Input please - considering split stay

[Ldat7]

I'm in the initial planning stages of a late 2021 trip. It helps with the boredom lately! We are DLR vets looking to make our first trek to WDW. I'm thinking probably mid-late November.

We've decided that we really want to try a split stay since we want to be within walking distance of most resorts. It's just DH and I. We can be on the antsy side, so I think being able to walk to our destinations as much as possible will be ideal for us.

We've narrowed it down to Contemporary (probably tower room) for 3 nights and an Epcot area resort for 5 nights. For the Epcot room I'm thinking of reserving a villa (from Disney directly, no rentals) so we can have more space. I love the idea of a large tub and walk in shower . I'm leaning toward BCV one bedroom, but am also considering BWV one bedroom. I know the one bedroom will be large for two people, but I think it'll be awesome to have a larger space to relax in.

So now I'm wondering a few things:

1) Which order would you rather do? The shorter stay first, then transition? That was my first thought since I didn't want to start from the larger space to smaller. But I'm up for other opinions...

2) Any preferences on BWV vs BCV? BCV seems like it's more recently renovated based on pics, but those can be deceiving.

2b) What is the actual distance between the two anyhow? Seems close enough not to matter much. DH is still upset over the loss of our ESPN Zone at DLR so I keep reconsidering BWV for proximity.

Thanks all! Appreciate any other thoughts or tips too.

 

[savemycamera]

Welcome over to the East side! I personally enjoy split stays more than others because you definitely get different experiences as a whole. I think a one-bedroom would be nice, it gives you plenty of room to relax. And being home for the last two months has taught me that the more places I have to be, the less bored I get! Haha.

My friend and I enjoy staying in the smaller rooms first so when you do arrive at the larger room, it FEELS like an upgrade. Also, depending on how long you stay in the parks each day, you'll likely want to relax a little more towards the end of your trip. Remember, WDW is a lot bigger than DLR. I cannot give a personal opinion on BWV because I have not stayed in one, but the BCV were very nice. Simple little walk over to Epcot, and getting over to BW for a nighttime stroll or some dinner would not be out of the question. There are the friendship boats that will take you across the water, but Beach Club, Yacht Club, and Boardwalk are all very close to each other.

Boardwalk would be a closer walk to Hollywood Studios, but not terribly. You can also catch the friendship boats to HS or walk over to the Skyliner terminal at Epcot and hop on that. There are plenty of ways to get around, and staying at an Epcot resort has its perks as far as proximity, but you can usually catch some of the nightly fireworks. Depending on what side of BW you would be in, you might also catch some of the fireworks from HS or Fantasmic.

Either way you work it, you're close enough to the same things in either resort. So it's really a matter of the rooms!

 

[Marionnette]

I'm in the initial planning stages of a late 2021 trip. It helps with the boredom lately! We are DLR vets looking to make our first trek to WDW. I'm thinking probably mid-late November.

We've decided that we really want to try a split stay since we want to be within walking distance of most resorts. It's just DH and I. We can be on the antsy side, so I think being able to walk to our destinations as much as possible will be ideal for us.

We've narrowed it down to Contemporary (probably tower room) for 3 nights and an Epcot area resort for 5 nights. For the Epcot room I'm thinking of reserving a villa (from Disney directly, no rentals) so we can have more space. I love the idea of a large tub and walk in shower . I'm leaning toward BCV one bedroom, but am also considering BWV one bedroom. I know the one bedroom will be large for two people, but I think it'll be awesome to have a larger space to relax in.

So now I'm wondering a few things:

1) Which order would you rather do? The shorter stay first, then transition? That was my first thought since I didn't want to start from the larger space to smaller. But I'm up for other opinions...

2) Any preferences on BWV vs BCV? BCV seems like it's more recently renovated based on pics, but those can be deceiving.

2b) What is the actual distance between the two anyhow? Seems close enough not to matter much. DH is still upset over the loss of our ESPN Zone at DLR so I keep reconsidering BWV for proximity.

Thanks all! Appreciate any other thoughts or tips too.

1) Which order would you rather do?
Go from small to large. Going in the other direction will feel cramped after having all of that space. The only exception, in my mind, would be if you were to be staying club level at the monorail resort. I would choose to end my stay club level, regardless of the size of the room.

2) Any preferences on BWV vs BCV?
If you’re a pool person, go with BCV. If you’re a balcony with a view person, go with BWV. Both resorts were refurbed around the same time and have nearly identical villas with only slight differences in décor.

2b) What is the actual distance between the two anyhow?
BCV and BWV are a short walk or boat ride from each other. I would not choose BWV over BCV just because of ESPN. BCV is closer to EPCOT and the Skyliner queue. BWV is closer to HS and the S/D. I would choose BCV over BWV if I wanted easy access to quick service. At BWV, you must exit the building and walk to the Boardwalk Bakery for a hot breakfast. At BCV, you also have to go outside to get to the quick service but the walkway is covered.​

 

[CastAStone]

Most people seem to prefer Beach Club but personally I would prefer the proximity to both Epcot and DHS that Boardwalk provides. Both parks are easily walkable, whereas from Beach Club, DHS is a hike and you probably want to take the boat.

