Have BWV reserved, should I cancel wait list for BCV

[acwmom]

This will be our first DVC trip!!!!! It will be me, my DH, 2 sons (age 17 and 14) and the 17yo's girlfriend. I have a 2BR lock off pool/garden view at BWV confirmed for 4 nights over Labor Day Weekend. I am wait listed for a 2BR villa at BCV. The main reason I would want to stay at the BCV would be for the pool. We are Epcot/HS fans, so either place will be perfect for those parks. Other than the pool, are there advantages of one over the other? It looks like BWV may have bigger rooms? Has one been more recently updated? Thanks for any and all advice!

Robin

 

[DizBub]

This will be our first DVC trip!!!!! It will be me, my DH, 2 sons (age 17 and 14) and the 17yo's girlfriend. I have a 2BR lock off pool/garden view at BWV confirmed for 4 nights over Labor Day Weekend. I am wait listed for a 2BR villa at BCV. The main reason I would want to stay at the BCV would be for the pool. We are Epcot/HS fans, so either place will be perfect for those parks. Other than the pool, are there advantages of one over the other? It looks like BWV may have bigger rooms? Has one been more recently updated? Thanks for any and all advice!

Robin

Both BVC and BWV are great choices. Having stayed in both I don't believe one is any bigger than the other.

BWV has had a more recent refurbishment but that was about 4 or 5 years ago. BCV is supposed to have a refurb in 2014 but it hasn't started yet as far as I know.

One thing to mention is that all of the 2 bedrooms at BWV have a studio lock-off as the 2nd bedroom. So they will have 2 entrances and the 2nd bedroom will have 1 queen bed and a sofa sleeper. BCV does have dedicated 2 bedrooms but only 25 of them have 2 queen beds in the 2nd bedroom. If sleeping arrangements are important to you this could be an issue.

 

[disslot]

The pool is worth the switch, go for it.

You can access most of boardwalk's stuff regardless.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I would keep the waitlist. You lose nothing by trying to get BCV.

 

[DVC Sue]

It's a tough choice. If your kids like to swim, I would waitlist BCV. SAB is awesome. Otherwise, we prefer the Boardwalk. We love strolling along the boardwalk and watching all the entertainment.

 

[Murron]

For the ages of your children I would stay with BWV. BCV has the Stormalong pool, but a ton of families with young children and that pool is always crowded and chaotic. BWV has a more adult/teen atmosphere. And the creepy clown pool is just fine. If you feel you need the sand in your toes, the BCV is just a short walk away. Also...BCV patio views are hit and miss. Don't get me wrong....I love both, but again, for the age of your children, I think BWV is the better choice. Lots to do and see on the actual Boardwalk...short walk to Fantasia miniature golf and of course, Epcot. Both are great...good luck deciding! (Whatever you do, make a reservation at Cape May! Yum)

 

[Sandisw]

We prefer BWV but then again, the pool is not a huge draw for us...We are okay with the pool options at BWV, both the quiet and the main pool.

What we like about BWV is that is in between Epcot and DHS so the walk to each of them is pretty equal.

When at BCV, the walk to Epcot is simple and fast, but to DHS it is a much longer hike and in the hot sun of summer--when we typically visit--it can be a tough one.

Plus, we like the ease of just walking out to boardwalk in the AM for coffee and sitting on the dock enjoying the peacefulness. Not that we can't do that from BCV but its a much longer walk than from BWV.

But, I agree with everyone, the location of either can't be beat for the Epcot/DHS visits!!!

 

[LSchrow]

both are fantastic resorts
the big draw at BCV is the pool, but as pp said, it can get very crowded and loud. it can be lots of fun for little ones and "waders" (non-swimmers).

