Worst Room at the BWV?

[jbthi]

We have always had great luck at the BWV, in fact every time but once we have had excellent treatment at every DVC resort. (we go 3 to 6 times a year). The last time we were there in a 2 BR it was absolutely spotless. Not a single hair (which is my pet peeve), spec of dust, cobweb, etc. It was PERFECT. Smelled great. AND I FORGOT TO LEAVE A TIP! Remembered it after we had been on the road a couple of hours. I felt terrible.

In December we had last room from the elevator on 4th or 5th flour, don't remember which. They had upgraded us from studio to 1 BR so we were very happy with it.

June

 

[Connears]

I am sure all of you who had great experiences at BWV really did, but I did not and will not return. We are very easy to please and never ask for extras or complain about minor things. When we did try to address the issue of our room assignment, no one would listen or acknowledge anything. I would prefer someone at least discussing things with me. If the folks at MS refunded the points for a preferred room, then I'm sure we were not in one. No one at the resort could solve this! I never got a smile or hello at the resort except at the pool bar. I enjoy the friendliness of OKW and most recently felt the same friendliness at BCV with lots of "Welcome Homes". Never felt that at BWV. Never felt like anyone I encountered wanted to help.
Just my opinion
Connears

 

[DebbieB]

I had just the opposite experience last December at BWV, I thought they were more friendly than ever. Every bellman, housekeeper or maintenance worker in the hallways said hello to us. Valet service was usually prompt and friendly. On the last day I was carrying the garbage bag to the trash room and a housekeeping or maintenance guy grabbed it off me in the hallway and said thank you!

There does seem to be a problem with those far rooms facing the Swan/Dolphin. I know someone who got one of those rooms as a preferred and complained right away because it was over the dumpster and was moved to the pool area.

 

[Zurg]

We have had good experiances at the Boardwalk and when we have had needed help they have been very good about helping out.

One of the Bell hops earned the first ever BadShoe.com Pin for outstanding service. http://badshoe.com/al.htm

 

[BarbaraMB]

Are the stairs on the opposite end of the floors of the elevators? Maybe we will feel ambitious and take the stairs if necessary.

 

[DebbieB]

There are several sets of stairs throughout the building, they are actually fire exits.

 

[Lisa F]

Originally posted by Dads Dream
We also had a negative experience at the BWV’s last August. First of all we requested a Boardwalk view and didn’t get it. (I understand that happens a lot) Second we requested a room close to the elevator with limited walking (this request was for medical reasons, DW had double knee replacements 8wks prior) When we checked in we were assigned the last 1BR in the resort as far away from the elevator as you can get. CM would not do anything to accommodate, DW stood at check in, heels firmly dug into the rug, CM Amanda would disappear behind the back door for 10-15 minutes at a time, every time she came back with the same answer “NO”. We stood there for over 45 minutes DW practically in tears from the pain for standing so long. Amanda could not and would not change the room, and of course the manager was unavailable. Finally she did offer to move us closer to elevator (2 rooms closer!) but she wanted to charge us the change fee. Her attitude and resolution was not what we expect from DVC.

I am having a really hard time understanding how "not getting your requests met" somehow equals BWV being a substandard resort. Surely you must realize that SOMEONE has to have the last room on the floor. We just got back from 2 nights at the Willard in Washington DC, the most luxurious hotel I have ever stayed in and we had the last room in the building. Across the hall from us was a gorgeous suite (we peeked in while housekeeping was in there doing the turndown service). Why is it that BWV is the only place where people think it is completely unacceptable to be at the end of the hall?

I can't really think of a medical reason that would require that someone be close to the elevators. At WDW, you do a LOT of walking. If someone cannot even walk to the end of the hallway then they don't have a prayer of getting around WDW without a wheelchair/ECV. If you have a wheelchair/ECV then why is it a big deal to be at the end of the hallway? I guess I just don't understand the logic here.

I'm sorry that your DW had to have knee replacement. It sounds awful and painful and not something one would wish on your worst enemy. Why was she standing at the checkin counter for 45 minutes? If I had been in that position you can bet my DH would've sat my butt down somewhere while he took care of things, or I would've been in a wheelchair dealing with the CM at one of the wheelchair accessible checkin areas.

