iankh
It's never done till it's overdone
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2005
- Messages
- 7,181
Just got back from a short New Years Eve trip to WDW and our first stay at BCV. We had a great time.
We decided to try something different this trip and instead of staying at VWL we thought wed try BCV.
We arrived on Dec 31st, and got to there by about 12:30 PM. I was surprised that we got a studio right away and did not have to wait. I was surprised that I was not given any of the usual DVC handouts and perk sheets when we checked in. Do they not do this at BCV?
It was sort of a trip of firsts. First stay at BCV and first stay in a studio. We were given studio 231 which seemed to be in nice enough shape, though one of the throw pillows in the sofa had a large coffee/cola stain across about half of one side.
I find the variety DVC decors interesting and how they appeal to such different tastes. We sort of missed the woodsy dark colors of VWL. I dont know, for us theyre very soothing. Not that there is anything wrong with the décor of BCV, just a bit too sherberty for our tastes.
Very, very different experience staying in BCV compared to our usual VWL. Felt a bit more closed in and the villas did not have the same feeling of privacy that VWL seems to have. Everything just seemed so much more public. That took a bit of getting used to. I think that coupled with the high crowds made us feel a bit claustrophobic.
This was also our first trip during a major holiday. I mean weve been there before Christmas, and weve been there in August, but wed never seen crowds like this before. Both in the parks and SAB. I can see why people with kids like SAB. The kids seem to love it. Not our cup of tea though. Way too crowded.
The quiet pool for the villas seem nice enough, but again, I think we prefer Hidden Springs the quiet pool at VWL. I mean both pools are basically the same, but the one at VWL has the trees around it and again, just seems a bit more removed and private.
BCV has a great location though and was perfect for this trip. I can see why people like being able to walk to Epcot and walk to MGM. It was all very convenient and we thoroughly enjoyed it. It was great having such easy access to two parks and being able to just trot over to Epcot for dinner.
On New Years Eve we were briefly in Epcot. We went to pick up our APs and then hike over to the front of the park to pick up our DDE temporary cards. We could not believe the crowds. It was packed! And, Im sure it got more and more crowded during the time we were there, which was essentially the time it took to run two errands.
The queue seemed to take forever for us to pick up our APs. I dont remember ticket lines being quite that bad. We decided to have lunch at the San Angel Inn and made the big mistake of going the wrong way around the world. Instead of heading to the left through England and Canada and over to Mexico, we went to the right. We were not prepared for the crowds and the amount of energy it would take to get through them to Mexico. Then to top it all off, there was a queue to get into Mexico! That turned out to be for the ride, and we slipped past the queue to the restaurant. We have been to Mexico many times and I never recall that level of crowd in the marketplace. We were tired (we got up at 3:00 AM for our flight), hungry and cranky. But eventually a couple of margaritas made all right with the world again.
Then came the trek to get our temporary DDE cards. I made the mistake of leading us to guest services just inside the park, not the right place to pick up the cards, but a really nice CM, took my info and went and got the cards for us. She was a life saver.
We got out of Epcot and back to BCV as fast as we could.
New Years Eve plans were for AKL. Started with cocktails at Victoria Falls, one of our favorite resort bars, followed by dinner at Boma, probably our favorite restaurant and the best vegetarian choices.
Our plans never included the parks for New Years Eve and after seeing Epcot in the afternoon, Im glad of that choice. We got back to BCV around 11 PM and walked over to the Boardwalk. Got some cocktails to go and enjoyed the very lively and much more manageable crowd there. They had a DJ in the area in front of the Boardwalk and it was a very nice, sort of laid-back atmosphere. We were treated to fireworks coming from both Epcot and I think MGM. Finally, it was the bottle of champagne that I had schlepped all the way from Chicago on the balcony of our studio.
The crowds, much to my amazement did not get better on Sunday or Monday. I think because most people had Monday off, the crowd levels did not drop. We did not notice the crowd levels in the parks get noticeably better until Tuesday, and even then, it was a bit more crowded than we had been used to.
We went to DTD on Sunday, the 1st to walk around in the late afternoon and go to a movie (this was supposed to be a different sort of vacation for us). We were shocked when we went got out of the movie. A sea of people! Sort of turned us off to the idea of eating at DTD. Besides, we wanted something light and someplace quiet.
I had the bright idea of saying, Saratoga Springs is just over here, they have a little place called Artists Palette, why dont we just walk over there and see what they have? So began The Quest.
We had no clue where we were going, but found the path. Again we were not prepared for what was to become a quest for food. The funny thing is that maps are plentiful and are posted about every 10 yards, but apparently it never occurred to anyone to mark the maps with a simple You Are Here.
We eventually, navigating by landmarks and finally the shape of the pool, found Artists Palette. Let me say here and now, it was great! It was perfect! It was bliss! It was quiet. It was peaceful. The quest was over. The ring could be returned to the king. The bells rang. The people rejoiced. All was again well with the world.
It was exactly what we wanted.
We had some great flatbreads, soup and salad. The food was good. Everything was perfect. It was a great place to just eat and unwind.
We caught a bus back to DTD and from there, a bus to BCV.
All in all it was a very nice, albeit short trip. Ultimately, we enjoyed staying at BCV and the location. Now we have to wait until our next trip that December 10th, when we and a friend take a DCL cruise followed by 6 nights at WDW. Wow, cant believe we have to go nearly a year between fixes!
