Granny
Yeah, I'm a guy
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2001
- Messages
- 14,432
Recently returned from 8 nights (7/26-8/3) at BCV. This was our first sampling of this resort as we want to try them all at some point. You might want to read this fast since there are no real complaints so this thread will disappear quickly!
As usual, here's my report focusing on the areas pertinent to the DVC experience.
Villa: BCV 2BR Dedicated (2 Queen)...room #333.
Check-in: I checked in about 9:30 a.m. on Saturday 7/26. The CM was very nice but a little inexperienced. For example, she forgot to give me the packet until I asked for it. The room was not ready (I didn't expect it to be) but they took my cell phone number. I had not made any room location requests but she volunteered that our room would have a great view of the "fireworks" as she called them. We went over to Downtown Disney to buy AP's and DDE and do a little shopping. We were having lunch about 11:30 at Wolfgang Puck Express (very good, BTW) when my cell phone rang and the room was ready! I think it is so much better that they call us when the room is ready rather than giving us the phone number to call every half hour to ask if our room is ready yet. A great improvement in the check-in process!
Room Cleanliness: The rooms were very clean. Because of this board I check very closely since we've never had a bad room cleanliness experience on check-in. There was a little wear and tear, and some old stains on the sofa and bench seat cushions, but overall the room was clean with no issues.
Room Maintenance: We had no problems with room maintenance. Everything worked, all light bulbs were functioning and all was good. We did notice that the room was a little warm when we returned from the parks but it quickly cooled down once the sensors "noticed" our return and turned the A/C back on.
Mousekeeping: Very good. No issues at all...full cleaning and T&T on the appointed days. We don't leave the villa until late in the morning on most days and they respected our "do not disturb" sign and then did their thing once we left and removed the sign.
Room Location & View: Well, if you are into views, we probably had one of the poorer rooms for that. Unfortunately, the check-in CM's comments about seeing the fireworks proved to be untrue. We were blocked out of any such view by the end of the wing of the building. Had we been on a higher floor, or even one villa over away from that wing, we would have had a pretty nice view of Illuminations fireworks. View isn't our big thing, but for those interested in such you many want to try to avoid the area. Here's some visuals to help understand:
The first is a BCV map with our villa circled:
The second is a picture from the outside so you can see how our villa nestle into the corner:
The 2nd bedroom didn't have a balcony...and the window view there was just a long row of other balconies.
Looking outside, here was our view:
It was nicely landscaped, but very noisy. That's because the path was the main drag between maintenancy/laundry and BC/BCV. So there was a fairly steady stream of workers and vehicles coming through that path.
As I indicated, we are not in the parks until the afternoon on most days. For those who aren't around in the morning, this wouldn't be an issue. But I like to sit on the balcony and read or drink a cup of coffee. I ended up spending less time on the balcony this trip than any other DVC trip.
It certainly wasn't a big deal. Just providing full disclosure.
On the other hand, we weren't all that far from the elevators so that was nice.
Bus Service: Well, it was as expected since we have often stayed at BWV. Some long waits (35 minutes) for AKV and DTD buses a couple of times, but worse than the waits was the usual standing room only mode that the EPCOT resort buses tend to have. Sharing with so many resorts makes for a long and crowded bus ride.
Parking: We have always used valet service for DVC stays (other than OKW of course) and started with that on this trip. The valet staff was outstanding...if this is outsourcing then I hope Disney does more of it! They really were friendly, helpful and timely.
After a couple of days, I changed over to self-parking once I realized that you could park right next to the end of the BCV portion of the resort. We go off-site a few times each trip and it was by far the most convenient self-parking of any "hotel style" DVC resort.
Overall, we thought valet parking and self-parking were both strong points for BCV.
CM Attitudes: Once again a trip without any issues with CM's at the resort. Everyone was very nice and helpful. Art the Greeter is a treasure for BCV guests similar to Stan the Ranger at VWL.
And the other CM's were all helpful and cheerful. Never heard them complaining to each other at all, and yes I actually listened for it since I hear about it on these boards.
Magic Moment: As mentioned, the CM's were excellent. During this trip our 20th wedding anniversary occurred. When I made an ADR for our anniversary evening, I mentioned that to MS. That's the only time I ever mentioned our anniversary, and we aren't the type to look for a lot of special treatment for such things anyway.
