Which DVC resort for spring break for group of 21yo girls?

[blinkangel44]

My friend's parents are very generously allowing us to use their DVC points for our spring break the first week of March

The options they gave us are:

Disney's Vero Beach Resort (One Bedroom Villa)
Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort (Two Bedroom Villa)
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa (One Bedroom Villa)
Disney's Beach Club Villas (One Bedroom Villa)
The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge (One Bedroom Villa)
Disney's Old Key West Resort (One Bedroom Villa)

We ruled Hilton Head out because it won't be warm enough first week of March. I think we're ruling Vero Beach out since we don't want to deal with renting a car.

From what I've read, Saratoga Springs seems to be a bit inconveniently located. But near DTD?

I was on a family vacation at the Yacht Club this time last year, so I'm familiar with Beach Club area. Quick ferry ride away from Boardwalk, walking distance of Epcot, boat/walking to Hollywood Studios.

From my research, it seems a lot of people are in love with Wilderness Lodge, and I definitely think it would be fun! And it's a boat ride away from MK it seems.

I don't really know much at all about Old Key West... seems to not have an ideal location, but also near DTD?

So the thing is, I think we're only trying to buy park tickets for a day or two (still deciding if we want more). We're college kids on a budget. And we're perfectly satisfied with a spring break filled with days by the pool and whatnot.

Are there any resort-specific activities?

My friend said she thinks it'd be cool to be by Downtown Disney or the Boardwalk.

Since we are all 21, what do you suggest? I've been trying to research 21+ Disney activities. I definitely want to drink around the world at Epcot of course, but what is there to do outside of the parks? Jellyrolls and Atlantic Dance Hall on the Boardwalk I know... what else? I'm excited for my first adult Disney trip!

Any suggestions/advice/etc. immensely appreciated! (We'll probably be a group of 4-5.)

 

[lthiesfeld07]

Hi!

If I were in your situation (and I wish I was ) I would go with the 1 bedroom at the Beach Club. It would be an easy walk to the Boardwalk as well as to Epcot!

 

[Canadian Disney Mom]

I too would go for Beach Club!

 

[Sammie]

Downtown Disney has some great places to eat and the new bowling lanes, Splitsville.

You are talking about a year from now, aren't you.

If you are talking about this year, I seriously doubt you will have that many choices.

Not sure how many in your group, but the villas at OKW are the largest. You will have in a one bedroom, a king bed, queen sofa bed and twin chair bed.

The other will only have the King bed and queen sofa bed.

 

[herb102211]

Another vote for the Beach Club. You're within walking distance to the Boardwalk and Epcot. If I were on spring break, those would be the 2 places I'd want to be closest to Have fun!

 

[wrighter]

If I were 21 again (ah, those days of youth!) I would stay at Beach Club. It has the best pool on property, in my opinion, with a poolside bar. (Although the drinks aren't cheap! If you want to drink at the pool you might want to consider a packable, softsided cooler and have some drinks delivered to your room by an offsite company. But I digress . . .)

You can walk to Epcot (or stumble home from Epcot) very easily. ESPN zone is right there as well, if you're looking for a place where young men might congretate. And you are correct, you can take the boat or walk to HS.

That said, the 1 bedroom at BCV is quite small, if that even matters. And on our last visit there in August we did not find the rooms to be in great shape. I'm guessing you won't be spending much time there, though!

OKW has the largest 1 bedroom on property. The resort is very large, and has a Jimmy Buffett feel to it, which we love. You can take a boat to DTD from the main dock, but you have to bus it to all other locations. The location might not be ideal, but you'll certainly feel like you're on vacation in Florida at this resort.

Saratoga Springs is a beautiful resort. It is large and spread out, like OKW, but all buildings have elevators and you can walk to DTD, but you'll have to take a bus to all other locations. There are four pools at this resort, all of which are really nice. Three of the four pools have pool bars. We love to stay there during peak times because once we leave the chaos of the parks and get back to the resort, we feel truly relaxed.

While the Wilderness Lodge is lovely, I don't think it would be the ideal spot for a group of 21 yo.

A huge consideration will be the size of your party. There are only certain resorts that will allow you to put 5 people in a 1 bedroom. I think they are: Animal Kingdom Villas, Bay Lake Towers, and Old Key West. These are the resorts that have a sleeper chair in the living room, in addition to the sleeper sofa. If I missed any I'm sure the other DISers will correct me.

You should check out some pics of the resorts and see if anything appeals to you. The bottom line is: You can't go wrong no matter where you stay. There are pros and cons to each resort, and you'll be at Disney having fun with friends!!! No worries.

Enjoy your trip! What I would give for a "grown up" trip to WDW with friends! Lol! My kids would disown me . . .

 

[DeluxePrincess]

If I were 21 again and vacationing with my friends, the ability to walk to/from Downtown Disney would be amazing. My vote goes to Saratoga Springs in the Congress Park section.

