need help from the experienced,please!

[daddiojiggy]

here's my situation:wife and 3 kids(10,7,4) .i'm not a fan of boisterous(sp?) crowds in the hotels at night and i do enjoy the disney pampering .saratoga is on sale now,yet i;m wondering with it's locale to downtown disney if this won't bring in a 'rowdier' younger crowd that will be going all night long.how long does it take to get to mk from wilderness,what's the atmosphere over there and can the rooms accomadate my family?i know i'd have to go resale but how important is your 'home' dvc?don't get me wrong i'm not some old fuddy duddy i just like things to be quiet when they should be but with 3 boys i know that can't happen too often!i'm going to make my decision to buy within the next week so any help is greatly appreciated.we just stayed 8 nights at contemp(tower) and i wish i had gone over to wilderness to check it out.thanks,again!

 

[zurgswife]

First rule is Buy where you want to stay. From your post I'd buy at Wilderness Lodge.....That way you will always have first choice at rooms at that resort. If you wanted to test the waters at another resort then you will be able to book it at the 7m window.

With 5 of you a 2 bdrm is the size accomadations you will need to get and for that amount of points I'd purchase in the resort that called my name (ie, VWL)....mine is BWV so I own there and only there....I have my original and 2 resales and I love it so much I don't want to own somewhere else...

 

[DVC Eeyore]

I have to agree, buy where you want to stay most. I have both OKW and VWL. I did add ons at both and have tried HHI as well as BWV. I liked both of them. I plan to stay at BCV next spring but will stay most often at VWL and OKW. I knew when they opened VWL I would buy there as it is my favorite of the "hotels" so it was calling me for years.

Look at the resales to see if any of them call to you. You might hear your name. . .

DVC Eeyore

 

[MiaSRN62]

I have to agree....buy where you plan to stay most often. I don't think Saratoga will be boisterous because of it's location near DD. I know OKW isn't, and that resort is close to DD. It's actually quite peaceful there. Boardwalk is not noisy and it has the nightlife of the boardwalk right there. Boardwalk is also available for sale through Disney btw......as your kids get older, you may appreciate being closer to Epcot than MK ?
But since you showed interest in the Villas at WL, I'd say go with them resale. Even though my home resort is OKW, I would have bought at VWL had it been available. I only had choice of OKW, VB or HH when I bought. I love OKW, but the ambience at WL really is more my style. It's my favorite resort. Also, consider the longer contract life of Saratoga---Disney extended the expiration date on that resort so there's alot to consider in where you decide to purchase. Good luck !

 

[daddiojiggy]

mia:did you say that boardwalk is available through disney?how come we were never told of that?what's the price(s)?and yes another thing wieghing on all this is that saratoga goes for 12 yrs longer although i would think the smart money would say' enjoy your best years at your best resort and don't worry about about 2042 or 2054'.so what kind of costs am i looking at when buying resale as opposed to new from disney?if i bought at wilderness could i buy more points through disney or would i have to buy resale as well?ie. will disney sell me as many points as i want once i have a deed or are there only so many to go around?tia!

 

[PamOKW]

The most recent Vacation Magic (DVC newsletter) says that the additional points at BWV have sold out. It wouldn't hurt to ask if there is anything. You are correct that there are a finite number of points that are for sale at each resort. There are also requirements when buying directly from Disney when you do add-ons that you must purchase your same Use Year if you are buying fewer than 150 points. There is also an upper limit on how many total points you can own -- designed to prevent anyone from living full-time at DVC and/or running a rental business.

 

[MiaSRN62]

The most recent Vacation Magic (DVC newsletter) says that the additional points at BWV have sold out. It wouldn't hurt to ask if there is anything.

Oh I'm sorry daddio if I gave you false hope.....I had just read a post on these boards within the last 2 weeks of someone who just bought there. Disney must have very recently sold out ? Or maybe that person was late in reporting they bought there & I assumed it was recent. Sorry again daddio....maybe you can find resale there if you prefer BWV over VWL ? Thanks Pam for pointing that out. I must have missed that announcement in the Vacation Magic I just got !

 

[MaryJ]

Originally posted by daddiojiggy
how long does it take to get to mk from wilderness,what's the atmosphere over there and can the rooms accomadate my family?

VWL is our home and one of the reasons we love it is the peaceful atmosphere there. At night, all you hear are crickets chirping. While SSR has some lovely ammenities, I worry that the nightlife sounds from DD will carry over the water. DH is a light sleeper, and he would never be able to take that long term. It takes ~8 minutes to get to the MK from VWL once you get onto the boat. I think your 3 boys would love the rustic feel that VWL has to offer. As mentioned before, you would need a 2 BR for your family, as do we. We have never had any problem getting one there, and have always had a dedicated one which is especially nice with children.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I would say either VWL or OKW would be good choices for you. Your kids would probably prefer VWL because of the themeing, but I love the private feeling of OKW. I suggest you get to the web site and look at ALL the DVC resorts. There whould be room layouts etc. for eac.

If you are most interested in MK, then VWL is the closest. You will take a boat there. At OKW you will park outside your door and take a bus which will take about 12 minutes once you get on the bus, and depending on which stop you are at.

