Completely dissappointed with BWV

[3DisneyNUTS]

No one else picked up on this, but I am completely stumped by the notion that a weakness of BWV might be that is has no dedicated restaurant. While strictly true, the reality couldn't be more different. When staying at the Epcot resort area, right out the front door are multiple wonderful options and right around the corner is the WS.

Same at SSR. It has DTD right there but I do hope the rumors come true of a dedicated restaurant. It adds to the experience IMO...themeing and all.

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

Sorry you had a bad trip. But I still don't get the long walk complaints. We stayed at the end of the hall, with a 5 year old also, and no stroller, she hoofed it herself with no complaints. To each his/her own. We love BWV.

Well my DS still uses a stroller when he gets tired. Aside from that he loved the long hallways. He would run down them and get to the room far ahead of us. He had nothing to complain about he was either sleeping or bolting down the hall. It is DH and I that were not too fond of it and using the stairs since we have a stroller is not fun or easy. Nothing confusing...I am glad you love BWV.

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

Well, you've gone and done it now, 3DisneyNuts. Posting a less than positive report about any resort but SSR is guaranteed to send a bunch of "well why didn't yous" and "you should have knowns" your way.

I once posted that I had been stung by bees, and before I knew it, there were a bunch of "I've never been stung by bees" replies insinuating that bees didn't sting people and I was just making it up for dastardly reasons and to insult beedom in general. As well as the "you must have done something to make the bees sting you" replies insinuating that any problems with bees were of my own making because bees are kind and benevolent creatures under normal circumstances and only become nasty when they see me.

Anyway, the great thing about DVC is trying all of the resorts ( which I have done ) and finding out firsthand which ones fit each member's style of vacationing. I have found some resorts I probably wouldn't ever request again, but I'm glad I stayed there to find out firsthand what it was like.

Hope your next trip is everything this one wasn't.

Ahhahhhahhaaa ain't that the truth LOL. You know it isn't like I said I hate BWV and your all idiots for buying there. It isn't for me and my family. I gave a detailed opinion because people visit these boards and like to use these resources as a way to decide where to stay. I am glad people love BWV and I can see why they do but I found out it isn't a good fit for us and I explained why.

I would not recommend this resort to someone with a stroller child. Ours never uses one except for Disney and even then it was a hassle for us. Also the kiddie area was a round baby pool with elephant statues. I don't know if they were supposed to spray water or what but they did not so the only thing the two 5yr olds and the 7 year old did was go on the keister coaster. That is exciting for the first hour but the adults being types where we hang at the pool for a few hours they were done with the slide after 15 times down. Then it was just a regular pool to them. The bar area was awesome buying drinks and snacks poolside was great but again not enough of a draaw for OUR FAMILY to go back.

 

[Nanajo1]

You know honestly that is not my problem or job while I am on vacation. There is a manager of the resort who gets big bucks to make sure the hallways are clean.

Unfortunately, that makes it sound like you only want to complain about something and not see a problem fixed.
As an owner I feel to protect my investment I will let management know at the time when things are not right. I may come to a forum like the DIS to alert others of the problem by my main goal would be to get problems fixed not to just complain.
I am sympathetic to your concerns but you're losing me with "I don't have to do anything about but complain" attitude I got from this post.

 

[jade1]

I would not recommend this resort to someone with a stroller child. QUOTE]

IMHO it is the best resort for a stroller. Walking home after Illuminations and Fantasmic with a stroller is ideal because the child can stay sleeping in it until you are next to thier bed. Following the herd to the buses, waiting for a bus, folding the stroller, carrying the child and the stroller, stopping and cranking on the lights 4 times getting off and setting up the stroller to get back to your room is not my idea of a good time and only happens when we close MK (since AK has no late show).

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

Unfortunately, that makes it sound like you only want to complain about something and not see a problem fixed.
As an owner I feel to protect my investment I will let management know at the time when things are not right. I may come to a forum like the DIS to alert others of the problem by my main goal would be to get problems fixed not to just complain.
I am sympathetic to your concerns but you're losing me with "I don't have to do anything about but complain" attitude I got from this post.

How is that? It is not my job to take care of those issues, I am on vacation. How I will make my point is by not staying there again. It is management's responsibility to see these issues and take care of them. There were plates on the floor for at least 5 hours one day. That just shows me many people are not doing their job from mousekeeping to management. So I am not complaining I am informing others and not booking there again. I did take a guest communication card from the lobby on my way out so when I decide to I may write them. BUT it is not my job to have to go out of my way to get someone to take care of dishes especially when I have paid to be on vacation.

