David's Vacation Club Rentals- Kristen Experiences the Disney Way!

[DVC Kristen]

Hey Disney Friends!
My name is Kristen and I work for David’s Vacation Club Rentals here in London Ontario. On the week of May 11-16, 2014 I was able to visit Walt Disney World for a research trip along with Melissa, David and Cathy. On this trip I was able to learn more in-depth about all of the Disney Vacation Club resorts that we book for guests through David’s Vacation Club Rentals. I was also able to see the theme parks, restaurants and all other excitement that comes along with a Disney Trip! The last time I went to Disney was when I was about 4 years old, so being able to go back as a staff member and learn so much in just one week was an amazing opportunity!

To start my adventure, I took my very FIRST flight flying to Orlando Florida, how exciting! I wasn’t nervous at all; I was definitely ready for anything! When we arrived to Orlando, we made our way to our resort from the airport. I had the chance to stay at Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa. When we arrived we were greeted “Welcome Home” by friendly staff at the gate. This made my face light up with a huge smile! Even the drive up to the check in, there was such a nice view to see, between the golf course and fountains, it was beautiful! It definitely made you feel like you were back in Saratoga, New York during the 1800’s.

Every step of the way was so easy! When checking in, the cast members were very helpful and gave direction as so where to go, showing us maps and location of rooms etc. She also answered all of our questions for our Magic Bands and going above and beyond to suite our needs, it was great! When we finished checking in, we went to find our rooms to get all settled in for the week. I got to stay in a studio ground floor room in the Grandstand area. I have never had the chance to stay in a villa before and I was so impressed. I have always seen photos of Saratoga Springs Resort, but to be there in person is a completely different impression. Once I had the chance to get settled in, we were already off to start the adventure! We had an itinerary for the week, laying out each day and what we would be doing. In this report I will go through some of the highlights to my trip and the many things I have learned throughout.

This is just part 1 of my adventure, stay tuned for more!

 

[summabreeze85]

Thanks for posting! Nice 'business trip'

 

[DVC Kristen]

We had a busy afternoon planned as soon as we arrived to Orlando. Our first resort stop was Animal Kingdom Jambo House and Kidani Village. This resort really made me feel like I was on a safari. The buildings themselves were so big and beautifully built. I enjoyed different qualities about both of the buildings Jambo and Kidani. My favourite feature about Jambo house was the layout when you first walk in to the building. It was great to see all of the designs and culture to Jambo as well as the unique structure. What is great about Jambo is that all the restaurants are right inside with such a wide selection.

Even though I liked Jambo, my favourite would have to be Kidani Village. The reason being is that I really liked how it was a little less overwhelming and reserved. Taking a walk out to the back of Kidani to see the Savannah was very cool! We got to see the animals wander while the instructor spoke about their habits and behaviours. What is different about Kidani is that the pool area is a tiny walk from the resort compared to Jambo where the pool is directly behind in the back. I like the separation because I found it was more of a calming atmosphere. The pools were filled with children’s activities while adults can sit back and relax after a long day! Both buildings were unreal to see and now I understand why Animal Kingdom is such a great resort for little children and adults.

After finishing up with Animal Kingdom, we travelled to Old Key West resort which was right down the road from Saratoga Springs and the downtown Disney area. This resort was one of my favourites! I loved seeing all of the pastel colours of the buildings and the cottage feel to it. It is definitely a very spacious resort with lots of room to walk and enjoy the scenery. As we made our way around the resort, there were different sections with different street names, it was so neat! The buildings had 3 storeys walk ups, which makes this resort unique in its own way. This resort is located near a wonderful view of the water and a short boat ride away from downtown Disney.

While at Old Key West I had the chance to dine at Olivia’s Café for dinner with Melissa, David and Cathy. This was so tasty! I had a pasta dish along with a banana bread sundae dessert, sounds yummy right!? This café is a place you will want to dine at if you ever have the chance. We were super full by the time we had finished up and made our way back to Saratoga Springs for the night.

I hope you enjoyed the second part of my trip I can't wait to share more!

 

[bbn1122]

Thanks for the report...pix are great.

My family will be staying OKW for the first time in a month. Would love to hear anything else you observed about the resort.

 

[DVC Kristen]

Thanks for the report...pix are great.

My family will be staying OKW for the first time in a month. Would love to hear anything else you observed about the resort.

That is fantastic! You will absolutely adore this resort. It was one of my favorites to go see. It really reminds me of a little village of cottages, with different street names, pastel colours and more! It is a very spacious resort, with lots of "breathing" room After a long day at a park, it is a perfect resort to come back to! The feel you get is very refreshing and comforting.

