Best gyms in DVC ?

[mcmulcahy]

Hey all,

My whole family are planning to rent points and share a DVC unit in WDW next Fall. My partner and I are both avid lifters and like to hit the gym before we hit the parks. Are there other lifters out there who have recommendations as to which DVC property gym is best appointed/maintained? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[jrieder]

I like the gym at beach club, it's small but usually empty. I don't lift but I do cardio. The ice cream parlor is right next door lol

 

[DonMacGregor]

Sturdy Branches at BRV. Great selection of machines, free weights, cardio, and a great shower and sauna area, and almost always empty.

Sturdy Branches

 

[Maleficent's Dad]

Another vote for Sturdy Branches. By far DW’s favorite gym (she’s better about going while vacationing than I am!).

 

[primalJ]

Saratoga hands down, it huge tons of great equipment lots of cardio. Its peaceful,clean and me and the wife use it all the time. We usually stay part of our trip at Saratoga 7-10 nights and never busy.
Wilderness Lodge second.

 

[beccasmom]

Sturdy Branches at BRV. Great selection of machines, free weights, cardio, and a great shower and sauna area, and almost always empty.

Sturdy Branches

My DH would agree with this. He used the gym there every day we were there last week.

 

[DonMacGregor]

My DH would agree with this. He used the gym there every day we were there last week.

And, it's right next to the pool as well. Just head out the back door and across the walkway.

 

[texanlawyer]

Not Bay Lake Tower/Contemporary. It's amazing to me how poor that gym is given how expensive rooms at the Contemporary are. Windowless with low ceilings and crammed in equipment.

 

[pinkxray]

Not Bay Lake Tower/Contemporary. It's amazing to me how poor that gym is given how expensive rooms at the Contemporary are. Windowless with low ceilings and crammed in equipment.

That's a bummer. I saw a video recently in a review and it looked ok.

I was going to say Rivera wasn't great. There were a couple treadmills, ellipticals and free weights with benches. It was really small too. I was the only one in there so was able to use the floor space but I wouldn't have been able to do that with others in there. Thankfully, no one else was up with me at 430am. If you just want a treadmill or elliptical its fine.

I have used the one at Jambo and remember it being big but was only using the treadmill while maintaining for the 1/2 marathon during the rest of the week so didn't look for weights.

We are doing a split stay in VGF and Bay Lake in March. Hoping the gyms have standard weight machines at least. I had to do some physical therapy for a back injury and really like to keep up with it while on vacation, so my back pain doesn't flare up on me.

 

[DVCsloth]

VGF is really nice, so is Sturdy Branches and the Riviera's gym.

 

[gleddo]

I just got back from a stay at Boulder Ridge. We usually stay at the Boardwalk. In my opinion the gyms are about the same. Sturdy Branches has more cardio but it was definitely more crowded than Muscles and Bustles. The strength equipment is exactly the same. Life Fitness brand machines, Smith machine and cable machine. Sturdy Branches did have an ab crunch machine that Muscles and Bustles doesn't have but Muscles and Bustles has a TRX station and a few kettlebells that Sturdy Branches doesn't. We tried to use Sturdy Branches Wednesday of last week but it was much too crowded. I guess the hurricane weather had something to do with that.

 

[DonMacGregor]

I just got back from a stay at Boulder Ridge. We usually stay at the Boardwalk. In my opinion the gyms are about the same. Sturdy Branches has more cardio but it was definitely more crowded than Muscles and Bustles. The strength equipment is exactly the same. Life Fitness brand machines, Smith machine and cable machine. Sturdy Branches did have an ab crunch machine that Muscles and Bustles doesn't have but Muscles and Bustles has a TRX station and a few kettlebells that Sturdy Branches doesn't. We tried to use Sturdy Branches Wednesday of last week but it was much too crowded. I guess the hurricane weather had something to do with that.

In a half-dozen stays at BRV, I have literally never seen any more than 3 people in there at a time. Definitely must have been the hurricane.

 

[WImouse]

Sturdy Branches at BRV/CCV, Zahanati at AKL, and Saratoga Springs. They are all larger facilities and have numerous machines.

 

[Lumpy1106]

DD was in training for her college LAX team and we used Sturdy Branches every day on our last trip. It was good but a little warm for my taste. It doesn't take much for the place to get crowded. Two brothers came in to lift weights one night and we felt like we were in each other's way. We stayed at BWV the trip previous and would agree that Muscles and Bustles is good too. We are BLT owners but will agree about that too - the gym is in the Contemporary and is on the bottom level in a windowless room - VERY dungeon-ey! Would not recommend.

 

[bp2412]

I just got back from a stay at Boulder Ridge. We usually stay at the Boardwalk. In my opinion the gyms are about the same. Sturdy Branches has more cardio but it was definitely more crowded than Muscles and Bustles. The strength equipment is exactly the same. Life Fitness brand machines, Smith machine and cable machine. Sturdy Branches did have an ab crunch machine that Muscles and Bustles doesn't have but Muscles and Bustles has a TRX station and a few kettlebells that Sturdy Branches doesn't. We tried to use Sturdy Branches Wednesday of last week but it was much too crowded. I guess the hurricane weather had something to do with that.

My wife and I stayed at Beach Club back in 2017 when Hurricane Irma hit. We went to the gym twice when things were shut down and the gym there was packed, I remember all cardio machines were in use and sharing machines for weights. Better than just sitting in the room any longer but yeah I'd agree the weather was the reason most of us were in there.

I've also used the Grand Floridian and Saratoga gyms and enjoyed them both. Saratoga is so big we just ran around the resort until we hit 3 miles and then went into the gym for some weights. VGF felt a little small but was empty when we went so it worked out for my wife who wanted to do a class on her phone.

 

[WxKristin]

Does anyone know if any of the gyms have indoor cycle equipment (spinning/peloton type bikes)?

I'm always debating on bringing my cycle shoes with me on vacation. The Hilton chain adding peloton bikes to all locations has been an amazing boost for my workouts while on travel.

 

[jrieder]

Running around the lake at beach club is pure bliss. I was there in August and it was extremely hot. Each lap around is about 1 mile if you run to the entrance of epcot. Each time I reached the entranced I stopped at the restroom to cool off. The bathrooms have AC and there is a water fountain.

 

[Ellester]

Saratoga hands down, it huge tons of great equipment lots of cardio. Its peaceful,clean and me and the wife use it all the time. We usually stay part of our trip at Saratoga 7-10 nights and never busy.
Wilderness Lodge second.

Do you know if there are showers available at the Saratoga gym? My son will want to lift early in the mornings and it would be helpful if he could just shower there before heading back to the room.

 

[JulieBeeRN]

We like the gym at SSR, but there were some cardio machines that weren’t working last year which was a bummer. Great weights though. My husband loves the ones at YC/BC and OKW because of the stairclimber. I just need an elliptical and weights so I’m good at any of the WDW gyms. Never have a problem getting a machine, but I’d probably just jump on a treadmill while I waited.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Do you know if there are showers available at the Saratoga gym? My son will want to lift early in the mornings and it would be helpful if he could just shower there before heading back to the room.

It must - it's the nicest gym on property, though I will say, I have not been there. Both M&B at BWV and SB at CCV/BRV have showers - seems pretty standard.