I've been a DVC member since 1993 and was visiting WDW and/or Vero at a rate of about 3-4 times per year (a week or more each stay). In 2000, I began a stretch of family illness and deaths that kept me away from WDW. I've just returned from my first visit in 6 years that included stays at BWV, Vero Beach and OKW.
In a nutshell -- everything was pretty much as wonderful as it's always been.
I experienced the "long, long walk" at BWV. But was happily rewarded with a fabulous Boardwalk view that included being able to see the MK fireworks. The 2-bedroom unit was pretty much perfect as far as I could tell -- no housekeeping issues. Using the stairs to get to the boardwalk cut out a lot of time.
Vero Beach was the same story in terms of the 2 ov inn rooms being in tip-top shape. I'm not sure if they delayed the planned roof work at the pool area or if they had completed it. In any case, no work was going on and the pool area was terrific. The resort was very busy but it was not impossible to find chairs. They did have a sign saying towels did not reserve the chairs. (I didn't actually see it but my SIL mentioned it.) The hurricane has changed the landscape of Vero. While it's probably not environmentally sound that we can now see the ocean from the resort, it does make for a beautiful view. The new boardwalk/stairs are also great. I had to miss the campfire but the new area for this looks much more comfortable than the old set-up. It also looks like it may be less "buggy" in the evening. This trip the beach was much wider than I've seen it. The dehumidifier in the room is noisy and I turned it down or off when I was in the room. However, it's a small price to pay to have the resort standing after the beating it took. Homes just up the beach were destroyed.
On to OKW -- still as terrific as my first stay some 13 years ago. The unit looked new and fresh. Personally, I did prefer the original upholstery but what they've changed to is also acceptable -- I think the darker colors are a practical choice. I'm sure the lighter shades took more of a beating. We didn't use the sofabed for sleeping but did open it up and tried it out. We all agreed that there'd be no problem sleeping on the couch.
CMs at all resorts were great and very helpful -- this included check-in, concierge and housekeeping. I had hoped for a second floor room at OKW and was disappointed when I was told I had a first floor. I didn't yell but the CM could tell I was disappointed. He did go in the back to see if there was anything else -- the resort was sold-out and not much was available. Lesson Learned -- don't complain until you see the room. My villa was pretty much ideal for what I wanted. The reason for the 2nd floor request was to improve the view but my view was fine from this first floor. I was in the room at BWV at 1:30; Vero had one room ready by 2:00 and the second room ready soon after; OKW we went to a Braves/Dodgers game first (Tommy Lasorda in the stands) so we didn't check-in until after 4:00.
Maybe we just got lucky, but we had no waiting time issues for boats or buses at OKW. There were no crowding problems. I tried taking the boat from BWV to Epcot at midday but soon gave up and walked instead. Of course, it's great to have that option!
Every resort has it's pros and cons. We also seem to go in cycles on here with people arguing about which resort is better and how owners from one resort will be the downfall of another. I say, enjoy your membership. I looked at BCV and SSR on this trip also and they both look terrific. I didn't get to look at VWL.
To those who feel SSR and OKW are "far" from the parks...my guess is that if one person left a room at Boardwalk and walked into Epcot and another left a room at OKW or SSR to get the bus, you'd probably both reach Soaring at roughly the same time. My money guess is that if you did the same with MK as the final destination, the OKW/SSR folks would be waiting in the park for the BWV/BCV folks.
I agree that "nightlife" is more readily available on the Boardwalk but I was very happy taking the boat over to Disney's West side (15 min. ride) and spending the evening making my way back to the boat at the Marketplace for my 10-15 minute cruise back home.
I'm very happy with my DVC and very happy with the many options we have to enjoy different resorts and different size rooms.
In a nutshell -- everything was pretty much as wonderful as it's always been.
I experienced the "long, long walk" at BWV. But was happily rewarded with a fabulous Boardwalk view that included being able to see the MK fireworks. The 2-bedroom unit was pretty much perfect as far as I could tell -- no housekeeping issues. Using the stairs to get to the boardwalk cut out a lot of time.
Vero Beach was the same story in terms of the 2 ov inn rooms being in tip-top shape. I'm not sure if they delayed the planned roof work at the pool area or if they had completed it. In any case, no work was going on and the pool area was terrific. The resort was very busy but it was not impossible to find chairs. They did have a sign saying towels did not reserve the chairs. (I didn't actually see it but my SIL mentioned it.) The hurricane has changed the landscape of Vero. While it's probably not environmentally sound that we can now see the ocean from the resort, it does make for a beautiful view. The new boardwalk/stairs are also great. I had to miss the campfire but the new area for this looks much more comfortable than the old set-up. It also looks like it may be less "buggy" in the evening. This trip the beach was much wider than I've seen it. The dehumidifier in the room is noisy and I turned it down or off when I was in the room. However, it's a small price to pay to have the resort standing after the beating it took. Homes just up the beach were destroyed.
On to OKW -- still as terrific as my first stay some 13 years ago. The unit looked new and fresh. Personally, I did prefer the original upholstery but what they've changed to is also acceptable -- I think the darker colors are a practical choice. I'm sure the lighter shades took more of a beating. We didn't use the sofabed for sleeping but did open it up and tried it out. We all agreed that there'd be no problem sleeping on the couch.
CMs at all resorts were great and very helpful -- this included check-in, concierge and housekeeping. I had hoped for a second floor room at OKW and was disappointed when I was told I had a first floor. I didn't yell but the CM could tell I was disappointed. He did go in the back to see if there was anything else -- the resort was sold-out and not much was available. Lesson Learned -- don't complain until you see the room. My villa was pretty much ideal for what I wanted. The reason for the 2nd floor request was to improve the view but my view was fine from this first floor. I was in the room at BWV at 1:30; Vero had one room ready by 2:00 and the second room ready soon after; OKW we went to a Braves/Dodgers game first (Tommy Lasorda in the stands) so we didn't check-in until after 4:00.
Maybe we just got lucky, but we had no waiting time issues for boats or buses at OKW. There were no crowding problems. I tried taking the boat from BWV to Epcot at midday but soon gave up and walked instead. Of course, it's great to have that option!
Every resort has it's pros and cons. We also seem to go in cycles on here with people arguing about which resort is better and how owners from one resort will be the downfall of another. I say, enjoy your membership. I looked at BCV and SSR on this trip also and they both look terrific. I didn't get to look at VWL.
To those who feel SSR and OKW are "far" from the parks...my guess is that if one person left a room at Boardwalk and walked into Epcot and another left a room at OKW or SSR to get the bus, you'd probably both reach Soaring at roughly the same time. My money guess is that if you did the same with MK as the final destination, the OKW/SSR folks would be waiting in the park for the BWV/BCV folks.
I agree that "nightlife" is more readily available on the Boardwalk but I was very happy taking the boat over to Disney's West side (15 min. ride) and spending the evening making my way back to the boat at the Marketplace for my 10-15 minute cruise back home.
I'm very happy with my DVC and very happy with the many options we have to enjoy different resorts and different size rooms.
