Mississippian
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2001
- Messages
- 765
Okay, I’m a little nuts, but we recently spent nine days in Orlando and stayed in four resorts. Our original plan was to arrive June 3 and stay DVC for five nights, then switch to the Beach Club for the final two weekend nights. I was traveling with a friend who wanted to avoid a convention that was in town, so I arrived June 2 and spent the first three nights at Universal at the Royal Pacific. My friend and his family then joined me for three nights at the BWV (wait list came through!), followed by two weekend nights at the Beach Club hotel. My friend then left and we booked a last-minute night at the Wilderness lodge rather than book off site.
My mini-reviews:
Universal’s Royal Pacific: Not themed nearly as well as a Disney hotel, but arguably offers a better short-term experience than Disney. We ended up driving across the state to visit a relative and didn’t spend much time at Universal, but the line-breaking privileges were great. Anyone looking for an alternative to those expensive DVC weekends couldn’t find a better place than this, IMHO. My kids are 8 and 7, which is a little young for Universal, but I was very impressed with the overall Universal hotel and park package. Next time I think I’d like to try the Hard Rock Hotel. (Price paid for room was $124 per night after buying one annual pass).
Boardwalk Villas: We had two 1-bedroom units. Somehow our reservations were not linked like they were supposed to be, but we were able to get rooms close together, as I checked in fairly early. My room was ready early and was in good condition. This is my home resort and has exactly what I want in terms of easy access to morning newspapers, restaurants, park access and so forth. We had a “preferred” view, but my wife and I decided that in the future the most “preferred” view of all would be to get a 2-bedroom standard view room so that our children would have their own bedroom and we would have a view of a nice, neat and clean den all the time.
Beach Club: We stayed at the hotel for Friday and Saturday nights on an annual pass discount, although it was still $300 per night. I had always wanted my kids to use the pool here. Well, now we have. For me the pool was too crowded and the resort was hard to get around. There was nothing wrong with the dining options, they just don’t quite suit me. When I first decided to buy into DVC some years back, I had decided to buy a small BCV contract. I stayed here on rented points and found it lacked some of the magic of BWV (for me), and so I went that route. BCV is a fine resort with the greatest location, it just doesn’t quite have what I'm looking for. The real surprise is that the swimming pool can be as much of a logistical liability as an asset. I think I would like the resort better with a less-fancy pool, so that one could actually walk around and enjoy the grounds without all the fencing. The movies on the beach are nice, though.
Wilderness Lodge: We only stayed here one night, and booked at the last minute as we thought we might stay off-site. I just decided that I would stay for “free” instead, and we got a 1-bedroom. Great theme, great pool, Electrical Water Pageant each night. Dining options are somewhat limited. I’m not a fan of Whispering Canyon, but we tried Artist Point and liked it. I understand Roaring Forks has been upgraded; it certainly needed to be. I’d stay here again in a heartbeat, although I think I’d want to get one of those halogen lights used by painters, so that I could brighten up the room a little bit.
Resort Transfers: Our resort transfers went off without a hitch. Our bags were picked up from our rooms at 11 a.m. and they were at our new resorts by 3 p.m. or earlier each day.
All in all a great trip. For my friend it was his first trip since he was 10, in the late 1970s. He upgraded his 6-day ticket to an annual pass on his way home, so I guess he enjoyed himself.
My mini-reviews:
Universal’s Royal Pacific: Not themed nearly as well as a Disney hotel, but arguably offers a better short-term experience than Disney. We ended up driving across the state to visit a relative and didn’t spend much time at Universal, but the line-breaking privileges were great. Anyone looking for an alternative to those expensive DVC weekends couldn’t find a better place than this, IMHO. My kids are 8 and 7, which is a little young for Universal, but I was very impressed with the overall Universal hotel and park package. Next time I think I’d like to try the Hard Rock Hotel. (Price paid for room was $124 per night after buying one annual pass).
Boardwalk Villas: We had two 1-bedroom units. Somehow our reservations were not linked like they were supposed to be, but we were able to get rooms close together, as I checked in fairly early. My room was ready early and was in good condition. This is my home resort and has exactly what I want in terms of easy access to morning newspapers, restaurants, park access and so forth. We had a “preferred” view, but my wife and I decided that in the future the most “preferred” view of all would be to get a 2-bedroom standard view room so that our children would have their own bedroom and we would have a view of a nice, neat and clean den all the time.
Beach Club: We stayed at the hotel for Friday and Saturday nights on an annual pass discount, although it was still $300 per night. I had always wanted my kids to use the pool here. Well, now we have. For me the pool was too crowded and the resort was hard to get around. There was nothing wrong with the dining options, they just don’t quite suit me. When I first decided to buy into DVC some years back, I had decided to buy a small BCV contract. I stayed here on rented points and found it lacked some of the magic of BWV (for me), and so I went that route. BCV is a fine resort with the greatest location, it just doesn’t quite have what I'm looking for. The real surprise is that the swimming pool can be as much of a logistical liability as an asset. I think I would like the resort better with a less-fancy pool, so that one could actually walk around and enjoy the grounds without all the fencing. The movies on the beach are nice, though.
Wilderness Lodge: We only stayed here one night, and booked at the last minute as we thought we might stay off-site. I just decided that I would stay for “free” instead, and we got a 1-bedroom. Great theme, great pool, Electrical Water Pageant each night. Dining options are somewhat limited. I’m not a fan of Whispering Canyon, but we tried Artist Point and liked it. I understand Roaring Forks has been upgraded; it certainly needed to be. I’d stay here again in a heartbeat, although I think I’d want to get one of those halogen lights used by painters, so that I could brighten up the room a little bit.
Resort Transfers: Our resort transfers went off without a hitch. Our bags were picked up from our rooms at 11 a.m. and they were at our new resorts by 3 p.m. or earlier each day.
All in all a great trip. For my friend it was his first trip since he was 10, in the late 1970s. He upgraded his 6-day ticket to an annual pass on his way home, so I guess he enjoyed himself.
You are right, though, that it is a great way to get at least a taste of many different resorts so that you will quickly learn which is your favorite.
