DVC Villa Rooms vs Resort Rooms

[Callalily6]

Silly question-

Are the rooms in the villas as nice as the rooms on the other side? I stayed at the BWV and the rooms were a bit run down (holes in the bedspread, stains on couch, etc). It was unusual for Disney, I thought. So, are DVC rooms the last to be updated/ renovated? It was kind of nasty. I would hope they would meet the rest of Disney's standards.

Thanks for your comments!

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

They get worn out. :shrug: I've only had one DVC experience that was bad enough to call and have houskeeping come. That was at BW. I'm not sure, but perhaps the housekeeping team isn't as well trained there? :unsure:

I've had shabby things at OKW, but have also had things replaced while there too (bedspreads, etc.).

As good as the model? Can't remember! Been too long since I've seen the model!

 

[Granny]

Are the rooms in the villas as nice as the rooms on the other side? I stayed at the BWV and the rooms were a bit run down (holes in the bedspread, stains on couch, etc). It was unusual for Disney, I thought. So, are DVC rooms the last to be updated/ renovated? It was kind of nasty. I would hope they would meet the rest of Disney's standards.

We've been fortunate I suppose. The rooms we stayed at have not showed a lot of wear and tear to the point where we thought it was an issue. We haven't seen holes in the bedspreads or stains. We have seen nicks and such in the furniture and walls.

One thing I do know......three different people can walk into the same room and have three different opinions on the level of wear and tear or cleanliness.

Hopefully you will be more pleased with the next resort villa you stay at.

 

[veenstra56]

Just returned from a quick trip to BCV yesterday. Now I voted that our room was indeed as clean as the models we have visited, but that's not exactly true. The reality is that Disney showcases the models to perspective buyers, so it stands to reason that the models are sparkling, as apposed to regular rooms that get regular use.

Truthfully, I found the carpeting in the hallway to be on the dirty side (4th floor), but aside from a couple small things I thought the room itself was quite clean. For that matter, I was really impressed by the cleanliness of the resort overall.

 

[Callalily6]

Its not so much that it wasn't clean, it was that it was worn out. Time share have that reputation, but Disney doesn't. We usually stay in the Resort side and have stayed int he villas 2x. Both times they were much more "worn" feeling than the other side.

I guess that is what I'm asking about. And everyone in that room had a ripped bedspread, holes in the curtains, and peeling paint. I'm just the one asking if they are all like that.

I thought after 2 times in different rooms, that was the standard. Are the other resorts different? This was the BWV.

 

[Mtnman44]

As a perspective buyer and since DVC maint fees are the highest I have ever seen for a timeshare ownership, I sure am troubled by these comments. I guess I was expecting to be more or less totally impressed by these resorts and rooms. I hope that is the case. I realize that often we only hear about stuff when something goes wrong, but never hear from the 99% of people who had perfect rooms, but still.... Does Disney's maintanence and furnishing of DVC units justify the high Main Fee or does most of it get spent on Landscaping and Resort Decor?

 

[bobbiwoz]

Well, we just returned from BWV and had 4 villas in our group. They all were fine. I spent most of the time in our studio, or the one next door with my DMom and DSis, and the 4 of us were very happy. There were no negative comments from the people in the 2 bedrooms.

Bobbi

 

[Callalily6]

Its doubtful that all the resorts are like the rooms I had. I dont see why people wouldnt be complaining. That is why I was asking here and no one seems to have had the same issue. And I did think the villas at the BW were up for refurb...maybe it was just bad luck that I cuaght the super worn out section twice. I hope so, b/c I am getting ready to buy and Im hoping SSR is not like that.

 

[Melrosgirl]

Can't answer as I never took the DVC tour, so have never seen a model!

 

[TheBeadPirate]

We just stayed BWV beginning of Oct and everything was clean and in good order, just kinda dated. Before that we stayed (and own) VWL and it was in great shape. We'll be back there for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Mousekeeping and Maint need to come visit me at home though!

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

Let me preface this by stating that I just closed on a 100 pt contract at VWL and plan on staying there for our next 2 Disney vacations .

Last year, I stayed in a studio at VWL last year while my parents stayed in a regular room at the lodge. I must say that our room at the villas was not as sparkling as my parents' room in the lodge. My parents' room had a fresh, clean feeling and just shined. Our DVC room seemed a little tired and had a noticable accumulation of grime/dust on all of the woodwork in the bathroom. Our fridge door did not shut properly unless you lifted and pushed at the same time (otherwise it would drag on the floor and not shut all the way). At the time (pre disboards!), I just attributed it to the fact that I paid $130 a night for my room (rented) and my parents' room cost nearly double - kind of a "you get what you pay for" thing. Now? I am starting to wonder if the DVC properties just aren't maintained as well. Think about it - the regular rooms are cleaned every day that they have an occupant, not so for the DVC rooms - DVC rooms are bound to have a little more accumulated grime. Carpets that are vacuumed daily look newer/cleaner longer than carpets that go several days (with goodness knows how many crumbs being ground in) without a vacuum. Also, stains are noticed more quickly when mousekeeping is a daily event - a stain may sit (and become more stubborn) for several days in a DVC resort before it comes to the attention of mousekeeping.

Anyway, that is my $.02

 

[DebbieB]

I just got back from BWV, room 4041 (1 bedroom). There were a few scuff marks on the baseboards and a couple dark spots on the rug, but nothing major. Bed was fine. It had a new sleeper sofa but I did not use it. Great boardwalk view, I had to pry myself from the balcony yesterday morning at about 10:45am!

