Room quality

[invalid_character]

I am a prospective DVC member. I have some questions and concerns regarding room quality.

From what I gather, staying in a 2BR is much more spacious and intended to be more convenient and luxurious than staying in deluxe hotel room (I have been staying at BC and I'm thinking of waiting for BCV)

I have been reading the room quality reports posted by members and there are quite a few negative reviews: moldy showers, excessive bird droppings and cigarette butts on balconies, dirty chairs, rusty wetbars, gross carpet stains, dirty blinds held together by safety pins, stained towels, broken washers, missing cookware, musty odors, etc... In a hotel, your recours is to switch rooms or get a room somewhere else. What is your recourse if you find your room is unacceptable on arrival? Can you pay cash somewhere else and get your points refunded (assuming no other room of your needed size is available? And is anyone concerned that over time the room quality within a resort will deteriorate? When I think of buying into something for 40 years, I am expecting to get the same quality that I am accustomed to as if I were, say, staying at BC. Is this a reasonable expectation and is it likely to happen. I don't want my family to be vacationing in a slum 10 or 20 years from now because the maintenance costs have become too high for the members.

Other questions:
Given that we will be cooking and washing here, what kind of cookware, appliances, utensils, etc... are typically available?

Is housekeeping provided?

What percentage of the rooms are typically designated as non-smoking?

Is the sound proofing typical of a deluxe hotel i.e. do you tend not to hear your neighbors?

Thanks!

 

[dianeschlicht]

I think sometimes as owners, we are extra critical. I have had a few things missing or broken when we have arrived, but a call to housekeeping brings a very quick response and solution to the problem. YOu always have the option of asking for a different room here too. As far as the deluxe hotel room goes. Even the studios (especially at OKW) are much larger than most deluxe rooms at other WDW hotels. I stayed at other deluxe hotels on site before buying DVC, and our stay in the studio at OKW convinced us to buy, because it was so much nicer. Of course, after we bought in and I stayed in a 1 BR unit, I decided I couldn't go back to a studio LOL! I have not stayed at BWV or VWL because I prefer the townhome atmosphere at OKW to a hotel. I do know that the units are smaller there and have toured them, but I still think they are superior to a deluxe hotel.

Disneydiane

 

[invalid_character]

Thank you. That is re-assuring.

BTW, what is LOL?

 

[CarolAnnC]

I stay approximately 5 times per year at WDW and have had mutliple stays at OKW, BWV, and Vero Beach. I have stayed countless times at various WDW Resort Hotels, too. I have been pleased with all my rooms and have not experienced the problems listed above. The one time I did have a room problem, it was very quickly rectified by the front desk. You may also want to visit the Resorts Board, Invalid, to get a perspective on the non-DVC resorts at WDW as well.

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[Denine]

We have stayed at OKW numerous times. The only problem I can remember was ants in the bathroom last Novemeber. We called and maintenance and housekeeping took care of it right away. I can't complain about the ants, because we have the same problem at home certain times of the year.
I would say that the majority of times, there will be no problem. However, if there is one, you can bet it will be reported on.

 

[invalid_character]

Thanks everyone. It is true that people who have a bad experience are more motivated to post a report than those who were satisfied.

... just want to make sure that I can expect Disney quality!

 

[Stinky_Pete]

LOL = "Laugh out loud"

Room Quality - I've been to BWV twice and had to call housekeeping each time. It seems they don't bother to do an inventory of kitchen items between guests, which I do find annoying when I'm trying to take a hot pan out of the oven before my dinner burns and find I have no potholders. They've always shown up promptly, but last time said they were all out of potholders and brought extra kitchen towels.

We also had a moldy shower this last trip which I can't see a housekeeper missing if they cleaned the shower between guests. I mean -- it was really bad. Again, they came right away and cleaned it. I guess I just think these things should be taken care of without me having to call. Especially at one of the premier WDW properties.

BTW - I've read reports of moldy showers at the Poly and other deluxe WDW properties. So it's not just a BWV problem. The problem at the BWV is there's very little ventilation in the shower stall and the fan is weak.

What else...the kitchen is pretty much fully stocked. Full-size fridge (though quite a bit smaller than I'm used to) stove, dishwasher (soap provided), coffee maker, toaster. The only things I bring from home are a large silverstone frying pan (the one supplied isn't non-stick), wooden spoons and a nylon spatula (the supplied utensils are metal). We don't do any major cooking and have always found the supplies otherwise adequate.

Sound - I don't recall ever hearing anything from our neighbors.

Housekeeping - If you stay longer than 4 nights you get "trash and towel service" on the 4th day of your stay. As the name implies, they remove the trash and supply fresh towels. If you stay longer than 8 nights they will do a full cleaning on your 8th day. Some have said that housekeeping will switch the days they do the "trash and towel" and the full cleaning if you request it (so they aren't doing the full cleaning the day before you leave). You can get daily maid service if you pay for it. The charge is dependant on the size accomodations you have (the larger the villa the more it costs). Frankly, I like that a housekeeper isn't coming in every day.

 

[CarolMN]

It's easy to lose perspective reading room reports. Consider how many people must have stayed at that DVC resorts and then compare that with the number that have found a problem. I believe those who have encountered problems (and every hotel, no matter how wonderful will have some problems) are much more likely to post. As an example, I've never done a room report. We've only stayed at BWV in standard rooms, but have not experienced anything negative/bad with our accomodations. I can honestly say that I've never had to call housekeeping for any reason. IMHO, my experience is more typical than that of those who have had problems. (That is NOT to imply that people have "made up" problems). Isn't it great that when people do talk about problems, most also say that a call to housekeeping/maintenance quickly resolves the issue? I've also been encouraged to see the periodic renovation work and believe that Disney will not let the condition of the rooms or facilities deteriorate. Good luck with your decision.

