Which DVC?

[amyecpa]

Can anyone give me their opinion on which villas to stay at?

Our #1 priorities are location and value. We are looking to stay in a studio (all four of us), so OKW is looking good. We recently stayed at POR and the bus system (waiting and riding) really wore on me.

I would love to hear your faves.

TIA - Amye

 

[notaclue]

We love Saratoga Springs but for closeness to Epcot and DHS I'd recommend Beach Club Villas. As far as value for the money, are you renting DVC points or just booking a 'cash ressie' thru Disney?

 

[Deb & Bill]

OKW is the only one at WDW that has two real queen beds. All the rest have one queen bed and one double sleeper sofa. But BLT is the smallest of all the studios. Too small for four people.

 

[Harlemgirl720]

I would say OKW because of the two Queen beds. When are you looking to go?

 

[dclfun]

For location I'd choose either BLT, BCV, or BWV. As was mentioned though, those resort studios all have a pull out sofa. I love OKW as it's so relaxing and bus service for us has always been good. There ARE multiple bus stops though throughout the resort which is similar to POR.

 

[chalee94]

best location:

BLT - less than 10 minute walk to the MK plus access to the bus hub at the MK to get to the other resorts.

BCV/BWV - short walk to epcot. also a longish walk or boat ride to DHS.

good location:

VWL - boat ride to the MK is nice

decent location:

OKW/SSR - buses are your only option, except for the boat to DTD (which would be fun for youngsters IMO.)

kind of a long way from the MK:

AKV - love the resort. love the theming and restaurants. love the animals. but i think it would be disappointingly remote if you visit the MK a lot...

best value:

OKW - realistically has great point charts as it was the first DVC.

AKV, BWV and BLT have some cheaper room options but you'd need to book at 11 months to really have a shot at them.

 

[KatMark]

We have stayed recently at both OKW and AKL Kidani and fell in love with both of them and would go back to either one in a heartbeat (in fact, I did go back to OKW again in January and will probably be there again in September; AKL is waiting until May 2013 for our 30th wedding anniversary).

The only other one we would consider trying is Beach Clubs; the others just don't appeal to us for various reasons.

Good luck deciding.

Oh, and the buses were great at OKW!

 

[amyecpa]

Thanks for all the input. We are planning for possibly Feb, so I know we've got to get our ducks in a row. I am definitely leaning towards OKW because we are going to (try to) rent points and I feel this is a good compromise between location and value.

A

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

For location with a 7 and a 4 year old - BLT, but the studios are pretty small (I think about the size of a moderate room?)
For value - OKW, but I didn't love it when my kids were little. It was very spread out and I felt like we needed to drive to the main pool since you had to walk along the road to get there (on the sidewalk, but it was a busy road with car and bus traffic - I felt like I couldn't let the kids run ahead like I could at the moderates.

I don't feel like the studios offer advantages over regular rooms, unless you are renting points and it is much cheaper. Except for OKW, you have a queen and a pullout instead of two beds. There is a microwave, but we never used it. Studios don't have a kitchen or a washer and dryer like the larger villas.

You can get a garden room at the Contemporary for the same price as a studio at OKW (unless you are renting points) - the CR room is bigger and the transportation is better.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Thanks for all the input. We are planning for possibly Feb, so I know we've got to get our ducks in a row. I am definitely leaning towards OKW because we are going to (try to) rent points and I feel this is a good compromise between location and value.

A

If you choose OKW, you might try to rent points for the Hospitality House booking category (I think it is a booking category through DVC) - that would put you closer to the main building and pool.

My kids were 7 and 4 when we stayed at OKW. It was a long walk from our room to the pool, so I was glad we had a car. We booked through Disney, and I don't think I could specify Hospitality House.

 

[twinboysmom]

The biggest pro for a studio at OKW is that it has 2 real beds. The biggest con is that the majority of buildings do not have elevators and climbing the stairs at the end of the night is a pain (we spent 9 days on the 3rd floor). We did have great bus service here but I think the counter service is seriously lacking. But OKW (like POR) has multiple stops so this might be an issue for you.

 

[Simba's Mom]

For location and value- BWV has standard view villas. I had one once that was across the manicured lawn from the bus stop and had a great view of Illuminations. From my experience, I'd much rather have standard view over the [more points] preferred view.

 

[amyecpa]

bump

 

[sleeperclan]

We love OKW for location, but AKV is our favorite for value and theme. With 2 little ones, they may love seeing the animals and the zero entry pool can't be beat. Some people think it's out of the way, but we've never had problems with the buses.

 

[Karabee]

LOVE OKW - I feel it's often overlooked. The best part for me is that you escape some of the craziness of the parks and it feels so peaceful and quite there. The staff is friendly and the pool is great. It's like a mini-vacation while on my vacation