Seriously considering BWV.....

[kaytieedid]

I think my husband and I have finally decided on BWV....we have 2 very young children and really liked AKV but thought it might be too much to take the bus everywhere while they're still in strollers. I have been to the boardwalk but never stayed there.....can anyone tell me why they love boardwalk and why they chose there over other locations???

thanks so much!!

 

[Disneydaddycanada]

I am trying to talk my wife into considering a dvc. We have looked at this for 4 years.

You asked about bwv... I have stayed at alot of the resorts and I have to say my favorite is bwv. We took our dd7 when she was 2 1/2 yrs old and it was great. Walk to epcot, boat to disney studios, short bus to animal kingdom. The bus ride is not bad to mk.

I also like it that it is pretty close to downtown disney.

Location I think it is the best dvc. We have also been curious of bcv.

You can not pass up a deal when the canadian dollar is at par to the usd!!!

 

[DebbieB]

I love the Boardwalk! The panormic views, the festive atmosphere on the boardwalk at night, the easy walk to Epcot, walk to boat to DHS. I've been a member over 10 years and don't regret my choice!

 

[Disney Princess]

We picked BWV because of the room options. We love the location, and we think the BW view is wonderful. Still, we also like conserving points and staying Standard View. We think that is the best bargain in DVC. We love being able to book both at the 11-month window.

The extra pluses are the atmosphere, the location, the beautiful lobby, and more and more and more. We think it is great!

 

[ToddyLu]

I hope you join soon. We own at AKV and have heard here that BWV is pretty incredible. I certainly understand about the strollers. Unfortunately we do not have children but I have seen many a person struggle with those. How nice it will be to stroll around and have all the shopping and restaurants choices.

 

[El&Asmom]

We'll be checking in at BWV tomorrow!! We own at SSR, but have stayed at BWV more than any other resort. Like everyone else said, the location is perfect. We love the decor of the rooms, the walk to EPCOT and pleasant boat ride to DHS. We especially love the evening entertainment. We have three dds, 6,4 and 1. They love watching the events at night, and taking a surrey bike ride around the lake. It has great TS dining options especially when you add in S/D, BC/YC and World Showcase.
The only downside in our opinion is having to walk out to the boardwalk to grab a quick bite. The bakery is great for breakfast, but doesn't have many choices for lunch or dinner. Plus if it is raining, you have to get wet to get there, and there is nowhere to sit after you have your food except for walking back to your room in the rain. It's not a deal breaker for us, but annoying.

We love BWV, but are still glad we bought SSR. We wanted the extra years since we're young, and like trying all the resorts, so home resort advantage wasn't the most important factor for us when picking a resort.

Good luck.

 

[jekjones1558]

We have stayed at all but a couple of the DVC and regular Disney resorts and BWV is our top choice. We have brought many family members and friends to various DVC resorts and BWV has been the overwhelming favorite. What has surprised us is the wide age range of our family/friends who prefer BWV--from young kids to AARPers like us. We also like OKW for the room size but the location, theming and BW view bring us back to BWV most trips. If you prefer a quiet get-away from the parks, then I would probably not choose BWV. It is the feeling of being immersed in the atmosphere of fun activities that draws us back to BWV multiple trips every year.
Good luck in your decision. Hope you are as pleased after 10 years of owning as we are!

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

We our home resort of BWV! We love the great views of the boardwalk, great atmosphere, great points charts. The std. points and the boardwalk view points are both great bargains!

DEAN -- who is a bit of a Timeshare expert here on the DIS has stated that Boardwalk Villas is the best overall DVC resort. I totally agree.

I really think that BWV and BCV are a bit of a toss-up. Boardwalk has a glitzy elegance while Beach Club has more of an understated conservative elegance. Beach Club has the great pool and better restaurants. Boardwalk has the great views, standard points, and views of crescent lake. Beach Club is smaller and harder to reserve, However, getting the standard or boardwalk view can be challenging at Boardwalk. Boardwalk's MFs are higher than Beach Club.

For us...we don't swim, and boardwalk points are CHEAPER.

 

[JESW]

We are checking into the BWV later today!

It will be our first time staying there but we have stayed at the Boardwalk several times and really love the resort. The location can't be beat as EPCOT is our favorite park and it is so easy to just walk back "home" as everyone else is heading to the buses.

You can also take the ferry to ECOT and DHS.

We also love staying at the Wilderness Lodge Villas as you can take the boats over to the Magic Kingdom. Our stroller days are done but I remember what a pain it was to get them on the buses.

Jill

 

[BLLB]

For us the most important thing was location. We love being able to walk to Epcot and the Studios.

 

[BigEeyore]

The big draw for BWV is the location - possibly the best on property. I would just suggest that you try to think long-term about your decision for a home resort. Your kids are not going to be in strollers forever, so you should buy where you love it the most. Are you considering BLT at all? Being able to walk to MK w/ young children is a dream!
One last consideration is the pool area - I did not think the BW pool was all that great for little ones that can't swim well (no zero entry). But again, your kids will grow up, needs will change, so just buy where you love!

 

[fkj2]

I, too, like the proximity of EPCOT and the Studios. I also enjoy the evening entertainment on the Boardwalk--don't miss Brian the Magician--and enjoy eating at the Big River Grill.

It's just so relaxing. I enjoy watching people stroll the boardwalk. Although interesting, just watch out for those folks riding the bicycles. Some go pretty fast.