 

[wdwnut]

hi and welcome to the board you two: whenever there's been a problem, a call to housekeeping fixed everything in short order. in sept., the showerhead broke in the shower and it was fixed within a couple of hours. as far as people smoking in a non-smoking room, you'll find that no matter where you go. we haven't had a big problem with bird droppings either. hey- the balconies are outside and so are the birds. again, if it is a major problem, call housekeeping. we ran into more "challenges" when we stayed at some of the deluxes like the poly and contemporary. you won't regret your decision to buy into dvc as long as you remember the GOLDEN RULE: BUY WHERE YOU PLAN TO STAY THE MOST!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Sorry I didn't answere your question about non-smoking. I know there are far more non-smoking buildings than smoking buildings at OKW, but I don't know the answer for BWV. At OKW we have the controversy of can people smoke on the patio of a non-smoking unit. As a highly allergic person, I say no, but others would say differently.

Disneydiane

 

[travelbug]

Just recently returned from my first DVC trip. Stayed at OKW. We had a 1BR unit and thought it was absolutely beautiful. The furniture, linens, carpet, etc. were like new. We did find several things missing from the kitchen (potholders, towels, pitcher), but housekeeping brought them right up when I called.

The 2 items that were really bad were the TV in the bedroom and the iron. The TV had no sound or picture for 3-4 minutes after it was turned on, and then would finally tune in properly. I called maintenance and they came while we were at a park. They left the TV on, I suppose to let us know it was fixed. However, when I turned it off and tried to turn it on again, the same problem happened! So we just lived with it until we were leaving. Then I reported it as well as the horrible iron (badly chipped and burnt bottom surface). We hadn't even looked at the iron until the night before we were leaving, so I just reported it upon leaving.

The minor inconveniences did not spoil our favorable first impression of OKW. Hopefully such problems won't always be the case, but for one time it was not a big deal. We all hated to leave, and can't wait to return! My home resort is actually BWV, and I'm anxious to try that too

 

[minimahaki]

I have a great explanation to the individuals listing the above complaints. Like the posts said they were all tended to and problems were solved. I will never forget my third trip down as a DVC member. I sat up and looked at the ceiling and started to complain because there was a cobweb in the corner. I carried on like a nut case "I am not paying $100 a month in dues to look at cobwebs" and all my husband did was laugh at me. I realized at that moment "I STARTED TO SEE THROUGH THE MAGIC". As great as Disney is they have human cast members who must "perform" their job and always with a smile! I guess these fairy like people do have bad days too!
Bottom line
If something is wrong pick up the phone and it will be taken care of.
Lauretta
Minimahaki
DVC Members Since May, 1993

 

[Disney Doll]

I have stayed in OKW 3 or 4 times and BWV 2 or 3 times, and have found them always to be wonderful. As others have said, any minor housekeeping thing that arises is quickly taken care of, and I do mean minor!!!! I've never had anything big happen. I think the kitchen is perfectly well-stocked with appliances and pots, pans, etc for a vacation home. This isn't your house, and you don't need all kinds of specialized cookware and utensils to throw together the casual meals you may be having there. We usually have breakfast foods and some snack stuff, that's about it. I don't get into doing a ton of cooking on vacation...then it's not really a vacation for someone, is it???? We have owned since September of 1997 and it is one of the, if not the best, purchase we have ever made!!!!!

Disney Doll

 

[ralph]

Regarding long-term maintenance, I keep in mind the fact that Disney gets the DVC properties "back" in 2042. What will they do then? Likely sell 'em again unless using them as hotels would generate even higher profits! The second time sale should be really lucrative, particularly if the maintenance, repair, and replacement costs have been passed on to the club members in the form of annual dues. Disney then gets quality properties in very nice physical condition to market a second time around.

Also, consider the condition (and on-going renovations) of the Poly and Contemporary, the original on-site hotels, now more than 25 years old and the condition (and on-going renovation, repair, and replacement) of the OKW properties (now 10? years old). It doesn't look to me like the corporation (for Poly and Contemp) or DVD/DVC (for OKW) are refusing to pay the cost of keeping these properties in good condition. There is a major incentive to make the comparatively small investments in upkeep to avoid much larger costs for major fixes down the road.

Ralph

 

[PamOKW]

I agree. Using the Contemporary as an example and the first 10 years of OKW I think we can expect things to stay "new" and well maintained.

I was once told by housekeeping that they don't automatically stock the dishtowels and pot holders in the units because too many people never use them except to take them home. They will provide them on request.

Invalid...you have to take a tour and see what the difference is between a unit and a hotel room. I think you'll be delighted. The master bedroom alone is bigger than most rooms and the bathroom is hands down larger. Heck, you've got your own jacuzzi.

 

[disrailfan]

It's funny that you mention this! We stayed at All Star Music in November of 1998 and then this past year bought DVC and stayed in a Studio at OKW. In 1998 when we took the kids the first thing out of my oldest daughters mouth was boy is this room small. I have to say that the studio we had in December was about twice or three times the size of the room we have at AS Music.

I can't wait because we are taking the kids with us on this trip in June and they have no idea that we are staying in a one bedrooom. I am hoping that they will like it alot.

1998 ASM Nov Kids
2000 OKW Dec No Kids
2001 OKW Jun Kids
2001 OKW Nov No Kids

 

[normr]

I'd like to see the picture of their faces when they walk into the one-bedroom