Maybe Rich is right..

[ScottOKW2K]

Naw-that's the beauty of DVC. They can always pool hop to BWV and turn it up a notch on that lovely slide!!!

I actually thought about this on my last trip. Then I calculated that with what I saved buying at OKW - and with the lower dues at OKW - that I could buy water-park AP's. After using the water parks, I really didn't miss the clown slide or SAB . Gimme Summit Plummet and turn that notch WAY UP !

As far as some of the OKW vs BWV things - for us we found that we prefer OKW. We did a fair comparison on our last stay, 4 days 1 bedroom BWV preferred, 5 days OKW 1 bedroom. We enjoyed our stay at BWV - the clown pool was fun and being close to Epcot/MGM was certainly nice, but it just didn't give us that "we're home" feel like OKW, VWL, or POR do.

A few observations :

The average walk from the room to the bus stop at BWV definitely felt longer than the walk from an OKW room to the closest stop ( maybe 25% ).

It's better to drive to the water parks - unless you have to search the lot for your car or wait for the valet to bring it up .

OKW has the same number of elevators as BWV - 3. I want one next time.....

Turtle Pond is a really nice "quiet" pool !

Boardwalk is an attractive resort at night. OKW is a beautiful resort at night.

Any DVC resort is an excellent place to stay when at Disney. You actually start to feel sorry for this staying in the "regular" rooms on-site..

 

[DeeP]

OKW has the same number of elevators as BWV - 3. I want one next time.....

Actually BWV as of last month has 2 elevators side by side. OKW has 3 but they are in 3 different buildings, minor detail. But you are so right OKW has so much more room and so many more things to offer than BWV. I would strongly suggest that any DVC member that has reservations at BWV, call MS first thing Mon morning and change to OKW because BWV is a horrid, horrid place. BTW, could the people with reservations at BWV in late Nov and early Dec call first to cancel BWV ressies, because I have been trying very hard to get into this horrid place during this time period and it is al booked solid!! Thank you!!

 

[BenStone]

For me, when determining which resort has the best qualities, I find those to be subjective. The resorts "hard parts" are what we can be objective about ... which leads us to the room, the whole room, and nothing but the room. so, as a OKW owner, I can do anything I want at BWV at any time I want. The shops? Yep. The eats? But of course! The pool? Yep. That fancy slide? My kids favorite. All without the expense, noise and cramptitude you have to put up with at that resort. With that being said, the only variable is the room. The unquestionably smaller room. Why pay for it when you don't have to, that's what I say.

Now here's what I'm going to do next time I visit OKW and you might try it too. Since we unquestionably saved huge wads of cash buying at our resort and save even more each time we pony up the maintenance, I say we're going to spend some of it. Here's how. Rent a limo to take you to and from your resort on the days you dont feel like walking. They'll drop you at each entrance, you'll never have to wait and we certainly won't spend as much as the BWV folks did, all the while looking like the big man on campus. They also have champagne for your ride home after you stood on the Boardwalk watching Illuminations. Make it a Dom Perignon. You have the cash!

The moral of the story ... it's not how much you spend ... it's how much you get. Why pay double if you don't have to. Yeah, that's what I say.

BenStone

 

[ncligs]

What Ben Stone just posted is exactly our sentiments also. My wife and I always drive our rental car over to the Boardwalk, which we will be down there in 6 days(OKW) . We enjoy walking on the Boardwalk and visiting the shops and restraunts. We always make a stop at the ESPN store.THe BWV's are extremely 1st class in everything. We also use the valet parking when we are there. We don't pool hop but the option is there. That is the some of the great qualities about DVC, you can try all the resorts, whenever you want. But we would rather have the lower dues and the larger rooms.

 

[Peterd]

The Two bedrooms are not small, smaller yes, but how much room do you really need? If you feel the rooms are too small for you, you should try the BW GVs. The two bedroom has never seemed small to us, but we only stay in the GV now.
I agree it's good that you stay at the okw paying less points per night, less dues per point, and are still able to enjoy the things we pay for and also enjoy at the BW. I'm glad you enjoy the Okw, noone was trying to get you to change your' mind and stay at the BW. The Okw is a nice resort, please stay there, drink your champagne, watch the crickets, who cares. As for" why pay double when you don't have to". You're right, you don't have to, why do you care if we do? The GV at the BW is more than double the points than the Okw GV. To you, not worth it, to us worth it, but until you try it, you can't really tell me it's not worth it.
I guess it's like someone that buys an expensive car, to them worth it, to others not. It's just what your into. We know what your into, enjoy your choice, but I don't know why you feel the need to trash other's choices because they're not yours.

