Book it. Buy it. BELIEVE it! - TR is started! link posted 8/11

[Mndisneygirl]

My brain is a colander.

This just made me chuckle out loud!!

 

[dizneeat]

LOL! Repeating is good, I'm a BIG fan of it.

My brain is a colander.

Hey, that is just what I say all the time!

This just made me chuckle out loud!!

 

[eandesmom]

This just made me chuckle out loud!!

Hey, that is just what I say all the time!

Well it's true. It is a colander. Not even a fine mesh strainer mind you but one that would let rise slip through, even an orzo noodle, small bits of ground meat...things that have real content. Typically I reserve that phrase for speaking about Evan but lately...I'm just as bad if not worse!

 

[englishrose47]

Post Its are my friend!!!

 

[eandesmom]

I like doors. I like doors that close. Doors that lock are nice although I’m grateful to have children that are pretty good about knowing my room is off limits no matter what and that a closed door means you knock. If my room is off limits, no matter what, and the only way to get to the bathroom (because there is only one) is through my room…it presents a problem for anyone besides Jeff and I, who might want to use the bathroom. Why? well supersonic hearing Jeff will wake up when our door is opened. I can't sleep with it open so it has to be closed. 1+1 = major concern for sleep quality for the parental units. Jeff wakes up, he yells at said kid, which wakes me up. UGH.

Obviously this isn’t an issue in a regular hotel room. Everyone has the same access to the bathroom. But a one bedroom villa implies a door to said bedroom. A door that keeps said children out. Imagine my great dismay to learn the following.

Buildings 1-30 at Old Key West have access to the bathroom, through the bedroom. ONLY.

Buildings 31-64 have a secondary access, through the laundry room.

The entire Hospitality House area is included in buildings 1-30.


The idea of 3 kids traipsing through, as they need to use the facilities, while I try to sleep with supersonic hearing Jeff….really doesn’t work for me. Or him. At all.

Can I guarantee this won’t happen?

Nope.

Not really. A request is just that and I keep going round and round about what to request. Because this is a resort only stay, we want to…enjoy the resort! Hence the HH booking. Which has now been changed to a NON HH booking. There are 3 buildings that are close to HH and would work perfectly. However the way to request those is by the area, not the building and there are other buildings in that area…that won’t work. Right now our room request has this area specified, with a secondary note for one of those 3 buildings. There are 7 more in that area (Millers Road) that don’t have that configuration. I could change that request to a different part of the resort like Turtle Pond or South Point. where all the buildings have the secondary access. I’ve come up with 3 buildings I like that might work in those areas but again, they are requested by section, not building so no guarantee I’d get them. I’ve now moved from wanting pixie dust to keep us from a parking lot view to pixie dust for a 2 bathroom door configuration in a part of the resort we want.

Yikes! I don’t know if I should change the request, which could put us in what seems like Egypt, or take our chances. Anyone with OKW experience, I’d love your input. Otherwise we might be yelling, in the middle of the night

SHUT THE DOOR

Or more likely…

SHUT THE DOOR QUIETLY!
In other door related news our FE arrived! Check it out.

I love it! I admit, I was a bit surprised by the green trim, I’d asked for yellow. It made it look a bit Christmasy to me. So I tweaked it a little.

I’ve knocked a couple of things off the to do list.

1. Ordered our groceries for the OKW part of the stay. I decided to give a new service a try, Personal Disney Shopper. I’ve been quite pleased with Garden Grocer in the past but like the idea of supporting a small business. The prices, at the end of the day, are really about the same but I am able to get much more specific with what I want and the quantities (so get a little more for the same $$) with PSD.

2. Picked up the rest of the gift cards to use for our cash ADR’s, snacks etc.

3. Finalized the cars! Unless something better comes along we have landed on the following.

Ford Edge, or similar for 7/29-8/1 @ $166 via Budget. Pick up at Embassy Suites (it says we can have them come get us, yay!) and drop off at Cape Caneveral.

