I thought the Boardwalk Villas were recently rehabbed...

WDWorld2003

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We're getting excited for our first trip back in four years, and bringing extended family. I've reserved a 2 bdrm. and studio at our home resort at the Boardwalk and we were able to get a Boardwalk view. I thought I'd read some reviews and was surprised at how many people stated it was dated, dirty, etc.

I thought it had been rehabbed since the last time we were there? Also, since it was mentioned so often I'm a little concerned about cleanliness.

Would love to hear your recent experiences.
 
We were there in October and December. Our room was definitely not dirty. The decor is not modern like BLT so maybe some would refer to it as "dated." It has Corian type counters in the kitchen, not granite, which some also might consider out of style. But the look of the BWV fits the theme, I think. If you are looking for sleek and modern, BWV is probably not a good choice.
Here is a link to some photos on AllEars. Be sure to note that some are old, before the refurbishment.

http://allears.net/acc/g_bwv.htm
 
We last stayed at BWV in August 2010 and when we checked in, we were told that it would be a few hours before our room was ready but that it was worth the wait as it was one of the ones that had just gone through refurbishment and was beautiful. It sounded as though they were early in the process of doing all the rooms. I don't know when they started/finished though.
 
We stayed last October...our 2 br villa was clean and the decor fits the boardwalk theme which we love...as others have said its not modern so some are disappointed
 

They finished in 2010 because they started the OKW renovations in late 2010.

Non-owners always complain about the decor at the villas (any of them) is so dated. They don't understand the theming. It's not sterile, modern like the W Hotel. People even complain about the GF.
 
It could also just be someone getting stuck with the "bad" room. We stayed in a newly refurbished BWV one bedroom in Nov. 2010 and it was perfect! However, one year later we were just about 7 rooms down the hall and that room was in awful disrepair. We couldn't believe it. Luckily, it rarely happens, but it is disappointing when you get that room. Good luck to you! :goodvibes
 
The BWV rooms were rehabbed from 2009 to 2010, a section at a time. I don't get the "dated" either. You are staying for a short time, not living in it for 10 years. Does it matter that the appliances are not stainless or the counter is not granite? The TVs are HD flat screens, which is current and a functional feature. I've never had a dirty room.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2201734
 
Non-owners always complain about the decor at the villas (any of them) is so dated. They don't understand the theming. It's not sterile, modern like the W Hotel. People even complain about the GF.

I'm a BWV owner, and I think the bedding style is dated. It appears that Disney thinks so too, since they are changing it to keep in line with "industry standards." I guess people simply have different opinions on this subject.

To the OP---My last 2 bedroom was very dirty (nail clippings on the carpet by the bed, urine smell from one corner in the bathroom, heavy cigar smoke that was never remediated, backed up plumbing), I posted an long thread about it here. That was back in Oct. 2011. We were there 4 nights, and talked to the front desk and housekeeping and maintenance daily about the smoke issue. It was never remedied during our stay.
 
BWV is our home resort, and we have had several wonderful stays there in the past and enjoy the theme and the feel of the resort. However, on our last stay, in December, our room was not clean. There was hair in the shower, the corners of the bathroom and the sink in the bathroom. I did complain, but didn't feel like I got a great resolution out of it. It was pretty disappointing. We have been staying at AKV a lot too and this was a split stay with BLT. While I prefer the theme at BWV, the juxtaposition of BLT and BWV did highlight some of the drawbacks of staying at an older resort. It definitely felt dingier. I don't think I'd ever go from BLT or AKV to BWV again. It probably wouldn't have been as pronounced if it had been the only place we stayed. The cleanliness, though, still would have been an issue.
 
We haven't been there since Aug. 2010 but I just don't care for the style. It's not the actual stuff that's old, it's the style that makes it look old to me.
 
I had a great 1 bedroom stay at BWV in January. Everything was clean. It is interesting to me in that it was a stay that went from AKV to BWV, and that didn't turn any of us off to BWV at all! I stay in Kidani and BWV for different reasons!

From there I went to a studio at OKW which was great too!

Bobbi:goodvibes
 
We stayed at BWV in a 1BR in November/December 2010 and our villa was great!