 

[MichiganDVC]

Even though I'm 34, I tour WDW like a 21 year old. Since I don't have any children yet, and therefore late nights and zero responsibility , I prefer to stay at the EPCOT resorts. Although it wasn't one of your options, Boardwalk Villas are my favorite and Beach Club Villas are a close second. I find Boardwalk slightly more geared to adults, Beach Club more to families w/ kids. The pool at Beach Club is better, however if all you really want to do is drink and tan, I'd rather be at Boardwalk (less screaming children).
Also, if you stay at BWV you can easily walk to the Hess gas station (for cheap case of beer, etc...)

As for Saratoga or Old Key West, the positives are proximity to Downtown Disney, of course. Plenty of bars, restaurants, entertainment there to keep you busy. HOWEVER, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, isn't DTD really just a giant mall with bars? If you wanted that, you could go to any city in the U.S. Both SSR and OKW are giant resorts with a very relaxed feel. I'm not sure if either one shouts "Spring Break!"

Boardwalk does.... so does proximity to EPCOT. Besides, I'm not sure if you can sample from a variety of 150 different types of Tequila at Downtown Disney like you can in EPCOT! (Not that you should, mind you...)

Finally, Boardwalk/Beach Club resorts offer close proximity to Swan-Dolphin hotels. Here you find more bars (Karaoke w/ Japanese businessmen) and top-notch restaurants.

 

[schoen]

My Sister-in-Law went to Disney with her girlfriends for Spring break when they were 21. They had a similar approach as you will. They did not have a car, and they could not afford regular park tickets, so they just did a lot of pool days, and one day the went to Typhoon Lagoon.

They stayed at OKW in a 1-bedroom and had a fantastic time. They mainly went to the Turtle Pond pool. They hung out at DTD a lot, and drank and had fun in their villa. They had a blast!

The rooms at BCV are much much smaller. It might be fun for you guys to be near Jellyrolls and Atlantic Dance hall though. There is also fun Karaoke at either the swan or the dolphin (i forget which, but it is at a restaurant called Kimonos)

You guys will have a blast!

 

[Deb & Bill]

My friend's parents are very generously allowing us to use their DVC points for our spring break the first week of March

The options they gave us are:

Disney's Vero Beach Resort (One Bedroom Villa)
Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort (Two Bedroom Villa)
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa (One Bedroom Villa)
Disney's Beach Club Villas (One Bedroom Villa)
The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge (One Bedroom Villa)
Disney's Old Key West Resort (One Bedroom Villa)

We ruled Hilton Head out because it won't be warm enough first week of March. I think we're ruling Vero Beach out since we don't want to deal with renting a car.

From what I've read, Saratoga Springs seems to be a bit inconveniently located. But near DTD?

I was on a family vacation at the Yacht Club this time last year, so I'm familiar with Beach Club area. Quick ferry ride away from Boardwalk, walking distance of Epcot, boat/walking to Hollywood Studios.

From my research, it seems a lot of people are in love with Wilderness Lodge, and I definitely think it would be fun! And it's a boat ride away from MK it seems.

I don't really know much at all about Old Key West... seems to not have an ideal location, but also near DTD?

So the thing is, I think we're only trying to buy park tickets for a day or two (still deciding if we want more). We're college kids on a budget. And we're perfectly satisfied with a spring break filled with days by the pool and whatnot.

Are there any resort-specific activities?

My friend said she thinks it'd be cool to be by Downtown Disney or the Boardwalk.

Since we are all 21, what do you suggest? I've been trying to research 21+ Disney activities. I definitely want to drink around the world at Epcot of course, but what is there to do outside of the parks? Jellyrolls and Atlantic Dance Hall on the Boardwalk I know... what else? I'm excited for my first adult Disney trip!

Any suggestions/advice/etc. immensely appreciated! (We'll probably be a group of 4-5.)

With four, you will all get a sleeping place with your list above. But with five, one person won't get a bed at SSR, BCV or VWL. They all only have one king sized bed and one queen sized sleeper sofa. OKW has an extra twin sized sleeper chair in the living room. I think VB also has the sleeper chair.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

The better question might be where your friend's parents home resort is. If you're truly going during Spring Break, it's a very busy time of year. Your friends parents should book you a room at their home resort at the 11-month mark, then "try" to get you into the resort of your preference when those booking windows open.

If your plan is to spend a good amount of time by the pool, I would suggest BCV first, followed by SSR. Beach Club gives you access to Stormalong Bay, which is by far the nicest pool I've ever experienced at WDW. SSR has the benefit of 5 different pools, two of which are themed.

You're all 21? Will you be spending a good deal of time at the clubs at Downtown Disney? SSR is walking distance and also has boat service to DTD.