I would make the order decision based on projected park crowds. If you're going during party season, and it sounds like you are, MK is *crazy* on non-party days, and dead on party days - but closes at 6 those days. Think hard about whether you'd rather be next to MK on 2 nights where it closes at 6 but is quiet or 2 nights where it's open late but is nutso.

Finally, from Mid-September to New Years Day, it is very difficult to nearly impossible get cash rooms at BCV, and pretty darn difficult at BWV. That's the peak travel season for DVC. That will likely be exacerbated in 2021 as many DVC members will have extra points from being unable to use them while the parks have been closed this year. So I wouldn't make any concrete plans based on the assumption that you will be able to get an Epcot area villa for cash in that time frame.

 

[Sue M]

I’d go from small to large also. As mentioned if you do it the other way, your smaller room will feel tiny. I’ve been there!
I haven’t stayed in BCV but have stayed at both BC & YC. So I’d pick BC. BW doesn’t appeal to me. But everyone has different likes.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you are renting a car, parking at BCV is so much easier than parking at BWV.

 

[wilbret]

Maybe I missed it, but isn't "ESPN Club" slightly different from the old ESPN Zones? ESPN Zone, from my memory, had games like mini bowling, etc, and I thought ESPN Club was really just a sports bar with tons of memorabilia and TVs?

 

[Ldat7]

Thanks so much everyone! I appreciate all the feedback!

That's good to know about the possibly unavailability of cash reservation villas. I hadn't considered that. If we can't get a villa I may look into YC as I hear you have a better chance of a full balcony there (maybe only a few rooms dont have it?). We are definitely balcony people! If we can get a villa I think BC may be the way to go still. I love the look of the pool there. May be too cold to swim, but you never know.

Oh and I just saw the recent comment about ESPN club. I thought it was maybe the same as we had in DLR, but I'll look at pics to be sure!

 

[wilbret]

Thanks so much everyone! I appreciate all the feedback!

That's good to know about the possibly unavailability of cash reservation villas. I hadn't considered that. If we can't get a villa I may look into YC as I hear you have a better chance of a full balcony there (maybe only a few rooms dont have it?). We are definitely balcony people! If we can get a villa I think BC may be the way to go still. I love the look of the pool there. May be too cold to swim, but you never know.

Oh and I just saw the recent comment about ESPN club. I thought it was maybe the same as we had in DLR, but I'll look at pics to be sure!

I haven't been in ages, that's why I was curious! Would like to know, I also used to love ESPN Zone. We had one here in Atlanta, too.

 

[nkereina]

1) Which order would you rather do? The shorter stay first, then transition? That was my first thought since I didn't want to start from the larger space to smaller. But I'm up for other opinions...

IMO, it depends on your day-to-day schedule. If you are doing MK early in your trip, it makes more sense to stay at CR first. If Epcot/DHS will come later in the trip, then the Epcot area resort would be second. If you plan to park hop then it probably matters less, but since proximity is one of your primary concerns, I would want to plan my stay around how my days are planned. We always use Kenny the Pirate for crowd calendars to choose our park days based on his crowd recommendations. Although if you're talking this year, its anyone's guess what that will look like.

2) Any preferences on BWV vs BCV? BCV seems like it's more recently renovated based on pics, but those can be deceiving.

As a resort, BCV would appeal to us more. Stormalong Bay pool is awesome, but in November, its iffy if it would be warm enough to use it. We also love Cape May and Beaches & Cream. The overall look and feel just screams "vacation" to us. That said, BWV is a great resort too and the location is just as good. You can't go wrong with either.

Do you plan to rent DVC points or pay Disney cash for these rooms? Again, not sure what it will look like this year, but typically November is a tough time to book if renting points. Its a busy season for DVC, and point rentals are generally booked 7-11 months in advance. The rentals often require payment in full at time of booking and are usually non-refundable. I can't imagine many people are renting points now with the uncertainty of things. The Epcot area resorts are also the hardest to book during the Food & Wine Festival, but if you go on the later side of November, it would be over by then... if it happens this year. Who knows what will be cancelled or even extended or changed.

2b) What is the actual distance between the two anyhow? Seems close enough not to matter much. DH is still upset over the loss of our ESPN Zone at DLR so I keep reconsidering BWV for proximity.

As mentioned, the walking difference between BWV and BCV is not significant. Easy enough to walk between the two. One of the benefits of staying in that area, because you'd have easy access to all the dining options around too.

 

[petrola]

This sounds like a fun trip!

I agree with Marionette - and would stay at MK resort first, unless you are staying club level at Contemporary. This way you will have HS in the second part of your trip and you will probably have more fast pass choices for top attractions at that park.

As for BCV or BWV - I would choose BWV if staying in a villa. Many of the views at BWV are pretty awesome! Our room faced the water and quiet pool and we were able to view the nightly fireworks at HS from our balcony which was very special! If choosing between Beach Club resort or Boardwalk Inn however, I would choose the Beach Club as I like the resort rooms better at Beach Club.

As many folks have noted, the walk from BCV to Epcot is very short, however BWV seems to be more centrally located between HS and Epcot. For example, we walked to both parks when staying at BWV, whereas it would have been too far for my then 5 year old DD to walk from BCV to HS. ESPN Club - the restaurant located in the Boardwalk area- is in between the BC and BWV, however if I had to pick one, I would say it is slightly closer to BWV, but really not worth noting.

Have a great trip!