To DVC or Not? (Rental)

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Mouseketeer
Joined
Jul 10, 2016
Never realised this would be so difficult. First timers.

Coming from the UK. Next November. We’ve finally pinned down the basics:
Staying 10 or 11 nights at Disney followed by 3 or 4 at Universal (huge HP fans, can’t decide if 3 or 4 nights is enough).

Anyway, issue is which Disney resort?
Our choices and thinking are as follows:

1) Book AKL through Disney and get free Dining. This is the only decent deluxe left in our dates that is affordable. We love the food choices at AKL. Love the theming. Love animals. This option means our holiday is secure as soon as we book and we have full control, it’s all in one place and it’s easy. Main worry is the buses and how long it takes to get everywhere. We tend to go out early on holiday, then head back to hotel after lunch and chill, then we’d head out to dinner and extra magic hours. I have a medical condition and this PM rest helps. We will be doing a Mickey’s Xmas Party and Fireworks Desserts (different nights) at MK.

2) Go with DVC and do a split stay. Either three resorts (AKL, an Epcot resort and a monorail resort) with the theory we choose our parks/restaurant choices around where we are staying. Or book a two resort split of AKL and a monorail (for convenience but less hassle than move to the three resorts). As above, we want some AKL dining, MK special evenings, Contemporary for dinner one night, a DS restaurant or two, Poly restaurants for both breakfast and dinner etc. It just feels this is easier with staying near to each area.

I guess ultimately it comes down to transportation. We don’t want to miss AKL so if we did do DVC it would definitely be a split stay of some kind. But could we get away with AKL for the whole trip and it wouldn’t be too much of a bind?

I’ve done so much research on food, amenities and rides, but this inability to pin down which resort choices are best is getting frustrating.

Help!
 
I would go with booking straight through Disney. In my opinion, switching resorts mid-trip interrupts the whole experience (and AKL is an amazing resort).
 
Nov. 2018 or 2019?
If 2018, it’s unlikely there’s any DVC rental availability at this point.
 


Never realised this would be so difficult. First timers.

Coming from the UK. Next November. We’ve finally pinned down the basics:
Staying 10 or 11 nights at Disney followed by 3 or 4 at Universal (huge HP fans, can’t decide if 3 or 4 nights is enough).

Anyway, issue is which Disney resort?
Our choices and thinking are as follows:

1) Book AKL through Disney and get free Dining. This is the only decent deluxe left in our dates that is affordable. We love the food choices at AKL. Love the theming. Love animals. This option means our holiday is secure as soon as we book and we have full control, it’s all in one place and it’s easy. Main worry is the buses and how long it takes to get everywhere. We tend to go out early on holiday, then head back to hotel after lunch and chill, then we’d head out to dinner and extra magic hours. I have a medical condition and this PM rest helps. We will be doing a Mickey’s Xmas Party and Fireworks Desserts (different nights) at MK.

2) Go with DVC and do a split stay. Either three resorts (AKL, an Epcot resort and a monorail resort) with the theory we choose our parks/restaurant choices around where we are staying. Or book a two resort split of AKL and a monorail (for convenience but less hassle than move to the three resorts). As above, we want some AKL dining, MK special evenings, Contemporary for dinner one night, a DS restaurant or two, Poly restaurants for both breakfast and dinner etc. It just feels this is easier with staying near to each area.

I guess ultimately it comes down to transportation. We don’t want to miss AKL so if we did do DVC it would definitely be a split stay of some kind. But could we get away with AKL for the whole trip and it wouldn’t be too much of a bind?

I’ve done so much research on food, amenities and rides, but this inability to pin down which resort choices are best is getting frustrating.

Help!

I would do the split. I, personally, get antsy after about 5 nights and I really like to experience a new atmosphere. We've done many EP/MK splits, but with 10 - 11 nights, an AKL/EP/MK split is entirely doable. Or, just go for the two resort split with AKL plus a monorail resort for ease of transportation to MK and EP. If transportation is a concern, consider using uber/lyft/Minnie Vans to help.

As far as Uni is concerned, if your main focus is HP, 3 nights is plenty of time to see everything. Uni is very small compared to WDW. I believe both parks together are roughly the size of EP.
 
I’m a fan of split stays, but would be torn in your case. The deals you can get in the UK, allowing you to lock in free dining early, means you know exactly what your core plans are and you can start budgeting and planning around these now. Plus AKL is beautiful.

How many of you are there?
I worked out that for my stay this December, with 3 of us, we will still be saving a bit by going with a DVC rental.
But, Disney Dining has become pretty expensive over the years, so if your group is 4 or more, I’d probably go the free dining route. Worth crunching the numbers regardless.

My experience of AKL buses is that they were better than I was expecting. Yes, AKL is further out, but only sharing buses between Kidani and Jambo meant they got to places quicker than the BW buses I took, that were sharing with BC and Swan and Dolphin (that may have changed now though).

And an on the side note, I would go for the 4 days at Universal. I love it there and an on-site stay is, IMO, quite a bit easier than one at Disney.
 
Thank you everyone for your responses. There’s just the two of us going (husband and I). To stay DVC is slightly more expensive, costing everything in. We wouldn’t get a Dining Plan but pay out of pocket. It’s not just the money for us though, but also convenience for each leg of our stay.

