# Beach Club or Boardwalk



## joyzilli (Mar 28, 2008)

Is one resort better than the other.  We just love being on the boardwalk and would like to, someday, pick up a small contract for just the 2 of us.  Are the studios similar?  I've been doing alot of reading, here and on the Dis Boards, but am getting confused and overwhelmed.....any thoughts?


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## gjw007 (Mar 28, 2008)

joyzilli said:


> Is one resort better than the other.  We just love being on the boardwalk and would like to, someday, pick up a small contract for just the 2 of us.  Are the studios similar?  I've been doing alot of reading, here and on the Dis Boards, but am getting confused and overwhelmed.....any thoughts?



I have never stayed at the Beach Club (I have a couple times at Boardwalk), so I may not be the best person to provide information about that resort but I have stopped over there a few times.  The rooms, I believe are similar, and for all practical purposes, the location is identical (near Disney's Hollywood Studio (a.k.a MGM) and Epcot) but there are some differences.  Some people think that SAB at the Beach Club is the best pool for DVC properties.  I don't know if you can get a unit overlooking Crescent Lake (I think that is the name of the lake) at the Beach Club but it is possible to get some units at Boardwalk overlooking the lake and boardwalk.  I have felt that the walk to the units at Boardwalk is long but I'm also use to parking my car in front of a unit rather than a large parking lot.

I believe the Beach Club is one of the smallest resorts in the DVC collection and is more difficult to make a booking at if you don't own there than at the Boardwalk.  If the 11 month window is important, it might be a consideration.  I like watching the evening entertainment (jugglers, etc.) on the Boardwalk and I don't think there is the same level of evening entertainment at the Beach Club but again, it is in the same area and is just a 10 minute walk or less from the Beach Club to the Boardwalk area.


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## Steamboat Bill (Mar 28, 2008)

I like the pool at BC best, but prefer the BW theming and location.


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## SuzanneSLO (Mar 28, 2008)

If you own at BWV and can use the 11 month priority booking period, I think that the standard view rooms at BWV are about the best value for the points for any DVC property.  Many others already know this, so they can be very hard to book less than 7 months out.  -- Suzanne


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## littlestar (Mar 28, 2008)

One thing Disney did differernt when they built BCV was put the connecting door on a lock-off studio toward the front entry door. That can make a tremendous difference if you have noisy neighbors staying in the 1 bedroom. At BWV, the connecting lock-off door is in the sleeping/main area of the room and it makes for more noise. That said, we own 55 BWV points to book standard view at 11 months! (Laughter).


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## tomandrobin (Mar 28, 2008)

joyzilli said:


> Is one resort better than the other.  We just love being on the boardwalk and would like to, someday, pick up a small contract for just the 2 of us.  Are the studios similar?  I've been doing alot of reading, here and on the Dis Boards, but am getting confused and overwhelmed.....any thoughts?



Both resorts have the Boardwalk and location next to Epcot as comon features. After that, they truly are very different. BCV has the better pool. BWV has the better views. BCV is smallish, with not many amenties. BWV has the long halls.


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## SDKath (Mar 29, 2008)

Well, we don't own at either but we looked at both resorts carefully before making reservations for our October upcoming trip.

BCV we chose because of the amazing pool (and sandy "beach" area) as well as the cool slide.  My kids are young (3 and 8) so they will like that more than the Boardwalk.  If you have older kids, BWV I think might be a better choice.  

As far as resale, BCV is always the most in demand of any of the Disney resorts (it is the smallest I believe) so if you want priority, it will be much harder to get your reservation at 7 months at BCV than BWV.  It also has a higher resale value overall from what I have seen and read.  

I would opt for BCV if you feel that all other factors are equal.  Kath


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## laxmom (Mar 30, 2008)

We just are waiting ROFR on a small HHI contract as a getaway for DH and I so good luck Joyzilli. 

I had heard the same thing about BCV being smaller and harder to get into.  I have a friend who just found a pretty loaded 50 point contract with the same UY as her other contract and it wasn't easy to find.  Part of the problem was UY but part was the fact that it was BCV.  It is smaller, thus higher demand.

If you even think you want BCV, I would look for that one.


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## joyzilli (Mar 30, 2008)

Our kids are all grown, so it would just be adults.  We do, however, enjoy sitting on the beach, so I'm not sure if BCV would be the better fit.  We would never be travelling in the summer or any of the school vacations.  I still can't decide.  Thanks for all your input.


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## icydog (Mar 30, 2008)

If you ever want to rent your points out Beach Club is the place to own. I wish I had enough points and disney had enough inventory to allow me to rent all the requests for Beach Club I get. I receive very few Boardwalk requests in comparison. 

Also BCV is the MOST sought after DVC resort. It will sell out long before any of the others except for AKV for the time being. As soon as AKV is finished there will still be a demand for BCV unlike any of the other resorts. I wish I had more pts there and that I bought them when I bought my original contracts. 

If you can reserve standard view rooms, or Boardwalk view rooms, at 11 months from your check out date--- then you can consider buying BWV.  Anything other than 11 months exactly will not get you into these two room catagories and you will be better off with the BCV.


