BLT has some issues...

[katied]

We love the location, and the room, but have certainly noticed some issues. First, our internet did not work. Technology had to come to the room, and discovered that our room was not wired properly for internet. They did finally manage to fix it, and had to run new cables thru the wall while we were out one day. Second, the TV has issues. Apparently there is some sort of problem with how they wired the cable, so certain groupings of rooms receive a very poor signal for certain channels (for us, no CNN, MSNBC, Weather channel, etc). Again, they can't fix from the room, but will need to go into the walls to fix.

We had 3 maintenance folks in our room last night at 10 pm trying to fix other odds and ends. It seems that this is only the tip of the iceberg (some problems with other electrical system and with the A/C system were mentioned), and as they were racing to get done and open, some corners might have been cut.

My main concern is what this will mean to maintnenance fees in the future as they need to fix these items...

Oh well, we're still having a great time here, but I wish there weren't so many glitches.

 

[appleorchard]

I'm a major Disney and DVC defender, but I have a few gripes. We checked in yesterday to a 2 BR dedicated unit after 2 nights at BWV (we own at both) and my impressions so are are:
The gap in the door in the hall is completely unacceptable. So are the lack of locks.

There are no places to hang your towel in the bathrooms near the shower. One little rack in the studio, and nothing in the 1 BR. Completely weird.

The unit is beautiful, and the lounge viewing is great. But going down to the first floor to be escorted up is a real pain in the neck.

The checkin at the Contemporary--why can't they do checkin in the lobby?

We're on the 4th floor (MKV) right over the canopy above the front door. There's a wide ledge right outside our windows and balconies that I'm sure collects everything people throw off their balconies, including cigarette butts, sponges, plastic forks, and probably even less savory items. We called last night to have it cleaned. It better be cleaned today or we're going to be at the front desk. I don't want to change rooms--we just moved from BWV and got settled in here, but this trash is a real bummer to have to look at.

Everything at BWV was absolutely perfect, if anyone's wondering. The room was refurbed, and it was gorgeous.

 

[Tigger031266]

EVERY SINGLE new DVC has the same threads. Starting new hotels is not the easiest thing in the world. They usually fix what they can (BCV had no water pressure, SSR had no magic....). I think BLT is great. If your real picky, you could find things wrong with every hotel in the world. It will take them some time. Give them a couple years.

 

[disneynutz]

We are currently in a one bedroom at BLT and here is our picky list.

The paint colors are pretty, but really show marks. We have several walls and the ceiling in the bedroom already marked up.

The dark doors and furniture show fingerprints and makes the place look dirty.

No towel hooks or bars in the shower area. Only the shower door handle.

The ceiling shower head is fancy, but if you only have the wall mounted head turned on, the ceiling head drips cold water on you.

The TV in the living room seems small for the size of the room.

Master bath tub faucet is large and its location makes it hard to reach the drain from outside the tub.

Other issues this trip:

Room wasn't ready until 4:30 and we did on line check in and physical check in at 8:00 AM.

Room wasn't really very clean and items were missed. Trash cans were full and no liner for the ice bucket. (Ice machines are only on 3 floors) Called Mousekeeping for the liner, they came to the room and left to get a liner and never returned.

Dirty dishes were found in the cupboard.

As with all of the DVC resorts, BLT is beautiful, and has great views. Our Bay Lake view is more of a view of the Contemporary pool and hotel, but it's still a great view.

Bill

 

[Chuck S]

As a previous poster said, every new construction project has problems when they open. When we were on the first floor of a new bldg at OKW, the bathtub drain in the unit above us wasn't properly sealed. Needless to say, we had a bit of a flood in the bathroom one morning. Maintenance fixed the problem right away, but just think if the problem had happened without someone occupying the first floor unit...there would have been a major mold/mildew problem, and the entire ceiling may have needed replacement.

 

[disneynutz]

Just thought of a couple more items. No soap dish or shelf in the shower and the shower door/encloser is so tight, it turns the shower into a steam bath. That's not a bad thing, but if Guests don't leave the door open to air out, there will be a huge mold problem.

Bill

 

[Tigger031266]

I think the bathroom gap is a problem but the fix is a $3 trim piece that just block the gap. Locks are easy to install. It is just little details that can be easily fixed.

