BLT- The Naked Truth

[Chic]

Just returned from a 6 night stay at BLT and thought I would share some facts. We were in room 8002 which is a dedicated 2 bedroom unit. The air conditioner in this room is way below par. We had maintenance check it out 3 times and it still would not cool the room any lower than 73 degrees. The A/C in these units operate using water lines and the technician said there was rust in the lines and they needed cleaning out. There were 9 of us in the room and we chose not to go through the hassle of changing to another unit due to the inconvenience of packing up all of our belongings, several boxes of food, and a refrigerator full of drinks. The carpet was stained throughout the living room, the sofa was also stained, and the foot rest had fabric threads hanging out in the seams. The 2 way shower head in the master bedroom leaked cold water on my head from above while the other shower head sprayed warm water. The entire surface of the dining room table was scratched up and had two places that were chipped. It is really disappointing to see the abuse these rooms are enduring from guests. I stayed in room 7502 during September 2009, which is also a dedicated 2 bedroom unit, and it was in immaculate condition. The A/C in this room worked great. I've also stayed in room 8123 which is a Studio and it was also immaculate with a great A/C. I do enjoy staying at BLT but be advised that not all of the rooms are in good condition and there is an inconsistency with the A/C units.

 

[RDP]

Your experience would seem to support previous threads that haves raised concerns about the longevity of some of the furnishings at BLT

 

[disneynutz]

The AC issue has also been reported several times. If I remember correctly someone was told that there was a design flaw.

Looks like the dues are going up.

Bill

 

[starbox]

Your experience would seem to support previous threads that haves raised concerns about the longevity of some of the furnishings at BLT

I liked many things about BLT, but I honestly can't imagine what they are going to do about to poor design choices and wear. They will either need to redesign or put the rooms on a 2-year (at most) schedule for replacements. Our room had a shocking amount of wear and tear for a brand new resort, and the style of the furniture shows every scratch. Also - why on earth put a silk dust ruffle on the bed that needs to be ironed after each guest?

Chair:

Shower was rusting at the knob and shower bar:

Now, I will say that the room was VERY clean. The issues I saw were ALL design and quality of materials/construction issues.

There was also a huge place in the lobby where the ceiling was caving down like a pipe had busted on the second floor, and when it rained, the doors facing the pool by the community hall could not keep out water and flooded that entire area with about an inch of water. My feeling was that they finished BLT at the height of the recession fears, and corners just got cut. I think the contractors need to make it right.

 

[DebbieB]

The AC issue has also been reported several times. If I remember correctly someone was told that there was a design flaw.

Looks like the dues are going up.

Bill

The cost should be going back to the contractor. There was a problem with the siding at BWV, the cost of fixing it was done without charging the members.

 

[Chic]

Another observation I meant to report in my previous post was the sliding door in the master bedroom shower/toilet area. It is coming off track and very difficult to open and close. I read a different post earlier which questioned whether the furniture in BLT was "used" furniture. After seeing the scratches and chips, I understand the thought that the furniture may be used. The furniture appears to be much older than 10 months old. I can't decide whether the damage is from abuse or just poor quality. I really enjoy staying at BLT, mainly because of location, but I question the future of the resort.

 

[TexasErin]

We stayed there for five nights, June 1- June 6 in a 1BR. I also had the same problem in the shower with cold water dripping from the showerhead on to my head which is quite unpleasant. The closet doors in the bedroom were very difficult to open and close. Our unit did not have any problems with the furniture that I'm aware of. We liked BLT, (mainly for location), but LOVE and much prefer AKV.

 

[disneynutz]

The cost should be going back to the contractor. There was a problem with the siding at BWV, the cost of fixing it was done without charging the members.

That makes sense to me, what about the other issues? How do we get Disney to be responsible for their choice in furnishings and cabinets that aren't wearing as expected?

Bill

 

[Jonell]

We stayed in a 1 BR LV in Feb although the room was very clean I did also notice the wear on the furnishings. The dining room table had huge scratches in it so did the drawers in the bathroom and a huge stain on the sofa and carpet. It looks as if BLT will need to be refurbished quite often. Since this was my first DVC stay in a villa just how do the other resorts compare to this? Are things like this a noticeable? Or is it just the type of furnishings and dark wood at BLT?

 

[elbowglitter]

Thanks for sharing this information. I'm a new DVC member who bought into BLT (but plan to try staying at all the resorts). I hope that things improve at BLT. I will have to cross my fingers, since at this point, there's not much else to do.

 

[DebbieB]

That makes sense to me, what about the other issues? How do we get Disney to be responsible for their choice in furnishings and cabinets that aren't wearing as expected?

