Completely dissappointed with BWV

[goofy4tink]

Oh yeah.....we've had one of those 'way far away villas'. Our 1 bedroom was 238 steps from the elevator. I'm 5'8" tall, so my steps are pretty long too!! But, we loved our view of the quiet pool and Community Hall. We were only 3 doors down from the end of the bldg and the stairway. We used that stairway a lot!!!! We also have had a beautiful studio on the top level, about Muscles and Bustles. Great view of the village green, the lake and boardwalk. And nice IllumiNations views at night.
To be sure....each resort isn't going to be to everyone's likeing. I stayed at BCV in June and had it reserved for my trip in late Nov. But, when we got home in June, I got on the phone and tried to change my reservation to BWV...waitlisted at the moment. I don't hold out much hope for it's coming through for me. But, I'll still be happy in BCV. I just don't like them nearly as much as I like BWV. So glad I bought at BW rather than BC. I have yet to visit SSR...maybe on this next trip I'll get over there. I hear it's very beautiful.

 

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

Sorry you didn't have a nice stay. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[RAD]

I always wince when folks talk about the long hallways. Try the walk from room 477 at BCV to the main lobby or SAB, that's a nice long walk. So the bus is stops at four resorts. Last time I stayed at OKW the bus made 5 stops, and how many stops will SSR have when all the phases are finished?

 

[DrTomorrow]

[...]
So if you aren't into walking a little bit, I suppose BWV might not be the best choice.

Well. I take a few months off, and now BWV is the resort where you need to be prepared to walk a lot (used to be SSR ....)

Be well!

 

[crisi]

Well. I take a few months off, and now BWV is the resort where you need to be prepared to walk a lot (used to be SSR ....)

Be well!

You get to walk wherever you stay at Disney if your room is less than convienently placed. If you like strolling outside and find interior halls cramped, OKW and SSR may be pleasant. If you like airconditioning and being sheltered from the rain, BWV/BCV/VWL may be a better choice.

But none of them are walk free. Walking to the theme pool/Olivias from the back of OKW is not short....nor is the theme pool from some SSR rooms. Roaring Forks is far from the Villas at VWL (but the bus stop is nice and close - VWL also has probably the worst self park walk if you don't like to walk). SSR and OKW have the advantage of parking near your unit - if you bother with a car. BCVs to SAB isn't a short walk.

The question you need to ask yourself is "where do I want to walk and when does it bother me." Driving to the theme pool at OKW is not for me - so not a good choice (I could get lucky and get a room close, but I could get unlucky and be disappointed). But a lot of people do fine with that. I'd rather walk through dim tight airconditioned hallways than deal with heat and rain, but strolling along outside at OKW has its definate charms.

The other thing is that almost all the resorts have rooms that are better than others in terms of the walk. Near the elevators is a common BWVs request - but the only resort that is so short as to make the point moot is probably VWL. Like getting the dumpster view, or getting a tree blocking your view - some rooms are better than others and sometimes you end up in a less than ideal room.

 

[kathleena]

OP said:

Wow you guys I was never so dissappointed with a WDW stay in my life. What a complete dissappointment to say the least.

OMG were the people who laid out the Villas smoking dope?

The busses good grief! Sharing the busses with 4 resorts is absurd! Getting anywhere was a nightmare and took forever!

It was definitely a waste of points.


Now please remember this isn't to resort bash it is just my experince with this resort.


Oh sure. Doesn't sound like bashing to me.

Walking is a part of many major resort hotels, not just at WDW. Get over it.

Room requests are only requests. Get over that too.

People make small mistakes. Forgive them and get over that too.

There is a kiddie pool. Look harder next time.

If you stop at S&D and BW, that's three stops. OKW has 5, CSR has 4 - how many elsewhere?

Bus timing and crowding issues are not a fault of the resort itself. Why bash BW for your "nightmare"?

Why do you say in the same breath "The community center had alot for the kids. Also the keister coaster was cool but seemed to be the only thing to attract kids."

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

You must have missed the childs pool with the elephant, as well as the childs play area right next to the pool. Its there, you just missed it.

Since you enter the lobby after valet parking or getting off the boat/bus, having the elevators right there at the lobby seems like the correct spot, doesn't it? I timed the complete walk from elevators to the end of the longest hallway, 3 minutes. We also used the stairs to get to the pool or go out the door near the Swan/Dolphin when that was the direction you needed to go. Took less than a minute. Much quicker at BWV than at SSR or OKW to get to a pool/restaurant/park by foot.

