Originally Posted By LuvDatDisney I posted this a few days ago on the DVC board and haven't gotten any feedback, so I thought I'd place it here and see what happens ... Warning: I'm not a DVC proponent and feel Disney has gone overboard in the timeshare business. That billboard near the Epcot cast parking area has me concerned that another resort annoucement is imminent. But I just digressed ... The subject is this: as DVC members, are you guys happy with the upkeep at your resorts? And, if you arent't, do you have any say at all in making things better? I ask because a friend of mine has always been thrilled with DVC. She owns most of her points at OKW (her fave) and Vero Beach (where I have stayed on her generosity). A few years back she added points at the Beach Club Villas for quick stays near her favorite park (Epcot). She was here this week for her fifth stay in a BCV studio and after the first, it's all been downhill. Mind you, she isn't someone to notice every little thing (like I am!) and she has been very unhappy at BCV (still happy with Vero and thrilled with OKW). The carpeting, and I concur with her, is FILTHY in all the hallways. Not dirty. Not a few stains here or there, but filthy, disgusting, needs to be replaced. It's not a whole lot better in the studio she had. The last few stays she was plagued with stained bedsheets and comforters, a very dirty bathroom, a phone with some 'mystery' substance on it and furnishings that she called "beat up" ... I'd call them "abused." So my question is ... does she/do you have any recourse? Is it buyer beware, because you don't really own the place? Can you simply demand that DVC replaces all the carpeting in a unit or hallway because you pay dues. I'm really interested in opinions here because it's very obvious to me, and now my friend and her husband, that the Beach Club Villas aren't being maintained to any reasonable standard.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad Please read ALL before your judgement: I have been a DVC member for what....I dunno 5 years or so. I own at Boardwalk Villas, Beach Club Villas, and Saratoga Springs. I have noticed that things can sometimes get really awful before they are totally ripped out and refurbished. However, by and large I have been very happy with almost everything concerning DVC. It is rare, and I mean very very rare that I have had some problem with any DVC accomodations. I visit at least 3 times a year, often as much as 5 times. So I have gotten the best and worst of the DVC. Now for a confession! THE BEACH CLUB VILLAS IS THE WORST OF ALL OF THEM. I own there so I feel that I have a right to make this claim. In fact we don't even stay there anymore. However the problem doesn't seem to be so much the DVC property as it is the CM's there at the Beach Club itself. I won't post a full report here but suffice to say we don't stay there anymore. We use those points to stay elsewhere, usally at Old Key West, or Baordwalk. I am sure that your friend who also owns would have SOME kind of legal recourse if she is being wronged in some fashion. She may have paid for her ownership outright but she still pays dues which supposedly go to maintain the property. I guess in spite of the problems we have had at Beach Club, I still feel very strongly that my DVC ownership is a great investment. I am not in favor of the massive marketing that is done in the parks. It used to be more of a well kept secret. The DVC marketing seems to have gotten out of hand. It is losing its exclusive and sophisticated feeling IMHO. But still, from a cost standpoint, I have no regrets whatsoever. As for your friend's problem...the paint and carpet that was so awful has probably been replaced. Case in point: I sometimes request the exact room by number that I had stayed in previously, or at least the same general location of the resort. I have 5 kids and we usually take a friend or two for my oldest two... so I can't stay in just ANY room. But I have seen first hand more than once this example: For example, I stayed in Wilderness Lodge Villas last October '05 and remember thinking, wow these wood floors are taking a beating. They should do something here. These floors suck! We returned in Novemeber of '05 (one month later) to find that the wood floors were being totally redone. So it's not as bad as you make it out to be, atleast not in MY mind. I think yes they should tone down the massive new marketing; I feel less and less speical because of it. But also if you don't wanna join, don't join. But it would be unfair to discourage your friend who IS a member to you know...stoke up her fires over something she may not have cared about before. Not that you would do that, just saying... you said you see every little thing. BUT TO BE FAIR ... I once came down for a week when we only had 3 kids (2 kids and one infant). We decided to stay in four different Non DVC resorts just for a change. We spent our points to do this, they just cost more. Anyway we spent 3 nights at the Contemporary, 2 nights at Grand Fla, and 2 nights at Polonesian. I decided then that I would never stay at a non DVC resort again. I didn't have a problem with those resorts, but by comparison I would much rather stay where I can have a real kitchen, and a washer and dryer. I certainly didn't think the non DVC resorts were better maintained or cleaner. Sorry to ramble, but you seem to have been begging for an answer so I just wanted to give you my honest opinion.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I agree with much of what DVC dad is saying (I have no experience with the Beach Club Villas, so I can't comment on that). I've never had a problem with the maintenance of the Villa rooms I've stayed in. Once at the WL Villas our room clearly had not been cleaned when we first arrived. The beds were unmade, wet towels strewn about, etc. Obviously the room was passed by. I called housekeeping and said I wanted someone to take care of it right away. Twenty minutes later no one had come so I called Housekeeping again. This time the Housekeeping Supervisor came to our room and took care of it herself. That was not a maintenance problem though… again; the overall condition of the room (once it was clean) was very good. One thing I think people have to remember is that DVC could not keep the Villa’s always looking “brand new†without increasing maintenance fees way beyond what members would be willing to pay. Do you replace your carpet at home first time it gets stained? Do you replace your sofa the first time the cushions start showing some use? Do you repaint the room any time your child writes on it or you gouge it when moving furniture? There is always SOMEONE who was the absolute last occupant of a room before it was rehabbed. That person is probably not going to have a room that they were real satisfied with. Overall though, I have been quite satisfied with the DVC Villas (I’ve stayed at Boardwalk and Wilderness Lodge).