 

[franandaj]

I'm game to read on. Sounds like a great business trip.

 

[DVC Kristen]

Wilderness Lodge was on our list for touring on the second day. I was super excited to see this resort because I love to camp! When we entered it was what I had hoped to see! It was almost as if you were entering a large cabin and as we toured around, Melissa had mentioned all of the history behind the resort. There are many meanings behind the tribe’s artifacts and to have this built right into the resort was mind blowing! I thought it was very neat to see the totem poles and all the carvings that were hand made.

As we walked through the resort, we made our way to the Vacation Club villas which are in a separate building attached to the main building (see below) there were biking paths, trees and wood railings throughout and it felt like a “wilderness” experience, fits the name of the resort quite well!

The Grand Floridian was the other stop we had and I must say this resort feels like you are entering the Titanic. This resort was very classy with the marble floors, classical music and its Mary Poppins charm. While touring we viewed a couple villas and “WOW!” was my first impression. It was a beautiful view of the lake and the room was just immaculate! I really enjoyed the sparkle of this resort and eating at the Grand Floridian Café. At the café I enjoyed a delicious chicken sandwich topped off with a pomegranate lemonade..mmm! I truly felt like a princess the entire visit.

After touring Wilderness Lodge, it was time to check out the Grand Floridian and Bay Lake Tower resorts! Both resorts were very fancy and elegant looking. They are both located right on the monorail and right by Magic Kingdom. From Wilderness Lodge we took a short boat ride right over to Bay Lake Towers. What I really liked about Bay Lake Towers was the short walk to Magic Kingdom, under 10 minutes! I also loved the scent when you first walk in to Bay Lake, so refreshing!

On Tuesday it was a big planned day! Melissa and I had made our first stop at Beach Club Villas and after that moved on to visit Boardwalk Villas. Beach Club is definitely “Beach” themed and it really made me feel like I was on a cruise.

As we walked through the resort, we came across a couple cast members working on some “towel character” making…HOW AWESOME! Melissa and I stopped and decided to give it a try; we made elephants, although mine didn’t really look like one… SHHH! What I also loved about Beach Club was the sand that the kids could play in near the lake, it really added to the appearance of the resort.

 

[DVC Kristen]

Once we had left Beach Club Villas, we headed towards the Boardwalk Villas which is about a 5-7 minute walk. I loved the view of the lake as we made our way over to enter Boardwalk. What is neat about this scene, is that there are so many little shops/snacks to stop at along the way. It resembles a little carnival village. We even had a cast member let us know there would be a dance in the hall later that night, so adorable! As we walked towards the resort, we had a chance to take a look at the model home for Boardwalk Villas. I really liked the colour scheme in the room with the rainbow tiles and open structure.

After Boardwalk we went on to explore through Epcot, stopping along the Boardwalk to snap a quick photo!

Epcot was my favourite park to visit, especially since it was the Flower and Garden Festival during our time of travel. It was very hot outside and we got lots of sun that day, walking from the resorts to Epcot. I didn’t realize how big Epcot was until we walked the entire park, we definitely put in a full effort of exercise! I thought it was so intriguing to see all of the different countries right next to one another.

We stopped at many shops along the way to experience the culture of each country; one of my favourites was stopping in “Paris” to enjoy a ham and cheese croissant. I think it is great how many staff at Disney are from all around the world, it makes you feel like you are actually travelling and meeting all different people and where they have come from. Another highlight to my day was going through the Finding Nemo ride, it was so great! At the end of the ride there was a huge aquarium filled with tons of fish, sharks, and big SEA TURTLES! I said to Melissa, “I hope that sea turtle off in the distance comes over to see us!” and what do you know, along it came!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I'm in! I love that I can join your tour from my living room! I haven't experienced all the DVC resorts yet so this will be great! Be interesting if you do this again to consider accessibility as I have a handicap room and like to know how the resort is in relation to the rooms ( not enough handicap room layouts/photos around) slopes/stairs. Looking forward to pics! Loving them so far

 

[DVC Kristen]

I'm in! I love that I can join your tour from my living room! I haven't experienced all the DVC resorts yet so this will be great! Be interesting if you do this again to consider accessibility as I have a handicap room and like to know how the resort is in relation to the rooms ( not enough handicap room layouts/photos around) slopes/stairs. Looking forward to pics! Loving them so far

Thanks for following along I hope you find it informative! I will definitely make note to other co-workers when they get the chance to visit Disney to keep the accessible rooms in mind, that is a great idea!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Thanks for following along I hope you find it informative! I will definitely make note to other co-workers when they get the chance to visit Disney to keep the accessible rooms in mind, that is a great idea!

thank you! Looking forward to reading more

 

[DVC Kristen]

After a long hot day, Melissa, David, Cathy and I had dining reservations for Biergarden in the Germany part of Epcot. This was an experience on its own and was quite entertaining. It was a buffet style meal with the front row entertainment of German music. There were many foods I had never tried before and had the chance to do so at this outstanding restaurant.

