OKW vs BWV

[mhgmom]

Hello. We're starting to plan our next trip to WDW and are trying to decide between the 2 bedroom villas at OKW or BWV. There will 4 adults and 2 children (DD 8 and DS 6 at time of travel). We have stayed at OKW in the past and loved it, but we're considering switching it up a bit. One of my concerns is having to enter Epcot through IG. Thoughts and opinions are much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[chalee94]

OKW pros:

2BR has 1 king bed + 2 queen beds + pullout sofabed + pullout sleeper chair.
2BR is larger (OKW = 1410 sq ft vs BWV = 1071 sq ft)
bus service might be slightly better than BWV (BWV sometimes shares buses with BWI +BC/YC/BCV + swan + dolphin)
lower point costs
full (not stackable) washer/dryer
easy parking if you have a car

BWV pros:
walk to epcot and boat (or long walk) to DHS
easy access to boardwalk food and entertainment
boardwalk views (if you plan early enough)
standard view point costs are reasonable (but need to be booked very early)

not sure what the issue is with entering epcot through IG...but do watch out for the long hallways (and scary clown pool) at BWV.

edited to add: all BWV 2BRs are lockoffs, so the beds would consist of 1 king bed + 1 pullout sofabed in the living room (for the 1BR component of the lockoff) and 1 queen bed + 1 pullout sofabed in the studio side

 

[mhgmom]

lol! The clown pool my scare me as well as my DD. I hadn't really considered that.

 

[BellaVino]

We have had some trouble with some OKW units smelling musty, to which DH is very allergic. OKW units are roomier and most views are nice. I feel like it is kind of "home-ier".

We LOVE staying in the Epcot Resort Area, because Epcot is our favorite park. The IG entrance is convenient because we usually end our evening with Illuminations and we don't have to walk all the way to the front of the park for the busses. BWV also has great entertainment at night, go across the lake for a movie on the beach, take a boat to DHS. All good.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have stayed at OKW and while it's beautiful, it wasn't a huge hit for me. On the other hand, I own at BWV..it's my favorite resort.
I wouldn't worry about entering Epcot through the Gateway. I'm not sure why you are concerned about it. I have never had an issue with that. Sooooo much better than waiting for a bus, then the ride to Epcot, then hiking from the bus stops to bag check, with a ton of other people.
With the Gateway, you have many fewer people at bag check. It's always faster than going through the front entrance. Yes, it is a hike to FutureWorld, but only a bit further than if you used the front..maybe about 5 mins.

As far as everything else goes...my dd has loved being clown barf since she was 10 y/o!!! That's when we bought. She is now almost 19...still loves that pool.
I love the feel of BW...busy and bustling.

For 6 adults and 2 kids, I would think the 2 bdrm at BW would be terrific. Sure..you have the king in the master, the sofabed in the living room (I have yet to have a complaint from anyone sleeping on it), the queen in the 2nd bdrm and the sleep sofa there as well. I would put one couple in the master, another couple on the sofabed, and you and your group in the second bdrm. That way the kids can go to bed, while the adults stay up.

 

[mhgmom]

Yikes! I made a mistake! We are a party of 4 adults and 2 children. Our last visit was 6 adults. Sorry about that. So, the room situation at BWV doesn't seem to be an issue at all.

 

[goofy4tink]

Yikes! I made a mistake! We are a party of 4 adults and 2 children. Our last visit was 6 adults. Sorry about that. So, the room situation at BWV doesn't seem to be an issue at all.

Even better. Now, no one needs to sleep in the living area..which is nice in the early morning if someone is an early riser and likes to make coffee!!!

 

[mhgmom]

My concern about entering Epcot through IG was the walk to Future World. This will be our first trip without a stroller, so I'm worried about exhuasting the kids before the day even begins.

 

[MinnieSummer]

I would think about the walk at the end of the day rather than the beginning of the day. Think how much nicer it will be at the end of Illuminations to walk to your hotel instead of the front of the park where you have to board a bus for a ride where many kids fall asleep, then get off the bus and walk to your room. That's the time when location really matters.

 

[bumbershoot]

As far as everything else goes...my dd has loved being clown barf since she was 10 y/o!!!

That's exactly how I look at the slide. I'm pretty darned phobic of clowns, and in pictures that face looks SCARY, but it's not as big as pictures make it appear, IMO. And it's not scary at all. And when you think of what it has to contend with all day, with peoples' rears sliding down all day long, you start to feel empathy for the poor clown!

