BWV Trip July 25-29

[smity84]

First I’d like to say that I am an avid reader here on disboards, but this is my first post.

This was our first time staying at Boardwalk Villas (our home resort is AKV, and we’ve stayed there 3 times before). Overall, the resort was lovely. We had a studio (2112) overlooking the pool at the community center. Unfortunately, there was a tree right outside our balcony, so there wasn’t much of a view. This was a “babymoon” for us, as we are expecting our first child in October and wanted to have one last get away while we were still alone! Since my wife was pregnant, and it was very hot, we decided to skip the parks this time and simply enjoy the resort life and treat ourselves to some nice dinners.

Wednesday

Our flight arrived at 8:30 PM and we took DME and arrived at the resort just before 10 PM. We did the online check-in and had no issues. We didn’t have any requests, so I’m sure we were easy. The cast member had out packet ready to go, gave us directions to our room and we were off. We have stayed at AKV three times before, once in a 1BR, once in a 2BR, and once in a GV, so this was our first experience with a studio. For the two of us, it felt spacey enough. I liked the kitchenette and the couch was comfy. Although we have been spoiled in the past with more room, I’d be happy to stay in a studio again. My biggest complaint was the size of the bathroom. I felt that this is the biggest trade off in the studios, being smaller and no Jacuzzi tub!

Thursday

We decided to walk around the Boardwalk, Yacht Club, and Beach Club. We checked out Storm Along Bay and were impressed with how close everything was. We ate breakfast at the Boardwalk Bakery and walked around the shops for a little while. Later that afternoon we took a bus to Downtown Disney. This was my biggest complaint about BWV, the bus situation. We waited over an hour before we were able to board our bus to DTD. This was because the first bus, which we waited 30 minutes for was completely crowded and no one was able to board. The second bus, which took another 30 minutes, had standing room only available. After getting on the bus, we learned that it had stopped at the Dolphin, Swan, Yacht Club, and Beach Club before going to BWV. Every bus ride after this was similar in that the busses seemed to take forever and were always full. Anyway, DTD was great. We went there for lunch and the crowds weren’t too bad yet. We went to Arribas Brothers and bought a personalized frame for our two year anniversary! They were awesome and do beautiful work. I would recommend them to anyone.

After relaxing for a while, we decided to head over to the Contemporary (we had a dining reservation at the Californian Grill). We got there early, so we decided to check out the TOTWL. We got up there around 8 PM and there were only two other couples up there. The views were great and we enjoyed the atmosphere. I would definitely go up there for wishes. When we left at around 9 PM it had started to fill in, but there was still plenty of room. We headed over the Californian Grill. Our reservations were for 9:40, so we checked in at 9:30. We were taken right up and only waited a minute or two for our table. This was a first time dining here, so we really didn’t know what to expect. We were lucky enough to get a table right on the window, overlooking the Magic Kingdom, just in time for Wishes at 10 PM. The view was spectacular and the food was even better. Our waiter was Justin and he was very personable. For our starters we got flat bread, and I got the corn chowder soup. For our main courses, my wife got the pork, and I got the beef. It was excellent. We finished everything off with the chocolate cake. We both agreed that we could never go back to the Californian Grill because nothing will ever top that experience. It was…perfect.

Thursday

Thursday was our pool day. We slept in and went down to the pool in the early afternoon. I’ll admit it, I went down the clown slide and loved it. The middle of the afternoon was a great time to go down to the pool, as there was hardly anyone else there. After some pool time, we had lunch at the hotdog stand on the boardwalk. If you haven’t tried their corn fritter nuggets yet, you aren’t living!

We headed over to the Polynesian around 6 PM for dinner reservations at Ohana. This was also our first time dining there. Once again, after checking in, we waited maybe two minutes (it pays to be a party of two, I guess). The service was excellent. We have never eaten so much food in a short period of time. We were not prepared for that! Everything, from the salad to the steak, was great. We literally could have eaten until we exploded if we wanted to. The bread pudding desert was excellent, although we weren’t able to finish it all. Ohana is surely on our list to visit again on our next visit.

Later that night we headed back to the boardwalk to check out the night entertainment. There were three performers, two magicians and a juggler. They were all great and all of the kids there really seemed to enjoy them. This, in my opinion was a great perk of BWV, having this entertainment each night right out your window.