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

I would not recommend this resort to someone with a stroller child. QUOTE]

IMHO it is the best resort for a stroller. Walking home after Illuminations and Fantasmic with a stroller is ideal because the child can stay sleeping in it until you are next to thier bed. Following the herd to the buses, waiting for a bus, folding the stroller, carrying the child and the stroller, stopping and cranking on the lights 4 times getting off and setting up the stroller to get back to your room is not my idea of a good time and only happens when we close MK (since AK has no late show).

That was a major plus I definitely see your point.

 

[Torontogal]

We just got back from OKW and loved it.
We are going in March and staying at BWV - standard 1 bedroom.
Hope I will not be disappointed. We thought it would be nice to try something different. I am sure it will be different from OKW but I do not want any bad experiences. I have requested a room that does not require too much walking and close to check in. Can someone tell me if I should be alright. Any particular room number I should hope for?

 

[Dean]

How is that? It is not my job to take care of those issues, I am on vacation. How I will make my point is by not staying there again. It is management's responsibility to see these issues and take care of them. There were plates on the floor for at least 5 hours one day. That just shows me many people are not doing their job from mousekeeping to management. So I am not complaining I am informing others and not booking there again. I did take a guest communication card from the lobby on my way out so when I decide to I may write them. BUT it is not my job to have to go out of my way to get someone to take care of dishes especially when I have paid to be on vacation.

I see your point. However, one of the principles that many in timesharing adhere to is to treat the resorts more like a home than a hotel. That means reporting problems like shot light bulbs, upholstery tears and the like. Really anything that could be done to improve the resort in some way. If brought to the attention of the appropriate people, items will likely improve for everyone over the long haul.

 

[DVCPAT]

Ahhahhhahhaaa ain't that the truth LOL. You know it isn't like I said I hate BWV and your all idiots for buying there. It isn't for me and my family. I gave a detailed opinion because people visit these boards and like to use these resources as a way to decide where to stay. I am glad people love BWV and I can see why they do but I found out it isn't a good fit for us and I explained why.

I would not recommend this resort to someone with a stroller child. Ours never uses one except for Disney and even then it was a hassle for us. Also the kiddie area was a round baby pool with elephant statues. I don't know if they were supposed to spray water or what but they did not so the only thing the two 5yr olds and the 7 year old did was go on the keister coaster. That is exciting for the first hour but the adults being types where we hang at the pool for a few hours they were done with the slide after 15 times down. Then it was just a regular pool to them. The bar area was awesome buying drinks and snacks poolside was great but again not enough of a draaw for OUR FAMILY to go back.

Didn’t you say the Disney architects must have been smoking crack ???? If I visit a resort with a mindset to find problems, I can find them. Your opinion on the pool is true for any resort. Once swim for a few hours and go down the slide 15 times, it is usually time to go.

Everyone has an opinion…. Disney’s opinion is that some resorts have more amenities combined with a premium location command a higher rental price. I was surprised how VWL was at the lower end of the rack rates. If I’m not mistaken, I think SSR has the lowest rack rate, but that’s just Disney’s opinion.

 

[Beca]

I was surprised how VWL was at the lower end of the rack rates.

ITA!!! But, then I spent some time on the resorts board, and from what people there are saying...WL was originally built as a moderate resort, but was so popular that WDW "bumped" it's status. Posters say that the rooms at WL are much smaller than the rooms at other deluxes. I think that may account for some of the "discounts" in room rates.

3 Disney Nuts....I really appreciate yours (and anyone else's) opinions of the DVC resorts. While I disagree completely (BWV is my second-favorite resort), I really enjoyed hearing what you did/did not like.

BTW, I also have to disagree with the "not good for child with stroller" comments. We were at BWV last December in a SV. We were WAY down the second hall (our room overlooked what is now the croquet lawn). I didn't mind the hallways a bit. Our dd (then 2) was in a stroller, and other than dodging the plumbing repairs going on in the hallway....we found it to be pleasant stroll....much better than being in the 84 degree heat. I would take those long indoor strolls anyday over exterior ones.

That's what is so great about DVC....to each his own!!



