Nappy1380
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2020
We spent 3 nights at BCV and 4 nights a PVB. Both resorts were wonderful! The rooms were ready and the CMs at both locations were absolutely fantastic.
BCV - This was our first time at this resort and now understand why people enjoy it. We were in room 225, which I would strongly recommend to anyone! It is literally the first room on the right after the first hallway to the right once you get off of the elevator. The balcony however, it's practically useless given how small it is. The décor of the DVC building and the pools themselves were wonderful. The walk to Epcot , even after staying at BWV, was shockingly short! Beachclub Marketplace was more than adequate for a QS option. Beaches & Cream however....unbelievably overrated in our opinion. Beyond the quaintness of the restaurant itself, the food (including the ice cream) was a disappointment.
PVB - This was also our first time at this resort and immediately became our favorite of the 6 DVC resorts we've have stayed at. So much so that we are considering either adding on OR selling our SSR contract to buy a PVB contract. The Great Ceremonial House is a place you could just hang out in! The newly renovated rooms are very well done. Still holds the ambiance of the resort and isn't a plain white box that is the new Disney MO on refurbs. We were in Tokelau room 2739, which was a great location. Everything about the resort was above and beyond the "feel" we've experienced elsewhere. We ate poolside, at Capt Cooks and at Kona Cafe and all 3 were great, absolutely zero complaints. Of note however is Capt Cooks is 100% undersized both in kitchen capacity and seating for the amount or people it serves.
The parks....ohhhh the parks. This is where we realized Disney was no longer the Disney we visited in 2018. All parks were at capacity for the week, so in theory the crowds were the worst that could have taken place. Our first non travel day was HS and it was absolutely slammed. We did early entry and managed to get ride MMRW and ROTR by 10:30. By that time, forget it. Lines were absolutely insane, as expected, for anything that wasn't a show. Even Star Tours was 50 minutes. We had lunch at Woody's Lunchbox and went back to the pool. We ended up back at HS for our 6PM Oga's reservation, which to be honest was a waste of time and a nightmare experience. There were multiple tables who, by CM admission, were pushing the 90 minute mark. That caused us to wait 30-40 minutes beyond our reservation. We did Oga's as it was the first time our kids experienced it. Even for the adults, it seemed to lack the luster as our first experience did. We probably won't be returning.
Our second day was at Epcot. We did early entry and rode Remy with a 15 minute wait. We stopped in Norway to get some breakfast, took some photos of the topiaries and then were able to get on Soarin (25 minute wait) and LWTL (10 minute wait) before leaving the Land Pavilion to find Nemo, yes Nemo, was a 50 minute wait! That was the signal it was time to hit the pools and have a snack. We had a late lunch/early dinner at Tutto Italia, which given how many subpar reviews I've ready, was surprisingly incredible. The food and the wait staff were both fantastic. After the meal we went back for a nap, since there was no way our 7 and 8 year old would be able to take advantage of EMH without one. We went back and got a great spot for Harmonious, which was substantially better in person that watching a video. I'll admit it, all of us walked away really enjoying the show. We then took advantage of EMH and were able to ride Mission Space, Frozen and Remy again without rushing.
Our third day was a pool/room transfer day. Nothing to report here.
Our fourth day was a MK day, and originally a day we planned to do non ride things in the park and then take advantage of EMH. Park opening being extended to 11PM squashed that idea. We had breakfast at Kona Cafe and were in the parks by 10AM. This is the 1 and only day that we purchased Genie+ because 1) The crowds and 2) To actually give it a shot. It's undeniable that having it in MK saved us a ton of time and allowed us to do more than we would have without it. With that said, the program is a mess and not very user friendly. Modifying a LL pass caused our 2 hour window to extend as apparently if you modify a ride that resets the 2 hour window. Lesson learned. Also the availability windows are obnoxiously sporadic. A few refreshes can really change the availability either forward (as expected as spots are taken) or backward by several hours, which makes zero sense. The Genie+ experience from a UI perspective needs a mountain of work. The lack of typical character meet and greets and other in park entertainment you would stumble across was very noticeable. It's clear that more entertainment and offerings needs to be in the parks.
