BCV and general questions for first visit

[otterpop]

Hi Everyone,

I was hoping some of you could provide me with some help/advice. My family and I will be making our first DVC visit in Feb of next year and we just booked at BCV. We booked two studios, one for my family of 4 and one for my Mom (I'm sure my 2 girls will want to sleep with Grandma though!). I requested via e-mail that the two studios be near/next to each other, on a high floor and overlooking Epcot. The DVC reply was that there is no Epcot view category.

Question #1: are my requests okay, or can revise my requests with more details (like specific room #'s, etc)?

Question #2: Since I made two room reservations, can I purchase the dining plan for just one of the rooms/reservations or do I have to make it for both rooms? If I can do it for only one, then my family can do the dining plan and my Mom (who's name is the only one on the second reservation) doesn't have to.

Question #3: Is there a way to take the monorail from Epcot to MK without having a park hopper ticket (I'm assuming that with the hopper ticket, you can enter Epcot and then walk to the entrance for the monorial, but how would you do that w/o the hopper ticket)?

Question #4: This will be our first visit as DVC members. I realize this is a loaded question, but any general or BCV advice or suggestions for our first visit?

Thanks for your time and comments!

Evan

 

[TisBit]

Hi Everyone,

I was hoping some of you could provide me with some help/advice. My family and I will be making our first DVC visit in Feb of next year and we just booked at BCV. We booked two studios, one for my family of 4 and one for my Mom (I'm sure my 2 girls will want to sleep with Grandma though!). I requested via e-mail that the two studios be near/next to each other, on a high floor and overlooking Epcot. The DVC reply was that there is no Epcot view category.

Question #1: are my requests okay, or can revise my requests with more details (like specific room #'s, etc)?

Question #2: Since I made two room reservations, can I purchase the dining plan for just one of the rooms/reservations or do I have to make it for both rooms? If I can do it for only one, then my family can do the dining plan and my Mom (who's name is the only one on the second reservation) doesn't have to.

Question #3: Is there a way to take the monorail from Epcot to MK without having a park hopper ticket (I'm assuming that with the hopper ticket, you can enter Epcot and then walk to the entrance for the monorial, but how would you do that w/o the hopper ticket)?

Question #4: This will be our first visit as DVC members. I realize this is a loaded question, but any general or BCV advice or suggestions for our first visit?

Thanks for your time and comments!

Evan

Your request sees ok, but you might want to call not email to make sure that it is actually put into the system. Second, I recommend putting the priority request first.....

You should be able to do DDP in one room and not others, they are separate reservations.

Without a hopper, you will have to take a bus to MK, not the monorail. Not sure it is worth the cost of a ticket, the walk through Epcot is not short.

As for general comments on BCV, we just stayed there this trip. Keep in mind you share transportation with 3 other resorts, so things do take a bit longer. I was surprised at how long it took to get to our room from the lobby. I have heard complaints about BWV halls being long, but honestly, we walked forever to get to our room, which was furtherst away....Room 375, but we could see the back of epcot, just not the lake. We could see the MK fireworks though. If you want a short walk to the pool, you may want to request to be closer to the main lobby then the Epcot view....you can always walk outside to watch the epcot fireworks.

 

[skelooch]

When you say you want an EPCOT view, do you mean that you would like to see illuminations. If so ask for woods view.
Here are some studio room numbers that are fairly close together and should have some views of fireworks, (the higher the better).
222, 225, 227, 231, 322, 325, 327, 331, 422, 425, 427, 431, 525, 527, 531.
225, 325, 425 and 525 are HA

They are all close to the main elevators, hence closer to the Marketplace, Main BC Lobby, Bus Stop, Quiet Pool and spa.

As PP said you cannot walk thru EPCOT to use the monorail without a park hopper, the bus would probably be faster anyway.

Hope you get what you want and have a great trip.

 

[msp2mco]

Although someone mentioned that it was a long walk from the lobby to their room, I found that, if you had a car, you could park really close to your villa, which was great. Enjoy your first trip home.