So after I check in, I'm walking out the front door of BC. One of the CM's sees me walking out with my DVC packet and says "Good Morning, and Happy Anniversary". I was a little preoccupied with my thoughts so I said good morning, and kept walking. I took about 6 steps then it hit me that he had wished me a happy anniversary. I went back to him and asked him how he could know that my anniversary was coming up.
He replied: "Mickey told me".
I talked to him a little bit about how impressed I was at how they go above and beyond with little things like this (I think I figured out how he knew but why spoil the magic?). He ran back inside and came back with two "It's our anniversary" buttons that he suggested we wear on our anniversary day. We didn't wear them, but appreciated the thoughtfulness and the souvenir.
Resort Impressions: We are VWL & BWV resort lovers so what I can say is that BCV owners are fortunate to have such a great resort.
We liked many things about BCV. Of course, it's proximity to EPCOT can't be beat. The resort and rooms were clean and well maintained. The CM's were great. Beaches & Cream is a nice place to have so close to a resort!
The Market Place is a very good store and the sandwiches & salad counter service was almost as good as Roaring Fork at VWL. The valet and self-parking were both excellent. The quiet pool was very nice and convenient. SAB is great though we didn't use it much (my DD's are 19 & 17).
From our perspective, there were a couple of things that were a bit of a drawback. While BCV is close to EPCOT, it is significantly farther from DHS when walking in the summer heat. This was the first time we used the Friendship Boats and for overall location convenience we have to give the nod to BWV. Just an opinion, YMMV.
The ambience of BCV just didn't grab us. It was a very nice place, but just didn't provide the emotional pull we've felt at VWL or BWV. For instance, I noticed that there is no music pumped outside when I was out on my balcony. And at the quiet pool, the music was a strange kind of acoustic/flamenco guitar. Nice music but not really "themed". Not sure what kind of music would have been more appropriate though. I'm sure for most people this is a non-issue. I don't think BWV has music at the quiet pool either, but I just can't remember.
Oh, and BCV was by far the COLDEST resort we have ever stayed in. I used to think VWL had the coldest blast of A/C upon entering but BCV was really, really cold in the common areas and hallways. Cold A/C doesn't bother me but the fact that I even noticed it made me realize just how cold it is.
Bottom line: We found BCV to be a lovely, well-maintained resort with excellent amenities, features and CM's. We would be happy to stay there again at some point in the future though it isn't our favorite. We can see what there is to love about BCV and owners there should rightly be proud of their resort!
As usual, here's my report focusing on the areas pertinent to the DVC experience.
Villa: BCV 2BR Dedicated (2 Queen)...room #333.
Check-in: I checked in about 9:30 a.m. on Saturday 7/26. The CM was very nice but a little inexperienced. For example, she forgot to give me the packet until I asked for it. The room was not ready (I didn't expect it to be) but they took my cell phone number. I had not made any room location requests but she volunteered that our room would have a great view of the "fireworks" as she called them. We went over to Downtown Disney to buy AP's and DDE and do a little shopping. We were having lunch about 11:30 at Wolfgang Puck Express (very good, BTW) when my cell phone rang and the room was ready! I think it is so much better that they call us when the room is ready rather than giving us the phone number to call every half hour to ask if our room is ready yet. A great improvement in the check-in process!
Room Cleanliness: The rooms were very clean. Because of this board I check very closely since we've never had a bad room cleanliness experience on check-in. There was a little wear and tear, and some old stains on the sofa and bench seat cushions, but overall the room was clean with no issues.
Room Maintenance: We had no problems with room maintenance. Everything worked, all light bulbs were functioning and all was good. We did notice that the room was a little warm when we returned from the parks but it quickly cooled down once the sensors "noticed" our return and turned the A/C back on.
Mousekeeping: Very good. No issues at all...full cleaning and T&T on the appointed days. We don't leave the villa until late in the morning on most days and they respected our "do not disturb" sign and then did their thing once we left and removed the sign.
Room Location & View: Well, if you are into views, we probably had one of the poorer rooms for that. Unfortunately, the check-in CM's comments about seeing the fireworks proved to be untrue. We were blocked out of any such view by the end of the wing of the building. Had we been on a higher floor, or even one villa over away from that wing, we would have had a pretty nice view of Illuminations fireworks. View isn't our big thing, but for those interested in such you many want to try to avoid the area. Here's some visuals to help understand:
The first is a BCV map with our villa circled:
The second is a picture from the outside so you can see how our villa nestle into the corner:
The 2nd bedroom didn't have a balcony...and the window view there was just a long row of other balconies.
