Just back from BWV & a question

[WDWguru]

We're just back from a week in a 2-bedroom standard view at BWV. Great trip overall, parks were crowded most of the time and the weather was HOT but no rain. Anticipated the crowds and they did get better after Memorial Day, but still busy all week.

We were a bit worried about standard view, but ended up with a great view of the Swan/Dolphin and Studios (rooms 4010 and 4008 for those keeping track). It was a bit of a hike from the elevators, but still nothing like what we've had at AKL. We were scheduled to switch to a preferred studio on Friday night (extended family left before DH & I) since no standards came available when we added on the night. But, a call to the front desk and member services had us in the studio part of our lock-off on the very day we were to move. We only lost three points and just moved a few feet over. So either we got really lucky and got a standard view studio about six hours out, or somebody else got upgraded because of it. I wouldn't doubt a lot of folks did with all the work going on.

Almost forgot!! My dad and stepmom took the DVC tour one afternoon and are considering joining. I gave him the address of this board, so be nice if you see an old guy from rural Missouri wandering around here in the next few weeks

Now to the question. On our two previous trips during trash and towel service, they've replaced toiletries, dishwasher soap and laundry soap (usually leaving three or four boxes) along with taking the towels and trash. This time, however, we came back and had no Tide. Everything else was replenished and done, so we called mousekeeping. The woman there, rather rudely, informed me that they did NOT replace the laundry soap for trash and towel day and that if it had happened before it was a mistake. She was a bit snippy but did send up a couple of boxes. I'm just curious to hear everyone's experience with this. Have you had the Tide replaced during trash and towel? Just trying to figure out if this is something they are supposed to do, or were we just lucky before?

Shutting up now for responses. If anyone has any questions, I'm happy to try and answer!

 

[trishy]

They did replace the tide on 2 of our BWV trips, but not on one (I think it's because I left my box of tide tablets out and they figured we didn't need any more). We also had it replaced at VWL, but I can't remember OKW. We always leave a nice tip to the cleaning lady though; maybe that helps . Glad to hear your trip was very nice. Hope your parents join. I think it would be so neat to have members of the family also be DVC members to make the trips that much more enjoyable.

 

[Merilyn]

We never have new tide. We rarely even get towels. It seems like most of the times, they come when we are still there and we just don't get the trash and towel day. It really isn't a bother to us because we wash our towels everyday anyway and we bring our own soap. Also, who can wait 4 days to dump the trash. We sure can't!

 

[DebbieB]

They are supposed to replace the tide in a 1, 2 or 3 bedroom . It is listed on page 87 of the member guidebook. When we were at OKW 3 weeks ago, we got 2 boxes! First time that happened (usually only get 1). It did happen our first time at OKW they did not leave it, I called and housekeeping brought it right over.

Your Swan/Dolphin view was preferred view.

 

[chris1gill]

Glad you had a nice vacation, but just a note... I think the room you had was a preferred view, not a standard view... I'm pretty certain of this, as you had a view of the water (and not the tennis courts) right?

 

[paults]

I believe if you could see the S&D and Studios you had a preferred view.

If not I would request that view all the time by room #

Glad you had nice trip see ya

 

[WDWguru]

Thanks for the responses. It does seem they were mistaken, so we'll see what happens next trip.

We thought we had been upgraded to a preferred as well (even though they didn't say so when we checked in), which is why we inquired with the front desk about just moving to the other half of the room the last night. But when I mentioned that we'd been upgraded anyway, the lady at the desk said "no, you're in a standard view." We were just over the building in that first section next to the bridge to the Swan/Dolphin, water view and definitely no tennis courts. I was pretty sure it was preferred, but the desk said otherwise. Maybe she was wrong?

 

[Dean]

They should replenish the tide but only one box each time.

 

[DeeP]

You must have been right at the line where the villas change from standard to preferred views, what great luck!! I will have to remember those room #'s! We just got back from BWV also, we had a boardwalk view and it was fantastic! I was surprised at how many of the standard view rooms were still under rehab.

 

[Mary Ellen]

We stayed in a simular location (next to the 'Attic' on the third? floor) when we booked standard view a few years ago. We were told we had been upgraded. Our feeling was that, if we had payed preferred points we would have been really ticked. Maybe they have changed the status of some views.

 

[Shamus]

The rooms you had actually are considered "Preferred View". They do however often upgrade standard view reservations to that area. I enjoy that location but many people feel that looking at the DVC sales buildings below is not a preffered view.


Shamus

 

[shovelhd]

We also just got back from the BWV preferred view 2BR (rooms 2015-2017, right over the BRG). They did not replace the Tide but we had our own anyways. They did do the trash, towels, soap, and shampoo.

