BLT- The Naked Truth

[thepops]

Maybe those who have experienced the excessive wear and below par furnishings need to go on the BLT tour and remark that the demo rooms look much better compared to the rooms people are using!

 

[gailanncreates]

This is very irritating that guests would do this.. I suspect it is not DVC members but the people renting the rooms for cash. I sure hope that we don't have to pay for damages caused when they rent rooms for cash like that.

Not to start a war, but I am not an owner, just a resposible renter. I spent two days cleaning my last vacation rental before I could even begin my vacation. I'm a tad offended to be grouped like this. I would hope that the DVC owners are the most "responsible" of all the guests, but I've seen it all, so I don't think one should judge either way.
It surely must be more due to lesser quality supplies used if so many folks are complaining about BLT, but not as much with other DVC's? Or are the cash renters at BLT the only ones who damage property?

 

[Crystal_27]

Maybe those who have experienced the excessive wear and below par furnishings need to go on the BLT tour and remark that the demo rooms look much better compared to the rooms people are using!

We are staying in December at BLT, and are planning on taking the tour so I for sure will be making such remarks about the room condition if warranted.

Not to start a war, but I am not an owner, just a resposible renter. I spent two days cleaning my last vacation rental before I could even begin my vacation. I'm a tad offended to be grouped like this. I would hope that the DVC owners are the most "responsible" of all the guests, but I've seen it all, so I don't think one should judge either way.

I tend to agree with you that renters and cash paying guests get the bad rap for destroying rooms. But, unfortunately, just as those whose out of control children are never "those" parents who allow it, it seems that irresponsible DVC owners who trash their rooms or allow them to be trashed are never "those" owners either. I'm quite sure that the wear and tear is caused mostly by the cheap materials that were used, coupled with people who either can't or won't curb their destructive behavior (or the behavior of their children/guests), coupled with mishaps and accidents. The best you can do is be responsible for yourself and know that you are taking care of the room the very best you can.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Not to start a war, but I am not an owner, just a resposible renter. I spent two days cleaning my last vacation rental before I could even begin my vacation. I'm a tad offended to be grouped like this. I would hope that the DVC owners are the most "responsible" of all the guests, but I've seen it all, so I don't think one should judge either way.
It surely must be more due to lesser quality supplies used if so many folks are complaining about BLT, but not as much with other DVC's? Or are the cash renters at BLT the only ones who damage property?

I also don't understand the thought that it's cash guests. In my experience people either take care of things or they don't and it has little to do with the fact they pay with cash or with points. Also, this is so specific to BLT and not other resorts that it really points to the quality of furnishings. Or else BLT gets the "rough crowd". lol

OKW is going thru a rehab where they are reusing the almost 20 yo furniture! That won't be happening at BLT IMO. And BWV went thru it's rehab around the same time as BLT's opening. I've stayed there twice since then and saw none of the same damages as I did at BLT.

 

[helloconnie]

We just got back from our first trip home to BLT. We had a 2 BR dedicated MK view.

OP - I have emailed Member Services about a past issue with a stay at AKV-kidani and found them to be very responsive. Please let us know how they respond to you. My guess is they are aware of the issues and working with the contractor and/or suppliers to resolve. The resort is too new for these items not to be covered under some type of warranty. IMO, I do not think Disney would intenionally use sub-standard furishings. Yes, once we buy into the program, we are hooked, but Disney has a massive brand image to protect, with a key element being impeccable surroundings. They would not knowlingly do anything to jeopardize that image.

I agree with the A/C comment. We are from Texas and generally set the A/C at 70 (you would too if it was 102 outside! ) We found that the A/C unit did not cool below 72 degrees. It did help to close the curtains but then than ruins the whole point of having the view.... What would help tremendously would be ceiling fans! At least in the bedrooms. We were in the master bedroom with the door closed and I kept getting up at night to adjust the A/C lower.

Some of the furnishings are definitely showing wear, the dining room table being a huge offender. The furishings which are black are also showing wear. I think Disney will need to address this since the resort is less than a year old and at this rate will look absolutely horrible in another year or two. (See comments above)

Carpet stains - that is a risk at any resort. Accidents do happen, especially when little ones are involved. If we all report these accidents to Mousekeeping sooner rather than later, the carpets should hold up better.

As owners, I think all of us should report these type of issues to Member Services promptly. I am sure there is window in which the contractor and suppliers will have to make sure items are corrected.

With all that said, I LOVE the resort! We really enjoyed our stay. I am going back in October and December both with 1 BR MK views.

My 2 cents...

 

[Maistre Gracey]

IMO, I do not think Disney would intenionally use sub-standard furishings. Yes, once we buy into the program, we are hooked, but Disney has a massive brand image to protect, with a key element being impeccable surroundings. They would not knowlingly do anything to jeopardize that image.

I truly wish you were right, but the 2010 Disney is not the Disney of the past when everything was truly impecable. The cut backs through the years have taken their toll, and while they are still superior to the competition, they are not the sterling company they once were.

