How do you decide? BW vs BCV vs any other property.

[Disney_Dreaming_18]

So I may have convinced my husband that DVC is a good choice. We travel to Disney several times a year from Missouri. Every time I stay at a new resort it becomes my favorite...lol.

We are looking at resale because there just isn't significant reasons to purchase direct when compared to the cost savings. I already have an AP so I am used to that HUGE price tag...love it all the same.

I really enjoyed staying in the Crescent Lake area during our stay in March but hate the early expiration date compared to other resorts. We have not stayed at BW but seems if offers more room choices than BC. May allow me to book at the 7 month mark. Any advice or factors I should consider? Especially when convincing someone that the time is now!

 

[sethschroeder]

BWV has more categories doesn't mean more choice as BW and Standard views will likely be gone.

Always a chance but don't expect to get 2br at BWV as BCV likely will be easier since they have dedicated 2BR.

 

[Straulin]

The points charts at the 2042 resorts are generally much better than the later resorts.

We bought in last year at beach club (360 points). We are in our mid-40s so felt the 2042 wasn’t that bad. The access to Epcot is amazing. We chose beach club over boardwalk for the proximity to Epcot and Stormalong Bay. The boardwalk’s draw, which is the boardwalk itself, is something accessible from beach club, but not the other way around for Storm a long bay.

We are currently debating adding on another 150-200 contract at Grand Floridian, or Animal Kingdom Lodge.

 

[happythoughts & pixiedust]

How many APs do you buy every year? If you don't travel during the blackout dates for the DVC pass (Thanksgiving/Christmas) then you could save ~$450 per pass per year. Those savings add up fast if you're buying 4+ passes every year. You could pay for the difference in the direct price in just 5 years if you buy 4 passes every year. You could buy 150 direct at Riv or Grand Floridian and the balance of what you think you'll need resale (at the same, or a different resort to open up the possibility of split stays).

 

[Sandisw]

I think either one are a good choice if you want a home resort advantage in that area

The good news is the prices are coming down to a level that helps make them a good deal for the approx 18 1/2 years of use you’d have by the time you have access to them.

But, I agree with the other person in terms of passes, unless you do travel at the holidays.

Going direct might make sense if you think RIV might be an option as it’s Epcot adjacent via Skyliner.

Room size matters too..as already mentioned, 2 bedrooms at BwV are all lock offs so once studios are gone, so are those..but there are a ton of garden view rooms so I think those are not a problem when you own.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

As always, buy where you want to stay, assuming you actually book within the home priority window.

I will say the 11 month window for booking at BWV for standard and boardwalk view for March 2024 has so far been intense. I’ve been shut out every single day so far and now there’s no hope of standard view b/c even the next 2-3 days are greyed out. Some serious walking going on!

 

[GrumpyInPhilly]

When I wanted to buy into DVC, DW said as long as it's BCV she was on-board. Enough said.

 

[crisi]

BWV has more categories doesn't mean more choice as BW and Standard views will likely be gone.

Always a chance but don't expect to get 2br at BWV as BCV likely will be easier since they have dedicated 2BR.

Likewise, don't expect much availability at seven months for the last quarter of the year - even if you are willing to book a one bedroom. There are lots of non-owners who want the Epcot resorts for Food and Wine competing for a limited number of rooms - and a lot of BWV/BCV owners who bought specifically for those resorts for that season.

 

[Disney_Dreaming_18]

How many APs do you buy every year? If you don't travel during the blackout dates for the DVC pass (Thanksgiving/Christmas) then you could save ~$450 per pass per year. Those savings add up fast if you're buying 4+ passes every year. You could pay for the difference in the direct price in just 5 years if you buy 4 passes every year. You could buy 150 direct at Riv or Grand Floridian and the balance of what you think you'll need resale (at the same, or a different resort to open up the possibility of split stays).

Only 2 AP/year and the renewal price/ticket is cheaper than a new pass. Still something to consider in making this decision.

