We have been members since 1996 and just returned from our 17'th trip since then. With the exception of one other at the Poly, all trips but the most recent have been at OKW. We have stayed in 1BRs, 2BRs and a GVs so we know OKW pretty well. We bought an add on at BCV and wanted to try it. Here are my thoughts.
The resort is beautiful without question. All CM's were pleasant and efficient. We asked for non smoking, top floor Epcot view and got it - a 1BR Villa 548. The view of the Epcot ball was perfect but the view comes at a price - a view of the back of Future World including delivery trucks, trash trucks and ventillation systems on the roofs of buildings. The traffic on the road below was audible & visible but not a problem. We were surprised by the size and feel of the units even after touring them on an earlier trip. Everyone knows they are smaller than OKW but after living in one for a week, it felt cramped for the 4 of us. My 13 y/o daughters shared the pull out and had to use the coffee table and TV entertainment unit for clothes. OKW has the large cabinet next to the dining table which they usually use for clothes when we have a 1br. When the bed is open, the room becomes useless. With no windows and very small closed in balconies, we felt the spaces were dark. It took a while to get used to the bathroom configuration. Unlike OKW, the toilet is in a room by itself. The lighting in that room, the "shower room" and the "tub room" is too bright without any dimmer switch. There were too many doors in such a small area. Unless you lock the bedroom door, you cannot prevent access to the shower area because there is no lock on that door. Unlike OKW, the Villas have room service available. We tried it one evening after returning fairly late (10:00 pm) ordering 1 Club Sandwich w/ chips and 1 Turkey Sandwich w/fries. Both sandwiches were pretty bad - total cost was $37.00. I never usually complain about costs when on vacation but because our room service menu was missing, I ordered blind and had no idea about price, tax, service fee & delivery fee - even I was surprised this time. Had it at least been good, I wouldn't have cared. There was nothing wrong with it that re-ordering would have cured - it was just 2 very basic sandwiches for $37.00. The only other nuisance in the Villa was that the TV's are too dark and there is no way to adjust them. The AC worked fine for us although it does shut down when you are not in the room. As soon as you enter, it starts up and cools the villa down. At night, it will shut down but it never seemed to get too warm. If you get up to go to the bathroom, it will start up and run for some time.
The quiet pool & setting are great. Very peaceful. SAB was nice to have available. They were requiring wristbands which you rec'd by showing a roomkey at every entrance. Pool hopping was not permitted during this spring break/Easter period which may explain the tight "security". One word of warning - The wildlife at SAB (ducks, birds and squirrels) is getting a little out of hand. You literally cannot eat anything at a table without being surrounded by very agressive, hungry animals. Forget about trying to eat at a table near Hurricane Hannas - we had a squirrel jump up on our table. At that point, we left. I mentioned it to the manager who said he would call pest control.
Please note - nothing said here is intended to cause a "which resort is better" battle. BCV is a beautiful addition to the DVC family. Our daughter's comments - totally unsolicited - were that it didn't seem like a vacation not being at OKW to which I replied "well after all, OKW is the only true... nevermind! Oou next trip is Nov in a 1br at WL - I'm calling Monday to see if anything is available at OKW. I guess space is a big priority for us.
The resort is beautiful without question. All CM's were pleasant and efficient. We asked for non smoking, top floor Epcot view and got it - a 1BR Villa 548. The view of the Epcot ball was perfect but the view comes at a price - a view of the back of Future World including delivery trucks, trash trucks and ventillation systems on the roofs of buildings. The traffic on the road below was audible & visible but not a problem. We were surprised by the size and feel of the units even after touring them on an earlier trip. Everyone knows they are smaller than OKW but after living in one for a week, it felt cramped for the 4 of us. My 13 y/o daughters shared the pull out and had to use the coffee table and TV entertainment unit for clothes. OKW has the large cabinet next to the dining table which they usually use for clothes when we have a 1br. When the bed is open, the room becomes useless. With no windows and very small closed in balconies, we felt the spaces were dark. It took a while to get used to the bathroom configuration. Unlike OKW, the toilet is in a room by itself. The lighting in that room, the "shower room" and the "tub room" is too bright without any dimmer switch. There were too many doors in such a small area. Unless you lock the bedroom door, you cannot prevent access to the shower area because there is no lock on that door. Unlike OKW, the Villas have room service available. We tried it one evening after returning fairly late (10:00 pm) ordering 1 Club Sandwich w/ chips and 1 Turkey Sandwich w/fries. Both sandwiches were pretty bad - total cost was $37.00. I never usually complain about costs when on vacation but because our room service menu was missing, I ordered blind and had no idea about price, tax, service fee & delivery fee - even I was surprised this time. Had it at least been good, I wouldn't have cared. There was nothing wrong with it that re-ordering would have cured - it was just 2 very basic sandwiches for $37.00. The only other nuisance in the Villa was that the TV's are too dark and there is no way to adjust them. The AC worked fine for us although it does shut down when you are not in the room. As soon as you enter, it starts up and cools the villa down. At night, it will shut down but it never seemed to get too warm. If you get up to go to the bathroom, it will start up and run for some time.
The quiet pool & setting are great. Very peaceful. SAB was nice to have available. They were requiring wristbands which you rec'd by showing a roomkey at every entrance. Pool hopping was not permitted during this spring break/Easter period which may explain the tight "security". One word of warning - The wildlife at SAB (ducks, birds and squirrels) is getting a little out of hand. You literally cannot eat anything at a table without being surrounded by very agressive, hungry animals. Forget about trying to eat at a table near Hurricane Hannas - we had a squirrel jump up on our table. At that point, we left. I mentioned it to the manager who said he would call pest control.
Please note - nothing said here is intended to cause a "which resort is better" battle. BCV is a beautiful addition to the DVC family. Our daughter's comments - totally unsolicited - were that it didn't seem like a vacation not being at OKW to which I replied "well after all, OKW is the only true... nevermind! Oou next trip is Nov in a 1br at WL - I'm calling Monday to see if anything is available at OKW. I guess space is a big priority for us.
