Just back from BCV, and compared to BWV,

[pwoodham]

* It sure seems to me that the walk to Epcot is shorter from BCV.
* For our preschoolers, SAB was a better pool than Luna Park.
* For our older children, Luna Park's slide is just as fun as SAB.
* The rooms are wonderful, but there sure are a lot of doors to keep shut if you want to insure privacy in the bathroom/shower!! Not sure why, but it seemed to be more of a problem at BCV.
* More stuff to do/see at night at BWV, more privacy at the quiet pool in the evenings at BCV.
* I personally think the restaurants at BCV (Cape May, Beaches & Cream) are better suited for children than many of those on the Boardwalk.
* We were on the second floor in a two bedroom, and the balcony ran the length of the entire room. It was huge and wonderful. At BWV, they have always been in three different sections.
* I like having the Community Hall at BWV available just for members.
* I have never seen an alligator at BWV, and we saw one at BCV 4 out of 5 mornings.
We had 17 people, and were in a studio, 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom. All the rooms are beautifully done. We had no complaints from anyone. I heard "Welcome Home" more than once. We own at both resorts, and it's going to be wonderful trying to decide where to stay next year!!
Yep, it was a fabulous trip. The Cast Members (okay, there were a couple exceptions!!) were great, friendly, helpful, courteous, ....... you get the idea. I was concerned about the Disney "cutbacks," especially EE, but it really did not negatively impact our vacation because we planned accordingly. I think that's the big advantage of staying up to date on the DIS boards!
Sorry, just can't think of much to complain about.

 

[ceejay13]

Thanks so much for the great thread. We also own at both places and I have not seen a comparison like yours yet.

 

[yasuern]

Thanks for the comparison - Now I need to rethink our 7month window decision - although at 7months our decision could be made for us

 

[ralphd]

Thanks for the nice report!

ralphd

 

[castleri]

Just curious- where was this alligator and was it real or just for fun? Great report - appreciate that info you provided. Will be at BCV in 12 days- can't wait. What view did your room have? Hope to get a 2BR with a view and a good sized balcony but will be happy no matter what just being there.

 

[erikthewise]

Oh great. Now the BWV owners are going to want their own alligators!

 

[JudithM]

Thanks for taking the time to compare the two DVC properties. It is always nice to hear other member's thoughts on the resorts.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by erikthewise
Oh great. Now the BWV owners are going to want their own alligators!

NO, we're just going to feed those so they get bigger and bigger. When they reach 11-12 feet, we won't have any problems getting a room at BCV as the owners there will be afraid of the alligators. Besides, you're just copying from OKW.

 

[joepoe]

We own at BWV. I am glad to hear you like BCV so much, because that is good for ALL members! It tells me DVC is doing things right and it enhances all of our memberships!

 

[AEN]

Is there no community hall at BCV? My kids really liked it at BWV.

 

[pwoodham]

We were in rooms 207 & 205 which had views of the courtyard looking towards the front entrance to BC. The other room was 210, with a view of the quiet pool.
The alligator is quite real, I assure you. He (or she) looked quite at home in the canal as we crossed the small bridge on our way to the parking lot.
If there is a Community Hall type room at BCV, I didn't see it. You get your free DVD rentals at the gift shop and we played games at the BC arcade.

 

[castleri]

Thanks for the info on rooms and the gator. Sure hope we see it- for some strange reason watching the wildlife at Disney is one of our favorite things to do. One of the most enjoyable things we did at Christmas was sit on the balcony at OKW and watch turtles, ducks and assorted other birds in the small pond below the room. Oh yes we did feed the seagulls and got some fantastic pictures of them eating out of people's hands on the fly.
It wasn't until much later that we read somewhere that you aren't supposed to encourage them - But then the other people in rooms across the way must not have read it either. I think we'll pass on feeding the creature in the canal though.

 

[Cinderella]

Thanks for the info and comparison. Think I will use valet parking to avoid the alligator - am a wimp.

 

[twinglefam]

"Sorry, just can't think of much to complain about" -pwoodham


Don't be sorry pwoodham..... there's too much complaining in this world! That's the great thing about being a DVC owner, always something to be glad about!

 

[COACHSTING]

There was a small alligator in the BCV canal last week.

 

[DeeP]

I just came back from WDW on Sat and went to view the BCV and loved them and can't wait to stay there. But after hearing last week about the gator that attacked a dog, that thankfully survived but now only has 3 legs, and being a homeowner in FL and knowing about many other gator attacks such as this, I must say, I am not real happy about there being a gator at BCV. I hope WDW does what they have to and removes this alligator to a more appropriate and safe place for their guests, such as AK.

 

[AEN]

Community Hall:

Can the members at BCV use BWV community hall. I have a 10, 8 and 6 years old and the love the hall. That is a reason we just joined. I admit I foolishly thought that BCV would have one like BWV and OKW, so I didn't investigate.

 

[Peterd]

Sorry,
When we were there we were told by the Cm at BWV Community Hall is for BWI and BWV guests only.

 

[BigTigger]

Originally posted by Peterd
Sorry,
When we were there we were told by the Cm at BWV Community Hall is for BWI and BWV guests only.

Are you sure about that?

We are OKW owners, but have stayed at BWV a few times over the years and visited many times while staying at OKW. As long as the cards say DVC Member, we never have had any issues with playing ping pong or video games at Community Hall or borrowing equipment for the outside activities while visiting the Boardwalk. Ditto for Hanks when we were staying at BWV and wanted to ride bikes around OKW.

 

[DeeP]

I have also been told by CMs that Community Hall is only for guests staying at BWI & BWV.