Trip Reports

This trip report is to be a summary of our impressions and discoveries of our 16th (+1) trip to the World. It will report on these 3 topics: the BWVR as seen through a DVC member, comparisons to other hotels/resorts around the World, and our dining experiences/comparisons. Having stayed at 7 better & best on-site resort locations, we have a few opinions!

BOARDWALK VILLAS RESORT

Being new DVC members, this was our first stay at BWVR. We called the Rooms Controller 4 days in advance to request: 1) a room close to the elevators, since we had heard of the extreme inconvenience associated with them, and 2) a quiet room (off the Boardwalk if necessary) to allow for a good night's rest for our active 5 year-old. When we arrived, we were given room 2001. This room is approx. a 5 minute walk to the elevators, overlooking the Boardwalk on the second floor, and it shares a common wall with Jellyrolls. We did not get anything we had asked for! Since we had experienced a 90 minute flight delay and had difficulty with Dollar Car Rental (they told us we would have to wait 1 hour for our reserved and confirmed vehicle), we opted to just keep the room and let our sleeping children rest. To our surprise, the location was not as bad as we first feared. It was directly over the DVC model rooms and sales area.

With the doors shut in both rooms of our 1-bedroom unit, we could not hear anything from the Boardwalk! Even at our low, second floor location, we could see the busy traffic but not hear it. Our only sound was from the common wall with Jellyrolls. We could hear the muffled beat of the music in the sitting room/kitchen (the children's sleeping area) but not at all in the rest of the unit. For a light sleeper, it would be too much but our children sleep very well in spite of it all.

The major inconvenience was the elevators. We always take our own stroller, so we had the option of walking back to the center of the complex for the only 3 elevators for the Villas or carrying the stroller down a flight of service stairs just outside our door. This exit was very convenient (behind Jellyrolls) for the closer boat launch at the Swan/Dolphin. It also was closer to the back entrance to the pool and the short walk to the Yacht & Beach Club pools (the very best pool in the World!….as DVC members, we are entitled to use any pool on-site). The elevators are located at the center of the complex, by the lobby, and are always busy. We even saw room service being routinely delivered on them! In our opinion, the complex should have many more elevators. Since this is a resort designed for families, I'm sure that there are many others with strollers & children on the upper floors that have to walk back to the elevators whenever they wish to leave their rooms. My husband spoke with some construction workers, who showed him that the room directly below ours (by the DVC sales area) was being renovated to provide an additional access to the Boardwalk.

Here are a few notes on the provisions in the 1 bedroom villas. I searched the Internet for such information before our trip and couldn't find many details. I hope this is of benefit to you if you are planning a BVR trip. These were in the room upon arrival: coffee pot with a complimentary pack for 1 pot of coffee (the pots used the "basket" type of filters), toaster, dish drainer, dish soap for both the dishwasher and for "washing by hand", skillet, asst. pans, 8 beverage glasses, 8 juice/rock glasses, table service and complete table settings for 8, asst. kitchen utensils, easy-to use microwave, household-size range/oven, small household-size refrigerator/freezer, and a good assorted of kitchen utensils (spoons, spatulas, etc…). They also provided a sample box of Tide (for 1 full load), but no fabric softener. Other items in the rooms were: a portable crib (we had not requested it so I assume it is standard in each room), sweeper, 1 laundry basket, iron & ironing board, washer & dryer, hair dryer, asst. toiletries, 6 bath towels, 5 wash cloths, and 3 handtowels.

The DVC members only have "maid" service every few days, so ours came after our 3rd night of stay. The only service provided was to empty the trash and replace any dirty towels. Since I had washed towels the day before, they did not exchange my washed ones for new ones. I was surprised that they did not sweep or in any other way clean the rooms or bath area. They did, however, leave new toiletries. The lesson learned: be prepared to do a little housework on your vacation! After 3 days at the parks, the floor needed to be swept and the bath area & mirrors needed attention. Cleaning supplies for the bath were not provided.

A note on closets & drawers…The master closet was a "walk-in" with as much space as an ample home closet would have. There was also a double-door closet by the front door. Hangers were sparse for the ample space provided (8-12 total). Also, the drawer space was minimal. There were three drawers under the TV and 1 small bench with a drawer in the master bedroom. The bathroom had a huge area, however, under the sink (approx. 5-6 ft.), plus 2 small drawers. On our next trip, I will take lots of extra hangers to make use of all of the closet space and decrease my need for drawers. The kitchen had plenty of empty space for our own supplies.

