BCV that bad?

[ObieTrice]

Hi!

I have been lurking (unable to post because of registration problems) and have found all of your opinions and reports so helpful.

While in lurk-mode, I contacted DVC and put my downpayment on 160 points at BCV. Never having been there, the pool & the proximity to Epcot and MGM sounded like it was just the place for me , DH, DS 11, and DS 8 to make our home resort. My guide said that it would be the best property to buy into because it is so popular,and I wouldn't have any problems trading it out with Members Getaways.

I have my paperwork all notorized and ready to go, but I am scared to death that this is not a good decision. I have been reading a lot of negative commentary about BCV, and all of the bad experiences that people have had there....it really has me on the fence about what to do.

Is it really that bad, or have there been as many wonderful experiences as bad ones, and I just haven't read them?

Thanks!

Jackie

 

[nisiemouse]

I have no regrets about my 70 points that I added on at BCV (except that I wish I could have talked dh into 100). We have stayed there twice. Although we have the majority of our points at OKW we wanted to be able to ensure we could stay at BCV at least every 3 years with banking and borrowing. I might have bought BCV for our initial purchase but we got a great deal on an OKW resale and this was an easier way to convince my reluctant dh to purchase. BCV is a great location, has a great pool, and is an absolutely beautiful area. I would not hesitate. For me personally it is more appealing than Saratoga Springs.

 

[ktbugsmom]

Don't worry. It is an absolutely wonderful property! I have stayed there 2 times (December 2002 and March 2003), and am going back again this November. (yeah!) The pool is great. The rooms are wonderful. The staff is friendly.

My husband and I love being able to walk to Epcot each evening. We have a 3 year old and a 9 year old. Our girls color at the KidCot stations and we relax and "tag team" watch the girls so we can check out the countries. We stay for Illuminations and are able to walk back without it being a pain fighting the crowds. OR - we watch the fireworks from our room (we have gotten Epcot view both times). We have also seen the fireworks while walking on the Boardwalk.

Now - SAB was very crowded in March, and finding chairs together was a bit of an issue. BUT - as a parent of young kids, I didn't get to sit anyway, so one chair was fine for us - just so we have a place to put our stuff. Around 4-5pm, it would start to clear out, and then we could get a table with chairs and have an easy dinner (Beaches and Cream take out) by the pool.

Everyone has their own opinion (we have stayed at all 4 DVC resorts and honestly love them all), but I think you will truly enjoy it. BTW - your boys should love the slide at SAB. I know our 9 year old did!

 

[disnefile]

The BCV are wonderful. I have had 3 wonderful stays there. Most of the complaints are minor and are similar at all DVC resorts. I own OKW, BWV and BCV and love the BCV the most. Best location, best pool (This alone is worth a ton of money saved on water parks). If you are looking for things like a welcome home, they might be less. But to me that is not worth much. Walking to EPCOT in 5 min is. Parking near your room is. Great Pool is. Wonderful all around resort is. Can't be beat. Do not second guess yourself. You will love it.

Pete

 

[kaw1106]

We purchased points at BVC after visiting there last sept. We had a wonderful vacation and everytime we would walk by the DVC kiosks we would say, HMMM??? Wonder what that is about? One day at the pool we met a nice family that had OKW as their home resort and loved BCV SO MUCH they were thinking of selling their OKW and buying BCV. They talked a little about the DVC and how awsome it was. (I first thought they must work for Disney because they were so pumped up about DVC) The day our flight was schleduled to leave my DH had an appt. with a guide. We left with some info and no pressure to buy. After coming home and doing some figuring we bought. NO REGRETS> I think all the resorts have something to offer. I myself can't wait to try everyone of them!!! I can't imagine that any of them are bad, they all sound fantastic to me.

 

[Terry S]

Unfortunatly, the tendancy is to post when there is problems instead of both problems and praise. The truth is that there was a post awhile back about all the good trips people have had to BCV. I will try to find that and post the link for you.