Friday

We slept in again and enjoyed another day by the pool. This time we decided to use the quiet pool right by our room (I think it’s called Luna). It was nice and peaceful. After a good swim, we napped in the shade on the lounge chairs. We went back to the boardwalk for lunch at the pizza place. Being from New Jersey, we were hopeful that the pizza would be real boardwalk pizza, but we were a little disappointed in that regard. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t horrible, but nothing compared to real boardwalk pizza.

We had dinner reservations at Boma that evening, so to AKL we headed. We had eaten there once before, so for once this trip, we knew what to expect. And as expected, dinner was fantastic. Boma is one of my favorite restaurants for a lot of reasons, but none bigger than their Carrot Ginger Soup. I could literally eat that soup every day for the rest of my life and be perfectly content. I had just about everything there. The ribs, beef, all sorts of rice, chicken, and let’s not forget about those Zebra Domes! Everything was great. We will definitely be back to Boma in our future trips.

After AKL, the wife surprised me with a Horse Carriage ride at Port Orleans. We had never been there before, and of course got off on the wrong stop. No fear though, as a cast member instructed us to take a boat ride down to the Riverside. The carriage ride was very romantic. It was about 9 PM, and our driver was able to pull off to the side at one point for us to enjoy a view of Illuminations. The Port Orleans resort was very nice and well themed. I wouldn’t mind taking a trip there again to check out the resort. From Port Orleans we took a boat to DTD so that we could get back to our resort. One of the nice things about that boat ride was seeing the Treehouse Villas. I can’t wait to stay there one day. They looked really cool from the water.

Saturday

DME picked us up just before 11 AM and we were heading home. There were no issues with leaving the resort and the bus ride was fine.

Overall Impressions

We really enjoyed BWV. The atmosphere was very nice and the resort was beautiful. Had we actually visited the parks, the convenience of Epcot and Hollywood Studios would have been very nice. This trip was our first in WDW without visiting the parks and we loved it. We were only there three full days, but still were able to accomplish a lot and really spoiled ourselves on our dinners. I would have no issue with doing a future vacation in WDW without going into the parks.

This trip we really tried to go to some different restaurants and really enjoyed them all. It was the highlight of our trip, no question about it.

I was very disappointed in the bus system at BWV. It felt like we waited forever for the busses and they were constantly crowded. Had my wife not been pregnant, I think we would have gotten off/on at the Swan or Dolphin to avoid the crowds, but that wasn’t an option for this trip. I’m sure in the busier times of the year, they probably don’t share that many stops with all of the resorts. This trip though, it was not fun.

While we haven’t been to that many DVC resorts yet, after this trip, I am still happy with our home resort of AKV. I like that AKV is more secluded and, in my opinion, AKV has more of a “home” feeling. But I can definitely understand why people love BWV and BCV, but it wasn’t my preference.

Our next trip to WDW will be with a young one, so I think we’ll be back at AKV, simply for the pool and play area at Kidani. We do, however, look forward to staying at the other resorts in the future.


Well, that’s it. I know it’s a lot for the first post, and I appreciate you reading along. I'll try to post some pics (if I can ever figure out how to post pics on here!) I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed doing it. Feel free to comment or ask questions, as I’d be happy to read them.

[Shazzasmd]

Sounds like a great trip - nice write up!

[smity84]

The view from our balcony.



Wishes as seen from the Californian Grill



Me going down the clown slide!



Mmmmm...bread pudding at Ohana!



Bob, the horse at Port Orleans



Carrot Ginger Soup at Boma...my favorite!

[disny_luvr]

Thanks for sharing your trip with us. I really enjoyed reading about it. It sounds like you had a great, park-free trip. Good luck with your new little one.

[vdub322]

Thanks for your review! We are staying at BWV on our January 2013 trip, and (like you) our home resort is AKV and we love it there. We went back and forth about staying in a standard view 1 BR at Kidani or the 1 BR standard view at BoardWalk Villas. In the end, we decided to try BWV and I hope that we enjoy it. I know that we will be sacrificing a few things like the second bathroom and the sleeper chair, but I'm hoping the location makes up for it. We love Epcot (especially World Showcase) and DD13 loves the Studios. The bus situation freaks me out a bit, since this will be our first trip flying and we won't have a car, but my DH doesn't enjoy DTD so it will only be an issue for MK and AK. Thanks for your review!

