Excellent overview of every single resort. This was so well thought out and presented. One of the best overviews that pretty well covers everything that you are looking for in a resort.
This is the video I needed! Head to head friendly competition. What I liked most is that you explained your reasoning for your point assignment. That helped me consider my own weight I put on those categories to adjust how they scored for me. I'm probably one of the few people who don't love the Polynesian but absolutely concur that your well thought out points made sense! Anyway, thanks again for edifying us again!
I'm an owner at 3rd place Saratoga!! I will say that you are spot on about the cons with the buses and size, but I still love Saratoga Springs for the ease of booking there and beautiful grounds and the access to Disney Springs! My issue with Copper Creek at Wilderness Lodge matches yours, the buses take UNUSUALLY forever to get anywhere, even the Magic Kingdom!
You never know what will happen - we honestly never expected to become DVC owners. It just happened and we’re so glad we did it! Thank you so much for watching!
Thank you so much for putting this video together! It's been surprisingly difficult to find quality videos about Disney World resorts , and this video was exactly what I needed!
Another great video 👍 The Poly is always number 1 for us if money is no object 😊. Considering value we love Saratoga with the new renovations and Old Key West with the size of the rooms.
Omg. This was so informative! We typically stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village and we love it there. Our next adventure is going to be Boardwalk. Thanks for a great video!
I’m so glad that was helpful to you! One thing to note is that I used a Disney map, which is not to scale. You may want to look at Google maps for greater detail or to get a more accurate idea of distances between things but that map gives a good general overview. Thank you for watching!
What do you think of our resort rankings? Did you disagree? Tell us which is YOUR favorite DVC resort at Disney World and WHY? Check out more videos about DVC here: ua-cam.com/play/PL1oGx7aOVSWonZw9QaL-JIFJt3BF6Voc0.html
Great rankings, but I Can’t believe Riviera came in so low!!! I do love it but it certainly has availability challenges and the room price is a bit high!
Agree with the analysis with the exception of dining and activity/amenities score on Polynesian. No way dining is a nine, O'hana, Kona Cafe, and Captain Cook's all are vastly inferior to Boma, Jiko, Sanaa, and The Mara at AKL which got the same score. Also, how it ranked above AKL in activities and amenities is a head scratcher for sure. Lots more to see and do at AKL (savanna, safari, culture ambassadors, etc.). Besides that though, solid analysis of the resorts, thanks for putting this together! Gotta love DVC 🙂
Good video. Thanks for breaking things down to the basics and explaining it well. Glad to see my favorite resorts and hopeful soon to be my home resorts scored well.
Sounds like you’re about to become a DVC member. Congrats! Honestly, there isn’t a bad resort in the bunch, just different strengths and weaknesses. Thanks for watching!
Yay! My home resort is Animal Kingdom Lodge, Kidani Village!! I really like it. I try and book other resorts out of curiosity and so that I can eventually say that I have stayed at all of the resort hotels. But, I always miss staying at Kidani when I'm not there and I never want to leave there when I do stay. Thanks for sharing!
Oh no! What terrible timing on your GF stay! We also had a great reservation that was impacted by the closure - an Animal Kingdom Lodge value studio! It was so painful to have to reschedule and lose that amazing reservation! At least it's open now and we get to look forward to future trips! Thanks for watching!
Excellent breakdown, Jen. I think for a great many WDW fans, the resorts are rated more by prestige and bragging rights, with the MK and Epcot resorts outclassing AKV, OKW and SSR. But your robust ranking system gives a clearer point of view. I am pleased my hopefully future home resort, AKV, ranked first. Fingers crossed for ROFR!
Best of luck to you with ROFR! It’s a stressful process! AKV is one of our home resorts and it’s a fantastic combination of theming, comfort, unique experience and good value. We love it!
@@TheMagicInTheMusic Well, I followed some of your wonderful advice and looked up the recent ROFR thread on Disboards and was relieved to see my per point price is in the range for passing. My contract is also stripped, which I think will help. You're the best!
Congrats on planning your first DVC stay! Poly and GF are both great resorts and you can't beat the monorail access to Magic Kingdom. Which is your home resort? We were always eager to book stays at our home resorts first, then try the others.
We're very excited to try Aulani in the future! We've been to Hawaii several times but never Aulani. I'm excited to check it out! Regarding Disney World... it depends upon when you plan to travel but Polynesian generally has better availability than GF. I'm assuming you'll be looking at a studio since Poly only has studios and Bungalows (who can afford those anyway? Not us!). If you are looking for a studio, your easiest bets in order will likely be Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Polynesian... a little tougher to get Boardwalk, Boulder Ridge and Bay Lake Tower, and in the most in-demand group, I'd say Copper Creek, Grand Floridian, Beach Club and Riviera. I give some tips in this video on getting reservations at 7 months: ua-cam.com/video/HbzrgkGXa7E/v-deo.html
@@jennifersnyder9310 how is your experience owning at Aulani. I went two years ago on a trip with a friend who’s parents own a DVC. I loved it but would like to know the pros/cons of owning there.
What a great video! Very thorough. We completely agree with the top two! We are currently looking to buy a resale contract at both places even though it might not make sense because availability is good at AKL and the Poly. Bay Lake is also a contender because of the difficulty of booking rooms there.
