AKL vs Beach Club?

[bam117]

Looking for input on making a resort decision. We're going to be renting DVC points for our trip next Nov and I'm torn between Beach Club and Animal Kingdom Lodge. Our kids will be 7 (girl) and 4 (boy) at the time. Love the location of BC and the convenience of being able to walk to Epcot and the other Boardwalk areas. I also prefer the look of the rooms over AKL from looking at pictures. I just keep hearing how amazing an experience it is to stay at AKL and it seems like it would be really cool for the kids. The food also sounds amazing there. Why is this such a hard decisions . The other factor is that I'd be able to rent points from the same person we rented from last time when we stayed at BLT. For BC I'd be going through David's (or another site) so I guess no guarantee I'd get it. Thoughts? Opinions? Thanks in advance!!

 

[Best Aunt]

Are you booking at 11 months? If yes, then I assume you confirmed that the person you rented from before owns at AKV and has enough points for the trip you want to book. You said you stayed at BLT last time, so I just wanted to check. Maybe they own at both, or maybe they own at AKV but you booked at 7 months for your BLT stay.

BCV is harder to book because it is smaller, people like the location and people like the pool. November is popular, so I don't know how much availablity there is if you don't book at 11 months. You didn't say what type of unit you want. Studios book before 1-bedrooms because they require fewer points.

I think some people contact David's before the 11 month mark so that David's can try to find an owner who can book when the 11 month mark hits.

If you are at BCV, it's easy to walk to other hotels or into Epcot for food if you don't like what is available in the hotel. If you are at AKV, there are fewer restaurants and you can't walk anywhere (other than between Jambo House and Kidani Village). Many people think the food at Animal Kingdom Lodge is amazing. Will your kids think so? I don't know how adventurous they are. Make sure you look at the menus and know which meals the restaurants serve.

Animal Kingdom Lodge does have a lot of activities. You can find the monthly activity guide to see if those are activities which would be of interest to your kids.

 

[sturner324]

I haven’t stayed at the Beach Club, but it’s on my bucket list. I have stayed at Boardwalk and AKL, and while I love the theme (and food) of AKL I would pick any of the Epcot area resorts for their location.

Oh — and I’ve tried renting Beach Club through David’s, but it was unavailable. I think it can be hard to get... but it doesn’t hurt to try.

 

[Shark Head]

You could always split your stay. I’ve done that a number of times. I enjoy getting the different hotel vibes.

 

[CynBeth]

We never did DVC but have stayed at AKL. I know many people love it but we found It just ok. We were out early and came back late most nights so never saw the animals from our room which is the main reason for staying there and had a long walk plus you take the bus to all the parks. We do love Boma for breakfast or dinner so every trip we visit for a meal there. We have not stayed in BC but were at YC and loved it. It is great to be able to walk or take the boat to 2 parks and there are a lot of food choices if you include all of the surrounding resorts and WS in Epcot. Cape May is one of our favorite character breakfasts. The bus system for the other parks was fine. It first stops at YC and then BC. Depending on when in November you go there may be holiday decorations.

If you can’t get BC have you considered WL? It has amazing theming and there is a boat to MK and also one to CR and FW so you have a lot of food choices there as well.

 

[cmarsh31]

We've stayed at both - I honestly didn't love BC when my kids were little. The slide is outside of the pool complex and I didn't want to walk around on the boardwalk in my bathing suit to supervise them. With older/pre-teens it's easier, but I still don't love letting them go that far out of my view. AKL I can stay in the water and see them wherever they are at the pool. We also vastly prefer the QS at AK to BC. Yes, Epcot is just a walk away, but our style for breakfast is I run down, grab food and bring it back to the room for everyone to eat while they're getting ready. A trip to Epcot doesn't work quiet as easily.

However, yes, the transportation to Epcot and HS from BC can't be beat - but the bus to MK and AK from BC seems about the same as the bus to MK and Epcot from AKL.

If you're going for at least a week, I'd do a split-stay. 3-4 nights at AKL (going to MK and AK while you're there), then 3-4 nights at BC (HS & Epcot park days). Best of both worlds!