 

[TisBit]

Although someone mentioned that it was a long walk from the lobby to their room, I found that, if you had a car, you could park really close to your villa, which was great. Enjoy your first trip home.

Yes, you can park close to your villa, but in the terms of getting to the marketplace, SAB etc it is quite a hike. Honestly, with all the heat that SSR takes, I swear I could make it from many of the area's in SSR to the Marketplace theme'd pool in the same amount of time or less as I could at BCV. Now, again, I will say that I was in room 375, which was really far out (I think they only go up to 379, so we were definitely far out).

 

[otterpop]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions!

Evan

 

[Sandisw]

Yes, you can park close to your villa, but in the terms of getting to the marketplace, SAB etc it is quite a hike. Honestly, with all the heat that SSR takes, I swear I could make it from many of the area's in SSR to the Marketplace theme'd pool in the same amount of time or less as I could at BCV. Now, again, I will say that I was in room 375, which was really far out (I think they only go up to 379, so we were definitely far out).

We stayed in Room 344 a few weeks back and it was only 2 1/2 minutes from our room to the marketplace (I timed it). I didn't think that would be considered that long. I would say SAB was another few minutes from there.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you request a specific room number (and they won't let you put down multiple room numbers) and that room is occupied, they won't have any idea of what you want. Skip putting down a specific room number.

You can't get the monorail to the MK from Epcot without going through Epcot. Unless you get a cab to the front of Epcot from BC. Buy the hopper and then you can hop over to Epcot just to watch Illuminations.

If you get a woods view, you might just get a woods view and not be able to see Illuminations. I know the one bedroom we were in last summer was a woods view, but we couldn't see Illuminations. We could sure hear it, though. And it is true that there is no Epcot view at BCV.

 

[TisBit]

We stayed in Room 344 a few weeks back and it was only 2 1/2 minutes from our room to the marketplace (I timed it). I didn't think that would be considered that long. I would say SAB was another few minutes from there.

Exactly, you were about midway back on one of the spurs....we were at least twice as far. In the five minutes that it takes to get to market place, then about 8-9 minutes to SAB.....this is a decent distance.

Did it ruin our stay, absolutely not, but was I quite surprised, yes. In all the time that I read about BCV, I had never heard about the distance you were from all the stuff going on. BCI has all their rooms in the building with the marketplace and it is pretty easy access, I had not realized that it was an addition or an "out" building that was the villa's. The initial walk was especially surprising and the entire weekend we just kept trying to figure out if there was a better way that we were missing.....there wasn't

 

[skelooch]

If you request a specific room number (and they won't let you put down multiple room numbers) and that room is occupied, they won't have any idea of what you want. Skip putting down a specific room number.

Yes they will let you list multiple room numbers, I have been doing it for years without a problem.
Perhaps you just got a CM who didn't want to be bothered listing them for you. Call back and talk to another CM, after you make your reservation.

 

[otterpop]

Thanks again for all the input. What would you suggest that I should make as a room request then with the following background info:

1. It would be cool to see the fireworks, but not important it if it means that there's a chance we might be looking at trees (although nice, not very "exciting"!).
2. My family and I do Disney Commando style, so except for maybe a day off for swimming and relaxing, we are out-and-about most of the time.
3. But, going with my Mom for the first time, I am guessing that she will be the opposite; she might go to the parks a few days, but other than that would want to relax at the "hotel" (so maybe a pool view would be better for her?).
4. I like the high floor because I was told that the washer and dryer are on the top floor and staying in a studio, we would need it.
5. From some of the above posts, I'm not sure my Mom would like a room far away so that she has to do a lot of excess walking.

With the above in mind, what would you gals/guys suggest as a room request that Disney would accept?

Thanks again to everyone!