Congrats on beginning your DVC journey! AK really is a great value because the resale cost isn’t too high. BLT is a really solid choice as well! We have some other videos on purchasing DVC, if you’re looking for more info. Best wishes!
@@TheMagicInTheMusic we put an offer a few weeks ago on Saratoga Springs that got scooped up via ROFR. Boohoo. But have now entered into a 135 point resale contract for the Poly at $165/point. Should be high enough to avoid ROFR but fingers crossed just in case. Will look for a small contract at AKL too so we can book a Club level room once in a while.
@@thejusticejen, so sorry to hear about losing a contract in ROFR. We’ve experienced that ourselves. Fingers crossed for this next one! We own at both AKV snd Poly and we adore both! They great choices for hone resorts. Best of luck to you! Let us know what happens!
I’m kind of surprised that people who have the money to spend on dvc (and it seems substantial) don’t just rent cars when they fly in. Why depend on slow bus service at all?
Thanks for watching! This video discusses the availability issues of the value rooms: ua-cam.com/video/SLTS6CERQyw/v-deo.html and this video explains the difference between the value rooms and the regular studios: ua-cam.com/video/16bhGwAgpvM/v-deo.html
Brilliant info.. hopefully about to buy dvc shortly and this was great to consider different resorts.. would you say grand Floridian would rank higher now more studios? So better availability.. I decided you’d give it two or three more points now ?!?! ( can you guess where we’re thinking of buying direct?)
Yes, I do think that Grand Floridian has improved with the increased availability of studios in the new building. It's still an expensive resort to book and the quick service food options aren't great BUT it has a lot of other things going for it. And that new walking path to Magic Kingdom is a plus! I don't think you can go wrong buying there, especially since the points are not restricted if you ever had to sell them (like Riviera would be). Best of luck with your decision. Thanks for watching! 😃
If you take transportation out, it changes the final list. I understand the importance of transportation to you but so don’t think it weighs as heavily for most people. For me it doesn’t matter at all, I completely removed it but in general I just can’t weigh transportation the same as dining or amenities.
@@TheMagicInTheMusic I drive 7 hours to get to Florida… What’s another few minutes driving to the park? When choosing a DVC home resort I’m really only considering the cost, room, amenities, & dining. I am having a terrible time trying to decide which one is right for us.
Question about the availability score. Is that availability at 11 months or seven months? If seven, then wouldn’t a lack of availability be more of a reason to own it? Then it should be a high score if it’s impossible to get as a non-home resort. They plays a large role in my deliberation. Why choose SSR as home resort if you can get in easily at seven months? Better to own at a hard to get into resort like Beach Club if you want to stay there.
@@morvish1925 that’s the booking window, yes. I’m asking how she calculates her “availability score”. Is it based on availability at 7 months or 11 months or both? A low availability at 7 months is a reason to own it if you want to go there.
availability at the Riviera is difficult to truly judge currently since so many new contracts get double bumped on their points the first year at purchase. This makes for extra points chasing the rooms, once the resort is sold out this should get better like some of the other DVCs.
recently stayed at animal kingdom lodge, magical... then stayed at Bay Lake Tower with lake view....wonderful! Will be staying at Riviera in a couple weeks...its lovely property and the rooms look beautiful......near Epcot too......Have a stay at Grand Floridian in November....it is posh but not really my vibe ....very close to MK thoough ....and then in January.....I get to stay at my favorite property.....the Polynesian....cannot wait....it is a magical place that takes me away
Great video, thank you! I'm looking to buy DVC pretty soon here. Polynesian has always been my favorite, so that's what I'll probably buy as a start. I stayed in Saratoga Springs recently, and although the room was nice, I didn't care for how far away the main building was for breakfast. I would not want to stay there again because of that. Copper Creek sounds really interesting to me, and I have a feeling I will be staying there in the future. Sad to say of all my years visiting Disney, I have never stayed at any of the Wilderness Lodge rooms. Seems I've been missing out. I also have not stayed at the Beach Club or the BoardWalk. I love the Animal Kingdom Lodge, but the buses were pretty brutal. Very long rides... especially to Magic Kingdom. I didn't stay there again after that even though while you're at the resort itself it's magical. I've had a high tea at Grand Floridian just so that I could see what it was like inside. You're right; it is breathtaking! Bay Tower seems pretty popular but for whatever reason it just doesn't do it for me. I feel like I'm in an airport when I'm in the main lobby. Similar to how I feel about the Riviera as far as blah or meh. 😄 For me, the best is Polynesian, and it seems like once I stay at Wilderness Lodge, I'm going to add that to my list as well. Who knows, Beach Club might be in there as well for Food and Wine.
I can definitely relate - Polynesian was the resort that made us take the plunge and buy our first DVC contract. It’s great! I really enjoy the Wilderness Lodge DVC properties! The only caveat for me is that the CC studios are pretty small. Otherwise it’s an awesome place to stay.