 

[CynBeth]

Depending on the length of your trip and what part of Nov you are going I would stick with 1 resort and not do a split stay. Not sure if it is the same or not when doing DVC but there is no such thing as a split stay it is considered as
2 separate reservations so when making ADRs you would only be able to do the days of your 1st reservation plus transfer day and then wait until 180 days of the 2nd resort to do the rest.

 

[Deploraboo]

I stayed at both. Simple answer. AKL and get savannah view. Beach Club has that pool, yes but imho, it’s somewhat overrated. The food at AKL is head and shoulders above Beach Club and when I was at BC, it was, Not good. Yes, AKL is farther, but the buses were never crowded. Unequivocally, AKL.

 

[patty57]

I've stayed at both and much prefer the Epcot area. Just had a less than wonderful stay at AKL, with a number of problems at the resort. I agree with the post above about the food at AKL, but I don't know if you, or your kids enjoy African spiced food. BC has more Americanized food. Sadly, my niece didn't like the food at AKL at all.

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

You can't really go wrong. I prefer BC, but I would suggest you find out what your kids want to spend more time doing. If the resort is more of a place to rest between days spent at parks or other activities away from the resort, then i would go with BC because of the location. but if your kids love animals and want to spend a lot of time at the resort, go for AKL. There are a lot of interesting animals to see

 

[bam117]

Are you booking at 11 months? If yes, then I assume you confirmed that the person you rented from before owns at AKV and has enough points for the trip you want to book. You said you stayed at BLT last time, so I just wanted to check. Maybe they own at both, or maybe they own at AKV but you booked at 7 months for your BLT stay.

BCV is harder to book because it is smaller, people like the location and people like the pool. November is popular, so I don't know how much availablity there is if you don't book at 11 months. You didn't say what type of unit you want. Studios book before 1-bedrooms because they require fewer points.

I think some people contact David's before the 11 month mark so that David's can try to find an owner who can book when the 11 month mark hits.

If you are at BCV, it's easy to walk to other hotels or into Epcot for food if you don't like what is available in the hotel. If you are at AKV, there are fewer restaurants and you can't walk anywhere (other than between Jambo House and Kidani Village). Many people think the food at Animal Kingdom Lodge is amazing. Will your kids think so? I don't know how adventurous they are. Make sure you look at the menus and know which meals the restaurants serve.

Animal Kingdom Lodge does have a lot of activities. You can find the monthly activity guide to see if those are activities which would be of interest to your kids.

Thanks! Yes trying to book at 11 months (which is today). The person I rented from before owns at BLT and AKV so he'd be able to book now. I'm going for a 2-bedroom, so we'd also be getting some groceries for the room and wouldn't entirely be relying on resort food for the kids, but they aren't that picky. Thanks for the input!

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you book a two bedroom at Kidani Village, it will have three bathrooms. If you book Jambo House, it will be a lockoff (meaning a studio connected to a one bedroom). It will only have two bathrooms and the master bathroom isn't in the master bedroom, but outside the room in the hallway. KV will have both lockoffs and dedicated. Lockoffs will have a kitchenette in the second bedroom, but only one real bed and a double sleeper sofa. Dedicated means it can only be booked as a two bedroom, no kitchenette in the second bedroom, but two real queen beds in the second bedroom.

Unless your 4 yr old is an expert swimmer, Stormalong Bay will drive you crazy. It has areas that are really deep, like 8' with a swifter current. Plus it is really spread out. KV has a really nice water play area for the kids.

 

[GovieMom]

For your kids alone, I would choose AKL. The themeing there is amazing, with so many animals for them to view and beautiful pools. (You can also walk around the back of the Lodge to see the flamingos.) They provide several activities each day for the kids to do. My kids LOVED staying at AKL; in fact it remains their favorite resort to date, and we've stayed at them all, including the Polynesian and Contemporary.

 

[starry_solo]

With the age of the kids, I would pick AKV - Kidani, especially for the extra bathroom

When the kids get older, I would pick BCV.