Wilderness Lodge is a beautiful resort, and you can't beat the access to the Magic Kingdom. (Well, you can, but I don't see Bay Lake Tower on the list of resorts being offered to you.) You can take a boat to the Magic Kingdom and buses to all other destinations. Don't expect to see the Magic Kingdom from your room, though. The view from VWL is pretty much trees with a possible glimpse of the lake.

If you're going to spend any amount of time in Epcot or Hollywood Studios, the Beach Club is walking distance or has boats to these two parks. Other locations are via bus.

Old Key West has the benefit of having the largest rooms of any DVC resort.

 

[jlsmith376]

If I were 21 on Spring Break I'd stay at SSR. It is a short walk to Downtown Disney and that's where the nightlife is. I've been to the Boardwalk/Epcot Resorts area at night a few times and it wasn't quite as lively as Downtown Disney at night.

 

[lovin'fl]

My friend's parents are very generously allowing us to use their DVC points for our spring break the first week of March

The options they gave us are:

Disney's Vero Beach Resort (One Bedroom Villa)Nothing there...boring for 21 yo gals
Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort (Two Bedroom Villa)too chilly for beach/sunbathing...must drive around to get to places for dancing, drinks, dinner and the resort itself is not beach front, you take a shuttle to the beach
Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa (One Bedroom Villa)I would suggest this and request the section that is right next to Downtown Disney so you can take a short walk back and forth. My SIL does this for her college DS and he LOVES it
Disney's Beach Club Villas (One Bedroom Villa)I also suggest this for walking to/from Epcot and HS...boardwalk also has Jelly Rolls and ESPN for drinks and stuff. BCV pool is the best pool at WDW, so good for you all to lounge around. And they also have Beaches and Cream which is like a Johnny Rockets...burgers and ice cream, YUM!
The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge (One Bedroom Villa)BORING...too quiet, nothing around.
Disney's Old Key West Resort (One Bedroom Villa)Same as VWL except the villas are larger, so having extra space might be good. There pool is nice and they have a boat that takes you to Downtown Disney, but it stops early, so if you are doing late nights at the clubs over there, you'd have to take a bus back.

We ruled Hilton Head out because it won't be warm enough first week of March. I think we're ruling Vero Beach out since we don't want to deal with renting a car.

From what I've read, Saratoga Springs seems to be a bit inconveniently located. But near DTD?

I was on a family vacation at the Yacht Club this time last year, so I'm familiar with Beach Club area. Quick ferry ride away from Boardwalk, walking distance of Epcot, boat/walking to Hollywood Studios.

From my research, it seems a lot of people are in love with Wilderness Lodge, and I definitely think it would be fun! And it's a boat ride away from MK it seems.

I don't really know much at all about Old Key West... seems to not have an ideal location, but also near DTD?

So the thing is, I think we're only trying to buy park tickets for a day or two (still deciding if we want more). We're college kids on a budget. And we're perfectly satisfied with a spring break filled with days by the pool and whatnot.

Are there any resort-specific activities?

My friend said she thinks it'd be cool to be by Downtown Disney or the Boardwalk.

Since we are all 21, what do you suggest? I've been trying to research 21+ Disney activities. I definitely want to drink around the world at Epcot of course, but what is there to do outside of the parks? Jellyrolls and Atlantic Dance Hall on the Boardwalk I know... what else? I'm excited for my first adult Disney trip!

Any suggestions/advice/etc. immensely appreciated! (We'll probably be a group of 4-5.)

I haven't read through the thread yet and you may have already made your decision, but above (in red) is my 2 cents. Happy Planning!

 

[blinkangel44]

You are all so awesome! Thank you so much for all of the input!

We ultimately decided on Saratoga Springs for the proximity to Downtown Disney and all the pools / poolside bars Boardwalk also ended up being available, so it was a tough decision!

And this is for this year, so six weeks from now! Absolutely cannot wait. Thanks again everyone!!

 

[lovin'fl]

You are all so awesome! Thank you so much for all of the input!

We ultimately decided on Saratoga Springs for the proximity to Downtown Disney and all the pools / poolside bars Boardwalk also ended up being available, so it was a tough decision!

And this is for this year, so six weeks from now! Absolutely cannot wait. Thanks again everyone!!

Great! You will have a blast. You should have your folks do online check-in and put in room request (or they could call now and do the room request) for the section/building that's right next to the walk way to Downtown Disney (Congress Park 1101-1436).

 

[Phil Cirrone]

My daughters say beach club

Lisa

 

[spiceycat]

would also say BCV - this is happening at Epcot - when you will be there I think

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/guides/epcot/events/ep-flower-garden.htm

it does start on March 6 - Wednesday.

Epcot flower and garden - now the music (concert - flower power) are probably to old for you to appreciate - but now some 20's old who like the music - 60, 70 and 80's

now realize this thing only opens the last few of your days - so be sure to save one park day for it.