Newbie Needing Resort Help!!!!

[charmedlife3517]

Okay, I am having a dilemma! We are booked at Boardwalk Villas in October during Food and Wine. We booked Boardwalk solely for the great transportation. This is our first ever trip to Disney World so I have no idea what transportation is like at any hotel but I have looked on several sites and it seems that if you ride the boat at Boardwalk the trip is just as long as riding a bus from some of the moderate resorts. With this in mind, I started looking at moderates and Caribbean Beach looks amazing to me. I also like POFQ. It will only save me a couple hundred dollars to switch to a moderate but I am concerned with the transportation. Are these resorts really hard to get around without a car and is the bus system to much of a pain to mess with considering we are already booked at Boardwalk. I do not want to waste a considerable amount of time in transportation but if its going to be the same amount of time to ride a bus from a moderate as it is to ride the boat from Boardwalk, that changes things. What would you veteran Disney vacationers do in my situation?

BTW, I have 2 children ages 9 and 5. They both like the pictures of Boardwalk but I am sure Caribbean Beach would be more fun for them. I dont know much about POFQ. My husband is no help. He said to book a hotel and surprise him.

Thanks in advance for your help!!!!

 

[cannonboys]

If you are going solely for transportation, then I would go with a monorail resort. We stayed at the Poly in January and we were spoiled to just jump on the monorail to go straight to the MK. Or, if we wanted to go to Epcot, we walked to the TTC and jumped on the monorail there. The buses were great!

 

[charmedlife3517]

I would LOVE to stay at a Monorail resort but I can't afford it this time.

 

[mmmears]

The BWI is in a great location. You can walk to Epcot and to DHS. Yes, you can also take a boat to either park. It's a nice, pleasant ride. I think it's much nicer than taking a bus.

BWI still requires you to take buses to AK, the MK, and the water parks.

But during F&W, you can simply walk to the back door of Epcot and access the park that way. I don't think any resort (other than YC/BC) can equal BW for access to either Epcot or DHS.

I'd stick with BWI over a moderate -- you will have more space, a private balcony, and all the other amenities of a deluxe resort.

Hope this helps!

 

[Mousemommy1]

Okay, I am having a dilemma! We are booked at Boardwalk Villas in October during Food and Wine. We booked Boardwalk solely for the great transportation. This is our first ever trip to Disney World so I have no idea what transportation is like at any hotel but I have looked on several sites and it seems that if you ride the boat at Boardwalk the trip is just as long as riding a bus from some of the moderate resorts. With this in mind, I started looking at moderates and Caribbean Beach looks amazing to me. I also like POFQ. It will only save me a couple hundred dollars to switch to a moderate but I am concerned with the transportation. Are these resorts really hard to get around without a car and is the bus system to much of a pain to mess with considering we are already booked at Boardwalk. I do not want to waste a considerable amount of time in transportation but if its going to be the same amount of time to ride a bus from a moderate as it is to ride the boat from Boardwalk, that changes things. What would you veteran Disney vacationers do in my situation?

BTW, I have 2 children ages 9 and 5. They both like the pictures of Boardwalk but I am sure Caribbean Beach would be more fun for them. I dont know much about POFQ. My husband is no help. He said to book a hotel and surprise him.

Thanks in advance for your help!!!!

Well, at Boardwalk, you will have the ability to walk or boat to Epcot and DHS. For MK and AK, you will need to bus it. At the mods, you will need to bus it to all of the parks. Of note, POFQ does have a boat to DTD.

Personally, I do not have an issue with the busses. They have been mostly efficient in all of our trips. You are on vacation, my thought is that having to wait a little bit to have someone drive me around is well worth it.

That being said, of the resorts you mentioned, we have only stayed at CBR. We aren't rushing to go back. It's a pretty big resort and it has an internal bus system within the resort. It is a pretty resort, but not our fave. We actually have liked the values more than CBR, but that's just us.

If its the difference of a couple hundred dollars, I would stick with BW.

 

[Keith]

Doesn't Coronado Springs have a bus to and from the boardwalk in the evenings?

 

[Smile&Nod]

If you are in a one bedroom at Boardwalk you can't compare a regular hotel room to having a full kitchen and washer and dryer. Even if you are in a studio the ability to walk into Epcot, especially during food and wine cannot be best!

Plus the entertainers on the boardwalk at night are fun for the kids.

 

[ThumpersWorld]

This is just my opinion but I would keep the Boardwalk. The hotels by EPCOT are the most popular during the Food and Wine. I haven't stayed at the Caribbean Beach in about 10 years but when I did I found the buses were a nightmare b/c they stopped all over the resort. Hopefully, it's better now. If you still want the Boardwalk's great location but find it too pricey, you may want to consider the Swan or the Dolphin...these resorts are not owned by WDW but you have deluxe accomodations in a great location and can still take advantage of the magic hours at WDW. You might also consider renting points from a DVC owner and staying at the BWV. That would also reduce your cost.

