mla973
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2004
- Messages
- 1,119
Cast:
Me: 29. Disney-freak and planner extraordinaire. Loves all things Disney.
DH: 29. Has learned to love Disney. Likes park-hopping and pin trading.
DSis: 26. Loves Disney. Made me agree to not plan anything or she wouldn’t come along.
BIL: 27. Along for the ride and the food. Couldn’t wait to see a gator.
DME:
Overall, I was very pleased with DME service on this trip. Upon arrival at MCO, we waited about 10 minutes in line and 15 on the bus before it took off. It was nearly empty, stopping just at CBR before taking us to BCV. On return to MCO, our pick up time was 3 hours prior to our flight. The bus was exactly on time, and we made 3 other stops before heading to the airport. We arrived at MCO 2 hours before our flight.
Beach Club Villas:
We chose BCV because this was mostly a non-park trip. We planned to spend much of our time at the pool, so we wanted to enjoy SAB.
SAB 1
SAB 2
The four of us were sharing one room the first night, and then we had separate studios for the rest of the week. We did not arrive until about 7:00 pm. Check in was okay. With three reservations, I think the CM was a little confused. When we got to the room (third floor, right by the elevator, garden/road view), we realized it was a handicap accessible room. It felt smaller than a typical studio, and all of the storage was different. The biggest let down was that the sink, toilet and shower were all in one room. It was late and we were hungry, so I didn’t go down to request another room.
We went to DTD, and after we came back, my BIL took a shower. Because of the handicap showerhead, it wasn’t tall enough for him, and the shower water never got warm, let alone hot. I thought maybe all of the hot water was ‘used up’ but we had the same problem the next morning. DSis and BIL went to check into their room, and at the same time, I went to request a different room. I was bummed that everything was in the bathroom, but I could not put up with a cold shower all week.
They were accommodating in moving us, but it took a while. I’m not sure if they needed to connect with Member Services or what the deal was. They ended up putting us in 260 and DSis and BIL in 261 across the hall. We had to vacate the other room ASAP, and moved promptly to the new room. Only the keys they had given is didn’t work. I went back to the front desk, while DH, DSis and BIL stood outside of the room for 15 minutes waiting for keys. (DSis and BIL’s room wasn’t ready yet.) Finally, the front desk person walked me up to unlock the room with a master key. And that didn’t work either. Luckily, someone from housekeeping had come by and their key worked.
Morning view (including haze) from room 260
Evening view
View from BCV quiet pool (Rm 260 has the lights on the balcony)
View of large balcony
The new room was much more to my liking. A few minor issues like a garbage that had not been emptied, but overall okay. I do think BCV needs an update/overhaul as hallway and room carpets were very worn as were some of the other furnishings in our room.
The one other issue we had was housekeeping. Our confirmation stated the day for trash and towel. Two days we came back and the room had been cleaned. On the third day in a row, we came back when the maid was still there. I hate to complain that someone was cleaning our room, but I had left some valuables out, assuming that no one would be entering our room. I called the front desk from DSis’ room. Someone put me on hold to find out why we were getting daily maid service, and I waited 5 minutes before I hung up and called back. On my second try, they told me that when the rooms had been switched, we were put in the system as a cash reservation, not on points. WTH? I was told that in order for my credit card not to be charged for the room, I needed to go to the front desk to correct it. So, once again, I found myself at the BCV front desk. It took them about 15 minutes to figure out how to fix it and reverse the room charges.
Parks:
Thanks to a former coworker (I spent two semesters on the WDW college program), we ended up going to the parks on Labor Day. Since each one of us literally wanted to go to a different park, we decided to spend some time at all four parks!!! Here was the plan of action, as well as what attractions we were able to do:
Epcot: 10:30 am – 2:00 pm
- Test Track
- Mission Space
- Soarin
- Some shopping and lunch at Sunshine Seasons
Three of us at Test Track
Bus to Animal Kingdom: 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm
- Kilimanjaro Safari
- Expedition Everest
- Dinosaur
- Some shopping and snacks
Three of us on the safari
Bus to Magic Kingdom: 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm
- Space Mountain
- Splash Mountain
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
- Some shopping and dinner at Pecos Bill Café
On Splash Mountain
Monorail to TTC, Bus to Hollywood Studios: 9:30 pm – 12:00 am (EMH)
- Fantasmic
- Tower of Terror
- RnR Coaster was down and Toy Story had a 70 minute wait so we did not ride either
- Boat to BCV
Bad photo, but only one of a few from Studios
The parks were only moderately busy for a holiday. We rode many of the above without fast passes. Space Mountain was a 10 minute wait. Rock-n-Roller Coaster was a disappointment. Apparently it had been down most of the day, causing longer waits at some of the other attractions, especially with EMH (evening).
