?? about Villas

[walls1999]

My sister has a time share here in Gatlinburg and she can use her weeks at other resorts. She is letting me have a week at either OKW, Boardwalk, Beach Club or WL Villas. My question is- Which one do you prefer? This is our first trip and I have no comparsion to go by. We are 2 adults and 4 kids so, I will get a 2 bedroom. I just can't believe our fortune. We would never have been able to afford a Villa if she hadn't been so generous. Thank you so much for your input.

 

[BCV23]

Wow, what a great gift!!

We own at BCV and love it there but all the resorts have advantages.

OKW has huge units. You park close to your villa but must drive or take a bus to all parks.

VWL is close to the MK and offers boat or bus service to that park.

BCV is a close walk to Epcot. You can also walk or take a boat to MGM.

Same thing for BWV although it is a liile farther to Epcot and closer to MGM. It has a busier feeling area than BCV. Although we've never stayed there, parking looks like a pain there.

Stormalong Bay is another advantage of BCV.

This may get moved anyway but if not, check out the DVC board. You'll get lots of opinions over there.

 

[k_k_100]

Assuming the exchange is through II I would take whatever resort you can get. Our experience has not been good trying to exchange for a Dis. resort. Some people have been lucky but be prepared to be flexible.

Good luck!

 

[spiceycat]

okay very, very, very few 2-bedroom DVC resorts get to II.

so I would go for a 1-bedroom - there are some of them around II.

secondly I would go for any DVC resort that comes up.

If you sister doesn't have a good trader then forget DVC in the summer. Again not alot of villas are exchanged then.

DVC kepts the unit, time of year for DVC exchanges - members have nothing to do with it.

We tell DVC when, where and what size unit we want to exchange too and DVC does the rest.

to get a 2-bedroom with II - you only need to exchange a 1-bedroom most of the time.

May, Sept, Jan, Nov are you best months to look for one.

most of the units that II has are studios - I won't, with a family of 4, take a studio. However they do have more space than most hotel rooms.

if you can't get a DVC then there are some very, very nice Marriott around - you will need a rental car. The Marriotts, in the area, are top notch and great places.

don't expect any of the holiday weeks.

 

[Northern Lights]

Another BCV owner here so that would be our preference, but I really don't think you can go wrong with any of them, except perhaps OKW if you don't have a car. We never have a car and rely exclusively on Disney transportation so we like having alternative options to certain parks.

When are you going? I assume that the resorts you named all have availability. I will add that based on a free market perspective (i.e., which resort has the higher resale value), it seems BCV is most popular, with VWL and BWV both running a close second.

The bus service to MK from VWL cannot be beat - we left the park near closing and were back in our room, yes our room not the resort, in 8 minutes. We had to wait for the bus for about 5 minutes so total transportation time was 13 minutes.

From BW and BCV, you can walk to Epcot or MGM or ride the boats - which are much faster than the boat from VWL to MK, for example.

You will have a great vacation though no matter which you choose. Since this is your first time, and if you are going during a busy season, you might want to invest in tour guide mike or the unofficial guide so that you can get the most out of your time at WDW. Life is about choices and the choices at WDW can be overwhelming, especially if you try to do everything. We took our first trip during the second anniversary of 9/11. Looking back, we made several "mistakes" that were easier to overcome due to the light crowds, but would have meant having to skip attractions or stand in 45-90 minute lines during the busier times.

 

[poohkinandpiglet]

You'll be happy at any of the DVC resorts. I'd take anything you can get! You'll have a great time.

 

[crisi]

I'll agree with take what you can get. Which will probably be SSR or OKW. Both are lovely resorts (though my preference would be BCV/BWV or VWL - I value location).

As you can't put 2 adults and 4 kids in a one bedroom without blowing the occupancy restrictions, you may be SOL. Its a generous offer, just one that has little likelyhood of success. However, there are some great offsite timeshares that will be much more tradeinable.