I guess it just sounds to me like you don't like BWV because you didn't get what you wanted, which is fine. You are entitled to not like something for whatever reason you want to not like it. Please just don't make it sound like the BWV made it impossible to enjoy your vacation. They didn't force your DW to stand up there for 45 mins, someone else in the party could've taken care of it or she could have requested that they deal with this while she sat down. If they had refused THEN they would have been in the wrong. While a BW view is probably the most requested thing, I think being close to the elevators is the second most requested thing. Everyone wants to be there, not everyone can be. You didn't say how far in advance you made your requests or whether you confirmed with the resort that you would have an elevator near the elevators beforehand due to medical reasons (even though I can't see what difference it makes as I said above).

On check out day we spent time enjoying the Boardwalk. DW slipped off a stair and ruptured her antilles tendon; thank goodness we still had the wheelchair. We went to the lobby to see if we could get some ice. When CM found out that we had already checked out she told us to go to the nurse at EPCOT or call for outside medical help. WOULD NOT EVEN GET HER ICE !!! We requested a manager who suggested we all go to the pool and see if the Lifeguards had an ice pack. Needless to say we left that lobby vowing to never stay there again!

They aren't really equipped to deal with medical issues inside the resorts. In the packet of materials you get when you check in they pretty much say as much. It would've been nice if someone had thought to maybe get a bag from the gift shop and go down to the nearest ice machine and get her some ice, but I guess no one in your party thought of that either. Definately not the best "Disney" behavior, there is no doubt about that, but it sounds like they were directing you to the nearest medical facilities. I don't think they treated you worse because you had already checked out, I think they just dropped the ball on making some Disney magic on this one. I would probably be annoyed too if I were you but I doubt they train CM's over there on how to be un-magical. I've run into un-magical CM's occasionally at most parts of WDW and I think it's the individual and not the particular area they work for. When we stayed at OKW the first time we had a housekeeper who short sheeted the beds. It was irritating and annoying to have to strip and remake two beds after a long day at the parks but I'm quite sure at housekeeping training they don't tell the housekeepers to do that specifically at OKW and I wouldn't trash the resort because of it.

Lisa

 

[Dads Dream]

Yikes, Lisa.

I was just answering the original post and sharing my experiences:

Quote: And what are the chances of refusing and wanting somethiing better?

I can see by your post that you are very passionate about the BWV, which you are certainly entitled to. However I feel that if we request a room closer to the elevator for medical reasons then that is not an unreasonable request to meet, should that be at The Willard, The Four Seasons or the Motel 6. The ressies were made at the 7 month window along with the request. I can’t think of a valid reason that 2 CM’s would not help a guest if they were hurt. I think your attitude that the burden should have been on me would probably be true anywhere else but WDW. We all bought into the Disney plan because of the outstanding service and the “magic” they provide and we when don’t get what we expect we have a right to be disappointed.

I would have to say that all is well that ends well; there will be one less family bidding for the perfect room at the BWV. We’ll take OKW any day. And that’s what makes the world go round.

 

[MiaSRN62]

We all bought into the Disney plan because of the outstanding service and the “magic” they provide and we when don’t get what we expect we have a right to be disappointed.

I agree with you Dads Dream. It was not unreasonable to expect your room request for medical reasons to be honored. We travel with my elderly mil who has a couple of medical problems and have gotten room requests at Dixie Landings and OKW for this reason.....and our off-site timeshare, Vistana. Not everyone does "a lot" of walking at WDW. When my mil is with us, we limit the amount of time we spend in the parks. We either drop her off at the resort and continue on to the parks again, or do a couple hours in the park, take a rest back at the resort and then continue on again later in the day. After so many trips to WDW, we feel we can take a more leisurely pace. We have also rented a wheelchair in the park at times for my mil, but not one that we take back to the resorts.

They aren't really equipped to deal with medical issues inside the resorts.

