VWL Groupies & Lovers Thread (Special Collectors Edition 2.0) updated 21 June 2023

[twokats]

Happy Birthday LeslieLou

 

[rkstocke5609]

Live from VGC, just completed day one. We are staying in a 1BR this time -- all I can say is "WOW"! These 1BR's are huge! If I was given the opportunity to design a villa I have to say it would look just like this. Layout is awesome, Furniture is correct (real dark wood!), there is a trundle under the TV in the living room, and two bathrooms. You know, when you think about it, Studios really should just sleep four, and all 1BR's should sleep 5 & have two bathrooms. Instead, we get CCV with tiny rooms, low occupancy, and furniture that really looks like BLT? This trip is reinforcing how off the mark that whole debacle really is (except the Grand Villas & Cabins do look nice!).

Also, the Food & Wine is going on at full strength, and is expanded from last year. Busier too.

Anyways, have a great night Groupies! Time to go to sleep as early access to DL tomorrow.

 

[jimmytammy]

Live from VGC, just completed day one. We are staying in a 1BR this time -- all I can say is "WOW"! These 1BR's are huge! If I was given the opportunity to design a villa I have to say it would look just like this. Layout is awesome, Furniture is correct (real dark wood!), there is a trundle under the TV in the living room, and two bathrooms. You know, when you think about it, Studios really should just sleep four, and all 1BR's should sleep 5 & have two bathrooms. Instead, we get CCV with tiny rooms, low occupancy, and furniture that really looks like BLT? This trip is reinforcing how off the mark that whole debacle really is (except the Grand Villas & Cabins do look nice!).

Also, the Food & Wine is going on at full strength, and is expanded from last year. Busier too.

Thanks for the report. Our hope is too give it a try next year, as a trip too Disneyland is on our short bucket list

 

[Granny]

Live from VGC, just completed day one. We are staying in a 1BR this time -- all I can say is "WOW"! These 1BR's are huge! If I was given the opportunity to design a villa I have to say it would look just like this. Layout is awesome, Furniture is correct (real dark wood!), there is a trundle under the TV in the living room, and two bathrooms. You know, when you think about it, Studios really should just sleep four, and all 1BR's should sleep 5 & have two bathrooms. Instead, we get CCV with tiny rooms, low occupancy, and furniture that really looks like BLT? This trip is reinforcing how off the mark that whole debacle really is (except the Grand Villas & Cabins do look nice!).

Also, the Food & Wine is going on at full strength, and is expanded from last year. Busier too.

Anyways, have a great night Groupies! Time to go to sleep as early access to DL tomorrow.

Ron...thanks for the report from California! So they do Food & Wine during the Spring in California instead of September-November like they do at WDW? Interesting.

And I couldn't agree more that it seems crazy that Disney has places like VWL where the studios sleep 5 and the 1BR sleeps 4. Makes no sense at all, yet I continue to book the 1BR.

 

[ArielSRL]

And I couldn't agree more that it seems crazy that Disney has places like VWL where the studios sleep 5 and the 1BR sleeps 4.

I was surprised when I figured this out last year. Makes not one bit of sense....

 

[twinklebug]

Happy Birthday LeslieLou!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Live from VGC, just completed day one. We are staying in a 1BR this time -- all I can say is "WOW"! These 1BR's are huge! If I was given the opportunity to design a villa I have to say it would look just like this. Layout is awesome, Furniture is correct (real dark wood!), there is a trundle under the TV in the living room, and two bathrooms. You know, when you think about it, Studios really should just sleep four, and all 1BR's should sleep 5 & have two bathrooms. Instead, we get CCV with tiny rooms, low occupancy, and furniture that really looks like BLT? This trip is reinforcing how off the mark that whole debacle really is (except the Grand Villas & Cabins do look nice!).

Also, the Food & Wine is going on at full strength, and is expanded from last year. Busier too.

Anyways, have a great night Groupies! Time to go to sleep as early access to DL tomorrow.

VGC has my absolute favorite 1 and 2 BRs. The studios have some slightly different touches that also make them one of my favorites although I do like the split bath designs at VGF and PVB a little more now. Glad your enjoying your stay!

 

[Flossbolna]

I've heard too many do a "not" and apparently the room assignor misses the negative and they've gotten exactly what they didn't want to ever do that myself. There are a LOT of studios at PVB and I suggest to go ahead and request Tokelau if that's what you really want. You could add Moorea also should you wish. I've had a total of 7 rooms at PVB and the standards have not been an issue to get very close to what I requested. Lake view and HA have been the misses but there are fewer to choose from.

Thanks! That was exactly what I was afraid of. I think I will just go with Tokelau then and hope for the best. It is a split stay, so we can always go there in the morning and see if our request was met and otherwise ask for a different assignment.