We like to book our trips 60-90 days out typically. Which resorts typically have availability on short notice during off seasons like Jan, Feb, Sept and early Nov
That's very late notice, in terms of DVC. You'll find availability primarily in 1-bedroom units. If you're okay with a 1-bedroom, then it may work out just fine for you. Keep in mind that January and February have grown in popularity in recent years, marathon weekend (first weekend in January) can increase crowds, as can MLK weekend and then President's weekend in February. Early November can also be heavier than you might think, especially around Veteran's Day. September is always great time to go, with some of the lightest crowds of the year. If you're booking 60-90 days out, you'll most likely be staying at Saratoga Springs and Old Key West the most. Sometimes you may find availability at Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village as well. It also depends on whether you're willing to do a split stay and switch resorts. If you are willing to switch, you'll have more options, since you're likely to find partial availability. If you take shorter trips, you may have more options as well.
Yes, BC Villas share amenities with the rest of the resort. We’ve stayed in BC Villas and it didn’t feel far away to us. BC is not that large a resort. The main attraction there for us is quick access to Epcot and it didn’t disappoint! Thank you for watching.
This video was focused on the Disney World DVC resorts. We put that in the title to avoid confusion. We’re big Disney parks fans, so we don’t generally visit the other DVC locations.
Great reviews and pretty objective approach. I wouldn't give Riviera an 8 for park access. I am not a fan of the skyliner due to the weather issues and my fear of getting stuck up there. At AKL, the cultural representatives are such an important asset it cant be underestimated - love the drum circles in the evening! My family's most loved resort is Boardwalk, with Bay Lake tower number 2. But Personally, i prefer the Grand Floridian and AKL Kidani. I cant wait to try the new Polynesian tower. A very under discussed fact about Wilderness lodge is that not every boat to MK can handle ECVs and you may wait a LONG time to get the right boat to come to the dock. I find it easy to book the 2 bedroom and grand villas at Bay Lake since it has so many grand villas.
ANINMAL KINGDOM LODGE! There are many of these on resale. It is very far away from everything. Will stay there for a day to so to immerse but we love beach club.
Just discovered you guys, and binge watched a lot of your videos. We bought into Saratoga springs back in 2006, and gotta say, it’s not our favorite. Everything is so spaced out, and just don’t like the decor as much, but I’ve heard it’s recently changed, so we’ll have to pay a visit. My favorite of all the DVC resorts is Vero Beach, so much so, we bought small amount of points there as well just to get that 11month window. It is away from the parks and crowds, and is on an actual beach you can swim in. This place really feels like a relaxing resort. I wish we had bought more point here instead of Saratoga. The rest of the resorts, you were pretty accurate. Have you reviewed Vero Beach, and Hilton Head? Curious what you think about those two.
Thank you so much for watching! Welcome to the community! We have a new DVC video coming out on Saturday, so watch for that one. Regarding Vero Beach and Hilton Head... we live on the west coast, so we probably won't make to either location anytime soon. We usually focus on the Disney World resorts. We have used our DVC points at Grand Californian as well, and since it's so close to us, we plan to visit Aulani also.
@@TheMagicInTheMusic Where you able to visit Aulani in Hawaii, the major issue is the high cost of airfare and meals whether preparing your own meals or going out. Any info is appreciated.
I've been watching the resale market. I wonder why so many people are selling their animal kingdom time share. You can't beat the price. I saw one that was selling their points for 111 per point, and it was a 200-point timeshare.
We’re definitely seeing the average price dip a bit recently. A big reason is that DVC has barely been buying back anything in ROFR. When people know that Disney is less likely to take contracts back, buyers can negotiate more aggressively and aren’t afraid to submit really low prices for ROFR.
@@TheMagicInTheMusic We loved out one bedroom there. Huge, beautiful, balcony overlooking a lake on the golf course. Transportation was really the only real drawback. Once we found out the FIRST bus stop in the resort, we could usually get on the first bus. Not always, but usually.
Theres really only three at WDW (OKW, STS and Rivera) at all the others its either the Villas, the Cabins, the Bungalows, and Bay lake or island tower.
@TheMagicInTheMusic my favorites are OKW, STS, copper creek cabins at wilderness lodge, the Poly Bungalows, animal kingdom lodge villas and the beach club villas
Quick question: are you saying GF is difficult to find availability at 11 mos or 7 mos? If it is home resort, is the availability still that tough at 11 mos? We are looking at getting contract at GF so this is great info to consider!
Historically, GF has been difficult to book at 7 months. The times that we've stayed there, we've generally done it with a waitlist. Things are a bit different now, with the new resort studios. If you're okay staying in a resort studio, they may be easier to book now. But if you want any of the regular GF villas on a regular basis, especially at popular travel times, I would recommend having GF as a home resort.
Pre Covid at OKW all park buses stopped at Hospitality House last before going to the parks. Getting to HH is really not that big a deal. Not sure about post Covid though.
I think getting to HH depends on where you live. We live in the Pacific NW, so going out of our way to get to a beach resort on the east coast is not worth it for us. We could just drive to the beach on the west coast in less than 2 hours. It would be easier and faster for us to visit Hawaii than to go to HH, but I realize that isn't the case for many people in other regions of the country. Thanks for watching!
@@ruflippingkiddingme, oh, yes! I thought you were talking about HHI. Yes, I know it’s hospitality house at OKW. I just didn’t think you were talking about that. 😆 It’s a long video, with a lot of content, so I didn’t realize which part you were referring to. 👍
I was doing only DVC resorts. Coronado Springs is not a DVC resort but I’ve heard great things about the new Gran Destiny tower! I’d like to stay there some day!