As far as the ice issue goes.....I don't feel Dads Dream was asking for any medical care or assessments.....just ice. I honestly can't understand why they wouldn't provide this ? There was an occassion last year at OKW with us. We had not yet checked-in because we drove down from PA and my mil became very ill as we pulled into the resort. She has lung cancer and is going through chemo and radiation. She was on a "chemo holiday" and feeling well enough to take a vacation with her oncologist's blessings , but the drive was a little rough on her. Anyway, I immediately went into Olivia's once we parked and asked for some ginger ale after explaining to the two servers that my mil was feeling sick to her stomach and dizzy. They immediately put ginger ale in a courtesy cup, along with some club soda in another cup and saltines and gave them to me. No charge. They told me to have my mil come inside and sit in the air conditioning as this was the end of July. I wasn't asking for medical treatment or expertise----just ginger ale. I got that and more. I was so moved by their care and concern that I wrote a letter to OKW management when I got home. So I honestly feel Dads Dream was just suprised that they couldn't accomodate his wife with some ice.
I'll be having my first stay at BWV in a few weeks and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm hoping this was just an isolated incident as I know this can happen now and then.

 

[Lisa F]

As for the ice issue, I said I would be really annoyed to be treated that way also, that it was very unmagical and un disney-like. I don't think you were treated that way because you had already checked out though. I think they just dropped the ball and I guess if it's not something they run across a lot (I'm guessing most people who become injured do so at the parks or at the pool and not in the hotel lobby) I can see how they'd drop the ball on that one. But I did say they DID drop the ball.

As far as your requests not being met, that's why they say they don't guarantee requests. I guess I just see a big difference between say requesting first floor or an elevator building at OKW for medical reasons and requesting to be close to the elevator at a resort where there is a reasonable expectation that you will be doing more walking during the day than just from the lobby to your room.

I guess I just feel like I have at least some responsibility to make some of my own magic on vacation. If I absolutely NEEDED to be near an elevator (even though I don't see the need, but I will concede that perhaps others might feel that way) then that would be my one and only request. The more requests you make, the less chance you have of all of them being granted. If you cared THAT much about being close to the elevators then you would not have requested a boardwalk view. There are pool views that are right on top of the elevators. You would not have "didn't get the boardwalk view I requested" as one of your complaints about the resort. You would have made "close to the elevator for medical reasons" your one and only request (after non-smoking) and called the resort beforehand to make sure you got what you needed and that it didn't get lost in the shuffle of a thousand other people making the same exact request you did (boardwalk view and close to the elevators), many of them who made their requests before you did (since I see you booked at the 7 month window and not the 11 month).

Yes, sometimes CM's act unprofessionally. No place is perfect, WDW is not perfect, none of the resorts are perfect. It's unfortunate when something like the ice incident happens. I've been very sick during my stay at BWV and pretty much all they could do was point me in the direction of the nearest centra care. I felt like utter crap (I ended up going through three full courses of antibiotics that trip) and I really just wanted Disney to make it better but they didn't. They pointed me at people who could. What they should've done was gotten you some ice and THEN pointed you at the nearest medical facility. Maybe they didn't think about the fact that there are ice machines in the resort and were thinking only in terms of a medical ice pack (But they also could've called over to the pool to find out if they had them and sent someone over to get one). They definately could've handled it much better (and the faster you get ice on an injury, the better) but I guess I can just see that it was a case of the various options not occuring to them rather than them just being mean to you because you had already checked out. I guess I see that as an important difference... a CM not being the brightest in the world vs. a CM being downright mean and rude.

I just don't believe that not getting the two most popular requests at BWV makes BWV a bad resort. Not everyone can have the first BWV that is closest to the elevators. Someone has to have a pool view. Someone has to have a canal view. Someone has to be in the last room in the entire building. I guess I just don't understand the attitude that if you don't get what you want, it makes BWV a bad resort.

Lisa

 

[MiaSRN62]

I just don't believe that not getting the two most popular requests at BWV makes BWV a bad resort. Not everyone can have the first BWV that is closest to the elevators. Someone has to have a pool view. Someone has to have a canal view. Someone has to be in the last room in the entire building. I guess I just don't understand the attitude that if you don't get what you want, it makes BWV a bad resort.

