I thought we had it all figured out.

[shannonstar]

I thought we were going to stay at POFQ. My DS9 asks if we can stay somewhere else (He wants to be closer to parks). So, I research all the resorts, DVC rentals, etc and look for alternatives.

Found the following for decent rates:
Boardwalk Inn Villas
Wilderness Lodge Villas
Animal Kingdom Villas

He wants to stay at the BWV b/c it's close to Epcot and DHS. Anyone have any thoughts on this resort vs the others?

 

[redrosesix]

I thought we were going to stay at POFQ. My DS9 asks if we can stay somewhere else (He wants to be closer to parks). So, I research all the resorts, DVC rentals, etc and look for alternatives.

Found the following for decent rates:
Boardwalk Inn Villas
Wilderness Lodge Villas
Animal Kingdom Villas

He wants to stay at the BWV b/c it's close to Epcot and DHS. Anyone have any thoughts on this resort vs the others?

We love AKL and we do plan to buy there, but AK is our favourite park. Which is good, because that is the only park anywhere near AKL. Yes, BWV is close to those parks but every resort is close to at least one park, and I think POFQ is a good distance from most of them, as well as DTD -- it's just relatively far from AK.

But it is all relative -- 20 mins on a bus will get you from any resort to any park.

 

[momH2the4th]

We stayed at WLV last June and loved it! We are going back this June, but just staying in WL. My kids love the boat ride to MK and you can ride the boat to the Contemporary to jump on the monorail to the TTC and then to Epcot. We've always stayed in the MK area because of the monorail and easy access to MK. I bet all of the Villas are great, it just depends on what parks you want to be closest to.

 

[Tweedle]

We just stayed at the Boardwalk. My kids loved being able to walk to DHS and Epcot. We also walked to the Beach Club for dinner. One of their favorite things was the entertainment on the Boardwalk in the evenings. We really enjoyed coming back to our resort after leaving the park and seeing lots of activity.

 

[rentayenta]

The AKVare amazing. My kids love it.

 

[minnie mum]

I would NEVER select a resort based on how close it is to "the parks". No matter what resort you select, you will only be 'relatively' close to one or 2 parks and will have to rely on some form of transportation for the rest of the parks, resorts, DTD, and the water parks.

Pick your resort based on the resort itself, it's amenities, and above all, your budget. As a PP has said, no park is further than about a 20 min bus ride from the resort. And no park is closer than about a 10 minute walk. 10 minute difference in travel isn't going to hurt anyone's vacation.

So pick which ever resort appeals to the whole family and let the transportation take care of itself.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I would go with Boardwalk Villas because of their theme, atmosphere and restaurant options. Plus you will enjoy having walkways to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

 

[suemom2kay]

As the parent of an only child, 10 year old girl... We love love loved the Beach Club. That pool (understatement) kept her busy for hours! It made for our most relaxing resort thus far.

We stayed at Boardwalk the previous and for part of our last trip due to lack of availability at the Beach Club and my daughter couldn't wait to get back to the Beach Club. The Boardwalk pool had more adults playing the pool games than kids (I'm serious). The Beach Club pool has the lazy river, whirlpool, hot tub, cold tub, sand bar, sand bottom, and the best, longest slide on property. Also, 3 minute walk to back of Epcot (France/UK) and 15-20 minute walk or boat ride to DHS. Bus to the other parks...

I can't speak to the Animal Kingdom or the Wilderness Lodge. We are staying at Wilderness Lodge this June, but I wish we were staying at the Beach Club. I trade in through RCI and had to change our dates so we lost the Beach Club. I'm sure we'll have a good time, but I wish we were at the Beach.

I can say that Animal Kingdom Lodge is close to nothing except the Animal Kingdom park and its not earth shatteringly fast to get there.

Wilderness Lodge is boat/bus access to MK, boat to Fort Wilderness, and Contemporary resort. Bus every place else...

Have a great vacation whatever you choose.

 

[SusieBea]

I thought we were going to stay at POFQ. My DS9 asks if we can stay somewhere else (He wants to be closer to parks). So, I research all the resorts, DVC rentals, etc and look for alternatives.