Really enjoyed the video- but seems like some resorts (e.g. GF, BLT, RIV, etc.) are getting overly-penalized on “availability”. Their popularity would indicate the quality of the offering/experience I would think.
That’s a fair point. The reason I included that is because the greatest resort in the world is of no value if you can’t book it. Sounds like your rankings might differ a bit from mine. 👍
All good. Get your point! Not as fun if you can’t reasonably access it. Puts a real emphasis on choosing your home resort wisely I guess. Thanks for the vid & response. :)
I have to ask why the Poly ranked a "4" for value when the Grand Floridian and Riviera only ranked a "2"? Both the Studos at GF and Riviera use fewer points then the Poly. Furthermore, the GF and Riviera have 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units. The Poly only has Studios and 2 Bedroom bungalows. The 2 bedroom bungalows at the Poly are THE MOST expensive dvc units surpassing any 3 bedroom grand villa on property. I don't mean to knock the Poly but your rating system isn't at all consistent. It just seems as if you have a personal preference for the Poly. Lots of Disney fans do. Because there are so many passions that arise when talking about WDW, it's impossible for anyone to be totally objective.
I'll admit that when I think of the Polynesian, I don't even consider the bungalows to be part of it, and it's a fair criticism that I probably should. Because WE never stay in the bungalows, I tend not to even think of them, but they definitely are a poor value. I probably do have a bias towards Poly because it's the REASON we bought into DVC. If they hadn't build a DVC component at Poly, we would probably never have become DVC owners at all, or may not have taken the plunge until they built Riviera, which we also like very much. Thank you for watching and thanks for your input.
@@TheMagicInTheMusic That would be good because DVC rooms at Boulder Ridge have now received the much-needed refurbishments, as have rooms at Beach Club and BoardWalk, I believe. And even more importantly, your video was done before the conversion of VGF's Grand Pine Key to a DVC Resort Studio building, which should have a positive impact on GF's availability and value scores.
We've also stayed there. While the resort is beautiful and the location is phenomenal, we didn't have the best experience with our room, or the service there. We have another stay there coming up this year, so hopefully it's better! I really hope it was just bad luck the first time. Thanks for watching!
Yes, a few of them were set to expire in 2042 rather than the full 50 years, and Boardwalk is one of them. I don't know why they chose to do it that way. Here's a link showing the date (it's the same on all the websites, so you can easily cross-reference it). dvcinfo.com/dvc-information/resort-information/dvc-resorts/disneys-boardwalk-villas/
Which room type are you looking at? All of the DVC studios have kitchenettes, but the 1, 2 & 3 bedrooms definitely have full kitchens - range, oven, microwave, dishwasher, full sized refrigerator.
Excellent overview of every single resort. This was so well thought out and presented. One of the best overviews that pretty well covers everything that you are looking for in a resort.
Thanks so much for the feedback and thanks for watching! 😎👍
This is the video I needed! Head to head friendly competition. What I liked most is that you explained your reasoning for your point assignment. That helped me consider my own weight I put on those categories to adjust how they scored for me. I'm probably one of the few people who don't love the Polynesian but absolutely concur that your well thought out points made sense! Anyway, thanks again for edifying us again!
Thanks so much! I’m really glad that you found it helpful. What can I say? I’m teacher, so I have to grade on a rubric! Lol! 😆
I'm an owner at 3rd place Saratoga!! I will say that you are spot on about the cons with the buses and size, but I still love Saratoga Springs for the ease of booking there and beautiful grounds and the access to Disney Springs! My issue with Copper Creek at Wilderness Lodge matches yours, the buses take UNUSUALLY forever to get anywhere, even the Magic Kingdom!
Yay! Love Saratoga! Our home resort
@@arlenesgg Welcome Home!
I'm just waiting to win the lottery so I can get a DVC membership lol. I love these resorts- they're so well done!
You never know what will happen - we honestly never expected to become DVC owners. It just happened and we’re so glad we did it! Thank you so much for watching!
Great video sooo much great information!
Thanks!
Lots of great info! This was one of the best DVC videos I’ve seen!
Aww! Thanks so much! ❤️
Thank you so much for putting this video together! It's been surprisingly difficult to find quality videos about Disney World resorts , and this video was exactly what I needed!
Thanks so much for the feedback. I’m glad to help. Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.
Another great video 👍 The Poly is always number 1 for us if money is no object 😊. Considering value we love Saratoga with the new renovations and Old Key West with the size of the rooms.
Poly was our first home, and will always have a special place in our hearts! Thanks for watching.
Omg. This was so informative! We typically stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village and we love it there. Our next adventure is going to be Boardwalk. Thanks for a great video!
AK is so great! Is it weird that I miss the smell? 😆
What a great video, so much awesome information, well worth the watch time!!
Thank you so much for watching!
Thank you for showing where the resorts are located on the map. This helps me have a better idea of where I may want my "home" to be.
I’m so glad that was helpful to you! One thing to note is that I used a Disney map, which is not to scale. You may want to look at Google maps for greater detail or to get a more accurate idea of distances between things but that map gives a good general overview. Thank you for watching!
