Studio at BCV, BWV, or AKV? Any thoughts on my thinking about this?

[KJ-52fan]

We're using DVC points so it looks like we're stuck with a queen bed and a full sofa bed regardles of which studio we pick. Could you been-there-done-that people help us to choose the order of preference and what room requests we should ask for? We are a family of two adults and two teenagers staying 9 nights at the end of October 2010.

Here's what's going through my mind after spending hours reading reviews and questions on this forum:

BCV Pros - Close to EPCOT & Great Pool
BCV Cons - Sounds like there aren't very many 'good view' rooms and that it's starting to look shabby and run-down. Have absolutely no idea of what room preferences to request.

BWV Pros - Close to EPCOT, Decent Pool, Closer to more food choices, and is has the largest of the studios available (412 sq. ft., but is that for ALL studios or just some?)
BW Cons - Very large resort with super-long hallways and poor elevator placement. We don't mind using the stairs at all though, so that may not be a big deal and we already walk all over the parks all day so what's another football field or two? Have absolutely no idea of what to request for a room preference.

AKL Pros - Never been there before & could possibly get a cool room with a great view
AKL Cons - Far away as far as transportation goes and again with the possibility of super-long walks to your room. Also the possiblity of getting a not-so-great savannah view room and/or not seeing very many animals. Again, no idea which preferences to request, except maybe as large a studio as possible since they vary in size.

It's been such a very, very long time since we've stayed at the BCV or the BWV, that now I'm having a difficult time deciding. How far off are my perceptions of my pros and cons? We usually stay at OKW and we love it there, but it's time to do something different.

Thanks so very much!

 

[Sammie]

First off, if you are going this October on points have you booked? If not you might not get any of those choices.

 

[KJ-52fan]

No, we want to book tomorrow. We're being optimistic, maybe too much so. We've never been able to get BC or BW in the past when we've waited this long, especially for October because of the Food and Wine Festival; maybe that's why we always end up at OKW! I guess I just want to try anyway. We may end up waiting until November if we need to, but we have until January before our APs run out. Yes, we were there for the freezing of Florida : (

 

[Pakey]

I love the decor at AKV but I didn't like the transportation time. So I would definitely try for an Epcot resort first. I would not hold out any hope though; I've had both of my studios booked since the 11 month mark and I know a lot of people have been waitlisting since the 7 month mark.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I would go with the Boardwalk Villas because in my opinion they have the best theme and atmosphere among the resorts you are asking about.

 

[Sammie]

No, we want to book tomorrow. We're being optimistic, maybe too much so. We've never been able to get BC or BW in the past when we've waited this long, especially for October because of the Food and Wine Festival; maybe that's why we always end up at OKW! I guess I just want to try anyway. We may end up waiting until November if we need to, but we have until January before our APs run out. Yes, we were there for the freezing of Florida : (

Good luck, I just know when I called for a week in October at exactly 7 months out, the pickings were pretty slim except for OKW and SSR.

Of your choices, if you get the choice, I would pick BWV, because they have just been redone, then AKL.

 

[Cmbar]

Good luck on getting what you want. Is there a reason you nixed VWL and BLT? Those have some nice pros if you have the points for them.

I would pick...

BCV
BWV
AKL

But this is October during Food and Wine so good luck getting either Epcot resort. I would simply go with what you can get other than OKW. All the resorts have great themes. Why not split your stay. That is a long time to be in one studio!

Maybe you can break up your trip a bit like doing more down days at AKL if you can get it and then more park days if you can get BCV, BWV or VWL. AKL has really lovely pools and tropical themes around the pools, plus the animals are great.

I wouldn't rule out SSR since you said you have teens. Ask to be in the Congress Park buildings and its a quick walk to Downtown Disney with lots to do. Plus as you walk over you are right at the buses for all the other resorts. We loved being there because we had a lot of resort dinners set up. Anyways, something new will be fun. Good luck!

 

[n2mm]

First off, OKW has 2 beds in their studio. I agree about no choices left. I booked Oct. at the 11 month window for part of my trip and was so lucky to get a BCV studio for the first week of November. You need to make a list, or just call and ask them what studios are available for your dates. I fear the list will be small. If you're lucky you're looking at OKW or SSR. Post back!

 

[francie57]

I would go with the BWVs. They have just finished a complete renovation and they are really nice. We have never had a bad view - usually a pool view or a view of the waterway by S/D with a view of Tower of Terror. I know there are complaints about the elevator situation but we never let that bother us since we just use the closest stairway. They all lead to either the pool, walkway to the Studios or by the Boardwalk. If you can get one, you won't be disappointed with the Boardwalk. We can't wait for our next trip there in Aug.

 

[MelissathePooh]

Doubtful anything will be available at BCV - iffy as to BWV. Having spent a couple of stays at Kidani recently and checking in a again the Sunday - it is quickly becoming a favorite! While the resort is huge, its so relaxing and so much fun at the same time. Bus service has been excellent in the past and driving is easy as well because of the simplicity of parking.

We were able to get a studio at BLT for this October less than 7 months out and just recently let it go in lieu of a trip to Disneyland - so that may be an option as well in terms of availability.

We are a family of 4, but have young kids (6 and 2). We did a 3 night studio stay last March and were fine, but would have been tight had we stayed any longer. Depending on how much space you need, OKW is definitely bigger than any of what you mentioned, but I understand the desire to try something else.

