Which Studio for 4, best bus service, comfortable sofa bed

[Mary7116]

First time staying DVC. Have to stay in a studio to save points. Kids age 9&11. Need some advice. Which studios have best bus service, and most comfortable sofa beds overall. Any recommendations? Planning to go end of August. Been reading BCV's great, busses aren't.

 

[Tamar]

Which parks do you plan to spend the most time in? If you'll be spending a significant amount of time in DHS and Epcot, I suggest BWV, where you could easily walk to two of the parks with kids your age.

 

[Chuck S]

If you want to avoid a sleeper sofa, OKW has 2 queen beds in the studios.

 

[RescueRanger]

I agree with Chuck, OKW. You will get 2 beds, the rooms are larger, and the bus service is pretty good. Do not stay at an Epcot resort if you want good bus service. Although BCV was a nice resort, the shared busses amongst all of the Epcot resorts to AK and MK was horrible.

 

[Mary7116]

Thank you for some helpful advice! Leaning towards OKW. It's just their choice of dining is limited, guess you can't have it all. Better bus svc ranks higher than food. Getting frustrated waiting for a bus will definitely ruin our vacation.

 

[mhnewcomb]

We are staying at OKW for the first time in October...I'm thinking Garden Grocer for some serviceable breakfast food due to lack of QS options. You will also be a boat ride away from some good dining at DTD.

 

[goofy4tink]

I agree with Chuck, OKW. You will get 2 beds, the rooms are larger, and the bus service is pretty good. Do not stay at an Epcot resort if you want good bus service. Although BCV was a nice resort, the shared busses amongst all of the Epcot resorts to AK and MK was horrible.

I'm sorry but this is just not so. I primarily stay at BW, so am more than familiar with the bus situation. In all reality?? Buses are not bad there..or any of the Epcot resorts. Yes, they do share bus routes. Big deal. I had the longest bus ride, ever, when staying at OKW. We were the last stop...and I have to say that we spent as much time onsite, going from bus stop to bus stop, as we did driving from Epcot to OKW!! It was brutal.
Many resorts have multiple stops within the resort...which makes it not so different than the Epcot resorts. In fact, I would hazard a guess that if you get on a bus to MK at BW and have to then stop at the Swan, Dolphin, YC, and then BC, you won't be on the bus any longer than if you got on the bus at the first stop at CBR or CSR.

And these Epcot resorts do not always share buses to AK and MK. At the busy times of day, the buses service BW/S/D, and another bus goes to YC/BC. In the middle of the day, or late at night you may find all the resorts on the same bus. The bus to DTD usually combines all resorts.

I would probably choose OKW if you are looking for the most comfort for a group of 4. You don't have to deal with a sleep sofa, and you do get a bit more room in a studio there. It's such a nice, relaxing resort!!

 

[RescueRanger]

I'm sorry but this is just not so. I primarily stay at BW, so am more than familiar with the bus situation. In all reality?? Buses are not bad there..or any of the Epcot resorts. Yes, they do share bus routes. Big deal. I had the longest bus ride, ever, when staying at OKW. We were the last stop...and I have to say that we spent as much time onsite, going from bus stop to bus stop, as we did driving from Epcot to OKW!! It was brutal.
Many resorts have multiple stops within the resort...which makes it not so different than the Epcot resorts. In fact, I would hazard a guess that if you get on a bus to MK at BW and have to then stop at the Swan, Dolphin, YC, and then BC, you won't be on the bus any longer than if you got on the bus at the first stop at CBR or CSR.

And these Epcot resorts do not always share buses to AK and MK. At the busy times of day, the buses service BW/S/D, and another bus goes to YC/BC. In the middle of the day, or late at night you may find all the resorts on the same bus. The bus to DTD usually combines all resorts.

I would probably choose OKW if you are looking for the most comfort for a group of 4. You don't have to deal with a sleep sofa, and you do get a bit more room in a studio there. It's such a nice, relaxing resort!!

