What's wrong with the BCV?

[BCV23]

We love BCV. The rooms are beautiful, we love having the amenities of a full service hotel including the restaurants and room service. At the same time, we enjoy the relative quiet and seclusion of BCV compared to Y&BC. Every CM I've had at checkin has been friendly and helpful.

We love the quiet pool as well as SAB.

Parking is very convenient to the villas.

Who knows why the person who PMed you doesn't like it. We all have different tastes. Try it for yourself and find out. Or don't and leave more room for the rest of us.

BTW, we usually stay in a 1BR and our first few visits, I wasn't impressed with the mattress on the king bed. The last two or three stays, the mattress has been great. Big improvement for the king beds.

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

We love BCV. The rooms are beautiful, we love having the amenities of a full service hotel including the restaurants and room service. At the same time, we enjoy the relative quiet and seclusion of BCV compared to Y&BC. Every CM I've had at checkin has been friendly and helpful.

We love the quiet pool as well as SAB.

Parking is very convenient to the villas.

Who knows why the person who PMed you doesn't like it. We all have different tastes. Try it for yourself and find out. Or don't and leave more room for the rest of us.

BTW, we usually stay in a 1BR and our first few visits, I wasn't impressed with the mattress on the king bed. The last two or three stays, the mattress has been great. Big improvement for the king beds.

Thank you for the constructive comments. I think we'll give it a try. We LOVE Epcot and I also like the parking convenience.

MDF

 

[Simba's Mom]

I've read many off hand remarks on these forums about people not being satisfied with the BCV.

Also, I just finished a trip report and at the end I put that I was going to try to get BCV 7 months out from my next trip. Well, one person sent me a PM saying they would trade me points for SSR because they dispised the BCV.

The place looks beautiful to me and is so close to our favorite park; Epcot.

Really, tell me what's wrong with the place?

Thanks!
MDF

I think you won't have to look too far around here to find someone who passionately loves and someone who passionately hates every one of the DVC resorts. That one who passionately hates BCV just happened to PM you. Just remember-different strokes for different folks ("and so on and so on...." Who sang that?)

 

[rocketriter]

Resorts rise and fall on the DIS boards. For a few months, BCV took a beating. More recently it was SSR and even OKW. Right now it's BWV. It's hard to tell whether housekeeping and updating at the individual resorts goes up and down to trigger these complaints, or whether one person tells about a bad experience and prompts a series of "me too" posts. In either case, the postings are usually legitimate but don't represent a large part of the population.

DVC works very hard to make sure that all the villas are first class. You probably should choose among them based on location and your own personal preference, rather than because any one resort had a spate of negative postings on the board.

 

[nestlejean]

We were at BCV for our 1st stay in Dec/Jan 05. We thougt it a bit run down but the resorts tend to get like that. I know the last time we were at BWV they needed new carpet. It wouldn't stop me from staying at either. We love the closeness to Epcot and MGM. We like that type of resort and LOVE Stormalong Bay. We have stayed at all except SSR so far and can find little things at all that may need fixing but so do things at my house! There are good and bad points to all: location, annual dues amount, point usage per room, room sizes, etc. Buy in, try them all and you may or may not find a favorite but it will be fun to keep trying! I have no complaints really on any resorts. Hotels need revamping now and then too. It all gets done sooner or later. It is a very popular resort and we were glad to be able to get in over xmas break last year.

 

[jaysue]

BCV has

Access to SAB [enough said]

Stroll to Epcot
Stroll to Boardwalk
Walk to MGM
Fairly easy access to car park
Nice quiet pools (BC and YC quiet pools included)

Smaller rooms (than OKW)
Higher dues
More wear n tear
Busier lobby area

By all means, propogate the myth of not a great place to stay

cheers
jaysue

 

[skelooch]

I agree keep the bad reports coming, maybe then the occupancy rate will go from 98 to 99% to maybe 75 to 80 and we will be able to get more of our room requests. I really don't like the place that much as you can tell from my sig. I have 5 more trips planned for 2006 and all but 1 will be at BCV, gonna try our VB and VWL in May.

 

[ceejay13]

We own the majority of our points at the BWV but added on 100 points at the BCV when it went on sale. We always used those points at OKW, VB or at the BWV until last December. We stayed 5 nights in a 1 bdr and loved it. We had an incredible view of Illuminations from our top floor room. It was the holiday version of Illuminations so it was that much more incredible. Our room was in great shape, no noise in the hall, and we loved parking close. I'm still a little partial to the BW but would stay at BCV again without hesitation. Actually we have loved all of our stays at OKW and VB, as well. They are all very different in their ambience but the rooms have always been great. I agree that they all take their turns with negative posts. We've always been lucky, I guess.

