The truth about BCV??

[MrsH42608]

Okay, when we visited (didn't stay, just ate & walked around) BCV, we were blown away. We thought it was just delightful! The room we want is available for our next trip but I'm hesitant to book it. I always go on trip advisor, allears, etc and read reviews before booking anything and I gotta tell ya, BCV has me a little scared. I mean, there are A LOT of bad reviews out there!! Mostly about the villas themselves being dilapidated, but noticably so in a way to make you feel icky when staying there.
Can I please get some opinions for my trusted Disers about what is really going on over there? I was super excited to see our dates available but I do not want to wind up in a place that only looks good on the outside.
Help please!

 

[babesboo99]

BCV is our home resort and we love it, it probably does need to be updated a little bit. But whenever we are there it doesn't give us any bad vibes the rooms have always been clean a few stains on the rug but nothing to get excited about. The hallways were clean and the pool area was amazing. The age of the resort is old but we found it to be clean and friendly which is one of the reasons we made it our home. If you do decide on BCV have a good time and worry about nothing else.

 

[disfanforlife]

We stayed there in November 2010 and loved it. There are some places where it seems a little worn but nothing that would stop us from going back. Location, location, location. My DH loved walking to Epcot and would stay there every time for that reason alone. We tried to book in 2011 and couldn't get in at 7 months. We did waitlist and it never came through. We just bought BWV resale but wouldn't hesitate to stay at BcV if we have enough points and if there is availability when we want To go.

 

[darkwing818]

We have our contracts with OKW & stay there most of the time especially when we are cruising with DCL. However when we go down in the fall , usually once a year (at least for the last 8 or 9 years) we've always stayed at BCV & always great 1 bedrooms. In fact we're heading there again this October, love the wine & food festival.

 

[TSMMANIAC]

I was fortunate to book a 2BR for the last week of May at 7 months. I wouldn't hesitate to stay at the BCV.

 

[SpaceMountain77]

Okay, when we visited (didn't stay, just ate & walked around) BCV, we were blown away. We thought it was just delightful! The room we want is available for our next trip but I'm hesitant to book it. I always go on trip advisor, allears, etc and read reviews before booking anything and I gotta tell ya, BCV has me a little scared. I mean, there are A LOT of bad reviews out there!! Mostly about the villas themselves being dilapidated, but noticably so in a way to make you feel icky when staying there.
Can I please get some opinions for my trusted Disers about what is really going on over there? I was super excited to see our dates available but I do not want to wind up in a place that only looks good on the outside.
Help please!

For years, I had wondered about the allure of BCV and was able to stay in a studio, for the first time, last December for 3 nights. Now, the location is undeniably ideal. BCV guests are steps away from the International Gateway and the convenience of being able to make trips back to the room during the day is phenomenal. Moreover, the Epcot Resorts area really comes alive at night with its numerous restaurants and shops. The advantage for this resort is in its location.

Now, this is the part of my post that will be quoted and others will respectfully disagree. While the location is exceptional, I would describe my room as fair. My room had a direct view of the pool, for which I was grateful, but the room itself was very worn. The resort is designed to evoke turn of the century New England seaside charm and, honestly, my room certainly felt old.

I would go back for the location, not the rooms.

 

[disneynutz]

The resort is great, BC/BCV, the location is great, the room may need a refurb, but the views are only fair IMO.

BCV is behind the BC. No lake view, you can get a view towards the pool/parking lot or a woods/wetlands view. There are a view rooms facing the courtyard between the BC and the villas but you are looking at the DME bus drop-off. Some like the rooms facing Epcot hoping to see fireworks but you are above Epcot Resorts Blvd and the view is blocked by trees.

Google maps has a good birds eye view of the resorts.

Bill

 

[Pirate Granny]

We own there and have stayed more than a few times...almost always top floor (one night stay on the bottom floor), all have face the woods or the road. Love the view of the tree tops and the tops of the buildings in Future world...love, love, love the walk to Epcot...love the pools...rooms to us are just that rooms...no huge problems. Nothing to wow you either...A ROOM. But then I wasn't impressed with BLT or VWL rooms either...just that, they are ROOMS. Now OKW love the Larger ROOMS!

 

[islandtimect]

We stayed once in a studio and enjoyed the theming, pools, easy walk to Epcot and the Boardwalk, proximity of our room to the store/quick service/refillable mug station, and of course Beaches and Cream. I didn't notice worn conditions, and will stay there again when I'm able to book it at 7 months or less.

 

[chepic]

Just back from there. Here are my thoughts.

1. We stayed there for the pool for the kids, both boys ages 8 and 12. In the end, they didn't think it was any better than OKW.

2. The rooms are much smaller than OKW, and I found that we were tripping over the kids' toys all day. We were in a 1 bedroom.

3. The "large balcony" we had facing the garden was tiny. Although we were able to sit on it, had 2 chairs and small table, there is no walking on it. We are very used to OKW and their large balcony area that you can sit, walk, spread out on.

4. Found the interior to be very cold in temp, so every time we came in from pool we froze as we ran to our room. The hallways are long and it felt a bit like the Shining at times as we tried to remember which hallway to go down.

5. It was very nice to be on the boardwalk area and was a very nice walk in the evening, and the fireworks from Epcot was a nice plus.

6. I didn't find the interior to be beat up. We did have an issue with the garbage disposal, but after 3 days it was fixed.