 

[intamin]

I really enjoyed staying in the Crescent Lake area during our stay in March but hate the early expiration date compared to other resorts. We have not stayed at BW but seems if offers more room choices than BC. May allow me to book at the 7 month mark. Any advice or factors I should consider? Especially when convincing someone that the time is now!

IMO BCV is significantly harder to get at 7 months vs. BWV. Also idk if it matters to you but BCV has Storm Along Bay as has previously been mentioned. You may not be able to get BW view rooms or standard rooms if you don't own at BWV but you'll likely be able to pick up Garden/Pool view at some point with other resale/direct points.

But anyways, have you considered RIV? If you're planning to keep the contract for the next 20 years when BWV/BCV expire, regardless of resale restrictions RIV will obviously have more value at that time point and you still get access to Epcot/HS through the skyliner. Then add in direct membership perks and etc. which I know you don't care as much about but it doesn't hurt

 

[Craho]

IMO BCV is significantly harder to get at 7 months vs. BWV. Also idk if it matters to you but BCV has Storm Along Bay as has previously been mentioned. You may not be able to get BW view rooms or standard rooms if you don't own at BWV but you'll likely be able to pick up Garden/Pool view at some point with other resale/direct points.

But anyways, have you considered RIV? If you're planning to keep the contract for the next 20 years when BWV/BCV expire, regardless of resale restrictions RIV will obviously have more value at that time point and you still get access to Epcot/HS through the skyliner. Then add in direct membership perks and etc. which I know you don't care as much about but it doesn't hurt

I agree with this but the price per point is cheaper at BWV. Also, BCV can have some availability at 7 months depending on time of year. We were able to get 6 nights in Feb (2 bedroom) in February at 7 months.
I don’t know. Either way, not a good value at the 2042’s. But we bought anyway because we don’t want to stay anywhere else…

 

[intamin]

I agree with this but the price per point is cheaper at BWV. Also, BCV can have some availability at 7 months depending on time of year. We were able to get 6 nights in Feb (2 bedroom) in February at 7 months.
I don’t know. Either way, not a good value at the 2042’s. But we bought anyway because we don’t want to stay anywhere else…

It IS a good value if you can’t see yourself staying somewhere else than at BWV/BCV. I feel like we get hung up a little too much on the numbers here sometimes but the fact of the matter is you’re still getting a better deal than if you were paying cash for these rooms. Fortunately I wasn’t hit by Crescent Lake fever when I’ve stayed at WDW so avoiding the 2042 properties has been pretty easy for me but if that’s where you love to stay, screw the 50 cents per point and have vacations you’ll enjoy for the next 20 years.

 

[RoseGold]

Are you traveling peak? Booking studios? I travel off-peak in 1BR, and BW is the room I book most often. I've gotten BC plenty as well.

The buy in and total cost of ownership for SSR is so much cheaper, it has to be in the discussion. If you're ok hopping or maybe getting stuck at SSR for a trip, it is worth considering.

 

[Nabas]

As always, buy where you want to stay, assuming you actually book within the home priority window.

I will say the 11 month window for booking at BWV for standard and boardwalk view for March 2024 has so far been intense. I’ve been shut out every single day so far and now there’s no hope of standard view b/c even the next 2-3 days are greyed out. Some serious walking going on!

This chart from DVC Field Guide is a great source showing how difficult it is to book studios. BWV Standard and Boardwalk Views are among the most difficult:

 

[SleeplessInTO]

This chart from DVC Field Guide is a great source showing how difficult it is to book studios. BWV Standard and Boardwalk Views are among the most difficult:

View attachment 751916

Definitely agree with this. I suppose I’ve been luckier the last few years, have previously managed to get a standard studio or Boardwalk view 2 bedroom at March break at the 11 month mark. Maybe this year people are extra excited to stay there post refurb.

 

[intamin]

This chart from DVC Field Guide is a great source showing how difficult it is to book studios. BWV Standard and Boardwalk Views are among the most difficult:

View attachment 751916

Interesting, I'm surprised Riviera standard goes faster than Grand Cal and the tower studios.

 

[Sandisw]

Interesting, I'm surprised Riviera standard goes faster than Grand Cal and the tower studios.

