BWI or BWV?

[tigerfanrob]

HI.
I am thinking of renting DVC points to book a studio at the Boardwalk Villas next year. To those who have stayed at both, what are the advantages or disadvantages to staying at the villas as opposed to the Inn, where we were two weeks ago?

 

[jordanyosh]

As a DVC member, we don't have housekeeping everyday. You can request it but it costs extra. The studio has a microwave and refrigerator. It was nice. We used it for milk and juice and had our own continental breakfast every morning. Saved money and time from having to decide where to eat every morning.

When you were staying at the Inn, did you have a regular room or one with a King? The studios have a queen and a couch which made it more homey.

 

[tigerfanrob]

We had two queens, we have kids who will be 6 and 5 next year. Is the sleeper comfortable enough for them, and what kinds of views did the preferred views allow? All input is appreciated.

 

[jordanyosh]

I slept on the sleeper sofa and had plenty of room. I am 6". As far as other advantages, you are on the side of the resort where the themed pool and waterslide are at. That might be good for your kids. Laundry room is free, just have to pay for detergent. Views...the only bad view is of the parking lot. Other than that, there all good. The only place i may not want to be is over the Boardwalk itself as people come stumbling out of Jellyrolls late and can be quite noisy.

If you were to get a one-bedroom, you would have a washer/dryer in the room. A full kitchen. A separate bedroom for you and the wife. A jacquzzi tub. Very very nice....The bed is a king too.....

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by jordanyosh
..(snip)...the only bad view is of the parking lot. Other than that, there all good. ....

Views of the parking lot are considered standard views. Since the OP is considering a preferred view, that will not be an issue. FWIW, most standard view rooms are snapped up by BWV owners right when the 11 month booking window opens. They are seldom available to renters or cash paying guests.

We (BWV owners) always stay in standard views and actually prefer them over preferred. Many of the standard view rooms allow you to see the higher-level fireworks from Illuminations from your balcony. Except for the highly coveted and very limited Boardwalk view rooms, none of the preferred view rooms have a view of the EPCOT fireworks.

The sleeper sofa is a full size. It should be just fine for two children - comfortable and big enough. If you fold the sleeper back up in the morning, the room will seem much larger than the traditional hotel rooms with two beds and give your kids extra room for playing or watching TV.

As mentioned, the BWV rooms are much closer to the feature pool (Luna Park) and they are also closer to the Community Hall Building. Be sure to check that out if you missed it on your last stay - among other things, it has free video games, popcorn and there are daily activities for the kids. We got life vests and pool noodles there. BWI guests can utilize Comunity Hall, too.

Enjoy your next stay no mater where you end up!

 

[smfnj]

Originally posted by tigerfanrob
what are the advantages or disadvantages to staying at the villas as opposed to the Inn, where we were two weeks ago?

Let's see, oh, depending on the time of year, studio is $90/night Sun - Thur. using DVC points.

steve

 

[GlennandAnn]

We stayed at BWI and then returned after a stay at WL (we're trying all of the Disney hotels) to BWV. It was DH's idea- we have a 4 y/o DS and 7 mo/o DS, and he thought a 1 bedroom villa would be more convenient for us in terms of having a separate room for a napping baby and a kitchen for the formula and whatnot. He was sooo right!! We loved the villa. The 1 bed gives you a full kitchen with dishwasher, stove, fridge, microwave, dishes, glasses, dishsoap, dishwasher soap, sponge, paper towels- everything you could need in your kitchen. There is a laundry area where Tide detergent is provided. The living room has a sleeper couch (full size and comfy according to DS), TV and VCR, table and chairs and access to the balcony. The bedroom has a king size bed, another TV, table and chair. The bathroom has a separate room for the toilet and shower and a sink, and then a big room with another sink and a jacuzzi tub (that was heavenly). We are not DVC members, so we had mousekeeping every day. The only letdown for DS was that our mousekeeper did not make any special arrangements with his stuffed animals or towels which he remembered from last year at WL. I asked for a highchair and it was brought up immediately. We had a view of a quiet pool and the Community Hall and could see TOT from our balcony. It was a great place to stay, and we have decided it is totally worth the money to have a bigger room in case of rain, and just because it's sometimes necessary to separate the kids for naps or for whatever. Hope that helps!!

Ann

 

[BCVNovember]

CarolMN - Thanks for the great information about the views. We are staying in a 2 bdrm villa at the BWV in November with the FTP and the description of it on the disneyworld.com reservations website, said it would be a standard view (of the parking lot). I was a little bit disappointed about looking at the parking lot, but now from your info, I think we'll be happy wherever we end up and I'm not even going to bother making a room request.
One less thing to stress out about now!

I can't wait to get there!!

 

[tigerfanrob]

We had standard view at BWI on our recent trip and watched the Epcot fireworks from our balcony every night. It was great. Thanks for all of the above info.