disneygrandma
Mickey Fan
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2006
- Messages
- 1,410
One of the great things about DVC is that every resort is different.....something for everyone. You have a choice! Not everyone has the same likes & dislikes. You just can't judge a resort by someone else's opinion of it. I'm going to post what our family members think of the various resorts. Just within our family we have different views.
SSR was the first resort we bought at. When we drove over to the preview center, we liked the feeling we got. The buildings reminded us of store fronts in a small town. When we toured the villas, we liked the color schemes and the overall decor. We usually have a car with us, and we like being able to park close to our room. It also seemed peaceful. We thought that would be good after long days of busy park touring. We've never regretted buying there. Driving to the parks has never been a problem.
SSR has been the favorite DVC resort of our daughter and her family. Kids love the pool & slide, and parents like the same things about it as us. They also like being close to DTD. Our son & his family will stay, but are not overly warm towards SSR.
BCV is the favorite DVC resort for our son & his family. They love SAB and being so close to Epcot. I had previously stayed at BCV & liked being able to walk to Epcot, and also the parking lot wasn't too far of a walk. We bought a small resale contract there. Our whole family stayed there one year, and others gave it mixed reviews. My husband loves the location, but not the resort. Daughter & her family feel the same way, & would actually prefer not to stay there. Although SAB might be a great pool, it is quite a distance from the DVC rooms. (I don't think it was much closer than the Springs room locations we'vd had at SSR.) Also, there wasn't much of a selection for the QS meals inside the resort, or at least I didn't think so.
3 yrs ago, my husband & I toured the model for the AKV's, and we liked it. We also liked the idea of a 2nd bathroom & the fact it could sleep an add'l person in the 1 bdrm. The water playground at Kidani was another draw, as were the animals. We had eaten at Boma & took a look around at the surroundings of Jambo, and we liked it. So we added on there. I was lucky enough to get AKV CL rooms for all of us, and of course, we loved that. Our daughter & her family loved the surroundings & activities of the AK resort, and they will be staying at Kidani this fall to try that out. By either bus or car, the AK park is a very short ride.
As for the other DVC resorts we've stayed at, but don't own, they all have their pros and cons also. We like OKW, but not the set-up of the studios. We like that it uses less points, and we like the size of the 1 & 2 bdrms. We would need an elevator, or ground floor villa. The drawback of a ground floor is there isn't a balcony. The patio just isn't the same. Also, the studio we stayed in was musty smelling. However, it was a last minute resv & was a ground floor unit, which may account for that. ??
BWV: we like the rooms and the views. The location to the parks is great. But....the parking is terrible. If we didn't have a car, then that wouldn't be an issue. Also, to us, we think a hotel should have inside restaurants. We don't like having to walk down to the Boardwalk to eat. (Yes, SSR would be a walk outside, but we're staying in a unit near our car, not staying in a "hotel" environment, so much different.)
VWL: I love, love, love this place! My granddaughter & I stayed here, and we didn't have a car, so I don't know about the parking situation. However, the bus stop couldn't have been closer, and we had no problems with it. We also used the boat one day. We loved the room, the pools, the QS meals, and the beach where we watched the water parade go by one evening. The atmosphere of the resort is one of my personal favorites. If we could afford to add on, this would be it for me.
HHI: We loved the atmosphere & size of the resort. Loved the decor of the room. We had a 2 bdrm & loved the hallway area going to the 2nd bdrm. It had a long bench, space underneath for storage & plenty of coat hooks. The laundry area & closet were on the opposite wall. Loved that area! (I wish all DVC resorts had this.) We also liked the set-up of the kitchen/dining/living rm area. I specified that it be a 1st fl unit, knowing that it would really be like a 2nd fl due to being raised. Luckily we got it, and we managed OK. The only elevator is in the main bldg, and we wouldn't like that. The other con was the distance to the beach, but it was a pretty drive, so not too bad. We went to a cook-out there one evening, and really enjoyed it. Over-all, we really like this resort, but would never buy here because of the distance from our home, and it's very unlikely we'll be in that area again.
VGC & BLT: We've never stayed at either, but have stayed at the hotels they're connected to, so we base our opions on that. The Grand Californian was a lovely hotel, and a fabulous location. We would love to stay at the VGC, and if we had the money, to buy in there also.
BLT is another story. We stayed in a tower rm at the CR. Like the location for MK & the monorail. But my husband & I hated the contemporary decor! We also didn't like the sz, crowds & the elevators at the CR. We would never buy there, and doubt we would even want to stay there. Now our daughter & her family felt different, and are thrilled that they are booked at BLT for the 2nd part of their fall trip.
VB: We love the ocean, so we would want to stay there, but would never buy there, again because of distance. Our son & his family stayed there for 2 nts on one of their WDW trips, and they loved it. They hope to go back again in a few years. Our daughter & her family would also like to stay there one day.
AUL: We have no desire to buy there. We've never been to HI. Maybe some day. The location is pretty, no denying that.
