BCV vs. VWL

[rrobalew]

Thanks to all of the great info here, you all have just about suckered me into buying into DVC. I'm currently having trouble deciding between BCV and VWL. I've stayed at WL and like it very much, especially the proximity to Ft. Wilderness and the convenience of a direct boat to MK. But when my 5-year-old is a bit older, she may like Epcot more and will most certainly like the pools at BCV better.

I doubt anyone can help me with these personal preference kind of things, but I was wondering if anyone could answer the following questions to help.

1. My main trip each year is usually the weekend plus Monday/Tuesday before Thanksgiving, or occasionally the week after Thanksgiving. I also sometimes go in April/May. Is either resort significantly easier to book at the 7-month window for these travel times?

2. In November, what's the probability any given year that the weather will be warm enough to enjoy the pools at BCV?

3. We usually meet other family members at WDW. If I don't have enough points to get DVC accomodations for all of us, which property would be most convenient for having one group stay in a non-DVC property? Am I correct that rooms at VWL "near the elevator" would be very close to WL rooms? Are there any such rooms at BCV that are similarly close to Beach Club Resort rooms?

4. A previous post mentioned a negative of the BCV being that the bus route is shared with many other resorts (and I assume, therefore, that there's a long wait to get on the bus from the parks). Does anyone know what resorts the VWL shares a bus with? If this varies with the park involved, let's assume AK, since that park requires a bus for both properties.

Of course, any other comparisons of the two would help.

Thanks.

 

[colleen costello]

We own at BCV and yet it is not my favorite resort. I have fallen for OKW. This summer we have 4 nights at the Lodge and I think it will become another favorite. I am still glad we own at BCV. I have so far made reservations for our trips there, and at the 7-month window have switched to OKW or Lodge with no problem. Everyone says "Buy where you most want to stay" which is great advice; so far I have been able to secure all desired reservations elsewhere.

Both Villas are adjacent to the original hotel. At Wilderness Lodge you go down a long, covered boardwalk and at the Beach Club there is an outdoor, covered path that takes you in to the lobby of the Beach Club. It's hard to say which walk is longer, but you are correct in assuming that if you are at the "close" end you will not be far from either lobby. Relatives anywhere at these resorts could not be more than a 5-minute walk away.

Beach Club is new and bright and beautiful. Stormalong Bay is as fun as everyone says. You are close to Boardwalk and you can walk to Epcot. That said, I find it a bit "fussy" -- PLEASE NO FLAMES THIS IS JUST MY OPINION! I don't like walking through the lobby in my bathing suit. It's kind of a fancy place and this may be a minus for me and a plus for you.

The Lodge is magical. Smells good -- different than the rest of WDW. Very rustic. Great pool, nice quiet pool, beautiful views of lake and of course easy access to MK. The Lodge IMO is all the fun of Ft. Wilderness without having to camp! Sorry I don't have bus info; we use our own vehicle BUT the Lodge also has boats to MK.

So much to think about! Have fun choosing.

 

[Granny]

I think Colleen has given some good information, so I'll try to hit on some areas she didn't cover.

I'd have to say that it's too early to say how tough BCV will be at the 7 month window....it has more units than VWL, but there are a lot of people who really enjoy the Epcot hotel area.

I've never been in November, but all the WDW pools are heated. That said, it still might be cool for swimming, especially when you get out of the pool. I'll defer to others who know more about November weather.

The rooms at the WL are not particularly close to the VWL rooms, even if you're at the "Lodge end" of the VWL. I don't know the BCV/BC layout as well, but it seems that the rooms could be a bit closer there. However, there are no guarantees you could get the rooms exactly where you'd want them anyway. I wouldn't worry so much about this one....you'd be on the same "campus" at least and it wouldn't be tough to get together in either place.

We have always enjoyed the transportation at VWL, but some feel it is fairly spotty.

There is a boat to MK...it runs often and is great!

Everywhere else is a bus....and it is shared with Fort Wilderness (at least it was last summer). This is no big deal EXCEPT for the trip to AK. Not only did we have to go to Fort Wilderness first, but then we had to go to Blizzard Beach before AK. It took a long time, and the worst part was that on the way back, we backtracked along the same route. Hopefully, they've worked on that route a bit.

But everything else we found to be fine at VWL for transportation.

