BWV Owners: Why BWV?

[veenstra56]

My wife and I have been doing alot of research over the last couple of months trying to decide which is the perfect DVC resort for us.
Today (and I say 'today' because I'm so torn and change my mind almost daily) I'm leaning towards Boardwalk Villas for the following reasons:

1. Proximity to Epcot, MGM, boardwalk itself.
2. Standard rooms can be had for about the same points as OKW (although I don't assume I'll always be able to get standard).
3. The 'wow' factor; I'm always impressed with the beauty and charm of the villas when walking along the boardwalk- particularly at night.

However, one of my biggest concerns is, by virtue of it's location and it's offerings along the boardwalk (ESPN, etc.), that it might get quite noisy after hundreds flood out of Illuminations each night. Also, the main pool area looks like a haven for multitudes of kids. Don't misunderstand, I have no problem with kids (which my own two kids will be relieved to hear), but I've heard horror stories from people who have stayed in the heavily themed hotels in the area (like Disney Music, Pop Century) who say that there's no escape when you want to simply relax by the pool after days of travel/park hopping. Perhaps the 'quiet' pools will be good options?

Any advice and opinions would be greatly appreciated. Again, we are so far very impressed with BWV, and are leaning in that direction. I hope my concerns are baseless. But who better to ask than the owners themselves?


Thank you.

 

[WDWguru]

We own at BWV and VWL, but almost always stay at BWV. Our two main reasons...

1. Location, location, location. It's SO nice to be able to boat or walk to two parks! Epcot is a favorite and we always go for Food & Wine fest. SO nice to be able to sample the different drinks and not worry about having to drive to the resort.
2. Ability to book and guarantee a Boardwalk view.

As for your noise concerns, we've never really had an issue. Last week we were on the second floor smack in the center of the Boardwalk, right in front of the games and above the main store. We heard the noise from the games until about 11 each night, but with the door closed it was quite muffled. Also, we were so tired from touring the parks it didn't keep us up. As for Illuminations crowds, most of them go out the front of the park and not back through the International Gateway. You'll notice a stream of people walking or boating back to resorts about 9:30 (or headed to Beaches & Cream across the lake) but it's certainly not a flood.

 

[WeddingPavilion]

I couldn't have said it better myself WDWguru. You won't be sorry for picking Boardwalk.

 

[Blue&Gold]

The noise is part of the charm...

 

[WDWLVR]

We love our Boardwalk home! Location is a big part of it. Love walking to/from Epcot or MGM. We've done both standard view and Boardwalk view and I like having the choice. The main pool can get quite busy during the day but the quiet pool usually does stay pretty quiet. We've enjoyed many of the other DVC locations, but really love our Boardwalk home!

 

[lisaviolet]

I'm not even a BWV owner and I think it's a fantastic choice to buy. We had a standard view which faced out onto the front lawn of the BW. We did not hear a thing.

It's a lovely place.....

 

[MAO]

Don't forget that the crowd issue will, to a large extent, depend on at what time of the year you go. With two kids, you may have to go during the most crowded times of the year and I can't speak to that. But I've owned at BWV for several years now, always go in October, and always get standard view rooms (even when I got 4 of them for the whole family) with no troubles. Nor have I noticed excessive noise or pool usage, though I do go during one of the lesser seasons which might explain that.

 

[Tink10]

We own at BWV & SSR......

We very rarely book more than 5 months out, so the bulk of our points are at SSR......We do have enough BWV points to book for 5 nights, just in case we decide to book at 11 months out.....

BWV will always be our first choice. The rooms are great & we've never experienced a noise problem.

 

[Copper3]

Don't worry about the noise because you can always request a location that is known to be quiet. Now, that may be a far walk down the long hallways but it's still quiet. The standard view rooms are very quiet, at least the ones I have stayed in. The quiet pool area is very quiet. The quiet pool barely has anyone swimming in it, but the main pool can get crowded but not so much so that you won't have a good time.

When I bought it came down to BWV or OKW and I bought BWV because of the proximity to 2 parks, ESPN club, great pool and standard view points. Now, I hear ESPN may go away if Disneyquest converts into an ESPN Zone so you may want to think about that. This is just a rumor but you should not base your decision on the ESPN Club always being at the Boardwalk.

After looking at all the DVC resorts at WDW, my favorite is still the Boardwalk with Old Key West second.

 

[DVCconvert]

1. Proximity to Epcot, MGM, boardwalk itself.
2. Standard rooms can be had for about the same points as OKW (although I don't assume I'll always be able to get standard).
3. The 'wow' factor; I'm always impressed with the beauty and charm of the villas when walking along the boardwalk- particularly at night.

However, one of my biggest concerns is, by virtue of it's location and it's offerings along the boardwalk (ESPN, etc.), that it might get quite noisy after hundreds flood out of Illuminations each night.

We bot 1000 pts at BWV exactly because of 1 - 3 above.

As to the noise concern -- it's only a remote worry IF you are staying in a Boardwalk view room..and even then if you close the door onto the balcony it's no worry at all!

 

[las3888]

We bought not once but twice at BWV. We really do love it! The "theme" pool can be pretty loud, but DH and I went once to BWV B4 kids and spent alot of time at the "quiet pool". Some days it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop...other days there were a few kids and adults making a bit of noise but nothing catastrophic. This pool is very close to the theme pool but far enough away to make it fairly quiet and relaxing.