We, of course, watched Enchantment. This was absolutely as disappointing in person as it is on videos. The projections, transitions and music are just....bad. It's just an emotionless show with a terribly theme song. The advancement of the projection technology is absolutely something to look forward to for future shows, but Enchantment needs to disappear as quickly as possibly.
Our fifth day was AK, which we got a late start to as we stayed in MK almost until 11PM the night before as some Disney Magic kicked in and the kids last that long. The wait times were absolutely atrocious. We suffered through 2 hour long waits for Kali and Kilimanjaro and called it quits.
Our sixth day was set to be a second MK day, however none of us, include the kids, cared to go back. We actually downgraded to a 4 day ticket and made it a pool day. That, to me, is very telling. The Disney magic still very much exists, however it is no longer in the parks. My kids were dying to go back to Disney, and to have them get to a point where they would rather go to the pool all day than Magic Kingdom spoke volumes. We watched the Electrical Water Pageant and Enchantment from the beach. Enchantment, when viewed as just a fireworks show, is actually a really great show and a much better experience than watching it in MK itself. Regardless, give me HEA or give me death!
Overall....lots and lots of complaining heard about the parks no matter where we were. At the front desk at Beach Club a family had 5 day tickets by was unaware of the reservation system. Their tickets were absolutely useless. We overhead numerous complaints (by the pool, on the bus, in restaurants, in the parks) about Genie+ and how much it's hated. More specifically for HS and AK, the lack of ride availability for the cost. Multiple people we overheard have not been to Disney in 5, 7, 10 years and said they would not be back. Just my opinion, but I think this is what is keeping the parks packed and will come home to roost soon. You have a large population that has not been to Disney in years, planned for Disney to be 1 and done due to cost or couldn't previously afford Disney that is in the park for one reason or another. Almost all of these people are surely going to be disappointed in the park experience. Once this wave runs out, it's back to the dark days of attendance and with that will most likely be even more budget cuts than what we are currently experiencing.
At the end of our trip, the consensus was unanimous in that we still had a very magical time however future trips will consist of significantly less time in the parks. As it stands now, we a contemplating a resort only trip in July. That is something that I would have never fathomed with a 7 and 8 year old but given the current state of the parks and the cost to be in the parks, that is what is more enjoyable at this point.
BCV - This was our first time at this resort and now understand why people enjoy it. We were in room 225, which I would strongly recommend to anyone! It is literally the first room on the right after the first hallway to the right once you get off of the elevator. The balcony however, it's practically useless given how small it is. The décor of the DVC building and the pools themselves were wonderful. The walk to Epcot , even after staying at BWV, was shockingly short! Beachclub Marketplace was more than adequate for a QS option. Beaches & Cream however....unbelievably overrated in our opinion. Beyond the quaintness of the restaurant itself, the food (including the ice cream) was a disappointment.
PVB - This was also our first time at this resort and immediately became our favorite of the 6 DVC resorts we've have stayed at. So much so that we are considering either adding on OR selling our SSR contract to buy a PVB contract. The Great Ceremonial House is a place you could just hang out in! The newly renovated rooms are very well done. Still holds the ambiance of the resort and isn't a plain white box that is the new Disney MO on refurbs. We were in Tokelau room 2739, which was a great location. Everything about the resort was above and beyond the "feel" we've experienced elsewhere. We ate poolside, at Capt Cooks and at Kona Cafe and all 3 were great, absolutely zero complaints. Of note however is Capt Cooks is 100% undersized both in kitchen capacity and seating for the amount or people it serves.
The parks....ohhhh the parks. This is where we realized Disney was no longer the Disney we visited in 2018. All parks were at capacity for the week, so in theory the crowds were the worst that could have taken place. Our first non travel day was HS and it was absolutely slammed. We did early entry and managed to get ride MMRW and ROTR by 10:30. By that time, forget it. Lines were absolutely insane, as expected, for anything that wasn't a show. Even Star Tours was 50 minutes. We had lunch at Woody's Lunchbox and went back to the pool. We ended up back at HS for our 6PM Oga's reservation, which to be honest was a waste of time and a nightmare experience. There were multiple tables who, by CM admission, were pushing the 90 minute mark. That caused us to wait 30-40 minutes beyond our reservation. We did Oga's as it was the first time our kids experienced it. Even for the adults, it seemed to lack the luster as our first experience did. We probably won't be returning.