 

[AZKathy]

I see trashing done on both sides of the fence! I don't think we need to trash any resort at all! Everyone has their own likes and dislikes and we can say positive things about the resort we like, but really don't need to put down the other resorts while pointing out our views.

Can't we all just get along???????????

 

[DeeP]

Just a quick reminder to all those people currently holding reservations to that horrid place BWV, don't forget to call MS FIRST thing tomorrow morning and change those reservations over to OKW where you get double you money, double your fun. I would really appreciate it if you could call promptly at MS opening time to switch the reservations because I have an early morning business meeting and I do not have time to waste on the phone with MS to only be told again that BWV is booked solid!!! Thank you, so much!

 

[EROS]

I LOVE hearing the stairs creak at OKW. I LOVE having only 1 restaurant at OKW........because I HATE choices . I LOVE being unable to walk to any of the parks from OKW..............because I hate walking .......

 

[AZKathy]

 

[EROS]

 

[DeeP]

The resorts "hard parts" are what we can be objective about ... which leads us to the room, the whole room, and nothing but the room. so, as a OKW owner, I can do anything I want at BWV at any time I want. The shops? Yep. The eats? But of course! The

It is certainly not just about the rooms and the rooms only!!! The rooms are located some place they are not just floating in thin air and the location of the rooms definitely have a tremdous value power!!! It is just like taking a large,spread out beautiful home with 6 br, 3 baths on a lovely wooded lot, maybe even one that over looks a very upscale golf course and this home was located in Kansas vs a deluxe 2 BR, 1.5 bath apt that overlooks Central Park or Park Ave in NY, and I would be willing to bet the 2 BR apt in NY purchase price would be at least twice the cost of the large, beautiful house in Kansas! Why, not because of the size of the living quarters but because of location. You can no more take the location out of a real estate value then you can take the yolk out of an egg and still call it a whole, true egg!! The Golden Rule of what makes real estate valuable is: Location, Location, Location!
Visiting the shops and the boardwalk when you come for a couple of hours and staying there for a relaxing 10 vacation are too totally different things! I love waking up in the morning and going out on the balcony with a cup of coffee and looking at the empty boarwalk and the water with the morning fog just lifting and seeing the YC/BC and Epcot in the distance, or seeing the waterway to MGM and the pool in a different view. I love just walking out and enjoying the beautiful morning as you stroll over to Epcot and take in the beautiful resort area you are at, I love doing the same thing going to MGM, I love having dinner reservations that the fantastic restaurants are within a beautiful walk away, I love walking back at night after Illuminations or Fantasmic and coming onto the boardwalk with the lights reflecting off the water, people strolling along, eating ice cream, watching the magican or the juggler or just sitting on the big wicker rockers on the main porch and just taking in the beautiful atmosphere that this area is. This area is prime real estate and trying to deny the superior location is absurb. Why the argument of which resort is in a more desirable "real estate value wise" location always amazes me. Some things are just facts, just like it is a fact that the OKW 1 BR units are significantly bigger, you can watch the golf course from your balcony, it is quiet, yadda, yadda. No one is disputing the fact that the OKW units are bigger, I myself have posted several times that I love the OKW 1 BR, it is much nicer than BWV and if I had my dream DVC unit it would be to make a 2 BR at BWV with OKW room sizes, a boardwalk view and BWV color scheme. I just love the blue and white colors at BWV.
But to try and negate the value of the location of the rooms is ridiculous. BWV, VWL, and BCV are priced the way they are for a reason because to many people it is worth it to them to pay $.70 more per pt (at the current rate) for dues, which really does not come to that much in a year and higher pts for your villa but this pt difference vaires greatly according to the size of the unit, the view and the time of the year at BWV. So a pt difference between a vacation at OKW and BWV could vary by as little as 12 pts for a week to well into the hundreds in pt difference. To many many people the difference in money is worth it very much because this is what they prefer while on vacation. That is why there are 6 BR large houses on a wooded lot in Kansas for 1/2 the price of a 2 BR apt in Manhattan. I am sorry and not to put down a more rustic feel vacation because I enjoyed many of the quiet, seclulded vacations at FW trailers when my kids were young, but now when I go on vacation I want ALL the hotel amenities, I want to have restaurants right at my fingertips, I want the convenience of having 2 parks within a beautiful walk or a boat ride away, etc., etc. I have driven on vacation many times but I enjoy myself much more so when I do not drive while at WDW and I have done both resorts with and without a car and there is no way anybody is going to tell me staying at OKW without a car and staying at BWV without a car is the same level of excellent location and convenience! Even staying at both with a car is not the same level of convenience or location because I still have to take a bus or my car to everywhere but DTD where a boat is available during certain hours while at OKW.
Bottom line to try to negate the value of the location of BWV is ridiculous!