Ford Escape or similar, for 8/5 @ $75 via Avis. Pick up at Cape Canaveral, return to the Hilton at DTD. This is supposedly walk able back to DTD, not sure if they have a shuttle or not.

And…while this was NOT on my to do list, I have made at least one dining change, possibly 2.

I was listening to a podcast while at the gym yesterday morning which was a full DTD review. It made me REALLY not want to go to Planet Hollywood, which has been the plan for our first day back to the World after the cruise. Granted, it was never even on my list, or Jeff’s but we were doing it for Evan. We decided that Evan is SOL. I will walk him in there to check it out while we are at DTD during the OKW part of the trip.
Instead…we now have reservations at…

The Wave!

Why The Wave? Well…as some of you know, there was kind of a cool announcement from DVC recently.

New summer perk has Members feeling on 'Top of the World'
From July 8-Aug. 25, 2012, Disney Vacation Club Members staying at any Disney-owned-and-operated hotel at the Walt Disney World® Resort (whether they booked with vacation points or cash) may enjoy access to one of the vacation kingdom's most exclusive spaces: the Top of the World Lounge atop Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort.
The sleekly designed bar and lounge, typically available only to Members staying at Bay Lake Tower, operates from 5 p.m.-midnight daily and offers spectacular rooftop viewing of Wishes™ - the Magic Kingdom® fireworks spectacular - complete with the show's stirring musical soundtrack. The ability to access the lounge has been a frequent request from Members staying at other Walt Disney World Resorts since Bay Lake Tower opened in 2009, and Disney Vacation Club is thrilled to make that "wish" come true during this special summer period.

This perk is available exclusively to Members and those in their traveling party who are staying on that Member's reservation. At least one Member in the traveling party must accompany the group and present his or her current Key to the World card displaying a Disney Vacation Club Membership notation in order to gain admission to the lounge. If the Member's Key to the World card doesn't display a Membership notation, a Disney Vacation Club Member ID is required in addition to the Key to the World card to verify Membership.

Note that Members traveling from other resorts must use Walt Disney World Transportation, as parking will be unavailable to anyone not staying at Bay Lake Tower or Disney's Contemporary Resort. Upon arrival, Members must walk to the Bay Lake Tower main lobby entrance on the ground floor and check in at the Top of the World Lounge desk in the lobby.
This special Top of the World Lounge access is available on a first-come, first-served basis until the lounge reaches capacity. As the lounge is particularly popular during the Magic Kingdom fireworks, arriving as early as possible will give Members the best chance of gaining admission.

We plan to eat at The Wave and then go to the Top of the World!
Part of me would REALLY like to go to Cali Grill since we’ve never been and it is going down for refurb. The only time available is 9:25 and I do struggle with spending that much, either DDP or OOP, with all the kids. That time would negate the Top of the World, other than to check it out either before or after which granted, could still be cool. So…I dunno. Jeff and I need to figure this one out. For now I booked The Wave and cancelled Planet Hollywood.

I also made a backup option for our AK day. We have an 8:30 ADR at Saana. This seemed perfect when we were staying at Kidani and the park closed at 7. With our move to Jambo, this certainly is still plenty doable but I did get to thinking that we only have 3 disney dining experiences this trip (sit down ADR’s at any rate, not on the cruise) and do I want 1 of those really to be a repeat? We LOVE Saana so we may just keep it but…I did make a second ressie at Yak & Yeti. I may be really really bad and keep both and decide that day/evening. It would give up ½ hour of park time but lets us walk out into the empty park which is always kind of fun and if we did want to go somewhere else from there, opens up lots of options.

We will see.