MG

 

[bwvBound]

BLT - The Naked Truth

I'm joining this party late ... but your subject line had me expecting comments on the lack of sheers at BLT. I recall that was a problem early on and that a remedy was announced at the Annual Meeting last Dec. Have the sheers been installed? (Are we safe from potential nakedness at BLT?)

 

[Chic]

I'm joining this party late ... but your subject line had me expecting comments on the lack of sheers at BLT. I recall that was a problem early on and that a remedy was announced at the Annual Meeting last Dec. Have the sheers been installed? (Are we safe from potential nakedness at BLT?)

There are still no sheers at BLT. I was there June 12-18.

 

[Chic]

We just got back from our first trip home to BLT. We had a 2 BR dedicated MK view.

OP - I have emailed Member Services about a past issue with a stay at AKV-kidani and found them to be very responsive. Please let us know how they respond to you. My guess is they are aware of the issues and working with the contractor and/or suppliers to resolve. The resort is too new for these items not to be covered under some type of warranty. IMO, I do not think Disney would intenionally use sub-standard furishings. Yes, once we buy into the program, we are hooked, but Disney has a massive brand image to protect, with a key element being impeccable surroundings. They would not knowlingly do anything to jeopardize that image.

I agree with the A/C comment. We are from Texas and generally set the A/C at 70 (you would too if it was 102 outside! ) We found that the A/C unit did not cool below 72 degrees. It did help to close the curtains but then than ruins the whole point of having the view.... What would help tremendously would be ceiling fans! At least in the bedrooms. We were in the master bedroom with the door closed and I kept getting up at night to adjust the A/C lower.

Some of the furnishings are definitely showing wear, the dining room table being a huge offender. The furishings which are black are also showing wear. I think Disney will need to address this since the resort is less than a year old and at this rate will look absolutely horrible in another year or two. (See comments above)

Carpet stains - that is a risk at any resort. Accidents do happen, especially when little ones are involved. If we all report these accidents to Mousekeeping sooner rather than later, the carpets should hold up better.

As owners, I think all of us should report these type of issues to Member Services promptly. I am sure there is window in which the contractor and suppliers will have to make sure items are corrected.

With all that said, I LOVE the resort! We really enjoyed our stay. I am going back in October and December both with 1 BR MK views.

My 2 cents...

I am in agreement with you in the fact that I do love staying at BLT. As far as the A/C, I don't feel that the solution would be installing ceiling fans. There is an inconsistency with the A/C functioning from room to room. I have stayed in room 7502 which is a dedicated 2 bedroom unit and also room 8123 which is a studio. The A/C units in these rooms would freeze you out of the room. I did receive a call today from the DVC Member Satisfaction Team. They said they were addressing the issues. They're aware that I will be returning in 2 weeks and said they would take measures to see that I didn't have these issues again. I will update when I return.

 

[LIFERBABE]

We actually had maintenance by pass the motion sensor which had to be reset every 48 hours. Although we set the room thermostat on 65 degrees, it ran nonstop for 5 days and the room never got cooler than 73 degrees. We had to keep the curtains closed during the day with all lights out just to be able to sit in the room without sweating. On a different note, I received a phone call this morning from the DVC Member Satisfaction Team apologizing for the poor air conditioner and furnishings. They said the issue would be addressed and thanked me for making them aware of the issues. I will be returning to Bay Lake Tower in 2 weeks so we will see if any changes were made.

Chic, you explained our AC issue last Oct to a T!! I posted my trip report on our lake view studio and the exact same thing happened to us! We called maint several times and our room never cooled down once!

I stayed in Sept and my studio was great and cool so again I agree there is an issue from room to room. I noticed the cooler room was on floor 3 and my hot room was on 6

The lack of ceiling fans is really pronounced when then the AC is not working correctly. I would have been happy with moving air from a fan.

I reported my issues to MS so I am glad my next stay Is in Dec.

Extra pixie dust you get a cooler room

 

[Chic]

Chic, you explained our AC issue last Oct to a T!! I posted my trip report on our lake view studio and the exact same thing happened to us! We called maint several times and our room never cooled down once!

I stayed in Sept and my studio was great and cool so again I agree there is an issue from room to room. I noticed the cooler room was on floor 3 and my hot room was on 6

The lack of ceiling fans is really pronounced when then the AC is not working correctly. I would have been happy with moving air from a fan.

I reported my issues to MS so I am glad my next stay Is in Dec.

Extra pixie dust you get a cooler room

It's disappointing to hear your room had A/C issues in October. For one reason, it's not quite as hot during that time of year in Orlando. The second reason is BLT was only 2 months old during that month! That's a definite sign indicating design flaws within the resort's climate control system. When we were at BLT a week ago and had A/C issues, we could walk out of our room into the hallway and the temperature was about 5 degrees cooler.

