BC or BWV

[jkkldisney]

My Mom and I will be going on a trip next year. We are thinking either BC or BWV, but I am debating which would be the best first choice. I am on the west coast so much more experience with Disneyland, only have been to DW twice with the last in 2012. Between BC and BWV, what resort do you like better and why? I really want this to be a special trip. We want the option to walk to Epcot, not sure how difficult that is. My mom is 81, pretty healthy but does get tired and doesn't have the stamina she used too. We are coming off a tough year with my dad passing away on mother's day and today would have been their 54th wedding anniversary. Really want to do the best I can for my mom.

 

[disneynutz]

BWV is a fine resort and IMO fits a 81 year old better than the BCV. Consider renting her an ECV to increase her ability to enjoy her vacation. She can try them out at most stores while at home.

Bill

 

[Kirk]

Agree with disneynutz on both points. About the ECV, I started using one after a surgery a few years ago and loved it. There are a number of prefered vendors but I found Scooterbug to have best pricing. Also good customer service. In August I had a mechanical issue with a rental in the back of AK. Called them up and when they couldn't resolve the issue over the phone they brought me a new one inside the park. Took maybe 30-45 min. I was impressed! Here's a link:

Scooterbug

 

[Dano1182]

Both are great . BWV maybe a slightly better choice for your mom. However BCV is closer to entrance to epoct .

 

[ScubaCat]

It's amazing that nobody has brought up this debate before.

I always vote for BCV, but honestly it depends if you like the pool or not. If you're like us and spend several hours a day at the pool, BCV is the obvious choice. If you're not going to use the pool, BWV may be better. It's really hard to go wrong either way, though, IMHO. The pros and cons mostly balance out.

 

[disneynutz]

Especially with an ECV BWV is my choice. She can drive the open boardwalk easier, go to the different shops, park the ECV and walk in, and it isn't as crowded. She can visit the pool area with plenty of room to maneuver, the boat is closer and the village area is fun to just sit and relax. There is the small elevator over by the Belle Vue lounge just perfect for an ECV to take her to the boardwalk from the lobby area.

Bill

 

[jkkldisney]

Thanks for the advice. I booked BVW. Without the kids coming, pool is a loe priority. I think it will ne good. My mom is pretty healthy and I know her well enough that unless something changes with her health, she will not get an ECV. She did go to DL with us in June and dud amazingly well, but it us much more compact I know. She is increasing her walking and exercise to prepare. It will be a great trip.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you do decide to rent an ECV (they are great if you have any problems at all walking), make sure you rent from a Disney approved company so you can pick up the scooter from Bell Services on your arrival and you can leave it with Bell Services when you leave. Otherwise, you have to meet the vendor for arrival and departure. If you have a car, parking is easier at the BCV.

 

[cjwags10]

With BWV, be sure to ask for a room closer to the elevator. One time we were there our rooms were way down at the end of the hall which made for a pretty long walk to get out of the hotel before even starting to walk to Epcot. BCV is definitely a closer walk. My mom is in her 70's and loves BCV, but it is all personal preference. We are not really clown/carnival type people. We still love to stroll along the boardwalk, but we prefer the theme at BCV. My mom likes the different areas where she can sit away from the crowd there too. You will be closer to the boat from BWV for when you go to HS. The whole BCV/BWV area is a great location. Can't go wrong either way!

 

[bunkerchump]

Agree you cannot go wrong either way. We own at BCV so we are a little prejudice I guess. But I will say that BCV villas can be a far walk if you get a room all the way to the back. We brought my parents with us a couple times, the first time my mom was too embarrassed to get an ECV since she doesn't use one at home. That lasted one day and I had one dropped off at the resort that evening. Safe to say the ECV was rented for the second trip.

 

[disneynutz]

I'm telling you an ECV is the way to go. If she doesn't want to use it great but is it fair that she hold you back?
With an ECV she won't get as tired and you will all enjoy the vacation more. How will you or she feel if her knee gives out?

