Don't wanna stay there anymore

[BrianLa]

Although we have never stayed there we have no desire to stay at OKW or SSR other than to say we've stayed at all of the DVC resorts. The resort layout just does not appeal to us even though we always rent car (short stays prior to cruise excluded) when we are there. For us location is the one of the main factors. We hate the Disney buses. They are unreliable, infrequent and way too crowded at park close. As far as AKV goes (where we own all of our points), we like the resort, the pools, the animals, the connivence of parking under the building (Kidani) however we just don't choose to stay there often because of the limited non-bus non-car transportation. We haven't stayed there other than the peak times (Thanksgiving, Christmas/NYE week) when 7 month availability is limited. We took this into consideration when purchasing as it was the best value to us as our resort of "last resort" knowing that OKW and SSR did not appeal to us. In fact in the 10+ years we've owned DVC, we've only stayed at AKV 8 nights out of 220 nights. The Poly was someplace we never thought we'd stay again when we outgrew the studios and not crazy enough to splurge on the bungalows however the new tower changes that. We are staying at the Tower for 2 days over 4th of July prior to a cruise and I'm hoping I like the new tower as that is my favorite resort based on theming and restaurants and a great location.

 

[sarah4770]

I used to love the wilderness lodge. But I wouldn’t stay at BRV for anything but a short stay from now on. We used to love taking the walking path to fort wilderness. We used to love biking over to fort wilderness. I used to love the sea racers. Now they have taken all the outdoor activities away. They took the salon away. So I get bored there after a day or two.
You can’t even get a newspaper anymore. I would sit and drink my coffee on the balcony and read a newspaper. I really hate all the things that Disney has taken away.
I would rather actually stay at Saratoga so I can at least walk around, or go over to Disney springs. I like to feel like I can walk around freely when I am on vacation,

 

[Brian Noble]

Hopefully the walking paths will come back when Lakeshore is done. In the meantime, you can still take a boat to the Fort to walk/bike.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I used to love the wilderness lodge. But I wouldn’t stay at BRV for anything but a short stay from now on. We used to love taking the walking path to fort wilderness. We used to love biking over to fort wilderness. I used to love the sea racers. Now they have taken all the outdoor activities away. They took the salon away. So I get bored there after a day or two.
You can’t even get a newspaper anymore. I would sit and drink my coffee on the balcony and read a newspaper. I really hate all the things that Disney has taken away.

Interesting. But somehow that all makes sense to me. I'd forgotten about the newspapers. I remember how that was one reason why I liked AKL-Jambo. It seems that they were one of the last places where I could get a free newspaper from the little tables in the hallway. And I'd miss the walking path, too, but I saw a snake there once-never used the walking path again!

 

[DonMacGregor]

Interesting. But somehow that all makes sense to me. I'd forgotten about the newspapers. I remember how that was one reason why I liked AKL-Jambo. It seems that they were one of the last places where I could get a free newspaper from the little tables in the hallway. And I'd miss the walking path, too, but I saw a snake there once-never used the walking path again!

Interesting. With all of the information inundating us these days 24/7, I think the last thing I'd want to do on vacation is read more news (even sports). As for getting a paper, do any hotels offer newspapers anymore? I just spent a week at a Ritz-Carlton, and there wasn't a paper to be seen anywhere (at least none anywhere conspicuous).

 

[minniesfriend]

OKW studio - the bathroom layout doesn't work for us.

GF during Christmas season. This is our home resort and we've stayed there the last three years during this time.

Transportation is always bogged down and the resort is way, way too busy with the current resources.

The monorail is very busy and the line to board is often backed down into the resort. And forget about using it during MVMCP. Once we were at the Contemporary and were trying to get back to our room. They wouldn't even allow us to get in the line to board. So then we walked to MK and fought the incoming party crowd to get the boat back. Forget about that. The que to get on the boat was packed with gingerbread house seekers. So we decided to continue walking. It began to rain.... Our 10-15 min ride on the monorail turned into a 45+ min walk in the rain.