Lisa, I agree with some of the things you said as far as not getting your room requests equating to not experiencing the Disney "magic" or whatever. I also agree that it does help to keep specific requests to a minimum if you want a better chance of getting them honored----but not everyone is aware of this. I don't think everyone who stays at the BWV knows the rundown of PV vs SV rooms......and just how many rooms are very far from the elevator etc. I didn't particularily. In fact, this is why I started reading this thread. I was trying to get ideas of what to request and what not to. I also agree with your statement that WDW is not 100% perfect. I accept this, report problems if I see them, and go on and make the best of my vacations there.
Where I disagree with you 100% is :

I guess I just see a big difference between say requesting first floor or an elevator building at OKW for medical reasons and requesting to be close to the elevator at a resort where there is a reasonable expectation that you will be doing more walking during the day than just from the lobby to your room.

I think any medical request should take priority over any other request. Perhaps because I vacation with someone who needs these requests met that I know what it is like first-hand. You cannot automatically assume someone is going to be doing alot of walking while on vacation in WDW, and therefore doesn't really need a room close to the elevator or whatever. Disney should not assume this either. As I mentioned, my mil has needed special room assignments for medical reasons and she does not do alot of walking in the parks. There are many different reasons people vacation in WDW. Some people just like to hang around the pool at the resort for instance ? I know we've mainly concentrated on the water parks when we're vacationing----especially when my mil comes along---and she can just sit in a chair by the wave pool or float around in a tube and have a very relaxing day with minimal walking.
I understand no requests are guarenteed----but medical ones should take precedence imho.

 

[Lisa F]

Originally posted by MiaSRN62
I think any medical request should take priority over any other request. Perhaps because I vacation with someone who needs these requests met that I know what it is like first-hand. You cannot automatically assume someone is going to be doing alot of walking while on vacation in WDW, and therefore doesn't really need a room close to the elevator or whatever. Disney should not assume this either. As I mentioned, my mil has needed special room assignments for medical reasons and she does not do alot of walking in the parks. There are many different reasons people vacation in WDW. Some people just like to hang around the pool at the resort for instance ? I know we've mainly concentrated on the water parks when we're vacationing----especially when my mil comes along---and she can just sit in a chair by the wave pool or float around in a tube and have a very relaxing day with minimal walking.
I understand no requests are guarenteed----but medical ones should take precedence imho.

While we will just have to agree to disagree, if you read the rest of my post you will see that I said assuming that there IS a medical request, I think that it's partially the responsibility of the guest to make sure that it is met. Muddying up your reservation with other requests seriously increases the chances that your request will be overlooked. If you need to be near the elevator then that should be your first (and perhaps only) request. But from reading these boards it seems like 1) Boardwalk view and 2) being close to the elevators are the most popular requests. When booking at the 7 month window you have a whole bunch of BWV owners who are booking ahead of you, many making the same request (boardwalk view, close to the elevators). The first time I booked at BWV, I made the same request because it was the advice given on the board that the best preferred view rooms are those that are boardwalk view and close to the elevators.

If I NEEDED to be close to the elevators and I knew I didn't have the 11 month booking priority at a certain resort, common sense tells me to keep my requests to a minimum so that the one I REALLY need doesn't get lost in the shuffle. I would also call the resort a week in advance to confirm that my NEED for a room near the elevator would be met. This is the advice often given to people who really do have a medical need to stay on the first floor at OKW. My grandmother can hobble down a long hallway with some difficulty but there is absolutely no way she gets up stairs anymore without someone carrying her. None. It's not a matter of making things easier on her, it's a matter of it being a complete impossibility of getting her up those stairs as there is no way that I can possibly carry her.