I would make sure you do NOT book a room over the Luna park pool (themed pool) if you ever end up in a "preferred" view.

We have had standard views (mostly overlooking tennis courts, pond, parking lot, MGM) and found them to be EXTREMELY quiet. We have also booked a room overlooking the boardwalk. The loudest noise came at 9pm every night with EPCOT's fireworks. Other than that, there was some boardwalk noise but nothing too terrible. If you close your door it is pretty muffled. My mom was able to sleep well and she is a difficult sleeper.

That being said, we are just back from a stay at BCV and while we don't own points there, we found that location to be fantastic. We just loved being close to EPCOT. I mean REALLY close, to the point where there is no question of whether we take the boat or walk...it's just so darned close to EPCOT.

Pro's and Con's to everything!!!! Good luck with your decision!

PS - as far as standard views go, you just never know. We have mostly had to plan way in advance, but I just called today for Labor Day, which I think is a pretty busy holiday only 4 months away and a standard view 1 BR was available.

 

[rinkwide]

I'm leaning towards Boardwalk Villas for the following reasons:

1. Proximity to Epcot, MGM, boardwalk itself.
2. Standard rooms can be had for about the same points as OKW (although I don't assume I'll always be able to get standard).
3. The 'wow' factor; I'm always impressed with the beauty and charm of the villas when walking along the boardwalk- particularly at night.

Don't forget the free midnight buffet. (In reality, it's just a bunch of leftover room-service trays but I'm a glass-half-full kinda' guy.)

 

[jade1]

We also do not own there but guaranteed BW View is our overall favorite. Just there a month ago (spring break) and Luna pool had plenty of swimming room and quiet chairs off to the side. Seemed like most folks only stayed an hour or so at the pool then moved on. It would be a great place to buy.

 

[Dean]

It comes down to personal preference. In many ways, I think BWV is the best value for buying currently at WDW because of the option of standard view with lower points, guaranteed BWV, more contracts available. The only negative is the maint fee but it's in line with BCV and VWL and lower than VB. Even for many that would prefer BCV, you could buy BWV and reserve standard view or BWV at 11 months out and change over to a standard view at BCV at 7 months out if you wanted.

 

[T.E. Yeary]

rinkwide- You never cease to amaze me!!!

 

[crisi]

One of the advantages to buying years ago was fewer choices. We bought resale when BCV hadn't opened yet (but was being sold by Disney). Since a DVC guide didn't call us back until we were a week into the resale process, BCV didn't end up on our radar.

We would have bought VWL, but Disney wasn't selling it (had we talked to a guide AT Disney and said "this or nothing" they might have found points), and since it was so new, it was commanding a premium on the resale market.

Which made our onsite choices BWV or OKW. We initially make an offer on an OKW contract, but the owners pulled the contract, a BWV contract was available for about the same price/points, and we decided to do that. At the time, BWV had a pools slide, OKW didn't, and we had small kids.

What I like about BWV:

Availability of standard view rooms - one of the best DVC bargains.

Ability to wow guests with the BW View - you know you won't be walking your mother into a room that overlooks the dumpster.

Walking to Epcot.

We did find the BWView noise to be noticable. Not overwhelming, but noticable. We found the SV to be quieter. Luna Park has never been "overwhelming" but we travel in October. To some extent, I think the BW appeals to an older clientele, and there aren't as many young kids at the BW as we find at the Poly, for instance. For the Inn side, if you are going to pay the Deluxe rate and have kids - the MK area is more appealing, or having access to SAB. We haven't used the "community pool" but have noticed that it can get noisy - the community hall is right there handing out swim noodles and providing video games, so don't expect an adult pool experience - but, it has never appeared overwhelming either.

 

[MBIJ]

As the poster above states, standard rooms at BWV are a great value. We own at BWV, book at 11 months, and have always gotten a standard view. We have found the views to be completely acceptable. We're usually out of the room early in the AM and don't get back until late, so we don't sit in the room for a view. Plus, we can usually see MGM anyway which the kids love. I would recommend BWV to anyone thinking of buying into DVC.

 

[Boston5602]

I have just bought BWV through Disney and I have been staying here for years. The first time I stayed at BWV I was going on a 10 day disney trip solo. 2 nights OKW and 7 nights BW .

I chose to stay mainly at boardwalk for the simple fact of doing something. What I mean is if as a solo traveler I stayed at All Stars what could I do back at the resort eat at the food court and swim in the pool.

At BWV I could go out to eat , do some dancing , drink at a piano bar or brewery watch a game at espn or just sit and enjoy the boardwalk itself.

When it came down to buy , besides loads of other things , being able to JUST be at BWV is why I bought.

Good Luck

 

[ceejay13]

We have 4 contracts at the BWV and absolutely love it. We have never had a pool view but every other room we have stayed in the last 6 years has never been noisy. We love the standard view option which means you will probably look at the front entrance. Never hear a thing when the patio is closed. We have had a BW view several times and again if the patio is closed we have never been bothered. Then there is my favorite view one of the canal that runs to MGM. It was the most peaceful view of any WDW resort we have had. I love the location and the food options. You also have easy access to the Yacht and Beach Club, the Dolphin and Swan for other meal options. It's great when you have a group of either family or friends because there is a lot of option for everyone whether it be which park to go to or where to eat. There is also the quiet pool for those that want to get away from the kids. Can't think of anything I don't like.

 

[pluto109]

we have 500 bwv points and we love the quiet pool