What do you think of our resort rankings? Did you disagree? Tell us which is YOUR favorite DVC resort at Disney World and WHY? Check out more videos about DVC here: ua-cam.com/play/PL1oGx7aOVSWonZw9QaL-JIFJt3BF6Voc0.html
Great rankings, but I Can’t believe Riviera came in so low!!! I do love it but it certainly has availability challenges and the room price is a bit high!
Agree with the analysis with the exception of dining and activity/amenities score on Polynesian. No way dining is a nine, O'hana, Kona Cafe, and Captain Cook's all are vastly inferior to Boma, Jiko, Sanaa, and The Mara at AKL which got the same score. Also, how it ranked above AKL in activities and amenities is a head scratcher for sure. Lots more to see and do at AKL (savanna, safari, culture ambassadors, etc.). Besides that though, solid analysis of the resorts, thanks for putting this together! Gotta love DVC 🙂
Well, we own at both Poly and AK for a reason. They’re both fantastic resorts with a lot to offer! Thank you so much for watching!
This was a fantastic video! Thank you!
Thanks for watching. Now I just need to make an updated version.
My two bucket list dvc resorts are Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge!
They’re both amazing! 😃 Thank you for watching!
Good video. Thanks for breaking things down to the basics and explaining it well. Glad to see my favorite resorts and hopeful soon to be my home resorts scored well.
Sounds like you’re about to become a DVC member. Congrats! Honestly, there isn’t a bad resort in the bunch, just different strengths and weaknesses. Thanks for watching!
Great info 😊
Thanks for the great content.
Yay! My home resort is Animal Kingdom Lodge, Kidani Village!! I really like it. I try and book other resorts out of curiosity and so that I can eventually say that I have stayed at all of the resort hotels. But, I always miss staying at Kidani when I'm not there and I never want to leave there when I do stay. Thanks for sharing!
I definitely can see why you love Kidani. It's a wonderful resort! We love AKV - both sides very much. Thanks so much for watching and commenting! 😎👍
Our favorite resorts are AKL and boardwalk. We finally got at room at Grand Flo at 7 months for last June but as you know Disney was still closed.
Oh no! What terrible timing on your GF stay! We also had a great reservation that was impacted by the closure - an Animal Kingdom Lodge value studio! It was so painful to have to reschedule and lose that amazing reservation! At least it's open now and we get to look forward to future trips! Thanks for watching!
Excellent breakdown, Jen. I think for a great many WDW fans, the resorts are rated more by prestige and bragging rights, with the MK and Epcot resorts outclassing AKV, OKW and SSR. But your robust ranking system gives a clearer point of view. I am pleased my hopefully future home resort, AKV, ranked first. Fingers crossed for ROFR!
Best of luck to you with ROFR! It’s a stressful process! AKV is one of our home resorts and it’s a fantastic combination of theming, comfort, unique experience and good value. We love it!
@@TheMagicInTheMusic Well, I followed some of your wonderful advice and looked up the recent ROFR thread on Disboards and was relieved to see my per point price is in the range for passing. My contract is also stripped, which I think will help. You're the best!
This was so helpful! Planning our first DVC stay to do all the parks. I will try for poly or VGF. What do you think for first time stay? Thank you!!!
Congrats on planning your first DVC stay! Poly and GF are both great resorts and you can't beat the monorail access to Magic Kingdom. Which is your home resort? We were always eager to book stays at our home resorts first, then try the others.
Thank you. We own at Aulani so this is our first DVC at Disney world. We are Disneyland people!!!
We're very excited to try Aulani in the future! We've been to Hawaii several times but never Aulani. I'm excited to check it out! Regarding Disney World... it depends upon when you plan to travel but Polynesian generally has better availability than GF. I'm assuming you'll be looking at a studio since Poly only has studios and Bungalows (who can afford those anyway? Not us!). If you are looking for a studio, your easiest bets in order will likely be Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Polynesian... a little tougher to get Boardwalk, Boulder Ridge and Bay Lake Tower, and in the most in-demand group, I'd say Copper Creek, Grand Floridian, Beach Club and Riviera. I give some tips in this video on getting reservations at 7 months: ua-cam.com/video/HbzrgkGXa7E/v-deo.html
@@jennifersnyder9310 how is your experience owning at Aulani. I went two years ago on a trip with a friend who’s parents own a DVC. I loved it but would like to know the pros/cons of owning there.
What a great video! Very thorough. We completely agree with the top two! We are currently looking to buy a resale contract at both places even though it might not make sense because availability is good at AKL and the Poly. Bay Lake is also a contender because of the difficulty of booking rooms there.
Congrats on beginning your DVC journey! AK really is a great value because the resale cost isn’t too high. BLT is a really solid choice as well! We have some other videos on purchasing DVC, if you’re looking for more info. Best wishes!
@@TheMagicInTheMusic we put an offer a few weeks ago on Saratoga Springs that got scooped up via ROFR. Boohoo. But have now entered into a 135 point resale contract for the Poly at $165/point. Should be high enough to avoid ROFR but fingers crossed just in case. Will look for a small contract at AKL too so we can book a Club level room once in a while.
@@thejusticejen, so sorry to hear about losing a contract in ROFR. We’ve experienced that ourselves. Fingers crossed for this next one! We own at both AKV snd Poly and we adore both! They great choices for hone resorts. Best of luck to you! Let us know what happens!