In other news, we’ve been busy enjoying summer. The sun FINALLY showed up on the 4th and has gotten progressively nicer out. At this exact moment in time I have NO children! Evan is on his way to camp (after a trip to the emergency room this morning to check out a split lip from a friday kid pushing Evan in the lake, other kid pushing the kids that pushed Evan in the lake and 2nd kid landing so close to Evan that he kneed him in the chin and Evan almost bit through his lip) and Eric is finishing up a 3 day hike and not expected till late afternoon early evening. Which means I'm on the deck working on my tan (with sunscreen on of course) and DISing!

We had a family bbq last weekend and celebrated all the kids birthdays, or at least the 6 of them that were there that day. Historically my mom makes rather fancy themed cakes for the kids. Life has gotten busy for everyone and no one has had a cake in over a year. So instead, she made 3 round cakes, cut them in half and then the kids had a decorating contest! Check them out and see if you can guess which one made which (Kendall, Evan and Eric were at the party).

Last but not least, I thought I’d share some pictures from our fourth of July. I hope everyone had a wonderful day as well, ours definitely had a few Disney Touches.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Wow, you have been busy! I am sorry I'm of no help on the OKW bathroom issue. It's good to know though, since we will be in a 1BR HH! My kids don't get up too much though, just me! HA!

I like the FE - I see what you mean about the green trim. I'd prefer yellow for your trip too.

Car done! YAY! I'm sure it will be fine.

Cakes - Hmm, I can't remember now which boy plays trombone, but that's obviously his. The wave/sunset one is Kendall's. And the cruise ship is your other E's! I may have seen that one on FB... too bad I still can't remember which E is which!

Oh - and that TOTW deal? I'm so jealous! I wish they were doing that in October! Maybe BLT bookings are slow at this time of year and/or maybe it's a trial deal to see what kind of business it gets with other DVC folks.

Enjoy your quiet kid-free time! It's so rare, isn't it?

 

[Poolrat]

Cha-cha-Changes but they like all great ones and saving money to boot.
Good thing you noticed the bathroom thing now and I am sure they can accommodate you. I have 3 requests when I was in BCV and got a room that met all three.

 

[glennbo123]

Oh, I hope Evan's lip is okay. They can make for nasty injuries, but usually heal pretty quickly.

We thought the Wave was just okay...I'd like to try Cali Grill, but understand that the timing won't work for you to see the fireworks from TotW. So yeah, the Wave it is!

I see Disney mugs in your 4th of July pictures!

 

[natebenma]

Cool corn holders!

Do you know how full the bookings at OKW are? Or how possible it would be to change your room when you get there if you get one of the one-door rooms?

Love, Love, Love your change to the Wave, and checking out the Top of the World. That is going to be so cool!

Great cakes.

I'm glad to hear the sun has finally arrived in the Seattle area! And a day early, eh?

 

[tinacaplan]

Great idea changing to the Wave! You're right...going to Cali Grill would negate the effect of getting to the Top of the World Lounge. That's a great perk for all of you DVC owners.

I have to say the bathroom access issue at OKW (which is the same as SSR) is just plain odd. Why were they designed that way? Why? Luckily, Lauren and I were sharing the same bedroom, so it didn't really matter, but still...

Sorry to hear about Evan's lip, but I'm glad its OK and I'm glad that you're enjoying a little summer out there!

 

[dizneeat]

I love the cakes! What a fun idea for the kids to do. The photos of your barbeque are great too!
As for OKW ...... I had to think hard IF there was a door and yes there is and the only way to get to the bathroom really is through the master bedroom. When we travel all the inside doors are usually open, so I didn't even remember it.
They would have to squeeze in and just make an immediate left to get to the bathroom.
If I were you I would ask if they had one of the older units (or at least that's what I have been told) available. They are super helpful at OKW and will do whatever they can to help you out. We usually had one of those on Turtle Pond Road, which is further away from HH, but the bus service is pretty good.

 

[MEK]

I need to be more like you. I would save myself a lot of hassel when I am surprised by some of the details. Good call on the BR. Those villas look like they were originally built in the 80"s which I guess explains the poor access to the BR.

Love your FE.

Crap, I read your update this morning before I left for work and I forget what else I wanted to say.

Oh Yeah - Woo Hoo for TOTWL access. It is pretty darn cool up there. That's awesome. How did you discover that handy detail.

I love the Wave - Have you eaten there yet? I've eaten there three times and its always been really good.

 

[eandesmom]

Wow, you have been busy! I am sorry I'm of no help on the OKW bathroom issue. It's good to know though, since we will be in a 1BR HH! My kids don't get up too much though, just me! HA!

They don't honestly get up that much but even once is too much for us with doors opening and closing. A regular hotel room is rather brutal for us, I'd really forgotten how bad until our President's week trip. For whatever reason, that silly curtain in the stateroom as a room divider makes a huge difference for us, though it doesn't help with the noise. We will have to deal with traipsing then but it's not opening "our" door and then 1-2 bathroom doors after that. Jeff has a harder time with Eric wiggling all night, that keeps him awake and why the villa is key. On the ship, as long as the kids go to bed before we do, it's ok but if we all try to go down at the same time...brutal!

I like the FE - I see what you mean about the green trim. I'd prefer yellow for your trip too.

Car done! YAY! I'm sure it will be fine.

Cakes - Hmm, I can't remember now which boy plays trombone, but that's obviously his. The wave/sunset one is Kendall's. And the cruise ship is your other E's! I may have seen that one on FB... too bad I still can't remember which E is which!

Oh - and that TOTW deal? I'm so jealous! I wish they were doing that in October! Maybe BLT bookings are slow at this time of year and/or maybe it's a trial deal to see what kind of business it gets with other DVC folks.

Well, it's a test so it might be still going in Oct, who knows!

Enjoy your quiet kid-free time! It's so rare, isn't it?

it is, and I did!

Cha-cha-Changes but they like all great ones and saving money to boot.
Good thing you noticed the bathroom thing now and I am sure they can accommodate you. I have 3 requests when I was in BCV and got a room that met all three.

I need to decide if my chances are better with online check in or not. The online check in options are just by location, no way to add notes for specific buildings. I've been told the building note is in there but ugh...not sure. Makes me nervous for sure!

Oh, I hope Evan's lip is okay. They can make for nasty injuries, but usually heal pretty quickly.

it is ok, may make playing the trombone difficult but should be ok in another day or 2 I think and since he hauled it to church camp, I hope so!

Very nasty and deep though, almost bit all the way through it, he's got a scab on the front of face where it almost pierced the skin.

We thought the Wave was just okay...I'd like to try Cali Grill, but understand that the timing won't work for you to see the fireworks from TotW. So yeah, the Wave it is!

Bummer on the "just ok". I would love to do Cali and while we could see the fireworks from the restaurant, I can't quite get past the 2 credits or OOP cost. Right now I do have a reservation at both but will almost 100% be cancelling the Cali.

I see Disney mugs in your 4th of July pictures!

why yes, yes you do!

Cool corn holders!

I love the look of them, honestly they don't stay in that well but they are fun!

Do you know how full the bookings at OKW are? Or how possible it would be to change your room when you get there if you get one of the one-door rooms?

As of today it isn't sold out in either booking category, which is good. I'm trying to decide if my chances are better, or worse, with online checkin. If I do online, I could add one of the other area categories to my request list though I worry a little it might override what I have in there now. UGH!

Love, Love, Love your change to the Wave, and checking out the Top of the World. That is going to be so cool!

I think so!

Great cakes.

I'm glad to hear the sun has finally arrived in the Seattle area! And a day early, eh?

We had a gorgeous weekend and it's supposed to be nice for the next week or so. granted, around here I never trust it for more than 2 days at a time (for the forecast to match reality lol).

 

[eandesmom]

Great idea changing to the Wave! You're right...going to Cali Grill would negate the effect of getting to the Top of the World Lounge. That's a great perk for all of you DVC owners.

