Just booked Beach Club Villas - questions

[barbanm]

I just booked Beach Club Villas 2 bedroom for a week in August on and RCI exchange. We will be traveling with myself, my husband 2 kids 7 and 4 and my parents.

I was told that I can call Disney with my reservation number and put in room requests and book dining plan etc.

My questions... first is this a good resort with our party? We had originally wanted AKV but the Beach Club was availabe and I didn't want to risk waiting and not being able to book anything. Should I make any specific room request? How are the rooms and when were they last refurbished? I know some properties have dated rooms just wondering about this one. I know we can walk or take the boat to Epcott and the Studios but how is bus transportation to the other parks? We will have a car that we can use but how far away will we have to park from our room? I have heard great things about the pool.... just wondering though will it be overly crowded and is it really that great?

Any other advice or information on the resort is greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much.

Barbara

 

[TigerLaw]

Welcome to my home resort!

First, your kids will love the pool - its the best at WDW and is an attraction by itself - make sure to set aside time for it! It can get crowded, but you can usually find a seat somewhere b/c its so big.

As for your other questions, BCV is not one of the major "let's make ten room requests" places in my view. I ususally ask to be close to the main BCR lobby as possible (it can be a walk from the far end of BCV to stormalong bay (SAB)). Otherwise, you could if you want ask for a view of the quiet pool - I'm sure otherwise will give you their preferences.

On the bus service, its a small hike to the bus stop, but there is a couple short cuts, so its not that bad. Service to AK and MK are usually shared with YC and is about as good as can be expected. While we LOVE walking into epcot, we usually drive over to MGM to avoid dealing w. the boat shuttles.

Hope you have a great trip!

 

[TIGGERmetoo]

I think you picked a great place for your stay. The pool is great for the kids, movies on the beach at night and nightlife is fun over on the boardwalk. You can walk or boat to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. We stayed there about a year ago and really enjoyed it.

 

[barbanm]

bumping in hopes of getting some more responses

 

[ChickieToo]

This is one of my home resorts and it is my favorite! I can tell you a little more.

As you have probably heard, the pool, Stormalong Bay (SAB) is great. There is a shallow sandy area for little ones where they can dig and make castles, there are two slide, one for the little ones and a bigger one for the more adventurous, and the staff run games and contests for the kids. It is a really great atmosphere. Some people describe it as kind of a mini waterpark, and I'd go along with that description.

There is a poolside snack bar with food that is pretty good as far as it goes, and adult drinks. You can get poolside service with a waitperson, or go up yourself. There is also another dining option close to the pool area called Beaches and Cream. It is a burger and ice cream place with a 50's soda fountain type of vibe.

There is a restaurant inside the Beach Club Hotel lobby called Cape May Cafe that has a great breakfast buffet which is a character breakfast. I think this character breakfast is one of the best kept secrets at DW--you can almost always get in. There are other restaurants over at the Yacht Club which is the attached "sister" hotel. They have a nice steakhouse called the Yachtman's steakhouse and another one called the Captains Grille.

The hotel is around the boardwalk from the Boardwalk hotel and a bunch of other restaurants. At night they have circus-type performers, magicians, jugglers, etc. It's a lot of fun. You can also rent a surrey bike and petal your way around the lake which we always do. There are other stores and a candy/ice cream shop on the boardwalk too.

The Beach Club runs movies on the beach at night--all Disney, kid friendly stuff, but it's fun. If it rains they bring the movies indoors to one of the common rooms at the beach club hotel.

It is really quite a casually elegant hotel with a great lobby and lots of sitting rooms where you can just sit and read or eat breakfast or lunch that is taken out from the Marketplace which is the hotel store/take-out place.

The rooms at BCV are pretty up-to-date. I was there in September and we had flat screen TVs and new linens. Some of the furniture could be updated a little, but nothing major. Unless otherwise specified, the 2nd bedroom in your unit will have a queen size bed and a pull out couch. My daughter, 11 and niece, 13, often sleep together on the pull out and they say it is comfortable. The living room with also has a pullout couch. There are some 2 bedrooms that have 2 beds in the 2nd bedroom, but that is a different booking category and you have to request it. They may be unavailable at this time.

Let me know if I can help you with anything else. Have fun!

 

[DizGirl20]

We are going to be there in May so I am so glad you posted this thread! I am wanting to know... I don't care so much about view, I care about having a quiet location. Anyone have any good suggestions for quiet room locations? Thanks!

