MUST READ Trip Report

[DougandBeth]

Ok this is going to be a different type of trip report in a different format. Some of it good and some not so good and hopefully no one gets offended by this posting by I am stating pure facts. I broke it down by positives and negatives with negatives being first so we can end on a positive note:

Cast:
DW, DS2, DS5 months, Grandma and Grandpa and I
Location:
Beach Club Villas

Negatives:
Art the Greeter is great but it really bothers me that most people that walk by him don't even acknowledge him or sometimes they look funny at him. He is such a great guy!
Refillable mugs - This is a complete joke! I talked to 3 people who bought mugs a year ago and still use them. Why should any of us buy mugs anymore?
Stormalong Bay Pool - Another joke with the pool hopping. Get this, I met one couple who was staying at the Marriott and use the pool because the kids love it, they say they walk right in. One time in 6 days did they ask us for a room key. Another couple at the towel return was staying at Coronado Springs and the icing on the cake was a local resident at Hurricane Hannah's who bought refillable mugs months ago and takes her kids to Stormalong Bay twice a week. I did report all of this but no one seemed to think it was a major issue.
Extra magic hours - Another one that blows my mind. So many people got on rides with no bracelets and some folks got bracelets without even showing room keys.
Owners locker mystery - I know OL is great but for the first time I used it I was not completely satisfied. We arrived in Sunday and did not get the locker until Tuesday because no one at the front desk had a clue what it was.

Positives:
This resort continues to impress!
Disney just does "everything" RIGHT and you can never get a better vacation elsewhere.
Parks were not crowded at all exept Epcot on the night of magic hours.
I have Confirmation from a CM that BLT is indeed DVC with a potential price point of $134 per point.
We just landed tonight at 9:30 and we are already booking flights to go back!

 

[moredisneyplease]

Geez! I've always NOT pool hopped to SAB in fear of embarrassing myself! What was I thinking? It seems to be open to the public!

Thanks for the post!

 

[Chuck S]

Owners locker mystery - I know OL is great but for the first time I used it I was not completely satisfied. We arrived in Sunday and did not get the locker until Tuesday because no one at the front desk had a clue what it was.

I'm trying to understand this part of your post. What would the front desk have to do with your owners locker delivery?

I don't use the service, but it is my understanding that OL drops it off with bell services, not the front desk. And bell services should certainly know what OL is by now.

 

[tjkraz]

Geez! I've always NOT pool hopped to SAB in fear of embarrassing myself! What was I thinking? It seems to be open to the public!

Thanks for the post!

Well, note that OP said the key card was requested one day out of six. So there is still a chance that you will be embarrassed.

I, too, know of people who have pool-hopped to SAB. AFAIK, Disney doesn't issue any warnings which suggest that pool hopping is prohibited. So it shouldn't be surprising that some people assume all of Walt Disney World is accessible to them.

 

[cruiseletters]

Thanks for the trip report, very interesting. I almost choked when you said the points might possibly be 134.00 a point at BLT wow in the current economy that is quite an increase. It makes me wonder what the GCR will be offered for.

 

[oakmanner]

Totally agree with you're Art the Greeter comment. He is awesome!! In fact on my April trip I gave him about a dozen pins that I had doubles of and told him to give them to some young pin traders. He was so appreciative and is just a really nice guy.

Dennis-

 

[MinnieGirl33]

Owners locker mystery - I know OL is great but for the first time I used it I was not completely satisfied. We arrived in Sunday and did not get the locker until Tuesday because no one at the front desk had a clue what it was.

Just to be fair, I don't think this is a problem with service from OL.

I understand the frustration. We had a 1 night stay at CSR at the beginning of an OKW visit in Feb. Let's just say that at 11:30pm & after flight delays out of PHL on a Fri night, I was in the luggage room of CSR going "THAT purple box!"

I can say that Bell Services at OKW, SSR & BWV all know exactly what an OL is. I can understand if the front desk does not know.

The pool issues would infuriate me too

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

Disney doesn't care about pool hopping. The pool was packed at VWL over spring break ... not a single chair to be had during the day and nobody every asked for any resort id's. I had to bite my tongue while listening to a family from Fort Wilderness at the boat dock brag about how they had been pool hopping. They had been at the Poly earlier in the week and had just spent the day at WL. They thought they were going to try out SAB later in the week.

One of my clueless friends booked a stay at ASMo and was disappointed that there was no slide at the pool for her kids. A CM told her she could just go to another resort with a slide ... so she took the kids to the Poly for the afternoon and then proceeded to tell everyone at home that you are silly to pay for the expensive resorts when you can use all of their facilities no matter where you stay on Disney property (she really, genuinely thought pool hopping was a perk of staying on site since the CM told her to give it a try).

