Back from BVC - Expected Better

[Sarahbella]

Way to go Pop!!

The wife speaking here.
I think all of your complaints are justified.

We paid quite a bit of money for the DVC. Expecting it to be in the same class as the resorts we have stayed at in Disney prior to our purchase.

There is absolutely no excuse for all of this.

Yes, we did have a fabulous vacation. And no, we didn't let the mold, lighting, plastic chairs ruin our vacation.
But it's just a shame.

As you know, I have my complaints on other matters with Disney.
As soon as I find out who is in charge I will be writing a complaint...again not about the issues mentioned here.

 

[sheryl0521]

Wow - quite a thread. Here is my $.02.

Have you noticed the siding falling off the Beach Club "Proper" building close to the SAB whirlpool area by the slide exit? This has been falling off for at least a year now and perhaps the recent BC painting restoration has fixed it.

I'm not sure, but it isn't a nice memory for me.

The OP seemed to have left off (or perhaps didn't notice) the beautiful landscaping at the BCV courtyard area near the main entrance (Ariel's statue.)

To each his own, and maybe my rose colored glasses are a bit tinted, but do the kids notice the cobwebs and plastic furniture?

I'm guessing they don't.

 

[srf10]

"..have you asked your kids if they noticed the cobwebs and plastic furniture?"

You (and serveral others) have missed the point. As I stated at the start of the thread, my vacation was wonderful. My qualm is that I did not get what I paid for: a deluxe quality disney resort.

I've hestiated to respond to other peoples' responses in the hopes that this would just die down. It was just a trip report, I did not intend to incite a riot.

 

[sheryl0521]

I apologize for my abrupt response. After re-reading it, I didn't mean it to be so direct and have edited it such.

I was trying to point out that the deluxe resort (BC) had such a noticeable and fixable issue out there for so long. I know it was for at least a year, because I saw it over a year's worth of visits.

One more thought - perhaps those deluxe resorts seemed to be so lavish because they were visited when the OP was a child. To a child on a trip to Disney, the value resorts are lavish!

Go back and visit those deluxe resorts with such a keen eye that was used during the visit to BCV and let us know if they still live up to the same standards.

I am not trying to make excuses, but DVC resorts are meant to be "home away from home" resorts coincidentally located at/with some deluxe resorts. Perhaps that is the fine line that separates them from the "deluxe" resort status.

Let the flames commence...

 

[GraceDVC]

I think that the rotating maintenance policies come into play here.

I've been to OKW and was awed by the cleanliness of the unit, then dismayed about the condition of the ladies' and men's rooms near Olivia's on the very same trip.

Loved the condition of our room at the Contemporary, but found the smaller pool out by the lake full of mosquitoes and with a rim of grime around it!

Went to the BCV during its opening week and, of course, found the room to be immaculate and brand new, while the paint on the Beach Club and Yacht Club looked quite worn at the time.

Loved the condition of the Wilderness Lodge room on our first visit there the week it opened -- everything was spanking new in the lobby as well; now some of the furniture looks a bit worn.

I don't think it's just the DVC resorts that get wear; it's an on-going job to keep all the resorts up to par, and sometimes you get to see one just before maintenance is scheduled.

 

[rriley25]

It was just a trip report, I did not intend to incite a riot.

Incite a riot? No. Stir the pot? Oh yeah, no doubt. As has been stated many times, DVC owners are responsible for informing the staff of the problems we may find during our stay. My question to you is "Did you inform any staffers of the problems you found during your trip?".

 

[manning]

As far as the balcony furniture, I admit the furniture on YC/BC's balconies is much more expensive and fancy, but it is also darn uncomfortable! I will take the plastic chairs and tables anyday. It is much more comfortable and it is also the same type of balcony furniture (plastic vs metal) that is found on all the WDW DVC resort balconies

You took the words out of my mouth.

 

[srf10]

Thank you, manning, for your very articulate and profound response. This is sure to provide us with many hours of rumination and deep reflection.

