at BLT over the weekend, now at BWV

[magsmom]

We had a studio at BLT that faced space mountain, 4th floor outer crescent. we are now at BWV over Waylands overlooking the village green and the inn also a studio.

To compare:
Everything that folks are saying about the beauty and proximilty of the tower is right on the money. There is nothing like being right on the monorail. On the other hand There is also nothing like being at the BW over the green.

The big difference we see is the difference in the room. The size of the of the studio at the BW appears to be much bigger. The configuration of the studio at BLT we found wierd with the bathroom sink in the kitchen area but it goes beyond that. We have always fit comfortably in a studio (family of 3) and BLT seemed small. Even the pullout seemed smaller - got a lot of complaints on how hard it was at BLT.

Is the square footage that smaller?

 

[CarolAnnC]

Sounds like you had some great views at both resorts!

So nice to have so many options now for different types of DVC Resort vacationing. I am looking forward to trying out BLT soon, myself.

 

[alldiz]

thanks for the review....BWV is the only place we stayed in a studio.....and I thought it was VERY roomy. Sorry to hear BLT is not as roomy.
Thanks for posting
Kerri

 

[Muhlenberg]

While the numbers may not say that it's THAT much smaller (25 sq. ft. maybe?), the layout can make quite a difference in how it FEELS, size-wise. The "living" area is more square, rather than oblong, and that can be deceiving. Plus, even being maybe 2 feet shorter, can make a room seem a lot smaller. I tend to agree...after studying the floorplans...it looks much smaller. We'll see how I feel about it after February...I couldn't bear to spend an entire year's worth of points on 5 nights to stay in a 1 BR.

 

[drusba]

BLT studios are about 340 sq ft, BWV studios are about 359 (that kind of difference in studio size is definitely noticeable). BLT has the smallest studios of all the DVC resorts except for the small number of AKV "value" point cost studios. BWV's studio size is in same range as SSR, VWL, BCV, and AKV (other than value), OKW's are a little larger than those.

 

[YourEveryDayAdam]

While the numbers may not say that it's THAT much smaller (25 sq. ft. maybe?), the layout can make quite a difference in how it FEELS, size-wise. The "living" area is more square, rather than oblong, and that can be deceiving. Plus, even being maybe 2 feet shorter, can make a room seem a lot smaller. I tend to agree...after studying the floorplans...it looks much smaller. We'll see how I feel about it after February...I couldn't bear to spend an entire year's worth of points on 5 nights to stay in a 1 BR.

The 1 BR's at BLT are some of the biggest. I am staying in a one BR Lake View Sept 9-13. I'll be sure to report

 

[LIFERBABE]

The 1 BR's at BLT are some of the biggest. I am staying in a one BR Lake View Sept 9-13. I'll be sure to report

Yes, that is why we added on. If we only stayed in studios I would not have purchased BLT for our family of 4. They are noticeably smaller and the sleeping area feels tight. It will work for a couple with a infant maybe, but not much more imo.
The 1 bedrooms look awesome and large and I loved the open space for us, so we will utilize those most often.
To have the open floorplan w extra bath and the ability to sleep 5 on the monorail with a view is a huge plus for BLT.

 

[savannahcat]

Does anyone know if the BLT studio model at SSR is accurately sized? I didn't notice much difference between the AKV model and the BLT model, and I'm wondering if the actual BLT studios are smaller than the model. I was going to call our guide today, but if that's the case, I might rethink buying at BLT.

 

[Tara]

Does anyone know if the BLT studio model at SSR is accurately sized? I didn't notice much difference between the AKV model and the BLT model, and I'm wondering if the actual BLT studios are smaller than the model. I was going to call our guide today, but if that's the case, I might rethink buying at BLT.

I don't know, but I do know that in the studios, the sleeper sofa was right against the curtains, and in the actual studios, there seems to be a bit more room.

 

[YourEveryDayAdam]

I don't know, but I do know that in the studios, the sleeper sofa was right against the curtains, and in the actual studios, there seems to be a bit more room.

Agreed.

I toured the models of BLT in June. In the studio model, the sofa bed was pushed right up against the curtain, crushing it to the wall. There was no room on either side of the sofa, or bed, except for a tiny little table.

The photos of the actual studio's themselves appear to have more room on the sides of the furniture. If I had to guess, the actual studios are probably about a foot longer than the models at SSR.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Does anyone know if the BLT studio model at SSR is accurately sized? I didn't notice much difference between the AKV model and the BLT model, and I'm wondering if the actual BLT studios are smaller than the model. I was going to call our guide today, but if that's the case, I might rethink buying at BLT.

My understanding is that they were accurate and I did notice quite a difference between the AKV and BLT studio models. I immediately referred to the BLT models as "cozy". Translated - small.

 

[Sandisw]

Does anyone know if the BLT studio model at SSR is accurately sized? I didn't notice much difference between the AKV model and the BLT model, and I'm wondering if the actual BLT studios are smaller than the model. I was going to call our guide today, but if that's the case, I might rethink buying at BLT.

Pretty close to the real thing. We toured the models of BLT on Thursday and then checked in on Friday. There was a bit more room between the couch and the sliding doors in the room than the model. We were able to put the cushions to the couch there--it seemed to be a bit tighter in the model.

