Just back - OKW vs BCV

[DisneyDuo]

We own at BCV and have stayed at both a studio and 1 bedroom there.

Just back from a week in a OKW studio - our first time there. The resort was nice and quiet - and we were offered a choice of 3 villas when we arrived at 9:00 a.m. on the 23rd.

But we were disappointed in the size of our studio. (No flames please from all you OKW fans!)

We always heard the OKW rooms were larger - but the two beds were so big and took up so much room that there wasn't room to put all our stuff. There wasn't anyplace comfortable to sit and read, write, or watch tv. Plus the kitchen seemed much smaller in the storage area.

Our other problem with OKW was the location - we felt we spent much more time on the buses going from one place to another. BCV is more convenient to Epcot, MGM and Boardwalk.

Don't get me wrong - we enjoyed our stay, and OKW is lovely. But after trying it, we decided we prefer BCV.

Just wanted to share my impressions for the benefit of others trying to decide between the two resorts.

Lin

 

[Cinderella]

Glad you had a great trip. Sorry your okw studio was not all you hoped. Have read many posts on here where people have said the one and two beds are great, but the studios aren't as good - so maybe you would have noticed the space more in the larger accoms.

I have not yet stayed in BCV or seen them - but after my next two already booked trips, I hope to try them next year. How are the studios compared to the hotel rooms? Are they just as close to the pool etc. All the DVC's are great - and we want to try every single one. Well, at least i do - my partner could permanently move into ssr!

 

[jodifla]

We own at BCV and have stayed at both a studio and 1 bedroom there.

Just back from a week in a OKW studio - our first time there. The resort was nice and quiet - and we were offered a choice of 3 villas when we arrived at 9:00 a.m. on the 23rd.

But we were disappointed in the size of our studio. (No flames please from all you OKW fans!)

We always heard the OKW rooms were larger - but the two beds were so big and took up so much room that there wasn't room to put all our stuff. There wasn't anyplace comfortable to sit and read, write, or watch tv. Plus the kitchen seemed much smaller in the storage area.

Our other problem with OKW was the location - we felt we spent much more time on the buses going from one place to another. BCV is more convenient to Epcot, MGM and Boardwalk.

Don't get me wrong - we enjoyed our stay, and OKW is lovely. But after trying it, we decided we prefer BCV.

Just wanted to share my impressions for the benefit of others trying to decide between the two resorts.

Lin

OKW rooms are MUCH larger...but to appreciate the difference, you need to stay in a one or two bedroom size unit. OKW blows BCV away in size. (We're owners at both places.)

But you're right...you don't notice it in a studio, because of the two bed setup.

Our rule of thumb is to stay in OKW if we need a one bedroom on up, and anywhere else if we want a studio.

 

[LIFERBABE]

Our rule of thumb is to stay in OKW if we need a one bedroom on up, and anywhere else if we want a studio.

Our rule of thumb also!! That is why we have not stayed at OKW yet. We have been staying in studios and prefer the sofabed setup because it gives more room for our extended stays.

We toured BCV and OKW (purchased both) and the OKW Villas are very large and we will definitely stay there when we require larger units.

We toured OKW again in December (the boys saw the poolslide from the DVC Ferry ) and they really want to stay there!

The size difference is really more comparable for the 1bed and up.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Our rule of thumb is to stay in OKW if we need a one bedroom on up, and anywhere else if we want a studio.

Our rule to thumb too. And like LIFERBABE, we own at OKW and BCV. I do not like the studios at OKW, no flames here! I love the sofa in the room so I don't have to sit or lie on the bed to watch TV. So when DH and I go together, it's a 1 BR at OKW; for solo trips, a studio at BCV for me. Never the other way around!

 

[westjones]

With a family, the 2 beds at OKW are nice. My girls preferring sharing the queen sized bed to the pull out double at the other resorts. If it were just DH and I, we would prefer the regular studios with the couch. So I think it depends on your needs. The one thing I didn't like about the OKW studios was the bathrooms. I like having the sink seperate from the tub and toilet area. It just makes it faster getting ready in the morning for our family of 4 (two of which are 'tween' girls who care about their hair WAY too much).

