We are planning a trip to WDW for Sept 2004. I, my dh, dd (who will be almost 3 then) and my friend and her ds (who will be 7 then) will be staying in a one-bedroom. We are torn between BWV and BCV. We own at BWV and feel we have a fairly good chance of getting a BW view at the 11 month window. Is SAB really that much better than Luna Park as far as a 7 year old (who has Down Syndrome, so developmentally more like a 4 or 5 year old) and a 3 year old are concerned? Both are still learning how to swim and will have to be in shallow water. The 8-foot deep lazy river is a concern for me. Why so deep? The slide show that Tagrel posted of SAB is great. The pool does look like a lot of fun. But then that slide at BWV looks like a blast too! My friend has never been to WDW and really doesn't know what to expect. She doesn't understand what the big deal is and I want to wow her. My preference is to stay at BWV since we own there and haven't stayed there and I personally would love the BW view. But this trip isn't for me as much as it is for my friend and especially her son. So I guess after saying all that my question is: Is SAB better than Luna Park plus a BWview? Whew! That was a mouthfull!
IMHO, there s no p[ool on WDW property that even comes close to comparing to SAB. That being said, the pool at BWV isn't too shabby either, and your description of oyur groupleads me to believe that the BWV pool will wow them as much. The 2 litle ones aren't really going to be able to derive the full beenfit from SAB anyhow.
I feel the opposite of Disney Doll. I think that SAB will be much more fun for kids that age. Luna Park is nice, but it's basically just a pool. SAB has pool areas that will be shallow enough for the kids and it will have the sandbar area for them to play in like being at the beach. SAB also has a much cooler kids pool and slide if they cannot go on the big slide. We took my 6 year old niece last year and she absolutely freaked out over SAB. She would have stayed at the pool instead of going to the parks a couple of days. The BW view is nice, and I'd love to get one myself, but it will mean nothing to the kids. Of course, your friend will like it but I don't think that's enough to override the value of SAB to the kids in your party. P.S. the lazy river section is separate from most of the common areas of the pool and roped off (in the water). The only way you would have to worry about the kids in the lazy river is if they were completely unattended and allowed to wander there on their own. Also, I think Disney does a good job of posting life guards at certain parts of SAB, like that one.
I would go with the Boardwalk view if you can get it and just take the kidsd to one of the water parks to get your "Pool Fix" I hope you have a wonderful time...
For young kids that do not swim, SAB is awsome! The shallow part is all sandy and it's wonderful for mom/dad to sit in the sand on the edge and let the kids play without having to worry they are going to slip and fall under the water like in a kiddie pool. From my experience, most kiddie pools are like 2-1/2 feet deep with concrete bottoms. If your kids are little (2 or under), you still have to walk with them and hold their hands so they don't slip under. With the sandy beach part of SAB, you can let them play around in the water without having to be next to them holding their hands. IMO, the pool alone is reason to stay at BCV. Pam
I'm a owner of both resorts. I have a five yr old son .He is mentaly slow. He can not swim without swimmies or a life vest.That being said,He likes BWV the best. SAB he can not go down the big waterslide. The little water slide at SAB is away from the rest of the swimming areas and harder to watch the whole family.BWV"s pool he can slide down the waterslide with the lifevest. Plus,I can keep an eye on what everyone in the family is doing.(PS, SAB is alot more crowded than BWV!) I also do not like the walk from the BCV's to SAB in my beach wear,let alone when it starts raining and lightning with kids .
Thanks everyone. You've given me a lot of things to think about. We'll go ahead and book BWV at the 11 month window and then decide if we want to switch to BCV at 7 months. I do believe SAB has a lot more going for it for the ages of our kids. I know they would really love the sand. And that kiddie pool in the ship looks really neat...the one with the slide. Also glad to know the lazy river is not easily accessed by the kids. Since we are going off-season...right when most schools start, we hopefully won't have a problem getting into either resort with our preferences. I would not like this either!
I vote BCV for SAB, it's great. Planning ahead with a beach coverup takes care of the walk. You can always go out the door by the quiet pool to avoid the lobby and walk around if it's too much of a concern. Dunes cove is a nice pool area too, with two big stairway areas.
Our two little girls LOVE SAB, and have since they were each 2 years old. They still love it there (now 4 and 6), but really enjoyed BWV Luna Park Pool this last July as well. The youngest could ride the big slide and still wear her swim wings (not allowed at SAB). And the lazy river is short and fun, but its so deep you pretty much have to be a good swimmer or have some sort of floation device (wings, tube, vest - something). There are lifeguards all around the lazy river. (the whole pool for that matter) The sand and the Kiddie pool and slide are a big hit as well. One nice thing - If you do stay at BCV you can always Pool Hop to BWV to try out the slide. Either was they are great pools and you'll have a wonderful trip!
