BWV. Tell me the good and bad

[kenny]

7 month window for Easter trip is next week. Thinking of switching from BLT to BWV. BW view if available

Looking for some BW veterans to give me the good and bad on resort

Thanks

 

[Deb & Bill]

7 month window for Easter trip is next week. Thinking of switching from BLT to BWV. BW view if available

Looking for some BW veterans to give me the good and bad on resort

Thanks

I doubt if the BW view would be available at seven months out. You probably will get pool/garden view. And it might be Luna Park or the leisure pool. BWV tends to have longer hallways. If you are familiar with AKV-KV, it might be similar. There is only one elevator bank at BWV, so at BLT you have two of them (makes the hallways seem shorter). Parking is closer at BLT than BWV and you have to walk uphill from the parking lot to get to the villas at BWV.

The pools at BWV might be better than at BLT unless you include the two CR pools. You don't have a Contempo Cafe at BWV like at BLT. You do have the BW Bakery on the boardwalk and a few other locations on the BW, but nothing really in the villas. But, you do have Epcot just a short walk from BWV with lots of dining places.

 

[kenny]

Thanks

As of right now bw view I still available. Going week of Easter which is why it is still available. If it was not I would choose another resort

How are the shape of their rooms? I know bcv is in need of some tlc. Though BW was recently renovated ?

 

[DebbieB]

Thanks

As of right now bw view I still available. Going week of Easter which is why it is still available. If it was not I would choose another resort

How are the shape of their rooms? I know bcv is in need of some tlc. Though BW was recently renovated ?

BWV was renovated in late 2009.

I love being able to boat or walk to both Epcot and DHS.

I love boardwalk view but had pool/garden last November and liked it. It was over the main pool on the 5th floor.

I love the carnival atmosphere in the evenings on the boardwalk.

 

[happymommy]

We've had great, good, and so-so rooms and the BWV. That being said, the location is the best!

Last March we rented from an owner (we don't own there), and it was the best room ever. One bedroom dedicated at the VERY end of the LONG hallway, but it was right by the stairs leading down to the Boardwalk. So nice. Quiet most days except for 2 mornings with trash trucks - we're early risers so no big deal. Everything was in working order. Sofa sleeper was comfy.

We just love the area - don't need a food court. We ordered about $200 from Garden Grocer so had water, breakfast foods (eggs, biscuits, etc), bread, lunchmeat, salad, fruit, wine, chips, frozen pizza and chicken nuggets, etc... so it was so convenient. Also actually made tacos.

We had a "preferred" view so it was the waterway between the BWV and the Dolphin. Not bad.

 

[Granny]

Looking for some BW veterans to give me the good and bad on resort

Bad: Buses at BWV are not good.

Good: You can walk to two parks easily and don't have to take the buses.

 

[Mflaherty]

Try boardwalk. I love it there. I love the look and feel of the resort. Boardwalk bakery has great sandwiches for lunch. And the boardwalk view is amazing. Location is great too.

 

[DebbieB]

Bad: Buses at BWV are not good.

Good: You can walk to two parks easily and don't have to take the buses.

I think busses are better than they used to be. It's BW-Swan-Dolphin for MK & AK. I think the DTD bus is all 5 resorts.

 

[lovesdumbo]

Not all BWView rooms are great. I was disappointed to get a 2BR that had a balcony under one of the arches above Big River. Balcony was not access alb from living room only from behind a chair in the BR. We also had a water leak in our villa which they didn't want to fix for us until the folks in the unit below us started complaining about.

What size unit are you booking? I've also stayed in a studio that overlooked the Swan. That was a great view and the studios at BWV are much bigger than BLT.

 

[Granny]

I think busses are better than they used to be. It's BW-Swan-Dolphin for MK & AK. I think the DTD bus is all 5 resorts.

I think you're right. But even so, when we stayed at BWV in May we had several long waits for overcrowded buses both going to and from BWV.

But we still love the resort, and are staying there again in October. So many great features including entertainment and restaurants that few resorts can rival.

 

[drusba]

Boardwalk view if you can get is best on site. Easter week is a low to moderate DVC demand time but even then you are unlikely to be able to get a studio or 2BR bpardwalk view for the week at 7 months out but should have decent chance for a 1BR. If you do get boardwalk view, best request to make is high floor (particularly to avoid the few first floor, boardwalk level rooms).

BWV's biggest advantage is location which gives you the ability to walk (or boat) to both Epcot and Studios (about a 20 to 25 minute walk to Studios and just under 10 to Epcot). That and the group of Epcot resorts make it easy to go to any of more than two dozen buffet or table service restaurants (Epcot resorts and parks) without having to drive or take a bus.

The boats have five stops in the following order: Epcot to BW to YC/BC to S/D to Studios to S/D to YC/BC to BW to Epcot. Thus, if you do not want to walk, BW is a direct run to and from Epcot but you go to the other resorts first to and from Studios. One thing to know is that at the end of the boardwalk just beyond Atlantic Dance is a bridge over which you can walk to and from the Swan/Dolphin boat stop. Particularly when coming back from Studios, you can save 15 minutes of travel time by getting off at the S/D pier and then walk over that bridge to BWV. In fact, if your room is near the end of any of the long hallways, the walk from the S/D pier to your room (using stairs once at the building) is actually shorter than the one from the BW pier.