Tornado warning information: We were at BVR the night the tragic tornadoes ripped through central Florida. Two nights previously, there were tornado warnings for the Magic Kingdom area (as per local TV). I called the front desk to check on our status, explaining that we are from Indiana where tornadoes do extensive damage. The CM/clerk told me that these warnings occur all the time and they never produce large enough tornadoes to cause us concern…..that I had nothing to be concerned about. I ask about the procedures anyway and she told me that, in the event of imminent danger, CMs would knock on doors and call guests on the phone. The internal laundry rooms (identified for CMs only) are to be used for shelter. We were shocked to wake up on 2/23/98 to see the devastation just a few miles from us. The rooms were so soundproof, that we did not hear the storm, sleeping through it almost entirely. A final note: I heard a spokesperson from the National Weather Service on the local TV (Florida) say that the probability of additional storms of that level are present for about 2 more months, thanks to El Nino. Just be alert!!!

HOTEL/RESORT COMPARISONS

FWC (spring, 1993): The bus service was spotty but the boat launch was great! The bathrooms were noisy for others sleeping. The double beds were marginally comfortable; the pull-down bed in the front room was not very comfortable for adults. Noise from the outside was minimal and not distracting.

GFBR (summer, 1994): This is (of course!) the best. The monorail access was never busy. We really like the room arrangement, with an alcove area for the double sinks. This allows for a some-what private area besides the toilet area for changing clothes while the rest of the family is in the room. I could rise early and get quietly dressed without waking everybody else. The bath area is on the far side of the room from the beds. We found the service to be very friendly and accurate. The pool is not interesting but very large. Pool robes are provided in each room! The restaurants were very good, with the character dinner buffet in "1900" being superb for kids. It had mini-hot dogs, pizza, PBJ, plain vegetables, and great desserts just for them. It is the best kid's meal we have seen to date. I hope they haven't changed it!

WL (summer, 1995): We requested a room with bunk beds to give us more floor space. It was great! They use liquid soap dispensers, but you can request bars of soap. The boat launch was a long walk but it was partly shaded. The pool was not large but fun, with the waterfall. We especially liked the continental breakfast sold in the lobby (a very quick start to the day!) and the ala carte eatery on the first floor. We could always get exactly the type of food (light or a full meal) whenever we wanted. The downside is, of course, the bus transportation. We always have a rental car so we avoid them like the plague!

PBR (fall, 1996): The room layout was good, with the entire bathroom entirely separate. We were assigned a room close to the Luau (in Tahiti), so we heard the drums every night. Ugh!!! If you go, request a room on the side of the resort toward the Ticket and Transportation Center. It will also be great for getting to the Monorails and beating the crowds. The room was great, with the queen beds and it had ample space. It also had a carryout dining area that saved us time and $$$. Downsides are: 1) When it rains, you have to run between the buildings to get anywhere. The buildings are not connected, so you will get very wet in a downpour. 2) We found out after our stay, that they have a problem with snakes getting into the first floor room through the sliding doors (this from a former cast member who had personally removed several). We did not see any in our room!

DL (spring, 1997): We had originally planned to stay the entire week here but checked out after 1 night. It was not a bad hotel, but we had gotten used to a different type of room and chose to move. The reasons we switched were: 1) The wall heater/air conditioner rattled whenever it came on. The better hotels have central heating & cooling. 2) The beds were doubles and we prefer queens. Also, the trundle bed took up most of the floor space when it was used. 3) The room layout did not suit our vacation style. When 1 person got up, the lights at the vanity shone directly onto the beds, waking everybody up. If your family all gets up at the same time, then this is not a problem for you. It was for us! When I went to the front desk to inquire about moving, they were great! The CM said, "Honey, it's your money and you should be able to enjoy your visit. Tell me were you want to be and I'll help you get there" We went to the YBCR.

YBCR (same spring, 1997 visit): Loved it, loved it, loved it!!!!! It had queen beds, very helpful CMs, a room layout similar to GFBR, and the best pool in the World. It is a 3.5 acre mini-water park, with a 2 water slides, a lazy area, a sandy area for digging, and a unique arrangement that allows you to watch different ages/expert levels at one time. The food bar also has the best kid's value anywhere: $2.99 for a sandwich, chips, drink, and a plastic pail & shovel to play with. This was still the price during our 1998 visit. The CMs were always opening doors for us, asking us if we needed anything, etc…. It is a popular convention spot, so families are not the majority of the visitors. Ala carte breakfasts were adequate but not as "all encompassing" as the WL or PBR.

YBCR (late spring, 1997): 3 day visit return visit (only my husband and I). We loved the YC so much that we returned. Also, with our annual passports, we were able to get the rooms at $169/night. I have learned to always ask about Magic Kingdom Gold Card discounts, annual passports, etc…, even throughout the parks.