 

[donmil723]

wdwguru, just curious about where in rural Missouri your father is from as I'm from a small town in central Missouri that is very near the state capital of Jefferson City.

I'll be sure to welcome a fellow "Show-Me Stater"!

Donna

 

[WDWguruDH]

My wife's father is from Trenton - north central. My mother is from your neck of the woods, Barnett, down on the Lake of the Ozarks - It's a Small World!

 

[drusba]

Not sure where original poster was located. However, the so-called "tennis court" view rooms at the very end of the resort do face towards MGM and you can see S/D and those are and have always been "standard" view.

 

[DeeP]

WDWguru,
Were your rooms on the very end of the building facing S&D or were you actually on the boardwalk side? If these are the rooms that I am thinking of they are on the S&D side right where the bridge feeds into the boardwalk on the back side of the building and they are are standard view rooms. I have found quite a few of the villas at BWV that are considered standard view are actually quite good views, matter of fact, I can honestly say we have not had a bad standard view yet in many, many trips ever since I learned to request a standard view as far from the front enterance as possible--I do not enjoy all the cars coming and going, however others love these rooms and enjoy watching all the comings and goings and it is very pretty all lit up at night.
I also enjoy staying in the rooms by the tennis courts that are considered standard view yet have a great view of TOT, the waterway to MGM, the friendship boats, S&D and even the fireworks and music from Fantasmic. Most people do not want these rooms because they are far from the elevators, but I love them. The walk from the elevators is at max a 4 minute walk but the view from the rooms and the pts savings is well worth it to me.

 

[DisnutDave@work]

When we stayed at the BWV's a few weeks ago most if not all of the standard view rooms were undergoing renovations; I suspect that's still the case. Perhaps an upgrade was made to a preferred view room due to lack of availability of std. view rooms.

 

[carone0318]

We were at BWV from 5/25 - 5/30 and we were your neighbors in room 4006. It was a long walk to the room, but we didn't mind it at all. Our 2 little ones loved running down the hall to and from the elevator when we would go out each day. I had my DIS tag on my stroller and my bags.

It was a good time had by all. I thought the view out of our room was awesome. I thought that maybe it was a preferred and they put us in there because of all of the construction, but myabe I was wrong and it was a std view. I'd take that view on any future trip.

We were blessed to get into our room at 10:30. My dd was sick and the ability to get into the room really helped out. She ended up threwing up on the patio while we were waiting for our PS at CP on 5/25! I think that she might have picked up a virus while are were on the 3 night cruise from Thur - Sun before coming to BWV.

Did you go to the members update meeting on Thurs 5/29?

 

[WDWguru]

Hey neighbor!! We did not make it to the member update as we had a PS at Chef Mickey's that morning. We still have yet to make one, but maybe in December! It was a great view, which is what confused us, but according to BWV's front desk and MS, it is indeed a standard view.

For those of you not sure where we mean, you overlook the side of the Swan straight out and below you are the DVC offices (? or maybe part of the convention stuff - it's a building nonetheless). To the right is the bridge to the Swan and Dolphin and the waterway for the Friendship boats is directly in front of you. If you look at that side of the BWV building from the water (or from the Swan), it would be toward the front, or left end of the building... we were in the first section just past the bridge. The next section on back is the main pool section and then the quiet pool section is after that. We definitely did not have the tennis court view.

We honestly thought we got upgraded to preferred, even though the front desk did not say so to DH when he checked in. However, we found out we were in a standard view when we went to move. We were schedule to move from a standard two bedroom to preferred studio on our last night. We decided to call and see if we could just stay in the studio attached to our unit. We figured since we'd been upgraded, it shouldn't be a problem. However, when I called, the front desk told me we WERE in a standard view room and that to switch our studio reservation I would have to speak to MS. She connected me to MS, where they arranged the switch and we forfeited the three points difference. MS then called the front desk and told them how to do it in their computer. We went down, swapped keys, and moved over to the studio.

If we had been upgraded, none of that would have been necessary as our second reservation was for a preferred studio already. However, because our two bedroom was a standard unit, we had to go through the process to downgrade the studio reservation. Obviously this room is a standard view in both the BWV computer system and at MS or somewhere in that switching process it would have come up that we were already in a preferred room and could simply move.

In any case, we were pleased with the view and would take it again. It was a bit of a walk, but not horrible. There was a stairway close that put you right on the path to MGM, so we were happy!

 

[DebbieB]

I always thought those rooms were preferred. I know someone who got a room there and was mad they paid preferred points for a room over Jellyroll's dumpster and that red building. I'd rather be facing the front driveway and have a view of Illuminations.