Which DVC resort would you consider worth it

[nursie]

If you had a week booked at a DVC resort (say OKW or SSR) and a different DVC resort became available for same week/dates, which resort would you be willing to lose $250 (RCI fees) to switch to?
BLT?
AKV?
BCV?
or would you think it is NOT worth losing the money for any switch within DVC?

I see when booking through websites that all DVC resort pricing is not created equal for same size unit whether it's a studio, 1BR, or 2BR unit, and it sounds as if DVC members point pricing is not created equal for each resort either. I realize there are 'special' booking categories for specific views or specialty units but all things being compared to be similar i.e. 2 BR at both resorts, which resort would you jump on if it came up?

 

[gmarine]

For my family it would definitely be BCV because of the Stormalong Bay pool area and the ability to walk into EPCOT. I would probably also consider it for all the other resorts except AKV. AKV is a beautiful resort but we usually only go to AK one day so we prefer the resorts closer to EPCOT and MK.

 

[elaine]

each resort has +/_. The least favorite tends to be SSR---but it is a fine resort, and if I get SSR next summer, I would not pay to retrade. since you have 6 kids--and OKW's space is so great, so I would not retrade OKW. The only one I would consider would be SSR, esp. if you have no car.
SSR cons (with my edits) tend to be:
1.not as WDw themed (theme is Saratoga, upstate NY area)
2.crowded pool with not much shade (my complaint)--but now there is another themed pool over at Paddock, so that might not be an issue.
3.Far away from parks--same distance as OKW and closer than AKV--plus, it is possible to walk to DTD
4. feels like a nice condo--nothing special
5. too big---if you don't have a car and get a far section, this can be a pain to use internal buses to get to the main pool, food, etc.
Again, I find SSR perfectly fine. I really like SSrs community hall--with crafts, etc.
But, I prefer OKW, as the units are much bigger, esp. the living/dining room area. Many areas are an easy walk to the pool. And, I really like the cute boardwalk area.
My personal fav is AKV and I might eat $200 if it became available--but many do'nt like the distance to the parks. We love the pool area, the community halls, the animal enrichment activities, being in a deluxe-style hotel with interior hallways---pretty much everything about it.
Those who plan to be at MK a lot would value BLT b/c of being on the monorail line.
BCV (the only DVC we have not stayed at) is supposed to have great pools--so if you plan on numerous pool days to make it worth $200, that is a consideration--plus you can walk/boat to Epcot--and the entrance is over by France--nice to hop back to your room. We are OK with buses, so no big deal to us.
good luck. Elaine

 

[MichaelColey]

The only two for me: BCV in the warmer months (when the pool is best used) or AKV in a Savannah View.

Also, if I had a 1BR reserved (unlikely - I always book 2BR or bigger) and a 2BR opened up, that would be worth the cost of losing my initial exchange fee.

I actually really like OKW, because of the larger units. SSR is my least favorite of the DVC properties, but it's not bad.

 

[chrisdu]

We like AKV the best. Not much a fan of BLT, though it does have the advantage of being close to MK. I guess when the new grand Floridian opens up we will pay $200 for the retrade.

 

[Catira]

If you frequent MK a lot especially if you have younger children I would pay the extra exchange fee for BLT. Hopping on the monorail for quick access to MK is fantastic.

We are big fans of Epcot and would pay the exchange fee for BWV or BC.

 

[bnoble]

If you had a week booked at a DVC resort (say OKW or SSR) and a different DVC resort became available for same week/dates, which resort would you be willing to lose $250 (RCI fees) to switch to?

Stop. Just stop.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Stop. Just stop.

Yep, she is definitely over-thinking this DVC exchange. Any DVC resort is great.

I have to reiterate my love of Marriott's Grande Vista and Marriott's Cypress Harbour, both of which are nicer, more luxurious than DVC. Maybe I will feel differently after staying at the new Grand Floridian, but those won't be in RCI for at least 3 years!

BLT decor is just plain ugly, but the bed was very comfortable. It was as comfortable as all of the beds at the Marriott resorts. Yep, I am actually preferring the Marriott experience over the DVC experience. And the exchanges are easy and cheap.