I did read that getting the monorail can be just as time consuming as direct buses, but the appeal of walking to MK from BLT, or between, say, GF and Poly, is quite appealing. Ditto for BW and Epcot/HS.

So difficult!
 


Can’t comment on the rental or DVC but I can tell you that staying on site at Universal at either Royal Pacific, Hard Rock or Portifino Bay is wonderful. These three come with Express Pass which is great. We stayed at RP, beautiful resort. They are all either a ten minute walk to the parks or a pleasant boat ride. So easy to go back and forth for a break. Many restaurants of all types at City Walk. If you are HP fans you should do this!
 
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But could we get away with AKL for the whole trip and it wouldn’t be too much of a bind?

Why not just use rideshares between places? uber/lyft/taxi/MinnieVan?


I like split stays, but then we always rent a car and drive everywhere. I know that it's a little scarier to do when you're from the UK (just like it's scary for an American to rent a car in the UK).
 
Aren’t rideshares really expensive?

I imagine they would add up with two back and forth trips each day, but each one isn't that much. Before uber/lyft came in, we took taxis on occasion (sometimes we hadn't yet picked up the rental car), and it wasn't much at all. You should be able to go to the Mears website and do a fare calculator for taxis. and I think you can do the same thing on the uber/lyft websites and apps.

If time is of the essence, I'd do the research to see if it would be worth it. (just remember the tip)
 
AKL is a gorgeous resort and the buses really were never a problem for us. Everywhere except the MK is just as convenient from here as from most other resorts. The MK is about an extra 5-10 minutes from AKL - no biggie, IMO. We use Disney transportation everywhere, almost all the time. An occasional Uber ride fills in the occasional need for quick transport between resorts.

That said, a split stay is my preference. If you are going to USO as well, I would opt for the two way split between the MK and AKL. Moving isn't difficult, but twice per trip is usually enough for us. If you choose the Poly as your monorail resort, you have the monorail from the TTC to go to Epcot directly when staying there. When at AKL, I would focus on the AKL and DHS. Then, while at the Poly, focus on the MK and Epcot.

I would strongly suggest dining at some of the restaurants at the AKL while staying there. Boma, Jiko and Sanaa are all excellent. Even the QS (Mara) is enjoyable for an easy breakfast.

Sounds like you have a wonderful trip planned! Enjoy!
 
I would love to stay that long at AKL! We spent one night there in 2016 (part of a conference induced split stay). We were easily able to hop a bus for dinner at a The Polynesian. Breakfast at Boma was fantastic!
 
We don’t drive (me because of my medical condition). Aren’t rideshares really expensive?

The Minnie Vans can add up, but lyft/uber isn't terribly expensive. IMHO, they've definitely made traveling around WDW easier. Before they were introduced on property, we gave up on staying at any resorts other than MK and EP resorts because we found transportation so cumbersome. On our last trip, we stayed at WL, save money over staying at monorail and EP resorts and spent the savings on Minnie Vans and lyfts. That being said, you mentioned you have a medical condition and will need to take mid-day breaks. Though I like the Minnie Vans and lyft/ubers, they do not take the place of simply walking back to your resort. So, if convenience is the ultimate goal here, you may want to consider that three-way AKL/EP/MK resort split. It really doesn't get more convenient than that.
 
I would do AKL and and Epcot resort-and not get a dining plan. Since it’s just the two of you there are so many fun lounges and bars to try-the Nomad Lounge in AK! Even in restaurants we like to share a meal so we try an appetizer or have room for dessert. Or we order something light by the pool.
Oh, and we were there (AKL) in April and buses were great!
 
Thank you, everyone. Some great replies here. I’m leaning towards the split because it will help so much to keep my energy levels up if I can just walk to the resorts/parks instead of taking upwards of an hour every time we want to do something. Think OH is still leaning towards AKL though. :D
 
We love split stays!

I’ve never stayed at AKL so I can’t comment on that, but I have rented DVC points twice. With a DVC rental, you have zero control over your reservation and no flexibility. Some people are totally okay with that (I’m one of them), but it is something to consider. Also, with DVC rentals, you don’t get daily housekeeping or two dedicated beds if staying in a studio (one bed is a pullout sofa). I do miss someone coming in and making the beds, refreshing towels, taking out garbage, but some people don’t mind missing those things. As my boys have gotten older, two real beds is more important now. I think a DVC rental is a great way to save money while staying deluxe, I just wanted to point out some differences between a regular hotel reservation and a DVC rental. Whatever you choose, have a great trip!
 
I like AKL, but not enough to stay there for 10-11 nights. I would book a split stay at either an Epcot resort or a MK resort. I would do a total of two resorts at WDW, not three.

Our favorite MK resort is Wilderness Lodge, but the Polynesian is also amazing. Never stayed at the GF, but would like to some day.

At Epcot, we like all of the Disney resorts. For a couple of adults, you would probably like the Yacht Club or Boardwalk. Our favorite is actually the Beach Club, though.
 
You won't regret doing a split stay! On the days you transfer, DVC valet/bell services can move your bags to your new resort for you. It's easy-peasy! The hardest part is re-packing, so you never quite get "settled," but to us, the opportunity to experience multiple resorts made it worth it!
 
Does the UK ever get deals on park tickets?

As many have said I would do the split stay with dvc with just two of you. AKL and probably an Epcot area with adults and two parks with easy access for breaks.

I am not sure if an inability to cancel is a concern for you.
 

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