 

[EROS]

Very well written, DEE . Most people in life understand the value of location, location, location. However, others dream of square footage, square footage, square footage . DVC clearly offers both ...........

 

[Peterd]

Great post Dee, you might as well save the post, 'cause no matter how many times you say it, some won't get it. It's not worth it, Both great resorts, if you don't like the BW, don't stay there, save the points and go measure your' room again. Enjoy

 

[AnnK]

O.K we got it, OKW is cheaper, that's great. I think it's wonderful that you can come and enjoy BWV"s restaurants, so can the people staying at ANY Disney resort. I would think that the people staying at All-Stars are saving a chunk of change, so much in fact that they could afford to rent a stretch Navigator Limo, maybe they will be extra generous and stop by OKW and pick you up

 

[DeeP]

Another perfect example is staying in a place like Baltimore, MD's Inner Harbor. You can stay in a Sheraton that is located IN the Inner Harbor so therefore you have location, you can walk to the attractions. restaurants. shops, watertaxi to Fels pt and other areas with excellent restaurants, shops, etc or you can stay at a Sheraton outside of Inner Harbor. The distance is about the same as from OKW to BWV, the price is about 1/2 to 1/3 less, and this rooms are excately the same size decor, etc, but you have to drive to get to everything, you pay for parking and the tunnel depending on where the hotel is located, cool or warm the car, strap everybody in, fight traffic, etc., etc Nope, not worth it to me, this is not a relaxing get away to me, I would rather pay and stay at the Sheraton which is located in Inner Harbor. Once again location is a very biggie when determining the value of the location of a timeshare resort, hotel, home, etc.

 

[ncligs]

Deep, AnnK, and Peterd any chance you three can exchange phone numbers amongst each other, so you guys can keep this topic going , I think most DIS'ers are tired of this subject now
Any DVC member can't go wrong with any of the DVC resorts he or she chooses to stay at. They are all wonderful, 1st class resorts!!!

 

[Richyams]

I kind of like seeing my name at the top of the board every day!!!

Thanks guys

 

[DeeP]

Deep, AnnK, and Peterd any chance you three can exchange phone numbers amongst each other, so you guys can keep this topic going , I think most DIS'ers are tired of this subject now

Awwwwwww, come on Ncligs, when you have your cheerleading outfit on and doing your Rah, Rah, Rah's we don't spoil your fun! We have all read many threads that went on and on and on and on proclaiming OKW virtures and we never were able to say most DIS'ers were tired of the subject.

 

[DeeP]

I kind of like seeing my name at the top of the board every day!!!

I am not surprised in the least to read this, BUT maybe rather than being dazzled by seeing your name at the top of the board, maybe you should read some of the written comments. An EXCELLENT place to start would be the now closed thread on the Debate board called SWA and heavy passengers, or something along those lines. I certainly would not like to be known by as many people and in the ways you are known both on this board and at OKW. Just go back and read your self posted Poll.
Believe me you flatter yourself to to the extreme if you think people would go to the trouble of creating a new DIS identity just so they could vote against you twice! PLEASE!!!!!! Get REAL!!!!!

 

[Peterd]

Come on cligs, don't get your' cheerleader outfit in a bunch. All of the DVC resorts are great. We didn't bring the thread up again, we just answered some people that needed to be shown the light. Haven't seen that many smiley faces though since you trashed Nyers. I know you were just kidding, there were smiley faces, so it must be ok.
Gotta go now, I haven't measured my kitchen in awhile, later.