I’m kind of surprised that people who have the money to spend on dvc (and it seems substantial) don’t just rent cars when they fly in. Why depend on slow bus service at all?
This was helpful! Can you explain what you meant by the value rooms at AKL?
Thanks for watching! This video discusses the availability issues of the value rooms: ua-cam.com/video/SLTS6CERQyw/v-deo.html and this video explains the difference between the value rooms and the regular studios: ua-cam.com/video/16bhGwAgpvM/v-deo.html
Brilliant info.. hopefully about to buy dvc shortly and this was great to consider different resorts.. would you say grand Floridian would rank higher now more studios? So better availability.. I decided you’d give it two or three more points now ?!?! ( can you guess where we’re thinking of buying direct?)
Yes, I do think that Grand Floridian has improved with the increased availability of studios in the new building. It's still an expensive resort to book and the quick service food options aren't great BUT it has a lot of other things going for it. And that new walking path to Magic Kingdom is a plus! I don't think you can go wrong buying there, especially since the points are not restricted if you ever had to sell them (like Riviera would be). Best of luck with your decision. Thanks for watching! 😃
If you take transportation out, it changes the final list. I understand the importance of transportation to you but so don’t think it weighs as heavily for most people. For me it doesn’t matter at all, I completely removed it but in general I just can’t weigh transportation the same as dining or amenities.
That’s interesting. I’m curious to know why transportation doesn’t matter for you. Do you not visit the theme parks?
@@TheMagicInTheMusic I drive 7 hours to get to Florida… What’s another few minutes driving to the park? When choosing a DVC home resort I’m really only considering the cost, room, amenities, & dining. I am having a terrible time trying to decide which one is right for us.
So MUCH great info!
Thanks for watching! 👍
Question about the availability score. Is that availability at 11 months or seven months? If seven, then wouldn’t a lack of availability be more of a reason to own it? Then it should be a high score if it’s impossible to get as a non-home resort. They plays a large role in my deliberation. Why choose SSR as home resort if you can get in easily at seven months? Better to own at a hard to get into resort like Beach Club if you want to stay there.
It is 7 months for most resorts, 11 for your home resort
@@morvish1925 that’s the booking window, yes. I’m asking how she calculates her “availability score”. Is it based on availability at 7 months or 11 months or both? A low availability at 7 months is a reason to own it if you want to go there.
availability at the Riviera is difficult to truly judge currently since so many new contracts get double bumped on their points the first year at purchase. This makes for extra points chasing the rooms, once the resort is sold out this should get better like some of the other DVCs.
Yeah, it definitely depends on the time of year that you're traveling and how many owners are booking with Riviera resale points.
recently stayed at animal kingdom lodge, magical... then stayed at Bay Lake Tower with lake view....wonderful! Will be staying at Riviera in a couple weeks...its lovely property and the rooms look beautiful......near Epcot too......Have a stay at Grand Floridian in November....it is posh but not really my vibe ....very close to MK thoough ....and then in January.....I get to stay at my favorite property.....the Polynesian....cannot wait....it is a magical place that takes me away
You’re like me! Gotta try ‘em all! 😃👍
Great video, thank you! I'm looking to buy DVC pretty soon here. Polynesian has always been my favorite, so that's what I'll probably buy as a start. I stayed in Saratoga Springs recently, and although the room was nice, I didn't care for how far away the main building was for breakfast. I would not want to stay there again because of that. Copper Creek sounds really interesting to me, and I have a feeling I will be staying there in the future. Sad to say of all my years visiting Disney, I have never stayed at any of the Wilderness Lodge rooms. Seems I've been missing out. I also have not stayed at the Beach Club or the BoardWalk. I love the Animal Kingdom Lodge, but the buses were pretty brutal. Very long rides... especially to Magic Kingdom. I didn't stay there again after that even though while you're at the resort itself it's magical. I've had a high tea at Grand Floridian just so that I could see what it was like inside. You're right; it is breathtaking! Bay Tower seems pretty popular but for whatever reason it just doesn't do it for me. I feel like I'm in an airport when I'm in the main lobby. Similar to how I feel about the Riviera as far as blah or meh. 😄 For me, the best is Polynesian, and it seems like once I stay at Wilderness Lodge, I'm going to add that to my list as well. Who knows, Beach Club might be in there as well for Food and Wine.
I can definitely relate - Polynesian was the resort that made us take the plunge and buy our first DVC contract. It’s great! I really enjoy the Wilderness Lodge DVC properties! The only caveat for me is that the CC studios are pretty small. Otherwise it’s an awesome place to stay.
@@TheMagicInTheMusic Good to know!!! Thanks
We like to book our trips 60-90 days out typically. Which resorts typically have availability on short notice during off seasons like Jan, Feb, Sept and early Nov
That's very late notice, in terms of DVC. You'll find availability primarily in 1-bedroom units. If you're okay with a 1-bedroom, then it may work out just fine for you. Keep in mind that January and February have grown in popularity in recent years, marathon weekend (first weekend in January) can increase crowds, as can MLK weekend and then President's weekend in February. Early November can also be heavier than you might think, especially around Veteran's Day. September is always great time to go, with some of the lightest crowds of the year. If you're booking 60-90 days out, you'll most likely be staying at Saratoga Springs and Old Key West the most. Sometimes you may find availability at Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village as well. It also depends on whether you're willing to do a split stay and switch resorts. If you are willing to switch, you'll have more options, since you're likely to find partial availability. If you take shorter trips, you may have more options as well.
