Bay Lake Towers vs. Boardwalk

[Sandisw]

Yep, just the two of us. A nice mommy/daughter trip. I think I'll be fine on a pull out sofa. Last month I went home for a vacation and spent the week sleeping on a futon. I thought it was pretty comfortable and I'd assume a sleeper sofa would be comparable. Maybe I'll ask them to sprinkle Pixie Dust on it!

We own at BLT and BWV and I think they are great resorts. We always do a split stay between them so we are within walking distance to Epcot and MK--though, MK is my favorite with Epcot being my 2nd!!

We have stayed in the studios with 4 and BWV are bigger than BLT--we only did the BLT one for two nights and it was doable--especially if you were not spending a lot of time in the room.

IMO, you can't go wrong, either way but if Epcot is the park that you like the most, then go with BWV...but, as mentioned, if you are considering renting out points, those resorts will book up fast and if you want SV rooms for either one, booking at the 11 month mark will be important.

Good luck!

 

[Deb & Bill]

What is OKW?

Old Key West.

 

[francie57]

As others have said, make sure you try to rent points early. We are going for marathon weekend 2013 and the only villas available (we want a 1 bedroom) are at Saratoga and Animal Kingdome with points. We ended up renting directly through Disney with a AAA discount and it wasn't too much more than renting the points. We have never stayed at BLT but we love both of the Epcot resorts. We have been staying in the Epcot resort for over 15 years now and can't imagine staying anywhere else since we love the convenience of getting to two parks easily (we have our TS meal every night in Epcot) and just love the area. The looks of the BLT villas doesn't appeal to me at all - to modern looking. We like the layed back feel of the two at Epcot.

 

[WsPrincess]

I'm planning a surprise 60th birthday trip for my mother. This won't happen until January 2014 but it's never early to start thinking about things. I've been kicking around a few ideas and one of them is to rent DVC points. My mother hasn't been to WDW since the late 80s and I thought having something a little nicer than a moderate or value would make her trip extra special. I also love fact that it would put us closer to the theme parks cutting down on travel time, etc....

If I go the points route, I think I've narrowed my choices down to BLT and the Boardwalk (it would be a studio, still deciding between standard and preferred).

The Boardwalk is close to Epcot, my favorite park. Also, it's really pretty at night and it seems like there's a lot of things in that area.

BLT is close to the Magic Kingdom which is a park I like almost as much as Epcot. It's on the monorail line and I think that's pretty cool.

I guess I'm just looking for some opinions to help me make a decison. I also took a look at Old Key West if anyone has an opinion on that.

Oh, and one more thing. What is Club Level?

Thank you so much.

Locations of both are great so you really cannot go wrong. If you are interested in CL check out CR CL or BWI CL. We have done CR CL and it was AMAZING!! It was definitely an extra special trip that is for sure but we are DVC owners so we love the space of the villas!

 

[madelyn]

You can get CL (Club Level) at Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas Jambo House but these rooms are hard to get. For sure you would want to book 11 months out.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You can get CL (Club Level) at Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas Jambo House but these rooms are hard to get. For sure you would want to book 11 months out.

If you didn't attempt to book at AKV CL at Jambo House at 11 months out at 9AM ET, you probably wouldn't get it. There are only five two bedroom lockoffs and they go quickly.

 

[nym4588]

Thank you again for all of your replies. You are all so helpful!

Well, the most important thing it seems I can do it book at the 11 month mark so I will definitely make sure I do that. It won't be a problem because mom doesn't turn 60 until January 2015. Although I am kicking around the idea of pushing it up to January 2014 because I think I'll be too excited to wait that long! Two years seems like an awful long time.

Ohhh my, you guys. I have been looking at the one bedroom villas on YouTube for some of these resorts and I think I am now hooked on that idea. The villas at Boardwalk, Bay Lake and Old Key West seem particularly nice. But I am pretty sure I would prefer the BWV as my first choice. I just love that location.

If this was an ordinary trip, I would probably go with a studio or just get a value or mod through Disney. But my mother hasn't been on a real vacation since before I was in kindergarten (I'm almost 33). She's been on mini vacations here and there but nothing where she got on a plane and went somewhere. I really just want this time to be extra special and I think a super nice hotel would contribute nicely. I will lose out on any available free dining but I am pretty sure the discounted DVC room will be worth more than what I would have saved.

I had planned on a January or February trip but now I'm kicking around September or October. Fall months will give us a chance to use the pool!

 

[nym4588]

You can get CL (Club Level) at Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas Jambo House but these rooms are hard to get. For sure you would want to book 11 months out.

I looked this up on YouTube. Wow, you sure can't beat some of those balcony views! Too bad I can't have a split stay where I stay somewhere different every night...it's so hard to pick one place!

 

[moobar25]

OP- if you change your trip to Sep/Oct you can enjoy the Food & Wine festival at Epcot & Halloween party at MK. F&WF will be great to eat around the world.

 

[MrsLS]

I have stayed at both, but in a 1 bedroom. We much prefer the boardwalk. Which is a good thing since its our home resort! I thought staying at BLT more had a standard hotel feel whereas the BWI had more of a resort feel. I love being close to Epcot/HS, close to a lot of great restaurants, entertainment at night and just the whole atmophere.
BLT was great for being close to MK, but thats the only plus for us.

Club level is for the regular hotel part. We've stayed at BW Club level before we did DVC. It was great. The people were friendly and the food offerings were very good.

 

[goofy4tink]

I own DVC at both BWV and BLT. I love them both. Our family of three generally stays in a studio...yes, at both. If we have more than the three of us, we book a one bedroom. For us, we just don't need the addtl room of a one bedroom, or the full kitchen. They are nice, but not a great use of our points since we love the studios.
Ok...BLT studios are not all that small. Yes, they are smaller than other studios, but in all reality, how much space do you need??? The kitchenette area is just fine, the bathroom is fine. The three of us have stayed in BLT studios several times. And we are not small people...dh is 6'4'', I am 5'8'' and dd (18) is 5'10''. Dd and I usually share the bed, dh gets the sleep sofa. Everyone has enough room. I find that the BLT studios have some interesting and more than adequate storage. I was really surprised to find that to be the case.
But, BWV is my 'home'...just love it there. I get different views all the time. Yes, a boardwalk view is nice, but I love the standard views as well.

I would try to go in Oct. Food and Wine is wonderful, especially if you'll be at BW!! So easy to get to. Oct is one of my favorite times of year to go!!!

 

[steilkurve]

Well, were just at BLT and loved it for all the reasons you mentioned: Monorail, walking distance to Magic Kingdom. But most importantly, we loved the space in the room. If it helps you decide, take a look at my video of the 1-bedroom villa we occupied. Also some shots of the resort in there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXQ_XzsGwgA

Now, all that being said, Boardwalk may very well be the next one we stay at. We had dinner at Flying Fish on night and just thought the place was gorgeous at night.

 

[robinbutterfly]

I have stayed at both... i say hands down stay at Boardwalk!