Nervous about split stay as new DVC owners??? SSR then BWV

[edk35]

It seems to me that "here lately" BWV has gotten some bad reviews. YIKES. We are staying at our home resort SSR for 5 nights and BWV for 4 and now I am sort of wishing we had just booked SSR for all 9. This is our first trip as DVC members. I can't change that because our UY is Oct. and our trip is late Aug. We would get some points back and they can't be banked now. I keep reading "worn out", "not clean", "maintenance issues", "the hot water issue", YIKES. I know that these are hit and miss cases but it seems here lately more and more BWV trip reports are complaints. We wanted to try BWV because of the location to EC mainly and it looks like a fun place. Now I am hesitant. We are going back to SSR in Nov. for 6 nights. Oh and I know that people post negative about SSR on here but that negative has nothing to do with the reasons people post negative about BWV.

 

[Granny]

It seems to me that "here lately" BWV has gotten some bad reviews. YIKES. We are staying at our home resort SSR for 5 nights and BWV for 4 and now I am sort of wishing we had just booked SSR for all 9. This is our first trip as DVC members. I can't change that because our UY is Oct. and our trip is late Aug. We would get some points back and they can't be banked now. I keep reading "worn out", "not clean", "maintenance issues", "the hot water issue", YIKES. I know that these are hit and miss cases but it seems here lately more and more BWV trip reports are complaints. We wanted to try BWV because of the location to EC mainly and it looks like a fun place. Now I am hesitant. We are going back to SSR in Nov. for 6 nights. Oh and I know that people post negative about SSR on here but that negative has nothing to do with the reasons people post negative about BWV.

I wouldn't hesitate one second about staying at BWV or any other place.

Keep in mind that there are many, many visits to any resort every month. Many times, people only post their problems here. After all, threads such as "Just stayed at XXX Resort and everything went perfectly" fall off the page quickly while any negative comments draw a lot of responses.

We are scheduled for an upcoming BWV trip this summer and I am looking forward to it very much. If by chance we do end up with a "problem room", we'll have it addressed and have a great stay. But in our several stays at BWV so far, we've never had one major issue.

If reading negative things about DVC concerns you, I'd stay away from the internet until your trip is over!

 

[edk35]

I wouldn't hesitate one second about staying at BWV or any other place.

Keep in mind that there are many, many visits to any resort every month. Many times, people only post their problems here. After all, threads such as "Just stayed at XXX Resort and everything went perfectly" fall off the page quickly while any negative comments draw a lot of responses.

We are scheduled for an upcoming BWV trip this summer and I am looking forward to it very much. If by chance we do end up with a "problem room", we'll have it addressed and have a great stay. But in our several stays at BWV so far, we've never had one major issue.

If reading negative things about DVC concerns you, I'd stay away from the internet until your trip is over!

Thanks. Well for starters... I am not staying off the boards..... that is for sure. People slam SSR and that was not enough to make us NOT BUY THERE, or want to stay there. I just found it odd that BWV seems to be the one talked about the most as far as "not being kept up". I am sure we will have a good time and just like other Disney resorts that we have tried and never wanted to stay at again....we might find the same with a DVC resort.

 

[tiggercrew]

I have obviously been reading the same negative threads that you have about BWV and noticed a lot of complaints about maintenance/cleanliness. Even after reading those posts, I still think I would want to give it a try myself. Since this is your first trip as DVC members it would be nice to experience more than one resort...this way you can make your own decision about your future trips. I think it's great to have a basis for comparison. All that being said, I'm sure those people that have actually experienced problems at BWV might have a different opinion than mine.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Granny]

I was just kidding about staying off the boards...as if we could do that!

I was just trying to make the point that I wouldn't worry about the recent posts. At one time or another, you would have thought that OKW or BCV were falling completely apart based on reports.

Here are a couple of recent threads about BWV stays. Note that they didn't last long since there were no complaints.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1453029

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1432069

 

[edk35]

I was just kidding about staying off the boards...as if we could do that!

