I know there's been a few reviews of BLT, but here are my thoughts.
We arrived midmorning for our 2 week stay at a Bay Lake View Studio. We were welcomed in by a CM as we entered the front and asked if we had checked in online (and I said yes). She kindly escorted us to the line and within seconds a CM was available. It went smoothly and efficiently and within 5 min we had our welcome package, our Keys and our room was ready, so we headed up. We found that the decor was a little different from the other resorts but accepted this fact. It did feel, however, like a standard hotel and not the resort we've been accustomed to when we stay at the other DVC resorts. But everything seem fresh, brand new and we were so excited.
When we arrived in the room, we did feel that the room was a bit small, but we knew we would spend very little time there, so we were fine. The room was still in great shape except for a few sprinkles of saw dust
at the edge of the door. I can understand the concerns about the bathroom doors and lack of privacy, but we were fine with it. The bathroom sink/kitchen combo needed a little getting used to. I found myself going back and forth several times to set things down on the counter. We didn't like this idea but we lived with it for 2 wks. I did find that the flushing sound was rather loud and we heard it frequently from the rooms next to us and possible above us. I also found that the walls were a little thinner than other resorts and can hear other guests in their rooms.
The pool was adequate and had a good slide for the children. But with the colder weather, we only went swimming once. And I do agree that there is a lot of shade around the pool because of the building. This is great for a hot day, but during cooler weather, it can get quite cold.
We found the lobby very stylish and modern, which I guess is the reason we felt it had more of a hotel feeling and less of a resort atmosphere. However, it was very quiet which was a large contrast to the bustling Contemporary just next door.
I did find that the monorails were fine most of the time and love the idea of walking to MK. We did this often. This is what I will definitely miss when not staying here.
As for ToW, we went our first night and saw the Wishes. It was nice with the music chiming in. But we never did go back. We ended up seeing it a few times when we were at MK and a couple of other times on the bridge from the Contemporary. We found this to be the same experience and we did not have to carry our daughter the whole time because she was able to see over the ledge on the bridge. The ToW ledge is very high and definitely for a VERY good reason. No complaints there. But for the smaller guests, it would be hard for them to see over. Some stood on benches. Again, I was quite excited about it, but for us, it turned out to be nothing great. Nice, but not great.
So, our stay was fine and we are glad that we were able to stay there. But, it did not become one of our favourites. We came in with an open mind and I think we did well. Just not our cup of tea.
However, I do think that our vacation was somewhat tainted by some of the guests and even CMs that we have encountered. I guess, each year it just seems like it is getting worse and this is the part of the vacation that I am truly disappointed in.
I know others have had different experiences, I thought I would just give mine as another perspective since this was our first stay there.
We arrived midmorning for our 2 week stay at a Bay Lake View Studio. We were welcomed in by a CM as we entered the front and asked if we had checked in online (and I said yes). She kindly escorted us to the line and within seconds a CM was available. It went smoothly and efficiently and within 5 min we had our welcome package, our Keys and our room was ready, so we headed up. We found that the decor was a little different from the other resorts but accepted this fact. It did feel, however, like a standard hotel and not the resort we've been accustomed to when we stay at the other DVC resorts. But everything seem fresh, brand new and we were so excited.
When we arrived in the room, we did feel that the room was a bit small, but we knew we would spend very little time there, so we were fine. The room was still in great shape except for a few sprinkles of saw dust
at the edge of the door. I can understand the concerns about the bathroom doors and lack of privacy, but we were fine with it. The bathroom sink/kitchen combo needed a little getting used to. I found myself going back and forth several times to set things down on the counter. We didn't like this idea but we lived with it for 2 wks. I did find that the flushing sound was rather loud and we heard it frequently from the rooms next to us and possible above us. I also found that the walls were a little thinner than other resorts and can hear other guests in their rooms.The pool was adequate and had a good slide for the children. But with the colder weather, we only went swimming once. And I do agree that there is a lot of shade around the pool because of the building. This is great for a hot day, but during cooler weather, it can get quite cold.
We found the lobby very stylish and modern, which I guess is the reason we felt it had more of a hotel feeling and less of a resort atmosphere. However, it was very quiet which was a large contrast to the bustling Contemporary just next door.
I did find that the monorails were fine most of the time and love the idea of walking to MK. We did this often. This is what I will definitely miss when not staying here.
As for ToW, we went our first night and saw the Wishes. It was nice with the music chiming in. But we never did go back. We ended up seeing it a few times when we were at MK and a couple of other times on the bridge from the Contemporary. We found this to be the same experience and we did not have to carry our daughter the whole time because she was able to see over the ledge on the bridge. The ToW ledge is very high and definitely for a VERY good reason. No complaints there. But for the smaller guests, it would be hard for them to see over. Some stood on benches. Again, I was quite excited about it, but for us, it turned out to be nothing great. Nice, but not great.
So, our stay was fine and we are glad that we were able to stay there. But, it did not become one of our favourites. We came in with an open mind and I think we did well. Just not our cup of tea.
However, I do think that our vacation was somewhat tainted by some of the guests and even CMs that we have encountered. I guess, each year it just seems like it is getting worse and this is the part of the vacation that I am truly disappointed in.
I know others have had different experiences, I thought I would just give mine as another perspective since this was our first stay there.
All in all, it sounds like you had a wonderful time.
I was not disappointed in BLT. However, it did feel differently from the other resorts we've stayed in.
