Which one to buy - BCV or BWV?

[Brian Noble]

I think of BWV as a little more "active", and a little more central. BCV is a little bit outside of the action. It also has a bit of extra cachet amongst the DVC glitterati. Personally, I would probably go with BWV, myself, because of the point flexibility, the boardwalk views, being right smack in the middle of it all, etc. SAB is nice, but we don't find the "better-than-a-pool" pools to be that much of a draw for us. If we're going to get serious with water, we would much rather head out to a "real" water park.

 

[maminnie]

Both resorts are great...being able to walk or take a boat to two parks is really such a plus to us. There are also so many restaurant options in this area between the Boardwalk area and hotels. I also love being able to get out and have so many places to walk both day and night. I am a walker for exercise and really enjoy this about this area.

My family enjoys both pools; each different but both fun. It is somewhat difficult to watch kids at Stormalong Bay at BCV. It is really large and spread out and they have to cross the walking path (that surrounds the lagoon in this area) to get to the slide and you definitely lose sight of them. At BWV the slide entrance is right in the swimming area. SAB is really a neat pool though and a big draw with this resort.

Both resorts have very nice quiet pool areas. The quiet pool at BWV is ajacent to the Community Center which is nice when you have kids.

Both resorts are wonderful but I would recommend buying where you want to stay so that you are not disappointed in the future if you can't get a particular resort.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[downontheBW]

Thank you to everyone who replied. No need for anyone to apologize for any point of view (kids / no kids) - it's all good information. For whatever it's worth, DW and I have talked it over and I thought we'd share our thoughts / plans:

* SAB really is less of a draw now than it was when we started. If parents have a hard time keeping track of kids, it's difficult to get a chair, and there are extra charges for inner tubes, what little interest we might have had to use that feature is gone.

* Room / view differences - if you've never stayed at OKW, the room views are, to put it nicely, placid. So if we want quiet and peaceful, we can always book there. I'm sure we'd be OK with any view at BCV or BWV. Having the option of a premium view at BWV might be a nice perk.

* Distances - As was mentioned, with all the walking we do at the world, an extra 10 minutes isn't going to make or break us.

With so few BCV resales advertised, we were allowing ourselves to be pressured to move quickly when one came up. I think we'll probably wait a little while now to make a decision. We're going to be in the World in January, and we're going to make time to walk from Epcot to BWV, and perhaps on to DHS to get a feel for the distances involved. But based on everything we've heard here, we'll probably go with BWV.

Thanks again to everyone!!

Sounds like a good decision. To agree with your choice of BWV - if you don't need SAB, the BWV is better IMO. As on owner of BWV, you can choose to overlook the Boardwalk or save points on a standard view - and you usually need the 11 month window to book those.

Good luck with your add-on.

 

[Disnydad]

I'd go for BCV. Those hallways at BWV are waayyy too long for just one set of elevators. Plus the parking at BCV is so much better.

Best of luck to you.

 

[simmons_m]

Good choice.
I don't think you can beat the boardwalk views on property. savanna is nice, but there is something about looking across the water, and seeing spaceship earth rise above the beach club.
That being said, bcv is still a favorite of mine for the easy counter service and SAB.
You really could not go wrong. Plus, with the bwv points you are virtually guaranteed a room at the 11 month window, and you can transfer to bcv at the 7 month window.
Good luck with the purchase.

 

[Marine Mom]

The pool at BCV annoys my dh. He thinks it is ridiculous to have to get out and cross three inches of cement to get into another pool. I disliked it because I couldn't relax. We have 8 year old twins, and I was quite worried about the exits. Finding a seat was complicated - hard to find a spot which was good for watching the girls.

I thought I was the only one who felt this way. So glad to hear I am not alone!

 

[Sammie]

BCV hands down. Mainly because of the pool, location, great parking close to villas.

Due to the fact it is so much smaller, getting in there is harder at 7 months than BWV.

Unless you are going to book Grand Villas, I would see no reason to prefer BWV over BCV.

As to the distance from BCV to the main lobby, definitely not any further than BWV to the BW where all the food and stores are.

 

[maminnie]

Just something to consider....

From what has been reported on occasion here on the boards, BCV can be more difficult to book from 8 months to 11 months during busy times because it is much smaller and obviously extremely desireable. BWV is much larger, desireable, but supposedly not quite as difficult to book. So if you are unable to plan vacations closer to the 11 month window and travel during busy times, you may want to consider this in your resort selection.

Good luck with your decision. Both resorts are great and the location of both is wonderful.

 

[Hibernians]

Why all the focus on SAB ? The BCV has a really nice pool area plus a hot tub. One can stay at BCV and avoid SAB altogether - and I agree that SAB can be an overwhelming and a difficult place to watch the kids while trying to relax by the pool at the same time.

 

[hugscot]

BCV due to proximity to Epcot and the pool is better. Plus I own there to

 

[Erin12303]

We have stayed at both and enjoyed both stays.

