An AKV owner’s review of BWV

[WonderlandsMostWantd]

I’ll start with some backstory. My husband and I bought AKV about a year ago. We had gone to the sales pitch presentation about 2 years before, and had toured the AKV model room, but had never actually been to AKL in person when we bought. Our first stay at AKV was last December, and we LOVED it! It felt so homey to us; comfortable, warm, inviting and very special. And as for being “too far away” from the parks, I have to disagree. Are there resorts closer to the parks? Yes, of course there are. Is it really all that far away? No, no it’s not. We really have no major complaints; it is our home and we love it. But…

I am an Epcot girl at heart. Even when I was younger, my fondest Disney memories from childhood are of Figment and Professor Dreamfinder, and of the Kitchen Cabaret. I love trying new foods from around the world at the World Showcase, and I love the fully immersive feeling of being transported somewhere else as I go from pavilion to pavilion. If I had my way on our trips, we’d spend almost every day at Epcot. As it is, I’m usually pushing everyone in our party to go to Epcot in the evening after we finish up at the other parks! Because of this, I have had a small, nagging, pulling sensation in my heart since we bought AKV that perhaps we should have bought BWV instead…. The proximity to Epcot is an intoxicating notion, and I’ve spent the last year questioning our decision countless times in my head – particularly since it is so hard to get Standard View rooms at the 7 month mark, and more often than not, that’s where we’re trying to stay. But again, I’d never actually been to Boardwalk, let alone BWV so I was basing all dreaming, longing and speculation purely on theories, ideas, and other peoples’ reviews and trip reports.

This takes us to my opportunity to finally stay at BWV! My company had a conference in Orlando in mid-April, and I decided to take a few days off work beforehand and come down to Disney for a few days before the conference. I had a limited number of Vacation points available when I went to book my extra nights , so I was looking at 3 options – standard rooms at AKV or BWV, or OKW – all studios as it would just be me, and my dad (a snowbird who winters in Northern Florida) who would be joining me for the pre-conference portion of the trip. Considering I was booking the room in January, I figured I had no shot at BWV, but called to check anyhow, and somehow I lucked into both nights I wanted in a standard view! I was beyond excited! Finally, I get to stay at BWV! The 3 month wait was excruciating! Lol

So we finally get there. The room is quite pretty, and our little balcony overlooks the pretty little bridge going over the little stream between the entrance area and the parking lot. We were in the section of building just before the point where it curves to the right, and although it was quite a ways down, we didn’t find the hallways to be as bad as everyone says… for the most part. We were on the 3rd floor, just past the tall trees so we had an unobstructed view, and we could even see the high fireworks of Epcot over the roof of BWI every night. Everything seemed clean, and the decor was definitely lighter and brighter than AKV. The nightlife on the Boardwalk was cute, and it was a lovely place to stroll during the day. The boat ride to either Epcot or DHS was fantastic; so convenient and quick! Dad has a heart condition, so it was better to take the boat than walk due to the heat, but we could see the path to Epcot and it certainly wasn’t a bad looking walk either. It was true – BWV really was all the things I’d hoped and daydreamed it would be. All of the features I’d looked forward to met my expectations.

So why wasn’t I thrilled beyond reason to actually be there? Why wasn’t I looking forward fondly to trying to bring my husband there with us? Why couldn’t I imagine us staying there for weeklong vacation? Why didn’t this resort, that was everything I’d been hoping it would be, feel like home? Why couldn’t I see us there? Why did I feel grateful that we hadn’t bought there?
 

 

[WonderlandsMostWantd]

Despite BWV living up to every expectation and being everything I’d hoped, I couldn't put my finger on why my feelings about being there were so lackluster. On our second day, my dad and I sat down and talked about it for a while. We finally figured it out – it was very nice, but it didn’t feel like “us”. It was in no way uncomfortable, but it wasn’t as naturally comfortable as AKV was for us.

While the hallways weren’t really all that bad, the walk from the parking lot, across the bridge then uphill to the entrance was. It was in the 90’s when we got there, and though we pulled up to the entrance for bell services and check in, the walk back up from the parking lot after parking the car was substantial, and we weren’t even carrying anything with us. When we were at AKV, we found that we really appreciated having the kitchen and being able to cook. Since we always have a vehicle down there, we do our own grocery shopping after we get into our room. The prospect of 4 people lugging bags of groceries from that parking lot, uphill to the entrance, then back to the room did not sound remotely pleasant. At AKV we parked underneath our wing of the hotel, and took a nearby elevator up to the room. No sweat. At BWV, grocery shopping would be far more of a chore, and did not sound pleasant or convenient.

And the noise! We heard every car door, every bus, every truck, and several of the people, who passed outside the entrance in front of our room. For about an hour and a half after park close at BOTH Epcot and DHS, we could sit and watch a steady stream of people flowing from the hotel entrance down to the parking lot. While I know that most people respect the resort parking being for resort guests and those dining at the resort rules, it was VERY clear to us that there are still many who finagle their way into Boardwalk resort parking simply to park free for the day and enjoy the close proximity to the parks. You could tell when a boat had recently unloaded because a new cluster of people would stream out to their cars. And those streams of people typically included loud groups, and parents who let their children run far ahead, then shouted at them to stop, wait, or come back. It was startling to me how many times we saw this same scenario play out, in each burst of people that came through!

