Attached to resorts--or "stand alone" DVC

[spiceycat]

Sammie - OKW is much closer to Studios than 7 miles.

you are probably going WDW way - don't.

turn left out of OKW - then turn left at the traffic light - then at the second traffic light - turn right - at the 4 traffic light on this street you are turning left into Studios. - 3miles (probably 2 miles)

 

[Sammie]

Sammie - OKW is much closer to Studios than 7 miles.

you are probably going WDW way - don't.

turn left out of OKW - then turn left at the traffic light - then at the second traffic light - turn right - at the 4 traffic light on this street you are turning left into Studios. - 3miles (probably 2 miles)

Thanks it was a typo, it is actually listed as 3 miles.

So it should be
MK: 5 miles
AK: 7 miles
Epcot: 1 mile
MGM: 3 miles.

 

[Sammie]

Perhaps you're taking it too personally. I'm sure that ANY of us would take ANY DVC resort if there no other options and feel great about it!

Re: walking to the parks, hey, that's a pretty big perk! How many times have we seen folks on this forum asking about buying at SSR (or Vero, yada yada) but wanting to stay at BWV? It's not just BWV and BCV owners making the big deal out of being able to walk to the parks.

I also have never considered OKW to be so very faaaar away from everything. But the fact is they don't have many options when it comes to getting to the parks, and that's usually what folks are talking about when they talk about distance and difficulty getting somewhere.

Just my two cents.

Taking it personally, absolutely not. I just believe the discussion sometimes are not fact based.

I don't own at either OKW or SSR, but I do enjoy staying there as I do all DVC locations. And as I stated it's not "all the owners at BC and BW"; but it's more of them making these statements than other owners.

Walking to Epcot or MGM is a big perk to some. We vacation in the summer mostly and walking in the heat and storms is not a big perk to us, we much prefer the air conditioned buses to that.

As to the comments about buying at SSR and staying at BW I believe that would be those considering buying, not new owners which is what I was referring to. And those discussion always seem to center only on the Food and Wine festival.

In this discussion someone stated OKW is not close to any park and that is not correct.

I don't think the transportation options that are offered at OKW and SSR bother those that like those resorts, it seems to be brought up more often by owners elsewhere which was my point.

I also find it very interesting if you read the threads by owners at BW and BC very few use the transportation to the other parks so obviously their perfect location is not perfect. Which was my point all along. There is no perfect location to be able to enjoy all Disney has to offer.

If you will go back and read through the comments on this thread you will see why I responded. Some gave the benefits of staying at an attached resort with facts.

Such as being close to Epcot and MGM, no argument there.
Interior hallways, valet parking, room service, hotel atmosphere; all facts.

Then you had comments like I don't prefer the "condo" resorts due to having to cook, no luggage assistance, not close to any park, lack of specialized service at the front desk, renting boats for recreation.

These comments are not based on fact. You do not have to cook at SSR or OKW, you do have luggage assistance, they are close to several parks, one situation with one guest does not make for lesser service amenities, renting boats is available.

I don't take anyone's opinion about their favorites personally if it's based on facts, but I take it personal when you disparage another resort based on ficton even though I don't own there.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Walking to the Epcot or MGM is a big perk to some. We vacation in the summer mostly and walking in the heat and storms is not a big perk to us, we much prefer the air conditioned buses to that.

There is no perfect location to be able to enjoy all Disney has to offer.

I absolutely agree Sammie. We much prefer the air conditioned busses to walking in the heat/humidity/thunderstorms of summer. I feel we do enough walking around the parks themselves. But like you said, some feel this is a big perk----we could take it or leave it. The MK is the park we spend the most time visiting. My kids only enjoy a few things at Epcot, so for us, the proximity to that park is not a big deal. I agree, the perfect location is going to be something different to different people.

 

[LIFERBABE]

Taking it personally, absolutely not. I just believe the discussion sometimes are not fact based.

I don't own at either OKW or SSR, but I do enjoy staying there. And as I stated it's not all the owners at BC and BW; but it's more of them making these statements than others.

Walking to Epcot or MGM is a big perk to some. We vacation in the summer mostly and walking in the heat and storms is not a big perk to us, we much prefer the air conditioned buses to that.

As to the comments about buying at SSR and staying at BW I believe that would be those considering buying, not new owners which is what I was referring to. And those discussion always seem to center only on the Food and Wine festival.