Man, that local family with their 2x a week visits to SAB would really have ticked me off!!!

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

Isn't pool hopping allowed except at SAB and AKL?

It really makes me mad that a family who stays outside the parks are using the pools - we own at BWV and would love just to try SAB - I stayed there once just to try the pool, but the weather didn't cooperate.

 

[Chuck S]

Isn't pool hopping allowed except at SAB and AKL?

Technically, pool hopping is only "officially" allowed for DVC members, staying at a DVC resort on points. There are som eblackout dates during busy holiday periods.

We are not allowed to hop to AKL/AKV pools or SAB.

 

[AKV707]

Thanks for the report. I also agree that the issue with your OL is not the fault of the good people at OL. Bell services should have known what it was. When we checked into AKV, I called down to bell services for our grocery order and OL. They said the groceries were there, but no OL. They said "the purple box?" and I said yes, and they said it was not there.

I called the "front desk" the person told me when asked that they were at a central location, but said that she could remedy the situation. She called back in 2 minutes and said that the OL was on its way up! And there it was.

We knew it was there because we got the text message that it had been delivered when we were in the airport in Philly.

In terms of $134 a point, that sounds like a number that a CM pulled out of thin air. I think there are very few people who have any idea what the point cost at the new resort will be.

Glad you had a great trip. Sorry to hear about the pool hoppers. That is completely wrong.

 

[locodemickey]

If they charge $134 for BLT, don't they need to charge a similar rate for AKV?

 

[tjkraz]

If they charge $134 for BLT, don't they need to charge a similar rate for AKV?

I guess that depends on how much people have come to value the 11 month booking window....and how large the resort will be. The initial filings reported by the Sentinel had BLT at only 75 units. If DVC is only getting a portion of the rooms being constructed (with the others being cash rooms), they'll still sell even at the a premium price.

 

[dvc at last !]

subscribing ... read later today

thanks

 

[snackyx]

"I have Confirmation from a CM that BLT is indeed DVC with a potential price point of $134 per point."

The "potential" price point may well be $500 per point, but I don't think it will go that high EITHER. DVC will have to assess to current state of the economy and what points now sell for. IMO $134 seems a bit high...but stay tuned.

 

[eepunk]

Isn't pool hopping allowed except at SAB and AKL?

It really makes me mad that a family who stays outside the parks are using the pools - we own at BWV and would love just to try SAB - I stayed there once just to try the pool, but the weather didn't cooperate.

When we were at the Beach Club in early June, it looked like they were asking for the room key, when you ask for towels as you enter the SAB. One of the lady who was checking the room keys and handing out towels told me that they don't check for room keys after 5 pm. I just thought that the pool hopping was permitted after 5 pm.

 

[photobob]

We stayed at YC three years in a row and they always checked resort ID's at SAB, but that has been a few years back. I've never had them check anywhere else though. As far as refillable mugs go, some people are going to cheat the system (a very few may not even know it is wrong), but I don't think I would let it bother me. I try not to look for negatives, I'm there to have a good time. Some other peoples action can be annoying, but just be glad they aren't with you!!

 

[RweTHEREyet]

.
Owners locker mystery - I know OL is great but for the first time I used it I was not completely satisfied. We arrived in Sunday and did not get the locker until Tuesday because no one at the front desk had a clue what it was.

I have never had a problem in getting my OL at any resort, including BCV. You should have contacted Bell Services and not the Front Desk. We always claim our OL when we first arrive and before going to our room. That way it is delivered at the same time as our luggage.

 

[Monorail Purple&Gold]

Refillable mugs - This is a complete joke! I talked to 3 people who bought mugs a year ago and still use them. Why should any of us buy mugs anymore?

I'm feeling you on this one.

Went in June and DW and I saw an entire family of 6 at CBR with the original mugs issued at the resort from the late 80's. I recognized them b/c we have them picked up somewhere with all the other resort mugs we've collected throughout the past years. Can't believe Disney disbanded the Mug Squad!

On the issue of SAB...I visited once with a friend of mine (back in the late 90's) and he had to show his room ID at the pool to get a wristband to swim there, seems like a low-intensity method to keep this in line.

 

[keishashadow]

OP - thanks for the report, glad overall u had a great time.

surprised that WDW hasn't gone to the wristband system for the pools yet im hate wearing them @ the beach resorts we frequent, yet it does make getting a lounge chair easier

imo, WL main pool is the worst in overcrowding...we too found many guests from the campground, only trip to SAB, we were asked for room key everytime we utilized...which is fine by me