Speaking of gingerbread houses - the lobby is always very congested with people taking pictures of the tree and house. I get it, but it's crazy busy.

Trying to get into Enchanted Rose is also a big pain - sometimes over an hour wait. We love to go for a nightcap after a long day at the park, but find that the wait, combined with the noise level, is more frustrating than it's worth.

TS dining is also usually fully booked.

So last year, we decided that would be our last Christmas there for a while. We're going to BRV this year. I hope it's a bit more manageable.

 

[crazycatlady]

OKW studio - the bathroom layout doesn't work for us.

GF during Christmas season. This is our home resort and we've stayed there the last three years during this time.

Transportation is always bogged down and the resort is way, way too busy with the current resources.

The monorail is very busy and the line to board is often backed down into the resort. And forget about using it during MVMCP. Once we were at the Contemporary and were trying to get back to our room. They wouldn't even allow us to get in the line to board. So then we walked to MK and fought the incoming party crowd to get the boat back. Forget about that. The que to get on the boat was packed with gingerbread house seekers. So we decided to continue walking. It began to rain.... Our 10-15 min ride on the monorail turned into a 45+ min walk in the rain.

Speaking of gingerbread houses - the lobby is always very congested with people taking pictures of the tree and house. I get it, but it's crazy busy.

Trying to get into Enchanted Rose is also a big pain - sometimes over an hour wait. We love to go for a nightcap after a long day at the park, but find that the wait, combined with the noise level, is more frustrating than it's worth.

TS dining is also usually fully booked.

So last year, we decided that would be our last Christmas there for a while. We're going to BRV this year. I hope it's a bit more manageable.

Unfortunately, we had the same type of experience the one time we tried staying at GF in Dec. It is ludicrous that they share buses with other resorts in December because it was hard to get on one from the parks midday because of all the gingerbread house seekers (like your term!) taking their afternoon break at the GF coupled with sharing with other resorts. The lobby was a mess most of the day/night with people trying to get pictures with the tree/gb house. The lines for the monorail and quick service were very long and we agreed that while we loved the resort, we wouldn't stay in December again.

 

[Dobermanns]

Resorts I have never stayed at or will stay at: OKW, BRV, and CFW.
OKW: can't get past what I once read (not that I can recall source), about it being haunted.
BRV: it has the Shining vibe to me... (but I love love love VGC...)
CFW: I would rather actually camp in the wilderness.

Here's an odd one. BLT. I own here and love its location; but years ago, I had a bedbug encounter here. BLT management was fabulous. No complaints. However, I can't bring myself to go back there (I know, bedbugs can occur anywhere, and I do bedbug checks everywhere I go now, but the illogical brain has been traumatized) so BLT points are SAP.

 

[bakerworld]

Over our years of membership our 'want to stay' has changed. When we first joined DVC we were all over the BC with access via IG to WS. Since than the WS has really changed. The beers DH use to like in Britain, Germany and Mexico are no longer offered. SSR use to be meh but now we really enjoy the Springs with the walkway that allows us to avoid most of the stores. Our first contract was Kidani and we used those as SAP points. When we finally stayed at Jambo we loved all the bartenders but post pandemic they've all changed and we no longer have that pull to return. We enjoy being on the monorail and Bay Lake satisfies that 'want' but we're not as attracted to MK so we usually are walking to the MK buses for access to other resorts, like Coronado's Rix sports bar. I figure more and more will change. Our next stay we're hoping for the Fort Wilderness Cabins. We haven't stayed in the trailers at Fort Wilderness since '94.

 

[marmentrout85]

I am really curious to see if we like BCV or not. The thing that makes me nervous are the crowds. I'm not a fan of the more crowded resorts which is why I prefer BLT to Poly and probably why weve decided to own at AKV and BLT. There does seem to be a lot of food options at BCV we would be interested in and who doesn't like a lazy river.

