, 11 month booking for December visit

AKV -- savannas and animals

VGC -- 11 month booking for our EOY visit to DL during spring

 

[gray52]

My wife and I toured each DVC (with the exception of BLT) before we decided which one to buy. Each DVC has it's pluses and negatives (don't really like using that word because we could have been happy at any of them). For us, OKW had the most relaxing environment and felt the least hotel like. When we leave the park and arrive at OKW, we feel more at home than at a hotel. We're looking to add on next year, so we're staying at BLT in January to give it a shot. Otherwise, we'll most likely be adding on at BCV.

 

[dizfan]

AKV is not our home resort, but I thought this was worth posting...

We're at Kidani right now. It's been a cold rainy day. We went to the parks for a couple hours, but the crowds and the rain drove us back to the resort.

Being able to watch the animals from the balcony turned a gloomy day into a magical day.