So while we had planned on not going again this summer (Covid last year, and my daughter's Sweet 16 to pay for this year), seems a ray of light just poked through the clouds.
My daughter got invited as 1 of 3 girls to go on her friend's Sweet 16 Disney trip in July. (We offered trip as well but my kid wanted the party

) My wife isn't the type of mom to let her kids travel a few states away, so the idea off us going the same week "just to be there" is on the table. Would be me, wife and 12 year old son.
WE have a full year of DVC points held over from last year we need to use or rent out. So I want to grab my resort ressie now so I don't lose it. I can cancel if needed.
So my options are 1 Bedroom suites for:
• Old Key West (Can get a preferred room close to hospitality)
• Saratoga Springs (also get preferred room)
• Animal Kingdom, both Jambo and Kidani
• Wilderness Lodge (both Coper Creek and Boulder Ridge)
We want to make this an economical trip, so will be spending a good amount of time at the resort, thats why I want to make sure I make the right choice.
So throwing this out this, love to hear your thoughts.
Pros/Cons
OKW: oldest resort, off the beaten path. So travel time is a concern. Only 1 sit down restaurant (Olivias, which is great) but limited counter service (which we used esp for breakfast) However for relaxing, it is one of the best resorts. Also has the biggest rooms and all have been recently updated.
Saratoga: Large rooms, also very recent update within the last year I believe. Like OKW, it is a very spread out resort so would need that preferred building location and off the main path. Good Quick Service options however their main restaurant is still currently closed (who knows come July though). 1 of the 2 preferred buildings faces and has a walking bridge right to Dis Springs. which could be fun. My only reservation is that Saratoga always seems like the "last resort resort" as it always has availability and I never hear anyone say "OMG, I love Saratoga springs"
AKL: Only ones of this group that we've stayed in before. I really love AKL, but like the other 2, it is generally far away from the action. I prefer Jambo over Kidaini b/c of the grandure of the lobby and more amenities. Kidani was added after and is a DVC only resort, so they don't have things like gift shops and QS locations. My only reservation is that the AKL rooms are very dark and bold for my liking (I know sounds silly) but its not my style. However, theres animal viewing and find me any other resort that has that.
Wilderness lodge: Location is the biggie here. Its considered a Magic Kingdom area resort and has a boat that goes directly to MK. Also it is right next door to Fort Wilderness campground. If we are not doing some park days, Fort Wilderness could be a fun diversion. The QS and sit down options here are really good..the best of the 4 IMO. However the rooms are a concern. They are scheduled to be redone sometime in 2022 which tells me 2 things: 1) they are very old and run down (by Disney's and my wife's standards) and 2) we could find ourselves living in a construction zone or worse find our room is scheduled to be renovated and kicked over to some other resort without choice.