 

[Flossbolna]

Happy Birthday LeslieLou!!​

 

[rkstocke5609]

Live from VGC day two. After a morning at DL, and a nap, we will head to CA park for dinner at Carthay Circle shortly, so I thought I would check in. Encountered some rides down at DL. Started with PP, then POTC, then Indiana Jones, at which point we checked a board which said that HyperSpace Mountain was down. Then we saw activity moving towards the exit, but we stuck it out and did OK.

JimmyTammy: I highly recommend California, this is our 2nd year in a row for Spring Break (1st year wait listed into a Studio thinking we would never get to stay at this resort because of its size, it came through and we loved it. 2nd trip wanted no doubts, so planned on the 1BR).

Granny: Last year, food & wine @ CA was weekends only from April 1st to May 1st so we saw just a little on our last day. This year, it has more vendors and activities and is everyday and runs March 10th to April 16th. My wife did a mixology thing with infused Vodkas yesterday, and I am planning on a craft beer thing, and there is a candy making thing my daughter can attend also. So far, we are enjoying this much more than the public drunken mess we encountered at Epcot a year and a half ago. But, let's get through the week....
Clearly, this event has been ported over from Florida and is just getting going over here.

Kat: I can see why you love these 1 & 2 BR's. Absolutely spot on as you always are.

 

[Nicoal13]

Anybody doing the Pandora preview either as an annual pass holder or DVC member? I'm kind of stoked as I will get to do things as an annual pass holder that I couldn't do when I lived in Maryland. Such as the Pandora preview. We're doing that on May 20 from noon to two, then checking out the new Magic Kingdom fireworks later in the evening.

We got into it on May 13th which happens to be our check out day, from 9am - 11am. My brother and his family are joining us, they are not good at being early risers and on checkout day I'm skeptical if they will make it. My DS and I will be ready though, we are very excited to check out Pandora.

 

[TCRAIG]

We got into it on May 13th which happens to be our check out day, from 9am - 11am. My brother and his family are joining us, they are not good at being early risers and on checkout day I'm skeptical if they will make it. My DS and I will be ready though, we are very excited to check out Pandora.

Same here - DVC preview May 13 at 9!!

 

[jimmytammy]

Happy Birthday LeslieLou!!!!

 

[Dizny Dad]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LeslieLou !

 

[rkstocke5609]

Live from VGC day 3. Carthay Circle was excellent last night ($200) though a bit spendy. This was a World of Color package, and that nighttime spectacular is the one reason why everyone should make it to California at some point in their DVC adventures. Simply awesome. Show was different than last year's 60th Anniversary show. Day three started us off at CA park with an extra hour where we got California Screamin' in three times along with TSMM , Soarin', & GRR all by 10 AM. Then we exited the park and hopped the shuttle to Disneyland Hotel Pool (GC pools under refurbishment). 4 hours at the pool on the hottest day of our trip (83), and now we will venture out and do some shopping at DTD and return for some MK rides once people give up from their long day of battle..

BTW, a 5 day hopper out here was $350/person. Actually cheaper than Florida. Although only 2 parks, but only one less major attraction than WDW (well, that will increase when Avatarland opens...)

 

[jimmytammy]

Ron
Enjoying your reports on DL. They are just amping me up for a trip out there myself!

 

[Flossbolna]

@rkstocke5609 I am truly envious that you are staying at a one bedroom at the GCV. I was too cheap for that - and lucky that I managed to get a studio for 7 nights in August at 7 months (fast fingers and timing the exact roll over moment with an atomic clock was necessary...). Hope you enjoy the rest of your stay there! Is your villa one of the ones that have already been refurbed? I thought the pictures I had seen of what they are going to do there did look a bit bland as well. But I think it was more of an issue with the hotel rooms if I remember correctly.

@jimmytammy California is so worth it!! We had an amzazing trip there with a week at DL (and also some general LA sightseeing) and then went to Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP, Yosemite and San Francisco for the Walt Disney Family Museum. I would go back in a heart beat (actually thinking about a return trip to California sometime in 2018...).

 

[Friendlyadvice2]

Anybody else get their letter from Ken Potrock yet thanking us for our patience during the CCV build process? Says it's going out to all the original owners. Unfortunately the bulk of the letter just advises of all the new amenities and how they are enriching the overall resort experience

Wait till the newbies move in July 17 and we put our "welcome home" plan into motion.....it'll be enriching alright!!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Anybody else get their letter from Ken Potrock yet thanking us for our patience during the CCV build process? Says it's going out to all the original owners. Unfortunately the bulk of the letter just advises of all the new amenities and how they are enriching the overall resort experience

Wait till the newbies move in July 17 and we put our "welcome home" plan into motion.....it'll be enriching alright!!

Nope, and I wrote them over a year ago about my unhappiness with our contract usage being so severely interrupted for so long.

 

[Friendlyadvice2]

Kathy, I truly believe Ken is sorry for any inconvenience this has caused us and for any potential dues increase.

Look at the bright side here....you too can increase your enjoyment of the lodge and all of its enrichments by adding on at CCV for the low low price of $176 per point. We should be thanking Mr. Potrock