This last trip was SO much more successful than the last one I had. I arrived in the afternoon of 11/1 and checked in. Of course, the room wasn't ready, so, after storing my luggage, I grabbed lunch at Olivia's. When I went to pay, I was told the DVC discount there was discontinued from 10/31/04 until 1/1/05. Of all the places I ate that week, this is the only restaurant I found this to be true of. I was never able to get a clear understanding of why this was the case. So head's up on that for anyone who is on their way to OKW.
After lunch, I cruised the World Showcase, checking out options before deciding on what I wanted to sample. I also stopped by Guerlain to make an appointment for the free make-over DVC members get.
By 5 PM, I headed back to the resort. The room was ready now, so I dropped my luggage off. I was in 2126. This is a studio in the Miller's Road part of the resort. It faced the highway (Bonnet Creek, I think), but I wasn't bothered by the noise. The room was in great shape. The only comment I have on it is minor; it's not even a complaint, really. The shower curtain hooks were plastic and did not slide very well. I had to reach up and move them instead of just being able to pull the curtain closed. As someone who is 5'9", that's not a problem. Someone shorter than me might not reach so easily. So management may want to think about replacing those hooks with ones that slide more easily.
The week was, for the most part, thorougly enjoyable. The food and wine at EPCOT were wonderful. The only complaint I had with the wine tasting I attended was that CA wines were served at Le Cellier. I signed up for that restaurant's wine pairing because I wanted to taste Canadian wines. CA wines are pretty easy to get; I wanted something different. When I mentioned this to the manager, she explained the restaurant had no control over what winery was hosted at the pairing. Other than that, the pairing was outstanding! Brian, the chef at Le Cellier, did a magnificent job of serving us foods that really brought out the flavors in the wine and vice versa.
The make-over at Guerlain is something I recommend to everyone. Mariann ended up spending about an hour with me, even though the time slots are only 30 mins. I lucked out that there was no one signed up immediately after me. The look she gave me was very natural, not too heavy as some places tend to do. There was NO pressure at all to buy anything, even though I did. She also gave me several samples of creme as well.
I also got a 50-min. Swedish massage at SSR. With the DVC discount, it came to $88. The Spa there is lovely. If you are looking to indulge yourself, that is the place to go.
I posted two pictures of the OKW pool slide in a seperate post if you are interested. If you have any questions, please let me know.
sk8belle
After lunch, I cruised the World Showcase, checking out options before deciding on what I wanted to sample. I also stopped by Guerlain to make an appointment for the free make-over DVC members get.
By 5 PM, I headed back to the resort. The room was ready now, so I dropped my luggage off. I was in 2126. This is a studio in the Miller's Road part of the resort. It faced the highway (Bonnet Creek, I think), but I wasn't bothered by the noise. The room was in great shape. The only comment I have on it is minor; it's not even a complaint, really. The shower curtain hooks were plastic and did not slide very well. I had to reach up and move them instead of just being able to pull the curtain closed. As someone who is 5'9", that's not a problem. Someone shorter than me might not reach so easily. So management may want to think about replacing those hooks with ones that slide more easily.
The week was, for the most part, thorougly enjoyable. The food and wine at EPCOT were wonderful. The only complaint I had with the wine tasting I attended was that CA wines were served at Le Cellier. I signed up for that restaurant's wine pairing because I wanted to taste Canadian wines. CA wines are pretty easy to get; I wanted something different. When I mentioned this to the manager, she explained the restaurant had no control over what winery was hosted at the pairing. Other than that, the pairing was outstanding! Brian, the chef at Le Cellier, did a magnificent job of serving us foods that really brought out the flavors in the wine and vice versa.
The make-over at Guerlain is something I recommend to everyone. Mariann ended up spending about an hour with me, even though the time slots are only 30 mins. I lucked out that there was no one signed up immediately after me. The look she gave me was very natural, not too heavy as some places tend to do. There was NO pressure at all to buy anything, even though I did. She also gave me several samples of creme as well.
I also got a 50-min. Swedish massage at SSR. With the DVC discount, it came to $88. The Spa there is lovely. If you are looking to indulge yourself, that is the place to go.
I posted two pictures of the OKW pool slide in a seperate post if you are interested. If you have any questions, please let me know.
sk8belle
The ambience was great. Very soothing. You get a locker which has a nice robe and flip flops inside. Even Minnie has a locker which I thought was very cute. You didn't have to go to the waiting room until 5 mins. before your appt. The waiting room was lit very low and had refreshments like water, tea, coffee and mints. My one objection to the place is that the locker room is down two flights of stairs. Who wants to climb stairs after you've had a massage?! 
