BWV. Tell me the good and bad

[smidgy]

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

when we couldn't get a boardwalk view for a studio, we requested Village green. it is the area over Wyland Galleries and looking over the courtyard area in front oh the lobby, kind of a "semi" BW view. you still get to watch people coming and going, we were on the 5th floor and could see crescent lake. and we had a great view of the upper parts of illuminations..

AND!! it was such a short walk to the elevators!

 

[smidgy]

when you leave the lobby at BW, itis a 6 minute walk to the hess gas station. (well, it was for me, a 57 year old lady... of course I am a bartender/waitress). if you bring your rolling carry on, you can grab, beer, wine, snacks, chips, bread, all kinds of things!)

Scott, I am now reading Dr. Sleep...but I still love the Boardwalk (you have to read it...)

 

[mazoo77]

Hi - We stayed at the Boardwalk Villas with the BW view in mid July, family of 4 with 2 daughters, 14 and 11. It was a great time and I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. Keep in mind, we have also stayed at BLT and OKW but enjoy the BW area much more.

It is a short walk to HS and Epcot and don't let the long hallways scare you, there are sets of stairs in different locations vs walking to the elevator. As far as the parking, we had a car and parked in the lot across from the BW Convention Center, which is a short walk from where you get the Disney buses. 5 min walk from there to the room.

You also have the BW Bakery and if you don't want to walk to the Bakery, they have many the same items in the morning on the second floor at the Bellvue lounge, coffee, milk, muffins, bagels, etc... Also, a shout out for the staff at the Bellvue Lounge, always pleasant and I always looked forward to my morning coffee.

There are also some entertainers on the BW at night between 7:00 and 10:00. It gives you some time to relax especially in the evening when the parks are crowded.

Let's face it, no matter where you stay at Disney, you need to walk. Give BW a try. You can't beat the location.

 

[eporter66]

We only stayed at BWV once (2006), but really loved the location. We rented a car, so we did not deal with the buses. I dont remember parking being an issue, but that was 8 years ago (wow!).

The location is fantastic, and we walked the canal to get to Hollywood studios. Our room had the canal view, but that was fine with us. Our DD enjoyed all the shows on the BW nightly, will definitely stay again, next time in that area, we will try to book the BCV's - we have not stayed there yet.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

Scott, I am now reading Dr. Sleep...but I still love the Boardwalk (you have to read it...)

My wife just picked it up from the Library. I should be able to start reading it this morning .

 

[ali in wonderland]

The Good:
Great walking distance to HS and Epcot. Faster than taking the boat to either.
Many restaurant options.
Fun main pool. Very peaceful quiet pool.
Bus run a nice schedule, but one day we took a van for 7 people to MK to get to a dinner reservation it was only $15.
Sitting on the back deck of lobby watching boardwalk was fun.
Even our standard view two bedroom had a nice view of trees.

The Bad:
LONG hallways, your room could be very far from the elevators.
Only one set of elevators.
To get a quick bite you need to go to the boardwalk. There is no marketplace in the lobby.
The bus situation from Typhone Lagoon and DD was a nightmare especially after 2pm.

 

[kenny]

Thanks for all in the info

We are renting a car so won't be taking the bus

Was worried about the condition of the rooms but if they were done in 2009 then it is on par with BLT

We loved the area when we stayed at BCV. Loved BCV but hated they had no view

How does BWV compare to BCV in regards to amenities and stuff to do with kids ages 10 & 5? I know everyone raves about SAB but we actually weren't huge fans. Plus durning easter week it will be a zoo so weren't worried about pool not being as fun. Although clown does scare DW! Lol

 

[lovin'fl]

Thanks for all in the info

We are renting a car so won't be taking the bus

Was worried about the condition of the rooms but if they were done in 2009 then it is on par with BLT

We loved the area when we stayed at BCV. Loved BCV but hated they had no view

How does BWV compare to BCV in regards to amenities and stuff to do with kids ages 10 & 5? I know everyone raves about SAB but we actually weren't huge fans. Plus durning easter week it will be a zoo so weren't worried about pool not being as fun. Although clown does scare DW! Lol

When we first stayed at BCV my 3 kids were teens (so I don't know how the kids stuff is at BCV). Our first stay at BWV, my kids were 7, 7 and 9 and they loved it...loved the community hall and the pool. They also loved, and still like, the acts on the BW at night (the guys doing tricks and magic and stuff). They like the arcade. One of my DDs says BWV is her fave resort...my DS likes SSR for walk to DtD and my other DD, well I have to ask her what her fave is now.

 

[lovin'fl]

Just asked my other DD and she too says BWV is her fave. So, it looks like 4 of 5 of us prefer BWV (DH and I did like BCV and really liked how it was a little closer to Epcot's IG...but I just, on the last trip, realized how much closer BWV is to HS and that with the saving points on standard view...plus they have 3BR GV and BCV do not...those things bump BWV up to top of me and DH's list).

 

[mazoo77]

You might like the Boardwalk pool better than SAB since your kids are younger and it is much smaller than SAB, makes it easier to keep track of the kids. The pool has afternoon activities for the kids like the other resorts. The Community Hall at BW has foosball, ping pong, games and video games, you can get the monthly activity list at "The Mouse for Less" website.

I am a fan of BC and would have stayed there this summer if it was open but ended up at BW and loved it. The nighttime entertainers were great. I wouldn't be disappointed if we end up there at our 7 month booking for next summer. Plus we did eat a Beaches and Cream a few nights so we did get over to the resort.

How lucky we are to have these difficult decisions to make!

 

[lovetotraveltx]

Just my 2 cents but of all the WDW resorts we have stayed at BWV is my least favorite. I love looking and being on the boardwalk. Love walking to Epcot.

