Why does BCV cost so much more per point than BWV?

[kboo]

DH and I are trying to decide what would be a reasonable point price to make an offer on a BCV or BWV contract. He likes BCV because of Stormalong Bay, I like BWV because of standard and BWV rooms, and because it's closer to the Boardwalk and DHS.

We've recently made offers on both a BWV contract (around $105) and a BCV contract (around $120), and with everything else being equal about the contracts, I have a hard time agreeing that SAB is worth that much more when BWV has its positives too (room classes and BW, primarily). I actually like Scary Clown Pool.

 

[bobbiwoz]

BWV does not have dedicated two bedrooms, and when I have a family or friends, more real beds are important. I love SAB. Those are the reasons I value BCV more. I have just about the same number of each points, 250. Swimming weather Book BCV, cooler weather I try to book standard at BWV when I want EPCOT Resort.

 

[kboo]

I had forgotten about the lack of dedicated 2BR. Thanks. But the 3BR and larger will have at least 2BR with real beds in them? Off to look at layouts...

 

[kboo]

Also, do you people think $15pp is worth it? (I know that the only thing that matters is what the market will bear, but trying to analyze these issues with DH. We are both willing to look at the other persons POV, thankfully.)

 

[bobbiwoz]

There aren’t many GVs at BWV. I’ve never even thought about getting one, very point intensive.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

BCV is also quite a bit smaller than BWV so fewer contracts. They used to be priced a bit closer back when we first were buying but it's gotten to be a larger spread.

Have you stayed at either or both? I really recommend that before purchasing at one of these. We bought BCV and do like it but BWV ended up just being more comfortable for us and we ended up selling the BCV and buying BWV instead. Due to timing of the purchases we came out ahead which is why we ended up going ahead with that otherwise would have just kept the BCV and used it between the two. Again, we like BCV but I'm one who doesn't think the premium is worth it compared to BWV. The lack of dedicated 2BR's at BWV is the only knock I have against it. But if we want a GV, which I see as a possibility, we do have that option at BWV. And it has a community hall which BCV doesn't. We also find the slide at the Clown pool to be more entertaining but usually we're just at a quiet pool anyway so the comparison to SAB doesn't matter a lot for us. And BCV does not have the Boardwalk views. And both Epcot and DHS are easily walkable from BWV. BCV is a good hike from DHS so I consider it more a walk to 1 park vs BWV which is walk to 2 parks. We do still end up at BCV on stays even without owning - it just depends on the size rooms and time you want to go.

 

[iheartglaciers]

I think the price difference is because of SAB and smaller resort (so less contracts).

Basically this has been my dilemma too and my conclusion on the price difference was if you like BCV more than BWV than it's worth the extra $15/point, which is $2,250 more for a 150pt contract but only about $100 extra per year over the 23 year contract. But since you're divided, there's no easy answer except that it's probably easier to book BWV with BCV points than the other way around just because BCV is smaller... as long as you were ok giving up 11 mo booking for standard and boardwalk view. Of course this will probably get harder in the coming years, so you couldn't rely on it necessarily.

I like the atmosphere at BWV better, but like SAB over the clown pool (although SAB sometimes feels a little too crowded for me). Here are some of my plus/minuses:

BCV
+ SAB
+ Smaller resort (although if you add in Yacht Club the hotels seem to be similar in size... though no crazy hallways)
+ Super close to Epcot
+ Dedicated 2-BRs
- Villas are far from the feature pool, resort feels a little more disconnected (to me anyway)
- Slide at SAB is across the path from the rest of the pool
- Farther from HS, but still walkable

BWV
+ Community Hall
+ Easy walk to Epcot and HS, and right on the Boardwalk
+ More room categories (nice to have standard when you need to save points, although can be hard to get at certain times of year)
+ I like how the villas are a wing of the main building and right by the feature pool
+ Feels like there are less kids (but my opinion on this could change once I have kids haha)
- Rooms at the end of the hallway are really far from the lobby and boardwalk
- No dedicated 2-BRs
- Don't love the pool

 

[kboo]

BCV is also quite a bit smaller than BWV so fewer contracts. They used to be priced a bit closer back when we first were buying but it's gotten to be a larger spread.

Have you stayed at either or both? I really recommend that before purchasing at one of these. We bought BCV and do like it but BWV ended up just being more comfortable for us and we ended up selling the BCV and buying BWV instead. Due to timing of the purchases we came out ahead which is why we ended up going ahead with that otherwise would have just kept the BCV and used it between the two. Again, we like BCV but I'm one who doesn't think the premium is worth it compared to BWV. The lack of dedicated 2BR's at BWV is the only knock I have against it. But if we want a GV, which I see as a possibility, we do have that option at BWV. And it has a community hall which BCV doesn't. We also find the slide at the Clown pool to be more entertaining but usually we're just at a quiet pool anyway so the comparison to SAB doesn't matter a lot for us. And BCV does not have the Boardwalk views. And both Epcot and DHS are easily walkable from BWV. BCV is a good hike from DHS so I consider it more a walk to 1 park vs BWV which is walk to 2 parks. We do still end up at BCV on stays even without owning - it just depends on the size rooms and time you want to go.

Yes, we've stayed at both! The backstory is that our split stay in August at VGF and BCV was to decide which resort we would buy for our first contract (BLT, VGF, BCV and BWV being the candidates, and we'd already stayed at GF hotel and BLT and BWV), but then I jumped the gun and bought BLT earlier, which turned out to be a good idea given how the market changed. DH really loves SAB - with 2 young kids we are not going to be at any quiet pools any time soon - and I like it, but it requires a lot of parental vigilance with 2 young kids. Our 2yo was playing in the chest-deep-to-her sand bottom area and tended to fall forward and backward, totally sink underwater, and so I needed to be an arms reach away at all times if she fell - while DH was off somewhere else with our 6yo. The lack of dedicated 2BR is a real consideration for if we do bigger family trips, but those won't happen too often, and we could always stay elsewhere for those (BLT 2BR are very nice). We did try the walk from BCV to DHS in the crazy August heat pushing a double stroller - it was fine, though it *is* a consideration. (Though, gondola in the future may render that moot 50% of the time). But all the pros and cons you list are pretty much what DH and I have been tossing around. It is very helpful to see other, more experienced owners' take on the 2.

I think the price difference is because of SAB and smaller resort (so less contracts).

Basically this has been my dilemma too and my conclusion on the price difference was if you like BCV more than BWV than it's worth the extra $15/point, which is $2,250 more for a 150pt contract but only about $100 extra per year over the 23 year contract. But since you're divided, there's no easy answer except that it's probably easier to book BWV with BCV points than the other way around just because BCV is smaller... as long as you were ok giving up 11 mo booking for standard and boardwalk view. Of course this will probably get harder in the coming years, so you couldn't rely on it necessarily.

I like the atmosphere at BWV better, but like SAB over the clown pool (although SAB sometimes feels a little too crowded for me). Here are some of my plus/minuses:

BCV
+ SAB
+ Smaller resort (although if you add in Yacht Club the hotels seem to be similar in size... though no crazy hallways)
+ Super close to Epcot
+ Dedicated 2-BRs
- Villas are far from the feature pool, resort feels a little more disconnected (to me anyway)
- Slide at SAB is across the path from the rest of the pool
- Farther from HS, but still walkable

BWV
+ Community Hall
+ Easy walk to Epcot and HS, and right on the Boardwalk
+ More room categories (nice to have standard when you need to save points, although can be hard to get at certain times of year)
+ I like how the villas are a wing of the main building and right by the feature pool
+ Feels like there are less kids (but my opinion on this could change once I have kids haha)
- Rooms at the end of the hallway are really far from the lobby and boardwalk
- No dedicated 2-BRs
- Don't love the pool

This is all going in my spreadsheet. LOL. I happen to like the clown pool, and how close it is to the BWV. I also did not enjoy walking little wet kids through the COLD AC and the BCV lobby. And BWV's long hallways far from the lobby and boardwalk are closer to DHS and the bus stop. Can you tell I'm an optimist? Funny you mention the kids factor - we noticed more kids at BWV than at BCV but it may have been just a factor of when we were there and the timing of our comings and goings.

But - SAB is definitely fun, and we did like being SO close to Epcot.

And - both times we've stayed at BWV and BCV, our (city) kids have had a great time just running around and playing on the Village Green with other kids (this may be the source of my "more kids at BWV" feeling, now that I type it out) - no FP+, no MB scan, no ADR, just kids running around and laughing. In 2015 my ODD in her Anna dress got to be in prom pictures with about 12 girls who were going to prom as a group by themselves (no boys!). They just invited her to be in their pictures because she was "dressed up for a party" too. How sweet is that?

 

[iheartglaciers]

And - both times we've stayed at BWV and BCV, our (city) kids have had a great time just running around and playing on the Village Green with other kids (this may be the source of my "more kids at BWV" feeling, now that I type it out) - no FP+, no MB scan, no ADR, just kids running around and laughing. In 2015 my ODD in her Anna dress got to be in prom pictures with about 12 girls who were going to prom as a group by themselves (no boys!). They just invited her to be in their pictures because she was "dressed up for a party" too. How sweet is that?

Yeah I think the more kids at BCV thing is in my head and not a real thing My last BCV stay I spent a lot of time at SAB, so naturally more kids, and my last BWV stay I hung out there mostly at night for the Boardwalk, so less kids out and about.

My sister's POV was if we're having such a hard time deciding between the two than we should just pick the cheaper one. But that hasn't quieted the internal debate in my head haha.

 

[chadwick61]

So my wife and I had been debating where to buy points for about a year and BWV and BCV were high on our list. We have stayed in both and it came down to two things. 1) My loves water, but hates clowns and 2) We both agreed that we just felt more at home at the Beach Club. So for us it was a no brainer. My wife also pointed out that if we bought at BWV that she would always feel a little resentment/sadness when looking across the lake at SAB.

To really answer your question though, I would say it is all about supply and demand. BCV is smaller and with updates to both Epcot and Studios, Beach Club prices have gone up faster. I would guess that Boardwalk will soon be rising drastically when Beach Club starts pricing itself too high!

 

[Granny]

So my wife and I had been debating where to buy points for about a year and BWV and BCV were high on our list. We have stayed in both and it came down to two things. 1) My loves water, but hates clowns and 2) We both agreed that we just felt more at home at the Beach Club. So for us it was a no brainer.

You made a good choice for you and your situation.

My wife also pointed out that if we bought at BWV that she would always feel a little resentment/sadness when looking across the lake at SAB.

For us, if we had bought at BCV we would have felt a little resentment/sadness at paying so many points per night when across the lake are those BWV standard view bargains!

The main thing is that you bought where your heart was, and you will never regret following that to make your decision. As was pointed out by @iheartglaciers , the price difference amortized over the remaining life of the contracts isn't worth staying at the resort that you feel came in second place.

 

[kboo]

... My wife also pointed out that if we bought at BWV that she would always feel a little resentment/sadness when looking across the lake at SAB....!

The main thing is that you bought where your heart was, and you will never regret following that to make your decision. As was pointed out by @iheartglaciers , the price difference amortized over the remaining life of the contracts isn't worth staying at the resort that you feel came in second place.

Yeah, our problem is that DH and I have a different rank order for BCV and BWV... ! I just don't know which one comes in first or second place *for us*.

 

[starry_solo]

Yeah, our problem is that DH and I have a different rank order for BCV and BWV... ! I just don't know which one comes in first or second place *for us*.

Buy both!

 

[kboo]

Buy both!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
(pause)
(thinking)
.
.
.
But what if Riviera is AWESOME??

Actually, 3rd contract/home resort may be SSR or VGF... but let's get the 2nd home resort done first. heh.

 

[LSchrow]

...our (city) kids have had a great time just running around and playing on the Village Green with other kids (this may be the source of my "more kids at BWV" feeling, now that I type it out) - no FP+, no MB scan, no ADR, just kids running around and laughing. In 2015 my ODD in her Anna dress got to be in prom pictures with about 12 girls who were going to prom as a group by themselves (no boys!). They just invited her to be in their pictures because she was "dressed up for a party" too. How sweet is that?

That BW neighborhood feeling is actually one of our favorite things about the BW - just about everyone greets one another in the hallways (both guests & staff), people seem to break out of that "my family bubble" and chat easily with others, kids find & play with others, community hall, etc......add in going downstairs just to see a street performer while you eat yummy ice cream or funnel cake, and our personal favorite: those amazing BW views
btw, we own 3 contracts (746pts) at BWV as well as 1 60pt at BCV - we easily use all the BWV pts, but only rent out the BCV points.

 

[lovin'fl]

Okay...so I post in all these BC VS BW threads. Can't resist as they are both two of our favorites. Here goes my story....

We bought in at OKW in 2006. We bought the biggest contract at a WDW resort for the money we had to spend (ie: cheapest)....that was OKW. We stayed at various resorts over the years. Wanted to try all the east coast DVC. We fell in love, as a family, with Epcot. And in that love, we discovered F&W in 2013. So we decided to add on points at one of the Epcot resorts. We wanted enough to book 4-5 weeknights in a studio every fall for F&W. We wanted to match our UY so we decided to get 55 points direct. We had to go on waitlist and could have went on BCV or BWV for the same price per point. So DH and I discussed and, even though we like BCV a little more than BWV, we went with BWV so we could save points by booking standard view studios. Turns out that is not always possible, even being a BWV owner going online right at 8am of the 11 month window. Since owning we have had 2/4 success rate. Just booked for next Oct and failed at getting the studio so I went with a standard view 1BR. Failed for 2016 as well...but got two standard view studios for 2017 (so go figure).

Anyway...we have since added more BWV points for 255 total there. We find we want to stay near Epcot almost every trip.

But my likes and dislikes are much like mentioned in iheartglaciers post above. Like that BCV is smaller and more quaint and shorter hallways. Like that they have 2BR villas with two full beds in the 2nd bedroom. Like that it's a little closer to Epcot. Like the pool and Beaches and Cream. Do not like that they removed the jetted tubs from the 1/2BR villas. For BWV, we like that we may be able to save points with standard view. We like that we can walk to HS as well as Epcot. I like, though not sure we will ever book one, that they have GV. Like all the stuff on the Boardwalk. Like that we have had some good views, even able to see fireworks. Do not like the parking. Do not like that they seem to have some water pipe or electric issues as they are always tearing into walls and ceilings in the hallways for repairs. Do not like the long hallways with only one bay of elevators.

For you to decide on which resort to buy...maybe develope a scoring system. Come up with various important factors and score each resort a 1- for bad or a 2- for okay or a 3- for good. Add up totals and see which scores higher.

 

[SL6827]

My wife also pointed out that if we bought at BWV that she would always feel a little resentment/sadness when looking across the lake at SAB.

Totally agree! I might like staying at the BWVs when the temps are very chilly, because it would take a little out of that sting that would result at looking over at SAB!

 

[Buzzsgramma]

Most all the DVC resorts have their own qualities...We own 2 contracts at BWV first one in 2000 the smaller ad on in 2010..i think...our grandkids have been raised in Disney...the oldest grandson and his bride went to AKL for their honeymoon...anyway...I have to say I love to go over to BC and walk around,have dinner....but the family 12 of them always want the BWV....they are lovers of Epcot even at young ages....the ability to walk from either resort is priceless to us...
I will say this with a total of 300 pts...we really stretch out the vacations..because one one thing.....STANDARD VIEW points.....when you first purchase a contract you dont give alot of thought to points but in time you will.....

 

[cvjw]

We own 270 bwv points and 175 bcv points. We always use the bwv points at the 11 month mark for standard views. We end up renting out the bcv points. I can’t remember the last time we used home resort priority there.

Everyone has different likes and dislikes. For us, we love, love, love staying at bwv. It is truly home for us

 

[DougEMG]

We own at BWV and love it for the location and for the standard view room points. Those standard rooms are the absolutely best deal out of any of the resorts.

When we go in the summer though, I try and do a split stay with some time at BCV. I enjoy SAB and the ability to walk all throughout the BCV and the BC&YC hotel under cover when it is raining out. Last summer it felt like it rain a lot, so it was nice just to get out and walk around or get a bite to eat without getting soaked.