Disappointed with BCV room renovation

[Boardwalk Tigger]

This has been discussed before but I was disappointed with the renovated BCV rooms. I thought our 2 bedroom was very blah and hotel like. Didn’t feel like I was in Disney. The shell accents were cheap looking to me and didn’t care for the bathtub in the king bedroom. It was too high. Not good for young children or older adults. In one of the rooms we stayed in (we switched rooms) the tub in the king bedroom was up on a tiled platform that jutted out enough just so I ran into it and hurt my foot. Poor design. The kitchen cabinets looked like they were just sprayed over. It was nice to have newer couches and chairs etc but not a fan of the updated design.

 

[Dtw002]

We had our first stay last month at BCV so I can’t comment on the old rooms. From our perspective though the new rooms were great. Agree not overly Disney but compare to picture of the ‘Golden Girls’ color scheme and window/shutters into the master I thought it was an upgrade. Seems like the design is more timeless and shouldn’t be dated in 5yrs. My two cents though.

 

[disneynutz]

The BCV new look is the way the Disney is converting all DVC rooms. IMO they want to drive owners/buyers to purchase the new resorts that have much better theming. Better until they are sold out and refurbished that is.

Bill

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

We had a stay there in October with family who had never stayed there before and had no idea there was any changes made recently. Within a few hours they were asking why there wasn't any "Disney" in the room and no hidden Mickey's. I did point out that the wood support under the eating bar had mickey's carved in but they are fixed in the support so DVC couldn't remove them as easily. They thought it was ok but nothing special and it was at the bottom of their list for rooms we have stayed in at Disney.

Disney is unique in that it can have more latitude in design vs something like a business hotel but instead they think looking like a Holiday Inn is the way to go. I don't get it at all and I don't really think they get it but that's just my opinion. It's fine but ordinary and nothing special.

We had our first stay last month at BCV so I can’t comment on the old rooms. From our perspective though the new rooms were great. Agree not overly Disney but compare to picture of the ‘Golden Girls’ color scheme and window/shutters into the master I thought it was an upgrade. Seems like the design is more timeless and shouldn’t be dated in 5yrs. My two cents though.

Everything gets dated and this will too. Everyone will look back and say oh that's so 2015 - because it is a design that has been going on for a few years already now.

 

[ptlohmysoul]

The best thing with the renovation is plenty of USB ports in the furniture - the dressers and the night stands.

 

[Cyberc1978]

When refurbishment is agreed doesn’t the owners have any saying ie like a representative so anything which smells like non-Disney would be turned down?

 

[JETSDAD]

The BCV new look is the way the Disney is converting all DVC rooms. IMO they want to drive owners/buyers to purchase the new resorts that have much better theming. Better until they are sold out and refurbished that is.

Bill

But wasn't one of the complaints about CC rooms that they were done in the same manner as the recent refurbs? Not a lot of theming and just kind of plain? (I like them but that seemed to be a complaint....plain and IKEA furniture).

 

[paults]

Seems like when you stay at a DVC resort anymore you wouldn't know your at Disney until you leave the room and sometimes not even then. HA HA

 

[n2mm]

We stayed when they first got renovated. There was no storage in the studio when they added the drop down bed. Did they ever add a dresser (like they have a Bwv studio).

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

I think they missed the mark with this renovation. The first room we stayed in Dec, the tub was already significantly chipped at one end. Looks like from installation. I love Disney and was excited to see the renovated rooms but was very underwhelmed. Maybe next renovation will have more of an upscale theming to it and you will know you are in a special place.

 

[zavandor]

The BCV new look is the way the Disney is converting all DVC rooms. IMO they want to drive owners/buyers to purchase the new resorts that have much better theming. Better until they are sold out and refurbished that is.

I have read a lot of reviews for renovated rooms in all Disney hotels, not only DVC side and they have all gone into this modern style with much more subtle theme. Sometime they get the balance right, most of the time the result is bland. Some say it's because they want to appeal the conventions guests, others that after a day in the parks a more relaxed environment is better to not overload more in the room, others that it's cheaper and will last longer. Probably it's a combination of all these factors. Anyway it's happening everywhere at WDW.
Personally, the higher the theming the better.

 

[dcibrando]

I personally think the beds look so plain now with just white sheets on them. It needs some color like they used to have

 

[paults]

Disney is going the way of other timeshares BAH

 

[rg35]

Interesting opinions. I've been at OWK many times and I can't say that I've ever thought "oh this is Disney" by the theming. I mostly feel like oh, I'm in Old Key West. Same goes for when we stay at AKV - I don't necessarily feel or need to feel like "i'm at Disney" when I'm in my room or at the resort. The bigger thing for me was does the room feel like it fits in the overall resort theme. If that's something that is being lost, that would be a negative. If I was staying somewhere like AoA, then I would expect a lot of "Disney" but not so much at DVC resorts.

 

[iheartglaciers]

I agree the refurbed rooms are trending more generic looking. I think when people say they want it to feel more "Disney," they either mean more hidden Mickeys or stronger theming. Like I think the Poly studios are really well themed. It makes it feel like an extension of one of the park lands when a room is well themed--whether it be tropical, African safari, or jersey shore/Boardwalk themed. Like those little touches that make a place feel special. A recently example I noticed was the new Boulder Ridge pool at Wilderness Lodge. The hot tub button (to turn the jets on) looks like a TNT bomb switch (since it's railroad themed).

 

[cruisin5]

It felt beachy to me. Loved the paint color and while the bedding is plain I'll take it any day over a bedspread.

 

[GrumpyInPhilly]

As long as the room is clean, I'm happy.

 

[sgtdisney]

Disney resorts cost a premium over other non-Disney resorts. Whether cash reservations or purchasing DVC. Part of that premium is not only the proximity to the parks, but the fully "immersive experience". The resorts should have the attention to detail that other areas at Disney have. The legacy resorts, when first built, had a cohesive theme that evoked a feeling that you were in a resort at that location. The current theme is so subdued and with such business oriented colors and decor it is evoking the feeling that you are in some nice Hilton or Marriot somewhere, not in "Old Key West" or in some lovely beach resort in the northeast. People buying new, should keep this in mind. Eventually your highly themed resort, may look like a Marriott too. Hey, maybe they can rename the Riviera resort to "Disney's Marriott Hotel"