Bay Lake Villas or Animal Kingdom Kidani Village Villas - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Bay Lake Villas or Animal Kingdom Kidani Village Villas
Hi all. We were thinking of doing a split stay 8 nights with these two hotels, but it was too expensive. We are staying 7 nights, but I don't think it pays to do a split stay (3 days / 4 days) so now are are going to pick one hotel. We want to stay in a 1 bedroom villa and it would be the two of us with our two kids ages 4 & 7.
Which would you stay if you had to pick one?
~ Marina
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I absolutely AKV. Watching the animals is great. The pool is very nice. I would always choose that over bay lake as I prefer the theming. I have always found the bus service to be top notch, but many others on the boards find this resort to be too far out. We leave in the am and do not return until we are done for the day. If your family takes mid day breaks or spends the most time at MK this may not be the place for you as the convienience and closeness of a monorail resort may be bettter suited to younger children, but again it depends on your touring style and interests. What a great excuse for another trip to try whichever one you don't choose the first time. lol.
If you don't want to do a split stay (and we've done plenty in a seven day space - it is do-able ) then I'd go with Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, although really I don't think you can go wrong with either. There's nothing better than watching the animals and just getting away from it all there.
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Hmm, with kids I probably wouldn't do a split-stay either. I'm gonna vote for AKV. The resort is stunning (especially the wildlife!), the villas are bigger than those at BLT, and the pool area is great for younger kids. The only drawback is that you're rather far away from everything and have to take a bus to get to the parks.
IF your kids are huge MK fans, BLT may be the better choice.
Either way, you really can't go wrong as both resorts are wonderful (Not helping, I know)
I think we would pick Bay Lake. Our kids want to spend as much time as possible at MK, so the quick walk there is wonderful from Bay Lake. Also having a stroller is so much easier using the monorail because it doesn't have to be folded while everyone is not so patiently waiting behind you like on a bus. If you have your own car, AK would be a great quiet and spacious place to stay. But with the ages of your kids, only with a car would this be a better choice. Are you staying on points? If so, Bay Lake is a lot more points for a week stay than AK, so that might factor into your decision also.
Our 2 teen DD's and 3 year old granddaughter loved Kidani. We had a savanna view so we watched the animals every morning while we ate breakfast and when we returned to the resort. We never found the ride to any of the parks to be too long and our only other stop was at Jambo. The only issue I had with Kidani is the lack of a food court and we would have to travel to Jambo to eat.
I have never been to Bay Lake so I can't comment. We would like to stay there because of the proximity to Magic Kingdom. We generally spend more time at MK than at any other park.
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Daughter has tried for BLT but has not been able to get it for the trips she had planned. With kids it is really nice to be that close to MK. We stayed at AKL Jambo with savanna view and it was beautiful. Having the balcony to sit out on and watch the animals was really nice. The kidina village area was nice with a wonderful water area for the kids which would be a plus with the kids. You do have to go over to Jambo for eating so that may be something you have to think about.
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Tough decision. I've never stayed at any of the DVC resorts - but I have done split stays several times between the AKL and the Contemporary. That is our favorite split!!
We usually do this when we are travelling near the holidays. We stay at the Contemporary during our party/MK days - then do a relaxing chill out at the AKL for the last few days of our stay.
I enjoy the split - it's like two vacations in one!
I love BLT. Haven't stayed at AKL Villas, but my older DD and her DH have and they love them. I think it depends on what you're looking for.
BLT - convenient to MK and TTC. Very roomy, very modern. Some have complained about the modern feel, saying it feels cold and not "Disney-like". I love it. You can enter either through the front door or through a walkway from Contemporary. There is no desk at the front - check in, etc is in the Contemporary: some don't like this
AKV - Others say it's very nice, great theming! The animals are right there. And, you have the benefit of buses dedicated to only that one resort. It's removed from everything else, and I really didn't like that feel when we stayed at AKL. I felt isolated, much more so than staying at any other resort.
We've stayed at both multiple times, and I love each of them. AKV/AKL is amazing! The lobby alone has such a wow factor. Art, decor and ambience here can't be beat. We loved the pool (Kidani, mostly) and of course the animals. Very easy to take the bus everywhere. We stayed there twice (first time we did a split stay between AKV and BLT), and the buses were always easy to catch. Don't let the lack of proximity to the parks stop you. We had a one bedroom savanna view in Kidani and it was very large and well equipped. Loved it!
BLT is great, too, and of course you can't beat walking to MK! The kids both chose BLT when I gave them the choice after the first trip, which kind of surprised me. The decor is modern and fun, and the views are great. The one bedroom at BLT seemed smaller than our room at Kidani Village, but it was well equipped. The pool has a fantastic slide (see pic below), and as a guest at BLT, you can use the Contemporary Resort's pool (but you can't use the BLT pool if you're staying at CR). It was also fun checking out the Top of the World Lounge on the top floor of BLT. Amazing views!
Restaurants at both resort areas are great. I can promise you that you won't be disappointed with either of these resorts, so you can't lose! Good luck deciding!!
Thanks for posting that wonderful, imformative blog that you wrote. They both are wonderful yet very different hotels. As you can see by my ticker, we went with AKL. Since we are celebrating a big birthday (my 40th), I really wanted a once in a lifetime setting, something really unique. I always take my kids to the zoo, we love seeing the animals, so we booked a savannah view at Kidani.
Thanks again for writing & posting the article,
Marina
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Bay Lake Villas or Animal Kingdom Kidani Village Villas
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AKV. Watching the animals is great. The pool is very nice. I would always choose that over bay lake as I prefer the theming. I have always found the bus service to be top notch, but many others on the boards find this resort to be too far out. We leave in the am and do not return until we are done for the day. If your family takes mid day breaks or spends the most time at MK this may not be the place for you as the convienience and closeness of a monorail resort may be bettter suited to younger children, but again it depends on your touring style and interests. What a great excuse for another trip to try whichever one you don't choose the first time. lol.
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) then I'd go with Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, although really I don't think you can go wrong with either. There's nothing better than watching the animals and just getting away from it all there.
JulieB 
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