I researched this on my first trip home last week.
Here's what I came up with.
As you know, preferred view is either BW (Boardwalk) or PW (water or garden)
There are 3 open (3 sided) courtyards that are all preferred garden/water/pool view. The first is 3 sides facing the quiet pool, the community center and the canal beyond and beyond that the Swan and the Swan's parking lot. It seemed that rooms on the ground or 2nd level might have far view blocked by the community center which is a one story building on the far side of the quiet pool.
The middle courtyard is of luna park pool. With the canal and Swan and MGM (TOT) behind the pool in th edistance. Some of these rooms seem to have their view blocked by trees or the 'coaster' slide into the pool. I wasnt' thrilled with the idea of this view, but that 's just weird me.
The 3rd courtyard is where i ended up even tho I had a standard view booked. Because there used to be a
DVC sales building there, I think some of the blocked view rooms became standard view. I don't think they broadcast this now...so I think most of these rooms are given to preferred view. My view was of a landscaped area that is rumored to become a croquet field, then the canal and the Swan and Dolphin just on the other side of the canal.
To the right I could plainly see TOT which meant that I would have been able to see Fantasmic (the high fireworks only).
Someone just posted that they had a courtyard view on the opposing side (the Boardwalk side actually)....but I'm not sure if that fell under Boardwalk or PW....I think that would be fun because the balconies seem to be quite large and I think you could ssee the lake and epcot from most of those rooms.
But if they are BW, then they aren't as lakefront as the whole string of BW.
Finally, the standard rooms are those to the left of the drive up entryway.
I was worried about these rooms, but most of them , as you get away from the entry itself, have a nice amount of grassy area with the retention pond/canal bordering that on the right of your view. You can see the Eiffel Tower just to the left of the conference center if you are fairly far down that wing. The only rooms I'd dislike on that wing are the ones close to the elevator, cause you look more out to the valet parking drive up and I think, for me, that would be noisy and icky.
Those few rooms at the end of the wing where it turns to form the left side of the 3 sided open courtyard for the quiet pool. The rooms that face opposite the quiet pool does face the valet parking. There is the canal between your room and the parking and some tall trees I think that also block the park area, but if you are high up...then I thnk you mostly see the cars and that would probably bug me. It is hard to believe that those rooms are not standard view...but I think the line between some standard and some preferred is murky. Yes, to avoid getting those rooms I think you would be safe to request a pool view or the croquet view which might also be 'facing Swan Dolphin' view.
Finally, when you check in they do give you a map that shows the entire resort color coded. If you are in the small area that faces the canal and the parking area beyond and you are PW, then perhaps you might request a different view before leaving the front desk area. Perhaps you might try: oh I had that view the last time and I was hoping to have one of the courtyard views instead....watch out, they may try to put you in a HA room then, so if you need a tub you might have to ask for yet another option...be sweet and they usually will try their hardest to please you...sometimes you just have to be patient and persistent and give a little sugar.
Hope this helps. Good Luck!
