BCV DVC very disappointed

[edenlee]

Just got back from BCV and have to say very dispapointed this year. This was our third trip. We had to refuse 3 rooms before we were offered anything suitable. We are three adults and a child and stay in a studio which has always been adequate before. We stayed for 19 nights and were offered a ground floor room with patio which would not have been safe for our child; two handicapped rooms which had huge bathrooms but no wardrobe space at all (remember 4 people - 19 nights!!!:sad2: ).

The front desk staff told us that they had no information about wardrobe space in rooms and only had a very poor diagram. We felt it was impossible for them to allocate correct rooms for guests needs without adequate information. We asked a DVC manager about this and pointed out that maybe it was a training issue. No one seemed particularly bothered.:mad:

Also, there were two cupborad doors hanging off and a damaged towel rail in the room we eventually accepted - I think they eventually wore us down.

How disappointing it all was and it really spoilt what should have been our exciting "moving back home" day.

During the course of our stay we noticied that there were broken loo doors on site, dirty floor in the loos, no loo roll, very off hand staff and a general air of "don't care"

It made us quite sad :guilty: as we love our Disney home but are now considering selling our points.:sad2:

[Pootle]

How very disappointing.

Did you report the faults you found in your room and if so, did they come to fix them for you?

[paulh]

we had isuses with a hadicaped room at BCV.same again wardrobe is way to ianadicate for cloths.even iorn in the way.hot water set to a low temp so no scoldind.and no plug in sink(so it wont over fill)so had to shave in a kids bucket.and no seperate sink outside bathroom
Dont get me wrong i`am glad they have handicaped rooms but they should be normal rooms weith extra facilities for them.rather than a normal room altered
And when will they learn that a lazzy river dosnt have to be 8 foot deap,even i strugguled in it
Paulh

[edenlee]

Pootle: No - we had a handy swiss army knif with a screwdriver on it and fixed them ourselves!!!!! it just seemed so much easier after all the hastle

Don't get me wrong - we love Disney and our DVC home it's just that this time we didn't feel as looked after and valuable as we have on other occasions!

[UKDEB]

We stayed at BCV in a 2 bed in January this year and we were extremely disappointed - it looked very tatty in comparison with the 2 bed we'd come from at SSR. Luckily we were only staying there for ease of access to Epcot and for just 3 nights before heading off elsewhere for a further two weeks. We pretty much felt the same during stays at BWV.

[CarolAnnC]

Sorry to hear about your room difficulties! I have heard of others with issues in the handicapped rooms, and I now make it a point to ask at check in if the room I am assigned is handicapped or not.

Especially since you were there for 19 nights, it would be uncomfortable to have accomodations that were not suitable for your family.

Before selling off your points, why don't you try one of the other DVC resorts if you haven't already? AKV are new and you may find them to perhaps meet your expectations more. I love BCV but they are at the age now where some things do need replacing and may be showing signs of wear.

Always a good idea to ring up Housekeeping to report anything that needs repair in the room. Hopefully it helps them keep on top of things!

[JimC]

Our experiences at BCV have been that it shows wear more than the other resorts. Don't quite know why -- probably a combination of factors.

However, any repairs we needed were quickly taken care of.

[jockey]

I was thinkin of booking here for Jan as AKV not available

[jns]

we are staying at the BCV for our first time next month
will let you know whats it like

[MrsJobba1]

we are staying at the BCV for our first time next month
will let you know whats it like

Thanks - I will be very interested to find out.

We have a reservation at BWV our home resort but considering changing it to BCV at the 7month window, just for a change.

[gobofraggle]

we visited the studio of friends at BCV a couple of weeks ago while staying at OKW - we'd been thinking of trying it some time but, now, - no way.

the elevator was dirty, popcorn everywhere - for a long time, no checks by anyone
the elevator creaked like the tower of terror
the carpet in the studio was streaked with white marks
the ceiling fan squeaked

[JohnnySharp2]

Sorry you didn't enjoy your stay.

This is one of the reasons why we never bought into DVC, isn't this why all the owners pay maintainence costs?

We rented points in 2006 at Boardwalk and whilst we enjoyed the location were staggered how tatty the room was.
Most of the furniture was in need of replacement, the curtains were dirty, the coffee table only had 3 legs *well it had 4 but was virtually unusable if you put something heavy like a feather on it* and there were broken wine glasses next to the sink as we first walked in the room. The carpet wouldn't have been good enough for my garage!

Frankly for the money you can get far superior accomodation off-site.
It's just the location that gives the DVC resort the edge.

The fact of the matter is some of the rooms at the older resorts are not in the same league as the newer one's like SSR.
Disney have to realise people pay a lot of money to stay at their resorts.
To actually book direct for some of these deluxe resorts its around $450 per night I think at certain times of the year, sorry but they need to do better, that's a lot of money.