I never had a problem with the busses(only need to use for two parks) as we were always picked up first, and we would just get off at Swan/Dolphin when coming back and walk across the bridge, take stairs up, and be at our room. The length of time to wait for a bus was the same for me at BWV and VWL. Less than 5 minutes. The only bad experience I've ever had was waiting for a boat at the MK to get to VWL.

Sounds like you would enjoy BWV if you got a 2 bedroom boardwalk view close to the elevators for 7 days.

I probably would have enjoyed it better if we didn't move. The experience would have been different so the things that bothered me wouldn't have so much I guess. It was definitely a culmination of things.

 

[DVCPAT]

I always wince when folks talk about the long hallways. Try the walk from room 477 at BCV to the main lobby or SAB, that's a nice long walk. So the bus is stops at four resorts. Last time I stayed at OKW the bus made 5 stops, and how many stops will SSR have when all the phases are finished?

Once SSR is completed, I would bet they start sharing bus routes with OKW. It would be more efficient and save money. I also wonder what the distance will be from the main SSR pool area, to the furthest building pod?

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

You get to walk wherever you stay at Disney if your room is less than convienently placed. If you like strolling outside and find interior halls cramped, OKW and SSR may be pleasant. If you like airconditioning and being sheltered from the rain, BWV/BCV/VWL may be a better choice.

But none of them are walk free. Walking to the theme pool/Olivias from the back of OKW is not short....nor is the theme pool from some SSR rooms. Roaring Forks is far from the Villas at VWL (but the bus stop is nice and close - VWL also has probably the worst self park walk if you don't like to walk). SSR and OKW have the advantage of parking near your unit - if you bother with a car. BCVs to SAB isn't a short walk.

The question you need to ask yourself is "where do I want to walk and when does it bother me." Driving to the theme pool at OKW is not for me - so not a good choice (I could get lucky and get a room close, but I could get unlucky and be disappointed). But a lot of people do fine with that. I'd rather walk through dim tight airconditioned hallways than deal with heat and rain, but strolling along outside at OKW has its definate charms.

The other thing is that almost all the resorts have rooms that are better than others in terms of the walk. Near the elevators is a common BWVs request - but the only resort that is so short as to make the point moot is probably VWL. Like getting the dumpster view, or getting a tree blocking your view - some rooms are better than others and sometimes you end up in a less than ideal room.

The one thing that is missing is that the walk to the pool areas at SSR or OKW are not your only option. You can drive or hop onto a bus, walking to your room at BWV is a hike if you have a room placed far away from the elevators. There is no choice either. At SSR or OKW there is a choice on how to get to the central areas.

I know it may seem petty to those of you and yes using the stairs is an option but if you have a five year old who is heavy and or asleep in the stroller (yes he still crashes in the stroller) it is a PITA to hike and the stairs are not an option.

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

OP said:

Wow you guys I was never so dissappointed with a WDW stay in my life. What a complete dissappointment to say the least.

OMG were the people who laid out the Villas smoking dope?

The busses good grief! Sharing the busses with 4 resorts is absurd! Getting anywhere was a nightmare and took forever!

It was definitely a waste of points.


Now please remember this isn't to resort bash it is just my experince with this resort.


Oh sure. Doesn't sound like bashing to me.

Walking is a part of many major resort hotels, not just at WDW. Get over it.

Room requests are only requests. Get over that too.

People make small mistakes. Forgive them and get over that too.

There is a kiddie pool. Look harder next time.

If you stop at S&D and BW, that's three stops. OKW has 5, CSR has 4 - how many elsewhere?

Bus timing and crowding issues are not a fault of the resort itself. Why bash BW for your "nightmare"?

Why do you say in the same breath "The community center had alot for the kids. Also the keister coaster was cool but seemed to be the only thing to attract kids."

ok I guess because it is negative it is a bash I would not pick BWV it did not have the same "feel" I got from other resorts for the reasons mentioned. The reason I posted my opinion was to give another POV for people looking for a place to stay. I would not recommend that resort for those with stroller kids since it is a long walk from the elevators. For those who have an adversion to smells I would recommend an open corridor hallway. Looking back on our stays I am now not surprised with disliking the closed hallways many of all of the places we stayed on property were open corridors. That is not a bash just a preference.

 

[snowbunny]

It made absolutely no sense on why the Boardwalk did not get picked up after rather than get on the bus go through every stop just to pass the stop again.

The above situation might bother me, except:

It was standing room on 75% of the busses we took.

Personally I count being the first to be picked up as a definite plus, if the buses are standing room only after the rest of the stops.

 

[scootert]

If stairs don't work for you, make sure you request a first floor unit at OKW. Not all the buildings have elevators.

BWV is our home - we love it. The only time we use the bus system is to go to Animal Kingdom. MGM and Epcot are right there and if we go to Magic Kingdom, we usually walk through Epcot to the monorail.

