Which Villa for Larger Party? Or No To Villas?

[Chef Mickey]

Tell me a little about your experience with Villas.

We have a party of 5. Two couples and a mom. We NEED 3 beds and won't negotiate on that.

I saw there are some 2 bedroom villas at Old Key West. Anyone stay in one? Are they at least somewhat private when you're in the bedroom or can you hear everyone else in the villa?

Any recommendations on another villa that might be better?

We are thinking the Villa would be better, but we aren't opposed to just getting 3 rooms at a moderate resort and calling it a day. Would that be better than the Villa from a comfort perspective? Money is kind of secondary to just enjoying it, although wouldn't a nice villa actually be cheaper than 3 separate bedrooms?

I have a 35% off pin offer too.

 

[MOUSEGIRL]

We stayed in a tree house villa in Saratoga springs it had 3 bedrooms and 2 baths it was very private but also took a long time to get to parks or even the main building of the resort. We wont do it again we should have gotten 3 rooms at a moderate. The tree house was great but just not for us. We usually stay at a monorail resort however we had 9 in our group this time 3 families of 3 and a deluxe was not in the budget. That may have been the difference the other families who had never stayed at a monorail resort thought it was great.

 

[JohnWD]

All the DVC 2 bedrooms will meet your criteria for 3 beds, by having a master bedroom, a secondary bedroom, and a living area with a convertible couch. OKW has the largest villas, with a large kitchen/living area and balcony/patio. (Take a look at the photos Disney has.) I think it would meet your "somewhat private" need.
Saratoga Springs is similarly priced, but is not nearly as big as OKW. Probably 3 rooms at a moderate resort will be less expensive than OKW, but not by much, and you get so much more in a villa. I have stayed at most of the DVC properties, and the "big" plus for OKW is big!

 

[JohnWD]

As @MOUSEGIRL says, staying at a Monorail resort is really fantastic. Our favorite resorts are BLT and DBW. At BLT, we enjoy walking to the MK, and taking the Monorail. At DBW, we enjoy walking to both Epcot and DHS. At either location, we take the Monorail between MK and Epcot to visit the other Park. At OKW, you can take a boat to DTD, but otherwise you have to take a bus. OKW is a charming community - it definitely feels like a condo, not a room!

 

[Chef Mickey]

Thanks for the info.

We also decided 3 bathrooms is a must.

I have received information from Disney that Saratoga Springs or Animal Kingdom Villas have 2 bedrooms + 3 bathrooms and would be enough space for our party.

What do you think of Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas?

 

[JohnWD]

We have stayed at AK Kidani Village DVC and loved it. The villas are big and very nice. Sitting on the balcony and enjoying the animals was very cool! We would walk to the AKL, but take the busses to every place else.

 

[sxeensweet]

Thanks for the info.

We also decided 3 bathrooms is a must.

I have received information from Disney that Saratoga Springs or Animal Kingdom Villas have 2 bedrooms + 3 bathrooms and would be enough space for our party.

What do you think of Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas?

Saratoga Springs DOES NOT have the extra bathrooms only Animal Kingdom Kidani Village does and Bay Lake Tower Villas do. One bedrooms have 2 full baths and 2 bedrooms have 3 full baths. Also note Animal Kingdom Villas at Jambo DO NOT have the extra bathrooms either.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Saratoga Springs DOES NOT have the extra bathrooms only Animal Kingdom Kidani Village does and Bay Lake Tower Villas do. One bedrooms have 2 full baths and 2 bedrooms have 3 full baths. Also note Animal Kingdom Villas at Jambo DO NOT have the extra bathrooms either.

Thanks, pimp. We are mostly likely doing Kidani. Rooms seems pretty nice.

 

[sxeensweet]

Thanks, pimp. We are mostly likely doing Kidani. Rooms seems pretty nice.

Pimp lol! Your welcome! We are owners at AKV due to falling in love with Kidani after paying to stay there several times. Beautiful resort and rooms. But I have a new love VGF! Lol We mostly stay at Kidani though but like SSR, Wilderness, Boardwalk etc. I do not think you will be disappointed with Kidani and having the extra bathrooms is always a plus even with just 2 people me and the hubby love that aspect.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Pimp lol! Your welcome! We are owners at AKV due to falling in love with Kidani after paying to stay there several times. Beautiful resort and rooms. But I have a new love VGF! Lol We mostly stay at Kidani though but like SSR, Wilderness, Boardwalk etc. I do not think you will be disappointed with Kidani and having the extra bathrooms is always a plus even with just 2 people me and the hubby love that aspect.

Yeah, it really does seem like a great option. It's essentially 3 bedrooms because everything has its own bathroom and sleeping area. We only have 5 adults, so Kidani sleeping 9 should be plenty of room. Our other option was just getting 3 bedrooms adjoining at a moderate resort, but you wouldn't believe that was just about as expensive as the 1 Kidani Villa. Kind of a no brainer from that perspective.

We had a pin offer that saved 35%, so we feel good about the decision and are looking forward to it. Thanks for your advice and input!

 

[sxeensweet]

Yeah, it really does seem like a great option. It's essentially 3 bedrooms because everything has its own bathroom and sleeping area. We only have 5 adults, so Kidani sleeping 9 should be plenty of room. Our other option was just getting 3 bedrooms adjoining at a moderate resort, but you wouldn't believe that was just about as expensive as the 1 Kidani Villa. Kind of a no brainer from that perspective.

We had a pin offer that saved 35%, so we feel good about the decision and are looking forward to it. Thanks for your advice and input!

Yep I agree it's a better deal especially with 35% off. and Your very welcome! Hope you all have a wonderful trip!!

 

[slappy magoo]

We stayed in the Animal Kingdom Lodge before it became a DVC resort and it's still, easily one of our favorites. The 2BR Villas look amazing.

Bear in mind EVERY DVC resort, heck every resort regardless of type, has at least one caveat, one "con," one big negatory good buddy. Chances are, this is it for Kidani Village - there is a good hike to get from the Kidani Village section to the Jambo Village section, and there's no real quick service option at Kidani. So in the morning, for breakfast, if you have no reservations anywhere, it's either walking or taking a bus to Jambo, and my guess is Mara probably gets pretty packed now that its potential in-resort clientele has doubled. Also, resort buses are shared between the 2 villages - resort buses go to Kidani first then Jambo, Downtown Disney buses go to Jambo first then Kidani. That's how you can shuttle between the two Villages.

Now, if you don't plan on using the Mara food court much, and if you have your own car, this is absolutely a no-brainer. Otherwise, something to think about. NOT A DEAL-BREAKER, I'd be happy to stay at Kidani (especially once my kids are a little older and won't need strollers), but just something to ponder.

If you do decide those things are a deal-breaker then I'd suggest (if your budget permits) Bay Lake Tower. The 2BR units also have 3 bathrooms, it's a manageable walk to the food court no matter where you are, plenty more dining options on site, plenty more dining options a monorail or boat ride away and, of course, walking distance to MK.

 

[Blairnicol]

the 2BR Villas are what we almost always reserve. I highly recommend. Our home resort is OKW, but we have also done SSR, BWV, & GF. All of which also have their charms. I have recently fallen in love with AKL & WL, so I think those would be great options for you as well! So many choices!