Hi all,
I just wanted to give you a brief report on our first trip to the BWV as DVC members.
First, we were greeted with a big "Welcome home" as soon as we drove up to the security gate, and again at check-in.
The folks at the front desk were very friendly and accommodating. They bent over backwards to see if they had a room that met my requests. The wind up was, they did not have anything ready that met my request of 1 BR near the elevator, higher floor, standard view. However, what they gave us was room 2115, which is on the same floor as the front desk, pretty far down the hall. We loved it! We had easy access to the pool and walkway to MGM via the stairs, and we had a lovely view of the bridge over the little lake in front of the parking area, the bus stop, and the conference center. We had a covered balcony that went the length of the unit and it was great!
Housekeeping: I did have several complaints about housekeeping and did make several calls because I kept finding things wrong. Everything was fixed quickly, but it was very annoying. First, the kitchen floor was not clean. Second, they only left 1 bar of soap and 1 bottle of shampoo in the unit. There were no pillows in the closet and no extra blanket. When I called to complain I was brought up several extra bars of soap and shampoo, the pillows and a blanket. They also only left us 4 bath towels which is what I thought we were supposed to get. However, after full cleaning, and T&T, we were left 6.
Also, the refrigerator did not work. We had to call maintenance and the man came to "fix" it while my kids were sleeping. I was not happy. It turns out, the fridge has to be "activated" and no one did that with ours.
In general, the housekeeper did not do a good job cleaning the unit before we arrived. There was splattered red sauce all over kitchen cabinets, and even the wall behind the stove. These were never cleaned. There was coffee or something running down the front of the dishwasher, this should have been wiped. Luckily, I did not listen to those who made fun of me, and I brought lots of clorox wipes and used them to clean the place up. When I complained about the condition to housekeeping, they did offer to send someone up, but I had already cleaned it. I did suggest they go over the cleaning protocol with whomever cleaned the room because s/he did not do the job.
However, Housekeeping was a non-issue for us after that first day. They did a good job for the full cleaning.
Condition of room: The bedding, rugs and furniture seemed to be in good condition, but the sofa bed seems like it is in good condition, though probably ready for replacement. It as the old type of sofa bed (though I am not exactly sure what the "new" type is supposed to be like). My kids never complained about sleeping on it, which is a good sign. There was some mold on the grout in the shower. My only other complaint is that the balcony and furniture on it was pretty dirty. There was mold/dirt apparent on the awning over one side of it. There was also a large rust stain and hole in the front of the fridge, so this is probably ready for replacement.
My biggest peve with the room is the stove. The heating elements stuck out and never fit in right. When I put a pan on the stove it would tilt because I could not get the elements to fit in straight. It was annoying. I hope the stoves get replaced or fixed in the next rehab.
Staff: Great! Super! We always got quick, efficient service for everything. Sean at the front desk was wonderful, and even managed to get MIL into the adjoining studio when she joined us for 1 night later in our stay. Valet always had our car quickly when we called them, and the bellman came up promptly when we arrived and departed. I have to say though, I have never experienced bad service at Disney no matter where I stayed, and especially not at the BW. I think part of the service you get depends on how you treat the CMs, and DH and I always treat them like friends instead of servants.
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask away! We had a great time!
I just wanted to give you a brief report on our first trip to the BWV as DVC members.
First, we were greeted with a big "Welcome home" as soon as we drove up to the security gate, and again at check-in.
The folks at the front desk were very friendly and accommodating. They bent over backwards to see if they had a room that met my requests. The wind up was, they did not have anything ready that met my request of 1 BR near the elevator, higher floor, standard view. However, what they gave us was room 2115, which is on the same floor as the front desk, pretty far down the hall. We loved it! We had easy access to the pool and walkway to MGM via the stairs, and we had a lovely view of the bridge over the little lake in front of the parking area, the bus stop, and the conference center. We had a covered balcony that went the length of the unit and it was great!
Housekeeping: I did have several complaints about housekeeping and did make several calls because I kept finding things wrong. Everything was fixed quickly, but it was very annoying. First, the kitchen floor was not clean. Second, they only left 1 bar of soap and 1 bottle of shampoo in the unit. There were no pillows in the closet and no extra blanket. When I called to complain I was brought up several extra bars of soap and shampoo, the pillows and a blanket. They also only left us 4 bath towels which is what I thought we were supposed to get. However, after full cleaning, and T&T, we were left 6.
Also, the refrigerator did not work. We had to call maintenance and the man came to "fix" it while my kids were sleeping. I was not happy. It turns out, the fridge has to be "activated" and no one did that with ours.
In general, the housekeeper did not do a good job cleaning the unit before we arrived. There was splattered red sauce all over kitchen cabinets, and even the wall behind the stove. These were never cleaned. There was coffee or something running down the front of the dishwasher, this should have been wiped. Luckily, I did not listen to those who made fun of me, and I brought lots of clorox wipes and used them to clean the place up. When I complained about the condition to housekeeping, they did offer to send someone up, but I had already cleaned it. I did suggest they go over the cleaning protocol with whomever cleaned the room because s/he did not do the job.
However, Housekeeping was a non-issue for us after that first day. They did a good job for the full cleaning.
Condition of room: The bedding, rugs and furniture seemed to be in good condition, but the sofa bed seems like it is in good condition, though probably ready for replacement. It as the old type of sofa bed (though I am not exactly sure what the "new" type is supposed to be like). My kids never complained about sleeping on it, which is a good sign. There was some mold on the grout in the shower. My only other complaint is that the balcony and furniture on it was pretty dirty. There was mold/dirt apparent on the awning over one side of it. There was also a large rust stain and hole in the front of the fridge, so this is probably ready for replacement.
My biggest peve with the room is the stove. The heating elements stuck out and never fit in right. When I put a pan on the stove it would tilt because I could not get the elements to fit in straight. It was annoying. I hope the stoves get replaced or fixed in the next rehab.
Staff: Great! Super! We always got quick, efficient service for everything. Sean at the front desk was wonderful, and even managed to get MIL into the adjoining studio when she joined us for 1 night later in our stay. Valet always had our car quickly when we called them, and the bellman came up promptly when we arrived and departed. I have to say though, I have never experienced bad service at Disney no matter where I stayed, and especially not at the BW. I think part of the service you get depends on how you treat the CMs, and DH and I always treat them like friends instead of servants.
If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask away! We had a great time!
I am really jealous!!!!!!!!!