Sorry BWV didn't meet your needs -- different strokes for different folks.

 

[jodifla]

Wow. I'm pretty surprised someone would feel this way about BWV. I've always thought it was the most elegant and impressive of all the DVC resorts. We've loved our stays in studios there.

But we mostly stay at our home, Old Key West. We love all that space and the lower points.

Sorry you didn't enjoy your stay!

 

[DVCconvert]

That is not a bash just a preference

Too bad that couldn't have been said in the OP's orginal post. It's clearly the truth, and it's OK because of that!

 

[ceejay13]

We have loved everyone of our BWV stays. We have been in all sizes of rooms with family that had small children and just the two of us. We have had BW views and standard views and have absolutely loved everyone of them. I can't wait to return in December for our 9th visit. The beauty of DVC is that you do have lots of choices. We have homes at the BWV and BCV and prefer the BWC of the two. Having said that I also loved my stays at OKW and the BCV as well as VB. It is our best major purchase ever. Even though I prefer the BWV, we still like trying something new every now and then and can't wait to try the other resorts.

 

[JimFitz]

My co-worker just came back from BCV and he was not happy at all. We talk DVC all the time (he owns at SSR). He said that BCV was run down. He didn't mean the resort halls or lobby, but he said the quite pool had dirty black chairs and broken umbrellas. He also mentioned some other places were dirty as well. He just came back from his trip which was for the last week of Sept and he was not impressed. He stayed at SSR his first trip and says he will be staying there from now on.

When we stayed at VWL last year, we took one day and pool hopped to BWV. I noticed somethings I did not like but I will still try it one stay.

Sorry you had a bad trip. Just get busy planning the next trip and you will soon forget the bad one!

 

[JimFitz]

OP said:

Wow you guys I was never so dissappointed with a WDW stay in my life. What a complete dissappointment to say the least.

OMG were the people who laid out the Villas smoking dope?

The busses good grief! Sharing the busses with 4 resorts is absurd! Getting anywhere was a nightmare and took forever!

It was definitely a waste of points.


Now please remember this isn't to resort bash it is just my experince with this resort.


Oh sure. Doesn't sound like bashing to me.

Walking is a part of many major resort hotels, not just at WDW. Get over it.

Room requests are only requests. Get over that too.

People make small mistakes. Forgive them and get over that too.

There is a kiddie pool. Look harder next time.

If you stop at S&D and BW, that's three stops. OKW has 5, CSR has 4 - how many elsewhere?

Bus timing and crowding issues are not a fault of the resort itself. Why bash BW for your "nightmare"?

Why do you say in the same breath "The community center had alot for the kids. Also the keister coaster was cool but seemed to be the only thing to attract kids."

Sounds like someone needs some pixie dust or a ride on Splash Mountain. Grumpy??

 

[Mississippian]

Well. I take a few months off, and now BWV is the resort where you need to be prepared to walk a lot (used to be SSR ....)

Be well!

I was refering to the walks to the parks. The OP liked to ride the bus everywhere, and in that case BWV might not be a good choice.

 

[OneMoreTry]

The things that bothered you wouldn't have bothered my family so much. As an OKW owner I would say we loved our stay at BWV and will probably go back some time.

Your expectations for this type of vacation club in this price bracket are too high. DVC ain't the Ritz. Ownership in THEIR vacation club starts around $200,000. Boy it looks great. Sounds like you should save up and join that club. Probably won't have to walk so far and won't see dishes in the hall. I don't expect DVC resorts to be like the Ritz-Carlton. I just stayed at the Ritz in Boston and the difference between that hotel and DVC is phenomenal.

I'm not putting down DVC. I think it's a great value and I consider the accomodations A+. Just not off the scale.

 

[JimFitz]

The things that bothered you wouldn't have bothered my family so much. As an OKW owner I would say we loved our stay at BWV and will probably go back some time.

Your expectations for this type of vacation club in this price bracket are too high. DVC ain't the Ritz. Ownership in THEIR vacation club starts around $200,000. Boy it looks great. Sounds like you should save up and join that club. Probably won't have to walk so far and won't see dishes in the hall. I don't expect DVC resorts to be like the Ritz-Carlton. I just stayed at the Ritz in Boston and the difference between that hotel and DVC is phenomenal.

I'm not putting down DVC. I think it's a great value and I consider the accomodations A+. Just not off the scale.

I have stayed at the Ritz and DVC. They are not the same, but that does not excuse the fact that dishes are left in the hallways for hours. We always call down and tell them that we left the dishes in the hall so housekeeping knows.

I agree that DVC is not the Ritz, but they should be picking up the dishes!