Where would you stay and why?

[Buckeye Fan]

DH, DS (11), DD (5) and I will be going to Disney in late July after a Daytona beach trip. We went to WDW twice last year (once in July and once in December) and went to parks almost every day. This time, we think we're going to spend 4 or 5 days and just relax and enjoy the other things WDW has to offer. We love DTD and have fun at the pools and renting the boats.

With that said, we have only stayed at the less expensive properties (Music, Sports and Movies) and OKW. We just purchased at SSR, so we saw it when we were in Orlando at Christmas but have never stayed there. Can you guys tell me a little more about the other resorts, where you enjoy staying and why? If you weren't visiting parks, what are the unique/fun things to do there? I may be limited in where I can get reservations at this point, but would enjoy hearing more on your personal favorites!

In advance, thanks for sharing your experiences!

 

[bobbiwoz]

Our personal favorite is the VWL. Things that we really enjoy there are nature related, the bike rides we take over to Ft. Wilderness for instance. Yesterday we were there, and came upon a small group of deer that were feeding along the bike path. At Ft. Wilderness there are the Disney horses to visit at the barn, and there's a small area with goats that you can enter and pet. Whether you stay at the VWL or elsewhere, remember that there's a campfire at FW every night, just ask the concierge at the resort that you're staying at for the time and the movie of the night. One thing that happened every day from 4-5 this week at the WL was a magic cookie time. You get to decorate a sugar cookie and take it with you, no charge. I don't know how many you can make/take, we didn't partake.

With your children, you may want to consider one of the resorts with a Community room for activities for the kids. BWV, OKW and (I think) SSR are the resorts that have one.

For swimming, most will agree that BCV has the best pool of the resorts.

You can see the electrical night parade from the beach of VWL, a little something extra.

Have fun deciding!
Bobbi

 

[Sammie]

Bobbi has covered the aspects of VWL and it is a fun place to stay. That said all the DVC resorts offer alot and are different so it would be impossible for me to limit to one.

We have stayed at all of them many times and had great times at each.

BCV has a wonderful pool, but so does all the other DVC resorts.

BCV and BWV are close to Epcot and MGM and SSR is close to Downtown Disney which is really fun after the parks close.

Being able to boat over to DD or walk is really nice. SSR has a great community hall with staff to match. The new Grandstand pool with the interactive water area looks like so much fun for kids and they have been showing Disney movies on a big screen at the main pool, fun.

You truly you can not make a bad choice.

 

[disneybride96]

After All Stars....any DVC will seem like Heaven. A real treat would be the hotel type resorts - BCV & BWV. But I love SSR too! I guess I am not the right person to ask! Boiler Up!

 

[starbox]

DH, DS (11), DD (5) and I will be going to Disney in late July after a Daytona beach trip. We went to WDW twice last year (once in July and once in December) and went to parks almost every day. This time, we think we're going to spend 4 or 5 days and just relax and enjoy the other things WDW has to offer. We love DTD and have fun at the pools and renting the boats.

If you love DTD, the convenience of SSR can't be beat - and if you are thinking of using your pool-hopping perk, SSR is the most conenient location for resort-hopping because of the connections at the DTD hub - plus, from DTD, you're a nice boat ride away from 3 really great pool-hopping pools (POR, PORFQ, OKW). I think it's the best location for a non-park centered vacation.

Plus - it's your home resort. I think the fact that it's your home and you've never stayed there makes this the perfect time to try it out - especially since it's perfect for the type of relaxing, non-park heavy vacation you are planning.

 

[surfer_ed]

We "splurged" on points this trip and stayed at BCV since we too were not going to spend that much time in the parks.

All I can say is Storm Along Bay was worth the extra points. We didn't even make it across to boardwalk.

 

[DVC Grammy]

If you're not doing parks, OKW and SSR are great for their access to DTD fun. By being so close to that major transportation hub, you can hop any Epcot resort bus to have access to Fantasia mini-golf courses*, or an AKL bus to animal-watch from the resort without having to go into the park. These activities, plus the fun pools at whichever of those resorts (OKW or SSR) are great options for a non-park visit!

*Sorry, I don't remember which of the park buses go to the Winterland/Summerland mini-golf areas.

 

[rentingspace]

I just got back from BWV. My new favorite resort is the BWV. 2nd BCV, 3rd WL, and hopefully some day the Contemporay will have villas.