Boardwalk villas standard or monorail resorts?

[Mflaherty]

Here's my dilemma for my fall trip. I currently have a standard view villa booked for right after food and wine ends. I own at BWV and can take advantage of the low point standards. I was going to try to switch to a monorail resort(vgf or blt when the window opens). Wanted to try a new loCation and perhaps be closer to mk with my 3 and 4 year old.but i will have to use many more points. If i kept my bwv room i could travel again maybe in may.i dont know what to do. I did love the boardwalk when I stayed there last year. The location, restaurants and the bakery was wonderful.I am a new member and want to try all the resorts at least once but I'm not sure I should give up a second trip in may? Thoughts? Could I swing it in a studio with my 2 little ones at VGF(if I can get it-I am aware of low availability) Then it would be less points than my one bedroom at boardwalk. Oh these Disney dilemmas!

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

We own at Boardwalk and have really enjoyed our standard and boardwalk view stays. We recently stayed with a lake view at Bay Lake Tower in January.

We enjoyed the stays equally for much different reasons. We love the atmosphere at Boardwalk and the easy access to Epcot and the studios. We also loved the easy access to Magic Kingdom, and riding the monorails to both MK and Epcot. (We love monorails!)

Our room at BLT was on the 16th floor. We LOVED viewing the MK from the elevators and our nice view of Bay Lake. We also saw Christmas fireworks at the Top of the World on the night that we didn't have tickets to the Christmas party. I would think that would make life with kids a little easier.

Our room at BLT also had a really good view of the other rooms on the inside of the C. That was a little bit of a turn off. ALSO, with 3 and 4 year olds...are you comfortable with balconies that are several floors up?

BLT Tip: We were down by the pool when the Electrical Water Pageant went by. We walked in behind the pool area and found a nice grassy area to watch the EWP. We were by ourselves and it was pretty special.

Overall, they are both cool, but its hard to justify the extra points. We did it because we had stayed at Boardwalk several times and also love the Contemporary.

I don't think you will be able to get VGF, but I would jump on it in a minute. PS, we tried.

Don't forget that VWL are also in the MK area and also a pretty cool resort.

 

[Mflaherty]

We own at Boardwalk and have really enjoyed our standard and boardwalk view stays. We recently stayed with a lake view at Bay Lake Tower in January.

We enjoyed the stays equally for much different reasons. We love the atmosphere at Boardwalk and the easy access to Epcot and the studios. We also loved the easy access to Magic Kingdom, and riding the monorails to both MK and Epcot. (We love monorails!)

Our room at BLT was on the 16th floor. We LOVED viewing the MK from the elevators and our nice view of Bay Lake. We also saw Christmas fireworks at the Top of the World on the night that we didn't have tickets to the Christmas party. I would think that would make life with kids a little easier.

Our room at BLT also had a really good view of the other rooms on the inside of the C. That was a little bit of a turn off. ALSO, with 3 and 4 year olds...are you comfortable with balconies that are several floors up?

BLT Tip: We were down by the pool when the Electrical Water Pageant went by. We walked in behind the pool area and found a nice grassy area to watch the EWP. We were by ourselves and it was pretty special.

Overall, they are both cool, but its hard to justify the extra points. We did it because we had stayed at Boardwalk several times and also love the Contemporary.

I don't think you will be able to get VGF, but I would jump on it in a minute. PS, we tried.

Don't forget that VWL are also in the MK area and also a pretty cool resort.

Great advice. Thanks. Hey, did you guys stay in a studio or 1 bedroom? I was just wondering if we could fit comfortably in a studio? Oh and did BLT have a baby pool. My kids love baby pools.