We decided to try something different this trip and instead of staying at VWL we thought wed try BCV.
We arrived on Dec 31st, and got to there by about 12:30 PM. I was surprised that we got a studio right away and did not have to wait. I was surprised that I was not given any of the usual DVC handouts and perk sheets when we checked in. Do they not do this at BCV?
It was sort of a trip of firsts. First stay at BCV and first stay in a studio. We were given studio 231 which seemed to be in nice enough shape, though one of the throw pillows in the sofa had a large coffee/cola stain across about half of one side.
I find the variety DVC decors interesting and how they appeal to such different tastes. We sort of missed the woodsy dark colors of VWL. I dont know, for us theyre very soothing. Not that there is anything wrong with the décor of BCV, just a bit too sherberty for our tastes.
Very, very different experience staying in BCV compared to our usual VWL. Felt a bit more closed in and the villas did not have the same feeling of privacy that VWL seems to have. Everything just seemed so much more public. That took a bit of getting used to. I think that coupled with the high crowds made us feel a bit claustrophobic.
This was also our first trip during a major holiday. I mean weve been there before Christmas, and weve been there in August, but wed never seen crowds like this before. Both in the parks and SAB. I can see why people with kids like SAB. The kids seem to love it. Not our cup of tea though. Way too crowded.
The quiet pool for the villas seem nice enough, but again, I think we prefer Hidden Springs the quiet pool at VWL. I mean both pools are basically the same, but the one at VWL has the trees around it and again, just seems a bit more removed and private.
BCV has a great location though and was perfect for this trip. I can see why people like being able to walk to Epcot and walk to MGM. It was all very convenient and we thoroughly enjoyed it. It was great having such easy access to two parks and being able to just trot over to Epcot for dinner.
On New Years Eve we were briefly in Epcot. We went to pick up our APs and then hike over to the front of the park to pick up our DDE temporary cards. We could not believe the crowds. It was packed! And, Im sure it got more and more crowded during the time we were there, which was essentially the time it took to run two errands.
The queue seemed to take forever for us to pick up our APs. I dont remember ticket lines being quite that bad. We decided to have lunch at the San Angel Inn and made the big mistake of going the wrong way around the world. Instead of heading to the left through England and Canada and over to Mexico, we went to the right. We were not prepared for the crowds and the amount of energy it would take to get through them to Mexico. Then to top it all off, there was a queue to get into Mexico! That turned out to be for the ride, and we slipped past the queue to the restaurant. We have been to Mexico many times and I never recall that level of crowd in the marketplace. We were tired (we got up at 3:00 AM for our flight), hungry and cranky. But eventually a couple of margaritas made all right with the world again.
Then came the trek to get our temporary DDE cards. I made the mistake of leading us to guest services just inside the park, not the right place to pick up the cards, but a really nice CM, took my info and went and got the cards for us. She was a life saver.
We got out of Epcot and back to BCV as fast as we could.
New Years Eve plans were for AKL. Started with cocktails at Victoria Falls, one of our favorite resort bars, followed by dinner at Boma, probably our favorite restaurant and the best vegetarian choices.
Our plans never included the parks for New Years Eve and after seeing Epcot in the afternoon, Im glad of that choice. We got back to BCV around 11 PM and walked over to the Boardwalk. Got some cocktails to go and enjoyed the very lively and much more manageable crowd there. They had a DJ in the area in front of the Boardwalk and it was a very nice, sort of laid-back atmosphere. We were treated to fireworks coming from both Epcot and I think MGM. Finally, it was the bottle of champagne that I had schlepped all the way from Chicago on the balcony of our studio.
The crowds, much to my amazement did not get better on Sunday or Monday. I think because most people had Monday off, the crowd levels did not drop. We did not notice the crowd levels in the parks get noticeably better until Tuesday, and even then, it was a bit more crowded than we had been used to.
We went to DTD on Sunday, the 1st to walk around in the late afternoon and go to a movie (this was supposed to be a different sort of vacation for us). We were shocked when we went got out of the movie. A sea of people! Sort of turned us off to the idea of eating at DTD. Besides, we wanted something light and someplace quiet.
I had the bright idea of saying, Saratoga Springs is just over here, they have a little place called Artists Palette, why dont we just walk over there and see what they have? So began The Quest.
We had no clue where we were going, but found the path. Again we were not prepared for what was to become a quest for food. The funny thing is that maps are plentiful and are posted about every 10 yards, but apparently it never occurred to anyone to mark the maps with a simple You Are Here.
We eventually, navigating by landmarks and finally the shape of the pool, found Artists Palette. Let me say here and now, it was great! It was perfect! It was bliss! It was quiet. It was peaceful. The quest was over. The ring could be returned to the king. The bells rang. The people rejoiced. All was again well with the world.
It was exactly what we wanted.
We had some great flatbreads, soup and salad. The food was good. Everything was perfect. It was a great place to just eat and unwind.
We caught a bus back to DTD and from there, a bus to BCV.
All in all it was a very nice, albeit short trip. Ultimately, we enjoyed staying at BCV and the location. Now we have to wait until our next trip that December 10th, when we and a friend take a DCL cruise followed by 6 nights at WDW. Wow, cant believe we have to go nearly a year between fixes!