Evan

 

[Deb & Bill]

Thanks again for all the input. What would you suggest that I should make as a room request then with the following background info:

1. It would be cool to see the fireworks, but not important it if it means that there's a chance we might be looking at trees (although nice, not very "exciting"!).
2. My family and I do Disney Commando style, so except for maybe a day off for swimming and relaxing, we are out-and-about most of the time.
3. But, going with my Mom for the first time, I am guessing that she will be the opposite; she might go to the parks a few days, but other than that would want to relax at the "hotel" (so maybe a pool view would be better for her?).
4. I like the high floor because I was told that the washer and dryer are on the top floor and staying in a studio, we would need it.
5. From some of the above posts, I'm not sure my Mom would like a room far away so that she has to do a lot of excess walking.

With the above in mind, what would you gals/guys suggest as a room request that Disney would accept?

Thanks again to everyone!

Evan

2 - If you are a new DVC member, it's about time you learn about enjoying your villa and not using it solely for sleeping. The joy of DVC is enjoying the resort you are staying at. It's part of the experience.

3 - The pool view will give her a little more to look at. There's nothing to see during the day with the woods view.

4 - BCV laundry room is on the fourth floor, not the fifth floor.

5 - The resort isn't that big. The hallways are not nearly as long as BWV or AKV. There are two sets of elevators, one central set and one closer to the parking lot. Both are close to the pool.

 

[skelooch]

It sounds like your best bet might be to request Pool views that are as close as possible to each other on upper floor near elevators.
If you want to see Illuminations its a 5 min walk to the bridge where you will have a pretty good view, better than you would have from your room, and a 5 min walk back to your room.
There are several studios that are next to each other facing the pool (but not connecting) on the 3rd 4th and 5th floors, maybe you'll get lucky and get a couple that are.
Here's a map of the resort

 

[lizziepooh]

Just remember that you may or MAY NOT get what you request. In January, my only request for BCV was "upper floor". We were assigned a first floor handicap accessible unit. When we moved later to OKW, I had requested "first floor for medical reasons." We were assigned a third floor unit in a building with no elevator. (They were able to find us a first floor unit when we asked nicely.) Third floor walkup would have been difficult for DH due to medical issues.

So, it is fine to put requests on your reservation, but don't be surprised if you don't get them. Good luck. I do hope you get what you want.

 

[robertdangelo]

You can see detailed maps here of room locations and pics of balcony views: http://www.parkinfo2go.com/dvc-bcv/

The Nightly movies on the beach are fun! They do camp fire, Smore's and sing alongs too. http://www.buildabettermousetrip.com/activity-outdoormovie.php

 

[TisBit]

I would definitely request near the main elevators if we stayed there again, that will hopefully put you closer to all amenities of the resort and not as much of a walk.

as for hallways being long, yes they are long just with lots of little turns instead of long straight ones like at BWV. I think the big difference we are seeing with BWV is that while we are not real close to the boardwalk, we are close to the main pool....seems that you would be close to one or the other, where as at BCV we were far from both. Again, we were about the farthest away and I didn't realize how the buildings were set up there, otherwise I would have made some requests. From the map above you will see that there are three basic wings to the BCV's, no amenities are in that building, but there is a quiet pool in the half moon shape of it which seemed to be pretty empty most of the time we were there. We were in that last building area looking at the canal.

I am not bashing BCV, but just never heard anything negative about it and would rather inform someone else instead of trying to gloss over the downsides of the resort.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...as for hallways being long, yes they are long just with lots of little turns instead of long straight ones like at BWV. ....

Plus BCV has two sets of elevators at opposite ends, where the BWV only has one set of elevators, somewhat central to those long dark tunnels.

 

[TisBit]

Plus BCV has two sets of elevators at opposite ends, where the BWV only has one set of elevators, somewhat central to those long dark tunnels.

Luckily we are on the first floor....so didn't get to experience that joy! There were elevators near our room, but we ended up having to walk past the main set at BCV's to do anything. Would have been different if we had a car we were using, because the parking lot was close.