 

[jambo5564]

To save on points you could go with okw for your trip in may and maybe have enough to do a monorail resort this trip

 

[gdrj]

I would:
1- Always opt for more trips.
2- In the future if you have a longer trip (a week), do a split stay to be able to experience more resorts
3-Beach Club could be fun for the kids too!
4-GFV = lots of points, to me extra trip wins out. Maybe try GFV when you cant plan a 2nd trip and have points to spare

 

[lovin'fl]

I am guessing you have a 1BR booked at BWV (oops, just read where you mention that). If you really want to try something different, go for the studio at BLT. BLT is a great resort for folks with little kids as you can walk to MK...plus taking the stroller on the monorail is nice. I loved the studio layout at BLT. Even though it is small, it makes a great use of space...the little kitchen area is fantastic. Then, like another poster mentioned, do OKW for your May trip (we love OKW...try for the hospitality house section).

 

[nalajms]

Would you consider a split stay? Maybe a few days at each? We own at both resorts. My little ones LOVE the elephant pool and play area. However, the splash area at VGF is also great. And while we're at VGF, we only go to MK...

I don't care as much for BLT. The variance in rooms are just crazy. Some rooms are really small. And the lake view can be looking across the "c" to other rooms. And the pool was not impressive. But you can't beat the monorail stop and the option to walk to MK.

I think the availability of VGF will only get worse as they sell out. So your chances of getting a studio there might be easier this fall than say next year.

 

[LSchrow]

Would you consider a split stay? Maybe a few days at each?

that's what i was thinking also
we have done a lot of "try a new resort" vacations, where the first night is at a new resort, then over to a tried-and-true resort for the balance (we've also tried a few new-to-us for entire vacas). we make sure to have one bag specifically for that night, so no need to unpack everything.
it's a fun way to get a taste of somewhere new, without the commitment.

and if you love the "new" resort, try for a full vacation there next time.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

It was just the two of us in a studio.

I like the idea of a split stay too.

Also on GFV (someone correct me if I'm wrong), if you have a stroller, ECV, or mobility issues in general you have to go inside the main building to take the elevator to the monorail platform. Getting to the monorail from outside requires scaling a pretty serious staircase.

 

[wiigirl]

To save on points you could go with okw for your trip in may and maybe have enough to do a monorail resort this trip

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

To save on points you could go with okw for your trip in may and maybe have enough to do a monorail resort this trip[/QUOT


Boardwalk standard view is on par with old key West Point wise and OKW is not adjacent to a park. The only reason I would suggest OKW over boardwalk standard is if you want lots of space. Those one bedrooms are BIG.

(Disclaimer: I have never stayed at OKW.)

 

[nalajms]

Also on GFV (someone correct me if I'm wrong), if you have a stroller, ECV, or mobility issues in general you have to go inside the main building to take the elevator to the monorail platform. Getting to the monorail from outside requires scaling a pretty serious staircase.

Yup, have to go inside the lobby. And I think there's only 1 elevator just past the check-in desk. But at the same time, the walk can't be that much more than getting from the average BWV room to the boat launch or bus

And if you're on the DDP or getting a mug, there's a refill station by the kiddie pool. That's on the way to the bus/monorail.

 

[zumbergc]

The best part or Blt is u can walk stroller ride over without waiting for anything

The pool is zero entry has a small slide great for 3 yr old. Has a Mickey head splash pad.
Over at cr there is another splash pad area. And pools

We own at bwv but haven't stayed there since started staying at Blt since we have a little one. We spend most days at Mk. So avoiding the. Bus wait and transit time is important since we go back for naps
Can add at least 1-2 hours of park time because we have bad luck and at least get stuck waiting 30 min for the bus
Which is important because of our almost 2.5 yr old

I would vote Blt. Busses with the strollers unloading and loading to get to Mk takes so much effort
We always stayed bwv no problem before kids.

 

[hakepb]

I'd try for a VGF studio (if available) for the 1st part of the trip. (The washer/dryer is more beneficial at the end, plus it's easier to "go bigger" than "go smaller"

It sounds like it will be a long time to never before you want to depart with enough points for a VGF 1BR