 

[pearlieq]

Just remember-different strokes for different folks ("and so on and so on...." Who sang that?)

...and now it's stuck in my head!

It was Sly and the Family Stone. Just in case you were dying to know.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

We love the quiet pool as well as SAB.

Parking is very convenient to the villas.

ITA with these comments. We enjoyed BCV much more than BWV and these are two of the many reasons for that.

 

[fun2bmomof3]

we were at BCV just this past September. They were doing alot of work. Painting the entire place inside and out. Also we were on the 3rd floor and the carpets in the hallway and in our room looked to be fairly new. No wear and the colors were still vibrant. Our room was really clean and looked as if it had recently been redone.

Staff was great! They let us in our room even though they were still working on the a/c since I had a cranky toddler.

We cannot wait to try all the resorts. I'm sure we'll like some more than others. Or we may just love them all. Everyone has their own opinion, and while I love to hear everyone's opinion, I still like to go ahead and make my own.

Note: Our two bedroom had awesome mattresses. I have alot of back problem from being in an auto accident and HATE hotel mattresses. These were as soft as the one I have at home. My sister in law said they were better than hers at home.

 

[Peteyi]

Hello,

I am in the Process of planning for a trip down for either the 1st or 2nd week of May 06.

We will be going to SSR the first time in one week with a big bunch of family members. In May it will just be me and my DW. We were thinking of going to the Beach Club or the Broadwalk.

If we do the Beach Club what type of room request should I ask for. Or in other words. What are the different types of views/things to see at the Beach Club?


Thanks,
Peteyi

 

[Beca]

Hello,

If we do the Beach Club what type of room request should I ask for. Or in other words. What are the different types of views/things to see at the Beach Club?


Thanks,
Peteyi

All joking aside....the views at BCV are not the best....they are definitely NOT the reason to stay at BCV. The villas are an afterthought....and, the views definitely reflect that.

Some rooms have an Epcot view (although you can no longer request it), some have a quiet pool view, some have a woods view, and MANY have a service road view. My mom has stayed at BCV twice, and each time she has received the road view...it seems a lot of rooms face the road. My best advice for BCV is to request what you think you will like, but don't sweat it if you don't get a great view. The resort is small, and there are SOOO many things to see and do outside of your balcony..just enjoy the resort.



Beca

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

All joking aside....the views at BCV are not the best....they are definitely NOT the reason to stay at BCV. The villas are an afterthought....and, the views definitely reflect that.

Some rooms have an Epcot view (although you can no longer request it), some have a quiet pool view, some have a woods view, and MANY have a service road view. My mom has stayed at BCV twice, and each time she has received the road view...it seems a lot of rooms face the road. My best advice for BCV is to request what you think you will like, but don't sweat it if you don't get a great view. The resort is small, and there are SOOO many things to see and do outside of your balcony..just enjoy the resort.



Beca

But if you're facing the road you're also facing Epcot right? ...and should have a view of Illuminations?

 

[Beca]

But if you're facing the road you're also facing Epcot right? ...and should have a view of Illuminations?

Nope...my mom's never had a view of Epcot....just the noisy road!!! Not all road views are angled to see Epcot....I could be wrong...but, it seems to be a minority of road views that can see Epcot pretty well.



Beca

 

[Danthesand]

BCV has

Access to SAB [enough said]

Ahem....I'm not sure I agree.

If one removes SAB from BCV, the interest in that resort drops 100%+. Or stated differently, BCV is basically a large pool....with some time-share space attached.

Now, if SAB was as incredible as all the hype, that might be O.K.

But (and yes, maybe it's just me) I don't feel SAB is all that amazing.

Yes, it's a creative resort pool, and for those who haven't visited major water parks might initally seem impressive for a hotel (if they haven't stayed at Coronado Springs Resort, which also has a heavily themed -- and heavily underrrated -- pool).

But there's another "side" to SAB:

- crowded, crowded, crowded. The mob scene there was already pretty bad before BCV, that property has only made it much worse. This affects more than just space in and around the pool itself; the lines at Beaches and Cream and the waits at Cape May are horrific, even during "off times" (before our Illuminations cruise back in August, my wife walked over to Beaches and Cream about 8:00pm to get some ice cream - and immediately gave up when she saw a line that was at least 50 yards long).

