1st timer-please tell me it is not like this....

[njziggy]

We just returned from our first trip home to BVC. We ran into a few problems and am hoping that you can tell me whether this is the norm or not. I was excited to be "welcomed home" and couldn't wait to share this with my kids & parents. First off, we were assigned a room at the very end of the resort by the service road (we let them know that we were traveling with 2 handicapped people with limited mobility). I was able to get the room changed to 425 which worked out great. One night, after fighting our way back from the MK fireworks, I was tucking my children into bed (foldout in LR) only to find that the bed was swarming with ants! My kids were freaked and I was horrified! By 2am we were settled in out new room 252 but, were faced with the mobility issue again. We wound up renting ECVs for my parents to go back & forth to the room. The manager on duty was very appologetic and gave us a free breakfast & a free night on a future visit. We have stayed at many of the resorts at WDW and timeshares in the surrounding area & have never had this type of problem. I just wasn't feeling the magic and have never experienced wanting to go home from a disney vacation. Please tell me that this was just a horrible mistake....

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Another person reported an ant problem in their room at the BCV too. It sounds like something they need to deal with better than they are doing. Here is one of the posts:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=372274

When visiting with those who are handicapped, make sure you mention that when making the reservation. That way you will be guaranteed of being taken care of. Make sure it is noted on your reservation and if it isn't call back and make sure it is added.

It sounds like they went out of their way to try to make things right. I'm sorry your first time was so negative.

HBC

 

[bres@westernMA]

As far as the ants are concerned:
We have been members for 6 years, stayed at 4 DVC resorts and while there are always bugs in Florida, we have never seen them "in mass" or "in furniture". I have got to believe that your bug experience was not the norm. Sorry – your next visit will be better.
Maybe in a few years, after a few successful visits you will be able to remember this trip as the “bug trip”?

 

[Simba's Mom]

I just had to reply because I can remember that our first trip "home" didn't go well, several problems and very unsympathetic, "could care less" CMs. Made me wonder "Oh, no-did we make a mistake here buying in to this DVC thing?" And it was especially bad since I'd taken the tour by myself, then talked DH into it. But let me tell you, we've been to several resorts, taken several trips since, and I guess it was just bad luck. Now my previously "Disney-tolerant" DH is actually looking forward to our next trip with enthusiasm-never thought I'd see that! But I know that first-timer's feeling when things don't go well-believe me, it does get a lot better! Unfortunately, you had very bad luck your first time.

 

[antnee]

Actually I was horrified by some of the room reports posted here at the DIS after purchasing DVC, but have never had a problem. I think It depends on who might have had the room before you. I mean I try to be clean and even load the dishwasher with dishes and clean up a bit before checking out. when you own a timeshare I think part of the maint, is your responsibility. If you have children who eat on the couch make sure you clenaup after them or ants will soon be there to do it for you.

 

[Melrosgirl]

What you experienced is not the norm. This can happen at any hotel, anywhere. If the people who had that room before you invited ants in (leaving crumbs all the time, etc.), it happens.

 

[WDWguru]

I tend to judge more by how the cast members react to correct problems than by the problems themselves. It's a huge resort in a busy place, so things are bound to go wrong from time to time. They do everywhere, Disney is no exception. So other than things that are sheer negligence, I chalk it up to "s*** happens" and gauge by reaction on how it is handled. That's what makes Disney different in my eyes -- they tend to bend over backward to handle things properly, as it seems they did in this case.

 

[twinmomplus2]

Sorry you had such a rough time of it. I see someone gave you a link to my post/thread. As you can see, we had an ant problem as well. Beaware alot of people are not nice when you have a problem and assume you are a complainer. However the majority of people are very kind and supportive. Once again sorry for you, But, It does make me feel vindicated as I know now it wasn't just me reacting to this with the heebie jeebies. Lauren

 

[njziggy]

Thanks for all the quick responses! You guys made me feel a lot better.

I did everything I could do to make this trip go smoothly (I told them of the handicap situation at booking & sent a fax a week before the trip).

As far as the ant issue, we eat in the kitchen area only (just like at home).

I do have to say that Disney did try to make "things right". I just wasn't happy with the fact that I had to stay up half the night reassuring my kids that I would "chase the ants away".

I'm sure the next trip will be great.

 

[CarolA]

I am not sure what type of mobility problems you had to address, but I think at either the BCV or BWI renting a scooter is a wise move. Those resorts are so spread out that even if Disney is trying you could wind up a long way from stuff. If you rent a car and take your parents in the future you might consider OKW. Since you can park at the door basically this becomes a much smaller issue.

I reserved OKW for my friend who was going with her MIL who has mobility problems and made sure to request a 1st floor unit. It worked great!

Also, one other thing to remember is that if you make a lot of requests ie, near elevator, high floor, view of Epcot etc... it gets harder for the CM to find what you want. I always figure out what we really need and only request that. For example non smoking, first floor.