In this discussion someone stated OKW is not close to any park and that is not correct.

I don't think the transportation options that are offered at OKW and SSR bother those that like those resorts, it seems to be brought up more often by owners elsewhere which was point.

I also find it very interesting if you read the threads by owners at BW and BC very few use the transportation to the other parks so obviously their perfect location is not perfect. Which was my point all along. There is no perfect location to be able to enjoy all Disney has to offer.

If you will go back and read through the comments on this thread you will see why I responded. Some gave the benefits of staying at an attached resort with facts.

Such as being close to Epcot and MGM, no argument there.
Interior hallways, valet parking, room service, hotel atmosphere all facts.

Then you had comments like I don't prefer the "condo" resorts due to having to cook, no luggage assistance, not close to any park, lack of specialized service at the front desk, renting boats for recreation.

These comments are not based on fact. You do not have to cook at SSR or OKW, you do have luggage assistance, they are close to several parks, one situation with one guest does not make for lesser service amenities, renting boats is available.

I don't take anyone's opinion about their favorites personally if it's based on facts, but I take it personal when you disparage another resort based on ficton even though I don't own there.

I have to agree with Sammie also. It's OK to point out likes and dislikes but this forum is read by many new and old, and the comments should be fact based where applicable. It's not a "agree to disagree" situation when misrepresentations are made. I know sometimes, we all tire of defending the truth, but if it were not for this defense, we would all be mired in opinions rather than fact. I for one appreciate the strong support of facts as many do here. Thanks Sammie for taking the time to do what I was too tired to do.

And I own at 4 DVC's, 2 Attached and 2 Condo Style. Right now, if I had to choose only 1, I would choose SSR as it suits our vacationing style the best and has the most offerings inside of the Resort that we like to do.

 

[Mickeygolf]

I love this thread. Reminds me of the old days when Richyams would get everyone riled up and he would be sitting back laughing the whole time.

For the new people who don't remember Richyams, he was a rare treat especially for a thread like this. I posted on the second page that I liked the stand alones because I didn't want to walk down the Looonnngg hallways. This was one of his favorites. That and the fact that the attached DVC's rooms were so small you could reach into your refridgerator from the dining room table...

Actually, I think we are all very lucky to have such a wonderful array of accommodations to choose from. It's what makes DVC so special. I look forward to trying them all someday for all the reasons given above.

But for the record, OKW is the best

 

[Sammie]

I love this thread. Reminds me of the old days when Richyams would get everyone riled up and he would be sitting back laughing the whole time.

For the new people who don't remember Richyams, he was a rare treat especially for a thread like this. I posted on the second page that I liked the stand alones because I didn't want to walk down the Looonnngg hallways. This was one of his favorites. That and the fact that the attached DVC's rooms were so small you could reach into your refridgerator from the dining room table...

Actually, I think we are all very lucky to have such a wonderful array of accommodations to choose from. It's what makes DVC so special. I look forward to trying them all someday for all the reasons given above.

But for the record, OKW is the best

If any part of this discussion made you remember Richyams, then it was worth the effort.

 

[NMW]

For those of you who mentioned that you liked the "hotel" amenities experience rather than the vacation home/timeshare feel. Why then, did you buy a timeshare???? Most timeshares rely on kitchen facilities rather than on-site restaurants. Most timeshares are NOT hotels. Of course, most other timeshares are not in a theme park either, but when DVC (OKW) was first started, it was based on the other timeshares out there at the time. After a few years, it was pretty obvious that folks traveling to WDW didn't necessarily want the typical timeshare experience, so they opened the next three as add-ons to hotels. Seems with SSR they decided to go back to the timeshare idea.

That's exactly why we did not buy SSR. We like Disney's deluxe hotels (ammenities, park proximity, restaurants) that's what we would have kept doing year after year if I had not found these boards and learned about resales- . Once we found out that we could buy points at BCV or BWV, we were all over it!
I realize I don't have as much timeshare experience as some on this board, but I do know some people who own other timeshares besides DVC, and there are some that are "hotel-like." My Aunt and Uncle own at the Westin in St John and while the 3 bedroom unit they stay in does have a kitchen, the entire place is extremely "hotel-like"
Our best friends own Marriot vacation club weeks in Aruba and Myrtle Beach and while these places have kitchens they also share the hotel ammenities. Or, at least the Aruba one does, I have not seen the Myrtle Beach one as it is still being built. Our friends just got back from Aruba (first week of Nov) and only ate breakfast in their rooms. There were lots of dining choices both at the Marriot and the surrounding hotels/timeshares, trust me I heard about every meal!

