Which home resort did you choose & why??

[disneymomof2boyz]

I'm considering buying into DVC, and I just wanted to know everyone's opinions in terms of the resorts. Cleanliness, value, closeness to the parks, etc.
Thanks to all

 

[BCVBRUCE]

I'm considering buying into DVC, and I just wanted to know everyone's opinions in terms of the resorts. Cleanliness, value, closeness to the parks, etc.
Thanks to all

We chose BCV because of the closeness to the parks. Actually it was a couple hundred miles closer than Hilton Head and Vero. BCV, HHI and VB were the only ones available when we chose. OKW may have been available.

The real answer to you question is still closeness. BCV is right smack in the middle of MGM and EPCOT and therefore Magic Kingdom by monorail. Overall theme, eating options, non-park entertainment all come into play. I love being in the middle of all the fun at the Boardwalk. Some like the peace and tranquility of SSR. Being not limited to just bus transportation is also a plus. Right now I am torn between AKV and CRV(If the rumor is true) as add-ons. CRV will be right smack in the middle of things while AKV may be a bit remote. However, the whole theme thing of AKV may win me over.

 

[disneynutz]

I'm considering buying into DVC, and I just wanted to know everyone's opinions in terms of the resorts. Cleanliness, value, closeness to the parks, etc.
Thanks to all

If I were you I would take the time to read as many posts as you can. Then I would try to rent rooms at the resorts that you are interested in. You are about to spend several thousands of dollars. I don't know if I would make this kind of a decision based entirely upon DIS Board opinions. What I love, you might hate.

 

[Beca]

We chose BCV because, well....we ADORE it!!

For us, it is the perfect resort....the villas wing is quiet and serene (actually the whole resort seems serene to us), but you are within minutes of some great action!!

Stormalong Bay is an AMAZING pool complex. I think this pool has something for everyone of all ages. My dd has been playing in the shallow, sand-bottom section since she was 2. We could sit her in the water, and she would build sandcastles for hours. Now, she ventures over to other sections, but still loves the sandcastle area.

The food choices at BCV are plentiful. Beaches 'n Cream is one of our favorite places to eat, but it is really nice to have Hurricane Hanna's for the days that you are out by the pool. Sometimes, when the wait for B&C is out of control, we often get food from Hanna's (and dh gets an "adult beverage") and just sit and listen to the waterfalls at SAB. However, there are other great food choices at BCV as well. The salads in the Marketplace are REALLY good, and the gelato is a must do. The desserts are rich and heavenly. Speaking of desserts, the work out room at BCV is nice, conveniently located, and has another great view of SAB. There is also Cape May's which has a great character breakfast, and Yachtsman's Steakhouse for fine dining with yet another great view!!! We also love just to be able to sit in a lounge chair by the lake and stick our feet in the sand, while our dd feeds the ducks. This is also a great place to watch Illuminations from a distance...it is the perfect end to a heavenly day!!!

However, there are other things we love about BCV. It is nice to know that if we ever need it, BCV has the Sandcastle Club for our daughter (or, more importantly...for us). We love the architecture of this resort...it is just breathtaking. We love feeding the turtles and ducks from our balcony when we get a canal room. We love the casual, yet elegant feel to the resort. We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE being so close to Epcot. The world showcase is one of my favorite places on the face of the Earth...so, having a semi-private entrance right into this section of the park is wonderful. We like to travel off-season when most of the parks close early. This is great because the World Showcase is always open until at least nine, so whatever park we go to during the day (except for MK days because this park stays open late as well), we always finish our day at Epcot. We either watch Illuminations from within the park, or sitting on the beach. It has become a "tradition" for us. My dd is now 5, and we are having a difficult time planning to go in the off-season this year. We have a trip planned for March, but we were hoping to get a winter trip in as well. I asked my dd tonight if we could get rooms somewhere else besides BCV, would she want to go, and she replied, "No way....I'd rather not go Mom." Well....she just may get her wish, but that pretty much sums up our level of devotion to this resort.

I hope that you do a lot of thinking about what makes that "special place" for you, and I hope that you buy at that resort. I think the advice of staying at, or at least visiting all resorts before you buy is important. We bought sight unseen at 3 different resorts because I thought I knew what I wanted. None of those resorts were BCV. After we visited, we sold our points and bought at BCV...and we lost some money in the process. But, what is more valuable to us than our money is dh's vacation time. It was very important to us that we get to spend those precious few weeks at BCV, and therefore we felt we needed to own there. I hope you do not make the same mistakes we did.

Good luck!!!

 

[TenThousandVolts]

We bought 5 months ago- we chose SSR- because of the low cost per point (15 bucks off per point- I think that was $86) low maint.fees and extra years.

 

[DisneyHumbug]

I bought VWL because that is what they were selling at the time. I added on at BCV because the kids had gotten older and we didn't have to spend every day at the MK. Now my kids (young adults) only like to stay at BCV because the pool, food and closeness to MGM. I imagine one day (not too soon) I'll have grandkids and again be staying at VWL.

