las3888
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 30, 2001
- Messages
- 2,457
Well, we are just back this AM from a really nice trip to WDW. We have been many times (stayed in almost all deluxes, and a few moderates), but this was our first trip as owners and our first time at the BWV. I just thought I would give you my 2 cents for those who might be anticipating their first trip. We also toured the models at SSR, so I will add a few comments on that as well. I am not one to 'sugar-coat', so this will not be a real flowery note, but just my honest opinion of things. Please realize that overall, we LOVE being members and can't wait for our next visit.
We were in a standard studio 3125...at the end of the famous long hallway. We requested highest floor, and got 3rd, okay enough. We did not overlook the front entrance, as I was hoping to glimpse Illuminations...we overlooked parking, tennis courts, and pathway to MGM. All in all, I was pleased with the view. I didn't have real high expectations, and the landscaping does make things appealing. We could see a fairly busy road off in the distance. Again, I feel the view wasn't great (but it really wan't bad), but we were expecting that, and I really appreciated the savings on our points!
I was a little hesitant since I had heard alot about the wear and tear on the rooms at BWV lately, but at first glimpse, our room really looked in pretty good shape. The carpet looked new, or was just very clean. At closer inspection, there were some dings on the wall and on the fridge, but nothing that bothered me. Couch and bedspread had no stains or anything like that.
I was concerned about not having housekeeping (never owned a vacation ownership before), and was curious how I was going to feel about making the bed everyday. I actually enjoyed it. The towels were no problem - we didn't even use our backup set...I found the bed easy to make (unlike some other hotel rooms where it's hard to get it to look nice), and I actually enjoyed leaving the room everyday not worrying about who might be in the room and did we hide anything valuable, etc. Even though it was a studio, and much like a hotel room, I found all the extra cabinets really nice - I was able to hide just about everything (okay, I'm a little uptight - I hate staying in a cluttered room).
We didn't cook anything, but did take advantage of having breakfast in the room most days - just fresh fruit and toast, juice, etc. It was a nice cost-savings, but we really do like to dine out, so we mostly did so in the evenings and lunch.
Our room location was so-so. The hallway to the lobby was long, but we were somewhat close to the parking lot, very close to the quiet pool (where we swam everyday), and very close to the walkway to MGM (which we really only took advantage of once). I think I would request a room next time on the 2nd floor since we really used the stairwells alot and don't want to have to trudge up flights of stairs. I think in the end I liked being where we were versus being able to see Illuminations. The downside of the Illuminations view is that you are overlooking the front entrance with valet parking traffic and such. It is made more appealing with landscaping, but I think where we were was a touch better. BTW, we could see TOT if we leaned over to the right. We could hear the music for Fantasmic, but there is nothing really to see, but fireworks for about 30 seconds at the very end. The music is very muffled so it is hard to catch the tunes most times.
I wasn't crazy that they couldn't install elevators in alot of places where the stairwells are. I thought the stairwells were shockingly dingy - felt like I was in a service area of something, which is probably somewhat true. I feel that if Disney didn't want to spend the $ to install more elevators, they could have at least spruced up the stairwells a bit--maybe just paint the walls even. It isn't a big showstopper to me, but just very non-Disney to me.
We didn't see much going on in the way of the hallway pipe construction work going on, just a little here and there and it wasn't constant.
I thought the rooms were noisy. Since we were in a studio that adjoins to a 1 br if desired, we had the adjoining door right there in our living area. The room next door had small kids that were noisy at times. We could hear normal conversations pretty easily (all doors were closed). We couldn't hear what was being said, just the hum of voices. Everytime we walked by a certain room in the hallway, we heard what sounded like a dozen kids or more. I would have been pretty unhinged if we were next to that group. Our neighbors didn't present a real problem - we were up earlier than them I'm sure, and they were in bed mostly around 10, so the noise just quieted down eventually, but it did make me feel like noise could be an issue.
The Boardwalk itself is just wonderful as always...we have enjoyed staying at other Boardwalk resorts and love the area, which is why we bought at BWV. I know I made the right decision - it is just such a great location. We love being so close to so many dining and entertainment options.