Found the following for decent rates:
Boardwalk Inn Villas
Wilderness Lodge Villas
Animal Kingdom Villas

He wants to stay at the BWV b/c it's close to Epcot and DHS. Anyone have any thoughts on this resort vs the others?

I'd just go with what he wants in this case (BWV is a great resort - location, proximity to restaurants, walking distance to the 2 parks). The other 2 are great as well. But I don't think you'll have any regrets if you allow him to make the choice this time. Oh, and the ESPN Club is right there - he might think that is kinda cool, too.

 

[iamyourghosthost]

While the theming of AKL and WL are better than Boardwalk, I'd definitely go with Boardwalk. The pool is great and the location just makes it perfect.

 

[jujube]

We love the BW and will be back there in April. Location and proximity the the parks is a definite in planning our trips. The Luna pool is not everyone's cup of tea but my daughter loves it and has for years.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is a gorgeous resort and of course, close to the AK but not close enough to walk. If your son loves seeing animals, then this is the resort for him. It really is, at least in my opinion, the most stunning of all of the Disney resorts.

The Wilderness Lodge is wonderful too and just a boat ride away to the MK and the monorail to Epcot. It's woodsy and appeals to many people. The pool is beautiful. An added bonus is The Whispering Canyon restaurant which is lots of fun.

In the end, I would choose BW because it is the resort closest to 2 parks. We also have APs and go to Epcot for dinner each night, either in a restaurant or we eat quick service.

 

[shannonstar]

Thanks for the input.

We are really trying to make this our son's best trip since it will probably be his last for awhile (he turns 10 the week after we get back).

We are going to be there just before Thanksgiving and when we did that 2 years ago, we never touched the pool. This past summer, we stayed at the Dolphin and loved it, but it's 700 more than what it would be to rent points.

I wish we could afford the BCV, but we can't. He loves Epcot the most, HS second and MK third so the BWV make sense for us.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

My longest bus rides to parks were at AKV, and my quickest rides to the parks were at POFQ using Disney Transportation.

The one time we went to Beach Club (and used the transportation provided by Disney) we had to share with so many other resorts we lived on the bus.


If you are driving your own vehicle, the above does not apply.

 

[jujube]

Thanks for the input.

We are really trying to make this our son's best trip since it will probably be his last for awhile (he turns 10 the week after we get back).

We are going to be there just before Thanksgiving and when we did that 2 years ago, we never touched the pool. This past summer, we stayed at the Dolphin and loved it, but it's 700 more than what it would be to rent points.

I wish we could afford the BCV, but we can't. He loves Epcot the most, HS second and MK third so the BWV make sense for us.

It's a great resort! Have a wonderful trip

 

[ccgirl]

I thought we were going to stay at POFQ. My DS9 asks if we can stay somewhere else (He wants to be closer to parks). So, I research all the resorts, DVC rentals, etc and look for alternatives.

Found the following for decent rates:
Boardwalk Inn Villas
Wilderness Lodge Villas
Animal Kingdom Villas

He wants to stay at the BWV b/c it's close to Epcot and DHS. Anyone have any thoughts on this resort vs the others?

My DD is the same age. She LOVED BWV. But, we had a 2BR so I think that was part of the love. Plus, our room over looked the river between there and the Swan/Dolphin. Having said that, she put in her request for the AKL the next time. She really wants to see the animals. Close proximity to the parks has never been a big issue as we always rent a care. While we can walk to Epcot and DHS we can probably get there just as quickly from AKL driving our car (with the exception of the International Showcase).

I would suggest going online and showing him both hotels.

Hope this helps.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you really plan on purchasing a reservation from a DVC member (called "renting points"), you need to do it quickly. You are running into Thanksgiving, end of Food & Wine and Jersey Week. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to get the BWV.

 

[shannonstar]

Thanks Deb,
I'm on it right now and looking, well trolling really. I am searching all the DVC boards. I am really hoping to get $12 or less per point, but will go higher if I have to. Problem is most people aren't BWV owners and cannot rent further than 8 months out on other resorts.