Bababear back from DVC world tour-long

[bababear_50]

Goodmorning from a very happy but worn and weary DVC wanabee.

I enjoyed my entire trip which for the first time was solo,,missed my family but I really got some quality time to think about becoming a DVC member.

Well I tried to avoid a scheduled tour and just wander around but those guides just seem to be everywhere,lol.

My first morning and also my first time in DTD (I'm in love with DTD) I sat along the shores beside a rather large lego dragon.

In side if 1 hour I booked a trip to SSR-off we went in the little red van.
Wow --it is beautiful--the horse theme is nice and I thought the pool area was better in person than pictures I'd seen. (nice pool bar too).
The color pallet of the rooms is warm and inviting .
The close proximity to DTD is a definite plus. Boat access is another plus.
I saw many people walking over to DTD from SSR along a pathway near the road.
The guide and I talked # and points MF -new resorts -old resort -H.A -need for alternate transportation resort size
etc etc,,

Where I really wanted to go was OKW so after the tour (yes I was offered icecream) ,they drove me over to OKW,Truly does give you the feeling you've arrived in OKW.
Very warm and inviting group of people here ,,front desk arranged a room tour and I wandered around the resort-I don't know how to describe it but it felt very "Welcome Home" to me.
The pool area and play area are wow -a plus to have the boat access to DTD .Kids play area had lots of activities going on.

Well I must say the young gentleman taking me on the tour had tons of info about the resort so we drove around the villas and chatted .I gained some great info from him.
The rooms are BIG warm and welcoming .great views .
Near the end of the tour I realized that I'd not seen any elevator access to villas when young escort says" we only have three villas with elevator access." Oh no ..... right now I'm walking just fine (well hurts sometimes)
but I have DBD (degenerative bone disease. )and it will eventually make climbing stairs difficult if not impossible. well I guess until that day comes I could still use the rooms at OKW but as a home resort it's not looking to good.

Now a little (alot) disappointed I cheer myself up with a visit to everything disney and a toy store,,I truly filled a box of Mr potato head for my DGD ,,the cm let me staple the top of the box because I had so much stuffed in it.

Well I'm sitting at the bus stop thinking and up pulls a WL bus ,,Hmmm
maybe I should go have a look --off I go .
On the bus I'm thinking you know Melanie you've not been to one single park
yet--oh well I'm having fun,,

Well what can I say- Big Bold Beautiful,,great transportation ,beach ,lovely pool although it was hard to get the feel of it (being refurbished).
Lovely restaurant ,theme --wonderful friendly CM.
It was like a little bit of home.(Canadian girl here)..
Villas close to main lodge -plus

This finding the right Home resort is fun but I decide that even DVC ers must sleep sometime.--
I will find the right Home resort

After my quick crazy wake up call from a cricket saying he's lost in the telephone system--wow what a way to wake up!

I decided DVC can wait and head to Mk --well the buses to mk were busy so I went to Epcot instead,,,I know what your thinking ,,,epcot resorts but truly it was a coincidence.
I FP soarin and headed to (orange ) space mission and in between went nemo in between. Not my first time on mission space but it was great anyway but loved soarin and thought Nemo was good. Headed to Italy for lunch at Alfredo's -the spaghetti was terrific.
By now my feet were falling off so I head back to pop to rest and went back that evening to see illuminations--spectacular!!!

I must say I think my favorite food at Disney is a cheese and fruit platter ,well chocolate coated bananas are pretty great toooo.

Well off to MGM --so much my last trip I missed and so much to see,,boy those FP make it alot easier plus I do like to get an early start in the day.
Well I won't go into it all lets just say I did everything I could possibly do in a day-worn out and had to cancel Fantasmic/dinner Ressie. Oh well next year!

Now I was going to MK --but I thought what if I go to DTD and catch a bus to BCV,,Hmmmmmm--off I go
I met a DVC family on the bus,,,boy do they love being DVC members.

What can I say !!!FUN-WOW-----absolutely my kind of place ( well I think the kids will love it to)
The access to the walk way
access to MGM Epcot
SAB
wheelchair access
Beach -sand
rooms -light and fresh
and I never even considered BCV before my trip ...........

I can see why DVC is so appealing to many --it has something for everybody
and even though I've made my decision I wouldn't be unhappy staying at any one of the dvc resorts.

So now all I have to do is wait for my property to sell here and I'm all set .
What a great experience --thanks to all of you who gave me so much info
I'm off to do the disney

Mel

 

[CarolMN]

Thanks for the report - glad you had a good time.

Hope to be welcoming you home very soon!

 

[nezy]

Thanks for the tour of "HOME".

I love them all for different reasons-but I do have preferences!

How was WDW solo?
I often think about getting a quick WDW fix-by myself. I bet it is one of the easier places to go solo.

I didn't realize OKW didn't have elevators even after having stayed there several times. One year my mom was joining us -she does not do stairs! So after checking in and my DH and Kids went ahead and carried half the stuff to the room-I realized when I got there it was on the third floor. That would not do for my mom, so called front desk, got a new room on ground floor and brought everything back down to the car over to the new villa!

 

[simzac]

Sounds like you had a fantastic trip. Great TR. Becoming DVC members last year was one of the highlights of our lives, so I can feel your excitement in waiting to become a member. We belong to OKW, had our first stay there in January, loved it, and I agree with your comment on the different resorts. We hope to be able to try them all in the next 30 years or so.

 

[LSchrow]

After my quick crazy wake up call from a cricket saying he's lost in the telephone system--wow what a way to wake up!

very entertaining TR!!!
(& next time, check out the BW )

 

[bobbiwoz]

What a nice report, and what nice neighbors you'll be!
Bobbi

 

[Figment2]

Potential DVC members who ask "what resort should I call home" should read your post! In fact, it should be a must read for anyone who has not visited any of the resorts and wants to buy in sight unseen.

I love going solo but those trips have been few and far between since I've joined DVC. It's so much easier to be spontaneous!

Looking forward to saying "welcome Home."

Cyn

 

[Jim Disney]

Hello Mel, J.D. here. I'm glad that DVC showed you a great time!!! One question, did you happen to see the only conch in papa's den!?! or did housekeeping move it!?! I hope to meet up with you someday at OKW!!! Goodluck in your DVC future!!! also Happy St. Patricks Day!!! J.D.

 

[bababear_50]

Hey J.D
I looked but I couldn't find it but that doesn't mean it's not there.
let's hope it's happy in it's new home ,in Papa's Den.

 

[tksbaskets]

Thanks for sharing. It is fun to see DVC through others' experiences. We were a family that bought sight unseen....I, er I mean we , picked for location. MGM is our favorite place at WDW. Our first trip home to BWV is in June.

 

[bababear_50]

Alot has happened since 2007

Thought I'd bump this for those trying to decide which resort to choose as their Home Resort. YES BUY where you want to stay or as many have learned BUY where you might always have to stay. READ the POS.

Take a TOUR of all of the resorts before buying into DVC.
DVC Guides are just "Salespeople"

I love my OKW--I have 4 small contracts --each paid for completely-one resale and three direct. Owning a timeshare has made me appreciate taking time for myself and also given me the opportunity to experience many happy "Magical" moments with my family.
Best wishes to all those researching DVC.


Hugs Mel