 

[ARAITHEL]

Haven't stayed at BW, but I have stayed at both CBR and BC (same section as BW, transportation is similar) and POR (the sister resort to POFQ)

IMO...choose the deluxe! The boat ride from BW to Epcot and HS is very relaxing and takes no time at all! You won't be disappointed. The hotel staff at the deluxe resorts make you feel special every day. It's definitely where I'd stay if I could hack the price tag every year.

If you are concerned with being on a bus too long, do not stay at CBR. I hated the internal bus system and will not stay at that resort again...I guess I should never say never. I'd only stay here if I wanted to spend a bunch of time at the resort, in a quiet atmosphere. Transportation is not good and gets annoying really fast. I'm not used to cities and busses, I think this is why.

pOfQ: cool, cool resort. Quiet and small. Bus shared with POR. Boat to DTD is quite a long ride, But we only rode once and I believe we were tired from a long day at the park, which could have skewed my opinion. This would be my second choice for you. We are staying at POR this year. The bus is fine. I love the PO resorts, but would stay at any Epcot resort if my budget would allow. (BW, YC, BC, swan or dolphin.)

Hope this helps! Enjoy your vacation whatever you choose.

 

[Deb & Bill]

What size villa do you have at BWV? Studio? One bedroom?

 

[charmedlife3517]

What size villa do you have at BWV? Studio? One bedroom?

We are staying in a studio.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We are staying in a studio.

You'll have a queen sized bed and a double sleeper sofa. So you should be okay with sleeping at BWV. I think CBR still only has double beds.

Buses aren't too bad from BWV. They usually share with Swan and Dolphin. If the bus stops at Swan first, you can get off there and walk across the bridge to BWV very easily.

The boat to DHS is pleasant, but you can also walk if you like. The boat to Epcot stops last at BW, so it's easy to get to or from Epcot by bo. And it is also easy to walk.

If you have park hoppers, you can dine in Epcot, too.

 

[DizDays]

Stay at Boardwalk. It's a beautiful resort with location, location, location! (And a certain type of charm all its own.) As everyone else said, you are steps away from EPCOT and HS, a bus away from AK and a bus (or monorail if you walk through EPCOT to the monorail) away from MK. The buses are great. We've never had any problem.

 

[sleeperclan]

The BWI is in a great location. You can walk to Epcot and to DHS. Yes, you can also take a boat to either park. It's a nice, pleasant ride. I think it's much nicer than taking a bus.

BWI still requires you to take buses to AK, the MK, and the water parks.

But during F&W, you can simply walk to the back door of Epcot and access the park that way. I don't think any resort (other than YC/BC) can equal BW for access to either Epcot or DHS.

I'd stick with BWI over a moderate -- you will have more space, a private balcony, and all the other amenities of a deluxe resort.

Hope this helps!

I agree! You will really enjoy BWI

 

[cannonboys]

I would definitely then stay at BW. We visited there and LOVED the whole theme and vibes. It was so much fun to bring the family there at night and watch the magic shows and people watch. We've stayed at CBR (nice but way spread out) and you feel separated from everything. The whole bus stop situation with all the bus stops in the resort, will drive you crazy. The boat transportation to me would be great and have you seen BW's pool??? SO COOL!!

 

[Bonniec]

We stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek in January and it was amazing. It's a Timeshare on Disney property (very close to Boardwalk) but not run by Disney. Because it's a timeshare, you have to really research who to get it from and there is a while thread on that. I got our stay off ebay. You also can't participate in the Dining Plan if you stay there.

But I got a 4 bedroom presidential suite for $175 a night. Everyone had their own bedroom, bathroom and the place was bigger than our house and just stunning....granite counters, 2 whirlpool tubs, etc. It was amazing!

 

[HNT2419]

Stay at Port Orleans Princess Rooms with me!!! Bwahahahahaha

BTW...we are going together..

 

[charmedlife3517]

Thanks everybody for your help. It makes my decision that much easier. Apparently I am going to be one of those people who can not decide on a resort ever! I can not wait to get to Disney so I know what everybody else is talking about. How in the world did people plan a Disney vacation before Disboards?

HTN2419- The princess rooms look amazing. I will probably have another meltdown in the next six months about it but I think Boardwalk may be the way to go for us this time. We will still be hanging out at the parks!

I am pretty sure we are going to have a blast either way!

 

[Deb & Bill]

We stayed at Wyndham Bonnet Creek in January and it was amazing. It's a Timeshare on Disney property (very close to Boardwalk) but not run by Disney. Because it's a timeshare, you have to really research who to get it from and there is a while thread on that. I got our stay off ebay. You also can't participate in the Dining Plan if you stay there.

But I got a 4 bedroom presidential suite for $175 a night. Everyone had their own bedroom, bathroom and the place was bigger than our house and just stunning....granite counters, 2 whirlpool tubs, etc. It was amazing!

Actually, Bonnet Creek is not on Disney property but is directly adjacent to the CBR and I-4. I've heard good things about Bonnet Creek.

 

[Greysword]

I would LOVE to stay at a Monorail resort but I can't afford it this time.

This is interesting, as I would think a BWV room would be more expensive than a room at the CR, especially during F&W.