Also it's a fabulous slide, so if you're ON the slide you're not LOOKING at the slide.



Your choice is a hard one, IMO. We've still only stayed 2 total nights at BW, but have LOVED it each time. It would be a dream to stay there for a nice long stay, sigh. I hate the washing machine situation at BW, but then, the big washer at OKW is hard for me to unload (I'm short).

I wish you the best of luck in your decision, because it's a hard one!

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

It's really all about personal taste.

We don't care for BWV, rooms to small and its much to much like a box motel! If you like a busy area and need that short walk, then you may want to at least try it.

We love OKW, never had anything but a great room and stay there! (8 vacations so far there)........We especailly like turtle pool, with the bbqs and the shack bar. Nice pool and qiuet area.

However you did hit the nail on the head...........its always good to try other DVC resorts, we do, during short visits, just to see what they are like. We are staying for 2 night at AK before a cruise in 2 weeks.!

Whatever you do.....have a great trip!

AKK

 

[mhgmom]

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate all the wonderful advice. I think part of my worry is that we will be staying for 9 nights. That's a pretty lengthy stay in a resort that we may not like. I like the idea of walking back to the BWV after Illuminations. I hadn't really thought about that. One more concern, I think it would be fun if we can get a room overlooking the Boardwalk, but will it be loud?

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate all the wonderful advice. I think part of my worry is that we will be staying for 9 nights. That's a pretty lengthy stay in a resort that we may not like. I like the idea of walking back to the BWV after Illuminations. I hadn't really thought about that. One more concern, I think it would be fun if we can get a room overlooking the Boardwalk, but will it be loud?

If your worried about 9 nights, split the trip, one resort 5 nights and the other 4...........many people do that!

AKK

 

[lsyorke]

It's really all about personal taste.

We don't care for BWV, rooms to small and its much to much like a box motel! If you like a busy area and need that short walk, then you may want to at least try it.

We love OKW, never had anything but a great room and stay there! (8 vacations so far there)........We especailly like turtle pool, with the bbqs and the shack bar. Nice pool and qiuet area.

However you did hit the nail on the head...........its always good to try other DVC resorts, we do, during short visits, just to see what they are like. We are staying for 2 night at AK before a cruise in 2 weeks.!

Whatever you do.....have a great trip!

AKK

Having recently stayed at Boardwalk...and checked out early due to some bedding problems, and then moved to OKW, I would do OKW for the space, especially with 6 people for 9 days.

 

[goofy4tink]

My concern about entering Epcot through IG was the walk to Future World. This will be our first trip without a stroller, so I'm worried about exhuasting the kids before the day even begins.

Really, the walk isn't all that bad. If you arrive at Epcot by bus, you have a fairly long walk as well.
I've stayed at OKW, and while I know that many people love it there, it is way down on my list. I hated dodging cars as I tried to get around. People just didn't seem to watch where they were driving. I found our studio to be a bit musty and drab. And the bus ride home, after a long day, was miserable. Our villa happened to be close to the main bldg...and we were the last stop on the bus. I think we spent as much time driving around OKW, making stops, as we did between Epcot and OKW!!!

I really don't think bedding or space is an issue with a two bedroom at BWV. Sure, you have to use a sleep sofa, but as I said before, I haven't yet had anyone complain about sleeping on them..my dh sleeps on one every time we go to WDW!!! And he has a bad back and has not had an issue.

As far as noise at night at BWV?? Not an issue. I've had villas on the 2nd floor...and wasn't bothered by any noise. When I was on the 4th floor, the only thing that was loud was the dinging of the basketball game bell...right across from my balcony. But that stopped every night at 10:30-11. And if the doors were closed, and the drapes pulled, it was barely noticeable.
I have had an issue once with late night Jellyrolls people leaving the area....obviously had had too much to drink..but they moved along quickly.

You may want to split up your stay...I would suggest staying at OKW for part and BWV for the rest.

 

[francie57]

We love the Epcot resorts. We have stayed at OKW years ago and it was too far from things for us. We love being able to walk to two parks and the easy access to all the restaurants available. If you aren't sure about BWVs have you considered BCVs. We have stayed at both and for the past two trips have been at the BCVs and really have enjoyed our stay there. We will be returning in Jan and Aug. again.

 

[mhgmom]

Thanks for all the feedback! We have decided to stick wtih OKW since we really did love it. We didn't mind the bus trips to and from the parks from OKW. As much as we'd love to try somewhere new, the convenience of the walk for a couple days isn't worth the extra money. Now on with the rest of my planning.