Those BWV Elevators aren't that far!!!

[BuzzLightYear3]

Just returned from a quick weekend away at BWV and our first stay at our home resort as members. It was great!!!

One thing I wanted to share though... I've been reading for months about how long that walk from the elevators can be and was a little worried...not so much about this trip but about future trips with the kids. Well, we were just about as far as you could get from the elevators...literally at the far end of the building, and although it is a long building, that walk wasn't more than 2 minutes!!! I suppose if I'd been carrying a 30-40 lb. kid it would have seemed longer, but I just wanted to share some actual data in case anybody else out there is worried about this. The advantage of being so far away is that we literally heard no hallway noise which would have been a plus especially around 9 p.m. when park traffic is returning but our kids are in bed.

Ha

 

[Patricia]

We felt exactly the same away about the trip from the elevators. We use our stroller for our 47 lb.son so it was just a long "push" down the hallway, but it wasn't bad at all and I really felt it kept it nice and quiet at night.

 

[drusba]

We have been as far away as can be and actually timed it with kids at under 3 minutes. It has the sense of being very long because the hallway is somewhat narrow and you weave down several different hallways.

 

[Margie J]

Try that walk when you are in awful pain from a heel spur! That was my problem with it. The walk was torture for me, both at BW and within the parks. I also had to lug my groceries that distance too. If I was not crippled with pain, I wouldn't have minded so much.

I'm used to OKW, where I could just drive right up to my building and enter my unit just a few steps away. At BW I often had to park a distance away also.

 

[Toxicesq]

Yeah, it may only be 2 minutes, but 2 minutes is actually a long time in hallway time. Get up and take a walk around your house while counting to 120 and see how long it really is. It's not a half-mile trek, but it seems really long after walking arond the parks all day and then, when you finally think you're "home," passing door after door and room after room as you trudge through the halls. It's certainly not a reason to stay away from BWV, but it's no plus, either.

Disneyland: '56,'91,'98
Disneyland Paris: '94
Disney Magic: '00
WDW Off-Site: '76,'98
Contemporary: '88,'90
Caribbean Beach: '93
Grand Floridian: '95
Dixie Landings: '97
BWV: 11/00

 

[wdwnut]

hi: i think it just seems longer due to what drusba said. we, too, have had a unit second from the very end. a little closer was nicer for the walk, but we've never been really close to the elevators yet.

 

[Lisa F]

they sound really painful! But I think that isn't the normal situation people are in...I don't hear anyone saying that the parks are terrible because they are so spread out and you have to do so much walking.

No one has to park far away or lug anything anywhere at the BW because there are very nice valets and bell services people perfectly willing to take care of your car and lug anything back to your room (we've come back from the grocery store with just a bag or two and there is always a bell services person asking if they can help us with our groceries).

I also think that the hallway at BWV is in general light, beautiful, and well themed. Maybe it is because I am an architecture person but there is so much beautiful detail to look at in the BWV hallways that I am generally at my room before I know it. We spent a couple of days at the beach club and we were about as far from the elevators as you could be and the walk in comparison was windy through dark, narrow, dingy hallways. At least you are walking down a boardwalk in the boardwalk

There are tradeoffs for everything... the two times we spent at OKW, yes, it was a short walk from our car to the door (never got anywhere near the front door as we tended to come home late, usually at the other end of the nearest parking lot), but if we wanted to pick something yummy up for breakfast, had to get in a car (or you were talking about a walk that makes walking the halls at BWV seem extremely short). If you want to swim, get in the car. If you want to go to epcot, get in the car. If you want to go to MGM, get in the car.

It may be a longer walk from the front entrace of the BWV to the rooms than from where you park your car at OKW but put that in context of the entire trip home. When illuminations is over, see who gets back to their room first... the people who have to walk from the world showcase to the international gateway to the BW to their room or the people who have to walk from the world showcase, through future world, wait for a tram, get to their car, drive back to OKW and then park 30 feet from their door. Similar thing for fantasmic at MGM. Wow, 2 out of 4 major parks!

I agree also that I found the walk to be no big deal and I'm glad I saw for myself rather than being scared off by all of the people who complain about it.

Lisa

"You employ stone, wood, and concrete, and with these materials you build house and palaces. That is construction. Ingenuity is at work. But suddenly, you touch my heart, you do me good. I am happy and I say 'This is beautiful.' That is architecture. Art enters in."
-Le Corbusier

[This message was edited by Lisa F on 02-02-01 at 07:44 AM.]

 

[AnnK]

Now I don't need to because she already said it all!
Lisa, Well put! I couldn't agree more!