 

[DisneySJB]

We love BCV. We will be heading back for a second visit in late May - DD7's choich which is saying a lot. The Villas are in a seperate building, so they always seemed quiet to me. We love being close to the action - Epcot, Boardwalk, SAB, etc. but in a quiet room

We loved SAB, but also used the quiet pool at the Villas. There are a lot of choices for restaurants. If you have a hopper pass, Epcot becomes an additional choice.

You will have a wonderful time!

 

[Coach81]

I just booked Beach Club Villas 2 bedroom for a week in August on and RCI exchange. We will be traveling with myself, my husband 2 kids 7 and 4 and my parents.

I was told that I can call Disney with my reservation number and put in room requests and book dining plan etc.

My questions... first is this a good resort with our party? We had originally wanted AKV but the Beach Club was availabe and I didn't want to risk waiting and not being able to book anything. Should I make any specific room request? How are the rooms and when were they last refurbished? I know some properties have dated rooms just wondering about this one. I know we can walk or take the boat to Epcott and the Studios but how is bus transportation to the other parks? We will have a car that we can use but how far away will we have to park from our room? I have heard great things about the pool.... just wondering though will it be overly crowded and is it really that great?

Any other advice or information on the resort is greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much.

Barbara

We stayed there for this past Chirstmas.. it is WONDERFUL!!! The pool is spectacular.. the resort is beautiful, and you will absolutely LOVE IT!!!

 

[BCV23]

The villas had a major renovation from Fall of 08-Spring of 09. In the past six months or so, flat screens and iHomes were added. New patio furniture is due sometime this year.

Parking is very close to one end of the building. The bus stop is actually a short walk I think. Instead of walking toward the lobby of the BC, walk toward the lowest # villas, out the door and across the drive. You can also do this outside which is even more pleasant but I think this is easier to explain.

We love BCV. I think you've chosen very wisely!

 

[mtdewhead]

Of all the resorts, this is the only one we stay at when not going to the parks because it is a vacation destination in itself. The pool, the grounds, the Boardwalk is a short walk away (great for after dinner), boat rides, movies on the beach, places to eat, shop, (or take a bus to Downtown Disney). The buses are pretty typical of any of the resort bus rides. We just approach them with patience and realistic expectation and we all have a great time. Enjoy, you will love it!

 

[speakupjc]

We love the BCV. The pool is amazing because of its sandy bottom and general design. We enjoy going to the park, coming back in the afternoon to swim and then going back to the park again in the evening. This resort is one of our 2 favorites. It is within walking distance to EPCOT. You can walk over to EPCOT for lunch and then go to another park to ride and see the attractions. I highly recommend the counter service meal in France. If you have ever been to Chef de France and enjoyed it then you will love it. It has similar dishes and really doesn't seem like a counter service at all.

 

[ThunderSnow]

Wow ChickieToo, I hid a 1967 quarter in a room on my last stay. I'm sure you not only know what room but where in the room it was hidden. Your summary was scary-good.

Seriously, you will not regret staying at BCV, my family's favorite (home)!

 

[Disneygem]

Hi this is also one of my two home resorts. AKV the other and this is always my first choice. The resort is beautiful (I think the best DVC resort!!), pool is great (the villas pool is nice as well if want somewhere a little less crowded). At the pool we find the area towards the Yacht Club end is the best. The ice cream at Beaches and Cream is also pretty good. One of the major benefits of this resort is the ease at which you can walk to world showcase. We tend to drive to MGM (3 mins) but the boat ride is nice too. In terms of buses to the other parks, there shouldn't be a problem -better than the service at AKV (can always get monorail to MK from Epcot as well if prefer not to use bus). It's also quite nice to be a short walk away from the restaurants at the Boardwalk as well.

Rooms have been upgraded fairly recently - pull out beds were replaced last year I think and flat screen TV's over past few months.

All in all, I think you'll really enjoy BCV!

 

[threedisprincesses]

We stayed at 2 br BCV in Feb on a RCI exchange. 5 adults (1 was grandma!), 3 kids (7, 5, & 3), and one infant. IT WAS GREAT!!! We were on the 2nd floor, had a view of the quiet pool. The room had a really nice balcony that ran the length of the three rooms. See below for some answers...