7. There is definitely a hotel atmosphere there that we don't see at OKW. To us it just didn't feel warm and fuzzy.

8. It was nice having a waitress at the pool.

9. No music playing at the pool: hooked up our i-pod.

Cheryl

 

[DizBub]

My truth about BCV is that it's a small resort in a most desirable location with the most desirable/exclusive pool on property.

We considered ourselves very lucky to be able to book at 7 months for the 1st week of F&W a couple of years ago and loved it. Last year I tried again at 7 months and nothing was available. Waitlisted for the whole 7 months and it never came through. Decided then to buy a resale contract at BCV.

I love the vibe at BCV. Love it. BWV is fantastic too and it's just a stroll around the lake. Plus, the parking is head and shoulders better at BCV than BWV. We always drive so parking matters to us.

Room condition hasn't been an issue for us. BCV is probably due for a refurb.

 

[wrighter]

We stayed at BCV for the first time this past August. My opinion seems to echo others: The pool is wonderful, location fantastic, room not-so-great. Having done my homework ahead of time, at least I was not surprised by the wear and tear of our 1-bedroom. And so I tried not to let it bother me. We just chose to spend as much time as possible OUT of the room, and not IN it.

 

[DisneyMotherOf2]

I think you will find wear and tear at all the DVC resorts. Some rooms more than others depending on previous guests and how much they beat up on it. And keep in mind that you may not find something in your room to be icky or a problem, but someone else may term it as "run down" and horrible. That being said I've heard terrible things about BLT and that only after it had been open for a year. Furniture stains, things falling apart, poor construction, etc. Obviously if a resort has just gone through a refurb it should be "nicer" than one that hasn't recently. But all things considered I think you'll be happy at BCV. It's our home resort and I've had lovely rooms that didn't appear worn or beat up each time I've stayed there (IMO) and I've been very happy there. And regardless of what I've heard about BLT I still plan on staying there at some point. In the end, being in Disney is our happy place and hopefully whatever room we get at any of the resorts will be nice. Everyone's perception of what's "run down" is different. Just keep that in mind....

 

[schoen]

I kinda hate the rooms at BCV.

With that being said, we try to stay there every single time that we go! While I do not like the way the room is decorated, I love absolutely everything else about the resort. I love the exterior. I love the feeling in the lobby. I love the music that they pipe in through the resort. I love the proximity to Epcot, and I live walking to HS too. I love the ease of self parking.

The rooms are very eh for me though. They are a little dated is all. With that being said, they are perfectly comfortable, and certainly big enough. I was wowed when I went into the AKV 1-bed. That was certainly not the case here, but it is totally fine.

If I was paying cash for those rooms though, I might be a little annoyed. The need a good healthy update desperately!

 

[PoohsFan1]

We have stayed at BCV a couple of times now and we loved it. We are not owners but plan to in the near future. We haven't had any issues with the resort (we've stayed in both a pool view room and a woods view room), like others have pointed out, the resort could use some updating, but I haven't noticed anything significantly wrong with it. If you can book the resort, I would say definitely do it and let yourself be your own critic. The atmosphere, pool, restaurant choices, and the fact that it is between two parks that you can walk or take a ferry to is awesome. Good luck and have fun.

 

[mjc2003]

there's wear and tear in most of the DVC villas. They are not deluxe, they are spacious and accommodating.

We stayed at BCV in 2009, 2010, and bought DVC in 2011. We have stayed at AKV (Kidani & Jambo) , BLT (1 night), BWV, and have visited VWL. We have never been to SSR or OKW.

We stayed at BCV again last November. We just returned from a week's stay yesterday, again at BCV. We're going back for 10 days in October. We probably won't ever stay anywhere else except for a night or two. The pool is great, the resort grounds are amazing, and the location is unbeatable. We love it. The CM's are also great.

I'm of the opinion that picking a DVC resort for the room is missing the forest for the trees. The BCV rooms are not huge, they can be a bit worn (not dirty), but we stay there for everything else. Outside of sleeping, 98% of our time is spent OUTSIDE the room, so that's my criteria. I know some people do spend a lot of time in the room, not us.

From the moment we step on the property we are thrilled to be there. While I respect others opinions and realize everybody has their favorites, I would certainly recommend that the OP stays at BCV and makes the decision for yourself, don't base it on Tripadvisor or some online reviews. It's a spectacular property and you won't be disappointed.

 

[Snurk71]

We stayed BCV once on BLT points, weren't big fans of the room (1BR layout and decor) compared to BLT and VB, and then bought a 150 point contract there after our stay (and have stayed 2 or 3 times again since). We loved being so close to Epcot and the BW. We actually found the pool mostly just OK compared to the others. The room decor isn't that bad for us - we do like BLT better. But BCV is " fine" fine us.

 

[Snurk71]

We stayed BCV once on BLT points, weren't big fans of the room (1BR layout and decor) compared to BLT and VB, and then bought a 150 point contract there after our stay (and have stayed 2 or 3 times again since). We loved being so close to Epcot and the BW. We actually found the pool mostly just OK compared to the others. The room decor isn't that bad for us - we do like BLT better. But BCV is " fine" us.

 

[DizGirl20]

Is BCV in need of refurbishment? Yes
Is it dirty? No

Keep in mind that the reason it is a bit "tired" is because it is such a fantastic resort in terms of location and SAB. I recently returned from a stay at SSR. Overall, (since you asked!) it is in much better condition than BCV. But the pool area isn't nearly as fun/nice as SAB and you can't walk to Epcot. So it depends on what's important to you!

 

[MrsH42608]

Thanks so much everyone, I really appreciate your perspectives!!