 

[KJ-52fan]

Thanks for all of the replies. I didn't really think we'd get into BCV or BWV, but it was worth a try. AKV and VWL were also full, or at least missing several days that we needed. There weren't enough consecutive days to even try splitting the stay into two parts. The only two resorts open were OKW and SSR. We chose SSR since we've never been there before and we wanted something different. We did request the Congress Park building as suggested by Cmbar. I do like the idea of being able to walk to the DD bus stop.

I'm going to spend some time looking at SSR reviews and tips this morning. After that, I'm going to figure out my time frame for next October so that I can have a better chance of getting an EPCOT resort! If it isn't written on the calendar, it probably won't get done...

Thanks again!

 

[Ziggie]

.

 

[abubu919]

I'd say BCV or BWV definitely based on location. I love these resorts! Just differing on decor and some restaurants, but the are both amazing

 

[Sammie]

Yep if you want BWV or BCV during Food and Wine you pretty much have to book at 11 months, very few people get in at 7 months.

 

[KJ-52fan]

I guess I've been living in Fantasyland with you, Sammie!

It's no wonder there's no such place as Realityland in the MK...

 

[Figment2]

With four adults, I would take OKW over SSR anytime. In February, I stayed with friends in a SSR studio and said never again. Way too crowded and no privacy. And since you have two teenagers, I would take a queen bed over a full sleeper sofa anyday. I was on the sleeper sofa but it was only me - just can't imagine two teenagers on it.

Don't get me wrong, I love SSR but said next time - a one bedroom (which is what we are used to).

JMHO

Cyn

 

[Cmbar]

Thanks for all of the replies. I didn't really think we'd get into BCV or BWV, but it was worth a try. AKV and VWL were also full, or at least missing several days that we needed. There weren't enough consecutive days to even try splitting the stay into two parts. The only two resorts open were OKW and SSR. We chose SSR since we've never been there before and we wanted something different. We did request the Congress Park building as suggested by Cmbar. I do like the idea of being able to walk to the DD bus stop.

I'm going to spend some time looking at SSR reviews and tips this morning. After that, I'm going to figure out my time frame for next October so that I can have a better chance of getting an EPCOT resort! If it isn't written on the calendar, it probably won't get done...

Thanks again!

KJ - Glad you choose SSR, I am sure you will like it. Have you thought of breaking your SSR trip into two pieces and waitlisting one of them for a different resort. I know it would be difficult to have the entire time come through on the waitlist. I only say this because we just got our waitlist for Beach Club yesterday and we leave in three weeks! This is BCV the week before Fourth of July so anything is possible. If you really want to try for the BCV/BWV area then I say waitlist it. You could split the reservation and waitlist for BCV for one section of it and maybe waitlist for the other for BWV or Kidani. I think a nine night trip would be lovely to switch resorts. To us it feels like two different vacations and it really isn't a hassle in switching. Disney makes it so easy.

Just remember you can only have two active waitlists at a time.

Have fun and I know you will like SSR even if though you were hoping for one of the other resort.

 

[KJ-52fan]

KJ - Glad you choose SSR, I am sure you will like it. Have you thought of breaking your SSR trip into two pieces and waitlisting one of them for a different resort. I know it would be difficult to have the entire time come through on the waitlist. I only say this because we just got our waitlist for Beach Club yesterday and we leave in three weeks! This is BCV the week before Fourth of July so anything is possible. If you really want to try for the BCV/BWV area then I say waitlist it. You could split the reservation and waitlist for BCV for one section of it and maybe waitlist for the other for BWV or Kidani. I think a nine night trip would be lovely to switch resorts. To us it feels like two different vacations and it really isn't a hassle in switching. Disney makes it so easy.

Just remember you can only have two active waitlists at a time.

Have fun and I know you will like SSR even if though you were hoping for one of the other resort.

Thanks for the suggestion, Cmbar. We've only waitlisted once and didn't get anything, but it was no big deal as we were happy enough with what we did have. If it was changing to different rooms within the same hotel, I could see doing that, but going from resort to resort without a car seems like too much effort.

I have a feeling that SSR will be very similar to OKW in a lot of ways and we're fine with that; I just really need to go somewhere different for a change. We'll have used up all of our points for a while, so our next trip won't be until 2012, but by then we'll have more points to play with and more time to decide where we want to go and be prepared as soon as the date hits that we can make reservations.

We're looking forward to our stay at SSR and maybe getting a massage at the spa. I still need to do some homework on that though. Thanks also for suggesting the Congress Park section; it sounds like a great area.

 

[KJ-52fan]

With four adults, I would take OKW over SSR anytime. In February, I stayed with friends in a SSR studio and said never again. Way too crowded and no privacy. And since you have two teenagers, I would take a queen bed over a full sleeper sofa anyday. I was on the sleeper sofa but it was only me - just can't imagine two teenagers on it.

Don't get me wrong, I love SSR but said next time - a one bedroom (which is what we are used to).

JMHO

Cyn

Cyn, that was my thought as well, but after discussing it with the kids, they agreed that they would be fine with the sofa bed. I even asked them two different times to be sure that's what they wanted to do. I guess going to a different resort for a longer period of time was higher on the list than sharing the sofa bed. I can hardly wait until OKW gets the extra sleeper chairs in the one bedrooms!

 

[Cmbar]

KJ- I am sure you will love SSR. It is a nice resort but for us a little lacking on the food options for such a big resort. But they are building a new pool and food area soon, so that will make it more appealing.

I understand about it being a hassle to change resorts. Just want to make sure you know that Disney will move your luggage and stuff to the next resort. We usually bring our luggage down (or call bell services to grab it) so they can send it on to the new resort, and then we head to a park. Then we just take a bus to our new resort and check in. Sounds difficult but it really wasn't. Now depending on how much you pack....

Enjoy SSR!