BVR (winter, 1998): see above for details information. For comparison purposes, we found the Villas to be as good as YBCR. The beds were queens, and the bath area allowed for more than 1 person to get ready at a time. The quality of the surroundings was excellent but we found the CMs not as readily available. The Bellmen were everywhere but the Guest Services desk was often closed when we arrived back in the evening. When the desk is closed, the Front Desk handles all inquiries. The Desk was always busy, with lines of 3 or more most of the time. They only had 2-3 CMs working each time I went by. This was a real bottleneck. If you have a question before going out or to the parks, allow extra time. Most of the time, my wait was over 10 minutes (checking in & out, getting information, etc….)

DINING EXPERIENCES/IMPRESSIONS

One of our greatest pleasures while at the World is the wonderful restaurants. We usually have one "sit-down" meal and one "on-the-run" daily. Since we have done this for years, we have always been able to budget accordingly. This visit was different….we noticed a definite increase in our food costs of 10% (even with eating breakfast in our Villa).

For starters, the kid's meals are now up to $4 to $5. They have also started putting ¼ # hot dogs in their meals. That is a lot of wasted food when given to a 5-year-old! The meals used to have a Mickey straw, sticker, or other trinket that made for a cheap souvenir but we did not find them this trip. Also, in some of the better restaurants, the beverage is extra. At the Boardwalk Spoodles, the kid's drinks came in a souvenir plastic cup. If you have two smaller children that have the same tastes, you might consider buying 1 kids meal and an extra order of fries or Mickey cookies. There is not a trinket to fight over!

Additionally, the vast majority of the restaurants around the World have become unique, trendy, and specialty oriented. At the Boardwalk, the ESPN Club is as close as you will get to "regular" food. My husband and I love to try something new every day, but our children often wish for a good, basic meal partway through our trip. Such meals are getting harder to find. Spoodles (BW) had excellent food but it was all ala carte. Only bread arrived with the meal. The books indicate that an entrée is between $14-20 but it fails to inform you that you order salads and other accompaniments extra. I had the lobster pizza and Jim had a seafood dish. The kids ordered spaghetti but did not like it. (I loved it but it had arugula, and large chunks of onion & veggies….it was too "gourmet" for young palates. They were expecting something like Mama Melrose' or Alfredo's) The CM took off the charges for their meals (without our asking for it!) but the bill was still over $60 for just 2 entrees (no sides), 4 beverages, and tip. Breakfast at the Boardwalk is either pastries as the Bakery (with its long line) or a buffet at Spoodles. (By the way, Spoodles has an outside entrance, so if it rains, you will have to get wet to eat breakfast.) Our kids ate hot dogs on the Boardwalk for a couple of meals ($5.25 for dog & fries, beverage extra).

The Grand Floridian has its café, as well as the Poly & Wilderness Lodge. I wish that the Boardwalk would have the same. We did not try the Brewery because the malt smell was too much for the kids. (Besides, I just can't think of a brewery as a kid-oriented!) We now realize how much we used the ala carte cafés in the other resorts.

Character meals: The best to date is Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort. The food is wonderful, appealing to all ages, and there are always several characters. Our least favorite is at the Crystal Palace (1997). They only had Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore, and they took over an hour to make the rounds. The kid's buffet was sparse, with gourmet vegetable mixes that did not rate well with kid's (while in line, I saw most children turn up their noses!) We spent $7 per child for a piece of pizza and dessert. Another good meal is at the Land Grille in Epcot. The best time to visit is around 3-4pm. When we had a mid-afternoon meal, the restaurant was almost empty and the characters spent over 40 minutes at our table. At one point, I hoped they would leave so our family could eat! The kid's dessert is "Worms & Dirt", a concoction of chocolate pudding, chocolate cookie crumbs and candy "gummy" worms. We also enjoyed the 1900 Park Faire at the Grand Floridian, but it only had Mickey & Minnie.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:

From a Rainforest Café waiter: The Rainforest Café Patio is relatively unknown and usually has no waiting. You can see the Epcot fireworks from there!

If you are staying any of the Epcot resorts and want to be at France (or close-by) when it opens at 11am, use your resort pass. The CMs will let you thru the closed section of Epcot to get to the back.

Always ask for any discounts (Magic Kingdom Gold Card, annual passport, etc…) whenever you buy anything. I actually received a discount at a shop in MGM with my annual passport. I had 2 CMs tell me that we should always ask…..discounts are not always advertised!

One of the best & cheapest souvenirs is the plastic popcorn bucket! A box of popcorn is $2, while the souvenir pail is $3 to 3.50. When you deduct the cost of the snack, you end up with a great toy for under $1.50!

I would love to get your opinions! Have we missed something? Have you found any good kid areas? Thanks!

Claudia S. Rudolph

erdoc@netusa1.net

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