I'm sorry, but yes it is so. I have stayed at the Epcot resorts twice. Both times with the same result. The bus service was horrible. You may have had better luck, well good for you. But to say that my information is false because you haven't experienced the same is just ridiculous. If you want to let the OP know you have had better luck, fine. But your experiences don't somehow negate the experiences we have had. Oh and by the way, we "ALWAYS" shared busses no matter how busy it was or what time of the day. In fact, one of our stays at BCV was during Thanksgiving week. Why do people take it as a personal attack if someone dares to say something negative about their favorite resort. Heck, my favorite is AKV, and I will be the first to tell you that the bus service there leaves something to be desired. Notice I didn't recommend AKV. Why? because their bus service is suspect, and the OP clearly stated that bus service was a priority.

 

[Chuck S]

Every resort has good days and bad days with bus service. I didn't have any problems the last time I was at OKW (in November) but the trip before that (in May 2012) I took a friend with me, we and several others were waiting at the Miller's Rd stop for a bus to AK. We waited 40 minutes, we finally decided to drive over to the park. The other people were still waiting when we drove by the bus stop.

Generally, I think the Disney bus service is pretty much the same no matter which resort you choose. I personally like OKW for the larger rooms, more relaxed atmosphere and the subtle Disney themes. Plus I just prefer the more condo feel, while others prefer interior hallways.

 

[patches4me]

I'm sorry but this is just not so. I primarily stay at BW, so am more than familiar with the bus situation. In all reality?? Buses are not bad there..or any of the Epcot resorts. Yes, they do share bus routes. Big deal. I had the longest bus ride, ever, when staying at OKW. We were the last stop...and I have to say that we spent as much time onsite, going from bus stop to bus stop, as we did driving from Epcot to OKW!! It was brutal.
Many resorts have multiple stops within the resort...which makes it not so different than the Epcot resorts. In fact, I would hazard a guess that if you get on a bus to MK at BW and have to then stop at the Swan, Dolphin, YC, and then BC, you won't be on the bus any longer than if you got on the bus at the first stop at CBR or CSR.

And these Epcot resorts do not always share buses to AK and MK. At the busy times of day, the buses service BW/S/D, and another bus goes to YC/BC. In the middle of the day, or late at night you may find all the resorts on the same bus. The bus to DTD usually combines all resorts.

I would probably choose OKW if you are looking for the most comfort for a group of 4. You don't have to deal with a sleep sofa, and you do get a bit more room in a studio there. It's such a nice, relaxing resort!!

We always stay at a Studio with 4 adults. We've stayed at BWV, BLT, OKW, WLV...no problems. Actually BLT has the most storage if you can believe that. OKW has 2 beds, but less convenient to everything. We love BWV, boats mostly and convenient, prompt buses to everywhere else. Sofa beds are all comfortable. Plenty of storage in all, including frige, for our breakfast and lunch meat.

 

[montrealdisneylovers]

BLT has really really comfortable sofa beds.

Our experience with bus service has been really good. Remember, you can walk to MK and monorail to Epcot as well.

There is also a bus depot over at Magic Kingdom where you can hop a bus to anywhere else at Disney.

 

[vassar36]

AK even though is far away from many parks had good bus service when we stayed there. Although like a previous posted said you can have bad/good bus service anywhere, sometimes its luck. The sofa beds are "newish" (is that a word?). No complaints from the kids. My kids are the same age as yours (but were 10 & 8 when we stayed in the AK-J studio). As an aside, the kids really liked AK Jambo house so much that we are returning there our next trip.

 

[Kidanifan08]

Here's another vote for AK. The pool area is great at both Kidani and Jambo, although we prefer Kidani. The bus service is nice because there are only two stops. The advantage to staying at Kidani is that the buses for the parks all stop there first and are virtually empty. We have had good luck with the buses at AKV, although once we waited more than 30 min for a bus to MK.

Kids usually love AKV because of the animals. The lack of a CS at Kidani is a drag for some, but it is easy to get over to the Mara. You can save some points by staying in a standard view room, but if you have never stayed at AKV, I would recommend a savanna view room. The sleeper sofa is reasonably comfortable.

As opposed to the studios at OKW, the AKV studios have a full size balcony. The OKW studio balcony is tiny.

Have a great trip!

 

[disneychic]

All I can add is if you want good bus service - BWV is NOT going to be it! Just got back from a 2 week stay there at the beginning of Feb. and the busses drove me crazy!

