OKW, AK, or BLT

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arich35

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hello,
My wife and I are taking our two kids to Disney in December and are renting out points, trying to decide between the three listed above.
BLT would be about $1,000 more for the 5 nights we are going to be there.

We have stayed at Saratoga, Boardwalk, & Beach Club before so looking for something new. We will have our van there so we can drive to parks or Disney Springs, etc. It will be us and our 3 & 2 year old.

The previous 7 days we will be staying off property with family and going to the parks probably 3-4 days, the 5 days when we stay on property we will probably be going to parks every day.
 
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Plowboy

Well-Known Member
OKW is our favorite resort. It has a really laid back vibe and it also has the water taxis to Downtown Disney. AKL has the savannah views and Boma, Sanaa and Jiko (3 of our favorites restaurants). We've never stayed at BLT (for an extra grand it better be off the hook amazing).
 
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arich35

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Plowboy said:
OKW is our favorite resort. It has a really laid back vibe and it also has the water taxis to Downtown Disney. AKL has the savannah views and Boma, Sanaa and Jiko (3 of our favorites restaurants). We've never stayed at BLT (for an extra grand it better be off the hook amazing).
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So with the person we are renting from it would be an extra $700 with a lake view. The main reason for wanting it would be the distance to MK and my wife's favorite place to go at the GF.
Is OKW similar to the feel of Saratoga? We stayed there last year and did like the feel of it
 
CaptainAmerica

CaptainAmerica

Well-Known Member
arich35 said:
Is OKW similar to the feel of Saratoga? We stayed there last year and did like the feel of it
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More casual than Saratoga. Super laid back and relaxed, not a hint of stuffiness which I get a bit from Saratoga. SUPER convenient parking right outside every building.

DAKL is my favorite resort on property. Old Key West is #2. I wouldn't recommend BLT for a family with kids unless you're a hyper-nostalgic type who really loves the Contemporary.

DAKL would be my recommendation. Jambo House if you can get it, but Kidani Village is great too. Drive everywhere except for Magic Kingdom.
 
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Plowboy

Well-Known Member
arich35 said:
So with the person we are renting from it would be an extra $700 with a lake view. The main reason for wanting it would be the distance to MK and my wife's favorite place to go at the GF.
Is OKW similar to the feel of Saratoga? We stayed there last year and did like the feel of it
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OKW (in our opinion) is a lot like the real Key West. The architecture and colors are similar. It is the original DVC resort and as such the landscaping is the most mature and the rooms are the largest of all the DVC resorts. We think SSR is may be the least Disney of all the DVC resorts. For the most part you would have to take bus transportation to all the parks, unlike BLT where you are a short walk to MK and the monorail to Epcot. With two little ones transportation could be a huge factor. Only you can weigh the extra $$'s and the benefit of location.
 
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arich35

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
CaptainAmerica said:
More casual than Saratoga. Super laid back and relaxed, not a hint of stuffiness which I get a bit from Saratoga. SUPER convenient parking right outside every building.

DAKL is my favorite resort on property. Old Key West is #2. I wouldn't recommend BLT for a family with kids unless you're a hyper-nostalgic type who really loves the Contemporary.

DAKL would be my recommendation. Jambo House if you can get it, but Kidani Village is great too. Drive everywhere except for Magic Kingdom.
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Why wouldn't you recommend BLT for kids?
 
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arich35

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
CaptainAmerica said:
It's just dull. A hotel themed like a hotel. Nice enough, but you don't get the novelty of the monorail running through like in the main Contemporary building. The three resorts that really blow kids minds are the Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge, and Animal Kingdom Lodge.
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I think if our kids were a bit older this would apply to us. We will have a 2 year old and 3.5 year old, they don't know any different at this point.
 
FutureCEO

FutureCEO

Well-Known Member
All hotels are different. I like all 3.

Old Key West is more resorty. I like the running path to Downtown Disney.

Bay Lake is more hotel like with hardly any grounds but good location.