 

[rie'smom]

I just got back from BWV, room 4041 (1 bedroom). There were a few scuff marks on the baseboards and a couple dark spots on the rug, but nothing major. Bed was fine. It had a new sleeper sofa but I did not use it. Great boardwalk view, I had to pry myself from the balcony yesterday morning at about 10:45am!

I guess I'll bring my needle and thread and my paintbrush too. This May will be our first trip home to BWV. At my other home, scuffs,etc. drive me nuts and I'm always touching up the paint. Anybody know the colors?

 

[jarestel]

I think many DVC members tend to overlook relatively minor blemishes and defects in the rooms that "cash" guests probably would notice. If you read these boards for any length of time, you're bound to notice a certain level of excuse-making for DVC room problems and sometimes even a criticism of people who do have issues as being "too critical".

But I would agree, that generally speaking, the resorts rooms tend to be shined up a bit more than the DVC rooms. In my experience anyway. Not to imply that DVC rooms are a mess, because they certainly are quite nice. Still, I think it's fair to say an observant guest will notice some things that aren't quite up to par.

 

[Judique]

Its doubtful that all the resorts are like the rooms I had. I dont see why people wouldnt be complaining. That is why I was asking here and no one seems to have had the same issue. And I did think the villas at the BW were up for refurb...maybe it was just bad luck that I cuaght the super worn out section twice. I hope so, b/c I am getting ready to buy and Im hoping SSR is not like that.

I just got back from BWV last weekend. We were in a dedicated one bedroom on the first floor in the standard rooms - #1119. We had to call to get new batteries for the remote. That was it. Trash and towel came on time. In fact, when I finished tipping her, she asked if I needed anything else - I didn't but thanks for asking! Maintenance dropped by one day and asked to check the drapes - for what I'm not sure, but they found no problem. In the last year, this is my fourth stay at BWV. Each time the room has been perfect. Prior to these stays I had done at least 5 or 6 visits to BCV and OKW. OKW was great - BCV was half and half. I still remember stains at BCV - which while not quite dirt, are certainly off putting - does not feel deluxe to me. To add to that, I stayed at SSR when it first opened - first one in the room. Had a problem.....flushed the toilet and it leaked (clean water from the base) all over the bathroom. The room otherwise was obviously perfect. Returned to SSR for a 'first' added night there in a studio - couldn't add the night at BWV as they were full, and I could see some wear and tear 3 years later that I would certainly consider normal. No need to complain - could have spent a week in that room, but it was not as pristine as my BWV one bedroom was.

Now- for comparison with regular resorts - in the early days (pre buying DVC in 2000) I spent a lot of time at the Poly. I'm had great rooms there - that were fresh and refurbished, and I've had moldy oldies that needed updating. I've stayed at Pop, Allstars - for an extra night here and there - and had good rooms. I've stayed at Shades of Green on three or four trips and had good rooms. I stayed at Coronado Springs when it was brand new for a week and hated it but the room was not a problem - it's just not deluxe. Animal Kingdom Lodge in concierge - the room was perfect, and felt special with turn down service etc. In comparison to DVC, the deluxe rooms -Poly and AKL, were much better then a DVC studio, but I still missed my kitchenette. They were NOT better then a one or two bedroom DVC room, however -that's where the big jump came.

Now, having stayed in 4 different rooms at BWV in the last year, and having met 4 different mousekeepers - I will say that there are differences from person to person. One room stood out - there were just little extra touches - more towel animals - the dishcloth was folded a certain way, the pillow looked spiffier on the couch, and when I met her, the person herself stood out - you could tell she was special. Above average in the care she took with our home. But, overall - I encountered no problems at BWV. I love it there and am glad I have most of my points there.
I now average 3-4 DVC trips a year, sometimes splitting my stays at different resorts and still trying out regular Disney resorts, and DVC is still #1 with me.

 

[shovan]

We just had our first stay at a BCV studio so I can't compare to other DVC properties. But it was in better condition than the last time we were at the Poly. They let the Poly get pretty rundown before refurbs were even started. So, I really can't say that they allow just the DVC properties to get that run-down look.

 

[jade1]

Its hard to notice those things (esp at BWV BW View) when the locations, views, amenities and sizes of these places are so impressive. I guess we could start looking for small issues that are currently irrelevant to us in an attempt to diminish our DVC vacations, but I guess we are having to much distracted fun.

 

[crisi]

I don't think that they are upkept as well, and it comes into three categories:

1. Use: Last BWV trip we had a stove where there was some sort of batter (probably pancake batter) between the window panes of the oven. That just isn't the sort of problem you'll have in a room without an oven. People eat more in their DVC rooms, that means more stains. I suspect DVCers just spend more TIME in their rooms - past the "bed and shower" stage of theme park touring their kids are more likely to leave crayon marks behind from a "rest afternoon" spent with crayons. (Is it just me, or does every DVC room have one "broken drawer?"). There is more "stuff" in a DVC room - more lightbulbs to burn out, more hideabeds to lose a spring, more tables to get scuffed, more drawers to go off their tracks.

2. Cleaning schedule: Its hard to keep mildew stains at bay in Florida if you clean your shower daily, harder if its only getting cleaned once a week. Every DVC shower I've been in has been clean, but has had some telltale mildrew stains. Few Deluxe resorts have had them - they happen.

3. Dues concerns: DVC is legally obligated to be good stewards of our dues. In the resort world, its their money, they can refurb the rooms (or not) based on their profit and loss and how they perceive the need. (If the Poly is still selling really well in bad need of refurb, they may delay it). I think this means some things like hall carpets may go a little longer than they may at some of the Deluxe resort.

I find DVC rooms acceptably clean and tidy. I don't think they live up to Deluxe standards, nor are they kept model perfect.