I just booked Beach Club Villas 2 bedroom for a week in August on and RCI exchange. We will be traveling with myself, my husband 2 kids 7 and 4 and my parents. The room will be a perfect size for your party!
I was told that I can call Disney with my reservation number and put in room requests and book dining plan etc. We were on the dining plan. DOUBLE CHECK THAT THEY GET THIS RIGHT!!! I called frequently and had them read to me my reservation information b/c they had us down for no dining plan. THis would had been a BIG issue if I had not caught this mistake!
My questions... first is this a good resort with our party? YES!!! See our party make up above. We had originally wanted AKV but the Beach Club was availabe and I didn't want to risk waiting and not being able to book anything. Should I make any specific room request? I tried to do this and both RCI & DVC told me I needed to speak to the other... The room turned out GREAT! It is a hike to the Storm Along Bay but worth it!

How are the rooms and when were they last refurbished? Clean, the baby was on the floor as well. The flat screen remote did not work very well , washer & drier we LOUD!
I know some properties have dated rooms just wondering about this one. I know we can walk or take the boat to Epcott and the Studios but how is bus transportation to the other parks? We will have a car that we can use but how far away will we have to park from our room? I have heard great things about the pool.... just wondering though will it be overly crowded and is it really that great? Shuttles were great. Sometimes crowded due to stops at Swan & Dolphin & YC. Would probably use the car if we had had one there.
Any other advice or information on the resort is greatly appreciated!

The pool is so much fun! We wish it had been warmer, but we still enjoyed it. Book some time in to just hang at the pool. We brought noodles but they are so unneccessary! The poolside bar has great hamburgers! They are really big.
We did bring some cereal & bought milk there. This was GREAT for the kids! The weather was really cold so we needed to wash clothes quite frequently. The mousekeeping was willing to give us a few more boxes of detergent which was really helpful!!! Just ask if you need something before you buy it.
The kids (7yr old & 4 yr old) did so much more in EPCOT due to the proximity. If one decided they wanted to see the fireworks it was not big deal for an adult to stay back or to rush over to see the fireworks. It will be fun to be able to do some adult time at night in EPOCT. It's so close!
We also did the DHS walk a few times. Easy walk even after being at the parks for DAYS! And the bus is great too!
One more thing-The room was so quiet! You could not hear ANY noise from other rooms or even from room to room in the condo! It was quiter than our house at home! This made sleeping easy!
I'd be happy to answer any more questions. We really had a great time!

Thanks so much.

Barbara

 

[jennypenny]

It is our home resort, and we travel with my inlaws frequently, so here are my thoughts...

It's a nice hotel for the inlaws because if they need time off from the parks they can walk the boardwalk or sit out on the beach and read. They are not stuck in the room. The breezeway and drawing rooms are also nice. I even like having my coffee in the main BC lobby early in the morning.

Your kids will love SAB (no brainer). But mine also like a night swim in the quiet pool, and they love the arcade. They also like the nighttime entertainment on the boardwalk. It's nice at night to walk around and let everyone de-stress from the parks before heading to the room.

The BCV building is like a winding road with the entrance to the marketplace and BC at one end and the self-parking lot at the other. The quiet pool is in the middle. When we have a car, we always just request a ground floor room. Then we are a quick walk to the lobby and the car. We drive to AK, bus to MK, walk to Epcot, and boat to DS. I love that it's not ALL busses or ALL driving, etc.

You can walk through the Dolphin complex to get to Fantasia mini golf--a nice non-park diversion.

We love to get take out at the countries in Epcot and take it back to the room to eat (or to the outside seating area near hurricane hannahs by the pool). It's one of the perks of being so close. You just can't bring alcoholic drinks out of epcot! I always laugh at the people chugging their drinks at the exit at night! I've done it too

 

[badinnplaid]

I just booked Beach Club Villas 2 bedroom for a week in August on and RCI exchange.

May I ask what resort you traded with? I'm trying to see what kind of places people are using to get DVC. Thanks.

 

[leanne11]

we stayed before from friends and faced the quiet pool and parking lot...when we walked to epcot the views were nicer..what room can i ask for sort of facing the boardwalk walkway....

 

[caskar]

We own there and are so thankful. It is a quiet resort (other than some road traffic and elevator noise) yet a short walk away from excitement of The Boardwalk. It is so close to Epcot. We can be on the bridge near the United Kingdom in 5 minutes. We head over when we hear The British Invasion playing. And walking back at night after Illuminations and not having to wait to load a crowded bus, priceless!

So many things! Can't wait to get back this summer for our 10 stay to BCV!