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm sorry, but yes it is so. I have stayed at the Epcot resorts twice. Both times with the same result. The bus service was horrible. You may have had better luck, well good for you. But to say that my information is false because you haven't experienced the same is just ridiculous. If you want to let the OP know you have had better luck, fine. But your experiences don't somehow negate the experiences we have had. Oh and by the way, we "ALWAYS" shared busses no matter how busy it was or what time of the day. In fact, one of our stays at BCV was during Thanksgiving week. Why do people take it as a personal attack if someone dares to say something negative about their favorite resort. Heck, my favorite is AKV, and I will be the first to tell you that the bus service there leaves something to be desired. Notice I didn't recommend AKV. Why? because their bus service is suspect, and the OP clearly stated that bus service was a priority.

I suppose it all depends on each individual's experience. As I said, I primarily stay at BWV...my home resort. So, I think I have more experience than most. I have yet to find that any one resort has superior bus service. In fact, I seldom recommend, or recommend against, a particular resort based on it's bus service. That's just a bad idea. Why? Simply because there are going to be those that have had, in their opinion, bad bus experiences, while someone else, there at the same time, may feel that their experience was wonderful.
I once stood outside Kidani...waiting for a bus to DHS. One had just left as we were walking to the bus stop, so I figured it would be about 15 or so mins before the next one came. There were no other people at the stop...waiting for any park bus, just my friend and I. As time went by, people started arriving. Well, we saw the bus to DHS coming along, so we walked over to where the bus would stop, but back a bit in case there were guests getting off. Well....there was a woman, with a group, who seemed to take exception to the fact that my friend and I were standing there. She yelled, at the driver, 'Hey, we've been waiting for at least 30 mins and we should get on first!!!" Ah, no....first of all, you got to the stop about 10 mins ago (we watched, we saw you arrive) and the last bus left about 17 mins ago...so how the heck did she think she had been there for 30 mins??? The driver ignored her. We got on. My point??? People seem to have different views on busing and wait times. I've stood there, listening to people say that they've been waiting forever. Now, I doubt anyone thinks 9 mins is forever!!! But being a moderator on the Transportation Board, I tend to take note of times at bus stops. Most people tend to exaggerate their wait times. Not saying you did....but it happens.

Every single resort is going to have some type of transportation issue. I'm not saying that there are not people that have had bad experiences with the Epcot resorts and buses. BUT.....before they say how awful these resorts are, regarding buses, have they actually taken rides on other resort buses?? To compare? I have. My one ride back to OKW from Epcot took forever!!! Much longer than any ride back to BW..except for maybe a trip or two home from DTD!!! I mean, seriously...we were on that bus for almost 20 mins after we went through the OKW gates. Granted we were the last stop but man, it took forever.
I mean no disrespect here...as I said, everyone has their own experiences. My issue is when someone says that a particular resort has miserable transportation...especially the buses. So, yes, I do come along and give my opinion. RescueRanger has given his experience from the two times he has stayed at Epcot resorts. And I'm sorry these were not good experiences. But, in all reality?? I have stayed at Epcot resorts at least 20 times....all of them, but mostly at BWV. Have I had less than stellar experiences with buses? On occasion. But nothing that would make me stay elsewhere. If I based my resort choices on bus experiences? I wouldn't stay at the Polynesian, OKW, VWL, AKL or SSR again!!! All provided me with not so wonderful bus experiences. The best? Pop!! Never once had an issue with them.

So, I apologize for ruffling any feathers here. I really wasn't saying anyone was 'wrong' but that their statement didn't give the entire picture. Many, many people keep returning to the Epcot resorts...I guess they don't have the same issues with buses that others have had.

 

[CarolMN]

We have almost always had good bus service at BWV. I only recall one or two times that we had to wait a long time (more than 20 minutes) for a bus. We usually stay in late April/early May, October and late November /early December (including Thanksgiving weekend sometimes).

Going to the parks in the morning "rush".coming home in the evening "rush" or "park close" rush, we have never shared the bus with the BC or YC. Not once. When we come back to the BWV in late morning or early afternoon, we have shared. We just get off at the Swan and walk back to the BWV. It's faster and not all that far.

We occasionally have to wait a long time for a bus to go back to the BWV from AK during the late morning or early afternoon. Don't remember waiting a long time for a bus to get back from the MK for those times,though.

We love the ability to walk to either DHS or EPCOT and seldom take the boat to or from either park unless it is actually at the dock when we approach.

We have stayed at BLT and although it is great to walk to the MK, everywhere else is a pain, IMO. I will take the MK bus situation at BWV over the monorail to EPOCT situation at BLT any day. We have encountered our longest waits EVER at the TTC changing monorails. Never could figure out what resorts were sharing buses with the CR/BLT and the walk to the bus from BLT seemed longer than that to BWV's bus stop.

Haven't stayed at any other WDW DVC resorts, but I suspect there is good & bad at all resorts. It is very hard to generalize about transportation based on others' reports because expectations and perceptions are so different between groups.

As an example, I once listened to a man berate a bus driver for a 45 minute wait. His group got to the bus stop well after my DH & I did. We only waited 18 minutes (I timed it, as I often do just for fun, LOL) and we were all going to the MK on the same bus). I told the bus driver the real story - the guy waited 10-12 minutes at most. The bus driver handled the rude tirade quite well. I'm sure the man really did think his group had been waiting that long. (His small children appeared to be a handful, LOL).

 

[luckyman_apd]

I'm finding this thread helpful. We purchased last year with the intentions of going once every 18 months and splitting it between studios and 1 bedrooms. After our Nov trip, we LOVEd the MVMCP and are going again next dec while the kids are still young, and got an extra studio for the 3 nights for my father. We are also staying at OKW before easter for two nights before our norweigian cruise Easter break. Needless to say all our 2013 points are gone on our small 125 pt contract. Our original plan was to bank 2013 and go for a week or more in a 1br summer 2014 with maybe borrowing a few points from 2015...... But that can't happen now.

So now we are debating whether we could do 7-10 days in a studio. Our kids will be almost 5 and almost 9 at that time. Would anyone or has anyone spent that much time in a studio? We've been spoiled by only staying in 2 br, but we have been staying with other people those times (in laws, my parents, and friends on their points) so we always needed the space, but now we are looking to stretch our points for a while.

 

[vassar36]

Luckyman_apd

Everybody is different, but this has been our experience: We have always stayed in studios and we usually do so for 8-10 days. We look at it like its how we would be if we stayed in a hotel room for that long (minus the housekeeping service) (My kids are now 11 & 9; we have been staying in studios for about 4 years now). Usually we go once a year and we try to stretch our points for as long as we can which means we stay in a studio for as many days as we can...I make the sofa bed each morning so we can have room to move in the studio.

one of the only things I can say about a studio that I wish was there was more space to put everyone's clothes when you stay for that long (I haven't done laundry in the middle of a trip, but I am sure that would help). Other than that we have not had an issue with staying in a studio with a family of 4 for that many days.

 

[luckyman_apd]

Luckyman_apd

Everybody is different, but this has been our experience: We have always stayed in studios and we usually do so for 8-10 days. We look at it like its how we would be if we stayed in a hotel room for that long (minus the housekeeping service) (My kids are now 11 & 9; we have been staying in studios for about 4 years now). Usually we go once a year and we try to stretch our points for as long as we can which means we stay in a studio for as many days as we can...I make the sofa bed each morning so we can have room to move in the studio.

one of the only things I can say about a studio that I wish was there was more space to put everyone's clothes when you stay for that long (I haven't done laundry in the middle of a trip, but I am sure that would help). Other than that we have not had an issue with staying in a studio with a family of 4 for that many days.

That helps a lot. I guess our two nights at OKW at Easter and three nights in Dec at BLT will help us decide as well

 

[dianeschlicht]

Thank you for some helpful advice! Leaning towards OKW. It's just their choice of dining is limited, guess you can't have it all. Better bus svc ranks higher than food. Getting frustrated waiting for a bus will definitely ruin our vacation.

Not really that limited. If you aren't cooking and don't want to eat at Olivia's, you can get on the ferry and be at DTD in a few minutes and will have all those restaurants to choose from.