Beca

 

[disworldnum1]

I have been going to BWV since 98 and love the place.Its all a personal choice.You either like a place or not and if you dont like someplace you will be able to find a 100 things wrong.I have found when i go on vacation to focus on the positive so I dont get dissapointed and ruin my time.I accept the fact that the bus stops at other resorts and thats that.I love to walk to epcot and mgm and we often will take the monorail from epcot to MK.Our room is a place to eat and sleep and we like the end rooms sometime because we can walk down the steps and be closer to buses.I thank GOD not everyone loves BWV like us because it would make it harder to make reservations.I have toured other resorts and my preference is BWV.

 

[nezy]

RE:Rain and BW restaurants: Isn't that why we all have those lovely yellow ponchos w/ Mickey on the back?

 

[quentina]

Wow you guys I was never so dissappointed with a WDW stay in my life. What a complete dissappointment to say the least. The only word of advice I have to say is listen to reviews. If you read something and it doesn't sit right for you don't book.

We stayed in a 2BR for 2 nights then extended our stay instead of going to OKW. I so regret doing that but I will explain. We had room 5075-73 which was right near the elevator. We had just returned from DCL I had booked a 2br and a studio the studio was ready and the 2 br was not so we went to MK for the day when we returned the 2BR which was 'right next to' the studio wasn't really it was down the hall. The only reason I brought this up is that the CM should have not told my MIL that they were next to each other because they weren't. Other than that my family was blown away by to room and being right on the boardwalk. So everything was good so far.

So of course being so close to the elevators made me not realize the lack of planning by whomever designed the villas. After deciding we didn't feel like
changing resorts I asked if we could keep the studio portion of the 2 bedroom since most of our party was leaving. Well that was not available so they did have a studio available right away (should have been my red flag) 3136. The very last door of the THIRD hallway on the third floor. OMG were the people who laid out the Villas smoking dope? I used to think the long hallway complaint was just bellyachers but DH and I are fit people and love to walk but walking 3 hallways each comparable to a football field if not longer after a day at the parks and an hour bus ride is not my idea of fun. Once we started the trek to the room we knew EXACTLY what all the belly achers were talking about. God how I wish I had taken their advice. WHY would there be ONE set of elevators servicing an entire resort?

The busses good grief! Sharing the busses with 4 resorts is absurd! Getting anywhere was a nightmare and took forever! That was really aggrivating and also the wait for the bus was long. They were not spaced out properly and for example we would get 2 busses for MK right next to each other so if you missed them the wait till they came back was longer than usual. Going to Typhoon lagoon or Downtown was even more annoying since they would pick up at boardwalk drive through the swan dolphin YBC and then pass directly passed the Boardwalk entrance again. It made absolutely no sense on why the Boardwalk did not get picked up after rather than get on the bus go through every stop just to pass the stop again. It is completely absurd. If I owned at BWV I would definitely have issue with the bus sharing.

Also another thing that distrubed me was how long the room service dirty dishes would sit outside people's rooms. Filthy plates just sitting there one room had their stuff outside their door for at least 5 hours!!! We had left our room at about 7:30 am and returned to our room about 2pm and it was still there! This wasn't an isolated incident. The day we checked into the resort we noticed alot of stuff in the hallways thinking it was a fluke I ignored it but after noticing stuff ourside the doors frequently I started to take notice. I mean there were thise one set of chicken wings that were sitting there forever! The odd thing is that you could constantly smell food while walking the halls unfortunately it wasn't the smell of fresh food cooking but of what someone ate the night before.

So for those of you who love BWV I wish I had the same magical experience you guys do. My husband said he enjoyed POP Century better and he wanted me to make sure I posted our experience. It was definitely a waste of points.

So sign me up for
outside hallways (no smells)
more elevators
resort only busses (no sharing)
pool was great but the kids area not so great!


Now please remember this isn't to resort bash it is just my experince with this resort. There are some things I did like which was the boardwalk (especially the bakery), the proximity to Epcot, the lobby decorations, the themeing of the pool area and how much it reminded me of my late grandmother who was a Coney Island buff. The community center had alot for the kids. Also the keister coaster was cool but seemed to be the only thing to attract kids. No water play area. I am definitely a fan of zero entry. BUT it wasn't enough too give my recommendations to the place.

I'm glad I am not the only one with these thoughts!! I could not wait to stay here and I was totally disappointed....SSR and OKW are now our resort's of choice.