[mikki.young]

We have stayed two or three times at BCV and it is the only DVC resort that has consistently disappointed us. The last stay the room was incredibly noisy all day and night from (we assumed) the plumbing in the building. We won't be staying there again.

I agree that some of the other DVC rooms are not in as good a condition as they might be. While they are a home from resort I am surprised at how badly some people must treat them when they stay given the results we sometimes witness.

[gobofraggle]

JohnnySharp2:
No, my comment was specifically about the BCV room we visited

[JohnnySharp2]

I understand what you mean, I wasn't specifically directing my comments at your post - it was merely an opinion based upon the OP's 'dissapointment at the standard of the room'.
We genuinely considered joining DVC but have since changed our minds, for various reasons.

If I remember rightly it cost us around $1000 for the 3 nights, as it was in 'peak season' or at least one of the higher price times of the year - irrespective of whether I own or not I hoped the room would be nice, and we were dissapointed in the standard of it.
For £200 approx. per night I expect the curtains to be clean, maybe we were just unlucky. Glad you had no such problems and hope that we do not at at the Polynesian next year.

My sensitivity just comes purely down to the fact that DVC owner or not, for the prices charged we should get quality accomodation and it just wasn't.

It's nice you had some good experiences, our only one didn't live up to our expectations.

[gilld]

We let our friends have a two bed villa at BCV the last fortnight, and they came back yesterday saying it was fabulous.

Certainly we've never had a problem...............but we've not been for 3 years either.

[misscrossbee]

We just returned from a week at AKL in a savannah view room and then a week at BCV, kindly provided by my Dad's DVC membership.

BCV is my parents' 'home' and they love it, particularly for it's proximity to Epcot. We loved it the first time we stayed there three years ago, but this time it was a disappointment.

Of the three rooms on our reservation, only ours wasn't ready when we checked in at 12. At some point, they offered us a room on the ground floor which we declined as my Dad had wanted us all to be in close proximity (initially all the rooms were to be on the 2nd floor) and we didn't fancy the lack of privacy on the ground floor.

Finally, sometime after 4pm, we were told our room was ready only to find it hadn't been touched by a cleaner since the previous occupants checked out. It was a filthy mess with rubbish piled everywhere, unmade beds, etc. Reception apologised, but then told us our only alternative was the previously offered ground floor room and if we wanted to change rooms the next day we could come back to the desk first thing in the morning and they would sort it.

The ground floor room was a handicapped room and it was in bad shape. The AC was incredibly noisy, the toilet was coming loose from the wall and the refrigerator was falling apart, amongst other things. I went back to the desk the next morning and - after a lot of discussion amongst the people on the desk as no notes had been put on my account as promised - was told a room had been allocated on the second floor, but wouldn't be ready for us to move to until the afternoon, and to come back and see the manager then for keys to be cut.

I went back in the afternoon and the manager wasn't available and still no notes had been left on my account. So it was another 25 minutes of explanation and standing around while all sorts of whispered conversations took place behind the desk. The new room was OK, but I would have really liked BCV staff to take the initiative to sort it the next day, rather than having to go back to the desk several times and explain each time what the situation was. I intend to write a letter to BC management about this.

I felt the service and the room at AKL was far superior to that of BCV and certainly BCV didn't provide the customer care expected from a DVC property.

[flexsmom]

Sorry you were disappointed - but it seems that your requests for "suitability" - not having a ground floor, and then not having a disabled room - both fell into the "requests" category and not so much as "guarantees"? I think you may have been fortunate that they ended up assigning you to a room that you considered suitable without charging you for a room change after so many attempts, since your requests were not anything that fell into the guaranteed category.

[BONZO]

Well, we certainly had a very different experience to others who've posted here.

Just put up Part 6 of Trip Report Here with pics (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=28338672#post28338672) for our first day at BCV.

[FayeW]

I think I am going to save this thread in my Favourites so I can refer to it everytime I read one of the "I stayed offsite ONCE and NEVER AGAIN" threads. Just goes to show that maintenance issues happen everywhere!

Regarding BCV...I suspect that the studios see more action at this resort than any of the others due to the appeal of Stormalong Bay to families. I think that is why they seem to have so much trouble keeping up with maintenance and general cleanliness. I don't hear too many complaints like these towards the other DVC resorts.

[barrysprot36]

Our studio at BCV in August was perfect. In fact our room was ready when we checked in after breakfast at Cape May and we went straight to our room. Workmen were just leaving our room where they had been touching up chips on the skirting boards.

We can't wait to stay there again next August :banana:

Caron

[UKDEB]

Judging by the photos on Shaun's trip report, the rooms seem to have been given a freshen up since we were there in January. Although ostensibly the same as the two bed we stayed in, the paintwork looks cleaner and the bedspreads appear to have been replaced.