In my experience I wouldn't say that BCV has ever felt super crowded. Stormalong Bay can definitely get busy (you can always escape to the BCV quiet pool if it's too chaotic), but as a whole, the resort doesn't feel nearly as crowded as Poly does. Biggest downside to the resort for me is the underwhelming quick service (same can be said for Boardwalk), but at least you do have a decent amount of table service options between BC, YC, and BW.

 

[tom1944]

We are only on our 3rd year. We purchased SSR as SAP and so far, we have been BLT, BLT and BWV and this year will be Kidani. We will not be back again until 2027 and will try to book a 5/5 split stay at BRV and BCV.

 

[marmentrout85]

OKW studio - the bathroom layout doesn't work for us.

GF during Christmas season. This is our home resort and we've stayed there the last three years during this time.

Transportation is always bogged down and the resort is way, way too busy with the current resources.

The monorail is very busy and the line to board is often backed down into the resort. And forget about using it during MVMCP. Once we were at the Contemporary and were trying to get back to our room. They wouldn't even allow us to get in the line to board. So then we walked to MK and fought the incoming party crowd to get the boat back. Forget about that. The que to get on the boat was packed with gingerbread house seekers. So we decided to continue walking. It began to rain.... Our 10-15 min ride on the monorail turned into a 45+ min walk in the rain.

Speaking of gingerbread houses - the lobby is always very congested with people taking pictures of the tree and house. I get it, but it's crazy busy.

Trying to get into Enchanted Rose is also a big pain - sometimes over an hour wait. We love to go for a nightcap after a long day at the park, but find that the wait, combined with the noise level, is more frustrating than it's worth.

TS dining is also usually fully booked.

So last year, we decided that would be our last Christmas there for a while. We're going to BRV this year. I hope it's a bit more manageable.

This is good to know and doesn't make me feel great about our first-ever December VGF stay coming up this year.

I guess the good news is we really only plan on going to MK while we're staying there (since we're doing a split-stay with BCV), and will probably just use the walking path to get to MK and back instead of bothering with the monorail. It usually takes us ~10-15 minutes for the walk and we're usually prepped in case of rain (even with shoe covers lol). Do you think think we'd be alright with that strategy?

 

[minniesfriend]

This is good to know and doesn't make me feel great about our first-ever December VGF stay coming up this year.

I guess the good news is we really only plan on going to MK while we're staying there (since we're doing a split-stay with BCV), and will probably just use the walking path to get to MK and back instead of bothering with the monorail. Do you think think we'd be alright with that strategy?

Yes, you will be fine. We usually walk, too, to MK. But if one needs to get to Epcot, for example, it will be challenging bc you have to go to the TTC and transfer. Since you're staying at BCV, I assume you'll go to EPCOT then.

Try to pay attention dates and times of the party. Remember people start lining up early. Anytime after 3:30 will likely be super crowded/busy. We try not to access the resort anytime between 3:30-7:00 either by Disney buses or car on party days.

And if you want TS at GF, try to get reservations early.

The lobby in the original DVC building is a nice respite from the crowds, but certainly not as "grand."

 

[Girlstar30]

OKW studio - the bathroom layout doesn't work for us.

GF during Christmas season. This is our home resort and we've stayed there the last three years during this time.

Transportation is always bogged down and the resort is way, way too busy with the current resources.

The monorail is very busy and the line to board is often backed down into the resort. And forget about using it during MVMCP. Once we were at the Contemporary and were trying to get back to our room. They wouldn't even allow us to get in the line to board. So then we walked to MK and fought the incoming party crowd to get the boat back. Forget about that. The que to get on the boat was packed with gingerbread house seekers. So we decided to continue walking. It began to rain.... Our 10-15 min ride on the monorail turned into a 45+ min walk in the rain.

Speaking of gingerbread houses - the lobby is always very congested with people taking pictures of the tree and house. I get it, but it's crazy busy.

Trying to get into Enchanted Rose is also a big pain - sometimes over an hour wait. We love to go for a nightcap after a long day at the park, but find that the wait, combined with the noise level, is more frustrating than it's worth.

TS dining is also usually fully booked.

