TJA
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2000
- Messages
- 6,110
After several stays at the GF RPC, DH and I decided to try BC CL for our most recent trip as we wanted to be close to Epcot/DHS.
We were surprised to find that BC actually closes the lounge for an hour at least twice a day and locks the doors at 10am (10:30?) and 4pm.
We stayed up very late one night and didn't make it to the lounge until just after 10:30am the next day, expecting to be able to use the Espresso Machine to make our morning coffee, like we always have at GF RPC. No luck - lounge was locked, and while the CL CM offered to go pour us a cup of coffee, it was definitely not the nice experience we have had at GF of being able to access the lounge for beverages anytime.
At night, I asked a CL CM for a bottle of water to bring to my room to take my vitamins with in the morning. At GF, this request was always met with "How many would you like". Not at BC. The CM informed me that "if you want a bottle of water, you need to go downstairs and buy one. Ever since we went green, we don't offer bottled water".
On checkout day, we had arranged for Tiffany Towncar to pick us up at 5:15pm. During our GF stays, we usually spend the last 2 hours or so in the lounge before leaving, to relax, get a drink/snack, and savor the last bit of Disney ambiance before heading to MCO. We were in the lounge, watching a NFL playoff game, when at 3:55, the CL CM informed us we needed to leave as they would be closing the lounge between 4-5pm for cleaning. I'm not a big football fan, but DH is. We had to leave with less than a minute left in the game, and DH was upset because he missed an important play (it was the game where a player missed an easy field goal attempt and that team ended up losing...). It was awkward basically being "kicked out" and then having to go downstairs to the lobby for an hour. We went back up right at 5, but only had 10 minutes to grab a drink before our town car arrived.
Obviously, we won't go back to BC CL again as the experience at GF was much better. However, we do love the Epcot resort area. Does anyone know if BWI closes and locks their lounge between food service hours? Or does BWI maintain a welcome atmosphere throughout the entire day like GF does? Are there any other CL lounges that lock up and lock their guests out like BC does?
Thanks!
I agree with you about the inconvenience of lounges that lock their doors during the day and later at night. We stay at BC CL quite a lot and know a few super nice and helpful CM's there; however, we encountered a particularly rude CM at BC our last trip. She mostly worked at the desk and then one night at the alcohol service in the lounge. I wouldn't be surprised if she was one of the not-so-pleasant CM's that you encountered... Also, I'm sorry a CM commented to you that way regarding the water bottle. This is always a topic of discussion because sometimes the CM's easily get a water bottle from their kitchen, while other CM's immediately give the answer "no."
You should give your feedback to Customer Service via email. I usually do this after each trip. I figure if enough people give the same feedback, hopefully certain things can be improved, like not closing the lounges at certain times. While staying at Poly CL, the CM's vacuum and clean right while the guests are at the tables. It's not a big deal, really. They seem to try to do it during slower times of the day so they don't interfere with guests. Seems like BC could do this as well.