BLT/BWV/Riviera mini-review

[ljmiii]

We just returned from our WDW trip w/the kids and I thought I would give a mini-review as two of the resorts are newly refurbished and one is just plain new.

The refurb at BLT is beautiful. Lots of new Monorail and Mary Blair inspired art and decor and DVC did a great job refurbing the bathrooms (in particular the new jet-less soaker tub is quite nice). But the introduction of Murphy beds (at least in the dedicated 2BRs) is abysmal. We went from a sofa bed that comfortably sat 3 and a chair bed that comfortably sat 1 1/2 (both the chair and hassock were enormous) to a Murphy sofa that seats 2 and a beautiful but small oval chair that seats 1/2 an adult.

Also, the child sized Murphy bed under the TV took away the storage space in the room. And they removed a lot of the ancillary furniture (side tables, etc.) and replaced it with an odd 1/2 table, 1/2 footrest storage bench (unlike every other one I've seen each side can only do one function...you can't flip the top over to get a table or cushion as needed). I'm sure it fits better in the rectangular villas, but in the pie shaped exterior villas the living room feels empty.

I can understand the transformation in the 2BR LOs (since as 1BRs the living room sleeping surfaces are more likely to be needed and the room will probably have 2-4 adults), but those Murphys are the 7th, 8th, and 9th sleeping surfaces in a dedicated 2BR. And goodness help you if you are trying to feed/interact with 9 people in the remodeled living room (much less store their stuff).


The refub at BWV was also beautiful with a lot of new 'Fab 5 at the seashore' art and decor. And again, DVC did a great job with the bathroom. They also changed the kitchen 'breakfast bar' w/three surfaces (kitchen counter, high bar, and low bar...all of which were too narrow) into a single wide, flat kitchen peninsula which was much more useful.

And while DVC also introduced the Murphy beds to BWV, they nicely added a seat/storage area with outlets alongside so the sofa comfortably sat 3.


Lastly, I must say that DVC did a great job with the villas at Riviera. Beautiful and well equipped the 1BR in which we stayed had ample storage and seating even with the Murphy beds. And much to my amazement, the soaking tub had vigorous bubble and heating options. The one downside (which I knew going in) is that it's missing a toilet - the 'master bathroom' has a very nice vanity/sink and tub and the '2nd bathroom' has a small vanity/sink, shower, and toilet. Still...we were very pleasantly surprised. And the voyage to/from EPCOT on the Skyliner was both quick and fun.

 

[DanCali]

Great info! Thanks for the update!

Looking forward to our BLT visit in the summer.

Do you know if they turned the studios into a sleeping capacity of 5 with an extra twin murphy under the tv?

 

[bnoble]

But the introduction of Murphy beds (at least in the dedicated 2BRs) is abysmal.

I'm generally not a fan of the fifth sleeping surface. I'd much rather have the storage. But I also recognize that I'm in the minority among DVCers.

 

[ljmiii]

Do you know if they turned the studios into a sleeping capacity of 5 with an extra twin murphy under the tv?

I don't know for certain. But since the LO 2BR are still listed as having a sleeping capacity of 9 and I know the 1BRs have a capacity of 5 I would expect that the studios still have just the bed and sofabed/murphy.

 

[andre10056]

I'm just curious, never having stayed at any Disney resort. It sounds like they're just adding Murphy beds everywhere. But I always thought what determined the sleeping capacity of any unit had nothing to do with how many beds or Murphy beds or fold-out couches you could force sardine-can style into a space, but on what the fire marshal determined based upon the risk of fire and the amount of people who might all have to get out of the building at the same time. Is there that much space both inside the units as well as in the hallways/stairways to have 9 people sleeping in a 2 bedroom? Almost sounds like a migrant workers' flophouse.

 

[ljmiii]

I'm just curious, never having stayed at any Disney resort. It sounds like they're just adding Murphy beds everywhere....

DVC isn't adding sleeping capacity, they are just replacing sofa beds and chair beds with Murphy Beds. I can sort of see replacing the sofabed with a Murphy Bed in the 1BRs (and thus the 2BR LOs) but swapping out storage space under the TV and the very comfortable chair bed and hassock for a child sized Murphy Bed and small chair seems brain dead to me.

