Which resort has the best 2 bedroom suites?

[Alexsandra]

Hi, trying to figure out where to book for our upcoming March 2022 trip.
We will be 8 people (maybe 9 if my mom joins us).
4 adults, 4 kids (4, 8, 11, 15 y.o)

We are looking at at standard two bedroom suite at Kidani (AKL) or OKW or SSS.
We will not have a car so will be relying on Disney Transportation.
Are any of these resorts better than the other: bigger rooms, more beds, nicer amenities?
If my mom does end up joining us on our trip, is there one room that accommodates 9 people?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Stargazer65]

AKL has an extra full bathroom compared to OKW and SSR (that could be really important with that many people)
OKW has more space (a lot more square footage)
SSR is most up to date with probably the best beds (just refurbished, all the extra bed are the excellent Murphy beds)

 

[CarolMN]

Depends on how you define "best". FWIW, with that many people, I'd stick to Kidani which has three full bathrooms

 

[_auroraborealis_]

With potentially 9 you will want to avoid the resorts where the 2BR sleeps 8. I'm thinking CCV, and also the BCV 2BR Dedicated, since it won't have the pull down that the BCV 2BR lockoff offers.

 

[Stargazer65]

Depends on how you define "best". FWIW, with that many people, I'd stick to Kidani which has three full bathrooms

I think I would too. I did 2 bedroom places at SSR, AKL, and BLT with 7 of us and the extra bathroom at BLT and AKL were much appreciated. With 9 that may be the deciding factor for me.

 

[Stargazer65]

We will not have a car so will be relying on Disney Transportation.

No difference between AKL, SSR, OKW in transportation to TPs. At AKL the bus is the only option to DS. At SSR and OKW they may have boats running to DS, and at SSR you can also walk to DS.

 

[Happy2BMommy0812]

I would also do Kidani for the extra bathroom.

At all 3 places you listed you are relying on bus only to get to the parks. All should sleep 9. SSR will have a nicer pull down bed in the livingroom area. But, I still think I’d take an extra bathroom over the pull down bed.

I’d be tempted to consider Bay Lake or Riviera if transportation is a concern though.

 

[Stargazer65]

Have you considered BLT also? A BLT 2 bedroom also has 3 full bathrooms, like AKL does. BLT is better for location than AKL IMO.

 

[robinb]

I would make sure that you choose one that sleeps 9 in case your mom comes, although 5 adults in a 2BR is a bit of a squeeze if you ask me. Your mom will have to share a bed or will have to see if she fits on the small murphy bed or sleep chair.

Of the resorts mentioned, I would probably go with AKV because of the 3 bathrooms. I love the animals at AKV and the pool is great for the smaller kids. It is a little isolated, but I actually like that about it. Next, I would say OKW. The 2BRs are huge and the quiet pools are all pretty close to the buildings. It has a totally laidback vibe. Last, I would say an SSR Treehouse (the regular 2BR doesn't sleep 9). Each couple will get their own room and they older kids will enjoy the bunk bed. The downside is that pools are a bit of a hike from the treehouses. I don't think I would stay there if I didn't have a car.

 

[Stargazer65]

Last, I would say an SSR Treehouse (the regular 2BR doesn't sleep 9).

Actually, the regular 2BR villas now sleep 9 since they've been refurbished. (The extra single Murphy bed addition in villas). That being said, the treehouse is another option, there is three separate bedrooms in the treehouses which could be nice. But its probably the worst resort location to not have a car, so I'd nix that one myself also. 9 people and their luggage offloading at the Springs...waiting for the Treehouse bus... etc...

 

[robinb]

Actually, the regular 2BR villas now sleep 9 since they've been refurbished. (The extra single Murphy bed addition in villas). That being said, the treehouse is another option, there is three separate bedrooms in the treehouses which could be nice.

That's good to know. I was going by the DVC website searching for 2BRs in March and it still shows "Sleeps Up to 8".

 

[Heather07438]

OKW has 2 major things going for it, huge and low point chart. Could be a great option for the families. Won’t break the bank and plenty of room to spread out. Plus you’ll all have access to onsite privileges

 

[Stargazer65]

That's good to know. I was going by the DVC website searching for 2BRs in March and it still shows "Sleeps Up to 8".

Yeah, I think somebody said they are waiting for the refurbs to be officially complete and closed out before they update that. But you can sleep 5 in a 1BR villa and 9 in a 2BR villa now at SSR.

 

[Alexsandra]

Have you considered BLT also? A BLT 2 bedroom also has 3 full bathrooms, like AKL does. BLT is better for location than AKL IMO.

Yes I have but its too expensive for me. I'm paying for the room because my sister and her family are on a tight budget.