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## Amy (Mar 30, 2008)

DH and I love the Beach Club and for us the ambiance of the Boardwalk just doesn't compare.  The inside of the Boardwalk -- the decor throughout -- is dark and the hallways seem dimly lit as a resort of the color scheme.  The inside of the Beach Club is light and airy - it just makes me feel good when I walk through the lobby, hallways and common rooms.  The Beach Club has a great Market Place for casual meals and goods (as well as a convenient place to refill those refillable mugs by yourself); the Boardwalk does not have an equivalent.  Aside from the great pool area, it is so lovely to sit on the man-made sandy beach in the evenings.  The whole feel of the Beach Club is more "resort" like IMO.  And it is a easy stroll over the bridge to the Boardwalk area if you want a night on the Boardwalk.  Let's just say we'd rather stay on the waitlist for a BCV unit than confirm an available unit at the Boardwalk.


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## FLYNZ4 (Apr 17, 2008)

In considering BWV vs BCV:   

BCV: The BCV big draw is SAB pool which is really cool.   Our kids LOVED it growing up.   Now, at their ages (20s) they like BWV atmosphere more… but that can certainly change once they start having kids of their own… tipping the preference back to BCV.   The biggest disadvantage of BCV is the fact that they are all built behind the main building, toward the parking lot as if it was an afterthought (which it was).   None of the BCV views are great IMHO.   All of the best views are from the hotel.

The big advantage of BWV is the ability to save points using the standard view rooms when in a point crunch… and also the ability to guarantee a Boardwalk view when paying the higher point rate.  From BWV... walking to MGM (now Disney Hollywood Studios) is a short and pleasant walk during nice weather.  I think that as kids get older, they will prefer the atmosphere at BWV over BCV based on the experience we have seen with our own kids.

We considered both... and decided that BWV is our preference.   We have 400 BWV points.   We would be quite happy with either... and we may do a BCV add-on some day.

/Jim


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## Colorado Belle (Apr 18, 2008)

I own at the BWV. Other posters are right that the standard rooms are the best point value of any DVC...and the views there are most often better than any views at BC.

BC has the pool and the walk to Epcot is a minute shorter.
While I love saving points (standard view), I think the BEST thing about BWV is reserving the boardwalkVIEW....no other DVC resort has a view like that, it is just amazing.


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## capjak (Apr 19, 2008)

I think both are great.  I ended up buying Beach Club because I enjoy the Beach theme and the bars and pool.


I also think that the BWV with a BW view would be cool but how much time would I really spend on my balcony.

Negative of BCV is it doesn't have the views like BWV.


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## joyzilli (Apr 19, 2008)

Can you swim in the "beach" area on BCV?


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## FLYNZ4 (Apr 19, 2008)

FLYNZ4 said:


> In considering BWV vs BCV:
> 
> BCV: The BCV big draw is SAB pool which is really cool.   Our kids LOVED it growing up.   Now, at their ages (20s) they like BWV atmosphere more… but that can certainly change once they start having kids of their own… tipping the preference back to BCV.   The biggest disadvantage of BCV is the fact that they are all built behind the main building, toward the parking lot as if it was an afterthought (which it was).   None of the BCV views are great IMHO.   All of the best views are from the hotel.
> 
> ...



I just realized that I forgot to mention one potentially important difference between BCV and BWV.   IF you think that you will ever want to book a Grand Villa 3BR... then you are better off owning at BWV.   This probably does not apply to a lot of people... but for some, it could be a big difference... especially if you envision family trips with lots of grandkids along.

I agree with the other posters that the overall experience between BWV and BCV are quite similar overall.

We have made MANY trips to the Yacht and Beach Club resort (hotels) ever since they opened in 1991.    In the "pre-ubitquitous Internet days"... the few people who were computer savvy could find incredible deals at both hotels (Yacht and Beach).   We generally would pay $99/night for the very best rooms (Lagoon view/Concierge) and we would go for 2-3 weeks at a time.    Ever since the Internet became ubitquitous... everybody on the planet can find the deals... so now the deep discounts are all discontinued... and anyone can find only a modest discount.   Oh well... progress .    Now we find the cheap exchanges into 2BR DVC units instead 

/Jim


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## FLYNZ4 (Apr 19, 2008)

joyzilli said:


> Can you swim in the "beach" area on BCV?



I cannot imagine wanting to... even if it is allowed.   Florida pond water is about as inviting as stage 1 of a waste treatment plant.

/Jim


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## joyzilli (Apr 19, 2008)

That's what I thought about the swimming, just thought I'd ask anyway.  It looks like I'm leaning toward BWV.

Thanks for all the great information!!


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## ljmiii (Apr 21, 2008)

joyzilli said:


> Can you swim in the "beach" area on BCV?


There is a 'beach' area of the SAB pool (ie a pool with a shore and a sandy bottom) which is kind of cool.  However (as FLYNZ4 points out) the separate 'beach' area where the boats go is not someplace you would ever want to swim.


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## refumpcpa (May 1, 2008)

Approximately how far apart are the two resorts?  I just made my first two trades on II.  I was able to get a studio at the Boardwalk and a studio at the Beach Club for the same week.  Are they in reasonable walking distance of each other?


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## hedin (May 1, 2008)

The Boardwalk and Beach Club are across a small lake from each other right outside of Epcot. It is not far to walk and there is a boat that runs regularly that you can take between the two resorts.

Curt


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