It is why one needs to own there if you want to be able to capitalize on the SV rooms.

 

[Leight19]

We recently made the decision to buy resale boardwalk. Our thought process was fairly straightforward; we recently had another kid so will soon be a 5 person family. We historically stay in studios as find that the best value of points. This targeted us to either buying poly, gfv, brv, bcv, or bwv (would never buy riv due to resale restriction). Of these we had two main factors to consider, difficulty of booking room and overall desire for the stay.

We have staid at all of the resorts listed except brv. In general poly was our favorite but only by small margin. After poly we liked bcv and bwv about the same with small preference for bcv for the pool. While we liked poly and bcv slightly more then bwv, we decided to go bwv because I would book bwv standard view 100% of the time if available vs any room category at other resorts for the point cost of room. When you add in that this booking category is harder to book then almost anything else it solidified our decision.

The obvious negative is the 2042 expiration. I’m only 37 so the expiration actually is a negative from convenience perspective since I assume we’ll still be traveling then. However, by then I assume we would no longer be 5 in a studio so that need will have expired anyway. Also, the math I use to estimate cost of point includes time cost of money. When this is included the value difference between 2042 resorts and something like poly becomes minimal and easily offset by the point charts.

 

[E2ME2]

So I may have convinced my husband that DVC is a good choice. We travel to Disney several times a year from Missouri. Every time I stay at a new resort it becomes my favorite...lol.

We are looking at resale because there just isn't significant reasons to purchase direct when compared to the cost savings. I already have an AP so I am used to that HUGE price tag...love it all the same.

I really enjoyed staying in the Crescent Lake area during our stay in March but hate the early expiration date compared to other resorts. We have not stayed at BW but seems if offers more room choices than BC. May allow me to book at the 7 month mark. Any advice or factors I should consider? Especially when convincing someone that the time is now!

(Also posted this in a similar thread, yesterday): This is how I dealt with BWV vs BCV (I now own at both)

I finally closed on my BWV resale contract, after many months of looking for the right BCV contract!
I could not find a BCV with my use year & number of points, at my target price. I did, however find a fully loaded BWV contract at $110/PP - 230 Points (460 in 2023) in my use year. I jumped on it with both feet, and today my contract showed up on the DVC site (just waiting for the points to load). My strategy is to use the 11Mo. window at BWV to snatch the Standard View Studios when available. When they are not available, I will be okay with the Boardwalk or Garden/Pool Views. Those 2 latter categories are usually the same point cost as the BCV studios. So, when I can get the Standard view rooms, I can stretch our length of stay for the same amount of points. If unable to land the standard view, I'll shoot for BW View as secondary, and G/P View as tertiary. Then, when I feel like I really want to use SAB, and have that even shorter walk to EPCOT, I can try for BCV at 7 Months. I did a quick&dirty analysis, comparing my $110/PP for BWV to $130/PP at BCV (based on averages posted here and on similar blog sites). Even though the MFs are higher at BWV, because there are only 18 years of MF remaining, the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) will still be less at BWV. (Assumed a modest 4% YOY increase in MFs). My reasoning: I know that BCV is not always available at 7 Mos., but the BWV Standard Studios are even harder(if not impossible) to get at 7 Mos. So I felt it better to save money going with BWV, and when I get Std. View at 11 Mos.I will consider it a bonus. If I can only get G/P at 11 Mos., then swapping to BCV at 7 Mos. would also be a bonus. If I wind up with BW View at 11 Mos., then I might not look to chanfe at 7Mo. I'll be happy with any of these scenarios, as we love the crescent lake location.
Am I over-rationalizing my decision, or am I a bordering on brilliance by taking BWV over BCV??

 

[intamin]

It is why one needs to own there if you want to be able to capitalize on the SV rooms.

Definitely. I'm glad I own at RIV. Was originally considering getting some resale points there but now I'm actually tempted to just buy them direct. This way in the future if there ends up being a lot of resale points that can only be used at RIV and the booking window gets tighter and tighter I can swap to another hotel if necessary.