I have a feeling that the ants were just displaced by construction and have moved in! I took a tour once of Disney landscaping and they said that they had a real problem controlling bugs since the "best" bug killing agents were too toxic to use in such a populated place. They horticulture guy said the bug killers they have to use are probably gentler and slower acting then those you use at home. Just a thought.

Sorry your kids were scared, but I would not worry about it for future trips. It sounds like Disney tried to make it right.

 

[Pa@okw95]

Ants seem to be a problem at BCV along with a staff that needs some adjustment to their attitude.

 

[Gillian]

How icky!! The ants could have been attracted to something left by a previous guest. I really think that because the rooms are cleaned less often, and there are kitchens, yet people may be less careful with food than they are at home, insects can be more of a problem at DVC resorts.

I hope your next trip is better!

 

[vernon]

njziggy, just in case you're thinking the comment about leaving food was questioning you, I do not believe that was the poster's intention, I think it was a general comment. IMHO it is a fair comment to all of us to make sure we take care of what we leave about, any problems that concern ants the fault lies more with us, as guests/owners/visitors for attracting them by leaving food about than it does with Disney (or any other hotel company) that are left with the very difficult job of clearing the problem once it occurs. Ants will follow a chemical trail months after it was originally laid, often after any insecticide has ceased to be effective.

Pa@OKW95 It seems the OP thinks Disney's CM had a decent effort to correct problems as they arose, as we don't know the room availability late at night it seems the duty manager did as much as could be expected by getting an alternate room as soon as possible. I think you're comment on this topic about attitude is missplaced, JMHO

 

[Pa@okw95]

Vernon--You might change your mind if you read all the posts about problems at BCV not just this one. I agree with you the management did take care of these people, but that has not been the case in the past in "some" problems. Now I happen to believe it is the managements problem when the rooms are left dirty so ants want it and by now they should know that cleaning must be done better and as you said that trail that ants follow must be broken or else they will come right back whether there is food there or not. They will follow that trail. They better start leaning about ants at BCV.

 

[Carlnne]

This ant thing bothers me more than rude employees that can be ignored. Isnt it unusual even for Florida for ants to travel up to the fourth floor as in this case?

 

[TIdoublegaER]

QUOTE]Isnt it unusual even for Florida for ants to travel up to the fourth floor as in this case?[/QUOTE]

Depends on the type of ants. Carpenter ants build their nests in wood, so it really sounds like Disney needs to find the nest and eliminate them at their source.

 

[trishy]

The ant problem is not exclusive to BCV - last July we had a big problem with ants coming in from the balcony at BWV. We also had a problem with water (from rain) coming in through the door stripping and soaking the carpet. They made arrangements to take care of the problem while we were at the park during the day. Management sent someone up to dry out the carpet and shampoo it to get the smell out. They also sprayed the ants while we were out, but they kept creeping back in little by little. We had a 2 br unit and the problem was in the one patio door area of the 1 br (living area) so this was probably just an isolated incident involving worn out weather stripping on that door. No freebies - just had the problem handled the best they could at the time.

 

[invalid_char]

Thankfully, we did not have an ant problem during our recent visit; however, I certainly hope they are taking this problem seriously. Ants are insidious and once they take up residence they are very tough to get rid of.

 

[laceemouse]

I for one would really like to know what kind of ants we are talking about here! On the other thread she said they were "biting, red ants." I lived in the south most of my life and have never heard of RED ants coming in the house. Up here we have ants that come in every spring. They are small, black, and do not bite. We see them on the kitchen floor, but they have never gotten on the counter tops, up on furniture, etc. They are pretty easy to get rid of with a non-toxic spray we buy. Carpenter ants are a whole other issue. They hollowed out a willow tree in our yard up here. If they are living in the wood of the building we all have trouble! They can cause a lot of damage like termites! I know that crumbs are a problem when you are talking about the small, black ones we get. I agree that maybe mousekeeping should be vacuuming the crumbs out of the couches between visits! Whatever kind they are, seems like a good pest control company could take care of them. We just bought BCV and will not be going until 3/04. Hope they get this taken care of. Everyone who has had a problem should complain!

 

[vernon]

pa@okw95 said

Now I happen to believe it is the managements problem when the rooms are left dirty so ants want it and by now they should know that cleaning must be done better and as you said that trail that ants follow must be broken or else they will come right back whether there is food there or not

With the greatest respect, the way DVC is organised and the way cleaning/trash and tidy is conducted the responsibility is firmly on the owners,renters or guests of the owners to make sure they do not leave food stuffs about. The units are only "officially" cleaned or tidied every three or 4 days by Disney, this is well known and advertised therefore I can not see how you can say it is a management problem. We, as owners, have to take responsibility for our own actions and IMHO the majority of the onus is on us to ensure we do not just leave things lying about. It's about taking responsibility for our (joint) actions and to try to lay the blame at the management's feet is disingenuous.