But, having stayed at BWV, BLT, and VWL studios last week, I can say that BLT is definitely smaller than the other two. It was me and my three kids (20, 16, and 13). We did fine but were only in BLT for 2 nights. I don't think I would spend an entire week in a BLT studio with more than 3 people. That is why I bought enough points so we can do the 1 bedroom each year, except for the night we arrive (won't get in until 8:30 ish so we can manage just to sleep).

 

[savannahcat]

Pretty close to the real thing. We toured the models of BLT on Thursday and then checked in on Friday. There was a bit more room between the couch and the sliding doors in the room than the model. We were able to put the cushions to the couch there--it seemed to be a bit tighter in the model.

But, having stayed at BWV, BLT, and VWL studios last week, I can say that BLT is definitely smaller than the other two. It was me and my three kids (20, 16, and 13). We did fine but were only in BLT for 2 nights. I don't think I would spend an entire week in a BLT studio with more than 3 people. That is why I bought enough points so we can do the 1 bedroom each year, except for the night we arrive (won't get in until 8:30 ish so we can manage just to sleep).

Thanks for that answer. I went back to look at the photos of the model and took a second look at just how cramped the BLT studios are. (I was hoping to be able to fit in a twin air mattress - but that looks impossible at BLT.) I'm not sure why they didn't seem that small to me when we took the tour.

We are a family of four and want to buy 200 points and have those points cover one two week trip (weeknights) or two shorter trips per year, so no one-bedrooms for us. We are mostly interested in staying at BWV, BCV, or BLT, but wouldn't mind AKV or VWL. I'd like the long contract to pass on to my 2 daughters. Maybe I will consider AKV instead.

 

[DenLo]

BLT studios are about 340 sq ft, BWV studios are about 359 (that kind of difference in studio size is definitely noticeable). BLT has the smallest studios of all the DVC resorts except for the small number of AKV "value" point cost studios. BWV's studio size is in same range as SSR, VWL, BCV, and AKV (other than value), OKW's are a little larger than those.

It appears you may have given the BLT studio a generous Sq. Footage. Our guide sent us a brochure with the floor plans in it for BLT and it shows it as 329 sq. ft. It doesn't state if that includes the balcony. However, that is much smaller than the BWV studios at 359. I hate to admit it but it does seem a little cramped for families. Oh BTW, the Jamba House value studios are listed as 316 Sq. ft. on the DVC News website.

 

[work2play]

We had a studio at BLT that faced space mountain, 4th floor outer crescent. we are now at BWV over Waylands overlooking the village green and the inn also a studio.

To compare:
Everything that folks are saying about the beauty and proximilty of the tower is right on the money. There is nothing like being right on the monorail. On the other hand There is also nothing like being at the BW over the green.

The big difference we see is the difference in the room. The size of the of the studio at the BW appears to be much bigger. The configuration of the studio at BLT we found wierd with the bathroom sink in the kitchen area but it goes beyond that. We have always fit comfortably in a studio (family of 3) and BLT seemed small. Even the pullout seemed smaller - got a lot of complaints on how hard it was at BLT.

Is the square footage that smaller?

Would you mind sharing your room information on the BLT views thread? We are trying to build a view map for BLT and would appreciate your input. It is here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2257082

 

[Sandisw]

Thanks for that answer. I went back to look at the photos of the model and took a second look at just how cramped the BLT studios are. (I was hoping to be able to fit in a twin air mattress - but that looks impossible at BLT.) I'm not sure why they didn't seem that small to me when we took the tour.

We are a family of four and want to buy 200 points and have those points cover one two week trip (weeknights) or two shorter trips per year, so no one-bedrooms for us. We are mostly interested in staying at BWV, BCV, or BLT, but wouldn't mind AKV or VWL. I'd like the long contract to pass on to my 2 daughters. Maybe I will consider AKV instead.

We did use a pool raft that was about the size of a twin air mattress in width but not in height. It JUST fit at the bottom of the bed between that and the TV cabinet. Unless you moved the table/chairs to a different spot at night (which you could do--over near the door, where the lock off door was, there was space), that is the only place in the living area it would fit.

VWL and BWV definitely had more room than BLT. If you know that you will always do studios, and are interested in AKV, you might really want to consider it. I do think that BLT might get too crowded for a two week stay (even with staying elsewhere on the weekends) with 4 people.

Good luck!!!

 

[Disneyaunt4]

Thanks for the reviews,we will be doing a split stay between BLT and BWV next month

 

[magsmom]

Hi, thanks for the responses.
I could swear the couch at BLT is considerably smaller than BWV as well. And sleeping on both - BWV wins in a landslide.

Just letting folks know our impressions. We are off to AKV concierge this weekend, so we will have yet another comparison.

 

[Sandisw]

Hi, thanks for the responses.
I could swear the couch at BLT is considerably smaller than BWV as well. And sleeping on both - BWV wins in a landslide.

Just letting folks know our impressions. We are off to AKV concierge this weekend, so we will have yet another comparison.

My son thought the BWV sleeper was more comfortable than BLT as well. I think that BLT is so new that it is still hard. He didn't mention that it felt smaller, but he wasn't sharing with anyone so probably didn't notice!

He did say that the VWL sleeper was the best one of the three.