It was very hot, and we spent a lot on water and ice cream. It was a very exhausting day, but worth it!
Dining:
We ate at CS and TS locations. A full dining report (with photos) is here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1943903
Other:
- Car rental: We rented a car for a few days to drive around town and check out the area. We rented from Dollar at the Regal Sun Resort at DTD. We just took a bus to DTD, and then it’s literally across the street from the Marketplace stop. Aside from some confusion on the insurance, it took just a few minutes to get the car. It was easy enough to return as well. I would rent from this location again.
- Boggy Creek Airboat Rides: We had really been looking forward to this ride. It cost $52 for two people (with $1 coupon) for a 30 minute ride. The guide was great and had a lot of good info. We saw a ton of different birds, but only baby gators – some just one day old. We were disappointed to have not seen a full size gator. I would do this again, but maybe at night. Just being on the boat and driving around was fun too.
Day old gators in nest
- Celebration: We went into Celebration right after the airboat ride, and of course, saw a gator in the lake there. It was about four feet long. I have now seen one on several trips here. We walked around a bit, and ate at the Celebration Town Tavern (see dining report). We drove around to see some houses, but it was getting dark. They had the small ‘smart cars’ for rent at $40/hour for a four-seater. I think I’d like to try that on the next trip.
Downtown Celebration (Market Street)
Gator approaching turtle at Celebration
Overall:
Despite the threat from Hanna and then Ike, we ended up having pretty good weather expect for our arrival and departure days. We enjoyed BCV, and I might consider staying there again on a non-park trip, but I still like BWV (our home resort) better overall.
DH and I outside BCV
Me: 29. Disney-freak and planner extraordinaire. Loves all things Disney.
DH: 29. Has learned to love Disney. Likes park-hopping and pin trading.
DSis: 26. Loves Disney. Made me agree to not plan anything or she wouldn’t come along.
BIL: 27. Along for the ride and the food. Couldn’t wait to see a gator.
DME:
Overall, I was very pleased with DME service on this trip. Upon arrival at MCO, we waited about 10 minutes in line and 15 on the bus before it took off. It was nearly empty, stopping just at CBR before taking us to BCV. On return to MCO, our pick up time was 3 hours prior to our flight. The bus was exactly on time, and we made 3 other stops before heading to the airport. We arrived at MCO 2 hours before our flight.
Beach Club Villas:
We chose BCV because this was mostly a non-park trip. We planned to spend much of our time at the pool, so we wanted to enjoy SAB.
SAB 1
SAB 2
The four of us were sharing one room the first night, and then we had separate studios for the rest of the week. We did not arrive until about 7:00 pm. Check in was okay. With three reservations, I think the CM was a little confused. When we got to the room (third floor, right by the elevator, garden/road view), we realized it was a handicap accessible room. It felt smaller than a typical studio, and all of the storage was different. The biggest let down was that the sink, toilet and shower were all in one room. It was late and we were hungry, so I didn’t go down to request another room.
We went to DTD, and after we came back, my BIL took a shower. Because of the handicap showerhead, it wasn’t tall enough for him, and the shower water never got warm, let alone hot. I thought maybe all of the hot water was ‘used up’ but we had the same problem the next morning. DSis and BIL went to check into their room, and at the same time, I went to request a different room. I was bummed that everything was in the bathroom, but I could not put up with a cold shower all week.
They were accommodating in moving us, but it took a while. I’m not sure if they needed to connect with Member Services or what the deal was. They ended up putting us in 260 and DSis and BIL in 261 across the hall. We had to vacate the other room ASAP, and moved promptly to the new room. Only the keys they had given is didn’t work. I went back to the front desk, while DH, DSis and BIL stood outside of the room for 15 minutes waiting for keys. (DSis and BIL’s room wasn’t ready yet.) Finally, the front desk person walked me up to unlock the room with a master key. And that didn’t work either. Luckily, someone from housekeeping had come by and their key worked.