Looking outside, here was our view:
It was nicely landscaped, but very noisy. That's because the path was the main drag between maintenancy/laundry and BC/BCV. So there was a fairly steady stream of workers and vehicles coming through that path.
As I indicated, we are not in the parks until the afternoon on most days. For those who aren't around in the morning, this wouldn't be an issue. But I like to sit on the balcony and read or drink a cup of coffee. I ended up spending less time on the balcony this trip than any other DVC trip.
It certainly wasn't a big deal. Just providing full disclosure.
On the other hand, we weren't all that far from the elevators so that was nice.
Bus Service: Well, it was as expected since we have often stayed at BWV. Some long waits (35 minutes) for AKV and DTD buses a couple of times, but worse than the waits was the usual standing room only mode that the EPCOT resort buses tend to have. Sharing with so many resorts makes for a long and crowded bus ride.
Parking: We have always used valet service for DVC stays (other than OKW of course) and started with that on this trip. The valet staff was outstanding...if this is outsourcing then I hope Disney does more of it! They really were friendly, helpful and timely.
After a couple of days, I changed over to self-parking once I realized that you could park right next to the end of the BCV portion of the resort. We go off-site a few times each trip and it was by far the most convenient self-parking of any "hotel style" DVC resort.
Overall, we thought valet parking and self-parking were both strong points for BCV.
CM Attitudes: Once again a trip without any issues with CM's at the resort. Everyone was very nice and helpful. Art the Greeter is a treasure for BCV guests similar to Stan the Ranger at VWL.
And the other CM's were all helpful and cheerful. Never heard them complaining to each other at all, and yes I actually listened for it since I hear about it on these boards. Magic Moment: As mentioned, the CM's were excellent. During this trip our 20th wedding anniversary occurred. When I made an ADR for our anniversary evening, I mentioned that to MS. That's the only time I ever mentioned our anniversary, and we aren't the type to look for a lot of special treatment for such things anyway.
So after I check in, I'm walking out the front door of BC. One of the CM's sees me walking out with my DVC packet and says "Good Morning, and Happy Anniversary". I was a little preoccupied with my thoughts so I said good morning, and kept walking. I took about 6 steps then it hit me that he had wished me a happy anniversary. I went back to him and asked him how he could know that my anniversary was coming up.
He replied: "Mickey told me".
I talked to him a little bit about how impressed I was at how they go above and beyond with little things like this (I think I figured out how he knew but why spoil the magic?). He ran back inside and came back with two "It's our anniversary" buttons that he suggested we wear on our anniversary day. We didn't wear them, but appreciated the thoughtfulness and the souvenir.
Resort Impressions: We are VWL & BWV resort lovers so what I can say is that BCV owners are fortunate to have such a great resort.
We liked many things about BCV. Of course, it's proximity to EPCOT can't be beat. The resort and rooms were clean and well maintained. The CM's were great. Beaches & Cream is a nice place to have so close to a resort!
The Market Place is a very good store and the sandwiches & salad counter service was almost as good as Roaring Fork at VWL. The valet and self-parking were both excellent. The quiet pool was very nice and convenient. SAB is great though we didn't use it much (my DD's are 19 & 17).From our perspective, there were a couple of things that were a bit of a drawback. While BCV is close to EPCOT, it is significantly farther from DHS when walking in the summer heat. This was the first time we used the Friendship Boats and for overall location convenience we have to give the nod to BWV. Just an opinion, YMMV.
The ambience of BCV just didn't grab us. It was a very nice place, but just didn't provide the emotional pull we've felt at VWL or BWV. For instance, I noticed that there is no music pumped outside when I was out on my balcony. And at the quiet pool, the music was a strange kind of acoustic/flamenco guitar. Nice music but not really "themed". Not sure what kind of music would have been more appropriate though. I'm sure for most people this is a non-issue. I don't think BWV has music at the quiet pool either, but I just can't remember.
Oh, and BCV was by far the COLDEST resort we have ever stayed in. I used to think VWL had the coldest blast of A/C upon entering but BCV was really, really cold in the common areas and hallways. Cold A/C doesn't bother me but the fact that I even noticed it made me realize just how cold it is.
Bottom line: We found BCV to be a lovely, well-maintained resort with excellent amenities, features and CM's. We would be happy to stay there again at some point in the future though it isn't our favorite. We can see what there is to love about BCV and owners there should rightly be proud of their resort!
We stayed there last summer too, but I don't remember it being so cold. Next year, I will bring some long pants to lounge around in.
ixiedust:
