Back from 6 Nights at BWV & 1 Night Wyndham Palms

[littlestar]

Hi.

Just got back from the World on Saturday. We flew in on September 27th with grandma and grandpa. They had a two bedroom at Wyndham Palms. They got a great deal through Interval on a Getaway and got it for $300 for the week. We stayed the first night with them as I wanted to check out this resort. We thought it was really nice. The two bedroom was huge. Probably at least 1500 square feet, large big screen tv in the livingroom. Unit was very, very clean. When you first enter the Wyndham it's nicely landscaped at the front. You can tell they are still working on this place though. Only complaint my parents had that week was the property next door is owned by some other developer and they were burning off brush. It caused some problems for my nephew with his asthma. But, Wyndham couldn't help that. Their pools were a little plain. Too bad they don't have more theming at their swimming pools. The Wyndham is very close to Disneyworld. It only took us about eight minutes to drive to Boardwalk from this resort.

Checked into a one bedroom at Boardwalk on Sunday for six nights. We were on the end by the duck pond and tennis courts (standard view). We enjoyed our visit at Boardwalk enough that we are on a wait list for some points at Boardwalk. It's a long walk to get to the standard view rooms, but we're healthy and I think the standard view is a real bargain points wise. They were power washing the siding and awnings over balconies in the quiet pool area while we were there. Pretty noisy, but hey, have to keep DVC looking good, right? Went to Mickey's Not so Scarey Halloween on Friday night. Very fun and not as crowded as last year (we went late October last year). Saw the Philharmagic in the Magic Kingdom and loved it. A great trip as usual. We did have to visit the VWL while we were there, though (twice actually). Gosh, I love the Wilderness Lodge so much!

My dad shocked me. He said he wants some VWL points. He missed being at the lodge. (We took them there last year and treated them with points). So, I am on the lookout for a small package of points for mom and dad at the lodge!

 

[slp87]

Enjoyed your report! Glad you had a great time!!

 

[Granny]

Thanks for the report! And I can completely understand where your dad is coming from with his love of VWL! The theming is extensive there, and I think you either love it or dislike it.

Glad you had a good trip!

 

[brumley5]

Just a note to thank you for your review of your stay. I have yet to use our Disney points and am looking into the different resorts and trying to figure out which one to pick for our first stay. Your review is very helpful. You might want to post also on the new review board for the different resorts. Some people posting there have the concept down, while others don't. (some talk about a light bulb not working (trivial stuff) while others post about room size, location and things such as length of walk to room (which are most meaningful). Also, your outlook on the noise you had to encounter was a great example of a positive outlook!

Also, can you explain what the Getaway is that your parents got at Wyndham?
Thank you!

 

[poohj80]

We just got back after becoming members on Sunday and were also at MNSSHP on Friday. What were you dressed as? The crowds were so light that we got our own Jungle Cruise and Pirates boats.

One question - since we are new to DVC, can you please tell me more about the Interval Getaways? How did you know what's available? Are these offers online of do you have to call to see what's available? Do you handle arrangements directly through Interval or do you still go through DVC?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

[littlestar]

The Interval Getaways I talked about are only available to someone who owns a traditional timeshare and pays dues to Interval I believe. My parents own two traditional timeshares, one in Hawaii and one in Gatlinburg, TN. With their membership with Interval they have access to Interval Getaways. With DVC, Disney is the member with Interval and not the individual point owner is the way I understand it. I know with my DVC points, I don't pay for a membership with Interval. Now, if I decided to do a trade through Interval I think DVC charges an exchange fee that goes to Interval (I think it's $75.00 or $100.00 - I can't remember for sure as I have never traded out our points).

Dean on this board knows a whole lot more about timesharing in general than I do. He could probably tell you plenty about how Interval works regarding traditional timeshares. I did join TUG (Timeshare Users Group), but I only use it when I want to look up reviews on resorts (I always check out resort reviews on TUG for my mom before she books any Getaways just to make sure the resort is decent).

When we first bought our DVC points we did receive an Interval resort book in the mail. I don't know if that was a fluke or if all DVC members get one or not. I guess it would come in handy if we decide to trade out.

Pooj80, when we went to MNSSHP we didn't dress up. We just enjoyed seeing all the little kids dressed up - so cute!

 

[littlestar]

The Interval Getaways I talked about are only available to someone who owns a traditional timeshare and pays dues to Interval I believe. My parents own two traditional timeshares, one in Hawaii and one in Gatlinburg, TN. With their membership with Interval they have access to Interval Getaways. With DVC, Disney is the member with Interval and not the individual point owner is the way I understand it. I know with my DVC points, I don't pay for a membership with Interval. Now, if I decided to do a trade through Interval I think DVC charges an exchange fee that goes to Interval (I think it's $75.00 or $100.00 - I can't remember for sure as I have never traded out our points).

Dean on this board knows a whole lot more about timesharing in general than I do. He could probably tell you plenty about how Interval works regarding traditional timeshares. I did join TUG (Timeshare Users Group), but I only use it when I want to look up reviews on resorts (I always check out resort reviews on TUG for my mom before she books any Getaways just to make sure the resort is decent).

When we first bought our DVC points we did receive an Interval resort book in the mail. I don't know if that was a fluke or if all DVC members get one or not. I guess it would come in handy if we decide to trade out.

Pooj80, when we went to MNSSHP we didn't dress up. We just enjoyed seeing all the little kids dressed up - so cute!

 

[poohj80]

Thanks for the info! I saw something about Getaways on the official DVC web site but it didn't give much info.

We didn't dress up when we went to MNSSHP last year for the first time and felt out of place so we went in costume this year - got a lot more candy too.