Morning view (including haze) from room 260
Evening view
View from BCV quiet pool (Rm 260 has the lights on the balcony)
View of large balcony
The new room was much more to my liking. A few minor issues like a garbage that had not been emptied, but overall okay. I do think BCV needs an update/overhaul as hallway and room carpets were very worn as were some of the other furnishings in our room.
The one other issue we had was housekeeping. Our confirmation stated the day for trash and towel. Two days we came back and the room had been cleaned. On the third day in a row, we came back when the maid was still there. I hate to complain that someone was cleaning our room, but I had left some valuables out, assuming that no one would be entering our room. I called the front desk from DSis’ room. Someone put me on hold to find out why we were getting daily maid service, and I waited 5 minutes before I hung up and called back. On my second try, they told me that when the rooms had been switched, we were put in the system as a cash reservation, not on points. WTH? I was told that in order for my credit card not to be charged for the room, I needed to go to the front desk to correct it. So, once again, I found myself at the BCV front desk. It took them about 15 minutes to figure out how to fix it and reverse the room charges.
Parks:
Thanks to a former coworker (I spent two semesters on the WDW college program), we ended up going to the parks on Labor Day. Since each one of us literally wanted to go to a different park, we decided to spend some time at all four parks!!! Here was the plan of action, as well as what attractions we were able to do:
Epcot: 10:30 am – 2:00 pm
- Test Track
- Mission Space
- Soarin
- Some shopping and lunch at Sunshine Seasons
Three of us at Test Track
Bus to Animal Kingdom: 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm
- Kilimanjaro Safari
- Expedition Everest
- Dinosaur
- Some shopping and snacks
Three of us on the safari
Bus to Magic Kingdom: 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm
- Space Mountain
- Splash Mountain
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
- Some shopping and dinner at Pecos Bill Café
On Splash Mountain
Monorail to TTC, Bus to Hollywood Studios: 9:30 pm – 12:00 am (EMH)
- Fantasmic
- Tower of Terror
- RnR Coaster was down and Toy Story had a 70 minute wait so we did not ride either
- Boat to BCV
Bad photo, but only one of a few from Studios
The parks were only moderately busy for a holiday. We rode many of the above without fast passes. Space Mountain was a 10 minute wait. Rock-n-Roller Coaster was a disappointment. Apparently it had been down most of the day, causing longer waits at some of the other attractions, especially with EMH (evening).
It was very hot, and we spent a lot on water and ice cream. It was a very exhausting day, but worth it!
Dining:
We ate at CS and TS locations. A full dining report (with photos) is here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1943903
Other:
- Car rental: We rented a car for a few days to drive around town and check out the area. We rented from Dollar at the Regal Sun Resort at DTD. We just took a bus to DTD, and then it’s literally across the street from the Marketplace stop. Aside from some confusion on the insurance, it took just a few minutes to get the car. It was easy enough to return as well. I would rent from this location again.
- Boggy Creek Airboat Rides: We had really been looking forward to this ride. It cost $52 for two people (with $1 coupon) for a 30 minute ride. The guide was great and had a lot of good info. We saw a ton of different birds, but only baby gators – some just one day old. We were disappointed to have not seen a full size gator. I would do this again, but maybe at night. Just being on the boat and driving around was fun too.
Day old gators in nest
- Celebration: We went into Celebration right after the airboat ride, and of course, saw a gator in the lake there. It was about four feet long. I have now seen one on several trips here. We walked around a bit, and ate at the Celebration Town Tavern (see dining report). We drove around to see some houses, but it was getting dark. They had the small ‘smart cars’ for rent at $40/hour for a four-seater. I think I’d like to try that on the next trip.
Downtown Celebration (Market Street)
Gator approaching turtle at Celebration
Overall:
Despite the threat from Hanna and then Ike, we ended up having pretty good weather expect for our arrival and departure days. We enjoyed BCV, and I might consider staying there again on a non-park trip, but I still like BWV (our home resort) better overall.
DH and I outside BCV