@The Magic In The Music thank you so much for your input. This will definitely help us in final decision making
BC Villas review had BC footage. Villas feel like they are stuck in the back. a pro for 2 baths, two people can take separate showers.
Yes, BC Villas share amenities with the rest of the resort. We’ve stayed in BC Villas and it didn’t feel far away to us. BC is not that large a resort. The main attraction there for us is quick access to Epcot and it didn’t disappoint! Thank you for watching.
Was hoping you had thoughts on Vero Beach resort , also wondered what the contract end date for Vero was but you never even mentioned it .
This video was focused on the Disney World DVC resorts. We put that in the title to avoid confusion. We’re big Disney parks fans, so we don’t generally visit the other DVC locations.
Great reviews and pretty objective approach. I wouldn't give Riviera an 8 for park access. I am not a fan of the skyliner due to the weather issues and my fear of getting stuck up there.
At AKL, the cultural representatives are such an important asset it cant be underestimated - love the drum circles in the evening!
My family's most loved resort is Boardwalk, with Bay Lake tower number 2. But Personally, i prefer the Grand Floridian and AKL Kidani. I cant wait to try the new Polynesian tower.
A very under discussed fact about Wilderness lodge is that not every boat to MK can handle ECVs and you may wait a LONG time to get the right boat to come to the dock.
I find it easy to book the 2 bedroom and grand villas at Bay Lake since it has so many grand villas.
Thanks for adding that important info about Wilderness Lodge transportation. I probably need to do an updated version of this video.
I really love Polynesian and grand Floridian. Should I choose Floridian since it’s harder to book ? Thanks
Yes, I think Grand Floridian is considerably harder to book than Polynesian.
ANINMAL KINGDOM LODGE! There are many of these on resale. It is very far away from everything. Will stay there for a day to so to immerse but we love beach club.
Beach club is a great resort. That location is tough to beat! 👍😎
Just discovered you guys, and binge watched a lot of your videos. We bought into Saratoga springs back in 2006, and gotta say, it’s not our favorite. Everything is so spaced out, and just don’t like the decor as much, but I’ve heard it’s recently changed, so we’ll have to pay a visit. My favorite of all the DVC resorts is Vero Beach, so much so, we bought small amount of points there as well just to get that 11month window. It is away from the parks and crowds, and is on an actual beach you can swim in. This place really feels like a relaxing resort. I wish we had bought more point here instead of Saratoga. The rest of the resorts, you were pretty accurate. Have you reviewed Vero Beach, and Hilton Head? Curious what you think about those two.
Thank you so much for watching! Welcome to the community! We have a new DVC video coming out on Saturday, so watch for that one. Regarding Vero Beach and Hilton Head... we live on the west coast, so we probably won't make to either location anytime soon. We usually focus on the Disney World resorts. We have used our DVC points at Grand Californian as well, and since it's so close to us, we plan to visit Aulani also.
@@TheMagicInTheMusic Where you able to visit Aulani in Hawaii, the major issue is the high cost of airfare and meals whether preparing your own meals or going out. Any info is appreciated.
I've been watching the resale market. I wonder why so many people are selling their animal kingdom time share. You can't beat the price. I saw one that was selling their points for 111 per point, and it was a 200-point timeshare.
We’re definitely seeing the average price dip a bit recently. A big reason is that DVC has barely been buying back anything in ROFR. When people know that Disney is less likely to take contracts back, buyers can negotiate more aggressively and aren’t afraid to submit really low prices for ROFR.
I should add that both Port Orleans Hotels and Old Key West have boat transportation to Disney Springs--with all the restaurants you could ever need.
Yes, good point. We really enjoy that boat ride.
@@TheMagicInTheMusic We loved out one bedroom there. Huge, beautiful, balcony overlooking a lake on the golf course. Transportation was really the only real drawback. Once we found out the FIRST bus stop in the resort, we could usually get on the first bus. Not always, but usually.
Theres really only three at WDW (OKW, STS and Rivera) at all the others its either the Villas, the Cabins, the Bungalows, and Bay lake or island tower.
That’s true if you’re just going by name, but the others are undoubtedly DVC resorts as well. Thanks for watching!
@TheMagicInTheMusic my favorites are OKW, STS, copper creek cabins at wilderness lodge, the Poly Bungalows, animal kingdom lodge villas and the beach club villas
Quick question: are you saying GF is difficult to find availability at 11 mos or 7 mos? If it is home resort, is the availability still that tough at 11 mos? We are looking at getting contract at GF so this is great info to consider!
Historically, GF has been difficult to book at 7 months. The times that we've stayed there, we've generally done it with a waitlist. Things are a bit different now, with the new resort studios. If you're okay staying in a resort studio, they may be easier to book now. But if you want any of the regular GF villas on a regular basis, especially at popular travel times, I would recommend having GF as a home resort.
Let me know when DVC have villas built at the Disneyland paris resort hotels. I assure you that will get lots of interest.