Don't worry, wait until you hear the problems with Hawaii...(Long Flights, Sharks, waves too big.....)

 

[disney0505]

Just returned from BLT dedicated 2 bedroom. Here is what I felt were the negatives:

Carpeting in the breakfast and outer island area. They should have extended the laminate from the kitchen area. Carpet is already showing signs of aging from spills and stains.

Light granite countertops - had large stains after only 4 months - they should have gone darker in my opinion

Double couch material also does not look like it will hold up well. Other couches were fine.

Potential MK view: to expand on this point we were originally assigned room 8230 which was a MK view, only if you went out on the balcony and looked out to the right. Not a true MK view in my opionion. Fortunately, they were able to switch us to room 7816 which had an unbelievable MK view. (watched fireworks 3 nights from our living room) I think they need to adjust the room categories.

Bathroom crack was not an issue for us although I am sure it will be addressed w/o being too costly.

The positives are obvious - convenience/"potential view"/location/spacious living area cannot be beat. We walked to MK many times. Overall - loved the resort but think they could have used better materials. As an owner I would be a little worried about future maintenance fees.

 

[Coach81]

EVERY SINGLE new DVC has the same threads. Starting new hotels is not the easiest thing in the world. They usually fix what they can (BCV had no water pressure, SSR had no magic....). I think BLT is great. If your real picky, you could find things wrong with every hotel in the world. It will take them some time. Give them a couple years.

SSR is our home resort, and it is full of magic for us!!

We are planning on visiting BLT in 2011.. I'm sure they'll have all the kinks worked out by then!

 

[dizfan]

(Ice machines are only on 3 floors)
Bill

Hi Bill,

We turned on the ice maker in the freezer. It was slow making ice, but did give us the ability to have ice without leaving the room.

 

[Tigger031266]

No offense meant to SSR. We own there too and love it. Just saying what other people were saying when it opened. Disney just sprinkled extra Disney magic dust on SSR to turn up the magic

 

[work2play]

Thanks for all the reports! All who have stayed at BLT, don't forget to add your room and view info here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2257082

 

[DenLo]

.....

My main concern is what this will mean to maintnenance fees in the future as they need to fix these items...

Oh well, we're still having a great time here, but I wish there weren't so many glitches.

The builder is responsible for any items that do not work properly at the point of installation. Therefore it should not increase MFs. But is important that these items be reported--not only to the hotel but to Member Satisfaction or is it dissatisfaction? And now I can't even find the link.

Does anyone have the link to report problems direct to Member satisfaction/dissatisfaction?

 

[katied]

If anyone has the link, I'd love to report them. Thanks!

 

[Inkmahm]

I'm not a BLT owner but we stayed there Sat night after our cruise in a one bedroom MKV. We really liked it! I didn't notice too many flaws. I did notice the kitchen area table had scratches already and there was no place to put the soap in the shower other than on the seat. Also that the overhead shower dripped on me when I used just the wall spray. Also the windows on the 8th floor in the public area were plastered with bugs.

Those are just quirks though, nothing major. It is a beautiful resort.

 

[tea pot]

We stayed in a studio 1st weekend in Nov. Lake View
No problems the room was clean and the bed was so comfortable and I just love the view.
the lounge is a great perk

 

[monorailmom]

We'll be staying at BLT in August....quick question...is there a lock on the master bedroom door in the 2br?? I know there aren't any on the bathroom doors.

 

[disneynutz]

We'll be staying at BLT in August....quick question...is there a lock on the master bedroom door in the 2br?? I know there aren't any on the bathroom doors.

There is in a lock-off 2 bedroom, I haven't stayed in a dedicated yet.

Bill

 

[disney0505]

There are no locks on the master bedroom door in a dedicated 2 bedroom.

 

[genealle]

Just another free opinion here.

We were disappointed in the theme and design of BLT. We always enjoyed the Contemporary Hotel but hated the looks. We were hoping they would get it right with BLT, but it's the same Jetson's look that we hated. Modern is fine. Cartoon is too much.

Will we stay there?
Sure. The location is great and the Monorail is a plus.

Will we buy there?
NO.

Do we expect finish problems in a new resort?
YES.

Will WDW fix them?
Of course they will.