Opinions needed which hotel..BCV or VWL??

[spereira]

Here is the story in May 2007 we are planning a family vacation, about 16 people will be going. My husband and I visit WDW about 2 x's a year but to about 12 of the 16 this will be their first WDW vacation.
Pending availability were are torn between VWL and BCV.
My husband say BCV and I am leaning towards VWL.
I want to WOW those who have never been and I know this is alot of pressure but I want them to love it .....
I really want this to be a special, magical "oh my goodness look where we are " vacation...
My husband and I have stayed in both hotels and they are both amazing that's why it is so hard to make a decison.

 

[Scratch42]

What's the Adult to Kid ratio?

More Adults, then VWL

More Kids, BCV for the SAB factor!

j

 

[spereira]

I counted wrong there will be 18 of us.
11 Adults ages from 61 to 25
7 Kids ages 14, 13, 9, 7, 5, 2, 2

 

[NJBlackBerry]

Are you planning on spending more time at Epcot or MK? If you are Epcot/MGM people, they stay at BCV for the location - and, as was previously said, for SAB.

If you want a more laid back location, the VWL is lovely, too.

 

[littlestar]

It might be easier to find availability for that many people at VWL in May (as long as it's not Memorial weekend). The flower and garden show will be going on at Epcot, so it might be harder to get a bunch of rooms at BCV at the 7 month window.

Either resort would be great. Those are my two favorites.

Walking into the lobby of the Wilderness Lodge would definitely impress, though. Definitely a lot of "wow" power there.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We picked VWL for our upcoming trip. We own there, but we think it will be easier to get to MK for our DGC. When we had our GG for DM's 85th birthday, BWV was the perfect place. I think you have to decide what you want the focus to be.

For us, VWL has the Wow factor, at BCV, it's only the pool that has it, and that to a much lesser extent.

One good thing about both, is that they both have rooms in community areas that you can meet for smaller gatherings of your large group.

Bobbi

 

[starbox]

I'd vote WL because three of the kids are 5 and under and, realistically, won't get much out of SAB yet. A smaller pool would probably be preferable at that age - plus (I'm guessing it's the two 2 year-old's first trip) with those ages easy, faster access to the MK would be much more important to me than walking to EPCOT would be.

For a WOW factor, you just can't beat that lobby!

 

[thelobstershanty]

Both resorts are very impressive. I agree with the others, you have decide which area of WDW you want to call home for your trip. VWL is in the MK area, while BCV is the Epcot/MGM area.
Based on the ages of the kids, I would lean more towards the Epcot/MGM area. There will be more for the older ones to do at BCV, and Epcot & MGM have more thrill rides than MK. The 5 yo and 2 yos will prefer the MK but that is just a bus ride away.
One thing, you must also consider is how well the kids swimming abilities are. SAB is a fantastic pool, it is our favorite pool on property, but it is very big and quite deep in places. The 2yos will be fine on the sand beach area of the pool, but if the 5, 7, & 9 yos are not good swimmers, this pool could be a nightmare for a parent. Also the slide is across the walkway from the main pool.

 

[lisareniff]

Lots of excellent advice. We are having a hard time deciding between VWL and BCV/BWV our next trip.

Do you want to spend more time at MK or MGM and Epcot? BCV with give easy access to both MGM and EPCOT.

SAB is a cool pool but is difficult with the "I can swim but I still need someone to watch me" age range (4-8). The little ones will be happy in the really fun sand bar area. It is a large pool with very poor sight lines to watch other children therefore you need equal number of adults to children (my mistake the first trip). I think with a large group you will do fine. You will have enough adults to take turns watching the little ones.

Do you have any foodies in your group (and have AP's or passes for the whole time)? Then the EPCOT resort area is a great place to be.

 

[mmmcq]

I love the VWL environment - it's so soothing. Great restaurants, good pool and close (Very close) by bus to MK.

But with that many people in one party, there will likely be days when you'll all go in different directions. BCV is such a close walk to Epcot and boatride to MGM....never mind all the restaurants in the Epcot area and on the Boardwalk. Walking back into Epcot for dinner and around the lake at night before Illuminations is our absolute favorite thing to do.

I could see BCV working well for such a large party. Some might like different restaurants. Some of the kids might need an earlier dinner, etc. I would think there would be more flexibility.

The downside is that the bus ride to MK is going to be Much longer from BCV.

 

[gjw007]

I'm wondering about night time activities. I have stayed at VWL and it works for me and I will be staying at the Boardwalk in December. I expect the Boardwalk area to be much busier during the evenings. It may be something to consider. BCV might have more activities around it that may make the adults enjoy it more. But then again, there are those restaurents at VWL......

 

[Mississippian]

The Wilderness Lodge is nice, but dining is somewhat limited. I do not care for Whispering Canyon and found the counter service place to be pretty weak. The fine dining restaurant is supposed to be very good.

The Boardwalk is a mighty fun place for a wide variety of ages, and there are just tons of places to eat and drink within an easy walk of Beach Club.

Of course, it might be easier for your group to bump into each other more if staying at the WL.

I prefer the EPCOT resorts, but you have a pretty good WOW factor either way.

 

[DisneyKidds]

I'd vote WL because three of the kids are 5 and under and, realistically, won't get much out of SAB yet.

First let me politely disagree with this. We think that SAB is particulary good for kids in the 2 to 5 range. We've been there with several of our own in that very range, and there is an entire section of the pool complex dedicated to little ones. It has several sand beach areas, one of which extends into the water, which goes from zero entry to a depth of only about 2 to 2.5 feet. It is a great area where the kids can play in the sand and run into the water and wade around without getting into trouble. You still need to watch them of course, but it is a great area for them to play in. It is one of the best pools areas in all of WDW for the toddler crowd, IMHO (and we've been to most pools on property). The Wilderness Lodge is great, and the kiddie pool there at the main pool area is one of the biggest on property, but SAB is a lot more fun for kids ages 2 to 5.

That said.......how long is this trip going to be? With a large crowd it might be a logistical nightmare, but we seem to split all of our trips now between the two resorts, spending half the nights at BCV and half at VWL. Changing resorts with our family of 5 is pretty easy. We even made it work with a Grand Gathering of 11. We just can't decide between the two resorts any longer, and by switching resorts you get to take advantage of the benefits each has to offer. We plan most of our Epcot/MGM time while we are staying at BCV (being able to walk to both parks is great), and then focus on the MK while at VWL (the boat to the MK is wonderful).

If you aren't adventurous enough to attempt a switch, I might recommend BCV for a large party, especially one with more adults than kids. For the kids you'll have SAB, and they will love that. Access to Epcot is so easy, and not only is it a park that the adults can really enjoy, given the ages of the kids they will really like Epcot as well. Boat to MGM is really nice. You have access not only to all the restaurants at the YC/BC, but you can walk to the Boardwalk as well. The Epcot resort area just has so much variety to offer to a large party that it is a great choice.

Do consider trying both resorts.....you'll give your party a taste of the two best resorts on property and you'll doubly WOW them. But if you can't do that, go with BCV.