 

[thelobstershanty]

I do know some people who own other timeshares besides DVC, and there are some that are "hotel-like." My Aunt and Uncle own at the Westin in St John and while the 3 bedroom unit they stay in does have a kitchen, the entire place is extremely "hotel-like"
Our best friends own Marriot vacation club weeks in Aruba and Myrtle Beach and while these places have kitchens they also share the hotel ammenities. Or, at least the Aruba one does, I have not seen the Myrtle Beach one as it is still being built. Our friends just got back from Aruba (first week of Nov) and only ate breakfast in their rooms. There were lots of dining choices both at the Marriot and the surrounding hotels/timeshares, trust me I heard about every meal!

I was just about to post the same thing. Thanks for saving me all those key strokes. We also know of many timeshares, all over the world, that are very hotel like.

 

[DVCPAT]

Seems with SSR they decided to go back to the timeshare idea.

Disney dropped the ball when they decided to build Disney Institute. It seems no one wanted the educational part of the vacation so the resort failed. This failure opened the door for SSR and provided an existing resort footprint for constructing a new stand alone DVC.

DVC will only split a resort with a deluxe level hotel. I think Disney knows they can’t rent rooms at this location for premium prices. Why build a new deluxe resort with DVC if you cant rent the rooms at premium prices???

 

[SoCalKDG]

I absolutely agree Sammie. We much prefer the air conditioned busses to walking in the heat/humidity/thunderstorms of summer. I feel we do enough walking around the parks themselves. But like you said, some feel this is a big perk----we could take it or leave it. The MK is the park we spend the most time visiting. My kids only enjoy a few things at Epcot, so for us, the proximity to that park is not a big deal. I agree, the perfect location is going to be something different to different people.

For us, its not walking to the parks, its taking a monorail or a boat to the park. Thats what makes BWV so wonderful for us. We will be there in Jan. and on one day we will take the boat to Epcot, walk through Epcot, maybe get a FP for Soaring, ride Figment, then hop on the monorail to TTC, then take the monorail through all the resorts, maybe even stopping at the MK. Why, because its Disney. Disney transportation can be just as much fun as the rides or shows. Its similar to OKW or SSR taking the boat to DTD. Its just a fun thing to do.

The good news for all is that approx. 15 million is going to be spent on improving the buses in the next couple years.

Now its rumored that there might be a watershow coming to the DTD PI area, so SSR could gain a new advantage over the other resorts.

 

[debloco]

For those of you who mentioned that you liked the "hotel" amenities experience rather than the vacation home/timeshare feel. Why then, did you buy a timeshare???? Most timeshares rely on kitchen facilities rather than on-site restaurants. Most timeshares are NOT hotels. Of course, most other timeshares are not in a theme park either, but when DVC (OKW) was first started, it was based on the other timeshares out there at the time. After a few years, it was pretty obvious that folks traveling to WDW didn't necessarily want the typical timeshare experience, so they opened the next three as add-ons to hotels. Seems with SSR they decided to go back to the timeshare idea.

Well, that's yet another reason why we bought the DVC timeshare....the DVC "deluxe" hotel in a pre-paid plan with a kitchen (and washer/dryer), right next to a WDW theme park!!!...the best of both worlds!!



Beca

I couldn't have answered Diane's question better myself! That is exactly why we bought DVC. Well said.

 

[BCV23]

Hmmm, I'm having trouble understanding the argument about preferring to take a bus rather than walk home.

Don't you have to walk to the bus? From some places in WS, it is shorter to walk to the BCV than to the buses at the front of Epcot. From some areas it is probably a wash. While the buses are perhaps a little closer from parts of FW, you still have the walk from the bus stop to your villa after the bus ride while the walk is the end of the journey if headed to BCV.

From the entrance of MGM to the buses is a little closer than the boat but not much. And while I don't think the boats at the Epcot resorts are nearly as much fun as those in the MK area, they are climate controlled. I personally would take a boat over a bus any day. But as in all these things, that is a personal preference.

 

[sigillaria]

Everyone agrees (I think) that MK parking is time consuming. Some years back people found out that you could park at the Contemporary and just walk over.
You would park at the outer edge (and climb the short fence).
There was no guard gate at that time. When DIS caught on they placed a gate and changed the fence.