To be fair, when we stayed at AKV Kidani we were in a standard view room, directly overlooking the bus stop. Occasionally the sound of the beeping of the wheelchair lift would faintly permeate the glass doors, but it was NEVER a nuisance, and rarely even noticeable. At Boardwalk we were physically FARTHER from the busses, people and entrance noise, but the noise making its way into our rooms was constant. We’re typically late to go to bed anyway, but if we’d wanted to go to sleep earlier, it would have been beyond difficult to impossible for me. Even going to sleep after midnight, there were still noisy people and vehicles sounds drifting into our room. By 7am, we were woken by the next stream of noise. (If I had to nitpick, I’d definitely say the beds were FAR more comfortable at Kidani than BWV as well, which didn’t help with the sleeping isseus.) Hallway noise on the other hand was negligible.

We realized that one of the things about Kidani we like so much was the feeling of escape and relaxation that radiated through the entire resort. I love the Disney atmosphere, so this realization shocked me on or first trip to Kidani – we’d gone to Jambo one day just to check it out, and were instantly aware of what a difference a quiet resort makes. BWV still lacked the frenetic energy we encountered at Jambo, but it was still noticeably “busier” feeling than AKV. The Boardwalk resort area as a whole has a feeling of movement at all times. Even when there wasn’t really activity on the Boardwalk itself, there was a feeling that at any moment, the place could jump to life. While that was nice during the day and evening, it made it difficult to ever feel like we were really coming home to relax at the end of the day. When pulling up to Kidani at the end of the day, the soft light coming from the lanterns at the entrance gives a nice, almost instant feeling of relaxation, and the subdued theming is very relaxing. The fire pit out back is a great way to wind down, and the quiet little alcoves are great places to unwind from the day. Even the balcony in a standard view overlooks a nice quite marsh area and clear, wide open skies. We really missed that feeling of pleasant peacefulness when we were at BWV – all the activity made it feel like we’d never really left the crowds behind.

All in all, the proximity to the Epcot and DHS was AWESOME, and the boardwalk atmosphere was cool to check out for an hour or so, day or night. BWV did live up to my expectations, and it was everything I hoped it would be; it is in NO WAY a bad resort! But there were some unanticipated factors that really made me feel that it wasn’t someplace I could envision staying for a length of time with the same level of relaxation and comfort that I find at my home sweet home, Kidani. I definitely feel that we did indeed purchase at the right resort. Now I’m just homesick to get back there…

 

[robert@dvcstore]

Thank you for your honest review.

Enjoy your next stay at your home away from home, Animal Kingdom Villas.

Robert

 

[arthur06]

We stayed at BWV about 3 weeks ago and loved it. We have stayed at both Jambo and Kidani and enjoyed them, but like you, something was missing.


Glad that we all have so many choices with our DVC!

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

I just posted my Kidani trip report....and it is similar in feeling to yours...except we're SSR owners, and Kidani didn't feel like home!

And that's why there are more flavors than vanilla, and you should buy where you want to stay!

 

[margitmouse]

thanks for both of your reports. We'll be staying at Kidani for 2 nights before moving home to OKW.... the way my family feels about OKW, I was lucky to be able to try another resort at all! In light of your reports it will be interesting to see how it fits, we also like peace and tranquility, total escape!

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

Thanks for your report. If you get a chance, try BCV next time. It has a much more relaxed feel to it and you can't get any closer to Epcot.

 

[Buckeye Fan]

BWV will always hold a special place in my heart, because it's where we stayed the first time as DVC members. It's not top of my list, but I do love the resort.

Talk about to each his own! What do you do when...
- DH likes BWV/BCV?
- DS doesn't like anything in life? Just kidding...he's 15 1/2, so I'll forgive his temporary insanity!
- DD likes AKV/BCV?
- I like OKW/SSR/VWL?

Fortunately, we truly are happy wherever we stay. No one ever complains, and we always have a wonderful time. I'm thrilled that even my last choice is a little piece of heaven to me!

 

[WonderlandsMostWantd]

Thanks for your report. If you get a chance, try BCV next time. It has a much more relaxed feel to it and you can't get any closer to Epcot.

Thanks for the tip! I do want to check out BCV sometime. We had dinner at Cape May in December, and I really enjoyed the feel of the resort when we were walking around before and after dinner. I sure wouldn't mind some time in Stormalong Bay either!

 

[chemonie]

I stayed at BWV for the first time in March. The only thing I did not like was the loud horn used by the boats. If you have a preferred or boardwalk view you can forget about sleeping in or taking a nap in peace.

 

[Wedgeh]

Interesting post, BWV is definitely somewhere I want to try out. As others have said it is horses for courses, my DW told me last night that she preferred AKV to BLT. I can definitely understand that, but for some unexplicable reason BLT holds a special place in my heart

Buy where you love, and love where you buy!

 

[bobbiwoz]

It's good that you got this stay out of your system! We've never had the noise complaints that you had. Enjoy you AKV home!

Bobbi

 

[dianeschlicht]

I totally agree about the "feel" of AKV/Kidani and BWV being totally different. In fact, that is why we love OKW so much too. It is that nice quiet relaxing part of our vacation that gets us away from the hustle and bustle of the parks. AKV and OKW have that in common. On the other hand....I own at both, but I definitely prefer OKW for most trips and miss it when we stay at AKV. The reason is mostly because of the size and feeling of open space I get in the OKW units versus the dark confined feeling of the AKV units. I LOVE my AKV trips for the animals and savanna, but they always leave me longing for my next trip to OKW.