Animal Kingdom Lodge v Old Key West v Saratoga Springs. Help required

CAPTAIN HOOK

CAPTAIN HOOK

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Guys - I need some help !!!

2015 will see 5 of us (me, the wife, our 2 adult daughters and the boyfriend of the eldest) enjoy a 2 week holiday in WDW. We cant agree on where to stay for two reasons - sleeping arrangements and location !!

AKL (we stayed there in 08 and the four of us managed in one Savanna room). This time we would require two (standard) rooms - two rooms because of sleeping arrangements and standard rooms to try and offset the cost of having to have an additional room. AKL is the dearest of our three choices and I resent spending good money to stay in a Deluxe Resort only to wake up looking at a car park !!
Geographically AKL is further from DHS and EPCOT and it probably ties with OKW/SS re distance to MK.

OKW and SS. We would rent a two bedroom villa in either resort - ideal for the sleeping arrangements. OKW and SS both come in at exactly the same price and geographically they are virtually in the same spot. The issues here are : the physical size of the resort and Disney buses. I've read so much on other sites including Trip Advisor about the buses being so infrequent, and the distances people have to walk to the main reception area, shop etc etc. Additionally, there are frequent reports of OKW looking tired and in need of renovation.

Help me !! For those with experience of staying in these resorts, what are your views or findings ?

Thanks in advance
 
Nero the dog

Nero the dog

Well-Known Member
I love OKW, the buses are no problem really, it's just they can seem to take an age just to go round all the stops in the resort. If you get a choice ask to be in Pennisular Road. Assuming that you can't get hospitality house.
Even if you ended up at the far end of the resort you can just jump on any of the buses to take you up to the centre.
The big plus about OKW is the room sizes, they are huge. They would be perfect for your needs.
 
sxeensweet

sxeensweet

Love a little Disney every day!! ;)
AKVillas at Kidani are one of my faves but if not there out of the other 2 I would pick Saratoga Springs. Very quiet, nice rooms, and nice location. The bus thing is myth and they come just as often as others but you might have to walk a ways to get to a stop. We always use our car and rarely use busses just because they take too long at any resort to get to the actual park etc than just driving ourselves and parking is free if you stay on site anyway. :) Oh as for sleeping SS In 2 bedrooms have 2 queens in one room and a king in the master, and a sleeper sofa in the living room. Oh and the TS restaurant on site The Turf Club is a hidden gem. We dine there even when staying elsewhere. :)
 
CAPTAIN HOOK

CAPTAIN HOOK

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks for the input guys, unfortunately the Kidani Villas are out of prices range (for a 14 day stay).

Anyone else able to offer any advice ?
 
RiceCrispyMickey

RiceCrispyMickey

Well-Known Member
We never had any issues with buses at SSR when we stayed in June. I also had been apprehensive, but honestly, it was just a wonderful experience. The resort is lovely and peaceful, the rooms were beautiful. We had a one bed villa and there was plenty of space. Never waited longer than 10-15mins for a bus at any time of day. I think providing you are moderately fit, you will not struggle with the walking, it's a big resort yes, but because bus stops are spread around the whole resort you never need to walk that far to get to one - same with swimming pools and quick service dining locations. Give it a try for yourself - you may be pleasantly suprised.
 
Demeter Tess

Demeter Tess

Well-Known Member
I've been lucky enough to stay at all the resorts you mentioned! Of them, I definitely felt that AKL was most worth the money spent. OKW would be a close second. SS was a big fat letdown for us. (We had previously visited SS while "hotel hopping" and loved how tranquil and beautiful the grounds were, but when we actually stayed there we were shocked at how tiny and dark our room was, and the busses were the biggest headache EVER. We literally waited 40 minutes for an Epcot bus one morning and finally got so fed up that we took a HS bus and rode the boat to Epcot. I wish I could say that was a fluke occurrence, but the busses continued to be poorly paced throughout our stay there. Needless to say, I've sworn off SS.)

Between AKL and OKW, I'd say AKL has the advantage of having more on-site dining options, more things to do at the hotel itself (night vision goggles, culinary tours, etc), and less potential to get caught in nasty weather (since everything is enclosed, rather than spread out into multiple buildings, like OKW). It's also the cheapest option when renting DVC points. I do love the calm, laid-back atmosphere of OKW, though, and the rooms are utterly ENORMOUS compared to many of the other resorts. The pool bar is great there, though I've heard AKL's is as well.

Ultimately, it's a tough call! But I would definitely caution against SS.

EDIT: Oh, and you should totally consider renting DVC points! My husband and I have rented 6 times now, and it's given us the opportunity to stay at so many resorts that we'd never have been able to afford otherwise. Really looking forward to the Poly's DVC units opening up!
 
CAPTAIN HOOK

CAPTAIN HOOK

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks guys for ALL your input and suggestions. After much family discussion last night we have chosen to stay at OKW and hope to be booking this week.

There's still plenty of time to change our minds though !!!
 
dreamfinder

dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
As mentioned, strongly suggest looking into renting points. Unless you NEED daily housekeeping, there is no real reason not to rent points, and save yourself a bundle. For instance, a 2BR at OKW during late Jan 2014 (picking a random time period for comparison purposes) is 217 points for a week. At the going rate of $14 per point, that would cost $3,038. That same 2BR lists at $695 per night cash. So 4.4ish nights is the breakeven, or buy 5 nights, get 2 free. Even if you pay cash and end up with a 30% off code (pretty much best discounts seen for a villa for a while), it would still be $486.5 per night. That means the breakeven is about 6.25 nights, but you end up saving ~$300. If you are staying 2 weeks, then your savings would be closer to $600. Just a thought.
 
HollyAD

HollyAD

Well-Known Member
I stayed at SS and did NOT like it at all. It had ZERO Disney feel to us. I would go with OKW over SS. AKL is my absolute favorite resort but if its not an option I would do OKW. Look at pictures on TripAdvisor and Google images to compare the two. Chose what "feels like Disney/"
 
P

piperuk

New Member
I'm writing whilst at AKL.

I've also stayed at OKW and Wilderness Lodge.

Between the three I would say go with WL.

Between AKL and OKW...tough as both have strengths but for me OKW just takes it. Cheaper too :)
 
CAPTAIN HOOK

CAPTAIN HOOK

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Ooops - just remembered, I never did finalise this post. One week ago today we booked a 14 night stay at AKL (told you there was time to change our minds).
We searched online with another travel agent and got the two rooms at AKL (with Dining Plan, park tickets, flights and hire car) for just over the price of OKW.
We fly Aug 12 2015 :)
 

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