Should I split my stay with BWI concierge or just stay at NGW CR?

[MissMellie]

Hi guys,
I love this board. I can always count on loyal Disney fans to help me make up my mind. I'm booked at SOG which is putting all thier guests in the North Garden Wing of the CR. I tried to upgrade to a tower room through "overflow" and through Disney Club and everything was sold out. All the deluxe resorts for that matter were sold out for the time we are going......10-16 to 10-24!!! I could not believe my ears when I was calling to change my ressie. Anyway, I did find something at the BWI concierge level for 4 out of our 8 days but I'm not sure wether it's worth the money and hassle of moving all our stuff from CR. Is the BWI small kid friendly? My girls are 6 and 4 going to be 5 and 7 during our trip. We've stayed at the Poly before and visited CR but never ventured out to any other hotels. What do you guys think? Split or not to split? Last visit, I had a split reserved between the Poly and the WL but ended up staying at the Poly the whole time because I was just too pooped to pack up and move all our stuff. Granted, then, our girls were 3 and 5!! So, help me please.

P.S. I'm not that excited about staying at the NGW of the CR as I've not heard a whole lot of good things about the resort so I am willing to transfer to the BWI concierge if you guys think it's kid-friendly and a nice resort.


Thanks so much!!

 

[Aunt Jo]

Hi MissMellie,
I don't really like to give advice on resorts but at least I can bump this up for you - and give an opinion. So many folks with small children seem to prefer the monorail resorts but for us, nothing beats the Boardwalk. We have never stayed on the Inn side but have stayed many times in the Villas (with young children) and have seen many happy kids there. Also many happy adults. The location is just the very best - at least for us. But I must also confess, I would never pack up and switch resorts. I won't even pack up and switch rooms. But that's just me. Good luck with your big decision.

 

[vicb]

I worried that the BWI might be too stuffy for my kids too (ages 6 and 9). Our trip to BWI was to be for Mom's benefit and next time YC/BC for the kids. Well, my kids LOVED BWI and want to stay there next time over BC! The CM's were very friendly and nobody ever made the kids feel they weren't the most important guests there! There was a CM in the lobby (a bellhop) who made animal balloons for the kids and the life guards at the pool learned their names and greeted them each day at the pool! Our housekeeper did the cutest things everyday with their stuffed animals!

 

[JungleMansion]

We stayed at the BWI in Aug. for the first time & loved it. We always have stayed at the monorail resorts except for a few nights at AKL & I now see that we have actually missed alot by not trying other resorts. Whenever we split a stay, the second resort is for at least 4 nights & the night bef. our switch we pack everything except for what we need the next morning. We call bell services & they will come by in the morning as early as we can be ready. That way as soon as they pick up our bags for transfer, we don't feel we are losing any of our day by moving, & can even go on to the parks first. I think you will feel very comfortable at the BWI & enjoy the location so much, you won't regret having to pack up to switch! Have fun.

 

[AmyA]

Hi MissMellie,
We just returned from 12 days at the CR NGW via SoG. We didn't take our kids this time (7 and 1), but we will have them with us when we return next year. We also visited the BWI.

We really, really liked the CR. I think with kids your daughters' ages the convenience of the monorail can't be beat. Plus, your kids are old enough for y'all to walk to MK on the path from the CR, and that saves a ton of time! Chef Mickey's is really fun (DH and I went on a whim, and even with just the 2 of us, we had a great time!), and the pool and water slide are great for kids. All the kids we saw at the CR were looked as if they were having a blast. Plus, there are 2 playgrounds, both located next to the NGW.

I'll admit I was nervous, too about staying there, as the reviews have not been spectacular. However, we were pleasantly surprised. The rooms are so large that your family of 4 will have plenty of room. We had a lake view and we could watch the Electrical Light Pageant from our bed. Housekeeping was just average, but that appears to be a general Disney issue nowadays, not just an issue confined to the CR. Also, we got our room request and it was nice to be in a wing that was 100% non-smoking. The marina is really awesome, too. We rented watermice and we got to ride on both Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon.

Fortunately, some of the stuff that I had read about prior to our trip didn't occur. We were not treated any differently than the "real" CR guests, as far as I could tell. Also, we didn't have plaster falling on our bed from the ceiling above and everything appeared to be in good shape. Our A/C did have that motion sensor, but we were able to keep the room comfortable when we were in the room just by running the ceiling fan.

When we visited the BWI, we thought it was beautiful and the pool looked really cool. I haven't ever stayed there though, so I can't offer an opinion on whether or not you'd like it better than the CR. We were really happy with the CR, even though the theme isn't really our taste. Anyway, I hope this helps.