Hello All--We returned late Sunday night after a 5 night, 6 day stay, our second BWI stay (7th WDW resort vacation). We really do love BWI.
Here are some thoughts and experiences. We've stayed at almost all of the deluxe resorts, except AKL and WL. We are hooked on the EP resorts, as we spend most time in EP and HS. I love GF but we're not an MK family anymore, and BWI has all we need and more, and we're happy there, so we now feel solidly like this is our home resort.
The chief complaint I had (and really it was the only one) from our first stay was that the mattresses were old and uncomfortable. I admit I was spoiled by the mattresses at GF and other hotels, but the ones from our first visit were stiff and you could feel the springs. The good news is that our room this trip had lovely, new pillowy mattresses. This alone made me indescribably happy. Our room was clean and well-stocked. Every bit of the resort looked fresh and clean and newly painted, and of course the holiday decorations are a delight to behold. It was just so nice to see all the details taken care of.
We had no interaction with front desk CMs. Our room was ready (via text) and we went straight to it. I am happy to report that I got my requested floor and wing (more or less). Asked for 5th floor overlooking EPCOT and courtyard and got 4th floor, same view. Perfect. Housekeeping CMs were kind and patient and helpful when I needed extra things like blankets and cups, etc. I was a bit dismayed that our sheets did not appear to have been changed during our stay (5 nights). Not the end of the world; I don't change my sheets every 5 days at home, but on vacation it's nice to have that luxury of fresh crisp sheets every couple of nights. Also, for the life of me we couldn't get clean glasses or mugs. I realized they were the same, just being placed back on the counter, daily. This bothered me because my son had a bad cold and it was impossible for me to keep track of which glass was his after the room was serviced. On the third or fourth day, I called to ask for clean glasses and was told, "We'll send some up, but we don't refresh them, generally, when the room is serviced." What? Really? You have to use the same glass for the whole week? Didn't seem right to me.
Otherwise, we were totally happy to be there. CMs were sweet and helpful, and my boys discovered the community hall and wanted to spend all of their time playing ping pong and pool. They love the slide at the "fun" pool. Breakfast every morning at the bakery was great. They do have steel cut oats but it's not on the menu. We took a few ubers and lyfts (but not minnie van, as we're just 4 of us and the minnie van is twice the cost). Transportation was great, with one exception of waiting for a return bus to the resort from MK, when we waited a full half an hour for a bus to show up. We took Magical Express from the airport, but Lyft back to the airport, because 4 hours time was crazy for us. We have TSA precheck and left a little less than three hours before and still had well more than an hour of just sitting around the airport.
Loved the walk between HS (took me only 11 minutes) and EP (5 or so min). Every day was 82 degrees and sunny. Perfect. Overall, my family really loves the resort and their time there, maybe more than they love park time, which is another story (kids are outgrowing some of WDW). But I hope we'll have reason to return, nevertheless!