I was much happier with the parking at BCV compared with the BWV but it's not something that would keep me away.
Also it was nice at the BCV when it rained just because of the covered walkway to get to the food/store.
I rather enjoy the stroll to Epcot from BWV. I love walking back from Epcot to the BWV with all the lights and activity.
I found the views more pleasant at the BWV and the pool much quieter.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Mississippian]

I'd go for BCV. Those hallways at BWV are waayyy too long for just one set of elevators. Plus the parking at BCV is so much better.

Best of luck to you.

That's the biggest complaint I hear about BWV. Yet when I stayed at OKW, the distance from my unit to the lobby was about 10 to 20 times as long and it wasn't even covered. At SSR it's even longer and they don't have a hallway either! I'd rather be in a relatively short hallway than walking a mile outdoors in the rain/cold/heat. Just me.

 

[andycat]

when I stayed at OKW, the distance from my unit to the lobby was about 10 to 20 times as long.

Depends on whether or not you have a car. At OKW, you've got parking right outside your room. It seems like the lobby is kinda irrelevant once you've checked in - dining and the general store are another matter.

 

[DizDays]

While you can't go wrong with either, for me it's BCV all the way - for all of the reasons previously mentioned. I love that place!

 

[mdphilps]

pros and cons anyone?

We're looking to buy some more points, either at bcv or bwv. Our primary motivation is that we want to be close to epcot for food and wine, avoiding the halloween and veterans day holidays. We'll definitely visit all the parks, but for these points our focus is epcot. I've looked at some reviews of the rooms, and most are positive for both properties. There are just two of us, and we'll typically alternate our visits between a studio and one-bedroom.

We might try the pool at bcv once in a while if we buy there, but we currently have annual water park passes for serious pool time.

We tend to eat breakfast in the room, pack snacks for lunch and eat dinner in the parks. We might eat at the resort restaurant once during a stay.

We'll mostly be driving our own vehicle to the resort, leaving it there and taking disney transportation to the parks. We might run out for groceries once during a stay, or drive to a dinner reservation at another resort, or to the water parks.

We currently own at okw, so we're not new to dvc, but we've never been able to use our okw points to get a weekend during food and wine at one of the epcot resorts. And now that we're in florida instead of oregon, we're planning on visiting the world more often.

Bwv is the obvious choice based on price, but what's so special about bcv that commands such a premium for points? Is it just the pool? Or something more?

bcv!!!

 

[Sunshine22]

Both resorts have a lot to offer. You will most likely be happy with either choice. My DD who is a young teen is spooked by the clown pool at BWV. Since both DDs are teens, we're not as concerned about watching them at SAB, and they love the pool, arcade, and Beaches and Cream. We love the quaintness of BCV and easy walk to Epcot. The activities and views at Boardwalk are appealing, and the lower points required for a standard view are something to consider. Boardwalk resale prices are also better than BCV.

 

[marynvince]

studio. Can't say i am a fan. Read all of the hype but at the end of the day my fav's(of places I've stayed) in order:

HHI
SSR
AKV
OKW
BWV
BCV
BLT

 

[marko]

Hi,
I've stayed at both resorts and while I completely agree with all of the positives of BCV, it is the Boardwalk view that will win every time. We are also looking to add on between BWV and BCV; we are leaning towards BWV mostly for the wonderful BW view!! I know some people discount the importance of a view, but for us it makes a big difference. (Although, last year I was able to get a BW view room for the July 4th week at the seven month mark).

 

[andycat]

We just got back from the world so I thought I'd post our observations and conclusion.

We made a point of walking from Epcot to BWV, and the distance isn't as bad as a I thought it would be. We walked through and around BWV, and even went up to the room corridor to see about the long walk there. Again, while it could be a long walk from the elevators, this doesn't seem too bad.

We had dinner at Big River and really enjoyed the view, and contemplated sitting on the balcony watching the activity on the lake. We walked around the back side, and while the views aren't as spectacular, overlooking Swan and Dolphin isn't the worst view in the world.

We didn't stop at BCV - obviously it's closer to Epcot, but since we're not interested in the pool, proximity is the only thing going for BCV for us. Parking is a small issue, but we mostly park the car and take Disney Transportation when we're on property.

Given how much more expensive BCV is, we've decided we'll look for a resale at BWV.

 

[lowe@massed.net]

We just got back from the world so I thought I'd post our observations and conclusion.

We made a point of walking from Epcot to BWV, and the distance isn't as bad as a I thought it would be. We walked through and around BWV, and even went up to the room corridor to see about the long walk there. Again, while it could be a long walk from the elevators, this doesn't seem too bad.

We had dinner at Big River and really enjoyed the view, and contemplated sitting on the balcony watching the activity on the lake. We walked around the back side, and while the views aren't as spectacular, overlooking Swan and Dolphin isn't the worst view in the world.

We didn't stop at BCV - obviously it's closer to Epcot, but since we're not interested in the pool, proximity is the only thing going for BCV for us. Parking is a small issue, but we mostly park the car and take Disney Transportation when we're on property.

Given how much more expensive BCV is, we've decided we'll look for a resale at BWV.

I like your logic, andycat. I've been debating the same question with myself and have pretty much arrived at the same conclusion, so now I'm just waiting for the right BWV contract to come up for resale.