Instead of appreciating one person's view... some of you, in a shameful attempt to belittle my opinion, have over-argued your point only to reveal your true and obvious insecurities. And if those people want to respond to this, it will only reaffirm that belief all the more.

To Bob Riley… what does notifying Disney have to do with sharing a trip report on this board? Will notifying Disney change what I experienced last week? Or will it just make you feel more at ease if I told you that I intend to notify Disney. That wasn’t the goal of this thread, but yes I did call to express my complaints about BCV to the DVC.

 

[Lesley]

Thanks for mentioning what you've noticed...I definitely hope you'll be brining these items to the attention of DVC member satisfaction and the management at BCV. I'm sure they will be addressed.

I think BCV must be just getting over its "brand new, everything's perfect" stage and they're probably not prepared to deal with what's really needed for everyday upkeep. I believe the same has happened with every DVC resort...a short period while they adjust to the real maintenance and upkeep needs of a timeshare resort.

Personally, as one who pays dues, I prefer that they use the less expensive patio furniture....when it gets damaged its much less expensive to replace. Knowing how little plastic chairs and tables cost, I would guess that they could replace it 10-20 times before making up the cost of really good outdoor furniture.

 

[SheriB]

I noticed the cobwebs on the balconies when we were there in June. I considered calling about it, but on the second day we were there, there was a message on our room phone that asked us to make sure the patio doors were shut the next morning, because they were going to be powerwashing our side of the building for about four hours. After they did that, everything looked fine, but I guess things slip away from them before the next rotation of maintenance is due. I think you're complaints are definitely legitimate, since you are an owner (I own at BCV ). People who "flame" you are probably too timid to say anything on their own behalf, and like to avoid the subject altogether by commenting on your flight, the parks, the food, etc, which have nothing to do with the issue at hand-the condition of the room or resort that you have an ownership interest in. I respect your opinion and honesty, and I hope that these issues are not issues the next time I take a trip.

Sheri

 

[jackmac]

I was just down there in a studio and I did notice that there were one or 2 things that could have been better (my room fan was covered in dust, had to get that taken care of) but I had a great time and did not see the problems mentioned. My room faced the quiet pool and I was only out there a couple of times but the area looked neat and clean. The quiet pool was shaded most of the day so we spent out time at Stormalong Bay for the pool. I did go to the canal to look for the gator (not there when I looked) and the fencing looked ok, did not notice dirt or cobwebs. I thought that the main areas were well maintained and clean and maintenance staff were always working.

I have been a DVC member since 99 and I am usually down 2 times per year. On all of my visits there is always maintenance going on. This occassionally causes an inconvience (the lazy river at SAB was closed on this trip for bridge repair) but I would rather be inconvienced, so that in the long run the whole resort is maintained. Being a DVC owner I have more of a long term view of the resorts. Consequently I am more likely to put up with a bit more to insure long term quality. I was at BCV last October and I did not notice a major difference this time.

What I did notice is that BCV is more of an add on to the Beach Club. It seems like the hotel is more important that the villas. Over at Boardwalk it seems more like a DVC resort that has some hotel rooms available. I fully expect to be back at BCV next October. I also fully expect to have a great time.

Let management know, when you are there, what the problems are and see if they are willing to correct them. If they don't then we all have a problem.

 

[pat-rick]

Just back from our 2nd trip in 4 weeks. Our September trip was to OKW. Although the rooms were much larger as described many time on these boards we were anxious to get back to the BCV for our October Trip. There is some much needed exterior work going on at present to the Beach Club Resort which had no effect on us at the BCV. Our trip went very well except for the room changes during our stay but it was expected due to our late attempt at reservations.
Nothing to complain about on either trip. Rooms were clean and CM were very gracious and helpful as expected.

 

[AMcaptured]

I have to chime in on the plastic patio furniture. I HATE it also. I don't have plastic furniture at my home and I really wish they would replace the furniture at the BCV's with better quality stuff.

However, my biggest complaint in regards to DVC not being treated as other Deluxe resorts are is that I do not feel that the mattresses are as good at the DVC resorts. Again, I know there are a bunch of you who are probably fine with the beds but I think they are lousy.

