Yikes! Need all the scoop on the Beach Club Villas!

[GEM]

Well, we have FINALLY made a decision (after much debate and deliberation) and actually booked a room for our May trip! We will be staying in a studio room at the Beach Club Villlas! It will be me, DH, and our one year old. I would love to hear any details and suggestions you guys might have that would help make our trip more special - any little details to check out, things we should experience, insider tips, etc.

I also have a few specific questions -

-Will we have maid service daily? I think I read that non-DVC members do get daily maid service, but maybe I'm confused . . .

-Are there laundry facilities in the villas section?

-Do we still fax the rooms controller to request a room? If so, what is a good location to request?

-How long is the walk to SAB?

-Do all the studios have balconies?

I'd love to hear about your experiences there!

 

[SueM in MN]

I can help with some of your questions.
You might also want to post on the DVC board for more answers and here's a link to the DIS page about BCV. .

-Will we have maid service daily? I think I read that non-DVC members do get daily maid service, but maybe I'm confused . . .

DVC members who are staying on points (or someone renting points from a DVC member) don't get daily maid service. Personally, I don't miss it. If you made your reservations thru the regular Disney Reservations, you will have daily maid service the same as any other delux resort.

-Are there laundry facilities in the villas section?

Yes. i don't know exactly where they are. We stayed in a 1 bedroom, so we had a washer and dryer in our room.

-Do we still fax the rooms controller to request a room? If so, what is a good location to request?

DVC members are supposed to make requests at the time the reservation is made. I know that some of the resorts have indicated they are not accepting faxes any more - there were posts on this board from CM room controllers who said they were getting a hundred or more faxes per day. It became too much work for the CMs so they asked people to just make requests with the reservation.
When you do request, they don't really have location, it's more views. The rooms that face Epcot also face a frontage road. We were on that side of the building on 3rd floor and could not see anything except high fireworks because of trees.

-How long is the walk to SAB?

Probably a 10 minute or less walk, depending on where your room is compared to the elevators and doors. You have to walk past or thru BC to get there, since SAB is located on the Boardwalk side of BC and BCV are lacted on the other side of BC. There is a fairly large and very nice quiet pool right in front of BCV.

-Do all the studios have balconies?

I think they do. There is one DVC resort where a few studios don't have balconies, but I don't think it's BCV. Someone will know for sure on the DVC Board.

 

[jel0511]

Will we have maid service daily? I think I read that non-DVC members do get daily maid service, but maybe I'm confused

If you rented points for this reservation, no. If you booked directly with WDW reservations, then you'll receive daily maid service.

Are there laundry facilities in the villas section?

There is a laundry room located on the 4th floor. There are two washers and 4 dryers. It is free for those staying at BCV, you'll only pay for detergent. The laundry room does get VERY crowded and there usually is a wait for a machine. Go early (and I mean 6 am) for no waits.

Do we still fax the rooms controller to request a room? If so, what is a good location to request?

DVC members have been told that the room controller is no longer accepting faxes of room requests. I'd have any requests placed directly on your reservation as that's what we've been told. Personally, I'd request a room with a pool view. I personally didn't like the Epcot view, since it does face that road, and it does generate a LOT Of noise at night. With a little one, I'd want the quieter quiet pool view.

How long is the walk to SAB?

Probably 5 to 10 minutes. If you're located far from the elevators, you'll have to include that walk as well. You have to walk though BCV, through the BC lobby and around to SAB. It's actually another 5 minutes from the entrance of SAB to the kiddie pool area, since that area is over by YC. So could be a total of 15 minutes from room to baby pool.

Do all the studios have balconies?

I believe they do, VWL has one studio that doesn't have one, but I haven't heard any reports about BCV having mising balconies.

 

[KarenB]

Hi! We stayed in a studio during Christmas 2002 using our points. We were in room 416. It was right off the elevator and looked out over the quiet pool. The laundry room was right across the hall. It was a very quiet room for the location. I loved having the laundry room across the hall because I could throw in a load and go back to the room. I did laundry fairly late and never had to wait....I could even run over in my PJs!!!!

If I remember right, it was about a 5 minute walk to SAB. With small children I would use a stroller. Also using a stroller, you can walk to Epcot which we loved to do!! (our children are in their teens so the walk was very easy!)

Our room had a nice balcony. We could see the parking lot, but the overall view was great! I would request this room again.

You will love having the studio. It was so nice to get up in the morning to coffee and a quick breakfast in the room. Really saved a lot of time and $$.

We were not DVC members when our children were small, but I often think how much easier it would have been to be in a studio with small children!

Have a great trip!
Karen


I just read your tag