 

[jmminarik]

For us, we prefer OKW. We've not been to SSR but based on the room diagrams, we'll stick with the big comfy rooms at OKW.

We're city folk. Hustle and Bustle is "normal life". The quieter less frantic pace at OKW is vacation for us. Being able to sit on the veranda at 6:00 am and drink a cup of coffee with the world waking up around me is the best non-park part of the trip Home.

Valet parking? We've used it at the other resorts, if only because I'm paying for it anyway and it is convenient, but I'd rather park right out front...a special treat for those of us who live in a city and have to parallel park.

Room Service? Something we'll never use. Beyond actually enjoying having the time to cook when on holiday, it's just not in my worldview shaped by 'my raised in the depression' parents. I actually think it's extremely unfair the "rating" services use this as a criteria for extra stars. Heck, it annoys me when the hotel staff wants to come in to do turn down service when I'm traveling on business. I can pull down my own bed linen and I can buy my own (much bigger) chocolate bar, just stop annoying me for stupid stuff!

(Yes, count us in the group who prefers not to have servants cleaning up after us every day...especially when we're actually in the rooms).

-Joe

 

[jade1]

Hmmm, I'm having trouble understanding the argument about preferring to take a bus rather than walk home.

Don't you have to walk to the bus? From some places in WS, it is shorter to walk to the BCV than to the buses at the front of Epcot. From some areas it is probably a wash. While the buses are perhaps a little closer from parts of FW, you still have the walk from the bus stop to your villa after the bus ride while the walk is the end of the journey if headed to BCV.

From the entrance of MGM to the buses is a little closer than the boat but not much. And while I don't think the boats at the Epcot resorts are nearly as much fun as those in the MK area, they are climate controlled. I personally would take a boat over a bus any day. But as in all these things, that is a personal preference.

Total agreement. We get enough cars and buses in Minneapolis. Even just EPCOT having this perk is great, MGM has the boat (or walk), we only do AK a half day each trip-not enough to do, MK is monorail or bus. We also are through with commando mode and often go to EPCOT for dinner and Illuminations then walk back to the BCV in minutes.

As for the OP, we like having attached resorts for more food and entertainment options, actually prefer having the car parked for us and luggage delivered to the room (a drop in the budget bucket) but will admit if SSR and BWV switched locations for example-we would prefer staying at SSR and walking to EPCOT and MGM.

To us its kind of like a ski in/ ski out resort compared to one that requires a bus and has less amenities as well.

 

[Sammie]

After SSR expands the Bar area into a restaurant and OKW has Olivias, how does VWL have more food and entertainment options. How many DVCers honestly eat at Artist Pointe more than once during their stays if at all. Just as I am not sure many DVCers eat at the Yachtsman's Steakhouse on a regular basis.

As to the BW dining and entertainment, are we sure the furthest room at the end of the hall at BWV is closer to the food and entertainment at the BW then the closest room in Congress Park is to Downtown Disney with plenty of dining and entertainment options.

If one likes the attached resorts for the food and entertainment options offered, then that is understandable and based on personal preference, but to say you prefer them because there are more choices I am not sure I would agree.

 

[Disney Doll]

I don't have a preference based on attached vs. not.

There are some trip where I like the laid back feeling of OKW.

There are some trips where I like the location of BCV/BWV.

There are some trips where I like the "serenity" of VWL.

Haven't stayed at SSR yet, so I don't know the "feel" of it.

I know I say it a million times, but I feel very fortunate to be able to own the DVC. It has made for some wonderful vacations for us.

 

[BCV23]

Sammie, although we certainly don't eat at YSH every night of our trip, I do make an AR at least once per trip(we don't always make it however). We usually hit B&C for lunch or a quick dinner for our son. We now have a tradition of having a meal at Crew's Cup usually on our last night. We still don't go to YCGalley very often but I hope to change that as it's another good choice for B,L or D. You can now even get good sandwiches, pastries and gelato at the BC Marketplace. We can reach all of these from our villa without going out in the rain. To us, that is one more advantage of BCV. It is important to us.

Entertainment at night means nothing to us. If we're not at a park, we're reading in our villa. But again, different things are important to different families.

 

[spiceycat]

actually prefer having the car parked for us and luggage delivered to the room (a drop in the budget bucket)

some people are more attached to their cars.....I HATE other people to drive my car!!!