Need help from the experts

[MagikMom]

Hi everyone,
I'm currently planning my 2008 trip. If I'm not AT Disney...I'm PLANNING Disney! I'm sure all of you can relate. We recently stayed at OKW for the first time in a 1 bedroom and LOVED it. We are planning to do a long vacation next year, June 22nd - July 4th. We were originally thinking of staying in a 2 bedroom at OKW for the whole time. My daughter will be bringing a friend with her on this trip. She will probably be with us for one week and that's why we need the 2 bdr. We have never done a 2 bdr before. My husband brought up a good point though. He thought it might be better for us to stay at boardwalk as there would be more things that the girls could do on their own. My DD will be 15 (almost 16) and her friend will have just turned 17. So, now whe are looking into Boardwalk for a 2 bdr. We have stayed at boardwalk before and we liked it very much, especially because of it's location. We will try to get a BWV 2 bdr STANDARD view but I know that that might be hard to do as there are not many standard views and we will be booking at the 7 mo window. We are planning to borrow points from 2009 anyway as this trip will be very long. I figured out the points and we actually WOULD be able to do a preferred view if necessary and still have 120 points left over for 2009. I'm torn between the 2 bedroom between OKW and BWV so I have some questions.
1.) Do they even have standard view 2 bdr at BWV?
2.) If I can't do a standard view, do you think it's worth all the extra points
to get a preferred view?
3.) How much bigger are the 2 bdr at OKW vs BWV?
Any thoughts/comments would be helpful. Thanks!

 

[Anthony1971]

The rooms are a lot bigger at OKW and you will get 2 beds in the second bedroom as compared to a pull out sofa which may be a concern?
You can get a SV at the 7 month window some time sof the year I doubt it will be avialable for at least part of your stay and would guess all as July 4 is a popular time but it is worth a try. Maybe you can split your trip hald at the BW and half at OKW
BTW they usually have the JULY 4 EPCOT show on JULY 3 as well as a test and there are a LOT less people

 

[MagikMom]

Thanks. We've been to Disney through the 4th before. We would be flying home on the 4th. WAY to crowded on the 4th for us! Does the second bdr have 2 beds at BWV? My plan was this: me and DH in master bdr, girls in 2nd bdr and DS on pull out. He actualy really likes sleeping on the pullout. He is a very early riser and likes to have the space to himself in the morning.

 

[DVC Grammy]

ITA that if possible, split your stay, thus making the point "cost" less. This way, you'll get the best of both............more space at OKW for part of the trip, and the "action" of the BW for the other part. Since a standard view is more difficult to get at 7 months, the preferred view won't take as big of a bite out of your point budget!
We do split-stays quite often and we've never found it to be a problem............not even with perishables! Disney bell services make the move easy.

 

[drusba]

OKW 2BR is more than 300 sq ft larger (with the most noticeable difference in the main living area and kitchen) than BWV 2BR. Best preferred view is boardwalk view (and, in fact, is probably the best view at any WDW DVC resort). However, like standard (and there are 2BR standards), it is difficult to get boardwalk view at 7 months out. Other preferred views are good but really not that much better than standard. Note, you may face an even more difficult problem. Though BWV preferred (pool or garden) is usually readily available at 7 months out most times of the summer, that is not true for the time around July 4 and you may find it difficult to get anything at 7 months out for some of your days. Second bedroom at BWV has a queen bed and full size pull-out couch.

 

[Granny]

1.) Do they even have standard view 2 bdr at BWV?

Yes, they do. BTW, all 2BRs at BWV are lock-offs...no dedicated ones.

2.) If I can't do a standard view, do you think it's worth all the extra points
to get a preferred view?

I think you are falling into the "worth the extra points" trap. Preferred View is just Disney talk for classifying a set of rooms. Whether they are really "preferred" or not is subjective. It's better to think of Standard View as discounted rather than the Preferred Views as extra points. As to whether Preferred View at BWV is worth more than OKW...that's really the key question. It's a lot more points.

3.) How much bigger are the 2 bdr at OKW vs BWV?

It is a substantial difference. I'm not talking about the "get out the tape measure and we'll find those extra square feet" kind of difference. It's the "walk-into-the-room and my gosh it's really a lot smaller" kind of difference. Still plenty of room for the four of you, but a big difference.

I think DVC Grammy had an excellent piece of advice in possibly splitting your stay. If you do, I'd start with BWV first if possible so you aren't "downsizing" in the middle of the trip.

 

[MagikMom]

I love doing split stays, especially on a long trip. My DH doesn't want to do a split. He doesn't like to have to pack up and move. Ummmm....I do most of the packing and unpacking!! I think I'l try to work out different scenerios for both BWV and OKW.