Decisions, decisions, decisions... Sorry It's so long--First time writing

[KC Canadian mom]

Hi there. I have been reading here for about a month. DH and I have decided to buy into DVC but both are torn by choice of resort. Being a teacher, I must travel the last week of December, or March 10-17 Every Year, so ressies at 11 months out are so important. Will I have a good chance to get my home resort? My guide said she doesn't see a problem with me getting ressies at march break, only Christmas perhaps. She stated that Beach Club will probably be up for sale before the end of the year, and that price increases will be coming this summer. We will not have a car rented for a week, so I'm hesitant about buying at OKW (but I like quiet at night). The wilderness theme doesn't really do much for me. I'm torn over waiting for BCV or going for a resale at BWV. At BWV, are there quieter spots to relax outside there near a pool, or is it very busy there all the time? At BCV, is the pool area near the villas, or is it pretty far away to walk to. We have two active boys ages 5, and 6. Also, if we wait for BCV, our use year will probably be May, not in December when we really need it. Any info on your experiences as DVC members or on these two resorts would be a great help. Thanks in advance from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.

 

[sixcats]

The quiet pool area at BWV is very peaceful. Even the courtyard on the boardwalk can be peaceful during the day. There is plenty of solitude there if you seek it out. But since you are looking for peaceful, have you considered the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge?

Debbie

 

[drusba]

Christmas is actually not that hard to get. Entirely different rules apply to that week though. All the home resort rules do not apply. You get on the special seasons preference list for Christmas by signing up for that list up to 24 months in advance. Regardless of where your points are from you can get on the list at any resort. About 14 months before the desired Christmas, they start contacting everyone on the list in the order they went on it to see if they want to actually do the reservation. Essentially everyone on the list who actually still wants that time gets it (exception was 1999 because of Millenium change). Any time left over is then subject to the 11 month rule for home resort. All other times of year you can reserve 11 months out at home resort, 7 at others. If you reserve 10 to 11 months out at home resort for that mid-March time you will have no problems. However, using the 7 month window you could, particularly at BWV where things can be difficult to get 7 months out.

If you like the Epcot area, BWV would be ideal. The noise factor is greatly overstated. The Boardwalk at night can be noisy but even rooms there remain fairly quiet when balcony doors are closed (and only 20% of rooms are on the boardwalk). In fact, the "quiet" pool (the second pool for the villas) area (where there are far more rooms than the boardwalk) is one of the quietest areas in WDW if that is what you want. In other words, you can stay at the BWV from an almost absolutely calm and quiet area to a high activity area with other areas in between.

BC villas will have their own pool but not likely to be elaborate. The main pool is Stormalong Bay (possibly the best resort pool on site)which is in the center of the BC/YC resorts. You will have a walk to it as the villas are being built on the other side of the Beach Club away from the pool area. BCV will not itself be on the lake that BWV and Beach Club/ Yacht Club are on. What is not known is what the points per night will be there but likely they will be at least the same and probably higher than BWV. Unless something has happened to extremely speed up construction, the BC villas will not go on sale end of this year; the scheduled date is end of 2002.

My personal view is that BoardWalk is the best resort on site.

 

[Dizzy4Dizney]

Hi,
We've stayed at the BWV and the noise was not a factor. We went over to the OKW and the people next to us were so noisy! I thought fireworks were going off!

In regards to you booking in Dec, it doesn't matter when your use year is, you can still call up and book 11 months in advance at your home resort as long as you will have those points available at that time.

DVC was the BEST thing we ever did. I'm so glad my husband convinced me! I'm trying to get my sister to join (I think they will!)

You'll love it!!

 

[kem330]

I agree, BWV are the best- it remains to be seen how BCV are. While BC is my absolutely favorite resort, I am not sure how the Villas will be stuck off on the side as they are. They will also be more $ and maybe not even available till early 2003. If you want a resale, get on a list with The Timeshare Store(listed above) and A Timeshare Broker (atimeshare.com- call Jaki at the 888 # listed) Both are reputable and will be able to help you. While VWL are beautiful it may be too much like what you have in Canada- I know when we go to FL we want to feel like we're somewhere different.

 

[Ed T]

We love OKW for its serene atmosphere. We love the parks and downtown area but it's nice to get away from it all and relax at OKW. The townhouse appearance and the parking being right there, it's just so relaxing. Boardwalk is certainly the place to be if you like action and convenience of walking to two parks. Very busy and noisy at night for us.
If you need info on buying resale and would like our experiences since we bought through Disney and resale I'd love to share it with you. Just send me an email.'

Good luck

Ed
DVC 1994

 

[normr]

Rooms are larger, points are less, Dues are less,

 

[PKK/MJK]

We prefer OKW also. It is definitely very peaceful and relaxing. The bus service works relatively well so I don't think that would be a problem for you. The choice of resort really depends on the type of atmosphere you prefer. BWV are lovely--although they are definitely smaller that OKW units. They are very convenient though. When we stayed there, we overlooked the Boardwalk and noise was not a problem when the balcony door was closed. About all you could hear was the horns on the boats. The area around the BWV member's quiet pool was very low-key. Good luck with your decision.

Phil and Mary Jo

WDW--82,83,85,87,89,93,95,96, 97,98,99,00,01
DVC/OKW

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Don't just brush off the VWL. I have four children (ages 6, 8, 12, 13) and at first thought that the VWL would be too remote. After staying there in February we purchased right away. Being right next to the Magic Kingdom is a major benefit plus the fact that there is so much else to do there. We also found their pool second only to Stormalong Bay at the YBC>

Try it, you may like it. But I can't stress enough: Location, Location, Location = Magic Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Magic Kingdom.

 

[AnnK]

Have you visited the DVC resorts? People usually have a preference after seeing them.
The eleven month window is an advantage at BWV because if you book then you can get the standard view, which is less points. ( Just about the same as OKW points per night.)Since you would likely book then, this would be good for you. We always use the 11 month window and we have had NO problems getting exactly what we wanted.
If I would not have a car I would want to be at BWV. It has the best location. You can walk to MGM AND Epcot! It also has many restaurants within walking distance. ( DVC members presently get discounts at Y&B and Swan and Dolphin.)This is nice when you don't have a car. (OKW only has Olivia's restaurant.)
BWV has gotten a reputation ON THESE BOARDS for being noisy, but that just isn't true. It does have action on the BW, but there are plenty of places to just relax. The quiet pool is great, and community hall is right there so the kids can go inside and get their fill of N64 games, foosball, ping-pong and other video games. They also have a nice catch and release fishing program for children under 12.
If you want to REALLY be alone you can go over to the BWI side. They have a quiet pool, with a beautiful garden all around it. No one ever goes there.
BWV is located within walking distance of Y&B, so it is easy to take your boys over there for a swim. ( Make sure to eat at Beaches and CReam, they have the best icecream, shakes and burgers.
BCV, will be beautiful, and it will share the great location, and of course it has the best pool on Disney property, but I think it's going to be priced high. In another post they said points are going up again in June. BWV are available now, I am sure you can get a decent price, Why wait? Good Luck!