Hello everyone,
I don't know if this belongs on the planning board, I am sure if it doesn't, one of the kind moderators will move it.
However, we returned from our stay in the 2 bedroom lock off at BCV from 8/30 to 9/6. We are Boardwalk lovers and nothing about this stay changed that. BCV is nice, but there is not enough going on for us in the evening, so we prefer Boardwalk. That said, we had a great stay, it is a great resort, and I have a few musings in no particular order:
Arrival: A greeter met us at the car, made some small talk with us, had us follow him and before we knew it, I was at the front desk. I never had that happen before and I liked it. Everyone we met was so nice, the staff was terrific.
Online check-in: I don't get it. We did it, and I still had to wait at the front desk (at 10am) while the clerk fumbled through screen after screen on the computer. She got my packet out, then had to go back and change something in it. My brother's family hadn't arrived yet, so they kept his key. When they did arrive (I was there, but so was a Magical Express bus load of people) and no one apparently understood that they just had to hand him the key. They waited forever while they pulled other people out of line. I finally got the manager and said "All we need to do is get the key out of your mail box and hand it to them - they are checked in." That seemed to rectify the problem.
Housekeeping: The room was clean, but I have never seen such a stingy housekeeping service. There was 1 packet of dishwasher detergent (at BWV there are several). I had to call to get more, and they sent 2 packets. I called again and they gave me 2 every time I called. There was no laundry detergent and after being told I wasn't supposed to have it, I had to explain to the lady on the phone that upon check in, it is supposed to be in my room, they finally sent me a box. There was 1 roll of paper towels, no additional trash bags, no body lotion. What's up with that? I never had that experience at BWV. I was calling all of the time to get those things that were supposed to be in the room upon check in.
Closets and storage: Where are they? The closet off the master bath is smaller than BWV, and there is no hall closet. We were storing luggage around the room. There is very little drawer space but it is comparable to BWV.
Kitchen: Appliances slightly better than BW, but not much. The dishwasher display did not light up so we have no idea what cycle we were washing the dishes on. The countertops are granite though and they look very nice.
Washer and dryer: Seemed to dry slightly better then the horrible old ones at BWV. I understand BWV is being renovated, and hopefully these are being replaced.
Stormalong Bay: A really gorgeous pool. Everyone must stay here at least once to experience it. Unfortunately, it's so huge, you can't keep track of your kids so I wouldn't stay here with children I have to watch constantly. It is also quite a long walk from the villas. AT BW the pool is smaller, and out a back staircase from the villas. It's not as lavish as SAB, but you can keep track of your kids and hey -- the slide has a clown face.
Beaches and Cream: Seriously, what's the fuss? There are only 4 flavors at the takeout window. There are more choices at the BW.
Parking:it's very convenient to the villas. It's very close
Location requests: I requested a unit with full balconies, on a high floor, overlooking the pool. Not one of those requests was met. But our room was ready by about 12 noon and I was notified via text message. I am sure I could've made a fuss but I would rather have the room ready. We were on 3rd floor overlooking the woods. No view whatsoever but it was quiet.
Resort Size: Everyone talks about how big the BW is but we seriously felt we were walking forever to get anywhere at BCV. Maybe it's because we know our way around BW and don't know our way around BC. But it's a very long walk to the lobby, to SAB, to the restaurants, to anywhere but the parking lot and Epcot.
In the end, we loved BCV, we would stay there again. But unfortunately, we also felt like we were staying at someone else's house, and we kept longingly looking at the BWV across the lake. I am sure we will try to stay here again, but it won't for a while.
If there is any question I can answer, please let me know.
I don't know if this belongs on the planning board, I am sure if it doesn't, one of the kind moderators will move it.
However, we returned from our stay in the 2 bedroom lock off at BCV from 8/30 to 9/6. We are Boardwalk lovers and nothing about this stay changed that. BCV is nice, but there is not enough going on for us in the evening, so we prefer Boardwalk. That said, we had a great stay, it is a great resort, and I have a few musings in no particular order:
Arrival: A greeter met us at the car, made some small talk with us, had us follow him and before we knew it, I was at the front desk. I never had that happen before and I liked it. Everyone we met was so nice, the staff was terrific.
Online check-in: I don't get it. We did it, and I still had to wait at the front desk (at 10am) while the clerk fumbled through screen after screen on the computer. She got my packet out, then had to go back and change something in it. My brother's family hadn't arrived yet, so they kept his key. When they did arrive (I was there, but so was a Magical Express bus load of people) and no one apparently understood that they just had to hand him the key. They waited forever while they pulled other people out of line. I finally got the manager and said "All we need to do is get the key out of your mail box and hand it to them - they are checked in." That seemed to rectify the problem.
Housekeeping: The room was clean, but I have never seen such a stingy housekeeping service. There was 1 packet of dishwasher detergent (at BWV there are several). I had to call to get more, and they sent 2 packets. I called again and they gave me 2 every time I called. There was no laundry detergent and after being told I wasn't supposed to have it, I had to explain to the lady on the phone that upon check in, it is supposed to be in my room, they finally sent me a box. There was 1 roll of paper towels, no additional trash bags, no body lotion. What's up with that? I never had that experience at BWV. I was calling all of the time to get those things that were supposed to be in the room upon check in.
Closets and storage: Where are they? The closet off the master bath is smaller than BWV, and there is no hall closet. We were storing luggage around the room. There is very little drawer space but it is comparable to BWV.
Kitchen: Appliances slightly better than BW, but not much. The dishwasher display did not light up so we have no idea what cycle we were washing the dishes on. The countertops are granite though and they look very nice.
Washer and dryer: Seemed to dry slightly better then the horrible old ones at BWV. I understand BWV is being renovated, and hopefully these are being replaced.
Stormalong Bay: A really gorgeous pool. Everyone must stay here at least once to experience it. Unfortunately, it's so huge, you can't keep track of your kids so I wouldn't stay here with children I have to watch constantly. It is also quite a long walk from the villas. AT BW the pool is smaller, and out a back staircase from the villas. It's not as lavish as SAB, but you can keep track of your kids and hey -- the slide has a clown face.
Beaches and Cream: Seriously, what's the fuss? There are only 4 flavors at the takeout window. There are more choices at the BW.
Parking:it's very convenient to the villas. It's very close
Location requests: I requested a unit with full balconies, on a high floor, overlooking the pool. Not one of those requests was met. But our room was ready by about 12 noon and I was notified via text message. I am sure I could've made a fuss but I would rather have the room ready. We were on 3rd floor overlooking the woods. No view whatsoever but it was quiet.
Resort Size: Everyone talks about how big the BW is but we seriously felt we were walking forever to get anywhere at BCV. Maybe it's because we know our way around BW and don't know our way around BC. But it's a very long walk to the lobby, to SAB, to the restaurants, to anywhere but the parking lot and Epcot.
In the end, we loved BCV, we would stay there again. But unfortunately, we also felt like we were staying at someone else's house, and we kept longingly looking at the BWV across the lake. I am sure we will try to stay here again, but it won't for a while.
If there is any question I can answer, please let me know.
None of the studios we've ever stayed in has ever had more than 1 roll of paper towels provided. I always thought 1 was plenty for a week. Body lotion? Do you get body lotion in all of the larger units? Humm. We've never had anything other than shampoo, conditioner & shower gel in the studios. I would think that some of these items would be standard across the board?! The only time we ever got body lotion was on 
, and the BWV I suppose, reminds me of our nights spent walking the Boardwalk in Wildwood.
