Moderate vs. DVC

[Tidus]

Hi. I am planning a trip to WDW in May. I stayed at POFQ last Aug. It was great. However, I am considering renting points for my next visit. I am thinking about BWV because my family loves Epcot! Is there a big difference in a Moderate Hotel vs. BWV studio? I'm a little nervous about renting points and about having to plan so far away, but I don't want to pass up the chance to stay at BWV. Another question is, if Disney offers another deal like the free dining or something similar, would I be entitled to the deal even if I am renting points? Thanks for any help you can give me!!

 

[poohj80]

You didn't mention how large your family is. A studio at BWV will have one queen bed and a sleeper sofa. If you have children, it would be your call as to whether they'd be comfortable. That said, I'm a bit biased as a DVC member and love having the extra amenities that DVC offers and the location of BWV is great!

You do not necessarily need to plan THAT far ahead, just realize the earlier you plan the better your chances are of getting what you want especially if you'll be visiting during a popular time.

One down side is that you would not be eligible for any of the special deals, like free dining, that Disney is offering. These are only good when booking packages and staying at DVC on points is not currently included.

 

[paladin]

I have never stayed at a moderate, but have stayed at BWV and you can't beat the location - walk or boat to both Epcot and MGM, lots of fun things and restaurants on the Boardwalk and nearby resorts. Also, it's nice having a microwave for snacks/small meals.

 

[Tidus]

We are a family of 4. DS9 and DD7. We felt that POFQ was enough space last time. Is the studio bigger? I just love the thought of walking to Epcot! I would also only be renting pts. for Sun.-Thurs and then stay at a value or mod. on the wkends. I guess if Disney has a special deal, we could use it for those wkends. Does anyone know when they will list the 2006 pt. chart? Thanks for all the help!

 

[poohj80]

We are a family of 4. DS9 and DD7. We felt that POFQ was enough space last time. Is the studio bigger? I just love the thought of walking to Epcot! I would also only be renting pts. for Sun.-Thurs and then stay at a value or mod. on the wkends. I guess if Disney has a special deal, we could use it for those wkends. Does anyone know when they will list the 2006 pt. chart? Thanks for all the help!

The studio is about the same size - maybe a bit bigger - but the difference is that since you have a sofa instead of second bed, you have more room to walk around when the sofa is folded up. The only concern I see is whether your son and daughter mind sharing a sofa bed.

So far, the free dining deal has only been good for stays of 3 nights or more so you still wouldn't be able to take advantage on the weekend.

With all that said, I love the location of the Boardwalk too!

 

[edingerc]

I wouldn't upgrade from a moderate to a DVC studio, since the size of the rooms is so similar, you had less bed room in a studio and DVC doesn't have daily housekeeping (unless you pay seperately for it).

Now, what would I pay for? the one bedroom! You're talking more than double the space of a studio, a full kitchen and a deep whirlpool tub! And for just about double the points, the difference is HUGE.

 

[poohj80]

But don't forget about location, location, location! Walking to Epcot and MGM is SO convenient!

Does anyone know when they will list the 2006 pt. chart?

It's already out as is the chart for 2007.

 

[Tidus]

I can't find the 2006 pts. chart on this site. What am I doing wrong? The 1 bedroom sounds wonderful, but it is definitely not in our budget. If I bought pts. at $10. a pt., I could stay in a standard BWV for @ $110. a night (not wkends). This sounded pretty good. I don't really like daily housekeeping anyway, so that isn't an issue. The gameroom at BWV sounds fun and their is free laundry I believe. (also location is great) My choice of Mods. was going to be CSR. How are the pools at BWV? Decisions, decisions, decisions!! I wish my husband would be more involved in making them too! He leaves them up to me (My dd7 also tries to help!) Thanks again.

 

[poohj80]

The points charts are available on the member web site. If you know your dates I would be happy to look them up for you.

Also, just fyi, standard view rooms at BWV can be hard to come by due to the lower points so you may want to consider whether you'd accept a preferred view room.

The pool is great! We love the Keister Coaster.

 

[Tidus]

PoohJ80, you have been such a wonderful help!! We are hoping to stay May 7th-11th (Sun-Thurs) or 14th-18th. Thank you for offering to look up the pts. for me. It is much appreciated!

