We own 380 points at OKW, and have been members since 1997. It is definitely the best thing we have done, vacation planning wise!
I have to agree with Figment 2 that asking which resort is best is a LOT like asking someone's favorite color. Each resort has things that will appeal to some and not to others. Suffice it to say that DVC accommodations are marvelous, so whatever you choose, you will be very happy.
If you are thinking that you want the walk to parks option of BWV and BCV, you will want to buy a resale at one of those. Bear in mind that you can stay at ANY of the DVC resorts as long as there is availablility for your dates of travel.
Here are MY opinions of each.
OKW is the first DVC with larger accommodations and a nice secluded townhome feel to it. It truely is a great place to "get away" from the hubub of the parks and relax in the evenings. You can park right outside your door, and there are no noisy or messy hotel type hallways to deal with because your entrance is "down and out" with direct access to the outdoors. They have HUGE balconys, kitchens, and living rooms as well as a full size laundry room in the 1,2, and 3 bedroom units, and a HUGE whirlpool tub in the master as well. There is an onsite restaurant plus a snack bar and drink bar. There are 4 pools and 4 hot tubs as well as a sauna and a new sandcaslte slide. Some will say they don't like to bus to the parks, but we actually like the convenience of riding instead of walking to the parks as you do at BCV and BWV. Views here are great with most being golf course, water, or woods.
The second bedroom/studio in OKW has 2 queen sized beds, where the other DVC resorts have a queen plus a sleep sofa in the studio/second bedroom.
BWV is the second DVC resort, and is constructed more like a hotel than a townhome. The rooms are a bit smaller and there is no full size laundry room in the 1 and 2 bedroom units, but there are stacked machines in a closet. Here you have the hotel hallways and the activity of the Boardwalk which can be either positive or negetive depending on your outlook. There is great access to the restaurants of the Boardwalk, and that is a definite plus! Parking here is in a lot quite far from the hotel, and there is valet parking free for members. There are two pools, one a themed one with a clown "rollercoaster" slide, and a quiet pool as well. There are several view options here. The Boardwalk view is perhaps the most popular, but there is also a "standard view" of the front entrance and parking lot that has a lower point cost and puts it more in the point range of OKW. There is boat service (albeit slow) to MGM and Epcot, or you can choose to walk to those parks as well. MGM is about 12-15 minutes away, and Epcot is about 10 minutes on foot. That is a big plus for some, but too much extra walking for others. All the units here are lock-offs (except the 3 bedrooms), and the studio/second bedroom portion has one queen sized bed and one pull out sleep sofa.
BCV is much like BWV in that the units are about the same size, but they are themed to the Beach CLub hotel. This too is a "hotel" with hallways etc, and is quite far from the regular hotel part of the resort, so it can be a hike to the rest of the resort amenities. There are the same 1 bed plus 1 pull out sofa arangement in the studios and most second bedrooms, but you can also get a two bedroom dedicated unit with 2 queen beds. No 3 bedroom villas here. Transportation here is much like BWV except that Epcot is just a short walk away. Views here are of pool or "woods", but the woods views are kind of like Epcot views and can contain a back road. There is the wonderful main Beach Club pool of Stormalong Bay here as well as a quiet pool. Parking here is in the main BC lot.
VWL has the same size units as BWV, but there are far fewer of them, and there are no 3 bedroom villas here. Themeing is wonderful (especially at the holidays), but the villas are seperated from the main WL by a walkway. Parking here is in the main WL lot and valet is available. Transportation here is boat to MK which is just across the lagoon, and bus to everywhere else. Like OKW, the bus service here is also very good, and much more to my likeing than walking to the parks. Views here are mostly woods and one dreaded "dumpster" view, but it is very serene and really feels like a vacation spot. Studios and second bedrooms here also have the 1 bed/1 sleep sofa arangement.
SSR is the newsest and largest of the on-site DVC resorts and feels a lot like a city within itself. There is even a main street feel to the "town" area. The buildings here are a cross between the hotel feel of many of the other DVC and the townhouse feel of OKW. You still have hallways, but they are open air ones with elevators available. Each building has a parking lot rather than one main lot for the resort, but it is still not as close as the OKW parking outside your unit. Studios all have 1 bed and 1 sleep sofa here, but there are 2 queen bed second bedrooms available in the dedicated 2 bedroom units. Views are of DTD, woods, other SSR buildings etc. There are currently two lovely pools with at least one other planned. DTD is the draw here with it being just across the water, and also available on foot. Bus service to the parks is very good as it is at VWL and OKW. I felt the resort was very quiet. There is only one food venue that is a bit limited in scope, but does serve unique items.
