need help selecting a DVC Resort - renting points

[Hemlock]

Well after pouring over reviews/photos of all the Disney Resorts, I had decided on POFQ for our May 2011 vacation. Well I made the "mistake" of peeking into the DVC section of the DIS board and am now seriously considering renting points from a DVC member.

I am looking for some help in narrowing down our choices for a Disney Vacation Club Resort.

We are probably considering a studio or maybe a one bedroom - depending on the price. We are a family of 4 (me, DH, DD(8), DS(9))

Things that are important to us are:

1) Convenient Location - not too far away from everything, but I realize that we can't be close to all the parks.

2) Convenient transportation - we will not have a car therefore Disney transportation needs to be close by and not hard to figure out (i.e. not multiple buses as my daughter gets motion sick)

3) Pool must be close by and FUN for the kids. We would prefer not to have to walk 10-15 minute for the kids to get to the pool.

Thanks

 

[CarolMN]

Well after pouring over reviews/photos of all the Disney Resorts, I had decided on POFQ for our May 2011 vacation. Well I made the "mistake" of peeking into the DVC section of the DIS board and am now seriously considering renting points from a DVC member.

I am looking for some help in narrowing down our choices for a Disney Vacation Club Resort.

We are probably considering a studio or maybe a one bedroom - depending on the price. We are a family of 4 (me, DH, DD(8), DS(9))

Things that are important to us are:

1) Convenient Location - not too far away from everything, but I realize that we can't be close to all the parks.

2) Convenient transportation - we will not have a car therefore Disney transportation needs to be close by and not hard to figure out (i.e. not multiple buses as my daughter gets motion sick)

If you will be spending most of your time at the Magic Kingdom, BLT has a very convenient location. It's a about a 5 -10 minute walk from your room to the entrance turnstiles. About 5 minutes to the monorail to get to EPCOT and about 5 minutes to the bus stop (shared with the Contemporary) to get to the other parks, the water parks and Downtown Disney. Note that the studios feel very small at this resort - if you can swing a 1 bedroom here, that would be best. One bedrooms here have more amenities than those at the older DVC resorts. You get 2 bathrooms and a sleep chair (in addition to the queen sleep sofa).

BWV & BLT are very convenient to both EPCOT and the DHS. You can take a boat or walk to both parks from either resort. (Walking to DHS is a bit of a hike, though). Bus service to the other locations. Studios at either of these work work, but you'll get only 1 queen bed and 1 double sleep sofa. Standard views at BWV are a bargain, given the location, but are hard to get unless you book 11 months in advance.

3) Pool must be close by and FUN for the kids. We would prefer not to have to walk 10-15 minute for the kids to get to the pool.

Thanks

I think all of the DVC pools are relatively close to the villas - none are 10-15 minutes away except maybe for the main feature pools at OKW & SSR. Those can be a hike if you are assigned to one of the buildings near a quiet pool.

OKW & SSR are most like POFQ as far as the grounds, go.

I'm sure others will have more info for you. Have fun researching!

 

[crazik]

I agree with Carol's comments.

Which parks do you plan on visiting the most?

We really enjoy the Boardwalk or Beachclub, since you can walk or take a boat to two parks = buses for the other two parks.

Contemporary would give you a similar setup with the monorail to two parks.

in the end you really can't go wrong. Make your final selection based on hotel theme, amenities (want access to a lake? want to see magic kingdom fireworks from outside the park?) and your gut feel.

 

[mamian16]

Beach club is definitely your choice. Great Pool Great Location

 

[vicki_c]

BWV & BLT are very convenient to both EPCOT and the DHS. You can take a boat or walk to both parks from either resort. (Walking to DHS is a bit of a hike, though). Bus service to the other locations. Studios at either of these work work, but you'll get only 1 queen bed and 1 double sleep sofa. Standard views at BWV are a bargain, given the location, but are hard to get unless you book 11 months in advance.

Carol meant BWV (Boardwalk) and BCV (Beach Club) in the statement above.

 

[CarolMN]

Carol meant BWV (Boardwalk) and BCV (Beach Club) in the statement above.

Yes , I did! Thanks for catching that.

 

[twinboysmom]

Just wanted to add since you are past the 11 month booking window, have more than one choice of resort. We go frequently in May and have not had good luck with several resorts that might interest you, including BLT, BCV, BWV, and VWL. I would recommend being flexible with your dates and finding someone to rent from as soon as you can for better options. The 7 month window will be next month. Good luck and have a great vacation. We will be there in May as well.

 

[mickey&minniealways]

My DS gets motion sickness as well as myself. We have never had a problem on the disney buses. Next question will your kids share a bed. Mine wouldn't at that age. I can still hear it now. " He's kicking me. She's hogging the blankets. He's farting in bed. God forbid I should try to put both boys in the same bed. After the first fist fight one of the is relegated to the bed. ( I used to throw my slipper at them and whoever it hit got the floor) Now please don't flame me for that we are talking a soft slipper here folks. Anyway, if yours are anything like mine then go for a 1 bdrm if you can aford it. BLT, ADV and the renovated rooms at OKW all sleep 5. They have a sleeper sofa and a sleeper chair in the living room. OKW rooms are the largest on the disney property for a dvc. You can request to be near the main pool at any of the resorts but it is just that. A request. If you look at a passporter it gives to travel times for each resort and park for each method of transportation. BLT is a monorail resort but it has the smallest rooms, only the value studio at AKV. A standard view at AKV is pretty low points also. OKW is the least amount of points otherwise. Then BWV standard view. BLT will cost the most amount of points and the rest are inbetween. When you decide give the person you are renting from your first, second and third choices in that order. Make sure to tell them at that time if you have a view preference. Your booking catagory will change the number of points you need. It is best to give them all your info up front. Makes life much easier. Hope all this helps.

 

[6bowmans]

Compared to POFQ, all the DVC resorts are just or more conveniently located to the parks - just depends on which park you want to be conveniently located to. The Beach Club has arguably the best pool, but all the others are no slouches. Some rooms will always be a bit of a walk to the pool (as at POFQ), so you need to request a room close to the pool. Buses go directly from all the parks to the resorts, no transfers required. A one bedroom is about twice the number of points more than a studio, but has much more room, a washer/dryer, a kitchen, and a great master bedroom (typical rental will be $10/point). Be warned, once you go DVC, you will always want to rent there, and eventually you will want to own

 

[crisi]

I think all of the DVC pools are relatively close to the villas - none are 10-15 minutes away except maybe for the main feature pools at OKW & SSR. Those can be a hike if you are assigned to one of the buildings near a quiet pool.

We were on the back end of BCV, and while SAB is a really cool pool, and while it wasn't ten minutes away from our room, it was over five. We used SAB a lot less than we thought we would because of the distance.