DJ

 

[byoung]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Doctor P]

I think that in general people are clueless as to the relative convenience of OKW vs. BCV when it comes to going to the theme parks. In general, I will wager that I can get to MGM faster from my villa at OKW than from a villa at BCV. Unless one is a very, very fast walker, I will also bet that I can, on average, get to Test Track (for example) from a villa at OKW than I can from one at BCV. BCV is a great resort, but the convenience to MGM is overblown (the convenience to the World Showcase, on the other hand, cannot be overestimated, especially after Illuminations).

 

[Muushka]

Hmmm. Clueless. Interesting choice of words.....

 

[rogerram]

we stayed in a 2 bedroom in 2004 at OKW and you could compare the studio part, which is not overly large, to that of other DVC resorts. The big difference is in the livingroom\kitchen area. It is extremely larger. We own at BWV, so I have been able to compare both.

 

[LisaS]

Last week we spent 2 nights in a studio at VWL and 4 nights in a 1 BR at OKW and I agree with jodifla's rule of thumb. The OKW studios would be a good choice if you need/want two queen beds instead of one queen and a full-size pullout sofa but otherwise, I think the studio layout at the other resorts gives you a feeling of more space and provides more places to sit. So if I wanted to stay in a studio, I would choose other resorts over OKW.

However, when it comes to 1 BR units, after staying in one at OKW I've become a big fan of OKW. I spent 3 years in an apartment that was smaller than (and not as nice as) that 1 BR villa at OKW. It was HUGE and open and airy and bright. I enjoyed every minute of time we spent in it and out on our large and private veranda.

DisneyDuo, I agree with you about the benefits of BCV's location (that's why we bought at BWV). But I encourage you to spend a couple of nights in a 1 BR at OKW sometime, particularly if you are ever in the mood for a more relaxed stay at WDW.

 

[Caskbill]

The biggest difference between room sizes is when you compare the 1-B/R villas at each resort.

I put together a graphic that illustrates it. The comparison between the two floorplans is to scale.

OKW is 1016 square feet. BWV is 712 square feet, or 70% the size of an OKW unit.

In the image below, the BWV floorplan is shown as it would appear when at 70% the size of the OKW floorplan.

The image sizes were carefully calculated by calculating the square 'units' in each image (purple area versus yellow area), and were size accordingly so that the yellow area measures out to be 70% of the purple area.

Note the furnishings and wall thickness do not seem to be the same size. This is because when DVC makes these floorplans they most likely use cut & paste graphics for the furniture that were not necessarily to the same scale as the room. On their site the 'graphic' they use for BWV is physically a similar size as the one for OKW even though the floorplans have different square footage. However they appear to have used similar sized furniture cut-outs. Thus when the BWV floorplan is scaled down to represent it's true size as compared to OKW's floorplan, the furniture looks slightly undersized. Although my personal feeling is the furniture shown in the OKW unit is probably oversized to the proper scale.

For general visual comparison, these two images represent the true sizes of the two different resort configurations, as accurate as I can get them.

As to the Studios, I agree with others. When staying at OKW we always get a 1-B/R. If we want a Studio then we'll stay at one of the other resorts. For just the two of us, having 2-beds in the Studio is unecessary.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I think that in general people are clueless as to the relative convenience of OKW vs. BCV when it comes to going to the theme parks. In general, I will wager that I can get to MGM faster from my villa at OKW than from a villa at BCV. Unless one is a very, very fast walker, I will also bet that I can, on average, get to Test Track (for example) from a villa at OKW than I can from one at BCV. BCV is a great resort, but the convenience to MGM is overblown (the convenience to the World Showcase, on the other hand, cannot be overestimated, especially after Illuminations).

I truly agree with you! The time to get from BCV to MGM studios is lengthy, no matter HOW you go. I can usually walk it faster than I can take the boat, but who needs to add 20 minutes of walking to get to a park? At OKW, I arrive at the bus stop, and within 15 minutes, I'm entering MGM. Granted BCV has a definite advantage for Epcot and World showcase there, but the buses from there to MK and AK are no advantage over those at OKW.

 

[BCV23]

I think to Test Track even a slow walker will beat you from BCV, Doctor P. Did you factor in the wait time, walk from the bus to the entrance etc?

Taking a bus to MGM is better than walking from BCV IMO but the boat while slow is fun and we usually do it at least once per trip for DS2 who loves it. I would take a slow boat over a bus any day. But we actually drive to MGM most of the time just as we would from OKW. Under the bridge and you're there!