For people that think ALL hotel decor should be modern and contemporary, there are two choices - BLT or the Contemporary.

If someone doesn't enjoy a themed room, then they really should be staying at the WDW resort! HAHA

I really think that housekeeping needs a pep talk - in general.

Our Villas at BLT in January was clean, not spotless, but clean.

I think they really need to focus on spider/cob webs - giving each corner of the room a sweep a couple times a week.

I think in general there is a huge problem with keeping hair and nail clippings off the floor - they just don't seem to actually MOP the villas! The grout lines in nearly ALL of the resorts look dirty.
 
We love BWV, we've never had a bad villa, actually I've always found the housekeeping a bit above the other resorts as far as performance. We always book 2 bd, and our last stay there, early Nov 2012 (only one day) was no different. People complained about the rehab and the fact that just as in OKW they brought back the same type of comforter/heavy bedspread instead of a duvet.

The way some of these villas are described as worn, dirty etc. you'd think they were describing a stay at Motel 6! Thankfully, in 40+ DVC stays, at various resorts, we've never encountered such poor accommodations. Have we been lucky, a 12 year streak, naw! I think these villas are the exception, not the norm!

Good luck with your trip, I wouldn't worry!
 
....The way some of these villas are described as worn, dirty etc. you'd think they were describing a stay at Motel 6! Thankfully, in 40+ DVC stays, at various resorts, we've never encountered such poor accommodations. Have we been lucky, a 12 year streak, naw! I think these villas are the exception, not the norm!

Good luck with your trip, I wouldn't worry!

So true. Some people just like to complain. And if you rely on Trip Advisor (and only read the first few reviews), you might get a wrong picture of the place you are checking on. We've had over 30 stays in the past 15 years and have had the same experiences as you. We've always had a very nice, clean villa. And it we had a problem, we notified the right people and it got resolved.
 
I think in general there is a huge problem with keeping hair and nail clippings off the floor - they just don't seem to actually MOP the villas! The grout lines in nearly ALL of the resorts look dirty.

I think they mop if it's visually grimy/dirty, like in the kitchen, but I think they just vacuum most of the time!

Grout lines, the OKW ones take the cake, they are about 1 inch wide, I was hoping they would go during the rebab, but the bathrooms weren't modified other than a dark stained mirror! But the bathrooms have always been clean!
 
I stayed at both BLT and BWV in October and while BLT had the best set up of rooms of any of the studios I've stayed in at any of the resorts, I just love the Boardwalk so I don't care about the small stuff! The location to Epcot and the entertainment at BW make it worth it to me.
 
Regarding whether the rooms are dated (they're not, they're themed): In any case, stainless and granite are on the way out. If you follow builders shows today you'll see that, for example, white kitchens are coming back. White appliances are returning, this time with chrome or pewter handles for an "icy" look. And composition countertops are returning, too, some with new looks that don't resemble granite at all.
 
Our home is BWV. I don't recall much change in the past 4 years but I have never thought our room was worn or out dated - not to mention never dirty. If you liked the decor 4 years ago you will be satisfied again.
 
We're getting excited for our first trip back in four years, and bringing extended family. I've reserved a 2 bdrm. and studio at our home resort at the Boardwalk and we were able to get a Boardwalk view. I thought I'd read some reviews and was surprised at how many people stated it was dated, dirty, etc.

I thought it had been rehabbed since the last time we were there? Also, since it was mentioned so often I'm a little concerned about cleanliness.

Would love to hear your recent experiences.

We were there in a studio for marathon weekend and found it to be very clean and the staff was very friendly. We are going back in May.:thumbsup2
 
Regarding whether the rooms are dated (they're not, they're themed): In any case, stainless and granite are on the way out. If you follow builders shows today you'll see that, for example, white kitchens are coming back. White appliances are returning, this time with chrome or pewter handles for an "icy" look. And composition countertops are returning, too, some with new looks that don't resemble granite at all.

:thumbsup2

i'm a realtor so i guess i should remember the color of the various DVC resort units' applicances and counter tops, but can't say that I ever have...just happy to be 'home' and in comfy and clean surroundings.
 













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