 

[AgelessTravel]

I love love love Beach Club. Love the location and the decor. Definitely worth losing the money for. I will be staying at Animal Kingdom for the first time this summer. We've been to Boma's so I am familiar with the resort and love the theme and atmosphere, so would lose money to stay there also.

Although I never stayed or been to BLT, I would probably lose money to switch just for the location alone.

I've been to Saratoga Springs and it's my least favourite resort. I don't like the outdoor corridors and the non Disney feel of the resort. I also don't like that you need to cross a road to get to the main pool. The resort is just too big. Never been to OKW, so can't comment. I don't have an interest in staying there because of the outdoor corridors.

 

[JulieAB]

I'd give up the money to stay in one of the walking distance resorts like BLT and BCV. Its soooo nice with kids. I'd only do AKV if it was my only chance and wanted to do it once.

 

[chriskre]

If you had a week booked at a DVC resort (say OKW or SSR) and a different DVC resort became available for same week/dates, which resort would you be willing to lose $250 (RCI fees) to switch to?
BLT?
AKV?
BCV?
or would you think it is NOT worth losing the money for any switch within DVC?

If money is no object then I'd switch to BLT if I was going to do a Magic Kingdom centric trip or BCV or BWV if an Epcot centric trip. Who knows if those deposits will continue to be plentiful in the future or not. I'd take it now and then do SSR/OKW which are more likely to be deposited more often in the future since they are bigger resorts.

I'd also take a grand villa at SSR/OKW if it came up as well since they are rarely seen and soooo worth the TPU's that are being sighted.

If you just want to check out other resorts, you can do that without having to switch resorts. You can pool hop into some of the resorts, except for BLT & SAB where they give you wristbands. The public areas are open to guests and since you are already staying on site you can park anywhere you want for free.
I've yet to have anyone ask me for anything to get into many of the other resort pool areas.
Maybe during peak times, but off peak, nobody's caring.

 

[blondietink]

Agree with other posters; if you are going to be primarily at MK, then I would trade to BLT or WLV. If Epcot will be your primary, then BWV or BCV would be tops on the list.

If you want lots of room and are going to different parks each day, I would look for OKW.

If you just want something totally different, I would book AKV. We have had several wonderful stays here.

Being an SSR owner, we have never stayed there, but that is because I have always been able to trade into another resort that meets our touring needs better. I know some people love SSR and we bought there because we liked it, too.

 

[stanleyu]

First of all, i wouldn't even book it if i couldn't get either BWV or BCV! Yes, I like the location that much. Now, if we got one of those as our first week and something else as a second, I would not pay the extra fee for any switch, no matter what came up.

 

[icydog]

If I had Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort reserved and anything else came up --I'd switch. That simple. All the other Disney Vacation Club resorts are fabulous, wonderful, and supremely worth whatever you use to exchange into them!

 

[krmlaw]

Reading this im geting worried now ... i just booked ssr ... will i hate it?

 

[blondietink]

No, I don't think you will hate it. I have not been there since they made the new pool area and I hear it is very nice. The bus service there is also good. If you like night life and shopping, it's proximity to DTD can't be beat. It is also nice to rent a boat for an hour or so and go along the waterways .... you can go to OKW and Port Orleans in a boat. You can also take the water taxi to those other resorts from DTD.

Actually, it is said that Walt Disney himself would like SSR the best because he was a great horse racing fan. Being from upstate NY myself, and having been to the real Saratoga many times, I prefer to have something different when I stay at WDW.

 

[bnoble]

Reading this im geting worried now ... i just booked ssr ... will i hate it?

Only if you decide to.

 

[chriskre]

Reading this im geting worried now ... i just booked ssr ... will i hate it?

Why would you hate it? It's Disney and it's onsite.

It's a beautiful resort it's just not close to the parks, but it you aren't doing only the parks, it's got a great location for adult entertainment options.

There is a nice spa onsite and with Pleasure island aka Hyperion Wharf opening soon, it's gonna be a hotspot.

http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/hyperion-wharf.htm

 

[Amy]

Reading this im geting worried now ... i just booked ssr ... will i hate it?