Kim

 

[pyrxtc]

I just stayed in 5073 and it was okay. The Boardwalk was okay but I can't wait to try something else next time. I didn't like the bus system either. It took us almost an hour to get to DTD one night. Also had multiple buses for one park before any came for others. Almost missed our PS by then. We were waiting for the bus an hour early too.

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

Didn’t you say the Disney architects must have been smoking crack ???? If I visit a resort with a mindset to find problems, I can find them. Your opinion on the pool is true for any resort. Once swim for a few hours and go down the slide 15 times, it is usually time to go.

Everyone has an opinion…. Disney’s opinion is that some resorts have more amenities combined with a premium location command a higher rental price. I was surprised how VWL was at the lower end of the rack rates. If I’m not mistaken, I think SSR has the lowest rack rate, but that’s just Disney’s opinion.

What is your point? You just reiterated everything I have been saying. What are you trying to say here?

Is it that Disney thinks SSR is less than BWV? Rack rate shows nothing but supply and demand. Obviously SSR has many more rooms than BWV hence the lesser rate. It doesn't reflect quality. If you want to go by standards of quality than look at the point price. SSR is comanding the highests point price yet. Does that mean it is better than the other resorts??? I don't think so I just think DVC is very successful!.

Again my reveiew shows how our family experienced the resort. No one needs to agree with me. Plus I do think the people who laid out the elevators at BWV were smoking something.....that layout is unique to any hotel I have ever been to especially one that is a "resort".

 

[DVCPAT]

What is your point? You just reiterated everything I have been saying. What are you trying to say here?

Is it that Disney thinks SSR is less than BWV? Rack rate shows nothing but supply and demand. Obviously SSR has many more rooms than BWV hence the lesser rate. It doesn't reflect quality. If you want to go by standards of quality than look at the point price. SSR is comanding the highests point price yet. Does that mean it is better than the other resorts??? I don't think so I just think DVC is very successful!.

Again my reveiew shows how our family experienced the resort. No one needs to agree with me. Plus I do think the people who laid out the elevators at BWV were smoking something.....that layout is unique to any hotel I have ever been to especially one that is a "resort".

You think the size of a resort correlates with the rack rate? With that logic, I guess the VWL should be the most expensive. It’s very clear, Disney doesn’t think they can rent rooms if they ask the same price as BWV. I agree with them for a number of reasons.

SSR is selling for the highest point price due to the success of its predecessors. If you look at the resale prices for SSR, the price is not higher. It is lower even with the 50 year time frame.

 

[RAD]

I didn't like the bus system either. It took us almost an hour to get to DTD one night. Also had multiple buses for one park before any came for others. Almost missed our PS by then. We were waiting for the bus an hour early too.

That happens at all the resorts, it's not a problem only at BWV/BWI.

 

[BEACHCLUBVILLAS]

ITA!!! But, then I spent some time on the resorts board, and from what people there are saying...WL was originally built as a moderate resort, but was so popular that WDW "bumped" it's status. Posters say that the rooms at WL are much smaller than the rooms at other deluxes. I think that may account for some of the "discounts" in room rates.

I stayed at WL when it first opened and it was a deluxe then. Are you saying while it was under construction they thought it would be a moderate but once it opened they opened as a deluxe or that it opened as a moderate and later was upgraded to deluxe? I thought one of the things that separated a moderate from deluxe is Queen vs double beds and food courts. WL has queens and no food court, just a snack bar like the other deluxes. This is the first I've heard that it was originally a moderate.

 

[Beca]

I stayed at WL when it first opened and it was a deluxe then. Are you saying while it was under construction they thought it would be a moderate but once it opened they opened as a deluxe or that it opened as a moderate and later was upgraded to deluxe? I thought one of the things that separated a moderate from deluxe is Queen vs double beds and food courts. WL has queens and no food court, just a snack bar like the other deluxes. This is the first I've heard that it was originally a moderate.

Yes...sorry I didn't make myself clear. From what people are saying on the resorts board (I don't know any of this first hand), WL was originally designed to be a moderate. Somewhere in the design phase (too far in to actually enlarge the rooms) it was "bumped" to a deluxe. I am not sure whether the "buzz" surrounding the resort changed it, or if WDW just had a change of heart.

I will search for some of those threads (they are pretty old). If I find any, I will post the links here.



Beca