BCV does share a bus with BWV, but I don't think it's a big deal. Of course, you would be walking to Epcot, and taking a boat over to MGM. I think the transportation is about a push, personally, with a little edge to being able to walk to Epcot so quickly from BCV.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[jaysue]

OK, so we bought DCV last week and we had a choice between BCV and VWL - we bought BCV and here are the factors involved (some came from other posters to this board so I cannot claim 1000% original thinking)

VWL "+"

Great Themes
Rustic/Out of the way vacation spot
Boat Launch to MK (I like this - some would not)
DW likes it
Awesome Lobby
Close to FW for other activities

BCV "+"

Stormalong Bay
Central Location - important to use since typically no car
We like Epcot so location location location
As our kids get older we figured BCV or BWV would work best
More expensive for rooms than VWL so figure that if we wanted to stay at VWL or WL we would go during a code rate period and pay for the reservation and bank points (or go twice that year!!!)
More accessible for our parents in terms of parking lot/parks etc
Can pool hop at times to all other resorts except for AKL but cannot pool hop to SAB

I will not get into the "-"'s since we based the decision on a straight up comparison of what we say as the positives of both. I would say at the end of the day, the three key factors were:

1) As kids get older we saw BCV as better destination
2) Pool hopping not being equal
3) The cost of a room/unit at VWL/WL less than BCV

Hope this helps

Thanks
Jason

 

[Dopey Sharon]

Originally posted by colleen costello


I don't like walking through the lobby in my bathing suit. It's kind of a fancy place and this may be a minus for me and a plus for you.

LOL! Have you ever been to Las Vegas? To get to the pools you have to walk through the CASINOS at most hotels! I didn't like that at all!

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Originally posted by colleen costello
I don't like walking through the lobby in my bathing suit. It's kind of a fancy place and this may be a minus for me and a plus for you.

Oh, this would be a plus for me. If I had known women had to walk through the lobby in their bathing suits, I would have definitely bought at BCV instead of VWL. Darn it!

 

[erikthewise]

I'm with Maistre Gracey! As a fellow BCV owner, I grant you permission to walk through the lobby in your bathing suit at any time. That is, as long as you don't drip too much.

 

[kem330]

I think the closest BC rooms are closer to BCV than the WL rooms are to VWL. But that is not a big deal. What we have found is if others want to join you, they can often get a great rate at the swan/dolphin. I wouldn't say the bus wait is long- just sometimes crowded at peak times. And you only need it for 2 parks vs. 3 at vwl. We have gone swimming at the end of December- I think Nov is usually in the 70's. The whole BCV/BWV area has a lot of entertainment options as well - the Boardwalk, surrey bikes, mini golf, restaurants, etc. Yet you can escape to the quiet corner of BCV.

 

[rrobalew]

Thanks again for all of the info. I think I'll take a stab at picking up some VWL points. Each year I'll make my 11-month reservation at VWL. If some year I want to stay at BCV, I'll try switching at the 7-month window. If the worst thing that happens is I end up "stuck" at VWL, I don't think I'll have too much to complain about.

The primary factors that tip the scales slightly toward VWL for me are:

1. VWL has 136 units; BCV has 205. So on a pure numbers basis, it seems VWL might be harder to get at the 7-month window.

2. I often meet relatives at WDW, and for convenience we like to have rooms at the same property. In years where I don't have enough points for us all to stay in DVC rooms, non-DVC rooms will be cheaper for them at WL than at BC (ain't I thoughtful?).

3. I have a 5 year old daughter, so I think MK will be our primary park for the next several years. When we do want to visit Epcot, the WL boat to the Contemporary and then the monorail isn't too bad.

 

[colleen costello]

I am 38 years old and have had two children. Gravity has worked its wonders. You might want to rethink letting me loose in my swimsuit.

 

[littlestar]

Congrats on deciding on VWL! That's our favorite. We have 200 at VWL and 60 at BCV.

You bring up a good point about being able to add extra nights in the main lodge economically when you're short on points or have extra guests.

You'll love the VWL and Wilderness Lodge main resort at the Christmas holidays. It is extra beautiful when decked out for the holidays.

Our daughters are 22 and 18 and they are torn between which resort they like the best. It's a tie for them on VWL and BCV. We also enjoy OKW, but our girls don't care for it (they think it's for old people meaning their parents, no doubt - hee hee). They don't like the clown slide at BWV or the theme. They definitely like BCV better for the Epcot area. I think BCV wins for them over BWV in the Epcot area because of the "beach" theme. DVC definitely has a lot of choices for everybody.

 

[Granny]

rrobalew....thanks for posting your decision and rationale. You can't go wrong either way.

One other thing to make you feel smart....WL/VWL is arguably the best decorated DVC resort at Christmas time. So if you do want to go during that high-demand early December period, you will have the 11 month booking advantage.

Congratulations...hope all goes well with the purchase!