Boardwalk's biggest and perhaps only real downside is a bus system that is perhaps the worst on site. You share with Swan and Dolphin (two additonal stops) for the parks (MK and AK) and usually also BC and YC (another two stops) for DTD; moreover, sometimes the park buses do all five of the Epcot resort stops. It is not just the multiple resort stops that are a problem but that the buses there tend to have have more than usual delay problems.

 

[kenny]

Thanks for all the info. Would be getting a 1br

Not too concerned on buses as probably getting a car. I think buses to most deluxe a stink. Same issue with monorail resorts they all share

How are the actual rooms?

Have stayed beach club before and loved walk to Epcot and Epcot resorts atmosphere which is why we were thinking BW

Also have do e BLT many times so looking for something new. SSR and akv would have to drive to all parks. With Easter crowds thinking that is too much

 

[Murron]

I love everything and all things about the Epcot resorts. However...I simply state this. If you can afford it...rent a car.

 

[wheredreamsbegin]

Thanks for all the info. Would be getting a 1br

Not too concerned on buses as probably getting a car. I think buses to most deluxe a stink. Same issue with monorail resorts they all share

How are the actual rooms?

Have stayed beach club before and loved walk to Epcot and Epcot resorts atmosphere which is why we were thinking BW

Also have do e BLT many times so looking for something new. SSR and akv would have to drive to all parks. With Easter crowds thinking that is too much

We just stayed at BWV for the first time and LOVED it! It very well might be my new favorite resort! The walk to our room was LONG. That was the ONLY downside to the resort (in my opinion). Our room was in much better shape than I was expecting it to be. From all that I have read, I was prepared for the worst. I actually felt that our room at BWV was in better shape than the room that we had at BCV a few years ago. The location is amazing (as you know since you have stayed at BC). I would definitely give it a try.

 

[drusba]

How are the actual rooms?

Have stayed beach club before and loved walk to Epcot and Epcot resorts atmosphere which is why we were thinking BW

.

Rooms are about the same size as BCV. Go to YouTube and search for: Boardwalk villas one bedroom, and you will get numerous walk throughs (just note the bedding is now the modern two sheets with a blanket in between, and the big comforter you may see in the walk throughs is gone).

 

[SusieBea]

If you have a car, parking stinks unless you valet - then there's that cost. Our experience w/ busses was not positive, but that may have changed. Location is lovely.

 

[daisyx3]

I'm booking on Monday (for a studio though) and I can already see the first two nights for BW view are gone. Disappointing, because we had a wonderful BW view in June. Still love the location so we are going to try a pool/garden view room.
With the busses, the park busses didn't go to the other resorts in the morning when we went to AK and MK. Just straight to the park. However, on the way home it was at least a three hotel loop. And the DTD bus was a nightmare. But we expected it.
Daisyx3

 

[Cessfam]

This is unrelated, but did garden grocer deliver the food to your room or did you have to pick it up?

 

[lovin'fl]

Our 1st DVC stay was BWV, in 2006 and with OKW points. We got a 2BR garden/pool view. The room was lovely even then. We were a long walk down the hallway on an upper floor and overlooked a pool (I think the main pool). Then, in 2008, we stayed there again in a 1BR pool/garden view and got a 1st floor room right next to a door out to the pool...and we could walk off our patio to the pool...loved it!!! Just love the location with walking to Epcot and taking boat to HS. We do hate the busing to MK, AK and DtD...so we avoid when we can. We also stayed at BCV and loved it there a little more...but we bought points at BWV this year. We like that we can save points with standard view at BWV.

We just got back from a stay in a studio standard view at BWV...2 nights after 3 nights at SSR in a 1BR (so we only did HS and Epcot when we were at BWV). We were on the 1st floor again and right across from our last room where the door to the pool was across from our studio door. Our patio walked out to grass with the portico to the resort just past the grass and the bus stop and parking...walked right out to car (through very thick grass). This room seemed a little old to me. The thermostat puzzled us because it was a 1970 slide from hot to cold with no actual temperature on it so we had no idea what we were setting it at. The shower tile was a little dingy and I think it may have been a HA room as all the switches were low and the tub was very shallow. Was room 1085. But that location was fabulous as we could shoot out to pool and walk to HS or duck through to the BW to walk to Epcot or catch a boat. I'd take that room again.

I am booking again for next Aug. Will do 3 nights at AKV and 3 nights at BWV. Again, we will only do HS and Epcot while at BWV. We had a car every time we stayed at BWV and don't mind the parking except when, on the last trip, we switched over from SSR and left our bags in the car until our BWV room was ready. Was a little hassle and we ended up using bell services (OKW and SSR is easier as you can park at your villa building). We probably will have a car again next Aug so I want to try to book BWV for the 1st part of the split stay but AKV may not be any better for the 2nd leg as far as stashing bags and then retrieving them ourselves.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

BWV, hmmm.....



Compared to OKW - given the room size you can clean it with a single paper towel. Very "green"

You can sit on your balcony and reach into your refrigerator for a cold one!

Don't think of them a "long hallways". Instead, refer to it as "short marathon."

You can walk to Epcot or the Studios in 15 minutes - oops, I meant Lobby.

It is the King of the Disney resorts. Actually, more like Stephen King - as in The Shining and It. How can you look at the clown pool and not hear Pennywise saying "they FLOAT".