It is, honestly I can't see us staying at BLT any time soon as the studios are too tiny for 4 and the points too high for anything else so at least we will get to see it. Eric is DYING to stay there so it will be fun for to have a night there, we've never done more than walk through it for the monorail or boat!

I have to say the bathroom access issue at OKW (which is the same as SSR) is just plain odd. Why were they designed that way? Why? Luckily, Lauren and I were sharing the same bedroom, so it didn't really matter, but still...

Well as I understand it, OKW was the first DVC location and they just really weren't thinking. They realized their mistake and added a 2nd access in the 2nd phase of it. I didn't know that SSR had the same issue, I thought they all had access through the laundry room as well (which is weird in and of itself lol). I think the other villas don't have the same large laundry room? Interesting about SSR as the online floor plans show dual access.

I'll know a lot more after saying in 3 different 1 bedroom layouts on the same trip, that's for sure! LOL

Sorry to hear about Evan's lip, but I'm glad its OK and I'm glad that you're enjoying a little summer out there!

VERY happy to see the sun, that's for sure!

I love the cakes! What a fun idea for the kids to do. The photos of your barbeque are great too!

They really got into it. 3 of the kids had planned ahead and made some decorations, Kendall was actually the last one done, by quite a bit, she really got into it. It worked out SO much better than any of us could have predicted, I think it will be a new tradition.

As for OKW ...... I had to think hard IF there was a door and yes there is and the only way to get to the bathroom really is through the master bedroom. When we travel all the inside doors are usually open, so I didn't even remember it.
They would have to squeeze in and just make an immediate left to get to the bathroom.
If I were you I would ask if they had one of the older units (or at least that's what I have been told) available. They are super helpful at OKW and will do whatever they can to help you out. We usually had one of those on Turtle Pond Road, which is further away from HH, but the bus service is pretty good.

According to my info, it's the older units that have only 1 door, the "newer" that have the 2nd access via the laundry room. I can see where if it were just 2 people you wouldn't really think about it as all doors are usually open when you go into any room. Jeff WILL wake up when our door is opened. Heck he probably will wake up when the bathroom door is opened, even if it isn't through our room but the idea of potentially 3 doors being opened/closed each time a kid goes to use the facilities (bedroom, main bathroom and then the split part with the toilet) is a bit nightmarish.

I need to be more like you. I would save myself a lot of hassel when I am surprised by some of the details. Good call on the BR. Those villas look like they were originally built in the 80"s which I guess explains the poor access to the BR.

Yeah, late 80's actually as it opened in 91. I am quite sure I'll be surprised by details, no matter how much research I do.

Love your FE.

Crap, I read your update this morning before I left for work and I forget what else I wanted to say.

Oh Yeah - Woo Hoo for TOTWL access. It is pretty darn cool up there. That's awesome. How did you discover that handy detail.

I love the Wave - Have you eaten there yet? I've eaten there three times and its always been really good.

I have a DVC app on my phone (D Point) that links to the DVC news and saw it there. I have not eaten at the Wave yet. When I've looked in the past I couldn't quite get excited about the menu and other things just ranked higher. For this trip though I think it will be a good fit, although am a little concerned that Glen thought it was just ok. In general I've heard really good things about it.

I'd love to hit Kouzzina for dinner to be honest but to get there for dinner, then to TOWL, just sounds like a lot of work. it's doable after we return the car 9by 5 to DTD so could head anywhere from there) but Wave/TOWL sounds a LOT easier. I do have a Cali ressie but will probably cancel it, time isn't quite right and I can't get past the 2 credits/OOP cost.

We could theoretically do Sanaa on Sunday night and then Y&Y on Monday but I would like to branch out and the Wave will force us to do that. Of course it may also torture us that we can't go in to the MK....

 

[Flossbolna]

Cynthia, just a short note: I would advise against online check-in! I have read a few times that if you check in online your room is pre-assigned and they sometimes are not very accommodating about changing your room. I even read two different accounts of people who were made to pay a change fee.