At BWV there are options for getting around even if you are not close to the elevator (they do have wheelchairs available to use around the resort). Is it less convenient? Sure it is. But it's also inconvenient for parents who have 4 kids and cannot carry all 4 down a long hallway after a long day at the parks. It's also inconvenient for people who bring a lot of luggage and don't want to tip bell services who have to drag their luggage to the end of the building. But none of these situations are IMPOSSIBLE as would be a situation at OKW where someone absolutely could not climb stairs to get to their room. I guess that's where I see the difference, but you are entitled to disagree

Yes, I do think they should accommodate wherever possible (especially when it will make things easier and more dignified for older people or others with special needs), but I also think that when you travel with someone who has special needs it's your responsibility to make sure the resort knows so they can do whatever they can to accommodate. Having a medical request be one among many is just asking for trouble. You need to be as clear as possible and if you are not, it is not purely the fault of the hotel for not giving you what you need when it is appears among a list of other things that you want (and there is NO way you can convince me that a boardwalk view is a medical necessity! )Unfortunately when you are in a resort that is at capacity most of the time, if this sort of thing is not taken care of before you check in you might be left without a choice.

Lisa

 

[MiaSRN62]

I can't really think of a medical reason that would require that someone be close to the elevators. At WDW, you do a LOT of walking.

Lisa, I suppose this is the one line from your original post that really inspired me to reply to it. This and also the "ice" issue.

if you read the rest of my post you will see that I said assuming that there IS a medical request,

Again, true......not sure if Dads Dream specified the room close to the elevator specifically stating "medical" reasons. But if he did....then I feel he should have been granted this over the Boardwalk view and it should have been his first request if it was this much of a necessity. Dads Dream may not have been as aware of how important it is to prioritize requests and follow-up on them, as some other veterans here on the board know this to be a must. So, without knowing more specifically how he made his requests, I'll just let this issue drop unless he follows up on this thread and gives a little more details.
I think your above quote where you state you can't think of a medical reason to be granted a room close to the elevator is where we disagree the most. But as you said, we'll just agree to disagree on this issue. I respect that everyone has different opinions and views.

 

[Dads Dream]

The details you requested are as follows:

The number one request was that the room be close to the elevator for medical reasons, and oh by the way if we can get a Boardwalk view that would be a bonus. We did not expect to get the better view just threw it in for the heck of it. Did specifically mention the medical issue, it was even printed on our ressies. We showed that to the CM during our long check-in, she reminded us that no requests are guaranteed. The ice issue; we feel was inexcusable to have not 1 but 2 “un-magical” CM’s” just makes us think that maybe it was more the atmosphere and not an individual. This kind of behavior tends to be contagious.


I agree with Maria, we should just agree to disagree. I think that is why DVC offers several different properties to choice from. I hope that you all enjoy your stay at the BWV’s and the service is magical!

 

[CaptainMidnight]

MiaSRN62 and Lisa F, I was just wandering how the two of you felt about which DVC resort is better, pool hopping as SAB, taking large numbers of pool towels back to your rooms, room occupancy limits, and designating DVC resorts specific to political party afffiliations? Any thoughts (since it seems we are straying pretty far from the original poster's question)?

I think OKW is more of a liberal's DVC resort while BCV is more conservative....

Opinions?

 

[MiaSRN62]

MiaSRN62 and Lisa F, I was just wandering how the two of you felt about which DVC resort is better, pool hopping as SAB, taking large numbers of pool towels back to your rooms, room occupancy limits, and designating DVC resorts specific to political party afffiliations?

Honestly Captain, just got in on this thread to find out about different room/view options at BWV.....got a little passionate about the whole medical issue----because this DOES directly relate to room requests and which rooms one can be placed in.
Thanks Dads Dream for elaborating. I feel you should have been given the room you requested in light of what you just posted.

In my defense (and Lisa's), I/we did end my (our) last emails with "let's just agree to disagree", indicating that we were movin' on. But Dads Dream's post, imo, did relate to room placements (i.e. best/worst rooms for medically challenged) to a degree. I travel at times with a physically challenged (due to cancer) family member, and found his post informative. I apologize if things got a little off the beaten path ---as I stated, I'm agreeing to disagree with Lisa about the medical necessity for room placements.
To answer the question (s) you posed Captain......NOPE ! Not touching those with a 10 foot pole !
See ya