[jns]

Well liked promised we are justed back from 6 nights at the BCV and had a ball
we stayed in a 1 bedroom for the first time
will be hard to go back to a studio again
Our room was great very clean , with everything in working order . All the CM were very friendly to us
The bell person told us that they were starting to do up the rooms the beginning of this month
We got our room request too asked for a pool view which was great because I could watch the boys from the room

BCV is my favourite DVC resort
only have to try the BWV now

[CustardTart]

Well liked promised we are justed back from 6 nights at the BCV and had a ball
we stayed in a 1 bedroom for the first time
will be hard to go back to a studio again
Our room was great very clean , with everything in working order . All the CM were very friendly to us
The bell person told us that they were starting to do up the rooms the beginning of this month
We got our room request too asked for a pool view which was great because I could watch the boys from the room

BCV is my favourite DVC resort
only have to try the BWV now
Sounds good, Jackie! Thanks for posting. :thumbsup2 I spent a week in a 1 bed at BWV at half-term and loved it! Hoping to try BCV next September...

[UKDEB]

With this thread in mind, I took some photos of our studio at BWV during our November stay. It really didn't matter that much to us as we were overjoyed that the waitlist came through for the IF&WF part of our trip, but I would have been less happy if I hadn't known we'd be moving on to Royal Pacific and then to SSR (both of which were immaculate).

Every item of furniture was chipped or worn. Here is one example:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00741.jpg

The finial was missing from one end of the curtain pole, as was part of the toilet roll holder (rendering it useless for holding toilet rolls!). Also, check out the filth in the corner by the toilet. Yeuch!:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00906.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00905.jpg

Worst of all was the bathroom, which really quite disgusted me. Attempts had been made to cover mould which had formed on the grout and around the edge of the bath, but the repairs looked old and had started to fail. The tiles were also liberally splashed with paint:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00902.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00734.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00735.jpg

Patches of mould were all over the walls and ceiling, too.

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00738.jpg

And the last few show good old-fashioned muck, which is totally unavoidable and in my opinion, therefore, totally unnacceptable:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00904.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00903.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00740.jpg

I'm assuming these rooms are due for complete refurbishment in line with the rooms at the Inn and they certainly need it.

[Halo]

The stories and photos in this thread are shocking. These really do need to be raised with senior management at DVC.

The way timeshare works is that the real money to be made by the timeshare company isn't from the upfront sales value - its from the annual maintenance fees payable for the next 40+ years. This dwarfs the actual upfront cost. These fees are massive and give plenty of scope for the properties to be maintained to an exceptionally high level - which is what is required and demanded. If you assume that average dues are say £500 per room, for 52 weeks a year that's £26,000 to spend on maintenance per room. This includes cleaning and general upkeep. The fact that other DVC resorts are well maintained appears to show that the management team at BCV are simply boosting their profitability (and individual bonuses?) by skimping on maintenance and up-keep. Ultimately however this damages the whole brand. Personally I would complain to senior management and seek compensation for the accomodation provided not being Deluxe in any accepted sense.

[UKDEB]

Whilst I do have an issue with the condition of some of the DVC rooms we've stayed in, there are some major inaccuracies in your assumptions. The individual management teams (associations) of each resort are non-profit making companies. They have to spend every penny of our dues on maintenance (of the entire resort, not just the rooms), taxes, etc. Maintenance, cleaning and the like at all the DVC resorts is contracted out by these associations to DVCMC (Disney Vacation Club Management Company). The amount which DVCMC can charge for its services is also capped in some way.

Just like rooms in a hotel, the standard of a room at any given resort has a direct correlation to its stage in the refurbishment cycle. The new resorts haven't yet reached the tired stage, but they will in time.

[Graeme]

The new resorts haven't yet reached the tired stage, but they will in time.

I've only stayed at two DVC resorts, BWV and OKW. The former was disgusting. Your photos could have been ours. But OKW, although the oldest resort, was immaculate. Even the time we stayed in a room which was showing signs of age, it was very clean. As important to me was the look of the grounds. Again OKW was spotless while BWV was like walking around Stockton town centre at times. (The same cigarette packet was on the communal stairs for our entire stay!)

I always assumed though that the same management company dealt with the maintenance for all the DVC resorts, but if as you say that's not the case then that may explain things a bit.

[saratogagirl]

With this thread in mind, I took some photos of our studio at BWV during our November stay. It really didn't matter that much to us as we were overjoyed that the waitlist came through for the IF&WF part of our trip, but I would have been less happy if I hadn't known we'd be moving on to Royal Pacific and then to SSR (both of which were immaculate).

