OKW or BWV?

[bunkkinsmom]

Hey Folks!

I am headed to the World in February 2012 with my mom and Grandmother, along with my family. So 7 of us total. My Grandmother is 83 with very limited mobility, but very very spunky!

This will be my Gmom's first ever DW visit! And my mom hasn't been since AK opened, so it will be one for the books for sure!

Normally we stay at OKW and LOVE IT THERE! I mean love it! However, our favorite parks are HS and EP and we are considering staying at BWV this year. Gmom will be in an ecv that she is not used to using, so I thought with 2 parks being accesible by boat, this would be easier on her.

I am concerned, however, about the size of the villa. I am spoiled by OKW for sure! We have 3 kids, 9,7,5. At OKW we get a one bedroom and the kids sleep on the pullout couch and chair. Will I miss the roominess? Is it worth the convenience?

 

[jekjones1558]

Boy. That is a tough call. We almost always stay at BWV because my DH is also in an ECV and he hates using it on buses. He also doesn't spend as much time in the parks as he used to and he loves watching all of the activity on the BW. We always book BW view, but that may not be available to you now because the 7 month window has been open for a while. However, with your size group you will definitely notice the difference in room size between OKW and BWV. If you will have a car, parking proximity at OKW is also so much better. I guess it will come down to how much of your time will be spent in your villa. Good luck. We love both resorts!

 

[DebbieB]

That is a tough one. I assume grandmother would get the bed in the second bedroom, would your mom get the second bed? Kids in the living room? So the big difference would be if your mom gets the second queen bed (OKW) or a double sofabed (BWV).

The problem with OKW is grandmother's ECV would have to be loaded onto busses everywhere you go. She would have to have a first floor or elevator building. At BWV, she could drive onto the boat for Epcot & DHS and floor would not be an issue.

 

[Sandisw]

I vote for BWV, having just come back from there and the ease to DHS and Epcot. While you may miss the room a bit, having your Grandma with you and knowing that it might be easier for her, will help.

We had 9 of us in a 2 bedroom--and we managed without issue. Have fun!!

 

[DVC_Dreamer]

As long as your getting a two bedroom villa, I vote for BWV. You can avoid bus to MK also by walking to Monorail.

 

[tinkandme]

Good one! I love OKW, like realy love OKW. but I think in this case BWV may be better for you. Like you said it is closer to the 2 parks, plus more to do on the BW at night too. As a family we don't spend alot of time in the rooms, so think a 2 bdrm will do you just fine!
Good Luck and enjoy your tripm either way!
~Kim

 

[bunkkinsmom]

That is a tough one. I assume grandmother would get the bed in the second bedroom, would your mom get the second bed? Kids in the living room? So the big difference would be if your mom gets the second queen bed (OKW) or a double sofabed (BWV).

The problem with OKW is grandmother's ECV would have to be loaded onto busses everywhere you go. She would have to have a first floor or elevator building. At BWV, she could drive onto the boat for Epcot & DHS and floor would not be an issue.

OH! I didn't even think about not having the 2 queens in the second bedroom!
GMom would probably sleep on the pullout couch. We did a cruise a few years ago and she slept on the couch and never pulled it out. If we leave the couch pulled out all the time, does that cause issues with getting through that room? Also, where would we keep her ECV? OKW has so much room in the 2BR that it has never been an issue (went with DH's mom and rented one). GMom won't need the ecv in the room of course, just when we go out.

As long as your getting a two bedroom villa, I vote for BWV. You can avoid bus to MK also by walking to Monorail.

Where's the closest monorail? All I can think of is the boat to International Gateway and then walking around to the Epcot entrance.

 

[Sammie]

I would go for more room.

 

[dianeschlicht]

OH! I didn't even think about not having the 2 queens in the second bedroom!
GMom would probably sleep on the pullout couch. We did a cruise a few years ago and she slept on the couch and never pulled it out. If we leave the couch pulled out all the time, does that cause issues with getting through that room? Also, where would we keep her ECV? OKW has so much room in the 2BR that it has never been an issue (went with DH's mom and rented one). GMom won't need the ecv in the room of course, just when we go out.