 

[Dean]

OKW will be the quietest and most laid back. If you will usually have a car, I'd recommend there. I don't think you'd be disapointed with any of the choices though.

 

[DebbieB]

Originally posted by MiaSRN62
Oh I'm sorry daddio if I gave you false hope.....I had just read a post on these boards within the last 2 weeks of someone who just bought there. Disney must have very recently sold out ? Or maybe that person was late in reporting they bought there & I assumed it was recent. Sorry again daddio....maybe you can find resale there if you prefer BWV over VWL ? Thanks Pam for pointing that out. I must have missed that announcement in the Vacation Magic I just got !

DVC keeps a waiting list for current members to buy at the sold out resorts. The points come from resales that DVC exercised right of first refusal and bought back.

 

[dvcgirl]

Well, your home resort is very important. Buy where you want to stay.

I don't think that you can go wrong with VWL. It has the best themeing of any of the DVC resorts, and my home is at BWV. I also wonder what the impact of DDT and PI will be on SSR.

We recently stayed at VWL and just loved it. It has the benefit of the "hotel feel" because is has all wonderful amenities of WL, but it's off to the side and so it has a real feel of seclusion as well.

I would not buy at OKW unless you really love the "condo feel" of the place. I've stayed there, and the units are bigger and very nice, but IMHO, it has the least "Disney Feel" to it. For some that might be a big draw, but to me it's a negative. And OKW is by far the easist of the resorts to obtain ressies at....hands down. VWL is the toughest to get at the current time.

Hope this helps you in your decision.

 

[mom2alix]

If you're looking for peaceful, quiet rooms and great ambiance close to MK, VWL is definitely the right choice. The boat directly to MK is great and I also like having a peaceful walk to Fort Wilderness and all the great amenities there.

Buy where you want to stay and you won't be disappointed. That said, there are fans of all the resorts so you'll find good things said no matter where you choose. Personally, I'm not that worried about 2042 as I may be too old to get around Disney by then so I'd do VWL as a resale if you can find a good deal.

 

[Disney Doll]

We cannot yet predict what the nosie level from DD will be, but I'd say it sounds to me like you're "leaning" toward the VWL. Certainly not a bad choice, especially if you like quiet in the evenings. Your assumption that SSR could be noisier due to DD proximity may be correct. I know that folks were worried about that same thing when BWV was being built/sold, and it didn't turn out to be a problem, but DD does go on later into the night, so it has the potential to be more of a problem there.

My advice would be to buy where you really want to stay. When DH and I were buying, OKW and BWV were the only 2 properties available. We looked at both. OKW was a little cheaper overall, the room size was larger, we liked the laid-back feel, and we liked the fact that you could park outside your unit. We asked ourselves one question,"If we could never stay anywhere else again on WDW property other than here at OKW,could we be happy?" The answer was yes, so we bought.

We have been lucky because, in general, we have always been able to stay where we wanted, when we wanted, without a problem. We have been waitlisted a couple of times, and the waitlist came through. We are currently waitlisted for November to be at the BWV or BCV, but if it doesn't come through, we are back to our beloved OKW...not the worst thing in the world either!

Also try to think about long-term vacationing. Right now, if you have a young family, being close to the MK is great, because you can bop back and forth. Will you always want to have that ability? Or would you maybe prefer to have something more centrally located, when you are no longer vacationing with small children, but are vactioning with adults?

Each of the DVC properties has their pros/cons.
OKW has big rooms, a laid-back "beachy" feel, ability to park in front of your unit,nice main pool-but no slide or other fancy stuff like some of the other DVC resorts have, nice quiet pools which are consistent with other DVC resorts,rental of boats and bikes.
BWV/BCV have location, location,location!!!!!!!Rooms are smaller than OKW, but still amply-sized for a vacation condo. BCV has SAB, the best hotel pool on property.BWV has the Keister Coaster clown slide, which is good as well. Both also have quiet pools. They each have access to all the amenities of the Boardwalk, walk/boat to Epcot/MGM.
You know VWL, another beautiful resort, very serene and peaceful,cozy even. Access to MK,FW by boat, nice pool, love the geyser, love the Electric Water Pageant that you can see at night.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[nezy]

I love VWL. This would be an excellent resort without the disney connection. There are so many things to do-rent boats, bikes, walk to campgrounds. Seven seas lagoon is very close and filled with other activities, if you want them. It is very peaceful and actually a rustic setting( I am from NY). VWL is my first choice-love it! Actually, OKW and VWL is where we usually choose to stay. I need to get away from the "parks". Kids love both, but always ask to go to OKW!

However, I do wonder as my children grow older if being close to EPCOT/MGM would be beneficial. I actually find the BCV to be very peaceful, at the quiet pool. SAB, although busy, is not as hectic as the Boardwalk atmosphere-VERY busy!
The older children will be able to walk to and from both EPCOT and MGM to the BCV. There are also many activities in this are for them-close to Boardwalk but not right on the BW. I am looking forward to SSR to see what they have to offer. We are not big on DD, but I am sure SSR will have benefits other than proximity to DD.
Good Luck.