As you can see my trip was very fun filled every minute of the day. I wanted to share a couple more highlights from my adventure and here they are:

We went to Animal Kingdom Theme Park Safari Ride and got to take a tour through the African Savannah and see so many different kinds of animals such as giraffes, gorillas, rhinos etc. We were up bright and early to get the best start to our day.

While at Animal Kingdom Theme Park, we had lunch reservations in place at Tusker House character dining. The thought of meeting my childhood favourite characters while having a buffet lunch really brought out my inner child memories!

At Magic Kingdom there was always something new to do, you could go back a hundred times and never get bored! We went on many rides, and David mentioned something that really stuck in my mind, “Disney doesn’t build rides, they build attractions” so true! Every ride had a story behind it. Also, if you get the chance, the fireworks are a “must see” at Magic Kingdom along with their light show. Frozen is one of my favourite Disney films and it was so neat to hear the songs as they played parts of the film on Cinderella’s castle.

Please stay tuned for one more part to come!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Great update! I love the safari at AK. Every time you do it you get a different experience seeing a variety of animals

How nice re Tusker House not tried that looks good.

Very good point about rides vs attractions. I feel that is the element lacking in Universal. The rides are good but the emotion wasn't there for me.

Always something to do at MK new or old we never grow tired of that park! I see you did Ariel. Love that and wow that photo of the Castle with Frozen amazing! Thanks for sharing!

 

[DVC Kristen]

Great update! I love the safari at AK. Every time you do it you get a different experience seeing a variety of animals

How nice re Tusker House not tried that looks good.

Very good point about rides vs attractions. I feel that is the element lacking in Universal. The rides are good but the emotion wasn't there for me.

Always something to do at MK new or old we never grow tired of that park! I see you did Ariel. Love that and wow that photo of the Castle with Frozen amazing! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the reply Yes the safari ride was unreal! I love the knowledge behind the driver telling you all about the animal we see. Tusker House was one of my favourite places to dine. The buffet style meal was great and the characters were so entertaining The rides at Magic Kingdom were a blast, the story for each one made me smile every minute of it! Frozen is one of my favourite movies so it was so exciting to see that in the light show. I hope you follow along for my last part

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Thanks for the reply Yes the safari ride was unreal! I love the knowledge behind the driver telling you all about the animal we see. Tusker House was one of my favourite places to dine. The buffet style meal was great and the characters were so entertaining The rides at Magic Kingdom were a blast, the story for each one made me smile every minute of it! Frozen is one of my favourite movies so it was so exciting to see that in the light show. I hope you follow along for my last part

def follow to the end! Me too re Frozen. I am sorry I am missing the Frozen summer fun! We go Sep 18th and it ends Sep 1st! Never mind catch EPCOT food and wine!

 

[DVC Kristen]

As I mentioned before, each ride had its own story behind it and that is what makes you fall in love with them over and over again. Speaking of stories, I loved the Splash Mountain ride that tells the story of Br’er Rabbit and his adventure, and the sing along songs, “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” was fantastic! I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing the entire time. The facial expressions of all 4 of us as we head over the falls in our log were priceless!

At Hollywood Studio’s we went on a few rides, one of them being the Rockin Roller-coaster which was definitely one of my favourites of the trip. Rocking out to Aerosmith as you twist and turn in the rock n’ roll world, what a thrill! We also went on the famous Tower of Terror…Yes, I screamed the entire time!!!

After a week of my research trip, it had come to a perfect ending as we kicked back with a tasty cupcake in our hands…Red Velvet to be exact!

Well that concludes the end of my trip report and I hope everyone enjoyed I have added some more fun photos to take a look at below from my trip! Feel free to check out David's Vacation Club Rentals Blog for some more Disney excitement! http://blog.dvcrequest.com/

How cool is this picture above, this is original train that Walt Disney would ride around on back in the day on his property, where the magic started! This is found at Wilderness Lodge vacation club villas.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Great! Really enjoyed your TR thank you for sharing!

 

[DVC Kristen]

Great! Really enjoyed your TR thank you for sharing!

Thanks for following along I am glad you enjoyed!