Also I have read rumours that if you do online check in and select the categories there it over rides anything else you have on your reservation as request.

 

[dizneeat]

According to my info, it's the older units that have only 1 door, the "newer" that have the 2nd access via the laundry room. I can see where if it were just 2 people you wouldn't really think about it as all doors are usually open when you go into any room. Jeff WILL wake up when our door is opened. Heck he probably will wake up when the bathroom door is opened, even if it isn't through our room but the idea of potentially 3 doors being opened/closed each time a kid goes to use the facilities (bedroom, main bathroom and then the split part with the toilet) is a bit nightmarish.

Well, I could EASILY be mistaken on the older versus newer units but I can tell you that there is NO split bath in there.
Once you enter the master bedroom you make a sharp right (or left depending on the layout) and the jacuzzi is to your right while you head to the bathroom door. Then you have a larger bathroom with sink, shower and toilet. So there will only be two doors.
But be warned - there are a load of light switches and we don't even get the hang of it on a two week stay.
And coming back to the two entrance units - I have gotten "lost" and ended up in the kitchen more than once, when using the bathroom during the night.

 

[KatMark]

I knew there was a reason we were happy not having to travel with kids anymore -- sharing a bathroom or waking up the parents because they are going to the bathroom. I hope this all works out for you.

Love the items for the ship.

I read about Evan on FB...hope the lip is better.

 

[eandesmom]

Cynthia, just a short note: I would advise against online check-in! I have read a few times that if you check in online your room is pre-assigned and they sometimes are not very accommodating about changing your room. I even read two different accounts of people who were made to pay a change fee.

A change fee???? I think I'd blow a gasket. I was leaning towards not doing online, we arrive early enough that I don't see it helping us at all anyway and it's unlikely our villa will be ready which hopefully means flexibility if needed on the location.

Also I have read rumours that if you do online check in and select the categories there it over rides anything else you have on your reservation as request.

That is definitely my fear!

Well, I could EASILY be mistaken on the older versus newer units but I can tell you that there is NO split bath in there.
Once you enter the master bedroom you make a sharp right (or left depending on the layout) and the jacuzzi is to your right while you head to the bathroom door. Then you have a larger bathroom with sink, shower and toilet. So there will only be two doors.

Right, which I guess isn't really a true split, it just means part of the bathroom is in the bedroom...which is a bit odd! I had that in my old house, the sinks were across from my closet and then the actual shower/toilet in a separate room. It was very odd.

But be warned - there are a load of light switches and we don't even get the hang of it on a two week stay.
And coming back to the two entrance units - I have gotten "lost" and ended up in the kitchen more than once, when using the bathroom during the night.

AACK! Good to know on the switches, even more reason to really need that other entry! Blinded by the light might be a classic song but is NOT something I want in the middle of the night due to a half asleep child!

I knew there was a reason we were happy not having to travel with kids anymore -- sharing a bathroom or waking up the parents because they are going to the bathroom. I hope this all works out for you.

And it's definitely a part of the reason we went DVC, to try and avoid this exact thing! All of us in one room is brutal, I forgot how brutal until our Presidents Week trip.

Love the items for the ship.

I read about Evan on FB...hope the lip is better.

Well, unless I get a call from camp, I can at least assume it's not worse! I don't expect to hear from him until I get a text that he's been picked up and is in transit.

 

[Chilly]

Those cakes are great, and I now really want cake.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Looks like you had a fun 4th of July! Funny... we almost ended up at the ER on the 4th for a split lip. Zach & Alex were playing "tackle basketball" in Alex's bedroom. Alex's face hit the wall & with the new braces... well you ge the idea. My nurse friend stopped by on her way to do some errands & didn't think it was bad enough for stitches so we let it go. Luckily it's healed up pretty good - it was awfully swolen and bruised for a couple days but it's looking pretty good now.

I hope you get your 2 bathroom doors!