BWV generally has much nicer views, and lots more to do (BCV guests can use BWV amenities, but would need to walk around the lake - and back - to do so).
our teens loved being able to walk to the bakery (YUM!) for breakfast goodies, watch the nighttime performers and play carny games, stroll/people watch on the BW, play ping-pong/video games/crafts/read at Community hall, etc

enjoy your decision, whatever it may be

 

[jerseygal]

Your age kids will LOVE the boardwalk area! BWV will be awesome for that age! LOVE walking around the boardwalk resort area and they will love the close access to Epcot!

With that being said, we LOVED STORMALONG BAY! THAT POOL is awesome!
We used Stormalong Bay on two separate stays, both when we stayed at Disney Beachclub Resort, prior to becoming members! What the heck, doesn't hurt to waitlist...You NEVER know!

ENJOY your vaca

 

[ParrotBill]

In addition to the pool, BCV has more counter service choices among the market and Hannah's... plus Beaches & Cream. All in all a more family friendly set of food choices than at BW.

One downside - the pool facing DVC rooms suffer from a lot of noise at the pool. I have rarely found the leisure pool at BWV to be noisy, but at BCV, it is very noisy all the time, especially for the hour after Stormalong Bay closes and everyone moves back there. I request wood view rooms at BCV and leisure pool facing rooms at BWV.

 

[NoleFan]

You can't go wrong with either. If the pool is a big draw, keep the waitlist. September will be nice pool weather. There is always something going on at SAB and the pool is one of a kind. You have to experience it at least once. Keep the waitlist and let fate decide! Enjoy!

 

[jerseygal]

What studio at BWV would be best for light sleepers? I obviously know that boardwalk view is "out of the question for me" as I have read that there is too much noise!

So, you mentioned that the small pool at BWV is not noisy????

THANKS!

 

[MsTessP]

We never heard any noise when we were on 4th floor BW view. But then again, I have a "sound machine" app on my phone which does a great job blocking outside noise.

 

[spruce]

We own both and both are nice. Like the other poster said, it won't hurt you to stay waitlisted if you want the bcv pool. Whichever you choose take advantage of the resort offerings, since both have a hotel side, there are all kind of venues to explore. One example would be the truffle fries in Crews Cup at Yacht Club.

 

[NoleFan]

What studio at BWV would be best for light sleepers? I obviously know that boardwalk view is "out of the question for me" as I have read that there is too much noise!

So, you mentioned that the small pool at BWV is not noisy????

THANKS!

I think any of the rooms has the potential for noise- BW view has the BW, standard view has some areas where luggage/valet/buses, and pool/garden has well pool. The key is to get an upper level room- at least 3rd floor but preferably 4th or 5th floor. We have been on 3rd floor standard & BW views without issues. Remember floor level is not guaranteed.

 

[lovin'fl]

Having stayed at both and owning at BWV I'd suggest you keep your WL. You can look at it like this...if it comes through it was meant to be. If it doesn't come through, you will enjoy BWV.

Why we prefer BCV (and we bought BWV because the standard view rooms saving us points bumped BWV up above BCV): We liked being a touch closer to Epcot and it is also a smaller quieter resort. My kids were teens when we stayed there (Jan 2013) and the SAB pool didn't impress them but they did enjoy the quiet pool (our room had a view of the quiet pool). It was Jan so that may had had an impact as they weren't dying to cool off in the pool like they might be in Aug (so they'd just run down and hop in hot tub at quiet pool every night). I also like that the 2nd bedroom is off of the foyer instead of in the living room (like it is at BWV). We had the 2 queens and my twin DDs each had their own bed (DS slept in living room pull out bed).

I will say, though, when asking my kids which resort they want to stay at, none of them say BCV. DS-17 says SSR or VWL and one DD-15 says SSR (treehouse villas specifically, though we have never stayed in one but she really really wants to) while my other DD-15 says BWV. Though my two who say they like SSR may only say that because that's where their cousins stay all the time and get to hang in Downtown Disney all night (and can walk over for lunch every day). We only stayed a couple nights there (SSR) once and that was in Jan 2007. Trying it again this Aug so we'll see...but I did split the stay with BWV too so that we can get our Epcot fix.