We would LOVE that! I'm not sure that it will ever happen, but it would be amazing!
So... legit question, how often do you fly to orlando to stay in those resorts?
About twice a year. We normally spend between 14 and 20 nights at DVC resorts each year.
Pre Covid at OKW all park buses stopped at Hospitality House last before going to the parks. Getting to HH is really not that big a deal. Not sure about post Covid though.
I think getting to HH depends on where you live. We live in the Pacific NW, so going out of our way to get to a beach resort on the east coast is not worth it for us. We could just drive to the beach on the west coast in less than 2 hours. It would be easier and faster for us to visit Hawaii than to go to HH, but I realize that isn't the case for many people in other regions of the country. Thanks for watching!
@@TheMagicInTheMusic HH=Hospitality House😁
HHI=Hilton Head Island😁
@@ruflippingkiddingme, oh, yes! I thought you were talking about HHI. Yes, I know it’s hospitality house at OKW. I just didn’t think you were talking about that. 😆 It’s a long video, with a lot of content, so I didn’t realize which part you were referring to. 👍
Did you miss GranDestino Tower at Coronado Springs?
I was doing only DVC resorts. Coronado Springs is not a DVC resort but I’ve heard great things about the new Gran Destiny tower! I’d like to stay there some day!
DVC members like to call Saratoga Springs "Saratoga shouldve called sooner" because theyve always got rooms available.
The name I hear most often is “resort of last resort”. I still like it, though!
I think you got the expiration date for BLT wrong. I believe it’s 2042.
Bay Lake Tower expires in 2060.
Aka chicken striptd have fun five telly strips get salda it has be more 5.50 or not coming
Really enjoyed the video- but seems like some resorts (e.g. GF, BLT, RIV, etc.) are getting overly-penalized on “availability”. Their popularity would indicate the quality of the offering/experience I would think.
That’s a fair point. The reason I included that is because the greatest resort in the world is of no value if you can’t book it. Sounds like your rankings might differ a bit from mine. 👍
All good. Get your point! Not as fun if you can’t reasonably access it. Puts a real emphasis on choosing your home resort wisely I guess. Thanks for the vid & response. :)
@@HHL-qt2xb, definitely! If you want to book at those hard-to-get resorts on a regular basis, you had better own there.
I have to ask why the Poly ranked a "4" for value when the Grand Floridian and Riviera only ranked a "2"?
Both the Studos at GF and Riviera use fewer points then the Poly. Furthermore, the GF and Riviera have 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units. The Poly only has Studios and 2 Bedroom bungalows.
The 2 bedroom bungalows at the Poly are THE MOST expensive dvc units surpassing any 3 bedroom grand villa on property. I don't mean to knock the Poly but your rating system isn't at all consistent. It just seems as if you have a personal preference for the Poly. Lots of Disney fans do. Because there are so many passions that arise when talking about WDW, it's impossible for anyone to be totally objective.
I'll admit that when I think of the Polynesian, I don't even consider the bungalows to be part of it, and it's a fair criticism that I probably should. Because WE never stay in the bungalows, I tend not to even think of them, but they definitely are a poor value. I probably do have a bias towards Poly because it's the REASON we bought into DVC. If they hadn't build a DVC component at Poly, we would probably never have become DVC owners at all, or may not have taken the plunge until they built Riviera, which we also like very much. Thank you for watching and thanks for your input.
update to your video posting wave take out and steakhouse 77 went in
Yes, this video is a bit old now. I intend to make an updated version in the future.
@@TheMagicInTheMusic That would be good because DVC rooms at Boulder Ridge have now received the much-needed refurbishments, as have rooms at Beach Club and BoardWalk, I believe. And even more importantly, your video was done before the conversion of VGF's Grand Pine Key to a DVC Resort Studio building, which should have a positive impact on GF's availability and value scores.
The real best dvc resort is the California grand been to most of the resorts and it can’t be beat
We've also stayed there. While the resort is beautiful and the location is phenomenal, we didn't have the best experience with our room, or the service there. We have another stay there coming up this year, so hopefully it's better! I really hope it was just bad luck the first time. Thanks for watching!
You said the Boardwalk contract expires in 2042. If it opened in 1996 & 50 year contract - that’s 2046. Unless I’m doing it wrong
Yes, a few of them were set to expire in 2042 rather than the full 50 years, and Boardwalk is one of them. I don't know why they chose to do it that way. Here's a link showing the date (it's the same on all the websites, so you can easily cross-reference it). dvcinfo.com/dvc-information/resort-information/dvc-resorts/disneys-boardwalk-villas/
@@TheMagicInTheMusic I feel cheated now. Damn it. I’m gonna give DVC a bad Yelp review now. Hahaha. Thank you for responding and sending the site!
I did not see a FULL KITCHEN in any resort - does Disney expect you to eat out all the time - lol
Which room type are you looking at? All of the DVC studios have kitchenettes, but the 1, 2 & 3 bedrooms definitely have full kitchens - range, oven, microwave, dishwasher, full sized refrigerator.
What would your rankings be on value alone?
I think for value, Boardwalk, Old Key West, Saratoga Springs and Animal Kingdom Lodge would be highest on my list.
No points guess
You appear to NOT have your facts right. Your ratings are terrible.
How would you rank the resorts?