Bill

 

[bunkerchump]

I'm telling you an ECV is the way to go. If she doesn't want to use it great but is it fair that she hold you back?
With an ECV she won't get as tired and you will all enjoy the vacation more. How will you or she feel if her knee gives out?

Bill

absolutely agree. My mom realized not only was she struggling, but I think she felt bad because she was holding us up, even if we didn't let on that she was. I didn't mention it, but during the first day at the AK, I ended up renting a wheel chair for half the day. That did not turn out well. She didn't want to be pushed originally, but after hitting a few people's ankles in the crowd, I became the crash dummy and/or took turns pushing it. I made the call to the ECV place on the bus ride to AK resort for dinner at Boma and the ECV was at BCV by the time we got back.

 

[jkkldisney]

I will keep the ECV in mind if it seems like she will really need it. I know it can really help and things can change. I will definitely request a room close to the elevators. Right now the motivation to walk fpr for our trip is helping my mom increase her exercise, which is great for her overall health. She did lose some fitness while caring for my Dad with Parkinson's as it was just really hard to get out. We used a wheelchair for him for his last Disneyland trip in 2014 and that was a lifesaver. I don't have any concern about her holding me back. I just want her to have a great time. This is our first mother/daughter trip since we went to Disneyland just the 2 of us in 1993. She has gone on nearly all of our Disney trips as a family since. My next family trip with the kids will likely be in 2020 for the youngest high school graduation and the oldest's college graduation. Our last Disneyland trip this last summer was the first time she scaled back on some of the rides, not wanting to do the ones that jerked her around more like SM and Screamin. She had missed a couple of trips due to not being able to leave my Dad. I am really looking forward to this trip. My mom is amazing and this year has seriously been a tough one so we both really need it. Any other ideas about BWV that would be helpful would be great. It really was a tough choice between BCV and BWV as they both look awesome. I just don't have the DW knowledge like I have at DL.

 

[Mazz519]

WE usually mix it up between the 2... Summer we stay at BWV cause we use the pool a lot... Spring and Winter months we stay at BCV easy access to Epcot.. My favorite is BWV where as my wife is BCV so we mix it up

 

[planningalways]

I will keep the ECV in mind if it seems like she will really need it. I know it can really help and things can change. I will definitely request a room close to the elevators. Right now the motivation to walk fpr for our trip is helping my mom increase her exercise, which is great for her overall health. She did lose some fitness while caring for my Dad with Parkinson's as it was just really hard to get out. We used a wheelchair for him for his last Disneyland trip in 2014 and that was a lifesaver. I don't have any concern about her holding me back. I just want her to have a great time. This is our first mother/daughter trip since we went to Disneyland just the 2 of us in 1993. She has gone on nearly all of our Disney trips as a family since. My next family trip with the kids will likely be in 2020 for the youngest high school graduation and the oldest's college graduation. Our last Disneyland trip this last summer was the first time she scaled back on some of the rides, not wanting to do the ones that jerked her around more like SM and Screamin. She had missed a couple of trips due to not being able to leave my Dad. I am really looking forward to this trip. My mom is amazing and this year has seriously been a tough one so we both really need it. Any other ideas about BWV that would be helpful would be great. It really was a tough choice between BCV and BWV as they both look awesome. I just don't have the DW knowledge like I have at DL.

You are an awesome person for doing this. We did the same thing and I glad we did it when we did.

You say you haven't been to WDW since 2012. things have changed a bit, and I'll offer you some BWV hints like you asked for, along with some other hints you didn't ask for.

Orlando airport: it can be quite a distance from where you deplane to get onto the tram to the main terminal and then to transportation to WDW. You can request wheelchair assistance through your carrier for when your flight arrives. If you don't have TSA precheck (we purchased one that is good for 5 years) security at Orlando is a nightmare!! Sometimes you can get lucky and get selected for pre-check....not sure if there is an age thing either, but if your mom randomly gets it and you don't, you can't go thru pre-check with her.