 

[nomoretslt]

Thanks for the review (those are our 3 resorts). Totally agree about the bathroom set up at Riviera one bedrooms. They have that nice large foyer. They couldn’t fit a water closet somewhere? So strange that the bathroom setup in the studio is better. They did do a fabulous job on the resort overall. The parking and two banks of elevators makes things so much easier too. I was hoping that some kind of bridge/walkway over Buena Vista drive would be built (would come out near the American pavilion I think). It’s tough taking the skyliner after fireworks. We are usually lucky and get a room with fireworks view, but it’s not the same as being there.

We were very happy with the BWV refurb. Those sofa beds were so heavy and uncomfortable. I’m glad about the murphy beds, but the couch is kind of hard. And the chairs on the deck….we use pillows from the couches for our backs. The hallways are nice and bright too. And thank goodness you can refill your coffee mug in the lobby now in the morning. It’s still my favorite (and first) resort. But tough on move in day.

I’m hoping for a refurbished room when we go to BLT in May. We always get a one bedroom for the two of us and never need the drawers in the living room. There is no storage now? I sometimes wonder who makes these decisions. The kitchens there are great though. I hope they still have that big roll out pantry.

Did you get tired of moving around so much? Did you utilize luggage transfer service? We always have our car now, so just do it ourselves. Our split stays usually are just one night in a studio then change to one bedroom. We were moving to a different resort most times after the studio night, but we’ve decided to not do that any more. It got tiring.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

[Janann]

I'm just curious, never having stayed at any Disney resort. It sounds like they're just adding Murphy beds everywhere. But I always thought what determined the sleeping capacity of any unit had nothing to do with how many beds or Murphy beds or fold-out couches you could force sardine-can style into a space, but on what the fire marshal determined based upon the risk of fire and the amount of people who might all have to get out of the building at the same time. Is there that much space both inside the units as well as in the hallways/stairways to have 9 people sleeping in a 2 bedroom?

Two queen beds in one bedroom = 4
One king bed in another bedroom = 2
Murphy bed in the living room = 2
Sleeping chair in the living room = 1
Total = 9 people

If there are friends and families that like to travel this way, great for them. The fire marshal is aware of the setup, and I'm sure the staircase capacity has been reviewed.

 

[ljmiii]

I’m hoping for a refurbished room when we go to BLT in May....I hope they still have that big roll out pantry.

The refurbed BLT kitchens still have the roll out pantry.

Did you get tired of moving around so much? Did you utilize luggage transfer service? We always have our car now, so just do it ourselves. Our split stays usually are just one night in a studio then change to one bedroom. We were moving to a different resort most times after the studio night, but we’ve decided to not do that any more. It got tiring.

We always split stay BLT and BWV (was BCV) and are used to it. The second move to Riviera for an additional two nights was a late breaking decision and we didn't regret it...but I doubt we would do it again. Just wanted to experience the resort and had some VGC points that I had to use or rent out.

DVC moved us from BLT to BWV w/groceries but wouldn't move our grocery bags from BWV to DRR (first time I've experienced this) so we uber'd ourselves over instead. Upon arrival at DRR they asked us if we wanted any of it put in cold storage...we didn't because we always toss groceries that are that perishable but I may rethink our strategy on future split stays.

 

[bnoble]

In general, they won't move things that have to be refrigerated/frozen, though I suspect sometimes they do anyway.

 

[ljmiii]

In general, they won't move things that have to be refrigerated/frozen, though I suspect sometimes they do anyway.

I knew of that change a few years ago (and read that it's because some yahoo had them move medicines...but obviously don't know for sure). But 'no groceries' is something I just starting reading about last year and I assumed (semi-incorrectly as it turned out) that it was because the writer asked for the items to be kept cold. The bellhop at BLT had no problem w/the grocery bags but the one at BWV refused to take them.

 

[kanerf]

I just put my non-refrigerated groceries in separate bags (Lidl or Aldi) from the plastic or paper bags they get delivered in. Have not had a refusal yet. My refrigerated and frozen I hand carry to my next resort using an insulated backpack that I bring for that purpose.