If you've managed to read thru this, then you get the idea. Everyone feels differently about so many things. I'm sure some of you will feel differently than what I've expressed. Please, don't ever not stay at a resort because of someone else's opinion of it.
SSR was the first resort we bought at. When we drove over to the preview center, we liked the feeling we got. The buildings reminded us of store fronts in a small town. When we toured the villas, we liked the color schemes and the overall decor. We usually have a car with us, and we like being able to park close to our room. It also seemed peaceful. We thought that would be good after long days of busy park touring. We've never regretted buying there. Driving to the parks has never been a problem.
SSR has been the favorite DVC resort of our daughter and her family. Kids love the pool & slide, and parents like the same things about it as us. They also like being close to DTD. Our son & his family will stay, but are not overly warm towards SSR.
BCV is the favorite DVC resort for our son & his family. They love SAB and being so close to Epcot. I had previously stayed at BCV & liked being able to walk to Epcot, and also the parking lot wasn't too far of a walk. We bought a small resale contract there. Our whole family stayed there one year, and others gave it mixed reviews. My husband loves the location, but not the resort. Daughter & her family feel the same way, & would actually prefer not to stay there. Although SAB might be a great pool, it is quite a distance from the DVC rooms. (I don't think it was much closer than the Springs room locations we'vd had at SSR.) Also, there wasn't much of a selection for the QS meals inside the resort, or at least I didn't think so.
3 yrs ago, my husband & I toured the model for the AKV's, and we liked it. We also liked the idea of a 2nd bathroom & the fact it could sleep an add'l person in the 1 bdrm. The water playground at Kidani was another draw, as were the animals. We had eaten at Boma & took a look around at the surroundings of Jambo, and we liked it. So we added on there. I was lucky enough to get AKV CL rooms for all of us, and of course, we loved that. Our daughter & her family loved the surroundings & activities of the AK resort, and they will be staying at Kidani this fall to try that out. By either bus or car, the AK park is a very short ride.
As for the other DVC resorts we've stayed at, but don't own, they all have their pros and cons also. We like OKW, but not the set-up of the studios. We like that it uses less points, and we like the size of the 1 & 2 bdrms. We would need an elevator, or ground floor villa. The drawback of a ground floor is there isn't a balcony. The patio just isn't the same. Also, the studio we stayed in was musty smelling. However, it was a last minute resv & was a ground floor unit, which may account for that. ??
BWV: we like the rooms and the views. The location to the parks is great. But....the parking is terrible. If we didn't have a car, then that wouldn't be an issue. Also, to us, we think a hotel should have inside restaurants. We don't like having to walk down to the Boardwalk to eat. (Yes, SSR would be a walk outside, but we're staying in a unit near our car, not staying in a "hotel" environment, so much different.)
VWL: I love, love, love this place! My granddaughter & I stayed here, and we didn't have a car, so I don't know about the parking situation. However, the bus stop couldn't have been closer, and we had no problems with it. We also used the boat one day. We loved the room, the pools, the QS meals, and the beach where we watched the water parade go by one evening. The atmosphere of the resort is one of my personal favorites. If we could afford to add on, this would be it for me.
HHI: We loved the atmosphere & size of the resort. Loved the decor of the room. We had a 2 bdrm & loved the hallway area going to the 2nd bdrm. It had a long bench, space underneath for storage & plenty of coat hooks. The laundry area & closet were on the opposite wall. Loved that area! (I wish all DVC resorts had this.) We also liked the set-up of the kitchen/dining/living rm area. I specified that it be a 1st fl unit, knowing that it would really be like a 2nd fl due to being raised. Luckily we got it, and we managed OK. The only elevator is in the main bldg, and we wouldn't like that. The other con was the distance to the beach, but it was a pretty drive, so not too bad. We went to a cook-out there one evening, and really enjoyed it. Over-all, we really like this resort, but would never buy here because of the distance from our home, and it's very unlikely we'll be in that area again.
VGC & BLT: We've never stayed at either, but have stayed at the hotels they're connected to, so we base our opions on that. The Grand Californian was a lovely hotel, and a fabulous location. We would love to stay at the VGC, and if we had the money, to buy in there also.
BLT is another story. We stayed in a tower rm at the CR. Like the location for MK & the monorail. But my husband & I hated the contemporary decor! We also didn't like the sz, crowds & the elevators at the CR. We would never buy there, and doubt we would even want to stay there. Now our daughter & her family felt different, and are thrilled that they are booked at BLT for the 2nd part of their fall trip.
VB: We love the ocean, so we would want to stay there, but would never buy there, again because of distance. Our son & his family stayed there for 2 nts on one of their WDW trips, and they loved it. They hope to go back again in a few years. Our daughter & her family would also like to stay there one day.
AUL: We have no desire to buy there. We've never been to HI. Maybe some day. The location is pretty, no denying that.
If you've managed to read thru this, then you get the idea. Everyone feels differently about so many things. I'm sure some of you will feel differently than what I've expressed. Please, don't ever not stay at a resort because of someone else's opinion of it.
Go figure! We have only stayed at SSR one night, but I really enjoyed it and love the pool. We hop there almost every trip.