I thought the BWV probably exceeded our expectations. I think I set my expectations at a reasonable level, so I wouldn't be disappointed, and I wasn't. I am really looking forward to trying a 1BR (am afraid I will never go back to a studio)! I am really glad to take advantage of the savings on the standard view. One of these days maybe we'll splurge and have a boardwalk view...who knows. We are also going to try all of the different DVC resorts at WDW just to have a change of pace.
Onto SSR! We were able to visit the models without having to sit down with anybody - wasn't sure how it worked. We just told the people at the front desk that we were DVC members, so they just gave us a map and explained how to get to the rooms. They are open and you can just tour at your leisure (I think between 10-6 or so). There was a DVC CM at the Grand Villa there to answer questions I guess. He asked if we were members and then gave us each a SSR pin!
Now, please don't flame me OKW or SSR fans, but we bought at BWV because we wanted to feel part of things and loved the location. We wanted to feel we were staying more in a hotel, than in a condo, so that's just us. I know alot of you love OKW since it feels more like you are getting away, but to us, we like the location of the boardwalk so that's just what we are into. Anyways, SSR was really really sprawling. Now, you can park near your room of course, but the buildings are quite far from the main area and the main pool. Now, granted, we went and it was about 94 outside and we weren't really in the mood for walking around much, so maybe this has something to do with it! The models were gorgeous! It was really neat to see a Grand Villa! They did some things differently than the BWV, but they are pretty similar. There are no balconies off the bedrooms in the 1 BR's. The view was gorgeous (they have a prime view of DD). When looking at the map, it doesn't seem like many of the buildings will be in this area though, so it might be tough to get a room with that view.
We liked the common building...ate at food court there. I thought the selections were a little sparse, and the theme was nowhere near the equestrian theme for the rest of the resort - we just couldn't get it. Nonetheless, it is very nice and new.
I guess that's it...I know I was on the boards constantly in anticipation of our upcoming trip, so maybe some of this info will help those with their planning. If you have questions, feel free to let me know!
BTW - it is HOT down there now...the rain season is really kicking in!
We were in a standard studio 3125...at the end of the famous long hallway. We requested highest floor, and got 3rd, okay enough. We did not overlook the front entrance, as I was hoping to glimpse Illuminations...we overlooked parking, tennis courts, and pathway to MGM. All in all, I was pleased with the view. I didn't have real high expectations, and the landscaping does make things appealing. We could see a fairly busy road off in the distance. Again, I feel the view wasn't great (but it really wan't bad), but we were expecting that, and I really appreciated the savings on our points!
I was a little hesitant since I had heard alot about the wear and tear on the rooms at BWV lately, but at first glimpse, our room really looked in pretty good shape. The carpet looked new, or was just very clean. At closer inspection, there were some dings on the wall and on the fridge, but nothing that bothered me. Couch and bedspread had no stains or anything like that.
I was concerned about not having housekeeping (never owned a vacation ownership before), and was curious how I was going to feel about making the bed everyday. I actually enjoyed it. The towels were no problem - we didn't even use our backup set...I found the bed easy to make (unlike some other hotel rooms where it's hard to get it to look nice), and I actually enjoyed leaving the room everyday not worrying about who might be in the room and did we hide anything valuable, etc. Even though it was a studio, and much like a hotel room, I found all the extra cabinets really nice - I was able to hide just about everything (okay, I'm a little uptight - I hate staying in a cluttered room).
We didn't cook anything, but did take advantage of having breakfast in the room most days - just fresh fruit and toast, juice, etc. It was a nice cost-savings, but we really do like to dine out, so we mostly did so in the evenings and lunch.
Our room location was so-so. The hallway to the lobby was long, but we were somewhat close to the parking lot, very close to the quiet pool (where we swam everyday), and very close to the walkway to MGM (which we really only took advantage of once). I think I would request a room next time on the 2nd floor since we really used the stairwells alot and don't want to have to trudge up flights of stairs. I think in the end I liked being where we were versus being able to see Illuminations. The downside of the Illuminations view is that you are overlooking the front entrance with valet parking traffic and such. It is made more appealing with landscaping, but I think where we were was a touch better. BTW, we could see TOT if we leaned over to the right. We could hear the music for Fantasmic, but there is nothing really to see, but fireworks for about 30 seconds at the very end. The music is very muffled so it is hard to catch the tunes most times.