I am a bit biased since I have 900 points at BCV, but I absolutely love the place. I have been there 3 times already (Its only been open for a little over a year) and have had nothing but praise for he resort, the staff, and the area. Sure there were some little issues, like a broom missing and a light bulb burned out, but a call to housekeeping and engineering took care of these problems right away.

The themeing and atmosphere at the Beach Club is the best on property, in my humble opinion. I just love taking walks or sitting on that beach in the evening and looking out over the lights of the boardwalk. It is also soooo nice to be a 5 minute walk to Epcot to spend the evenings there and a 20 minute walk or boat ride to MGM.

I don't think you will regret you decision one bit!

 

[newarknut]

It's a great resort. We've been there twice and we're headed there in October with friends. Great location, theme and pool.

Send in your paperwork!

 

[gofish7490]

We stayed here in June 2003! Our initial experience at BCV put a damper on our whole trip. You know what they say about first impressions! When we arrived, I pulled up to where you go to check in. I was at the tail end of what seemed to be a small rush on check ins (the way my luck always runs) .. it took about 20-25 minutes to check in .. but this isn't what really steamed me. When I come out and my family was waiting by our van, I ask my son to go get one of the luggage carts so we can take the things up to our room that don't already have wheels (which included some groceries and other odds and ends). The bell hop came up behind my son and literally ripped the luggage cart out of his hand without saying a word to him (I saw it with my own two eyes). A little background here, Hilton Head (our home resort) provides carts for the guests use, so that's why I assumed, obviously incorrectly, guests could use them without a bell hop attached if they so desired. The bell hop could tell he struck a nerve with me, I asked him if we could just use the cart ourselves and his reply was a nasty "NO". So I replied equally nastily just forget it then, we don't want your HELP!! So we just start taking our things up to our room ourselves, my wife was the last one up and she told me that the bell hop said we would have to move our van right away (I don't think he had the nerve to ask me). She saw that this really made me mad and was telling me not to lose my temper. I told her I wouldn't say anything to the bell hop, unless he said something to me but I wasn't moving the van until we were done unloading it. My kids and I went down to get the last of our things and low and behold the bell hop looked right at me and said nothing. If the place was hopping busy or our van was in the way (neither was the case .. the little rush was over by then), I could understand the request for us to move the van. I did complain to member services about this as well, through the survey they sent me through the mail after our trip. Look if I'm paying this kind of money to buy into DVC, they should let me use a luggage cart if I so desire. Other negatives about this resort, some of the carries from your vehicle to your villa are very very long and they provide no carts to help with this. If you buy groceries to save some money on food (like we do), it can be quite unpleasant getting them to your room. BVC should provide a few carts for those who want to do this. When we did get to our villa there was a dirty fork just outside the door in the floor (I gave it to a nearby maid and she seemed totally unconcerned) and later we discovered the chocolate finger prints of a little one all over the door jams between the rooms. Finally, on check out day the maid was very pushy about our leaving, she knocked on our door about 8:30am and came back again in 30 minutes. I explained to her both times we would be out about 10:00am. On the positive side, location, location, location .. your right in the middle of everything and you could see the vast majority of Illuminations every night from your room! Second, the slide at the pool is great. Next time we stay at Walt Disney World, we're going to try the Boardwalk Villas. Hilton Head, Old Key West and Vero Beach seemed much more laid back to us then the Beach Club. This was just our experience, I'm sure others have had great stays at the BCV. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

 

[Lesley]

I've never stayed at BCV, and don't own there but I really don't think you're making a mistake at all. The Epcot area is wonderful, the pool is great (we pool hopped before BCV opened) and the resort is beautiful.

