Hi. We’re planning a trip for the end of July 2021, but I’m struggling to choose a resort. I’ll be traveling with my husband, daughter (16) and son (14). We’ve all been twice before when the kids were much younger and traveled with my parents. Both times we stayed in villas at OKW. We love it there and would totally go back, but I think I may want to try something new. I’ve stayed at various other resorts on property, but never BC, BW, or Riviera. I’m almost positive we’ll at least to a 1 bedroom villa, but any opinions on any of those resorts? TIA!
All those resorts are great (other than the suites at Riviera, some of which have been reported to be very small and there was an incident with the Murphy bed that apparently has been resolved). What factors are most important to you?
- Proximity to parks
- Pool / recreation
- Shopping
- Restaurants
- Noise
- Transportation options / Skyliner access
Hi! Thanks! Good question! I think proximity to the parks is definitely a priority. Transportation options, is probably important too although I’ve always managed to navigate the bus situation fine in regards to time waiting for a bus. Skyliner access is a bit intriguing, but I don’t know a lot about that yet. I’m wondering how the lines are at park opening?
Which parks do you expect to visit the most? We love BLT in the summertime because it is so nice to be on the monorail in the heat for easy access to MK and Epcot. Bus service is pretty good and we took a Minnie Van or Uber to AK. We LOVE the extra bathroom in the 1 BR Villa at BLT because we also have 2 older teens. The Lakeview is really nice if you like a view.
Thanks! I hadn’t really thought about BLT. The extra bathroom is pretty intriguing with two teens.
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I have younger kids but there are 3 of them. Since after the pool everyone wants to shower and no one can go in with anyone else anymore the rooms with 2 baths are great for our family. So we went for an AOA family suite on our last trip. I haven’t been to any of the hotels you mentioned but we loved the layout of the AOA suite.
For proximity to parks and transportation, BLT is best if you are going to spend most of your time at MK and to a lesser extent, Epcot. BWI is a fairly quick walk to both HS and Epcot, while BC is closest to Epcot and within walking distance to HS but easier to take the boat. None of the resorts are particularly convenient to AK, though AKL is closest (no walking path, however).
The pool at BC is consistently the highest rated on WDW property. BW has better shopping and more restaurant choices, but is not far from BC so you can always walk over there if you’d prefer to stay at BC. Some people complain about noise at BW which could depend on the location of your room.
Overall, you can’t really go wrong as all the deluxe resorts are stellar. You should also take into account availability of the room type, especially if you are using DVC.
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