WOW DVC Prices !!!

[E2ME2]

I have stayed onsite for 10+ years and for the last year, started staying in condos offsite.

The week before Christmas in 2022, we rented a gorgeous 2 bedroom condo at Sheraton Vistana Resort, basically a 10 min or so drive to all the parks. For $600.

With the $1400 savings, we ate dinner at Beaches and Cream and strolled into the International Gateway. Breakfast was at Ale & Compass with the same short walk. When we wanted to do rides at the front, we drive to the parking lot and walk 5-10 mins to Guardians (instead of 20 mins from the Boardwalk).

I am totally hooked on driving to the parks now. Even driving to MK is better than a bus IMO. No more 1+hr waits for a packed bus at the end of the night - woot! The ferry lines occasionally get long but we’ve never waited an hour. If it’s a super busy day, I book a nice dinner at Steakhouse 71 and we stroll back to our car.

Did you have any trouble parking at BWV/BCV withouta Disney reservation??
I've been turned away many times, even when staying at another DVC resort.

 

[elaine amj]

Did you have any trouble parking at BWV/BCV withouta Disney reservation??
I've been turned away many times, even when staying at another DVC resort.

In January they were not checking but as it got busy in February they started checking. I always had a reservation anyway. I prefer the food in the resort hotels to Epcot.

 

[CarolynFH]

Did you have any trouble parking at BWV/BCV withouta Disney reservation??
I've been turned away many times, even when staying at another DVC resort.

If they had ADRs for Beaches & Cream and Ale & Compass, they would have been allowed in to park at BC or YC without a problem.

 

[E2ME2]

In January they were not checking but as it got busy in February they started checking. I always had a reservation anyway. I prefer the food in the resort hotels to Epcot.

If they had ADRs for Beaches & Cream and Ale & Compass, they would have been allowed in to park at BC or YC without a problem.

I get it, and have done that once or twice, but if looking to do a cost comparison to onsite, it would get expensive & time consuming to make ADRs every time you wanted to park at BCV/BWV.

 

[Brian Noble]

It's completely unnecessary to park in an EP-area resort, and a bit of a false economy. The walk from the Beach Club entrance to the bridge between UK and France is 4/10ths of a mile. The walk from the main entrance to the same spot is 6/10ths of a mile. Yes, entering via BC is closer, but it's not that much closer. Yes, you park a little farther at the main entrance too, so maybe it's an extra bit more than that, but still.

And that's for the best case from Beach Club. Any other point in Epcot is at worst the same difference, and typically better. Going to Remy is the same differnence, because both routes have to pass the same point. Going to Frozen? The main entrance is almost 1/3 mile closer. Parking at Boardwalk? Almost a wash to the bridge vs. the front entrance.

BC/YC/BW have an advantage at rope drop, because you are held much closer to things than the front entrance, but I'm not making an 0-Dark-30 ADR just to save 10 minutes.

That's not to say I haven't driven to the Crescent Lake area and parked there--I have. But, only if that's already been in the works. I don't make an ADR that I wouldn't otherwise make just to park there.

Edited to add: This also ignores the fact that traffic in and out of the EP resort area is much more of a hassle than getting in/out of the Epcot main lot. Buena Vista Drive is a series of never-ending traffic lights.

But the overall point is still very valid: driving is amazingly convenient to anywhere not named Magic Kingdom, and driving from a well-located offsite resort is no more difficult or time consuming than typical trips "inside the bubble." Even for MK, driving is about the same time as a bus on average, but driving is much more predictable. If I have a hard deadline I'm trying to make in MK (say, a dinner ADR) I will usually drive.

 

[Brian Noble]

I guess it’s no biggie if he doesn’t exist.

Oh, he exists. We just don't talk about him.

 

[Mexacajun]

It's completely unnecessary to park in an EP-area resort, and a bit of a false economy. The walk from the Beach Club entrance to the bridge between UK and France is 4/10ths of a mile. The walk from the main entrance to the same spot is 6/10ths of a mile. Yes, entering via BC is closer, but it's not that much closer. Yes, you park a little farther at the main entrance too, so maybe it's an extra bit more than that, but still.

And that's for the best case from Beach Club. Any other point in Epcot is at worst the same difference, and typically better. Going to Remy is the same differnence, because both routes have to pass the same point. Going to Frozen? The main entrance is almost 1/3 mile closer. Parking at Boardwalk? Almost a wash to the bridge vs. the front entrance.

BC/YC/BW have an advantage at rope drop, because you are held much closer to things than the front entrance, but I'm not making an 0-Dark-30 ADR just to save 10 minutes.