[smity84]

Originally Posted by vdub322

Thanks for your review! We are staying at BWV on our January 2013 trip, and (like you) our home resort is AKV and we love it there. We went back and forth about staying in a standard view 1 BR at Kidani or the 1 BR standard view at BoardWalk Villas. In the end, we decided to try BWV and I hope that we enjoy it. I know that we will be sacrificing a few things like the second bathroom and the sleeper chair, but I'm hoping the location makes up for it. We love Epcot (especially World Showcase) and DD13 loves the Studios. The bus situation freaks me out a bit, since this will be our first trip flying and we won't have a car, but my DH doesn't enjoy DTD so it will only be an issue for MK and AK. Thanks for your review!

That's awesome! You are going to have a great time. If the bus situation hasn't improved, I might suggest walking over to the Swan or Dolphin (it's really not that far) and get on the bus there. You'll still have to wait through all of the stops, but you won't have to worry about not getting a seat on the bus. I really wish they did not make all the stops with one bus. It was very frustrating. Hopefully Disney realizes that's it's not a great experience for guests. I'm sure you'll do fine though!

Enjoy your trip!

[ABE4DISNEY]

Great first posts!! And congrats on the baby!

I highly recommend Kidani as well for your trip with your little one. It is a fabulous resort and my kids favorite.

[SusieBea]

Enjoyed your TR! We've been members since 1993; OKW is our home. We stayed at BWV once, and, although we enjoyed the ambiance and location of the resort, we don't need to stay there again. (I am a big fan of Kidani, however.) Congratulations on the baby! You have many years of memories to make.

[mlittig]

Great report, sounds like a magical time

[Sandisw]

Sounds like a great trip and nice job with the trip report!

[LSchrow]

great TR!
i will readily admit that BWV is our favorite resort (we also own BCV and SSR), but can see how it is not for everyone. we LOVE the walks to EPCOT and DHS (even when we don't actually plan on entering a park - the strolls are just so relaxing).
i agree about the DTD buses - we usually only go there if we have a rental car, those buses are just too crowded. however, we've not waited very long for a bus to MK or AK in past years - maybe 15 minutes tops. they usually have a CM at the busstop when we go, which i think really does help keep the wait short.
ditto on boma, btw - it is in our top 2 restaurants, along with coral reef.

btw, luna park is the main, "clown pool". the quiet pool (by community hall) is usually less noisy, but for truly relaxing, quiet time, the pool on the BWI side is a fabulous hidden gem there are rarely kids there, and is usually so quiet you can hear if anyone starts snoring
congrats on your anniversary and soon-to-be-baby! i think kidani would be perfect with a little one!

[loritemp]

Ok, now you all have me wanting to try AKV for my kid's sake!

BWV is our home resort and we love it! Once you have to fold a stroller up (for us, a double) and work your way onto a bus, you will appreciate the walk or boat to Epcot and DHS even more

Love your report, have always wanted to hear a detailed report from someone who didn't do the parks! Glad you had fun, congrats on the little one, Disney will be a whole different kind of magic on your next trip!

[loritemp]

PS I am from South Jersey too and I have friends who thought it was hysterical that I bought BWV since I live about an hour from the land of Boardwalks!

[Chellymouse]

Wow! A relaxing WDW vacation?? That's a feat in and of itself! Congrats on your upcoming new arrival! Hope your DW is not having a difficult time! We stayed at BWV last year and honestly, our biggest complaint was the horrid bus service. We usually stay at our home resort (SSR) and overall, the bus service is WAY better over there. Glad to hear you had a great time!

[smity84]

Thanks for the comments, everyone! We really did have a great time and are very excited to welcome our son in just under two months! We already can't wait until we can take him down to Disney!

Originally Posted by loritemp

PS I am from South Jersey too and I have friends who thought it was hysterical that I bought BWV since I live about an hour from the land of Boardwalks!

Yeah, we thought it was funny that we flew a thousand miles to stay at a resort that was designed after something we can go drive a half hour to! Still lots of fun though, and you can't beat the Disney experience.