- hard to get negotiate. Small paths and crowds don't mix well.

- Outside the sand area, this is not a good pool for small children. I know, my kids were 5 and 7 when we last visited it. All the bridges and curves hide swimmers, just what a parent wants when 6 year old Muffy is trying out her new water wings.

And as for that "toddler friendly" sand area, that may have been a big deal back when the pool opened in 1990, but since then Disney has added that sort of feature (shallow "zero-entry" space) to other resort pools (Poly and even the Contemporary now have 'em).

- So-so slide (230 feet of straight slide? O.K., but IMHO the ones at the Poly and Boardwalk are more fun).

No, this does not all mean that SAB is "bad" - it's still a very unique...albeit somewhat over-rated and certainly over-hyped...resort pool.

 

[BCV23]

Nope...my mom's never had a view of Epcot....just the noisy road!!! Not all road views are angled to see Epcot....I could be wrong...but, it seems to be a minority of road views that can see Epcot pretty well.



Beca

Boy, I have to disagree with this Beca. Not all of the rooms on that side face Spaceship Earth but they all do face either FW or WS. Every room we've been in has had at least a peak of Illuminations. Many have great views of the higher fireworks. They all do also face that road but if you're in the woods area, the road is not so evident as it's further away and starting into the tunnel.

I always enjoy your enthusiasm for BCV, Beca.

 

[erikthewise]

Yes, rooms that face the road also face Epcot, though not necessarily SSE. And they are a large fraction of the rooms at BCV, I'd guess around 40%. Those on floors 1 and 2 won't see much of Epcot, just trees and road.

When we arrived at BCV for our first stay, I went to the curtain, opened it and shouted with delight loud enough that everyone asked what was wrong. We were fortunate enough to have a fifth-floor direct view of SSE, and it was spectacular. It was the best view we've had at WDW - of course we haven't had them all, but I really enjoyed it, even more than AKL. Only a limited number of rooms have that view.

Yes, SAB is probably overrated. Another good reason to stay away.
We enjoy it, but it played little role in our decision to buy and stay at BCV.

 

[jade1]

Ahem....
If one removes SAB from BCV, the interest in that resort drops 100%+.

They could fill SAB with cement and it would still be constantly sold out.

In your scenario even if SAB closes for refurbishment (I think it already has) it would sit completely empty.

 

[goofy4tink]

We stayed at BCV is June. Second floor, view of the road and of IllumiNations. I think we were in back of Soarin'..at the corner just before the next section of rooms juts out toward the road. I basically enjoyed our stay there. But, I do agree about the crowds. We thought that SAB was okay, but not worth all the hype. My dd, then 11, wasn't all that crazy about it and said she prefers Luna Park's slide. The pool was always crowded. Trying to get something to eat at Beaches and Cream was a nightmare. We finally stopped trying after waiting almost 35 minutes for a bowl of ice cream at 3:00 in the afternoon. But, we did like the decor. And those little 'parlors' that are in those out of the way spots....ohhh, I just loved curling up with a book while dd and dh swam. If they went to the quiet pool, I just sat in that solarium and read. Heaven!!! I loved the new Marketplace....so convenient. Wish BW would do somethink similar. The only true yucky thing that I had happen while at BCV was with Bell Services. I was moving to POR for my last two nights at WDW, with my dd. BS came and got our luggage around 8 a.m. They told me not to expect our luggage at POR until about 1:00. No problem with that. However, when we did get to POR, around 2ish, no luggage. Okay, I couldn't get into a room anyway, so not an issue. At 4:00, when we were finally able to get into our room, I went to POR Bell Services desk to have my stuff brought to our room. No luggage for me!! They called BC and were told that they had been very busy and hadn't had time to deliver the bags to POR. But they would 'get right on it'! So, I was told to call back around 5:00. I did and still nothing. The poor girl at POR BS was not a happy camper. Seems that they still hadn't 'had time' to drive my stuff over. They finally called around 6ish to tell me that they had it and were bringing it to me. I know it's not a big thing, but come on...10 hrs to get 3 pieces of luggage?? I had had BCV booked for my solo trip in Nov but when we got home in June I called MS to get waitlisted for BW. It just left a very bad taste in my mouth. But other than that, all was fine. I also love being able to just walk on over to Cape May for breakfast....my favorite breakfast with the characters in WDW. So, do I feel something is 'wrong at BCV'? No, not at all. It's all about personal tastes. I prefer BWV, others fervently prefer BCV. I'm sure I'll stay there again in the future.