Can I park @ BCV or BWV and just visit?

[dbkelly]

Can I do the following:

I would like to park @ BCV or BWV and go visit Epcot for the morning and visit the Boardwalk for the night. Is this allowed? Has anyone done this before? Last year, we went to BWV to pool hop and the security guard at the entrance gave us a hard time. I explained to him that we were DVC members (showed him my card) and that we were pool hopping. His answer was "what is wrong with the pool @ OKW!" He almost did not let us through. He made my husband get his driver's license out of the truck of the car.

Will we be turned around if we said that we were going to visit the Boardwalk?

D. B. Kelly

 

[DebbieB]

I've never been hassled with a member parking permit. One time at BWV they did ask for my driver's license. Last month I was staying at POFQ and we decided to checkout the BCV. We were waived right through at BC, no questions.

While you shouldn't park at BW when you are going to Epcot, I think they should be more lenient with members. What I hate is staying at BWV, having a hard time finding a space then passing cars with no WDW parking permit at all. That's where they need to crack down, not on members.

 

[dbkelly]

I don't want to do something that is frowned upon. I would never do it just to go to Epcot. The only day I could get a reservation for the princess breakfast was the day that we planned to pool hop and visit the boardwalk. Do you think it would be O.K. to go to the breakfast, but spend most of the day at Luna Park and the Boardwalk? Do members still frown upon this? I would like to hear opinions from BWV and BCV members.

D. B. Kelly

 

[JOC]

We stayed at the Polynesian in December and drove over to BWV on a Sunday morning around 9:30 a.m. to check the place out and eat lunch at Beaches and Cream. We stopped at the security checkpoint, told the guard that we wanted to walk around, and he waved us through. It was pretty dead around the Boardwalk area but the parking lot was still full.

 

[sheryl0521]

I think the full parking lot and the quietness of the Boardwalk goes to prove that people are parking at the resort and walking/boating into Epcot and/or MGM.

I don't think it's fair for the resort guests, but as long as we can still valet our cars I'm not going to worry about it.

Then again, for those guests that like to personally park their cars so they have access to them, it would get difficult when spaces are not available.

On our last trip, we had to have the valet bring our car around just so we could retrieve some items left in the car by DS. We explained to the valet that we just needed the car for a few minutes and it could be parked again. We gave the runner a very nice tip for just bringing it around for our access. It wasn't a busy time, and he didn't seem to upset. I'm sure they see it all the time.

 

[DebbieB]

I would just valet park, there should be no problem with that, the valet lot is never full. You get free valet parking by showing your member ID, just give them a tip. Just tell the guard you are visiting the Boardwalk and want to valet park, show your member card, they should not give you a problem.

 

[dbkelly]

Does BCV also have free valet parking? How much do you usually tip? Do you tip twice, when they take the car and when they go get it?

D. B. Kelly

 

[SamS]

My wife and I wanted to visit the Yacht Club and Beach Club last summer before we were BCV owners. We had a WDW parking pass from CBR, yet the guy at the gate didn't want to allow us in. We even went so far as to tell him we might be having breakfast, and he proceeded to explain that there was only one restaurant on the premises. (Not true). I know he was only doing his job, but he was very unpleasant. I realize that there must be a huge problem with parking both at the Boardwalk are and BC/YC. I guess Disney is sort of "between a rock and a hard place." They want people to spend money at the Boardwalk, but their transportation system doesn't exactly faciltate getting there.

 

[PamOKW]

They want people to spend money at the Boardwalk, but their transportation system doesn't exactly faciltate getting there.

I've seen this as a problem with Boardwalk all along. It's not just a resort, it's also an entertainment area. It seems like they should be able to work out some reasonable transportation system in the evenings. It was maddening to drive past OKW, sometimes literally past the front gate, to go to DD to get the bus to come back to OKW. It would sometimes be an hour or more trip. By car, 5-10 minutes tops. Even if they had buses that dropped folks at the front of their resort and then they had to rely on the internal bus for door-to-door service it would be an improvement.