Where's the closest monorail? All I can think of is the boat to International Gateway and then walking around to the Epcot entrance.

If you do BWV, I would NOT expect G'mom to sleep on a pull out sofa. That would be something even I would not do myself, and I'm 20 years younger than she. Also with decreased mobility, just navigating the room around the pulled out sofa will be an issue in the smaller second bedroom at BWV.

I had to use an ECV for several trips a few years ago, and we stayed at OKW on all those trips. It was so easy with the ECV, because there was plenty of room to park and charge it in the living room near the big chair. It was completely out of the way of anyone walking around the room. At BWV, it will be cramped with 7 people to begin with, and adding an ECV will make it more so. Also, I thought the boats were tricky with the ECV. I much preferred the bus, even though it took extra time.

It's a tough decision for sure. I guess I'd opt for more room since you have 7 people in the villa. I've never felt the time to get to the parks was significantly different between using boats or buses anyway. Since you are like me and love the extra space of OKW, I'd go with that again.

 

[bunkkinsmom]

If you do BWV, I would NOT expect G'mom to sleep on a pull out sofa. That would be something even I would not do myself, and I'm 20 years younger than she. Also with decreased mobility, just navigating the room around the pulled out sofa will be an issue in the smaller second bedroom at BWV.

I had to use an ECV for several trips a few years ago, and we stayed at OKW on all those trips. It was so easy with the ECV, because there was plenty of room to park and charge it in the living room near the big chair. It was completely out of the way of anyone walking around the room. At BWV, it will be cramped with 7 people to begin with, and adding an ECV will make it more so. Also, I thought the boats were tricky with the ECV. I much preferred the bus, even though it took extra time.

It's a tough decision for sure. I guess I'd opt for more room since you have 7 people in the villa. I've never felt the time to get to the parks was significantly different between using boats or buses anyway. Since you are like me and love the extra space of OKW, I'd go with that again.

Yeah the room is a huge issue. I wish there was a life sized mock up here so I could walk around it! My DH would get the ecv on and off the buses, and we have used the boats with ecv from Boardwalk and from DTD. We are not park commandos. We don't wake up to an alarm, and we stay up late in the villa talking a lot. Our only plan each day is our ADR!

Is there a conflicted smiley?

 

[mecllap]

Here's the pullout sofa in the BWV 1 bedroom (after being used for several days):

DGS appreciated that I had brought along a memory foam mattress pad to help make it more comfortable. You might want to bring along a blow-up mattress for one of the kids. Hopefully you're driving. According to the DVC book, BWV 2Rs consist of a one-BR and a Studio -- so you actually only have two "real" beds and two sofabeds -- which could be iffy for the configuration of your group. (I have heard rumors that some sofa beds are comfortable, but in all my travels, I've yet to find one that actually is, esp now that I'm in my 60's). I'm sure that you can find a way to make either choice work for you, as long as you know what to expect.

 

[LSchrow]

We've stayed in a BWV 2bdrm with 7 ppl and TWO ECVs (my parents in their 80's, DB, DSIL, 2 nephews, and me) repeatedly.
There was plenty of room. Btw, my parents normally use the scooters to get to EPCOT, and occasionally to DHS. They love the BWVs, and the fact that there is so much to see and do there. Even after visiting us at OKW and admiring the roominess, they only want to stay at the BWVs.
Btw, I have slept on the new pull-out couches and founf them very comfy.
Have a great time whatever you decide

 

[jekjones1558]

I sleep on the BWV sofabed most trips because DH snores. I find them comfortable but they are a bit clumsy to get out of, so you might want to consider that. Many people have posted on this forum over the years that they have requested an egg crate type mattress pad from mousekeeping, a possibility you might want to try.