Well, we just got back from our first trip to BCV. A 7 day stay in a 1-bedroom. This trip ranked only a "so-so" due to rainy weather and all three of us (wife, me, 6 yr old) being ill. However, a few observations:
Transportation - we used yourride.com for the first time - excellent service and I would highly recommend them.
Check-in - CM "Dulce" checked us in. Check in was quick, however Dulce was not familiar with the BCV layout. We had requested an Epcot view, but there were non available (no big deal). So I asked for a quiet room. What we got was a room right next door to an elevator (Room 366) - however we didn't realize this (because the elevator is tucked around a corner and goes down to the pool) until we returned from the parks in the evening. By the time we were in a position to complain (we had an unscheduled trip to the emergency room in between!), we decided we didn't want the hassle of moving. But Beware!!! If you get a room around the elevator shaft, there isn't enough soundproofing to stop you from hearing that darn elevator until the wee hours!
Resort - Beautiful resort, well kept, and we didn't find the rooms to be that much of a hike to anything. Quiet pools were generally quiet - with the exception of one night (see below). All in all, no problems with general appearance and maintenance.
Room - Room was beautiful - clean, spacious (we are new DVC members, so a 1-bedroom was luxurious for us), nice view of the Dunes Cove pool, hidden mickeys, great shower stall (huge). One minor complaint - I wish they had a DVD player in the bedroom as well as the living room - heck, you can get these for under $75 now and it sure would have been nice to watch a movie while our daughter slept in the living room - but this was our only, very minor, complaint about the room.
Resort Staff - Unfortunately, we found the resort staff to be, generally, lackluster. No "Welcome Homes", not much in the way of greetings or smiles, not very helpful. We had one situation when a family with 5-6 kids were in the Dunes Cove pool at about 10:00 pm - being very noisy. I let it go for about 15 minutes, then called to complain. Front desk told me that they had already had several complaints and were sending out a CM to fix the problem. I watched from the balcony as a CM approached the "Mother -in - charge" at the pool. "Mom" just shrugged her shoulders as if to say "Hey, what can I do". CM obviously didn't want a confrontation and just walked away. My second phone call produced "Well, Sir, we told them to quiet down but there's not much more we can do" - Excuse me!! You have an obligation to your guests to ensure a pleasant stay!! Come on!! Anyway, I've several other examples of CM's poor performances, but won't go into further detail. Needless to say, this was the most disappointing part of our trip.
So - all in all, an ok trip (our third in the last 2 years) - however, I do see a definite decline in the quality of Disney which I hope is corrected (after all, we have 40 years worth of trips left to go!).
Transportation - we used yourride.com for the first time - excellent service and I would highly recommend them.
Check-in - CM "Dulce" checked us in. Check in was quick, however Dulce was not familiar with the BCV layout. We had requested an Epcot view, but there were non available (no big deal). So I asked for a quiet room. What we got was a room right next door to an elevator (Room 366) - however we didn't realize this (because the elevator is tucked around a corner and goes down to the pool) until we returned from the parks in the evening. By the time we were in a position to complain (we had an unscheduled trip to the emergency room in between!), we decided we didn't want the hassle of moving. But Beware!!! If you get a room around the elevator shaft, there isn't enough soundproofing to stop you from hearing that darn elevator until the wee hours!
Resort - Beautiful resort, well kept, and we didn't find the rooms to be that much of a hike to anything. Quiet pools were generally quiet - with the exception of one night (see below). All in all, no problems with general appearance and maintenance.
Room - Room was beautiful - clean, spacious (we are new DVC members, so a 1-bedroom was luxurious for us), nice view of the Dunes Cove pool, hidden mickeys, great shower stall (huge). One minor complaint - I wish they had a DVD player in the bedroom as well as the living room - heck, you can get these for under $75 now and it sure would have been nice to watch a movie while our daughter slept in the living room - but this was our only, very minor, complaint about the room.
Resort Staff - Unfortunately, we found the resort staff to be, generally, lackluster. No "Welcome Homes", not much in the way of greetings or smiles, not very helpful. We had one situation when a family with 5-6 kids were in the Dunes Cove pool at about 10:00 pm - being very noisy. I let it go for about 15 minutes, then called to complain. Front desk told me that they had already had several complaints and were sending out a CM to fix the problem. I watched from the balcony as a CM approached the "Mother -in - charge" at the pool. "Mom" just shrugged her shoulders as if to say "Hey, what can I do". CM obviously didn't want a confrontation and just walked away. My second phone call produced "Well, Sir, we told them to quiet down but there's not much more we can do" - Excuse me!! You have an obligation to your guests to ensure a pleasant stay!! Come on!! Anyway, I've several other examples of CM's poor performances, but won't go into further detail. Needless to say, this was the most disappointing part of our trip.
So - all in all, an ok trip (our third in the last 2 years) - however, I do see a definite decline in the quality of Disney which I hope is corrected (after all, we have 40 years worth of trips left to go!).