I know with many members it's all about dues, dues, dues but I would rather pay a bit more for a clean unit, metal patio furniture and better beds....JMO


Heidi

 

[Sammie]

Originally posted by AMcaptured
I have to chime in on the plastic patio furniture. I HATE it also. I don't have plastic furniture at my home and I really wish they would replace the furniture at the BCV's with better quality stuff.

However, my biggest complaint in regards to DVC not being treated as other Deluxe resorts are is that I do not feel that the mattresses are as good at the DVC resorts. Again, I know there are a bunch of you who are probably fine with the beds but I think they are lousy.

I know with many members it's all about dues, dues, dues but I would rather pay a bit more for a clean unit, metal patio furniture and better beds....JMO


Heidi

Just curious why would you think the mattresses are different at the villas vs. the resorts? I am not saying any of the mattresses at Disney are great but I never found any to be different regardless of the resort. The bedding is different but not the mattress itself.

 

[Jollymon]

I second the opinion on the Cheap Tacky balcony furniture. I did not pay $24,000 for cheap, tacky, balcony furniture.

I own at BCV but my favorite resort is VWL. The balcony furniture there consists of glass tables and metal chairs with the vinyl straps going across. These are considerably more comfortable and classy than the cheap tacky furniture at BCV.

I honestly believe that Disney tried to go cheap on BCV. No reason for this, we paid top dollar for those points.

Andrew

 

[DeeP]

Originally posted by Jollymon
I honestly believe that Disney tried to go cheap on BCV. No reason for this, we paid top dollar for those points.

Andrew

Well if that is the case, Disney went cheap on OKW and BWV also because they also have the cheap tacky balcony furniture.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I suspect the plastic patio furniture IS because of the effect on dues. It doesn't bother me a bit at OKW. I still like having my morning coffee and breakfast out on the deck watching the wildlife or golfers, or whatever my room faces.

 

[Jollymon]

Come on people, we paid $24,000 for a miniscule percentage of ownership on one of the units. I calculated that at that rate, each unit sold for over $1.5 million (or something like that, the deed is in the safe and I am too lazy to open it to see what the percentage granted was).

You are telling me that at $1.5 million, they could not spend about $100 on decent patio furniture? You don't think they got cheap?

And the effect on lower dues, what do you honestly think an expense of $100 to $200 per unit will have when you divide it over the number of points sold for each unit. It is irrelevant. So don't kid yourself, the justification of lower dues is a lame Disney can do no wrong reasoning.

Call me a snob, but I like to at least sit on something equal or better than what I do at home, not worse.

Andrew

 

[DVCPAT]

Just curious, is the patio furniture original or was it changed? BCV sold at a rapid pace so if nobody raised concerns before the sale, it’s difficult to make a change that will affect every member’s dues after the sale.

 

[crisi]

Wow, you are making me feel really bad. I have cheap Target plastic patio furniture at home. We don't spend much time on our deck. We live in Minnesota, so maintenance is an issue. The desk faces south, so dark metal gets hot. It just seems like a waste to invest in good quality deck furniture that I'll have to do maintenance on. I could afford really good deck furniture, but there is always something else I'd rather spend money on. Since I've made the same decision at my own home for what I'd assume are similar reasons to Disney (its a cost effective, low maintenance way to sit on my deck), I don't mind that my home-away-from-home is being managed with the same thoughts in mind.

As a plastic patio furniture conouissuer, I'll have to say that Disney is not buying the $4 Wal-Mart chairs. They have some pretty good plastic patio furniture. And it is comfortable - more comfortable than the metal stuff we had at the WL.

We noticed staying at BWVs that our balcony rail was filthy. I wiped it off the first time I noticed saying "I expected better." The next night we, filthy again. I wiped it off again. After a week I realized I was wiping away a combination of dead bugs (the patio lights are on until late to light up the front of the resort, so the bugs die in quantity on those balconies) and ash from Illuiminations - and it didn't matter if I wiped it every night at 7:00pm, by the next morning it was dirty again.