I wasn't crazy that they couldn't install elevators in alot of places where the stairwells are. I thought the stairwells were shockingly dingy - felt like I was in a service area of something, which is probably somewhat true. I feel that if Disney didn't want to spend the $ to install more elevators, they could have at least spruced up the stairwells a bit--maybe just paint the walls even. It isn't a big showstopper to me, but just very non-Disney to me.
We didn't see much going on in the way of the hallway pipe construction work going on, just a little here and there and it wasn't constant.
I thought the rooms were noisy. Since we were in a studio that adjoins to a 1 br if desired, we had the adjoining door right there in our living area. The room next door had small kids that were noisy at times. We could hear normal conversations pretty easily (all doors were closed). We couldn't hear what was being said, just the hum of voices. Everytime we walked by a certain room in the hallway, we heard what sounded like a dozen kids or more. I would have been pretty unhinged if we were next to that group. Our neighbors didn't present a real problem - we were up earlier than them I'm sure, and they were in bed mostly around 10, so the noise just quieted down eventually, but it did make me feel like noise could be an issue.
The Boardwalk itself is just wonderful as always...we have enjoyed staying at other Boardwalk resorts and love the area, which is why we bought at BWV. I know I made the right decision - it is just such a great location. We love being so close to so many dining and entertainment options.
I thought the BWV probably exceeded our expectations. I think I set my expectations at a reasonable level, so I wouldn't be disappointed, and I wasn't. I am really looking forward to trying a 1BR (am afraid I will never go back to a studio)! I am really glad to take advantage of the savings on the standard view. One of these days maybe we'll splurge and have a boardwalk view...who knows. We are also going to try all of the different DVC resorts at WDW just to have a change of pace.
Onto SSR! We were able to visit the models without having to sit down with anybody - wasn't sure how it worked. We just told the people at the front desk that we were DVC members, so they just gave us a map and explained how to get to the rooms. They are open and you can just tour at your leisure (I think between 10-6 or so). There was a DVC CM at the Grand Villa there to answer questions I guess. He asked if we were members and then gave us each a SSR pin!
Now, please don't flame me OKW or SSR fans, but we bought at BWV because we wanted to feel part of things and loved the location. We wanted to feel we were staying more in a hotel, than in a condo, so that's just us. I know alot of you love OKW since it feels more like you are getting away, but to us, we like the location of the boardwalk so that's just what we are into. Anyways, SSR was really really sprawling. Now, you can park near your room of course, but the buildings are quite far from the main area and the main pool. Now, granted, we went and it was about 94 outside and we weren't really in the mood for walking around much, so maybe this has something to do with it! The models were gorgeous! It was really neat to see a Grand Villa! They did some things differently than the BWV, but they are pretty similar. There are no balconies off the bedrooms in the 1 BR's. The view was gorgeous (they have a prime view of DD). When looking at the map, it doesn't seem like many of the buildings will be in this area though, so it might be tough to get a room with that view.
We liked the common building...ate at food court there. I thought the selections were a little sparse, and the theme was nowhere near the equestrian theme for the rest of the resort - we just couldn't get it. Nonetheless, it is very nice and new.
I guess that's it...I know I was on the boards constantly in anticipation of our upcoming trip, so maybe some of this info will help those with their planning. If you have questions, feel free to let me know!
BTW - it is HOT down there now...the rain season is really kicking in!
) but the sign was gone last year. I don't understand why the architect didn't put in elevators at the far ends of the halls. I was in 3002 in April, which was the last room on the opposite end (near Jellyrolls). There are stairs on that end but they lead to a castmember only area (again, didn't stop us from finding our way out, just a couple doorways that lead out to the path to MGM). I think the standard views at BWV are a great deal. The views aren't bad and you save points!
