Advice Needed: Best Resort for Kids

[flywithpan]

Hi everyone. I am new to the board, a new DVC member, and taking our first DVC trip this fall. I have been to Disney World many times, and I've made myself familiar with all the DVC Florida Resorts.

We have a 5 year old and twins that will be 2 when we go.

My choices are: Home at Saratoga, The Beach Club, Boardwalk Villas, or The Wilderness Lodge. I am leaning on either Boardwalk or Wilderness Lodge.

I have picky eaters, so i like the restaurant choices of Boardwalk and the close proximity to the World Showcase, but I also like the Wilderness Lodge for the quick boats to the Magic Kingdom.

Now I need your votes. Please help me decide. I'd love some pros and cons on all these, and your final vote. I'm hoping that I will hear some new thoughts that will help me decide.

Thanks!!!
FWP

 

[ammo]

Welcome to the DIS and to DVC! You are in for an amazing experience. You will end up getting every possible answer to your question, so here is my 2 cents worth.

VWL is our favorite resort for two main reasons -- easy access to our favorite park (MK) and the amazing look and feel of the Lodge.

We also have 3 kids who have been going to WDW since around the same age as yours. The kids are now in primary school, and they love the evening activities at BWV -- very family-friendly acts that perform regularly on the boardwalk throughout the evening. The scary clown slide is also their favorite slide. It is long, windy, and the clown spits them out of its mouth. I particularly like the easy access to the World Showcase and its restaurants. If there is a con to BWV for us, it can be noisy in the evenings depending on the time of year and your room location.

I have stayed in several other resorts and they are all special in their own ways. But VWL and BWV (as well as BCV) are best for us with the kids because of their proximity to the parks. With the other resorts we have to drive or take transportation to the parks every day. But it's really hard to go wrong with any of the DVC resorts. Good luck!

Edited to add a legend since you are new to the DIS: VWL is Villas at Wilderness Lodge, BWV is Boardwalk Villas, and BCV is Beach Club Villas.

 

[DeeDeeDis]

Beach Club for the pool. I love the zero entry and sandy shores of the pool, l know my kids could spend hours playing in the sand when they were little.

 

[FreeTime]

BWV is our fave as our kids love the activities around the BW and we like heading into Epcot at night. We have taken our children many times and they loved the BW at the age you mention for your kids.

However, if you want to stretch out and let your kids enjoy the space go for OKW. I know it wasn't one of your picks, but our kids love it.

 

[DisneyBuffinDE]

Right now I would say WL so then WLV would be our top. Our home is AKV but our part isn't open yet so not sure on that. We love WLV because of the Closeness to MK and our kids loved the resort. We have DD almost 2 and DS is 5. We did stay at SSR but I thought it was to big and spreadout.
We are going to AKV in December to see what it is like before we take the kids next year. We just got back 5 days ago and we have 287 days till we go next.

 

[bangzoom6877]

We were torn between BCV and BWV at first, then we did our research. We chose BWV for several reasons. We have 2 children. Our older son just turned 4 and the little guy will be 2 in May. Here are the reasons we chose BWV:

1. Walking distance to Epcot and DHS (or quick boat ride if we feel lazy)
2. Fewer points to stay than Beach Club Villas, but same Epcot location
3. We bought a re-sale and it cost less than BCV
4. Pool at BWV looks wonderful to us and we were not going to buy into BCV only for the pool...not as important to us as it is to others, but there are of course varying opinions on this
5. It is nice for little ones for now...entertainment like magic on the Boardwalk, good family-friendly restaurants, nice pool, Community Hall with activities.
6. It will be nice also many years in the future when the kids are not going with us anymore, and DH and I can take advantage of the nightlife on the Boardwalk, and the more fine dining, and get back to the room quickly at the end of the evening.
7. We are the type of people who like being in the middle of it all, and the Boardwalk is certainly the place for that.
8. A quick walk over to the Beach Club/Yacht Club for more dining options.
9. You could see the higher Epcot fireworks on the resort grounds, but it is also a close walk to the WS to see IllumiNations, then very quick getting back to the hotel!
10. Centrally located...walk to 2 theme parks, centrally located to everything else as the Epcot area is in the middle of the property.
11. If we ever feel like we don't want to drive everywhere, we could easily get to other resorts for dining by walking to DHS and then only taking one bus.

Good luck with your decision! I know it was a lot of fun making our decision and very exciting when we bought!

 

[flywithpan]

Thanks to everyone for such great advice!!! I have to admit, i didnt think i would get this good of a reaction, but all of you have been very cool and giving real answers. I also like how it connected with people that have kids the same age, etc. Even after buying, we still debate if it was the right decision or not to buy into a time share, especially now with fears around the economy, job security, etc. I just keep telling myself that this will really pay off with more time.

So... as for the decision. A major curve ball... we went with Beach Club Villas, and the guide on the phone was amazing at being helpful with this. Here is what helped with the decision:

- 1: We have picky eaters... I need food options. So the walking distance to the world showcase, and the mixed dining choices between the other resports in close proximity.

- 2: I learned that BCV is actually a closer walk to Epcot than BWV... I thought it was the other way around

- 3: He told me about the sandy bottom pool, and further relaized how much fun that will be

-4: That they do disney classic movies on the beach each night! That will be a HUGE hit with the kids. They will love that.

So, there you go! Truthfully... I dont think i would have been disapointed with any of the choices. All would be great, and my goal will be to try all of them anyway, so it was more about which one would be first.

I think we got really lucky... I had a choice to pick from nearly all of the resorts. We leave September 13th, which i think helps going in a slow time of year. I wouldnt be surprised if the economy is having an effect on the number of people traveling too.

Overall, the choice... posting to the board... all of it has been fun and i cant wait for the trip!

Thanks again to all...
FWP

 

[bangzoom6877]

Glad you made the decision that is right for you and your family! We also considered the movie nights at Beach Club and will have to take a walk over there one night, across the lake from where we will be at BWV.

Yes, Beach Club is the closest to Epcot. BWV is walking distance too, but a bit further away than BCV is. But we had checked out the Beach Club Resort this past summer, and it was only a 5-minute walk from Epcot! And what a beautiful resort it is! You will have a wonderful time on your trip, and for years to come! You may not even want to stay at another resort...Beach Club is beautiful!