 

[MrDisneyphile]

WOW - I think ours is extreme when we set at 75. It was 74 downstairs this morning at my kids said they were cold - and we live in Wisconsin so we are use to it being cooler not warmer. We do set it at 68 but that is in the winter time

I am in WI too and have to agree - 73 degrees for the AC in the summer sounds pretty darn cold to me. But then again, everyone does have a different idea of what feels good when coming out of that extreme heat.

 

[MrDisneyphile]

BTW, you all are making me a little less excited about going to the BLT for the first time in November. It has been a dream of mine for decades to stay at the Contemporary and just hope the magic is not ruined. I hope my expectations have been lowered enough so we are not disappointed.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I'm joining this party late ... but your subject line had me expecting comments on the lack of sheers at BLT. I recall that was a problem early on and that a remedy was announced at the Annual Meeting last Dec. Have the sheers been installed? (Are we safe from potential nakedness at BLT?)

The sheers and the view from my MK view room were my two biggest complaints to MS in Feb. I never heard they were going to remedy the sheers that but was told my comments would be passed on. Let's just say that people walking from the CR to BLT could have had an interesting view had I not kept the blinds closed. And then you're sitting in a cave.

 

[Greysword]

BTW, you all are making me a little less excited about going to the BLT for the first time in November. It has been a dream of mine for decades to stay at the Contemporary and just hope the magic is not ruined. I hope my expectations have been lowered enough so we are not disappointed.

Nah, the magic is still there! We are just getting into the weeds on this thread. There are other BLT threads that will get you pumped up!

 

[Sammie]

I hope my expectations have been lowered enough so we are not disappointed

I truly find this a sad comment, is this what we have come to accept for DVC, lower our expectations as to not be disappointed.

I think DVC should rise to the expectations of its members. I know some members expectations are unreasonable but I don't think that is the norm.

 

[disneynutz]

I truly find this a sad comment, is this what we have come to accept for DVC, lower our expectations as to not be disappointed.

I think DVC should rise to the expectations of its members. I know some members expectations are unreasonable but I don't think that is the norm.

In todays business climate why would Disney waste there time with members after the sale? They don't get paid more for doing a superior job.

Their advertising is so effective at bringing in new purchasers, that all of the negative word of mouth that we could muster up wouldn't even put the smallest dent in their sales.

Look at all of the problems at BLT and DIS readers post every day that they are adding on at BLT. Why would Disney fix the BLT problems when they are fully booked and having little trouble selling BLT points?

Bill

 

[LIFERBABE]

It's disappointing to hear your room had A/C issues in October. For one reason, it's not quite as hot during that time of year in Orlando. The second reason is BLT was only 2 months old during that month! That's a definite sign indicating design flaws within the resort's climate control system. When we were at BLT a week ago and had A/C issues, we could walk out of our room into the hallway and the temperature was about 5 degrees cooler.

Last October was extremely warm. We went Columbus day weekend and it was in the 90's. We were borderline miserable it was sooo hot.

I reported the lack of sheers also. The only way to keep the room from getting hotter was to close the drapes and then we were in a dark room and could not enjoy the view! No fans and no sheers in a hot room is a bad combination!!

My September stay was great and I gave a glowing report I was dying to stAy at BLT and made a special trip just to stay there and enjoy the resort.
I also wanted to check the views because we had our Oct res in a MK view studio.

 

[clc053103]

We stayed at BLT in Sept 09 and loved the location so much that we are owners now.

That being said, we also experienced much of what is reported here, the rooms for only being 1 month in use did show a lot of damage. We also had a major water problem in the second bedroom- saturated carpet.

My biggest problem with BLT is that its management is handled by CR. The front desk service (including the management) at CR was horrendous. After 3 days of an unending water problem, they reluctantly agreed to move us, and even the bellman was rude about it (gave us 15 minutes b/c he was "too busy to come back and help us).

I guess you take the good with the bad- BLT dues are lower because it was added on to an existing property and doesn't have it's own front desk, stores and restaurants- but because of that, you have to deal with poor management at CR.

 

[dizfan]

My biggest problem with BLT is that its management is handled by CR. The front desk service (including the management) at CR was horrendous. After 3 days of an unending water problem, they reluctantly agreed to move us, and even the bellman was rude about it (gave us 15 minutes b/c he was "too busy to come back and help us).

I guess you take the good with the bad- BLT dues are lower because it was added on to an existing property and doesn't have it's own front desk, stores and restaurants- but because of that, you have to deal with poor management at CR.

Sorry to hear about your water problem.

I agree that CR management needs to improve. However, I disagree that we should deal with poor management at CR. I've read reports that management at AKL (Jambo) was overwhelmed when DVC opened there. They learned and improved things. I think management at CR is going through that same expansion learning curve. DVC rooms are generally filled. Resorts are not always filled. For example, I read a recent report that GF was only at 50% earlier this month.
The more we contact member services about any issues (and any suggestions), the sooner Disney will look into solutions.