2 Standard rooms at AKL or 2 bed villa at Saratoga

[Jess_S]

Next spring, we are taking a 7 night trip to WDW. My parents (60s), me and DH (30s) and my son (5) will be going. We were considering AKL because my son is an animal lover. We stayed there last trip (just DH, DS and me) and enjoyed it, but did find that the main draw for DS was swimming. We did not really use other amenities because DS was too tuckered out from the parks and swimming.

For a little less than the cost of two standard view rooms at AKL, we can do a 2 bed at Saratoga Springs. The idea of a shared common space so that my son can hang out with my parents when he wants is appealing. It looks to me like Saratoga Springs is maybe a little less of a wow factor, but offers more space and proximity to Disney Springs.

So my question to all of you is which would you choose and why. (Is there a third option in the same price range I am missing?)

 

[MamaBelle4]

Are you paying cash reservation or renting points? Point rental, SSR 2bdrm, OKW 2bdrm & AKV 2 bdrm are pretty much equal cost.

I LOVE SSR. It is beautiful, quiet and so peaceful. The pools are awesome. And the proximity to DS can't be beat. Grab a qs, shop, hit one of the many ts, entertainment or just walk around and people watch. SSR is far more underrated than it deserves in my opinion.

 

[Jess_S]

I was looking at cash prices, and I think AKL villas were more than SSR in that case. I hadn't thought to look into point rental.

 

[MamaBelle4]

I was looking at cash prices, and I think AKL villas were more than SSR in that case. I hadn't thought to look into point rental.

Looking at a Sun-Sat in April (an expensive DVC time) the rates for AKV, OKW & SSR vary from 241-248. If you rented at $14/point, you'd be looking at $3,374-3,472.

 

[Jess_S]

Wow. I will definitely research point rental as one of our options. It looks like a significant savings over cash. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[cruisin5]

I'd go for the 2 bedroom, it will make for a better vacation experience with the living area for gathering, laundry and the full kitchen. You can put DS to bed in one of the bedrooms and still have a place for the adults to visit. Yet there is enough private space for everyone.

SSR has a variety of pools including great slides. There is no grand lobby like at AK, think of it as condos. It's a bit of a different feeling but great (and underrated as MamaBelle4 stated).

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I, too, would opt for the 2-bedroom. You'll have more space, a living area, kitchen and washer/dryer. We love the villas and even when it's just 3 of us going, we try to get a 1-bedroom. I find the villas much more relaxing than the standard rooms. In addition to SSR, OKW and AKV, you may also want to price out a 2-bedroom at Boulder Ridge and Copper Creek at WL. If you liked AKL, you will probably like WL as well - expansive lobby, detailed theming, great pools and restaurant options (plus a boat to MK!)

 

[Shanti]

Next spring, we are taking a 7 night trip to WDW. My parents (60s), me and DH (30s) and my son (5) will be going. We were considering AKL because my son is an animal lover. We stayed there last trip (just DH, DS and me) and enjoyed it, but did find that the main draw for DS was swimming. We did not really use other amenities because DS was too tuckered out from the parks and swimming.

For a little less than the cost of two standard view rooms at AKL, we can do a 2 bed at Saratoga Springs. The idea of a shared common space so that my son can hang out with my parents when he wants is appealing. It looks to me like Saratoga Springs is maybe a little less of a wow factor, but offers more space and proximity to Disney Springs.

So my question to all of you is which would you choose and why. (Is there a third option in the same price range I am missing?)

We loved our stay at AKL this April. Getting to use both the Jambo & Kidani feature pools was great for my pool & water slide loving son (and for hot tub loving me). The lobby is gorgeous, the bus service was efficient, the dining options were great, our room was lovely, and we had amazing animal views outside our balcony 24/7, even though it was a standard view room (Kudu Trail). So please put my vote in the AKL column.

 

[Jess_S]

Thank you all. I am continuing to research point rental since it puts a 2 bed villa in AKL, SSR and potentially WL in our budget. If we are comparing similar room sizes, then it will come down to ambiance, location and whether we want to try something new .

 

[Hopefully]

I would definitely go with the 2 BR Villa. The common areas are great, as you noted. With the full kitchen you could get a grocery delivery and at least eat breakfast while you are getting ready in the morning. And having the washer/dryer allows you to pack less.
Enjoy

 

[SharonZ]

Make sure you research about renting points. It usually means paying in full at booking, and no refunds for cancellations. I've stayed at SSR twice, in a 2-BR unit - loved it!

 

[adisneyaunt]

I'd go AKL. I like the idea of private or down time if needed or wanted...
Enjoy, whatever u choose!

 

[Jess_S]

Make sure you research about renting points. It usually means paying in full at booking, and no refunds for cancellations. I've stayed at SSR twice, in a 2-BR unit - loved it!

Thank you! So far, my 2 concerns about renting points are the no refunds/changes bit and the lack of housekeeping. We are still weighing whether the savings makes it worth it.

 

[BigOnDis]

We had this exact same dilemma last year when me, wife, daughter(24), son(20) and niece(18) were all going. When my kids were younger we loved AKL and have stayed there many times and it is an amazing resort, but this time we could get the SSR 2BR suite for a little cheaper as you mentioned, so we opted for that room over AKL. We were very happy with our choice. The room was big enough that we all had space. Having a kitchen was a huge plus for saving some money on some meals, and having snacks easily available. But since it was "one" room, we still felt like we were together. I was worried that I would be disappointed in the theming, or lack thereof of the SSR, but it was very nice and overall the resort felt very relaxed to me. We liked it so much that when discussing this years trip, everyone agreed that we would do SSR again.