 

[Slakk]

I have 4 home resorts spread over 300 points.

100 AKV
100 VWL
50 BCV
50 HHI

We primarily stay at SSR and VWL - will now add AKV to the mix. I use the BCV to help pay for the 1 week at HHI we do.

Plus by having only small contracts it is easier should we ever need to sell.

 

[WolfpackFan]

We chose VWL because we were staying at WL when we bought our contract and thought the resort was really neat. Now we wish we had bought BWV because we love the convenience of just walking over to Epcot.

 

[rigsby25]

We bought an OKW resale because the rooms seemed bigger and the points per stay were lower. At the time, the maintenance fees were very good also. We travel mainly in October and May and one winter trip, and so far we have been able to stay in most of the other resorts. Our favorite is still OKW. We just bought 100 at AKV. We had a group of 14 people for breakfast at Boma once, and they all said that they would never want to leave if they stayed there. So went in went on sale, we jumped.

 

[DVC Grandpa]

We purchased at BCV (four times) because of location, location, location....

 

[wildernessDad]

We bought VWL through Disney because we absolutely love Wilderness Lodge. We added on there as well.

We bought AKV because of the unique resort experience with the animals, the enhanced 1 and 2 brs and the fact that it lasts for 50 years.

 

[mprewitt]

We bought into AKV. At the time, we knew nothing about "Disney's best kept secret" and bought in during the DVC tour. We thought our choices were just SSR and AKV. We didn't know about the resale market. We really like the theming of AKV.

After we bought, I did some more research and decided to add-on some points at VWL and BWV. VWL since I also love the theming and location near MK and BWV because of it's location near Epcot and DS.

We bought small contracts direct from DVC (40 VWL, 25 VWL, and 40 BWV) for ease of resale. We bought direct from DVC to ensure they were all the same Use Year and because it was fast and easy (I don't think I could handle the anxiety of waiting for ROFR on a resale).

These will allow us to have a 1BR at VWL every other year and at BWV every third year with the 11-month booking window. I am also on the wait list for 47 points at BCV.

I will add-on again if DVC ever announces the potential CRV (assuming the rumors are true).

 

[mikesmom]

We bought at BWV because of the easy walk into Epcot (our favorite park). Once we stayed at OKW we did an add on there to have access to GVs on the odd year when the whole family travels together. It's so relaxing over there, it quickly became my personal favorite. ( don't tell the guys, they still love BWV best )

 

[SuzanneSLO]

We bought at BWV so we could walk to Epcot and the Studios and for access to SV and BW View rooms at 11 months. MY DH can't imagine staying any where else. After 3 trips, we still have not stayed in a PV room 'thou that was partly becuase a 1 night PV ressie was upgraded to BW view!

Best of luck in your decision -- Suzanne

 

[ransom]

We bought VWL because we love the theming, the location (not only the proximity to MK, but also the way it feels like you're far, far away from the hustle and bustle when you're there), and the small size of the resort.

In the end, it came down to VWL, BWV, or BCV for us. All have the small size, which is the most important consideration for us. But we didn't like the BWV restaurant options, and BCV was both more expensive and less well themed for our tastes.

In the end, VWL was the only current DVC resort for us. If CRV ever happens, we'll probably add on there, though.

 

[OKW Lover]

We chose OKW because at that time that WAS DVC. Haven't regretted it for a minute. Unless you count regretting we didn't buy more/sooner.

 

[Merylj]

We bought at SSR because we couldn`t decide! In the end what did it was the extra years, the ease of buying direct through Disney, the 2006 bonus points and the fact we like DTD so the easy access was a great plus.
We plan to stay at more of the DVC resorts, see which we really like and then add on.

 

[CarolAnnC]

I started with OKW which was of course, the original DVC resort. We adored our stays there and truly became hooked on DVC.

I found a phenomenal Vero Beach resale contract with lots of banked points and a price to die for! Of course, I snapped that one up right away.

Then I added onto BWV as I wanted to travel there the beginning of December and could never get in with the 7 month window.

Then while on a Disney Cruise, they offered a great deal on BCV which I could not turn down, and went ahead purchasing the add on while on board ship.

Now if I can only resist AKV, LOL!

 

[dizney4us]

We chose SSR because it does not expire until 2054, and we loved that it was across from DTD. We also LOVE the upscale decor and the very comfortable beds! It is so beautiful and comfortable that we could actually enjoy the resort coupled with DTD and not go to any parks! Which will be good for when we are older and don't necessarily feel like doing parks, but still want the Disney magic and fun of dining/shopping @ DTD.
We are so happy with our purchase, you will be too!

 

[NYMomof4]

I bought SSR in 2005 because it was the resort that was officially for sale. I would do the same again, though, knowing about resale, mainly because I love the closeness to DTD, the newness and relaxing feel to SSR, and the extra years. I did a one night stay at AKL recently and am now hooked on thinking about an add-on. At this point, our options have been good for other DVC resort stays, but I do not count on that forever. All the resorts have something special about them, IMO, and that's one of the reasons that DVC appealed to me.