So last year, we decided that would be our last Christmas there for a while. We're going to BRV this year. I hope it's a bit more manageable.

Does this craziness apply to the beginning of December too or is it the closer you get to Christmas, the crazier? Since one of our UY is in December we would love to stay during the holiday at some point if anything becomes avail, but not if it's going to be insane.

 

[Girlstar30]

In my experience I wouldn't say that BCV has ever felt super crowded. Stormalong Bay can definitely get busy (you can always escape to the BCV quiet pool if it's too chaotic), but as a whole, the resort doesn't feel nearly as crowded as Poly does. Biggest downside to the resort for me is the underwhelming quick service (same can be said for Boardwalk), but at least you do have a decent amount of table service options between BC, YC, and BW.

We are TS people so that shouldn't be an issue!

 

[crazycatlady]

Does this craziness apply to the beginning of December too or is it the closer you get to Christmas, the crazier? Since one of our UY is in December we would love to stay during the holiday at some point if anything becomes avail, but not if it's going to be insane.

We stayed the beginning of December.

 

[Brian Noble]

As for getting a paper, do any hotels offer newspapers anymore?

Yeah, I don't think we get to blame DVC for the slow strangling death of print news.

think the last thing I'd want to do on vacation is read more news (even sports).

A good friend of mine recently offered the following idea: He only wanted to get news via a single daily paper, delivered. No online anything. That way, he'd read whatever the editors thought was newsworthy...yesterday. No "breaking details" no "urgent updates". Then, tomorrow, he'd read about what happened today.

That struck me as rather brilliant, to be honest.

 

[minniesfriend]

Does this craziness apply to the beginning of December too or is it the closer you get to Christmas, the crazier? Since one of our UY is in December we would love to stay during the holiday at some point if anything becomes avail, but not if it's going to be insane.

Yes. We always go the first week of December.

 

[KPeterso]

We ae not BLT fans at all. The studio is so tiny and that was with just 2 people. We stayed there twice - the first time was ok, but the second was just a terrible stay. I know the 1 bedroom is bigger, but just cannot bring myself to consider it at all. MK is my least favorite park so location does not improve my impressions of BLT.

I did like Poly longhouses when we stayed there, so would consider it. And did like CCV in 2023. So ok with some Bay Lake, but not BLT.

On the other hand, love me some AKV. Either Jambo or Kidani. And I love the Crescent Lake resorts. Just had my first stay at Riviera and loved it too.

 

[SugarSweetLee]

For some background: I track availability for all my stays.

For stays where we're 100% sure we want to stay at our home resort, I track availability daily between 11mo and 7mo (plus buffers on both sides) to see when availability of our booked room dries up. I use this for annual trend tracking, but also for future knowledge of how much I need to prioritize waking up early and being ready for 5am booking, or even if I can use SAP at 7m.

For stays where we might switch resorts at 7mo, I track availability daily of all the potential rooms we might book at 7mo between 11mo and 7mo (plus buffers on both sides). I use the data for similar reasons as the home resort tracking, plus also for considering how important buying points at X resort might be.

Currently we have 10 stays booked in this limbo between 7mo and 11mo, with 5 of them where we might switch from our home resort to a different resort. All 5 are WDW trips.

While updating my spreadsheet one morning, a two-fold realization hit me:

1. There's just two resorts that aren't on the 'might switch to' list: Animal Kingdom Villas and Boulder Ridge
2. I can't think of a time of year or a 'type of stay' where we'd want to stay at AKV anymore

We've been fortunate enough to stay at all the WDW resorts, most multiple times, including 3 times at AKV (2x Jambo, 1x Kidani). None of the AKV stays were particularly bad (one time we were even bumped to a suite on the cash side), but somewhere along the way AKV lost its appeal to us. I won't make this about our misgivings with AKV, though I will say the realization was more melancholy than "good riddance".

Anybody else have this kind of realization about a resort you've stayed at? Did the pendulum ever swing back to wanting to stay at the resort?

I'll be curious what the AKV rooms are like post-refurbishment!