Every item of furniture was chipped or worn. Here is one example:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00741.jpg

The finial was missing from one end of the curtain pole, as was part of the toilet roll holder (rendering it useless for holding toilet rolls!). Also, check out the filth in the corner by the toilet. Yeuch!:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00906.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00905.jpg

Worst of all was the bathroom, which really quite disgusted me. Attempts had been made to cover mould which had formed on the grout and around the edge of the bath, but the repairs looked old and had started to fail. The tiles were also liberally splashed with paint:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00902.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00734.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00735.jpg

Patches of mould were all over the walls and ceiling, too.

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00738.jpg

And the last few show good old-fashioned muck, which is totally unavoidable and in my opinion, therefore, totally unnacceptable:

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00904.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00903.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/UKDeb/WDW%20Resorts/DSC00740.jpg

I'm assuming these rooms are due for complete refurbishment in line with the rooms at the Inn and they certainly need it.


thats disgusting Deb, whilst our room was far from acceptable at the Boardwalk it was not as bad as that, we were of the same opinion as you, we would be moving on soon, had we been there for a long stay a call to someone would certainly have been in order. For all the little things that moithered us about the room, Ians biggest bug bear believe it or not, was the condition of the hallway carpets, absolutely filthy, they really did his head in !! Definately in need of a major refurbishment.

[Leanne1977]

I am horrified by those BWV pictures!:eek: That is outrageous!:scared1:

I'm sorry if I missed it in your post, but did you raise these issues with them? I would not have accepted that, I would have been gutted to say the least.

We have yet to stay at the BWV but I have booked 4 nights with a Boardwalk view for our next trip. Does anyone know if these rooms are due for a refurb, I can see that they clearly need one, but is there a date for it?

On the contrary, we stayed at the BCV in December and it was absolutely wonderful, our favourite DVC resort so far. Cannot wait to add on there. Everything was perfect for us, I couldn't fault a thing.:cloud9:

I am, however, a little concerned about our BWV stay now.:confused3

[paulh]

just hope my $1,000 in duesthere going to get at BWV will go towards tarting it up
Paulh

[UKDEB]

I've only stayed at two DVC resorts, BWV and OKW. The former was disgusting. Your photos could have been ours. But OKW, although the oldest resort, was immaculate. Even the time we stayed in a room which was showing signs of age, it was very clean. As important to me was the look of the grounds. Again OKW was spotless while BWV was like walking around Stockton town centre at times. (The same cigarette packet was on the communal stairs for our entire stay!)

I always assumed though that the same management company dealt with the maintenance for all the DVC resorts, but if as you say that's not the case then that may explain things a bit.
I haven't managed to make myself clear on either count. Firstly, whilst I'm saying that the new resorts will become tired given time, I was also trying to point out that the older resorts can be either immaculate or jaded depending on whether they have been recently refurbished or are approaching the refurbishment window.

The management company which actually carries out maintenance is the same for all resorts (DVCMC), but each has its own administrative arm.

[UKDEB]

Ians biggest bug bear believe it or not, was the condition of the hallway carpets, absolutely filthy, they really did his head in !!
I'd forgotten about the hallway carpets. They've been cleaned and cleaned and cleaned (and cleaned) and then cleaned a bit more to within an inch of their lives. Just replace them already!

[UKDEB]

II'm sorry if I missed it in your post, but did you raise these issues with them? I would not have accepted that, I would have been gutted to say the least.
You know, Leanne, we really should have reported these issues and I did consider it many, many times for the sake of those who would be inhabiting that room after us, but we were on holiday and, as I mentioned before, it didn't really matter to us as we were just happy to be at an Epcot resort for the IF&WF. We knew we would be moving on after 5 days and, to be honest, I just couldn't be bothered. Had we been staying there for the duration of our 2 week stay, I most definitely would have spoken with someone (and asked to be moved).

[SammieG]

we had a great stay there in April... but eeeewwww deb.. those pics are shocking!

our room was NOTHING like that.. it was in great condition...

[mark&sue]

I just wanted to go back to the earlier post saying that the rooms were not ready at 12.00. I don't think this is a valid complaint because they are not meant to be ready until 4.00.

If you get given a great room but is not cleaned. Stand your ground and ask for it to be cleaned immediately. We did this the last time we stayed at SSR as the room and the location was perfect. I just waited on the balcony while it was being cleaned.

We stayed at BCV in 2006 and although not as nice as the SSR room had a lovely time the few days we were there for the FW&F at Epcot.

Hope all these dodgy rooms have now been refurbished.


Susan

[ford family]

We are at BWV at the moment. Our one bedroom is in good order, no problems to report. There was a longer than usual check in process due to a computer problem. We were unconcerned but the DVC guy was very apologetic and gave a $75 room credit!
We overlook the quiet pool, facing towards DHS and there is scaffolding up in front of all the rooms to our left, those facing the Community Hall. I can see that they are repairing the roof but I would think all of the rooms out of commission are being overhauled as well.

ford family