 

[Tidus]

PoohJ80, you have been such a wonderful help!! We are hoping to stay May 7th-11th (check out on the 12th) (Sun-Thurs nts.) or 14th-18th(ck.out 19th). Thank you for offering to look up the pts. for me. It is much appreciated!

 

[poohj80]

PoohJ80, you have been such a wonderful help!! We are hoping to stay May 7th-11th (check out on the 12th) (Sun-Thurs nts.) or 14th-18th(ck.out 19th). Thank you for offering to look up the pts. for me. It is much appreciated!

Always glad to help!

May is Dream season and the points for a BWV studio are 13 points for preferred view or 11 for standard.

PJ

 

[tamu91]

PoohJ80, you have been such a wonderful help!! We are hoping to stay May 7th-11th (check out on the 12th) (Sun-Thurs nts.) or 14th-18th(ck.out 19th). Thank you for offering to look up the pts. for me. It is much appreciated!

I don't want to rain on PoohJ80's parade but I have the point chart handy so I hope PoohJ won't mind.

5 nights in a studio unit @ BWV will take 65 pts. in a preferred view unit and 55 pts. in a standard view studio

 

[LynnTH]

Tidus - I was just in the same dilemma as you. I recently just rented some point at the BWV for our Feb/March stay. We are doing the same thing staying Sunday through Thursday and then switching over the a value on Friday (not a big deal as we will have a rental car anyway as we are going to be in Fort Myers for a few days first). I ended up booking the preferred rooms at 14 points a night so $140 a night. Rack rate including tax for the values was $130 a night. I figured as long as I am doing this I want to look at the Boardwalk and the lake. I am so excited. The reservation has been made and the confirmation was mailed out to me yesterday. I think this is a great way to stay in a deluxe without paying as much. I love the idea to walk to Epcot and a short boat ride to MGM. The kids are going to love it (mine will be 7 and 4). Good Luck with your decision.

 

[poohj80]

Just so ya know, you can also walk to MGM but it is a bit farther than Epcot. We usually walk over to MGM but decide to ride the boat on the way back.

 

[Tidus]

Thank you so much PoohJ80 and Tamu91 for looking up the pts. That's so nice of you!! LynnTH, did you rent pts. from someone on this site? Was it easy to do? That's the only thing that makes me nervous. I'm not quite sure how it works. I'm not sure how far in advance to book. Thanks everyone!!

 

[poohj80]

As a DVC member I have rented points to someone once before and it was very easy to do, but it does take some trust by both sides. I would recommend renting from someone who has been around these boards awhile (look at number of posts) and read some of their posts to get a feel for the person. Also, I highly recommend talking to the person on the phone to make sure you feel comfortable and don't be afraid to ask for references.

 

[LynnTH]

I did rent from someone on this site. I went to the DVC rent post and listed what I needed. A had about 6 people answer me in a short period of time but I wanted someone with their home resort at BWV so I could book right away and have a better chance of getting what I wanted. (otherwise I would have had to wait to book until the 7th month mark and at that time any DVC member can book at any resort) The transaction has been very smooth. We have e-mailed back and forth quite a bit. I did ask for references before I sent any money and she gave me 4. I e-mailed all of them and they all came back with glowing reports. It has been an extremely easy and painless process and the gal I am dealing with is so very nice and takes time to answer all my questions. She also sent me a contract to sign, which is the standard stuff. I am so glad I found out about renting DVC points. I'm pretty sure after we are there that this will be the way we will go from now on. Any other questions just let me know. Thanks.

 

[rkandmjsmommy]

We rented points in Jan 2004 and stayed at the BWV, be careful you WILL want to buy DVC by the time you leave once I graduate nursing school in May I am SURE we will be buying. We are staying at Coronado Springs in 3 weeks and I know we will miss walking to Epcot and boat to MGM, it was so easy with 2 kids. This trip I am looking forward to the free dining plan.

Good luck with your decision, if I were you I would rent the points.

 

[littlestar]

Hi.

Just wanted to mention that you should take a tour of the BWV at:

www.tagrel.com

It's a great web site by a DVC member. He has tours of BWV's pool and rooms.

Have fun planning!