Choosing a MK area Home Resort

[Minniemoo15]

But only 2 toilets......

True, but it’s still more toilets and overall bathroom space than most 1 bedrooms and even comparable to a lot of the 2brms ...

 

[twodogs]

I think something to consider is your changing needs as your kids get older. We starting going to WDW when our two daughters were the ages that yours are now. We loved BLT at that time, and still do. Our DDs are now almost 13 and 15. What we needed has changed in a lot of ways, but I will point out one, as it is a differentiating point between the 1 bedrooms at BLT, VGF and CCV. At this age (and actually several years ago), my DD‘s do not like sharing a bed. It doesn’t matter if it is a sofa bed or a real bed, they don’t sleep well sharing. If your children are opposite genders, this may be even more of an issue at a younger age. In our case, having 2 separate sleeping surfaces in the 1 bedroom (pull out couch and chair bed or pull down bed) as in BLT and VGF 1 bedroom is really important over CCV which only has a pull out couch (which they would have to share). And certainly if you are thinking of having a third child, you would have to look for rooms that hold 5 either way. Even having only 2 kids, the two different sleeping surfaces saves us a lot of grief as they have gotten older!! More bathrooms is also a plus as they have gotten older too.

While the theming at BLT is not over the top, I actually like it since we are in the parks all day with “over the top“ theming. BLT is very peaceful to me. As well, as others have pointed out, only having to rely on my feet to get to MK is a huge plus. I CAN use the monorail from the Contemporary, but in a pinch (and usually just because I don’t want to wait in one more line at the end of the day for the monorail or anything else), I love being able to walk all the way “home”.

Just a side note about what time of year you prefer/plan to travel, it will possibly change as your kids get older. When mine were younger, we had no problem taking them out of school for a few days (or even a week) at Disney or to extend a long weekend off from school. That even worked into early middle school. But now that we have one in High School, missing school is not an option for her as she has so much to make up, it is not worth it. And if they play sports, missing practices/games during the school year can be very problematic for the kids. So you may find that you are relegated to school breaks only as they get older, and this may change the ease with which you can get into a non-home resort at 7 months.

We have contemplated DVC so many times, but we could never commit due to my realization that our needs have changed dramatically over the years as our children have gotten older, and they will continue to change as time goes by and they go to college and then as they have families of their own (all of which can happen during the life of a DVC contract!). While there is some flexibility built into the program, most of the flexibility is required on the side of the owner, not DVC, to my reading. So we didn’t buy in.


We now realize that while the kids were little and we loved MK area, at this age, they love the EPCOT area and walking to the Boardwalk at night. They love Stormalong Bay now, which would have made me too nervous when they were little since you can’t see them easily in many areas. And we eventually realized we love DLR in California just as much or more than WDW (we live in Texas so it is equidistant essentially), so if we had bought at WDW, we would be trying to use those points at 7 months at VGC, likely with not much luck.

I am not trying to talk you out of DVC, as you already own and clearly it is working well enough for you to be adding on. Just wanted to put those thoughts out there about how your needs might change as the kids age so that it might help your decision. Good luck and have fun!!

 

[sethschroeder]

I own at BLT, VGF and BRV and have stayed at all 3 and love love love all 3 for different reasons. To be fair - I always get at least a 1Br - but if ease to MK is your main goal - then BLT wins!

How much better do you feel the Disney theming is at BRV vs BLT? I am really stuck between CCV and BLT and can't really decide. We live in an area that I could easily get a room for $100/night at times for a resort very similar to CCV so the woodys feel is not a huge draw but at the same time is still really nice.

 

[TCRAIG]

I love BRV’s whole vibe - I think it’s gorgeous...so homey, so comfy, so relaxing! the exact opposite of BLT...I’m not a fan at all of the decor there at all! Even the chair is the main room was uncomfortable to sit in. However - I use an ECV and I always have to wait for the bigger boat to take me to MK...that’s why, if I had to go with just 1 MK resort to own at - walking (scooting) to MK beats the boat! I usually stay at VGF in May, BLT in Sept/Oct and BRV in Dec...BLT is strictly for convenience to MNSSHP

 

[ncgator]

Even though Wilderness Lodge and Bay Lake Tower could not be more different, somehow I love them both. I’m also about to pull the trigger on an add-on contract and narrowed it down to BRV and BLT. I probably like the ambiance at Wilderness better, but ended up going with Bay Lake as I liked the idea of being both on the monorail loop and the boat loop with Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness, and Reflections in the future. It was a tough decision, but I don’t think there is any wrong choice!

 

[DisMomKY]

So the wrench in my plans—my husband said well if the 2042 expiration is out do the equation what about your favorites—boardwalk or Beach Club. Now I’m seriously considering Boardwalk because your points go soooo far there

 

[MB_Ellie]

So the wrench in my plans—my husband said well if the 2042 expiration is out do the equation what about your favorites—boardwalk or Beach Club. Now I’m seriously considering Boardwalk because your points go soooo far there

I own a BoardWalk contract, and I love it there! Just be aware that you should always budget for a Garden/Pool View villa since the Standard View ones can be very difficult to get, especially during the fall. If you can snag one, it's a bonus, but I never like to count on always getting Standard View.

 

[DisMomKY]

I own a BoardWalk contract, and I love it there! Just be aware that you should always budget for a Garden/Pool View villa since the Standard View ones can be very difficult to get, especially during the fall. If you can snag one, it's a bonus, but I never like to count on always getting Standard View.

I put an offer in on a BWV. I just love BW and it might as well be our home resort. We can always add a MK contract on later when I save up the cash for it I offered low but I think that is fair with the current situation. I offered $120/pt on a 100 pt contract with 2020 and on points

 

[MB_Ellie]

I put an offer in on a BWV. I just love BW and it might as well be our home resort. We can always add a MK contract on later when I save up the cash for it I offered low but I think that is fair with the current situation. I offered $120/pt on a 100 pt contract with 2020 and on points

Good luck! We did something similar: BoardWalk first and then added on at Bay Lake for an MK resort. It's also nice to have an MK resort contract since it will last longer than the BoardWalk one.