Our second day was at Epcot. We did early entry and rode Remy with a 15 minute wait. We stopped in Norway to get some breakfast, took some photos of the topiaries and then were able to get on Soarin (25 minute wait) and LWTL (10 minute wait) before leaving the Land Pavilion to find Nemo, yes Nemo, was a 50 minute wait! That was the signal it was time to hit the pools and have a snack. We had a late lunch/early dinner at Tutto Italia, which given how many subpar reviews I've ready, was surprisingly incredible. The food and the wait staff were both fantastic. After the meal we went back for a nap, since there was no way our 7 and 8 year old would be able to take advantage of EMH without one. We went back and got a great spot for Harmonious, which was substantially better in person that watching a video. I'll admit it, all of us walked away really enjoying the show. We then took advantage of EMH and were able to ride Mission Space, Frozen and Remy again without rushing.
Our third day was a pool/room transfer day. Nothing to report here.
Our fourth day was a MK day, and originally a day we planned to do non ride things in the park and then take advantage of EMH. Park opening being extended to 11PM squashed that idea. We had breakfast at Kona Cafe and were in the parks by 10AM. This is the 1 and only day that we purchased Genie+ because 1) The crowds and 2) To actually give it a shot. It's undeniable that having it in MK saved us a ton of time and allowed us to do more than we would have without it. With that said, the program is a mess and not very user friendly. Modifying a LL pass caused our 2 hour window to extend as apparently if you modify a ride that resets the 2 hour window. Lesson learned. Also the availability windows are obnoxiously sporadic. A few refreshes can really change the availability either forward (as expected as spots are taken) or backward by several hours, which makes zero sense. The Genie+ experience from a UI perspective needs a mountain of work. The lack of typical character meet and greets and other in park entertainment you would stumble across was very noticeable. It's clear that more entertainment and offerings needs to be in the parks.
We, of course, watched Enchantment. This was absolutely as disappointing in person as it is on videos. The projections, transitions and music are just....bad. It's just an emotionless show with a terribly theme song. The advancement of the projection technology is absolutely something to look forward to for future shows, but Enchantment needs to disappear as quickly as possibly.
Our fifth day was AK, which we got a late start to as we stayed in MK almost until 11PM the night before as some Disney Magic kicked in and the kids last that long. The wait times were absolutely atrocious. We suffered through 2 hour long waits for Kali and Kilimanjaro and called it quits.
Our sixth day was set to be a second MK day, however none of us, include the kids, cared to go back. We actually downgraded to a 4 day ticket and made it a pool day. That, to me, is very telling. The Disney magic still very much exists, however it is no longer in the parks. My kids were dying to go back to Disney, and to have them get to a point where they would rather go to the pool all day than Magic Kingdom spoke volumes. We watched the Electrical Water Pageant and Enchantment from the beach. Enchantment, when viewed as just a fireworks show, is actually a really great show and a much better experience than watching it in MK itself. Regardless, give me HEA or give me death!
Overall....lots and lots of complaining heard about the parks no matter where we were. At the front desk at Beach Club a family had 5 day tickets by was unaware of the reservation system. Their tickets were absolutely useless. We overhead numerous complaints (by the pool, on the bus, in restaurants, in the parks) about Genie+ and how much it's hated. More specifically for HS and AK, the lack of ride availability for the cost. Multiple people we overheard have not been to Disney in 5, 7, 10 years and said they would not be back. Just my opinion, but I think this is what is keeping the parks packed and will come home to roost soon. You have a large population that has not been to Disney in years, planned for Disney to be 1 and done due to cost or couldn't previously afford Disney that is in the park for one reason or another. Almost all of these people are surely going to be disappointed in the park experience. Once this wave runs out, it's back to the dark days of attendance and with that will most likely be even more budget cuts than what we are currently experiencing.
At the end of our trip, the consensus was unanimous in that we still had a very magical time however future trips will consist of significantly less time in the parks. As it stands now, we a contemplating a resort only trip in July. That is something that I would have never fathomed with a 7 and 8 year old but given the current state of the parks and the cost to be in the parks, that is what is more enjoyable at this point.