I was just trying to make the point that I wouldn't worry about the recent posts. At one time or another, you would have thought that OKW or BCV were falling completely apart based on reports.

Here are a couple of recent threads about BWV stays. Note that they didn't last long since there were no complaints.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1453029

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1432069

LOL Oh I know!!! I see what you mean about a positive post not last long.

 

[3DisneyKids]

Having just returned from a split stay...BWV and SSR...I will say that (as always) it depends on your family and what you are looking for.

For us, SSR won in terms of:

1. Cleanliness (and just looking newer and in better shape)
2. FOOD (this is a big one for us...no easy access to CS at BWV)
3. Bell/Valet services (we like having our car in front of our villa...both bell and valet services were quite slow at BWV)
4. Pool (but not slide)

However, BWV won in terms of:

1. Location (can't beat that short hop to Epcot!)
2. Management (DJ and Jackie greeted us at check-in, asked my kids who their favorite characters were and then instantly appeared with photos of them)
3. The slide (though not the pool itself...the kids just loved the slide!)
4. Being on the Boardwalk at night...kids love all of the entertainers, etc.

All of the CMs we encountered at both resorts were wonderful!

I would not cancel your BWV reservations. As a DVCer, one of the great things is to try each resort at least once before settling in at your favorite place.

Even though we loved much of what BWV had to offer, our family votes for SSR over BWV at this point. However, we also walked over to BCV a few times (for food) and the kids (ok, and me too!) really want to stay there next time.

 

[Starr W.]

However, we also walked over to BCV a few times (for food) and the kids (ok, and me too!) really want to stay there next time.

My 6 yr old is on the warpath to stay at BCV(I guess no more of those Samantha Brown shows from the Travel Channel for him)!

He's in a snit that he's staying at SSR for Thanksgiving.

 

[edk35]

Having just returned from a split stay...BWV and SSR...I will say that (as always) it depends on your family and what you are looking for.

For us, SSR won in terms of:

1. Cleanliness (and just looking newer and in better shape)
2. FOOD (this is a big one for us...no easy access to CS at BWV)
3. Bell/Valet services (we like having our car in front of our villa...both bell and valet services were quite slow at BWV)
4. Pool (but not slide)

However, BWV won in terms of:

1. Location (can't beat that short hop to Epcot!)
2. Management (DJ and Jackie greeted us at check-in, asked my kids who their favorite characters were and then instantly appeared with photos of them)
3. The slide (though not the pool itself...the kids just loved the slide!)
4. Being on the Boardwalk at night...kids love all of the entertainers, etc.

All of the CMs we encountered at both resorts were wonderful!

I would not cancel your BWV reservations. As a DVCer, one of the great things is to try each resort at least once before settling in at your favorite place.

Even though we loved much of what BWV had to offer, our family votes for SSR over BWV at this point. However, we also walked over to BCV a few times (for food) and the kids (ok, and me too!) really want to stay there next time.

Thanks. How long did you stay at each resort if you don't mind me asking?

 

[cncDisney4]

We leave in 2 weeks for a split stay at BCV, BWV and SSR. Our "home resort" is SSR and we absolutely love staying there , however, we do want to see what it's like at some other resorts.

I, personally, take it all with a grain of salt. We are looking forward to staying at the other resorts and always bring our "Disney Attitude".

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[poggs]

My 6 yr old is on the warpath to stay at BCV(I guess no more of those Samantha Brown shows from the Travel Channel for him)!

Hey, If only we could get to see them! they have never been on in the UK. Amazon had the DVD's available under the Great hotels series. I had them on order since november 2006. Got an email this morning to say they cant get them and the order has been cancelled!

I wish I could get the opportunity to be nagged by my DS!

 

[bavaria]

I had stays at both BWV and BCV last year, and am happy to report that both studios were excellent condition, and 100% free of any nasties

 

[dizzneebabe]

I absolutely LOVE BWV!!! We've stayed there twice--once on the Inn side and then on our last trip in a studio. Both times the rooms were immaculate! The studio in particular was a great room (standard view) with a view of the waterway to MGM and ToT. The location can NOT be beat. Our kids love the pool! I could go on and on.