Originally Posted By itsme I stayed in the Beach Club villas this past May, I saw no problems nor had any issues with it and would probably stay there again as i try to rotate the resorts each time i go. There is no such thing as a perfect up-kept hotel.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <as DVC members, are you guys happy with the upkeep at your resorts? And, if you arent't, do you have any say at all in making things better? < I have been a member for 11 years -- 20 visits to OKW and 7 to Vero beach and I have never had what i would term a bad experience at any of them. I have had a broken DVD unit ( which I called on and had a replacement in less than an hour - so hardly a complaint. -- and once we lost power because a contractor tore an electrical cable while doing work -- was out for a few hours ( water and electric) for which we were compensated with a meal at Olivia's -- hardly a complaint there either. Now, all that being said, I have read here more than once complaints about the Beach CLub Villas. I have no direct experience so it is hard for me to state anything, except some of those complaints have come from people who actually aren't anti DVC ( another argument for another time ) - so I say where there's smoke there they may be fire. I also stayed in Boardwalk once and had no issues there either.......... In fact with OKW and Vero, I can honestly saw I have seen no drop off in service in 11 years ( yes there is one less free trash & tidy day - so I add it ) - but the level of service has been great, rooms and appliances clean. Extras asked for ( at one time crib and sidebars for beds ) - etc -- always there and in great condition. And yes, there are separate meetings for 'owners' of each resort -- including the annual meeting , plus you can call DVC member services, or e-mail them etc -- there are plenty of places to go complain.
Originally Posted By LuvDatDisney Thanks for the responses. I will pass them all on to my friend and her husband. FWIW, I am not anti-DVC perse, but feel it has become a too large component of the WDW experience. Like my friend, I have stayed at both OKW and Vero Beach and loved them and found the product delivered. After visiting the Beach Club Villas numerous times recently when my friend was down, I was just amazed at how downright rundown the place felt. There's just no good excuse for that, whether you love DVC (like she does), hates it, or is in between (like myself). Roadtrip brings up an interesting point about being the last people in a room pre-rehab. I've never quite thought of things that way. But I'd bet there are some folks staying at the Contemporary who are in love with their new rooms, while others likely feel they are paying $300-plus for a dump. But I always thought DVC was different. You are buying in. You own points at a given resort, even if you choose to stay elsewhere. My friend bought points at BCV because she loves Epcot and Stormalong Bay and wanted to be close to both. I dunno what I'd do, but I'd likely have a very unpleasant discussion with the resort's GM. For what it costs to buy into DVC, no one should have to deal with a dump that's only three years old. If that means swapping out carpeting every six months or having staff that steamcleans it weekly, I'd be demanding that. And I have heard that the BC itself is the worst-managed deluxe resort at WDW to begin with.
Originally Posted By LuvDatDisney "I have noticed that things can sometimes get really awful before they are totally ripped out and refurbished." And that's what I'm afraid is happening at BCV.
Originally Posted By jmuboy DVC is such a "prized component" of the WDW product mix and a is an integral profit center for WDW. DVC members need to be VOCAL. Everything you like, everything you'd like to see and everything that upsets you needs to vocalized. Email them, call them and do it repeatedly. They will definatley listen.
Originally Posted By jmuboy Having said what I did in the post above, I am moving my summer reservation to the WL Villas instead of the BC Villas.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <Everything you like, everything you'd like to see and everything that upsets you needs to vocalized. Email them, call them and do it repeatedly. They will definatley listen< perfect example is the addition of the slide at OKW --
Originally Posted By DVC_dad vbdad you ain't kiddin !!! You have to have been a member for some years and have stayed at OKW and any of the other DVC resorts to get the full meaning of "The Slide oat OKW." Good news for me, I hope not bad news for you...I will probably never stay anywhere other than OKW now that the slide has been added. Lots of kids, the ability to park very close to the room, the friendliest staff of any DVC resort, a main pool with a great water slide, but several smaller (and very private feeling) pools with hot tubs, and those wonderful 2 story / 3 bed room grand villas with the interior balcony for large / multiple family vacations... oh yeah...its OKW for me from now on baby! And you know what's so funny about OKW, I have never ever ever had anything negative from OKW ever...well except maybe I can't get ESPN Zone Wings via room service at midnight. But I can live with that.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad As a note, "lots of kids" meaning no one cares if my 5 kids get rowdy cause there are plenty of other kids having fun too!
Originally Posted By mickey_ring We've been Old Key West DVCers for 10 years. The only upkeep problem we ever had was a dishwasher door that was bent and would not close. Some previous guest must have used it as a step. Within a half-hour of a call to housekeeping, a maintenance tech came and changed the appliance.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 OKW Rocks ! DVC Dad -- no the slide does not bother me one way or the other..I was OK without it and I am OK with it.....it was just an example as I know people were asking for one for years and it was added to a resort that was sold out many many years ago.....so they do listen, I was impressed by that.
Originally Posted By jmuboy I'm a DVC'er who owns OKW and I LOVE my home resort. Great slide, great pools, bigger rooms, the smaller feel of the resort, etc. It's great.