 

[Stinky_Pete]

Our standard view villa overlooked the tennis courts, so we were definately "down there." However, there was a nice back stairway that led to a walkway that went right to the bridge near and the self-park lot. If you think the walk is too long, I encourage you to take the stairs.

 

[drusba]

Just a note that some may view the BWV elevator situation as odd. I have been in numerous large hotels in cities throughout the US where the walk from the elevators to the room was longer than anything at BWV.

 

[Ms. WDW]

Try some of the larger hotels in Las Vegas. They make the halls at BWV look "short". Personally, I didn't see the big deal either with the walk from the elevators and we were not that close either.

Linda
Poly -'76,'78,'82,'85,'89
'90,'93,'95,'98,'99
DVC/BWV - 8/00, 07/01

"I won't grow up, I won't grow up"

 

[DisneyCrazy]

When we stayed at BWV in December we were overlooking the courtyard (I guess that's what you'd call it) - we were fairly close to the elevators - but I usually prefer the stairs (unless I've got 12 bags of luggage ;-) ). I just wish they would mark the doors to the stairs a little clearer - often I was roaming around looking for them.

-Paul

 

[one_cat]

If you don't mind stairs there is usually a staircase much closer to those far off rooms that you can get to from outside if you are coming from that direction.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Those BWV Elevators aren't that far!!!

*Agree. It's the rooms that are. Rich would have loved this thread.


*Please note the following for those who are easily irritated. This is a joke. We own at the BWV and it is our favorite resort.

 

[donald...really]

I think it depends on your expectations. If you are expecting it to be a 3 day trek, then yes, it is a short walk. If you are expecting a hop and a skip to your room, then yes, it is a long walk.

I think, while it may not be the LONGEST hotel hallway in the world, it is a LONG WALK. We have stayed in the last room at both ends of the hallway on two different visits, and halfway down the twisting turning hallway on our first walk to our room we started laughing out loud about how absurd the experience was. We felt like we were walking forever. It certainly didn't sour our experience of the BWV, but for us it was a L O N G walk.

And yes, even though the hallways are LONG, they are very atractive!!!

 

[crisi]

Is this Rich's memorial thread? Can we have one about the small rooms as well?

In addition to Lisa's points, If you have a car at OKW, the walk to the room is short. If you don't or decide to take the bus, the walk from the bus stop or from Turtle Pond can be much longer than any walk BWVs has to offer - and you'll be doing in in 100 degree heat or a thunderstorm.

 

[las3888]

I agree - the long hallways end up not being a big deal at least to us. The first time we experienced them was when we were contemplating buying a BWV resale so we walked around the hotel and were pretty surprised at how long the hallway was and how they just seemed to keep going. However, after the initial surprise, it is just no big deal. Agreed that in Vegas it can be much longer. We are sold on the layout because if you are far from the elevators, you are close to the stairways to the pools and to your car...either way you end up (close to the elevators or far) is a win win situation to us.

 

[MiaSRN62]

I feel any walk (via OKW roads or BWV hallways) is all very subjective and what may be a piece-of-cake for one person may be an inconvenience or burden for another. My elderly mil found the BWV hallways cumbersome. She was undergoing chemo at the time. I, personally, never found the walks from any bus stop at OKW back to the villa to be longer than 2-3 min. Granted it's outside, but heck, we walk around outside at the parks all day. Quite frankly, neither the walks at BWV (and I was about 3rd room from the end of the hallway) or at OKW bother me but I can see how each could be troublesome to some. Just my 2 cents

 

[paults]

DITTO

It may be a longer walk from the front entrace of the BWV to the rooms than from where you park your car at OKW but put that in context of the entire trip home. When illuminations is over, see who gets back to their room first... the people who have to walk from the world showcase to the international gateway to the BW to their room or the people who have to walk from the world showcase, through future world, wait for a tram, get to their car, drive back to OKW and then park 30 feet from their door. Similar thing for fantasmic at MGM. Wow, 2 out of 4 major parks!

 

[timC]

What's the walking distance from a BWV room to the pool, compared to the walking distance from an OKW room to the main pool.... Last time we stayed at OKW we had to pack the car a drive to the main pool... what a pain in you-know-what. At the BWV, you can easily sneak down a nearby stairwell and pop out pool-side.

Also, the choking smoke of buses and cars passing by as you risk you life on the roadway (why are there no sidewalks at OKW?)trying to make it to a bus stop... or a airconditioned hallway, and a leasurely stoll across the boardwalk to a waiting boat.

Take your pick...