Bill

That depends on their contract with the supplier. If they were told it should last 5 years and they are worn out in 1, they should go back to the supplier. If they didn't get any type of warranty or intentionally bought cheap stuff, then I guess the owners are stuck. Could do a class action lawsuit I guess.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

We stayed in a 1 BR LV in Feb although the room was very clean I did also notice the wear on the furnishings. The dining room table had huge scratches in it so did the drawers in the bathroom and a huge stain on the sofa and carpet. It looks as if BLT will need to be refurbished quite often. Since this was my first DVC stay in a villa just how do the other resorts compare to this? Are things like this a noticeable? Or is it just the type of furnishings and dark wood at BLT?

For comparison I just returned from staying at VGC which opened just shortly after BLT. I also stayed at BLT in Feb. There was no comparision in the condition of the rooms. VGC does not show the same wear and tear. My BLT room had scratches and cup rings (as in melted cup rings - not water rings) on the furniture, the carpet was showing heavy traffic wear, the shower rings were rusting and laminate was chipped off the table. Unlike other's the sofa in my room was not stained but I can see how that could easily happen.

At VGC most of these things showed no wear, the sofa had what I would call normal wear and tear (cushions were showing some compresssion which I only noticed after I thought of checking so I'd have a comparision to BLT) and the only other thing was a spot on the carpet by the vanity where I'd say a hair appliance had fallen down and singed the carpet.

 

[Bill K]

I just can't believe there having problems like this already. I guess the choice of furniture design can be a contributing factor but looks like a lot of damage is coming from guests.

 

[Chic]

I just can't believe there having problems like this already. I guess the choice of furniture design can be a contributing factor but looks like a lot of damage is coming from guests.

As I mentioned earlier, I wonder if the furniture is being abused or if it's cheap quality. The entire table top of our dining room table was scratched up. It almost looked like someone took a fork and drew circles for about an hour. The stains all over the couch didn't develop on their own. It appears as if a 2 liter coke was poured over the arm rests and seat cushions. If DVC members and/or cash guests are abusing the property, shame on you. We need to take care of our DVC Homes because they are going to be in use for the next several decades. Let's all respect these resorts and enjoy our investments.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

Thanks for sharing this information. I'm a new DVC member who bought into BLT (but plan to try staying at all the resorts). I hope that things improve at BLT. I will have to cross my fingers, since at this point, there's not much else to do.

We're in the same boat as you... we purchased 160 points on a whim during our trip last April and THEN read about all the wear and tear.

Do y'all think that Disney used significantly different quality of furnishings in different DVC resorts at the same time? VGC was being built and BWV was being refurbished pretty much simultaneous to BLT construction. I haven't seen any reports of poor quality in the BWV refurbs or at VGC. Since the price point for BLT is so high, I would be surprised if Disney purposely chose inferior quality furnishings for this resort. I hope it's more a case of poor choices by the BLT project manager than an actual attempt by Disney to cut more corners on this one project.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I just can't believe there having problems like this already. I guess the choice of furniture design can be a contributing factor but looks like a lot of damage is coming from guests.

Furniture quality is poor. Or at least not meant for the rigors of a lodging environment.

 

[BlakeNJ]

Plain and simple--CHEAP furnishings. I bought a kitchen table from JCPenny's--it's Chris Madden brand. I had the table just under a month and it started to scratch terribly. I thought it was kids being rough or just not careful. Turns out, the wind blows and the table scratches. The table was under $300 so I guess you get what you pay for. Now, a friend has an Ethen Allen (high end furniture store) table purchased 8 years ago--she has four boys--and a perfect looking table.

It also doesn't help that the furnishing are dark--that will show more wear.

 

[Chic]

Regardless of the reason for poor room conditions, I hope Disney takes action.

 

[pinnocchiosdad]

The AC issue has also been reported several times. If I remember correctly someone was told that there was a design flaw.

Looks like the dues are going up.

Bill

BLT is new enough that the system should still be under waranty from the manufacturer and contractor.

 

[Crystal_27]

Darn it -- as a BLT owner, I hate reading (and, worse, seeing) about the wear and tear at BLT. It sounds as if the systems issues will fall under the general contractor's warranty, but the furnishing replacements are obviously something that Disney is going to be assessing against members (and, honestly, since Disney still owns so much of BLT, now might be the best time for them to address this issue). Hopefully, this is something that someone at DVC is going to be addressing at the next member meeting. One or two reports of poor room conditions can be dismissed, but this is obviously a true problem.