I've stayed at both, renting points from an owner.

 

[bam117]

With the age of the kids, I would pick AKV - Kidani, especially for the extra bathroom

When the kids get older, I would pick BCV.

I've stayed at both, renting points from an owner.

That’s kind of what I’m thinking too! Save Beach Club for a few years from now when they can really get the most out of that pool!

 

[gharter]

Book AKL.
If the person you are renting from owns at AKL, you can book that at 11 months. If you stay at AKL, stay at Kidani.
BC i smuch smaller and 2 BR can be mor challenging to get.

 

[purpliequeen]

We're DVC members and have stayed at both many times. With kids the ages you mentioned (4 and 7), I think AKL might be a hit. However, have you asked them? The vibes between the two are very different. If your kids are animal lovers, then savanna room is a no brainer. Kidani 2 bedrooms have a third bathroom off of the living room. It also offers covered parking (which we really love) and you can park below your villa. AKL is also easy for folks with kids who are in strollers. Not sure about your 4 yo, but it's a lot easier to fold a stroller and hop on a bus after a long day than it is to push a stroller and supervise a 7 yo. DHS to BCV is still a decent walk. Yes, you can walk - which is great - but the distance should be factored in.

BCV has an awesome pool and I love it, but as previous posters have mentioned - I think it's great for older kids who can swim without constant supervision. Sure, there are lifeguards, but there are many hidden areas that make it hard to see for parents. And I've read a lot of reports on the disboards over the years from parents who couldn't relax at the pool.

Either way, you can't go wrong. Both resorts are amazing and my favorites in the World.

 

[mickeymom22]

I have never stayed DVC at AKL or BC, but I have stayed at both resorts.

Just my thoughts:

Food offerings at AKL beat BC for me. I don't like not having a convenient QS. I grab breakfast and bring it back to room so we can eat as we get ready in the morning.

BC location can't be beat. When our kids were little and we were staying at BC we would end our days at Epcot and have a nice sit down meal and then stroll over to the BC and head off to bed.

BC has a great pool, but it is spread out so not too relaxing for mom and dad as you have to keep alert and move as your child explores.

If you are getting park hoppers, I would recommend BC and hop over to Epcot so you can stroll back home each night.

No park hoppers and choice of food offerings are important, I would recommend AKL.

 

[Sara_H]

We have stayed at both AKL and BC and have liked both of them. We like BC for the location and being able to walk to both EP and HS. We stayed at AKL when my kids were about 5 and 7 and the pools there were great for their ages. The Kidani side has a nice splash pad area which my kids loved and the Jambo pool was pretty nice too. The BC pool is nice but maybe not the best for young kids, also, the weather in November can be iffy so you might not be able to swim.

People always that that AKL is so far away...that never bothered us and it didn't seem far either. I mean, you can't walk to a park or another resort but there are many resorts where you can't do that...and some that you could but don't. The "distance" never bothered us at all.

For your kids ages and the fact that you have an owner that you could rent from at AKL, I think that would be my vote for you.

 

[ButterbearUK]

I haven’t stayed at the Beach Club, but it’s on my bucket list. I have stayed at Boardwalk and AKL, and while I love the theme (and food) of AKL I would pick any of the Epcot area resorts for their location.

Oh — and I’ve tried renting Beach Club through David’s, but it was unavailable. I think it can be hard to get... but it doesn’t hurt to try.

Same here.

We are in a queue for points for BCV from David’s for end October 2020. I have a back up booking at Yacht Club just in case they can’t find us any points.

By way of comparison, they managed to snag us the room and points combination that we wanted for Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge and Grand Floridian Villas for the same trip within hours of the 11 month booking window opening.

Don’t set your heart on Beach Club Villas through rental. It’s a hard one to get, particularly during the Fall.

And for what it’s worth, Animal Kingdom is lovely to stay at. That is the one I’m most excited to be going back to, even though YC/BC, WL and GF are all generally considered more desirable due to location!