Until then, I'll valet park when I want to visit BW.

 

[sheryl0521]

Regarding free valet parking...

It is free for DVC members (you have to show your card) and we usually tip $2 without bags at arrival/depart. We would tip at least $1 per bag plus the $2 for the driver on the day we have to load/unload bags.

If you aren't a DVC member, valet costs $6 a day. I think you can get a ticket so you don't have to pay at other resorts if you travel on...

 

[dbkelly]

Just to clarify, you tip twice @ $2 for a total of $4?

D. B. Kelly

 

[sheryl0521]

Yes. I kind of think of as each time we exchange keys with the valet, we tip the $2.

I think you can search these boards about how much is the average amount to tip.

Hope this helps.

 

[dbkelly]

Thank You!

 

[Halle]

We tip twice, $2.00 each time.

 

[DebbieB]

I usually give $2 each way if I get good service. One time when we stayed there in December, it took quite a while for someone to come over and write up the claim check. It wasn't that they were busy either. So I didn't tip him, but that was about the only time.

 

[Gillian]

Self parking at BCV is pretty easy too, if you don't want to wait for valet.

We went there twice in the beginning of the month, without a resort permit or member ID. 1 time to eat at beaches & cream and the other to look at the BCV model. The 1st guard just waved us in, the second looked at my license. I don't think they have much of a problem with people parking there.

 

[Goofyzgurl]

When we went there the beginning of this month I wanted to just go to beaches n cream and just take a stroll around the boardwalk and do some bike riding. The guard did ask dh for a license and then waved us through. It wasn't much of a problem.

 

[DeeP]

Parking at BWV to visit the Boardwalk, eat at the restaurants etc is fine. To park at BWV to go to Epcot or MGM is NOT!! If you are going to Epcot, PARK AT Epcot!!!! When you are finished at Epcot and want to stroll the boardwalk or eat at one of the boardwalk restaurants THEN move your car and park at BWV. It is not right to occupy a parking space at BWV all day when you are at Epcot and therefore take away an available parking space for a guest staying at BWV/BWI. The parking lots at BWV are for resort guests and guests visiting the boardwalk and it's restaurants and shops, PERIOD!! I also disagree with the posts advising that a DVC member should use valet parking to leave their car at BWV and go to Epcot or MGM for the day. Valet parking at BWV is for BWV/BWI guests or guests visiting the boardwalk or it's restaurants, end of story! BWV's parking lot is NOT a DVC community parking lot, regardless if you are a DVC member or not! If you are not a registered guest at BWV/BWI or are not walking on the boardwalk or eating in one of their restaurants or shopping in one of their shops, you do not belong in their parking lot!!!

 

[Sammie]

There are signs posted stating that resort parking is not provided for access to parks.

If you plan to visit the park, then you should not park in a resort parking lot where you are not staying. The resorts that border the parks have had serious problems at certain times of the year of being so crowded that guests staying there could not find a place to park.

If you are visiting the resort for dinner or shopping you will be issued a 3 hour visitors parking permit.

You can use Disney transportation and avoid this situation completely.

 

[dbkelly]

DeeP,

"Valet parking at BWV is for BWV/BWI guests or guests visiting the boardwalk or it's restaurants, end of story! BWV's parking lot is NOT a DVC community parking lot, regardless if you are a DVC member or not! If you are not a registered guest at BWV/BWI or are not walking on the boardwalk or eating in one of their restaurants or shopping in one of their shops, you do not belong in their parking lot!!!"

I think you did not read all of my emails. I was only going to Epcot for the princess breakfast and then pool hop and visit the boardwalk for the rest of the day. We love the area, but we could not get a reservation at the 7 month window. We are still on the waiting list, but I doubt it will come through. I also clearly indicated that I would not use the parking lot just to enter Epcot, so I think you jumped the gun on this response.

D. B. Kelly