In fact we are debating whether to stay there next trip over our home resort, AKV. The new building won't be open yet and we really like being so close to Epcot.

I would stay at BWV in a hearbeat!!!!

 

[MinnieFan]

We did a split stay at SSR and BWV in February. I had also read about maintenance problems at BWV but happily did not see any of this during our stay. Our 1BR was immaculate, and everything was in working order. We have stayed at VWL a number of times, and we love VWL, but I have to say we thought the housekeeping services at BWV were better. Hope you can relax and have a great trip!

 

[slk537]

We just got back last Wednesday from a split stay at BCV, VWL and BWV. So less than a week ago we were at BWV.

We love split stays because we love too many resorts. This was our first stay at BWV and it was very nice. No complaints about the condition of the room or the resort and we didn't notice any water issues. It was our least favorite resort of the trip, but most of that was because we love BCV and VWL and because it was the last 3 nights so we were sad to leave.

I'd like to say this: Of all three resorts in two weeks of vacationing, the CM's at the BWV's were by far the nicest, friendliest, and most helpful anywhere!! From checkin to check out they were outstanding. The check in CM was anxious to get us in a room asap and even called me on my cell when it was ready (I've never heard of that - I thought we were supposed to call THEM!), we had some minor DDP credit snafus from the parks and they were fixed immediately when DH talked to the front desk, and the Mousekeeping CM stopped by to replace towels (which was odd since it was day 2 and we were only there for 3 nights) and ended up giving me about 4 nights worth of the awesome H2O+ shampoo, conditioner and soap when I mentioned how much I liked the scent. They also helped us get some things we accidentally left at VWL when we moved.

We've also stayed at SSR and it was wonderful - there's a very nice DVC Family atmosphere at OKW and SSR that the other DVCs have, but not as much. I think you are in for a wonderful vacation!

 

[dannyh23]

I don't think you'll have anything to worry about! We just did a split stay, and have (knock on wood) NEVER had the problems that some people report on here. I'm sure they happen, they just overall are rare. Remember that in general, only a FEW people report positive experiences -- and people ALMOST ALWAYS report negative ones.

I'm glad they do report problems, because honestly in the long run as DVC members, we are helping each other out by reporting problems to the front desk, writing letters, or sharing stories on these boards.

One time we had a clothes washer at BCV that wasn't draining out the water when it finished. We used the W/D in the laundry room instead and let the front desk know so it would be fixed before the next member checked in.

In regular hotel rooms, most people don't bother to report room problems unless it directly causes them a problem -- because they usually don't care about the next occupant!

Enjoy your DVC membership for the decades to come! You've earned it!!!

 

[DVC Grammy]

We've been members for quite a while, and have made many, many trips to various DVCs in WDW. Yes, in 30+ trips we have occasionally encountered some problems (mostly mousekeeping ones), but never any that spoiled our vacations.

We've never had a reported problem ignored at any DVC (maybe we were lucky ).

I wasn't a math major, but I'll take the proportion of total problems in our DVC trips over the proportion of total problems we've had with cars we've owned in our lifetime!

Have a marvelous split-stay vacation.

 

[starbox]

We split our first stay between 3 resorts because I was so anxious to experience them all! Our first trip to BWV is just under two weeks away and I know what you mean about the negative threads making you nervous.

One thing the threads has helped me do is to realize what some of the potential negatives might be given the way I typically tour so that I can just work around them. I am glad I know ahead of time that there is not a good CS dining option, because I would have expected one. Now, I am just planning to make use of the excellent CS options in the WS at EPCOT. I am also planning to use valet parking and bell services with the luggage to make sure DH starts off the trip in a good mood - and this would not have occured to me if I had not read about the looooong hallways . So, I am grateful for the reviews because I think it will help me have a better trip.

I think if everyone said that a resort was 100% perfect, I'd be much more likely to be disappointed. I'd much rather know the strengths and weaknesses up front, so I can plan accordingly to maximize the positive and minimize the negative.