BLT or switch to Boardwalk

[Havana]

I love DVC, but it drives me crazy deciding on where to stay!
We have a room booked at BLT now for next May, but our 7 month just opened and Boardwalk is available. We have yet to stay at either location. (we do have a BLT room booked for next July 4th weekend)
Which is your preference and why? Do you feel one of the resorts is more relaxing than the other?
We are two adults, no kids. It will be our 15th wedding anniversary trip.

 

[disneynutz]

You need to stay at each resort at least once to decide which are your favorites and where to own points. The order in which you stay is up to you.

Bill

 

[Tamar]

Our choice would be Boardwalk, but we are creatures of habit and always stay there. You will enjoy either resort! I would pick based on which parks you think you'll spend the most time at.

 

[arthur06]

we own both and have never stayed at either! We have stayed at SSR/AKL and when we go back in Dec have AKL/THV.

However, in Jan we have BWV standard, and BCV in April for F&G.

Look at what parks you want to spend most of your time and go from there!

 

[drusba]

Preference is BWV but neither is a bad choice. Some considerations:

1. I suspect with only two you have a studio. BLT studios are only about 340 sq ft, BWV near 360, that is a larger difference than you might think. However, you can possibly get a high floor at BLT with impressive view. For great view at BWV (and one of best at WDW), you need boardwalk view room which I doubt is available at 7 months (but check). Note, if you happen to have 1BR, BLT's are about 100 sq ft larger than BWV.

2. You can walk to MK at BLT and not bad double monorail trip to Epcot. Bus trips for other parks can be a pain because of sharing with other MK resorts. At BWV, you can walk or take boat to Studios and Epcot but bus trips for others are not good because of sharing with S/D and sometimes YC/BC.

3. BLT gives you easy acces to restaurants at Contemporary resort, MK, and even other MK resorts because of simple monorail trip. BWV gives you walking access to a lot more restaurants at Epcot, Studios, all the Epcot resorts. BWV has nightly entertainment on the boardwalk, ESPN club, dance hall and a night club. BLT has the viewing lounge at the top.

4. Main and largest pool at BWV is right on BWV side of resort, thus quick access. BLT has good pool but large one at Contemporary is somewhat of a trek.

5. If you have car you can often find parking fairly close to BLT, BWV is quite more of a trek from building to car.

 

[cchron]

My husband and I just got back and did a split BLT/BWV stay. The luggage transfer was a breeze and it let us experience both. BLT is great for access to MK and the lounge was a nice perk, especially for an adult trip. We also rented a pool side cabana for a day at Contemporary, not cheap ($185 for the day) but really nice if you want to give yourself a treat.

We were there for F&W so being at BWV and able to walk into EPCOT was great, we really took advantage of that in the evenings. If you don't want to do a split stay and you are going to spend most of your time at EPCOT, I would go with BWV.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Since you own at BLT, I would go with the BWV reservation to try out that resort and you will know if you ever want to stay there again. You don't always get to try a non-home resort, and this is your chance.

Bobbi

 

[WDWFERN]

While we loved BLT when we stayed there last December, we also loved the Boardwalk area (even more than I expected as I have always been a MK fan)when we visited this October. In fact we liked it so much that we changed our next trip from an exclusive BLT stay to a split stay between BCV and BLT. Since BLT is your home resort and you know you are already staying there in July, I would be think about staying at BWV in May to experience the Epcot area side.

 

[88golf88]

My wife and I just got back from a split stay at VWL/BLT. We are similar to you, no kids, just the 2 of us, but we are HUGE fans of MK, so BLT was fantastic. The ease of walking to MK plus the monorail to EPCOT was great. The rooms are slightly smaller, but we found no issues and we were there for 6 nights.

To me, its all about location and BLT has it all for us. As a PP said, if you are taking a car, as we did, the parking at BLT was fantastic. Extremely close to the building and allowed us to drive to dinner most nights with ease.

We loved it so much that we changed our Feb trip with my parents from 2BR at BWV to a 2 BR at BLT!

Either way, you can't go wront!!

 

[DVC Grammy]

Since it sounds as if you're planning on visiting during the Flower and Garden Festival, which is mainly at Epcot, I'd suggest BWV for its easy access to that park. Aside from the beautiful displays, there are also the "Flower Power" concerts in the evenings, plus the nightly live entertainment on the boardwalk.
It's also a short distance from DHS (by foot or boat).

 

[jarestel]

Personally, as a regular visitor to the Polynesian Resort prior to DVC, I prefer the MK area.

But as others have advised, you need to try out the different resorts yourself to see what works for you.

Good luck!

 

[kaytieedid]

We just got back from a split stay at AKV/BWV/BLT. It was 2 adults and 2 children. We had never stayed at BWV or BLT and hands down BWV was our favorite just for location alone. We loved being able walk to 2 parks (or take the boat). We had some bad experiences at BLT and it didn't feel as resort like to us as we wanted. I felt like I was at high rise convention hotel in a city. BWV made me feel like I was on vacation. The walk to the MK was the only thing about BLT we liked. We thought staying on the monorail would be great but it wasn't as convenient as we remembered from past trips when we were kids. It was crowded and hard to get onto. We had one situation where my husband and the kids were on already and i couldn't fit on with the stroller. They jumped off and we realized our 3 year old was still on there. Luckily we caught it as the doors were closing, got him and waited for the next one. We would take the bus over the monorail any day. We also didn't think the bus system was that efficient at BLT. They were few and far between and the ones we got on stopped at the Polynesian. It was so packed after leaving there you felt like a sardine.

 

[LSchrow]

The BWVs are our absolutE favorite resort, but I agree With the others - you need to experience each of the resorts for yourself to find your personal fave.
Enjoy!

 

[backyardponder]

We love BWV for
1) Its easy access to the World Showcase which is our favorite part of WDW. I really hate entering the main entrance to Epcot then having to walk all the way to the World Showcase. It is much nicer to stroll through the International Gateway.
2) A nice walk to DHS.
3) Easy access to Jellyrolls, a dueling piano bar on the Boardwalk. It is nice to leave Jellyrolls and not have to travel back to another resort.

 

[daisygirl902]

We own at BLT and for our first DVC trip (in September 2010) we stayed at BWV for the week, and then at AKV for a few days on our honeymoon. I had decided to try BLT for our next trip in August 2011, but my hubby and I fell totally in love with BWV! It was so amazing to be that close to both EPCOT and DHS, and we loved the pool so much. Also just the general atmosphere is so great, I think we're hooked (it helps that we got married right at SBP)...even the cast members seemed nicer at BWV!

We decided for our August trip that we're going to stay for a week at BWV and the last 4 days at BLT....that way we get the best of both worlds!