Some issues with housekeeping have been mentioned recently....but I recall a year or two ago when many of the same issues were mentioned with BWV. As in any field, occasionally you get workers who don't feel its necessary to "give it their all" when doing their jobs....and sometimes you get a room that has fallen victim to one of these folks. But I think you can be assured that doing things correctly is a priority of the management at all WDW resorts, DVC included, and when issues are brought to their attention they are addressed. I recall a post where a fellow DVC member had the head of housekeeping come in so she could be shown where corners were being cut. I do think as owners we do need to take it upon ourselves to let it be known if something isn't up to the quality standard we expect.

I really think these problems are a minority....

Enjoy your new vacation home!

 

[Mrs. Snowgod]

We have only stayed there once, but it was delightful, with no complaints at all. We did a 200 BCV point add-on this summer. We are on the wait list for BCV for our October stay.

Don't second-guess your decision. It is a WONDERFUL DVC property.

Welcome to the DIS boards, and WELCOME HOME, hopefully!

 

[kathleena]

We own at BCV, stayed there in Dec and had a wonderful time. The place is beautiful!! Our room was beautiful, clean, top notch. All of the CMs we encountered were great.

Do not worry at all. If you read these boards long enough, you will see that every place can have it's issues but like someone else said, you tend to see the bad stuff posted. I have seen horror stories about every single resort at WDW between here and the resorts boards - and if everyone believed that was the norm, rather than the exception - WDW would have no one visiting.

While I sympathize with all who have had a bad experience and believe them, I must believe also that they are exceptions to the rules.

You made a great decision - don't let anything make you think you didn't! 60,000+ DVC members can't be wrong!

 

[keenercam]

We just got back from a romantic stay (3 nights WLV and 3 nights BCV) and I must say BCV is absolutely wonderful!!! We loved the location -- it was literally 5 minutes from our elevator to the international gateway entrance to Epcot. Stormalong Bay is so wonderful and we didn't even explore the whole thing. The quiet pool and hot tub at the villas were truly relaxing and beautiful. There are many food options. The proximity to Epcot was so convenient for us to run over there for dinner or illuminations. The proximity to the Boardwalk was a huge plus when we went to ESPN for a late snack and came out in the rain -- it was such a quick walk. And the villas themselves were so bright and clean and airy that I would have been perfectly content just hanging around the resort for a week. Oh, yeah, one more thing -- the public areas of the beach club and beach club villas are gorgeous! We are so thrilled to own 350 points there and would buy more in a heartbeat if there were no limits on my vacation time.

 

[beccasmom]

OKW is my home resort and I love it dearly. However, we've stayed at BCV on three occasions (twice in a studio and once in a one-bedroom) and found it to be really nice. The location is unbeatable and since Epcot is our favorite park, being able to walk there is a real plus. I remember the days when we stayed at the Contemporary and had to mill out with everyone else to the monorail after Illuminations......

The rooms are not as large as OKW, but that is not a huge issue for most people. They are certainly large enough to be comfortable. SAB is a wonderful mini waterpark. I will say that the bus transportation is not as good as it should be since it is shared with 4 other resorts. However, the same was true at OKW in the first year or two. It has since been ironed out and I believe the same will soon hold true for BCV. But the ability to walk or take watercraft is certainly a plus.

I think you will be very pleased with BCV; please give it a chance!

 

[Lisa F]

When we first bought into BWV 4 years ago there were tons of similar reports on the boards about BWV. We never experienced rudeness, dirtiness, or being rushed out of our room. It seems that the same complaints are happening at BCV now. I'm not sure why this phenomenon exists but it does seem that every resort has its time when there are a bunch of complaints. I would take them with a grain of salt.

BTW, gofish, it sounds like OKW might be more your speed. We never carry anything to our room at BWV... bell services will be more than happy to help with both luggage as well as groceries. If you are unloading enough where you would need to make several trips it would probably be worthwhile to use bell services or if you are against that kind of thing, stay at OKW where it's not an issue. You'll have a better trip that way. I'm sure bell services has better things to do than chase down carts left all over the place by people who don't return them. I'm not saying that YOU wouldn't return it but let's face it, people can be rude and selfish. Doesn't excuse someone being rude to you of course but one bellhop who is taken off guard by your actions and didn't react in the "disney" way hardly makes BCV a bad resort.