That's not to say I haven't driven to the Crescent Lake area and parked there--I have. But, only if that's already been in the works. I don't make an ADR that I wouldn't otherwise make just to park there.

Edited to add: This also ignores the fact that traffic in and out of the EP resort area is much more of a hassle than getting in/out of the Epcot main lot. Buena Vista Drive is a series of never-ending traffic lights.

But the overall point is still very valid: driving is amazingly convenient to anywhere not named Magic Kingdom, and driving from a well-located offsite location is no more difficult or time consuming than typical trips "inside the bubble." Even for MK, driving is about the same time as a bus on average, but driving is much more predictable.

Only difference is if you would like to do anything along the boardwalk on the way in or out. Nothing to do in the parking lot.

 

[Brian Noble]

True. Like I said--I'll do it if I have plans in the Crescent Lake area. But I wouldn't make plans there just to park there for Epcot. As a good friend used to put it: too much sugar for a dime.

And truth be told, my plans haven't included the Boardwalk for some time now--it's not exactly a hub of activity. I did grab breakfast at al Forno on my last trip on DW's departure day. It was good, but not "worth a detour" in the Michelin Guide sense. There's probably a reason why it's not that hard to get a last-minute ADR there.

 

[beldred]

But the overall point is still very valid: driving is amazingly convenient to anywhere not named Magic Kingdom, and driving from a well-located offsite resort is no more difficult or time consuming than typical trips "inside the bubble." Even for MK, driving is about the same time as a bus on average, but driving is much more predictable. If I have a hard deadline I'm trying to make in MK (say, a dinner ADR) I will usually drive.

You feel like driving is better in general than Disney transport? I've always heard the opposite. Isn't it a really long walk from the parking lots to the entrance of the parks? At the end of the night, I'm doing good to make it to the monorail/skyliner/bus stops. LOL

 

[Brian Noble]

I prefer driving. It is a drag to still not have the trams back at AK and DS. It's not that big of a deal at EP because of the way the lots are configured.

 

[elaine amj]

You feel like driving is better in general than Disney transport? I've always heard the opposite. Isn't it a really long walk from the parking lots to the entrance of the parks? At the end of the night, I'm doing good to make it to the monorail/skyliner/bus stops. LOL

I used to be a die-hard bus taker and loved not driving at WDW. Then I started driving and now I far prefer it. Much faster usually. The bus stops are not exactly a short walk either. And then we get to sit in our comfy car instead of standing on the buses.

I do like buses when our group splits up though.

 

[blizzard]

Remember when:
Boardwalk was an alternative to Pleasure Island, and promoted as a place to be in the evening. All the resorts had direct bus service to Boardwalk.
Pepperidge Farms remembers.

 

[Epcot Forever Forever]

You feel like driving is better in general than Disney transport? I've always heard the opposite. Isn't it a really long walk from the parking lots to the entrance of the parks? At the end of the night, I'm doing good to make it to the monorail/skyliner/bus stops. LOL

Long walk to the bus stop. Long wait for the bus. Long wait for the ECV exchange. Long drive to another resort to drop off the shared people. Long wait for the ECV unload there. Drive back to your resort. Long walk from the bus stop to your room.

Or just long walk (or tram if it’s convenient), get immediately in car, go straight to hotel, park in lot, long walk to your room (or at Kidani, OKW, or SSR, or some off sites, park super close to your room).

I dunno I find driving much easier most days. MK excepted.

 

[CarolynFH]

It is a drag to still not have the trams back at AK and DS.

The trams are back at AK since some time last year. So it's just DHS and Epcot that are without - and boy does DHS need those trams back! Riding the Skyliner over and seeing how far away from the park entrance people are parked makes me hesitate to think of driving to DHS. We don't mind parking at TTC, in fact we like riding the ferry across, but forget driving to DHS until those trams come back!

 

[E2ME2]

Variety is the spice of....um...(ah well, you know the thing)
DW and I are mid-60s now, and still enjoy walking regularly, and we find the walk from Crescent Lake to DHS just far enough to make that a viable option. However, if we poop-out for any reason, coming back via Boat or Skyliner presents very good secondary & tertiary alternatives. The short stroll from Crescent Lake into EPCOT, on the other hand, is just unbeatable. And, if we are at EPCOT and we decide to "hop" to DHS, because we are always headed back through the IG, we are again presented with the Boat/Skyliner options to get there. Several evenings at BCV, on our last stay there, I would just walk out at night and go over towards the IG to view the fireworks, and then pop back to the room without navigating through any crowds of other folks leaving........
My point is that, for us, there's an intangible premium to be placed on the benefit of the BCV/BWV locations, especially when our Favorite Park is, and has always been, EPCOT. (& DHS/StarWars is a very tight 2nd favorite).
I, personally, am okay with paying a little more (in Points and/or $$) to stay there.
We have good friends who visit regularly with their kids & grandkids, and their Favorite DVC resort is BLT because of the proximity to MK. I totally get it, and it makes perfect sense that they're okay with a premium for the MK resorts.
So I thoroughly enjoy reading all of the posts that tell me why it's better/smarter/easier/cheaper/preferred to stay offsite or to drive/park at EP or EP Resorts, than it is to stay at BCV or BWV I think that's awesome for them.
Staying at BWV/BCV is just more awesome for us. Variety..............

 

[Jayunit09]

Variety is the spice of....um...(ah well, you know the thing)
DW and I are mid-60s now, and still enjoy walking regularly, and we find the walk from Crescent Lake to DHS just far enough to make that a viable option. However, if we poop-out for any reason, coming back via Boat or Skyliner presents very good secondary & tertiary alternatives. The short stroll from Crescent Lake into EPCOT, on the other hand, is just unbeatable. And, if we are at EPCOT and we decide to "hop" to DHS, because we are always headed back through the IG, we are again presented with the Boat/Skyliner options to get there. Several evenings at BCV, on our last stay there, I would just walk out at night and go over towards the IG to view the fireworks, and then pop back to the room without navigating through any crowds of other folks leaving........
My point is that, for us, there's an intangible premium to be placed on the benefit of the BCV/BWV locations, especially when our Favorite Park is, and has always been, EPCOT. (& DHS/StarWars is a very tight 2nd favorite).
I, personally, am okay with paying a little more (in Points and/or $$) to stay there.
We have good friends who visit regularly with their kids & grandkids, and their Favorite DVC resort is BLT because of the proximity to MK. I totally get it, and it makes perfect sense that they're okay with a premium for the MK resorts.
So I thoroughly enjoy reading all of the posts that tell me why it's better/smarter/easier/cheaper/preferred to stay offsite or to drive/park at EP or EP Resorts, than it is to stay at BCV or BWV I think that's awesome for them.
Staying at BWV/BCV is just more awesome for us. Variety..............

I agree, we are still newbies as we have only done two DVC trips so far. I like to rent a car because of stroller and ease of mind with a six and two year old at the airport and to and from parks. We even rented a car staying at BLT (I am glad we did because we were shocked to see how long it took to get to Epcot on the monorail and drove after one time).

I think when the kids are older we will re visit. But my favorite thing about DVC is seeing how many different ways people do it and the variety of choices!

 

[Minniesgal]

This definitely is coloring your opinion of off-site being as good as on-site. For someone who flies in and doesn't rent a car, Disney's convenient, easy, free, and near-constant transportation is important, and definitely worth more than saving a few hundred bucks to stay offsite.

This

And the recent massive hike on rental car prices likely will change the offsite on-site equation quite a bit

 

[DVCsloth]

We drive to WDW from South FL. about 2.5 hrs. My car gets parked at the resort and rarely moves except for a grocery run (Publix) or possibly one of the water parks. Last couple water park trips you need to change busses at AK. Our resorts are mostly Walk, Monorail or Skyliner. Most of the time in my experience, Disney busses run like clockwork and are one of the best transit systems I have ever used. It is a bit of a hassle at times, especially if going during busy times but driving during these times can be very bad as well. Also to add, we are not in any huge rush to get anywhere, one of the reasons we joined and love DVC.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

In January they were not checking but as it got busy in February they started checking. I always had a reservation anyway. I prefer the food in the resort hotels to Epcot.

You do a dining reservation and then walk to the parks? I thought you couldn’t park with a dining reservation for more than like 2 hours. Don’t you run the risk of having your car towed or something?

 

[dvc lover 1970]

Does anyone have an idea why or what is causing the prices of DVC to drop like the temps I January??? Have seen Aulani 88.00 PP Boulder Ridge 98.00 Board Walk 112.00 Grand Cal. 233.00 and so on. I'm great believer in resale , What a great time to buy.

The economy. Disney is not the only company downsizing. Luxury items are the first to go. Timeshares are luxury items. Resale will continue to drop. We will also see incentives on direct prices. All the more reason Poly II will be part of the original legacy resorts. Direct buyers will have to choose between 2070 resort with resale damage, and 2066 (poly) unrestricted resale. Both will have significant incentives.