 

[Doctor P]

I think to Test Track even a slow walker will beat you from BCV, Doctor P. Did you factor in the wait time, walk from the bus to the entrance etc?

You might be right, but one of the things that people often fail to factor in is the walk from one's villa at BCV just to get off the property. Just looked up the "estimated times for walking" in Passporter. From the BCV entrance, they estimate 20 minutes walk to Test Track. The walk from the front entrance to Test Track is estimated to be 4 minutes. Depending on which stop one is dropped off at Epcot (and usually the OKW drop is pretty close), it's about a 3 minute walk to the gate. It's only about a 5-6 minute bus ride from OKW to Epcot, (believe it or not, OKW is only about 1 mile as the crow flys from Epcot). So, I think on most days it would be pretty close if one is catching the bus at Hospitality House. Anyway, my real point is with respect to MGM, because the convenience to the World Showcase washes out or overwhelms any possible bus advantage for OKW to get to Future World.

 

[LisaS]

For me it isn't about how quickly I can get to Epcot or MGM, it's the fact that I can walk there. I think it's because I live on a narrow, somewhat busy road in a rural area with no sidewalks so I don't have the option to walk anywhere from my home, especially this time of year. We love to stay at Epcot resorts just because we can walk to so many things. I also enjoy the boat ride to Epcot and MGM just for the novelty of it. I guess you can tell DH and I are not park commando types! For us, the journey to and from the parks is part of the experience.

But we also really enjoyed our stay at OKW and will definitely stay there again. It was a little strange returning from Epcot on a bus when we're so used to walking home after Illuminations, but we had a very lively group and a hilarious driver on our bus that night and had a blast. And coming back to that wonderful 1 BR villa at night really made it all worthwhile.

 

[DisneyDuo]

Thanks, everyone, for your input and responses.

Perhaps we'll try OKW for a 1 bedroom some day. There's just two of us, and we'd rather make our points stretch longer by staying in a studio. I knew there would be two beds at OKW, just didn't expect them to be SO big and take up so much room!

As to the traveling distance to parks, I think it is as much a perception thing as reality. It just seemed to us like we spent much more time getting places from OKW than it did from BCV.

Again, this was not a slam of OKW, just my thoughts.

Lin

 

[Doctor P]

Whether perception or reality, I encourage you to time how long it takes you to get from your room at BCV to the gate at MGM or back home to your room at BCV upon leaving the gate at MGM. My wager is that it won't be under 30 minutes either direction. That's fine with me most of the time, and the boats are quite quaint and peaceful. Just a bit impatient with the urban legend that BCV is so much more conveniently located to go to the theme parks than OKW. BCV has its advantages and we like it (or we wouldn't own points and like to stay there), but convenience getting to and from the theme parks is not one of them IMHO (again, with the exception of the International Gateway to Epcot), especially since the buses and boats are shared with other resorts at BCV.

 

[m4travel]

The biggest difference between room sizes is when you compare the 1-B/R villas at each resort. I put together a graphic that illustrates it; the comparison between the two floorplans is to scale...(f)or general visual comparison, these two images represent the true sizes of the two different resort configurations, as accurately as I can get them.

As to the Studios, I agree with others. When staying at OKW we always get a 1-B/R. If we want a Studio then we'll stay at one of the other resorts. For just the two of us, having 2-beds in the Studio is unecessary.

Thanks, CaskBill, for the graphics of the two units. They certainly help grasp the difference between the two styles. When we were at WDW last week we toured SSR, where we own. The units were lovely (can we ever justify just the two of us staying in a Grand Villa?), but we were quite happy to return to our 1-Bdrm at OKW.

It seems the question of the Studios depends upon how many people are in your party and how many of them enjoy sleeping on a convertible sofa! For our trip in October at the end of the DVC Member cruise, we will be economical and stay in a Studio, but the resort will depend (among other things) upon whether it is just the two of us or whether a third person joins us for the resort portion of the trip.

None of us enjoy sleeping on a convertible anything, so our choice for 'real' beds for three of us is either an OKW Studio or a 2-Bdrm in any resort at 272 - 306% of the cost of the OKW Studio [Th/Fr/Sat; October]. Of course for just two persons, a Studio in a resort other than OKW would provide the comfort of a seating area for TV/writing/et cetera.