 

[robinb]

Another option would be to book a 3BR at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. It's practically on Disney property right next to CBR. A week at a DVC resort in March would be about 300 points, or $5400 for a week @ $18 per point. A week in a 3 bedroom at Wyndham Bonnet Creek would be about half that. That gives you plenty of savings to spend on Uber/Lyft to get to the parks. WBC also has bus transportation to the parks for a fee. You'll have to pay to get to a DVC resort from the airport so Disney transportation is only good for going to/from the park.

Edited: This is where I rented last time: https://vacationstrategy.com/project/bonnet-creek/

Edited again: You'll have to contact them for pricing. They have some last minute availability listed but you'll need to call for anything more than a month or two out.

 

[RivShore]

Another option would be to book a 3BR at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. It's practically on Disney property right next to CBR. A week at a DVC resort in March would be about 300 points, or $5400 for a week @ $18 per point. A week in a 3 bedroom at Wyndham Bonnet Creek would be about half that. That gives you plenty of savings to spend on Uber/Lyft to get to the parks. WBC also has bus transportation to the parks for a fee. You'll have to pay to get to a DVC resort from the airport so Disney transportation is only good for going to/from the park.

Edited: This is where I rented last time: https://vacationstrategy.com/project/bonnet-creek/

Edited again: You'll have to contact them for pricing. They have some last minute availability listed but you'll need to call for anything more than a month or two out.

Never stumbled across that site before. Thanks for posting!

We are in need of 6 days in mid-Sep-2021 and there are no DVC studios available at all. Not sure why since it's supposed to be a slow month.
The WBC pricing looks about the same as a decent hotel room so this could be a good fall back if our wait list doesn't come thru. I assume you can't cancel so we would have to wait until the last minute to book. Any idea how good our chances would be?

 

[RivShore]

Hi, trying to figure out where to book for our upcoming March 2022 trip.
We will be 8 people (maybe 9 if my mom joins us).
4 adults, 4 kids (4, 8, 11, 15 y.o)

We are looking at at standard two bedroom suite at Kidani (AKL) or OKW or SSS.
We will not have a car so will be relying on Disney Transportation.
Are any of these resorts better than the other: bigger rooms, more beds, nicer amenities?
If my mom does end up joining us on our trip, is there one room that accommodates 9 people?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

This amazing chart has all the room info you could ever want:

https://easywdwforums.com/threads/dvc-rooms-charts-with-detailed-room-info.20457/

 

[robinb]

Never stumbled across that site before. Thanks for posting!

We are in need of 6 days in mid-Sep-2021 and there are no DVC studios available at all. Not sure why since it's supposed to be a slow month.
The WBC pricing looks about the same as a decent hotel room so this could be a good fall back if our wait list doesn't come thru. I assume you can't cancel so we would have to wait until the last minute to book. Any idea how good our chances would be?

You can call Vacation Strategies and ask them if they have availability but IIRC there are no refunds.

The whole fall is messed up right now with DVC. Between the start of the 50th anniversary and people needing to use points it's crazy and there is no availability anywhere.

As for your WL, I would probably try to cobble together something at SSR. It's the biggest resort and has the most availability. I see there are a couple of days available now with a couple of days not available in between. Book what you can and WL the single days. Don't just rely on the WL, but actually check a couple times a day. I was waitlisted for a studio at AKV and I saw it was available by checking and I grabbed it. Keep on trying until 32 days before your check-in and then "punt". The key is to have a refundable hotel in place in case you have to fall back on it. I stayed at the Doubletree on Hotel Blvd once and it was nice. Also, once you get closer you can look at places like Skyauction which sells unused timeshares. Just make sure you read ALL the fine print on Skyauction.

 

[RivShore]

You can call Vacation Strategies and ask them if they have availability but IIRC there are no refunds.

The whole fall is messed up right now with DVC. Between the start of the 50th anniversary and people needing to use points it's crazy and there is no availability anywhere.

As for your WL, I would probably try to cobble together something at SSR. It's the biggest resort and has the most availability. I see there are a couple of days available now with a couple of days not available in between. Book what you can and WL the single days. Don't just rely on the WL, but actually check a couple times a day. I was waitlisted for a studio at AKV and I saw it was available by checking and I grabbed it. Keep on trying until 32 days before your check-in and then "punt". The key is to have a refundable hotel in place in case you have to fall back on it. I stayed at the Doubletree on Hotel Blvd once and it was nice. Also, once you get closer you can look at places like Skyauction which sells unused timeshares. Just make sure you read ALL the fine print on Skyauction.

Thanks for the help robinb!!

A few days just popped up at OKW too. We'll wait-list the individual days and see how it goes.

Just booked one of the new Flamingo Crossing Marriotts for $99 a day so we have a backup.

Thanks again!

 

[GrumpyInPhilly]

No difference between AKL, SSR, OKW in transportation to TPs. At AKL the bus is the only option to DS. At SSR and OKW they may have boats running to DS, and at SSR you can also walk to DS.

You can also walk to DS from OKW. It is a long walk (especially from HH area) but doable if you like to walk like I do. Takes about 30 - 45 minutes depending on how fast you walk.