Whaaa...is that right???

MommyMeNDisney

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 21, 2015
I'm considering WDW September 2016. I really want to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge with a Savannah view for DS to enjoy. I looked at the room rates...

$560/night!!!! Whaaa, is that right?!?! I thought September was an off peak time?
 
Yikes! We stayed at AKL three times between 2009-2012 (two May trips and one spring break/March trip). And I only paid between $230-$275 per night. I only booked a savannah room on our first trip (back when they were running the buy 4 nights, get 3 free promotion), but we did get a free upgrade on our last trip. It's crazy to see that room prices have essentially doubled!
 
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I soooooo want to stay at a deluxe with my 3 boys. Soo badly! So I totally understand your frustration. :(
Keep in mind that discounts might be available & also consider standard view just for the feeling of being able to stay there. I keep on pricing out Yacht Club but, even if I am able to financially swing it is that worth it in the long run??? Will staying in a deluxe make such a difference than staying at a mod? To make myself feel better I think well if we don't do deluxe with the money we save maybe we will do something else special like get a limo to and from the airport? Or stay at a hotel in our city the night before we leave.
 
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As another who would love to book AKL, I feel your pain. Both of my children would love it I know.
We have always stayed at the Value resorts. For our 2nd trip, I had Wilderness Lodge booked with a military discount with the dining plan added. It was my last trip with dd as a Disney child and ds getting in and pretty much eating for free. Was so looking forward to it when some unexpected stuff came up that ate up the money I had put aside to buy our park tickets. We were only a month out and it was about time for the annual price increase.

Only thing I could do short of cancelling the dining plan (we had 7 character meals booked) was switch to a package with a Value resort. Got on the phone and made the switch and had room, tickets and dining plan and a $200 refund (which I wasn’t expecting given how close the trip was). Doesn't keep me from dreaming though.

Yacht Club is another one I’d love to try if everything aligned. We generally do what another poster mentioned and have a meal at a Deluxe resort to look around. So far we have visited the Poly, Yacht Club/Beach Club and Contemporary this way.


I’d also kind of like to try a mod; but they are so huge.

I've considered the DVC angle; but not sure I could handle paying up front. But then there are probably some renters that may not require that. I haven't looked that far into it.
 
I've considered the DVC angle; but not sure I could handle paying up front. But then there are probably some renters that may not require that. I haven't looked that far into it.

This is our first time renting DVC. The renter we used required half payment up front and half at the 60 day mark... everything has been smooth so far.
 


That doesn't sound right to me. I looked up rates and plugged in 9/10/16-9/16/16 and came up with a room rate of $443 (before tax) for a savanna view. Is the rate you are quoting for room only or is it a per night cost for a package?

Also, be aware that specials will come out when it is closer to the travel date. September is usually when free dining is available. And there is usually a room only discount during that time as well. I'd keep an eye on the Discounts and Rates forum here on the Disboards for info on specials. I'd guess that discounts for September 2016 would come out around March or April of 2016.
 
I just checked the price calculator on David's DVC rental site, for the week of September 4-11 the price of a savannah view studio would be 1428. That averages out to 204 dollars per night and I don't think there are any charges for taxes. You do have to pay up front, but you have six months to save as any bookings made more than 7 months out are charged more.
 
Yikes! We stayed at AKL three times between 2009-2012 (two May trips and one spring break/March trip). And I only paid between $230-$275 per night. I only booked a savannah room on our first trip (back when they were running the buy 4 nights, get 3 free promotion), but we did get a free upgrade on our last trip. It's crazy to see that room prices have essentially doubled!

$230-$275 is doable for me, but $560 is crazy expensive!
 
How do I rent DVC?

There's two methods. One is to go to a site like dvcrequest where someone will act as the middleman and handle all the work for you. The upside is you are going through a company with an established reputation. The downside is slightly higher prices.

The second way is to rent directly from an owner (there is a section on disboards to find renters). This will be cheaper, but you are putting more trust into a stranger. However, if you find someone with good references you should be safe.
 
That doesn't sound right to me. I looked up rates and plugged in 9/10/16-9/16/16 and came up with a room rate of $443 (before tax) for a savanna view. Is the rate you are quoting for room only or is it a per night cost for a package?

Also, be aware that specials will come out when it is closer to the travel date. September is usually when free dining is available. And there is usually a room only discount during that time as well. I'd keep an eye on the Discounts and Rates forum here on the Disboards for info on specials. I'd guess that discounts for September 2016 would come out around March or April of 2016.

September 23, 2016
 

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There's two methods. One is to go to a site like dvcrequest where someone will act as the middleman and handle all the work for you. The upside is you are going through a company with an established reputation. The downside is slightly higher prices.

The second way is to rent directly from an owner (there is a section on disboards to find renters). This will be cheaper, but you are putting more trust into a stranger. However, if you find someone with good references you should be safe.

Thanks. A couple more questions...

Do you have to rent them in weekly increments? We are looking to only stay two nights at the end of a cruise.

Can a travel agent book the DVC rental for me?
 
September 23, 2016

The problem is the date you are picking is when the rates jump from value season to regular season. Late September picks up, in part due to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. Weekend rates are particularly high. You can get a lower rate if you can go one week earlier. The rate is $440 on Thursday 9/22 and jumps up to $560 on Friday 9/23. It goes back down to $531 on Sunday 9/25. If you want to get the best deals on rooms, you need to go during Value season. Could you stay 2 nights before your cruise rather than at the end?
 
The problem is the date you are picking is when the rates jump from value season to regular season. Late September picks up, in part due to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. Weekend rates are particularly high. You can get a lower rate if you can go one week earlier. The rate is $440 on Thursday 9/22 and jumps up to $560 on Friday 9/23. It goes back down to $531 on Sunday 9/25. If you want to get the best deals on rooms, you need to go during Value season. Could you stay 2 nights before your cruise rather than at the end?

Thanks, but $880 + tax for two nights is still too expensive for me. I wish I could afford that, but I can't.

Prior to the other day, I'd never researched the price for a savanna room at AKL, so I was asking if $560 was normal for one night at the AKL. If so, it may turn out that we won't be able to afford to stay there. However, thank you for looking into some additional dates for me.
 

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