 

[LSchrow]

we find the BWV's unique in that there is an amazing array of things to do: walk to two parks, community hall, great pools, street performers, carny games, surrey bikes, delicious bakery goods, seashore sweets with great ice cream, both casual and fine dining, belle vue lounge, shopping, watch sports at ESPN, tennis, jellyrolls and/or ADH, etc.........
or you can do "nothing": nap in the quiet and cool area under the lobby balcony, read a book in a wicker rocker, people watch on the BW (or from your private balcony with a BW view), watch illuminations, walk around crescent lake and stop in the gazebo for a , etc

there is nowhere on earth like the BWVs

 

[goofy4tink]

Back in '03, while staying at the Polynesian (our first deluxe stay and third trip to WDW), we decided to vist the BW area. Headed to Epcot and took the boat over to BW from there...had no idea it was so close! We walked around, checked it out and fell in love. My dh told me that he would consider buying DVC but only at BWV!!! We left the next day. But, on the way to MCO, dh told me that he had stopped by the DVC booth at the Polynesian (while dd and I were enjoying a last minute MK visit) and had given them our name and phone number. Said they would be calling us in the next week and that he would only consider buying at BWV. If it wasn't available, then nothing. Well...don't have to hit me upside the head!!! Within a month, we were happy owners of BWV!!! We never even saw a villa!! Bought sight unseen.

I love the area, I love being able to walk to both Epcot and DHS. If I want to be lazy, I can take a boat. I love being able to walk to so many other restaurants at nearby resorts..YC/BC and S/D. I love the various pools there, I love the Community Hall with it's fun activities. The resort itself is beautiful with some wonderful views from the villas.

The nighttime activity on the boardwalk itself is a major plus. Something is always going on.
The bus service isn't the absolute greatest though. It does tend to suffer due to the ability to walk to two parks. But, it is the same at other deluxe resorts when alternative transportation is offered.

I did just buy a very small contract at BLT as well, but that is for every other year stays of less than 4 nights...probably stay there in addition to BWV stays, just for some variety.

I love DVC at AKL. I did stay at both Jambo House and Kidani last Dec. They both have their pluses. I really didn't have too much trouble with bussing everywhere..you just have to plan accordingly.

 

[crisi]

We like BWV, its home for us. But remember kids don't stay small for long. Don't make a decision that will last until you have grandkids off having strollers now.

We like BW for a lot of the reasons people mentioned. Its close to Epcot. I can get cheap Standard View rooms and stretch my points. The pool slide is great for tweens (the pool, however, is one of the worst for small kids).

 

[bevis]

BWV is our home resort. We know it's cliche but to sum up what others here have said LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!!!

 

[cman]

We were young parents back in 1998 and looking to burn some time before our flight home. We came across the kiosk outside BWV and decided to take a look. Three weeks later we were signing the papers.

It was very unlike me to not do much investigation but we felt we were going to be vacationing at Disney a lot over the next 15 years or so. At the time it made sense to us.

Best decision we ever made. 4 BIG family vacations later and I think, for us, there's no better location than BWV.

Good luck!!

 

[katied]

We love BWV, and bought there first. We then added on at BLT once it was available.

Pros of BWV - LOCATION!! It's so easy to walk to Epcot and DHS (or take the boat). Also, the location is nice with all the food options on the Boardwalk. It's been a fun place to stay with a bit older kids (DNiece and DNephew - at ages 6 - 10 when we've taken them) - with the Boardwalk activities, the bikes, etc. The main reason we bought at BLT is that's where my mom and I stayed on our last WDW trip before she passed away, and she'd be thrilled I'm passing the tradition of WDW trips on to her grandkids.

But, my ideal location for little ones is BLT and the ability to walk to MK (no folding up the stroller, no waking the sleeping child, etc). DS is now just 3, and with a new baby on the way, we're using our BLT points for a while to vacation.

Down the road, I see us taking split stay trips so we can plan our park days with easy (non-bus) transport to 3 of the 4 parks.

 

[icouldlivethere]

We purchased BWV sight unseen and I couldn't be happier with our choice. I did a lot of research online and the 2 things that drew me to the BWV's were the location and the points saving SV rooms.

When we made our first trip there I knew right away I had made the best choice for us. I love the location and I love saving points on SV rooms! You are within walking distance not only to Epcot and HS but also the BC, YC, Swan and Dolphin with a variety of restaurants and things to do. The only thing missing is a food court style restaurant which would be really nice for breakfast.

IMHO, the SV BWV's are the best points saving deal on Disney property. If I had it to do all over again I would still purchase BWV. I love it there!

 

[Deb & Bill]

We're not big BWV fans (when we bought we had the choice of OKW and BWV. We bought OKW). None of the two bedroom villas are dedicated. They are all lockoff villas. There is only one elevator bank (three elevators) but only one location. We didn't care for all the noise at the BWV - BCV, OKW, SSR, VWL are more our speed - quiet and relaxing. Parking is horrid at BWV unless you valet park. Since valet park is no longer free for members, you may wind up parking across the street and walking all that way to get to the resort. Then you have the long hike to your villa. (Yes, I know. You walk all over WDW. What's with the long hike. But the corridors seem so narrow and long).

And don't get me started on Stephen King's inspiration for IT.

But for lots of members, BWV is the end all, be all. And that's great for them.