Need advice - BWV or BCV?

[defos]

I need some solid advice from the DVC’ers.

I have stayed at the BC 3 times, once in the 2BR Villa and I have to say, I have never had a bad experience there.

We are planning another trip in September and my wife wants to get the 2BR Villa at the BW for no other reason than to stay at a different resort.

Needless to say, I am very nervous. I have read several complaints about noise, transportation, food options, and service at the BW. Can you please give me your opinion / thoughts, a quick comparison, and some advice on view requests? I want this trip to be as magical at the others.

Thanks in advance.
Dan

 

[byoung]

Stayed at the BWV a few times with no problems with anything on your list. The boardwalk views are much better then BCV.

 

[jonestavern]

We haven't stayed at BWV (yet... we're hoping that will change this November), so I can't comment on noise but I was just on another thread and since you said you are looking at a 2BR I thought you might find this of interest.

Since a 2 bedroom will sometimes be your choice, be aware that all of BWV's 2 bedrooms are lock offs, and do not have 2 Q's in the second bedroom. BCV has a few dedicated 2 bedrooms with 2 Q's in the second bedroom. For F&W time, I imagine that you'll have to have the 11 month booking advantage to get one of those at that time.

As for food options, BWV itself is loaded with them and within walking distance you have YC, S/D, BCV and Epcot, so your choices are great. Transportation is also pretty good, as MGM and Epcot are both within walking distance or accessible by boat. There have also been threads fairly recently showing pictures of the BWV standard views. They all looked fine to me and since I am a point miser, I am hoping to be able to book one for our November trip.

Whatever you decide, enjoy!

Chris

 

[DrShifty]

I've stayed in both. DW and I like the location of BWV more- it looks similar on paper but while we always walk to EPCOT and MGM from BWV, the walk to MGM from BCV is quite long. We usually boat there.
BW views are great, but we are just as happy (usually happier) saving points with the standard views.
Food is no problem-although I think the pool food is MUCH better at BCV (Hurricane Hannahs). If kids are going, they might like Community Hall at BWV- foosball, Nintendo, ping-pong, arts and crafts, popcorn, and movie rentals all for free.
You'll love it. Enjoy.

 

[Granny]

Needless to say, I am very nervous. I have read several complaints about noise, transportation, food options, and service at the BW.

Not being sarcastic, but where have you read those several complaints? I monitor these DVC boards pretty frequently and I don't recall seeing a lot of posts complaining about BWV. The only thing I would agree with on your list might be transportation as the bus situation is shared with other resorts. But you only need a bus to two of the parks...the other two are close enough to walk to.

Like I said..this is not a shot at your comments. I'm truly puzzled as to the complaints you are listing.

I think you'll like BWV. It has a different feel to it than BCV (which we happen to prefer) but the location is pretty similar as far as convenience to two parks and many restaurants.

I'm sure you will find it to be as magical as your other trips. I hope you have a great trip there!

 

[defos]

Not being sarcastic, but where have you read those several complaints? I monitor these DVC boards pretty frequently and I don't recall seeing a lot of posts complaining about BWV. The only thing I would agree with on your list might be transportation as the bus situation is shared with other resorts. But you only need a bus to two of the parks...the other two are close enough to walk to.

Like I said..this is not a shot at your comments. I'm truly puzzled as to the complaints you are listing.

I think you'll like BWV. It has a different feel to it than BCV (which we happen to prefer) but the location is pretty similar as far as convenience to two parks and many restaurants.

I'm sure you will find it to be as magical as your other trips. I hope you have a great trip there!

Sorry if my comments were confusing. I actually read these comments on another popular Disney forum, where people numerically rate their stay and comment. I don't want to plug any other website here, so if you PM me I'll be happy to give it to you.

In addition, I do understand that people who have a bad experience are a little more likely to vent via a discussion forum. The items I included in my original thread appeared to be a recurring theme for people who rated the hotel on this particular site. That is why I wanted some additional opinions.

Regardless, I think we are going to stay at the BW. I was thinking about requesting the pool view on a mid to high floor. Any thoughts?

 

[carolina_yankee]

Needless to say, I am very nervous. I have read several complaints about noise, transportation, food options, and service at the BW. Can you please give me your opinion / thoughts, a quick comparison, and some advice on view requests? I want this trip to be as magical at the others.

I share your sense of nervousness for the most magical vacation possible, but I always have to remind myself: It's Disney, so it's going to be great. Nearly all of the complaints you list are real, and I've seen them here and elsewhere (and even made a few of them), but you can complain about any resort. I think the best thing to do is study what a resort offers and see if that works for you. For us, BC is more our pace (as is SSR).

Here's my take:
noise: it can be if you have pool or Boardwalk view, but I've always had quiet in the room with the doors closed (with the exception of music at the pool at 3 pm - but was 3 pm!!). Personally, I would enjoy the BW noise, but not the pool noise.

Transportation: Both resorts share the same systems, but the walking to MGM vs. Boat is a good point if you like MGM. For us, MGM is a 1-2 time visit depending on length of trip, so boat is fine. Busses from both resorts are hideous, especially to AK. Too many stops. BC is a tad closer to Epcot.

Food options: BWV wins hands down here, due to options, except for me. I like a quick service breakfast because we're in a studio - or an inexpensive sit down. Pastrys are too sweet for me to be an exclusive breakfast item, and I love my morning potatoes, so the BWV offerings just don't work for me. BC does. However, I think the overall variety of BW and closer proximity to S/D puts it a notch ahead (if those places are what you're looking for). As for lunch and dinner, those are destination places for me, so I don't care where they are.

Service: I found the front desk to be anemic and concierge to be outstanding. They even called us over to check us in because the CMs at the front desk were just too slow and scattered on our arrival date.

Size: BWV is much larger than BCV and feels it. A quick run to the Screen Door General Store isn't necessarily quick. I think BCV wins hands down here, but again, those are my needs and not necessarily someone else's.

If you like the BWV theme, I'm sure you'll have a great time!

Dirk

 

[defos]

Dirk,

Thank you so much for the response. It was very informative.

Dan

 

[dis-happy]

We own at BCV and then stayed at BWV once and ended up adding on there. It's a wonderful resort---has become my favorite. I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay there. Plus, don't you want your wife to be happy on vacation? LOL