Car rental or Magical Express?: We had rented an SUV so we could cart around the ECV. It came apart easily for transport, but it was rather heavy. Probably not a good idea since it will only be you; we had plenty of hands to help. I am wondering about the Minnie Vans they now have at some resorts....I know they will come with a car seat for kids, but wondering if some are ECV accessible? Much easier than waiting on a long line to get to Magic Kingdom on the bus (and many of us know from experience that the bus from BWV can be not so great sometimes, but really great other times).

ECV: highly, highly recommend getting one. We used Walker Mobility...it is easier if you ask for delivery the morning after you arrive and pick up the afternoon/evening before you leave, since this is one of the companies that Disney requires you to be there for delivery/pickup. Their prices were very reasonable and we added the sun canopy for an extra $20 for the whole week. Well worth it. Although our elder insisted before the trip that she'd be just fine, she was really, really happy she had it. Are you going in the summer? It can be extremely hot and humid right up through mid-september.

BWV: A great place. The boardwalk entertainment in the evening, the stores, the restaurants....all easy access. The boat to Epcot is easy with the ECV....they will put a little ramp up as soon as they see an ECV. Hollywood Studios...we usually walk because the boat takes so long. It is a long walk, but we enjoy it. There are two banks of elevators at the resort...one right past the lobby for the DVC side and as previously mentioned, one on the Inn side. Are you getting standard pool/garden or boardwalk view? It is very relaxing to have coffee in the morning on the deck, watching the activity. The yacht and beach club resorts is an easy boat ride across (use the hollywood studios boat)....the Cape may cafe at the Beach Club has an really good seafood buffett.....love the crab legs and steamers.

Favorite restaurants were 50's prime time and Sci Fi dine in (Hollywood Studios); Biergarten (Germany/Epcot); Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom); Flame Tree Barbeque (counter service Animal Kingdom). Restaurants at the Animal Kingdom Lodge are also a great place to go and a nice way to see the animals, but can be a project to get there if you don't have a car. Uber or Minnie Van, but leave the ECV behind.

Rides: Epcot: Definitely get fast passes for Soarin. A big hit. Also spaceship earth. We all did single rider line for Test Track, as it is not a good choice for some elders. But then again, maybe your mom would be fine. Hollywood Studios....I'm not sure when exactly Star Wars land is opening and have no idea what to expect. I love tower of terror....it really doesn't bump you around much, but is extremely terrifying. I would bypass rocknroller coaster. Fantasmic was a great choice too. And Toy Story mania. If you have an ECV, there are sometimes different entrances for a lot of different things all over WDW. Animal Kingdom: the safari, tough to be a bug, lion king show, nemo show, river of lights at night. Not sure how an 81 year old would do on Pandora Flights of passage. You don't really go anywhere on this ride, but the thing that you sit on does lots of movements. The river journey would be fine, though. Magic Kingdom: I would avoid splash mountain, space mountain and runaway train. Seven Dwarfs mine train I think is pretty much okay. It is a very smooth riding coaster, but does have a lot of fast curves.

Wow, sorry, I didn't realize this got so long. Sorry if I gave too much into. I should also mention that one of my all time favorite guides is the Birnbaum Guide to Walt Disney World. I know they also have issues for Adults and Children. I wonder if they have one for "older adults?"

 

[jkkldisney]

Thank you. Great information. There is no such thing as too much info when planning Disney. I’m a planner and usually a resource for those I know going to Disneyland. I know there are big changes since my last trip to DW.

We will be there May 27 – June 3. Hoping not too hot and humid yet. I booked the Garden/Pool view. That was the only view available when I booked. I wonder if it would be worthwhile to try to waitlist the boardwalk view. Would it be better? I tend to be an early riser and love to be able to go on the patio to watch. I could always waitlist it and see what happens.

I know some of the rides she is good with based on DL. She can do Tower of Tower, Star Tours, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Radiator Springs (which should relate to Test Track). I’m thinking I’ll let her do Tower of Terror (which I hate) while I do Rockin Rollercoaster. I’ll have to check out the Birnbaum Guide. Just having more information and knowing what to do makes the trip go smoother and more fun for all.