Lisa

 

[skoi]

Wow, thanks for the positive posts. I wasn't the original poster, but we just sent our papers in for BCV and then I started to read all these negative posts! All I could think of was when we go down there in Sept., and if it's like this, dh is going to freak out. I've been nagging (okay, too strong a word) advocating strongly for DVC since 1997, and as I posted about a week ago, he finally gave in.

Glad to hear the positives. We'll be going for two days before our western cruise.

Julie

 

[lenshanem]

Hi. We bought last May at BCV and have stayed there once before on rented points. We had a great time. I have been a little worried we made a mistake by not waiting and buying at SSR with the incentives and longer contract date, but really I'm glad we have BCV cause I think once SSR fills it will be hard to get ressies at BCV after 7 months out. I think people are always going to want to stay at BCV one time or another due to Stormalong Bay and the closeness to Epcot. From what I understand we should never have a problem trading out.
CONGRATS!

 

[littlestar]

Our daughter stayed at Beach Club villas for her honeymoon on our points and loved it. The front desk even made a point of sending up gifts to them for free. They received balloons and a pin and something else (I can't remember). We were really surprised that they would do this for a points stay. Really a super nice gesture by the BCV we thought.

Our daughter and new hubby moved to the Dolphin for the weekend of their honeymoon to stay concierge and the kids actually told us they would have preferred the whole honeymoon at BCV. This was in May 2003. The BCV was that good to beat out concierge at the Dolphin!

 

[disney4me4ever]

Obie~

You will love BCV and you are buying at a wonderful time for your family. We went on our first trip "home" in March and have added on twice since then. I can understand the hesitation, because there does seem to be alot of negative posts about BCV lately. IMHO this is probably a cycle that repeats itself with each new property opening; like anything, the kinks have to get worked out. It's just that now with the internet, everything is up for public consumption. BCV will remind you so much of the TC area, you will love it. (From a former UP'er here!) Relax and start planning your first trip home! Congratulations!

Nancy

 

[SlyHubby]

My guide said that it would be the best property to buy into because it is so popular,and I wouldn't have any problems trading it out with Members Getaways

Now, what do you suppose your guide will be saying next month when they aren't selling BCV any longer and are pushing SSR? You think that the guide is going to say "no, BCV is overpriced, like the other original DVC resorts has less than 40 years remaining, it's getting very overcrowded with the Beach Club itself, services there are getting very strained because the additional guests, etc., etc."?

I think that although BCV is very nice, there wasn't very good planning or thought in its design. They added this tremendous addition, but just added a single small additional swimming pool, a small TV/sitting room, and another sitting/reading area. That is nowhere near enough. Still only the Cape May Cafe, same Beaches & Cream, still the one fitness club, still the same size SAB, still the one check-in desk. Can you imagine why so many DVC members going to BCV are having check-in annoyances? The folks at the desk are doing double the work they used to - they can't handle it, and clearly, though they may do a good job for the regular resort guests, they are not trained properly to handle DVC members.

Personally, if I were buying more points, there's a 270 point VB contract on the Timeshare Store page for $58/point with 30 banked and all 2003 points available with March use year (just happens to be the same as our OKW) - I would be all over it...still thinking about it and looking at the listing daily even though we really don't need it.

 

[Doc and Family]

Word about BCV:

We LOVE it. Bought 200 points, stayed there, added 100 more. It is pretty much like other resorts, people will love, like, hate, for various reasons. The kids will LOVE it. Mine sometimes just want to stay around SAB, and they enjoy the short walk to EPCOT for illuminations, and the equally short walk back afterwards. Insane as I am, I may add even more points. Never had any problems with any aspect of the BCV.
Welcome Home Neighbor!