Would you purchase Beach Club or Boardwalk?

[cjwags10]

I will clarify - we are not fans of the décor/theming at Boardwalk. We are not circus/clown people. We are definitely more beachy people. We enjoy the beach area, the sandy bottom pool and the general theming of the Yacht and Beach Club areas. This includes the lobbies, restaurants, bars, etc. The rooms themselves are very similar. When we do book a 2-bedroom we always get the 2 queen beds which is nice especially now that the kids are older - they don't fight about who sleeps on the pull-out.

 

[SCDizneyDawn]

Others have made some excellent points! We own at both and have stayed many times at both over the yrs. They only thing I want to add is that at the BWV there is no cover to get to the restaurants and main gift shop. So if it is pouring and u want something you have to brave the elements to get to the sit down and counter service restaurant(s).
Good luck with your decision!

We love both for all the reasons stated!!

 

[Baklava]

We own at BWV as a second resort(VWL is our 1st buy). We have stayed at BCV once, BWV numerous times. We lean towards BWV, you can book standard views which save some pts., plus proximity to both parks is better overall. BCV affords you a quicker trip to Epcot by walks, but further than BWV by walks to HS. BCV has that great pool, so that would be my only nod that way.

HAH! I'm right and the hubs is wrong! I TOLD him the walk to Epcot is shorter from the Beach Club! Excuse me while I go do the Neener Dance...

 

[Anal Annie]

We've stayed at both (BCV 2x and BWV 1x) but we only use studios. The studio layouts and sizes are similar enough that neither one has a big advantage over the other. I will say that we REALLY enjoy spending a day around the SAB pool area and the shorter walk to Epcot from BCV. Sadly there are not really any exceptional views at all at BCV. The one time we were at BWV we had a really long walk (or felt like it) and we had a BW view. We were right in front of some boardwalk game that made a lot of noise (bells & buzzers ringing). But we could see a bit of the fireworks from Illuminations. I've never been able to find a std. view available there at the 7 mo. window whenever we go to plan a trip as we're a little "points challenged" so stretching points is more important than views for us. I would like that advantage of being able to book std. view if we were to plan another trip there. But when counting out & adding up points to plan trips I usually just figure we'd have to spring for the BW points. As a non-owner there that is pretty much the reality of planning a trip to BWV. Overall I think we prefer BCV tho. It's a charming resort with calming beachy colors.

 

[katmatry]

BCV has my vote

 

[ktmo]

We went with BCV. SAB was the tipping point.

Although, I don't think you can go wrong with either.

 

[LSchrow]

BCV
- large pool with sandy area (exclusively for BC/YC/BCV guests)
- nearby parking
- dedicated 2 bedroom villas available bwv lounge

- not known for the views (EPCOT view includes a roadway, some fireworks over the tops of trees)
- no grand villas
- need to walk over to BW for nighttime activities and/or community hall

BWV
- low point standard view; stunning BW view villas (standard & BW views can be difficult to procure at 7 months, and even at 11 months from Oct thru New Years). both BW & standard views can ONLY be booked on points - no cash (not even DVC member cash thru MS)
- community hall
- nighttime activity (street performers, carny games, etc), Jellyrolls. just people watching on the BW is fun (plus, you might see performers from EPCOT concerts: we've passed by Peter Noone from Herman's Hermits countless times, Davy Jones (Monkees - who, sadly, passed away), as well as Shaq O'Neal, etc).
- bakery (just YUM!), really enjoy Big River & dining outdoors, Flying Fish, trattoria al forno, belle vue lounge....looking forward to the new ice cream shop (& just strolling upstairs when my cone is done)
- shorter walk (about 10-15m) to DHS - ferries available to EPCOT & DHS at both resorts
- grand villas

- one bank of elevators on the villa side, another bank for BWI side (we use the stairwells - very quick & easy)
- no dedicated 2-bdrms
- longer walk to parking

both are beautiful, theming is lovely either way, and each are within easy walk of EPCOT.
we bought BWV in 1999, added on BCV prebuild, and added another BWV contract not too long ago. BWV is definitely our favorite for the amazing BW view, lower noise levels, less crowded pools, resort-like feel. walking a bit to our car is such a lovely walk that it doesn't faze us - we prefer not seeing smelling cars, buses, etc from our balcony. for many others, the pool at BC/YC/BCV is the "wow" factor - there are no rights or wrongs here, just preferences

 

[suebeelin]

There are so many pros and cons-- for us, money was the priority. So, bwv won.

Bwv is less on the resale market, similar maintenance fees.

Bwv gives us the cheap standard point rooms- we aren't view people.

The only thing I regret is access to SAB, but kids are currently too young (2/5). We will try to trade in at the 7mo mark when they are a few years older...

 

[kittyab]

If there was DVC expansion ..... I would buy at BCV in a heartbeat.

 

[Dean]

First of all, if we add DVC resale points, whatever resale resort we buy into will be an additional Home Resort? I want to make sure my information on that is correct.

We are already DVC members (Aulani), but we are considering adding some points in the future to benefit our WDW vacations. We tend to stay in MK resorts, so we are going to add Bay Lake in the future, but after our Fall 2016 vacation, it will be a few years before we stay at BLT again, so it makes sense to wait on adding them there.

If we add some this year, it would benefit mine and my husband's Couples trip at the end of 2017 - we love the Epcot area but have never stayed in the Epcot resorts. I'm sure we will stay there a lot once our kids are not so young, but I'm wondering what DISers consider the better option? Beach Club villas or Boardwalk? We've been to both, but having never stayed there, it's hard to judge a hotel based on the lobby and exterior.

I plan to do a lot more research on both before buying in again, but I like getting a variety of opinions before a big decision.

Let me understand, you're planning on ending up with BLT, BWV & Aulani over the next few years. I didn't see the number of points you were looking at but for 2 BR I assume you're looking at a min of 150 to 170 per resort for each add on. If less, I'd only do BLT or BCV/BWV but not both. Between BCV & BWV I generally prefer BWV because it's cheaper per point, easier to reserve and has the standard view options. But you stated you prefer the 2 queen beds in the second, BCV only have a few and BWV none. If that' important, I wouldn't buy either. I see no reason to wait on the BLT points if you're set on buying there.