But, don't care for the resort itself. No restaurants inside, not spectacular rooms. Long narrow hallways.

Would pick blt and monorail in a spit second.

Our favorite is AKL but with heavy parks it's not convenient.

 

[clapton]

Have stayed at BCV, BLT, VWL and BWV and we really liked the BWV. We found the rooms in better shape then BCV. We had a studio with a view overlooking the Green and we could see the boardwalk and across to the Yacht and Beach. We would definitely stay there again!

 

[smidgy]

Just my 2 cents but of all the WDW resorts we have stayed at BWV is my least favorite. I love looking and being on the boardwalk. Love walking to Epcot.

But, don't care for the resort itself. No restaurants inside, not spectacular rooms. Long narrow hallways.

Would pick blt and monorail in a spit second.

Our favorite is AKL but with heavy parks it's not convenient.

see, the "no restaurants inside" is in keeping with the theme. hotel rooms alongside the boardwalk. the boardwalk itself has many eateries. If you don't want sit down meals, you can get hot dogs, corn dogs, pizza slices, sandwiches at the bakery,etc.

to me, BLT is too sterile a decor. looks like it was decorated by Ikea. and the monorail is no where as convenient as it used to be: hours being cut down all the time, breaking down often.

we did love walking to MK, tho. but at BW you cna walk or boat to both epcot AND DHS. I guess it depends on which parks you want to be close to.

this is why the disney resorts are so varied in THEME. so there is something to please everyone.

we, too love AKL, and the mara food court and the pools. but you are right, not real convenient for parks.

 

[kenny]

Thx everyone for the info

Was able to get a BW view for my trip

Now the important question. What room request? I do not like 1st fl so that is out. Anything specific to ask for? Higher fl, specific side etc

TIA

 

[lovin'fl]

Thx everyone for the info

Was able to get a BW view for my trip

Now the important question. What room request? I do not like 1st fl so that is out. Anything specific to ask for? Higher fl, specific side etc

TIA

I just booked today...BWV 2BR BW view for Aug 2015. I am kind of curious what I should request too.

http://touringplans.com/hotel_maps/disneys-boardwalk-villas

This helps you see where the rooms are...I'd select 1BR and then look for the ones with a connecting studio (all 2BRs are lock offs). Looks like they (the 2BRs) are all down closer to the Dance Hall end and not up by the lobby end.

 

[luvdzny]

Just returned from our first stay at BWV. AKV has always been our favorite but we enjoyed BWV. The rooms were a bit shabby, they do need to be updated. The thermostat was the an old "slide" model, either warm or cold, kind of hard to get the temp in the room right. The room was clean, it just was showing its age.
We loved ease of walking to EPCOT. We could come and go whenever we wanted which was very helpful since we had a baby with us. We did not walk to HS, but the boat transportation was nice, again with a baby it was nice because we did not have to take him out of the stroller.
The food options at the resort are OK, but I missed the Mara. It was nice being able to walk to EPCOT for meals though.
We are trying to decide where to buy in for our home resort right now and it is a tough choice!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Just returned from our first stay at BWV. AKV has always been our favorite but we enjoyed BWV. The rooms were a bit shabby, they do need to be updated. The thermostat was the an old "slide" model, either warm or cold, kind of hard to get the temp in the room right. The room was clean, it just was showing its age.
We loved ease of walking to EPCOT. We could come and go whenever we wanted which was very helpful since we had a baby with us. We did not walk to HS, but the boat transportation was nice, again with a baby it was nice because we did not have to take him out of the stroller.
The food options at the resort are OK, but I missed the Mara. It was nice being able to walk to EPCOT for meals though.
We are trying to decide where to buy in for our home resort right now and it is a tough choice!

The villas were just updated about 2009. So figure on another 10-12 years before they do it again. Members who own there pay for all renovations so renovations only occur about every 15 years or so. OKW was renovated 18 years after opening.

 

[BKelly]

Love, love, LOVE BWV. We have such wonderful memories there with our kids on the boardwalk at night, the bakery- even the nice walk to and from the parks. It's been awhile and we are all ready for a return trip.
Someone mentioned not having a restaurant inside and to be honest, it never even occurred to me... I always felt like there was plenty on the boardwalk and Epcot with all of the food choices there, it never bothered me. With the regular dining plan, we always stop at the bakery for breakfast and we just love it!
The only other places I've stayed are Caribbean Beach and Saratoga Springs (plus Aulani) so I don't have a lot to compare it to, but we will stay here whenever given the chance.

 

[NARM Forever]

Very happy that we will be back again at BWV in March. Each time we have had a 1br standard and because of our love of tennis we have always asked to be near the tennis courts. On our first trip we realised just how convenient that is We rarely use the elevators and love that we just slip out the side door and we are right on the path to DHS and near the community hall. Its an easy walk to the main pool and the kids loved the slide. We bought refillable mugs and the kids enjoyed finding all the different places they could get them filled

It would be nice to have a QS onsite (my DS is gluten free so Boardwalk Bakery is not great for us) but the advantages of BWV far outweigh any negatives. I had planned to try another DVC but I was soundly outvoted however the points saving meant that I could invite my DM

A BW view sounds great, hope you enjoy BWV as much as we have

NARM

 

[Mflaherty]

Boardwalk villas has such a bright happy feel. I just returned from bay lake tower which we enjoyed on so many levels But I would still choose boardwalk villas. I am transformed to another era when I enter the boardwalk lobby. I love walking outside to the boardwalk that is always full of life, entertainment, ice cream, restaurants and a gorgeous water view. Even my 5 year old daughter told me she likes the boardwalk better. Lol. I think the rooms are brighter too. The decor to me is part of its charm