Folks have differing opinions, and only you can decide for yourself after a stay. Someone on the DISboards recently posted that she elected to go with SSR instead of VWL over Xmas (and her kid requested the location) so they could have easier access to nighttime entertainment. Staying at SSR means you can walk from DTD instead of waiting for the bus, and I think that's a plus. But if you are going to remain worried, then maybe its not worth keeping the reservation.

 

[queenofthehive]

We enjoyed our vacation at SSR!

We stayed at SSR two weeks ago through an RCI trade and thoughly enjoyed it! In fact, it is now our favorite resort. We have stayed at OKW and AKL and this one by far is the one we liked the best. We stayed in Paddock section - room 5145 on the first floor. We were first assigned a room that had a view of a courtyard but I asked if there was anyway we could have a water view room. They checked for us and were able to assign us a new room. It was beautiful. Loved the view of the lake from our patio. We were close to the Paddock pool and it was not a far walk to main pool. Both of these pools had slides (great ones - i might add...). I really enjoyed how the resort layout was set up. I liked the walking paths around the resort and lake. The lighting in the evening along pathways at night was beautiful. We also felt that the activities center was exceptionally nice compared OKW and AKL. It was large and spacious. It had tons of arts & crafts type activities, a foosball table, ping pong table, and TVs to play video games (x-box, wii etc..). My son loved it and wanted to go there everyday. We did not go the food court except for the occasional ice cream so I really cannot comment on the food. The bus system was good and reliable. In fact, I did not drive my car once that entire week. I am certainly going to try to book this resort again next year.

 

[nursie]

Thanks everyone

for your replies.
It's interesting and informative to get all the different opinions.
We have 4 weeks booked for June: 2 at OKW, 1 at SSR, 1 at BWV so that is why I asked the question of what would you do if something else came up?
We have only stayed at OKW and the 3 weeks we were there were wonderful.
We know that due to finances and our family situation this may be one of our last trips to WDW for many,many years to come so we want to try new experiences this trip and make the best it can be.
I know that no matter where we end up, it will be fun but I like the option of checking different Disney 'environments' /resorts out if we are able to get in.
Last trip I actually wanted to just stay put at the same place for 3 weeks for stability and sanity. This next trip we will be mixing it up some.
I don't know if we would switch if it came up on our search but if something piqued our curiosity and was highly recommended by another Tugger, we just might jump on it.
Keep the opinions and insight coming...I appreciate it.

 

[queenofthehive]

Nursie - I am certain you will have a great time in whatever you decide! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the various resorts when you return from your vacation.

 

[MichaelColey]

Reading this im geting worried now ... i just booked ssr ... will i hate it?

SSR is my least favorite DVC property, but I certainly don't hate it. I think I would still prefer SSR to any off site location, mainly because of the on-site perks (especially EMH).

The things I don't care about at SSR compared to other locations:

1) It's the smallest unit configuration (in line with a few others, but smaller than AKV and OKW).

2) To me (and others disagree), it's less "themed". Yeah, there's a Saratoga theme to it, but it's not as "in your face" as the other DVC properties, especially ones like AKV and VWL.

3) It's more remote and isn't adjacent to any of the parks. I prefer the Epcot and MK resorts for their proximity (and AKV for its theming). True, it's adjacent to DTD, but that's not something I'm interested in.

4) It doesn't have any unique that appeals to me (like BCV's pool or AKV's savannahs). True, it does have a spa (the only DVC that does), but that has no appeal to me.

It does have some advantages:

1) You can park right by your building (for most of the buildings). That's not the case with most DVC properties. (AKV is my favorite in that regard, though, with parking under the building.)

2) It does have a spa and easy (boat or walking) access to DTD.

3) It does have several pools and grill areas.

4) It does have dedicated buses.

5) There aren't long halls to walk (like VWL).

6) It's easier to get.

 

[DKT]

We have stayed at all of the resorts except for OKW, and have enjoyed all of them. I do agree with everyone who said if possible stay where you want to play. For us we love the Epcot area so BCV is our favorite, being able to walk to the Epcot is great. My husbands favorite is Wilderness Lodge, and the kids change their mind every time we go. So if this time its SSR, then next time try somewhere else. We have always enjoyed our trips, even the time we went and everyone but me got the flu .