Which DVC Resort?

[blackwo1]

We’ll be making our second trip to Disney and first DVC rental next Jan (1/25-1/31) and need help deciding on a resort. We are group of two families (4 adults, 4 kids- ages 6&10) Here are the ones we are considering:

Beach Club 2 bedroom

2 Poly Studios (I would request adjoining or adjacent rooms but understand this isn’t guaranteed)

Boardwalk 2 bedroom

Bay Lake Tower 2 bedroom

Also considering a SSR treehouse though I think it may be too remote?

We will be spending time at all the parks with park hopper tickets. I think BCV is my first choice though I’d be ok with something cheaper. It sounds like BCV is very popular- should I try now for BCV through a rental company? Thoughts on BWV? Looks to be substantially cheaper (& more rental opportunities) than the other options.

Again, this is our first rental and second stay (first stay was at POR) so any advice is appreciated!

 

[Ralphmiller007]

I would absolutely put in a request sooner than later, I'm thinking the Epcot area resorts will be very popular with Star Wars opening, so BCV and even BWV might be hard to get if you wait too long. I've only ever stayed in studios at BCV and BLT, but the location of BCV is awesome. People love the pool, we stayed in November so we never really used it. I liked BLT much more than I thought I would, as well. It was quiet and we actually liked the modern look. Both were convenient to their respective parks. We stayed in the hotel portion of BWI, and while it was also a really convenient location, my husband just didn't love the theme of the hotel/pool area. The SSR treehouses look fun, but if I'm staying at a villa that isn't walking distance to a park it's going to be Jambo House We're more laid-back vacationers, we like to relax at the hotels and take the parks at a leisurely pace. Personally, I would prefer a two bedroom over two studios, I like the idea of having a kitchen, living area, and more space overall. When I take my sister's family we are getting a 2 bedroom, she is excited about having the option to do some meals in the room to offset some of the costs.

 

[cruisin5]

BLT, but a 2 bedroom whatever resort you choose. I wouldn't consider a treehouse unless you have a car and are willing to use it.

 

[suebeelin]

They are all good options.

Bay lake is the biggest 2bd, walking distance to MK. It’s actually huge, and includes a sleeper chair in the living room. You may not be able to get a standard room unless you are open to a dedicated 2bd.

Boardwalk isn’t “cheaper”, per se, unless you’re gunning for the standard room. Those go fast, but if you can get it, they are the best deal (imo) on property for the location and space.

Beach club is a favorite bc of stormalong bay. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the pool, but I had little kids at the time and found the size of the meandering pool to be stressful.

I wouldn’t do 2 poly studios bc you’ll not have the kitchen. Having a 2bd is nice. I wouldn’t even consider the treehouse.

Which park do you want to be closest to? If MK, then BLT. If Epcot/Hollywood, then BCV or BWV. I personally prefer the BLT 2bd, but the BWV location!

 

[crvetter]

We’ll be making our second trip to Disney and first DVC rental next Jan (1/25-1/31) and need help deciding on a resort. We are group of two families (4 adults, 4 kids- ages 6&10) Here are the ones we are considering:

Beach Club 2 bedroom

2 Poly Studios (I would request adjoining or adjacent rooms but understand this isn’t guaranteed)

Boardwalk 2 bedroom

Bay Lake Tower 2 bedroom

Also considering a SSR treehouse though I think it may be too remote?

We will be spending time at all the parks with park hopper tickets. I think BCV is my first choice though I’d be ok with something cheaper. It sounds like BCV is very popular- should I try now for BCV through a rental company? Thoughts on BWV? Looks to be substantially cheaper (& more rental opportunities) than the other options.

Again, this is our first rental and second stay (first stay was at POR) so any advice is appreciated!

So a few thoughts

1) BWV isn’t substantially cheaper than BCV unless you are looking at Standard View, which even owners find more difficult to book. So I would budget that you might not get Standard View if you went the BWV route.
2) BWV doesn’t have any dedicated 2 bedrooms so that means: 1) you are fighting the same fight as those that want studios and 2) you would have one bedroom with a king bed (master) and another with a queen and double sleeper sofa and pull down bunk (second).
3) It is best to put in a request ASAP as availability may start to disappear by the time an agency matches you up with a renter because we are past the 11 month window when reservations opened for these resorts.
4) BLT will have 3 bathrooms I’m fairly certain which is an advantage.
5) PVB is a nice resort and the studios are the largest on property but two studios there will not equal the same square footage of a 2 bedroom at any of the other resorts you mentioned.
6) walkability for BCV and BWV is very similar for Epcot and HS just BCV is closer to epcot and BWV is closer to HS. But if walking 10-15 mins is easy for your party you won’t find much difference between the two. Now if you plan on spending time at MK and mostly there you will find BLT to be the most convenient since it has a 10-15 min walk to the park which is great for being in control of your own time tables.

 

[montrealdisneylovers]

The three full bathrooms at BLT is really nice especially with eight people in a two bedroom.

Another benefit to BLT that is often overlooked is the ability to walk over to the MK bus stop to hop on a bus to any other resort on property.

 

[Deb & Bill]

With a two bedroom villa, one set of adults will get the Master bedroom with the king sized bed and the master bathroom. The other set of adults will have to share the second bedroom with two of the children. The other two children will probably sleep on the queen sleeper sofa in the living room. You'll want to decide who gets what and if it makes a difference in how much each family pays. Some of the second bedrooms (lockoffs and BWV) will not have two queen beds in the second bedroom, but rather a queen bed and double sleeper sofa. Then there is the issue with housekeeping. On DVC points, you won't get daily full cleanings unless you pay extra to get them. You'll only get services (other than daily trash removal/spying) every four days. If you stay seven nights or less, you'll only get clean towels on day four. If you stay more than seven nights, you'll get a full cleaning on day 4 and your towels replaced on day 8.

 

[MB333]

We’ll be making our second trip to Disney and first DVC rental next Jan (1/25-1/31) and need help deciding on a resort. We are group of two families (4 adults, 4 kids- ages 6&10) Here are the ones we are considering:

Beach Club 2 bedroom

2 Poly Studios (I would request adjoining or adjacent rooms but understand this isn’t guaranteed)

Boardwalk 2 bedroom

Bay Lake Tower 2 bedroom

Also considering a SSR treehouse though I think it may be too remote?

We will be spending time at all the parks with park hopper tickets. I think BCV is my first choice though I’d be ok with something cheaper. It sounds like BCV is very popular- should I try now for BCV through a rental company? Thoughts on BWV? Looks to be substantially cheaper (& more rental opportunities) than the other options.

Again, this is our first rental and second stay (first stay was at POR) so any advice is appreciated!

We stayed at the Polynesian in August (4 Adults, 1 Kid). It was amazing, we did get adjoining rooms (best part is you can close the door if you need a little more privacy). Love this resort for the great transportation to the parks and the amazing theming. If you want to spend lots of time at the pool Beach Club is the way to go (best pool in WDW!). Also, it's a short walk to Epcot. Renting points is easy to do just make sure you use a reliable company (lots of horror stories about people trying to rent points off message boards). If you do rent points don't wait to long BCV does fill up quickly at times. Just be careful, staying in DVC resorts becomes addicting.