Animal Kingdom is obviously the animals
 
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Chip Chipperson

Well-Known Member
arich35 said:
So with the person we are renting from it would be an extra $700 with a lake view. The main reason for wanting it would be the distance to MK and my wife's favorite place to go at the GF.
Is OKW similar to the feel of Saratoga? We stayed there last year and did like the feel of it
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If convenient travel to MK is a priority then I'd go with Bay Lake simply because it allows you to avoid parking at the TTC if you prefer driving to the parks over taking the buses. You have the monorail and can walk if the weather is nice. Having said that, OKW is a very short drive to Disney Springs (and really isn't a bad drive to any of the parks) and AKL has great theming, the savannah, and nice pools (I think the pool at BLT is pretty bland).

A downside to OKW is that if you have 2 small kids (and I assume at least 1 stroller based on their ages) then you could end up with a room on the 2nd or 3rd floor - which could mean carrying the kids and stroller up the stairs since very few buildings at OKW have elevators (I think only 2 of them do).

Edit: After writing that out I see that you already decided. LOL Nice choice (not that any of them are bad, or course).
 
Joesixtoe

Joesixtoe

Well-Known Member
arich35 said:
We decided to splurge a bit and go with Bay Lake Tower 1 bedroom with a lake view
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Stayed there last year for our anniversary. The 1 bedroom is large and has 2 bathrooms which makes things much more convenient. The lake view has the giant contemporary resort just hanging in view outside your windows. The walk to Magic Kingdom. I've stayed at almost all the resorts and each has its pros and cons, but of all the places BLT 1 bedroom has been my favorite. I think you will enjoy it.
 
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arich35

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Joesixtoe said:
Stayed there last year for our anniversary. The 1 bedroom is large and has 2 bathrooms which makes things much more convenient. The lake view has the giant contemporary resort just hanging in view outside your windows. The walk to Magic Kingdom. I've stayed at almost all the resorts and each has its pros and cons, but of all the places BLT 1 bedroom has been my favorite. I think you will enjoy it.
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We did like having the extra room. Our just turned 2 year old will probably be in a pack n play at that point so having the area by the entrance/bathroom for him to have a little area to sleep will be helpful. And us still having our own space at night was important
 
correcaminos

correcaminos

Well-Known Member
arich35 said:
We did like having the extra room. Our just turned 2 year old will probably be in a pack n play at that point so having the area by the entrance/bathroom for him to have a little area to sleep will be helpful. And us still having our own space at night was important
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Ask for a portable crib vs a pack n play. Though really I would just put the mattress on the floor and call it a day. Having your own space is a fantastic thing. We are spoiled and prefer that now. Have a wonderful trip. While BLT is the least exciting, with little kids the ease of going back and forth to MK is huge.
 
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arich35

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
helenabear said:
Ask for a portable crib vs a pack n play. Though really I would just put the mattress on the floor and call it a day. Having your own space is a fantastic thing. We are spoiled and prefer that now. Have a wonderful trip. While BLT is the least exciting, with little kids the ease of going back and forth to MK is huge.
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is the portable crib they have bigger than a pack n play?
 
correcaminos

correcaminos

Well-Known Member
arich35 said:
is the portable crib they have bigger than a pack n play?
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It looked a little bigger but I never measured it. The bigger thing is that it has a real mattress. I know after about 8 or 9 months old, my kid liked more than a piece of plywood with a hint of padding. So we would ask for them after infancy. Though at about 2.5 we were just asking for bed rails.
 
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arich35

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
helenabear said:
It looked a little bigger but I never measured it. The bigger thing is that it has a real mattress. I know after about 8 or 9 months old, my kid liked more than a piece of plywood with a hint of padding. So we would ask for them after infancy. Though at about 2.5 we were just asking for bed rails.
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Yeah he would probably sleep a lot better in a crib with a mattress, hopefully the resort will still have some. Thank you for the suggestion
 

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