meuseman
<font color=blue>Disney Parks Game Afficianado<br>
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2003
- Messages
- 663
This was our first trip as members and we stayed at our home resort, BWV, in a Standard 2br. We booked in March, not right at 11 mo, but before the 7mo window opened. We got the 2br standard for Sun-Wed from the beginning and waitlisted the last day. That day came through about 6 weeks before we left.
We arrived in WDW on Fri 11/27 and stayed 2 nights at Pop. After moving to the BWV, we realized, along with my in-laws, how much staying at a resort like BWV really changes the mood and pace of your vacation. Staying at a DVC resort really allows you to relax. Sit on the couch or on the balcony with a beer or a glass of wine - not on one of the 2 beds in your hotel room.
For us, staying in a 2 br with our 2.5yo daughter and my inlaws was perfect. We could put DD down for a nap and enjoy the room. It was great.
Anyway, we stayed in Room 4105(1br)/4107(Stu). I drove over to BW at about 7:00am on Sunday. I checked in on-line but I needed my KTTW cards for dining. I checked that my requests were met and the CM at the desk said they were for now, but it was subject to change. I got a text message at about 11:00am that the rooms were ready. We left the MK for naptime.
The rooms were newly renovated - I could still smell paint. I know there are complaints about the new hallway decor, but I love it. The hall carpets are festive with tons of mickeys that my daughter picked out. To be honest, when comparing the new hallways to the older ones, everyone in my party chose the new decor.
The rooms had the new flatscreen TVs - a few of the local channels came through in HD. The new appliances were nice, but the fridge was very small. Unlike some other posters, I found the fridge to keep everything nice and cold. The dryer was not great, but we realized that setting it at high heat for 100 minutes did the job.
Sitting on the balcony, we could see the conference center, the roofs of Japan and American Adventure, and the front of the porte-cochere. We also had a great view of the aerial fireworks in illuminations. During our 5 night stay, I spent 4 nights with a glass of wine on the balcony watching illuminations. The 5th night, I was in Epcot.
We found the transportation OK. The buses to MK came pretty regularly - and we did not have to wait at all after wishes. However, I did have a rental car and parking was atrocious. If you tried to find a spot in the main self park lot between 2pm and 10pm it was a joke. The barricades were up, but there was no staff at the back entrance. This got pretty frustrating as I would drop my family at the porte-cochere and spend 15-20 minutes trying to find parking. Very frustrating.
Service at the BW establishments was great. My MIL made a new friend in Martha at the Bakery.
Overall, I was very satisfied with my stay. If some more work can be done on the parking situation, I would be happier.
I have to admit, that I did not take any pics of the room
Tough with a very active preschooler.
We arrived in WDW on Fri 11/27 and stayed 2 nights at Pop. After moving to the BWV, we realized, along with my in-laws, how much staying at a resort like BWV really changes the mood and pace of your vacation. Staying at a DVC resort really allows you to relax. Sit on the couch or on the balcony with a beer or a glass of wine - not on one of the 2 beds in your hotel room.
For us, staying in a 2 br with our 2.5yo daughter and my inlaws was perfect. We could put DD down for a nap and enjoy the room. It was great.
Anyway, we stayed in Room 4105(1br)/4107(Stu). I drove over to BW at about 7:00am on Sunday. I checked in on-line but I needed my KTTW cards for dining. I checked that my requests were met and the CM at the desk said they were for now, but it was subject to change. I got a text message at about 11:00am that the rooms were ready. We left the MK for naptime.
The rooms were newly renovated - I could still smell paint. I know there are complaints about the new hallway decor, but I love it. The hall carpets are festive with tons of mickeys that my daughter picked out. To be honest, when comparing the new hallways to the older ones, everyone in my party chose the new decor.
The rooms had the new flatscreen TVs - a few of the local channels came through in HD. The new appliances were nice, but the fridge was very small. Unlike some other posters, I found the fridge to keep everything nice and cold. The dryer was not great, but we realized that setting it at high heat for 100 minutes did the job.
Sitting on the balcony, we could see the conference center, the roofs of Japan and American Adventure, and the front of the porte-cochere. We also had a great view of the aerial fireworks in illuminations. During our 5 night stay, I spent 4 nights with a glass of wine on the balcony watching illuminations. The 5th night, I was in Epcot.
We found the transportation OK. The buses to MK came pretty regularly - and we did not have to wait at all after wishes. However, I did have a rental car and parking was atrocious. If you tried to find a spot in the main self park lot between 2pm and 10pm it was a joke. The barricades were up, but there was no staff at the back entrance. This got pretty frustrating as I would drop my family at the porte-cochere and spend 15-20 minutes trying to find parking. Very frustrating.
Service at the BW establishments was great. My MIL made a new friend in Martha at the Bakery.
Overall, I was very satisfied with my stay. If some more work can be done on the parking situation, I would be happier.
I have to admit, that I did not take any pics of the room
Tough with a very active preschooler.
