Dec 2-9 VWL Trip Report

[dsneygirl]

Just back from 5 nights at VWL and 2 nights at CSR. This was a fantastic week and we had a ball! There were so many hightlights

-staying at VWL, this is our home resort and we love it more and more. My DS loved the ducks and the geyser. He also loved the bubbling spring in the lobby. We had a nice lunch at Whispering Canyon and a few quick snacks at Roaring Fork.

-our studio was in great shape, close to the elevator on the street side (not lake side) it was really quiet. We never heard our neighbours and hopefully they weren't too bothers by DS *only minor annoyance was a neighbour smoking on her balcony, DH gave her a dirty look and we never smelled it again but still gross.

-transportation, no issues whatsoever, the boat now goes directly to MK as FW and WL had dedicated boats. Spent lots of time at MK since it was so close, bus waits were average 10-15 min and never seemed to crowded

-Food! Best meal of the week was at the new TepanEdo in Japan, absolutely delicious and great value with the DDE card, DS loved watching the chef in action. We also had a great meal at Le Cellier on the CP dinner package but had to leave in haste and take our chocolate Moose to go as DS started to have a toddler meltdown (I'm sure many of you have been there). We were also able to get in for a walk in spot at Yak and Yeti. They were extremely disorganized opening at 11:30 and had one seater/greeter so the line was brutal but once we were seated service was great. The cocktails were great and we all enjoyed our meals. We were able to get a 2nd floor window seat to watch all the action down below. We also did the new Tusker House character breakfast which was great. Good characters and delicious food. Also discovered a new breakfast treat at MK. The bakery was mobbed as usual so we headed to Liberty Square to grab some fruit from the stand and saw that Sleepy Hollow makes fresh waffles. They are $5 with strawberries and whip cream but soooooo delicious. They are made fresh to order and it's a nice quiet spot to enjoy breakfast.

Holiday Highlights
-the Merry Mixer, we all really enjoyed this on the 6th, great live music, tonnes of characters and yummy treats. We even got to meet Miss Dee V. Cee herself. She said my hubby looked very familiar and she remembered him from Main St USA on our previous trip.

-MVMCP, we went on Sun the 2nd and had perfect weather, not too crowded and saw the parade twice, the castle show and Holiday Wishes, had lots of treats here as well. I was so happy we went on Sun since the Tues night was sold out we later learned.

-decorations, LOVE them all, I cannot get enough of the Osbourne lights, the trees and all the little details. One of my favourites are the character themed trees in AK at Camp Minnie Mickey, whoever has this job is so talented.

Other highlights-biking to FW, going to Trails End at night and then walking around everyone's campsites all decorated and lit up, catching 'Cars' on the beach at the Beach Club (we were walking from MGM to Epcot) and just happened upon it, the Norweigan storyteller at Epcot, the knome and Sigrid had everyone in the audience rolling in the aisles you must try to see it.

I would be happy to answer any questions

 

[jakenjess]

Sounds like a wonderful time!! How did you like CSR? We stay at a value or mod on weekends to conserve points, and I'm always looking to try someplace new. If all goes well, we'll be experiencing the Christmastime magic in 2008!

 

[dsneygirl]

CSR was alright. It just wasn't VWL. I think this trip just reaffirmed we need more points so none of this switching hotels business. We were conserving points because we went 4 times this year but that was an anomoly. It will change for sure in the next year or 2.

The grounds at CSR are beautiful and the pool area is great. It's also nice not to share a bus with any other hotels but the food court is overpriced IMHO.

 

[Muushka]

Thank you for sharing your vacation with us. Especially the VWL part, just a little partial to that place. Glad you had such a nice vacation.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

Hi -
How were the crowds generally? We're thinking of going next year around that time.
Thanks

 

[bobbiwoz]

I'm glad you had such a nice vacation. We've only listened to the English and Canadian storytellers, we'll have to be sure to listen to the Norwegian one next year!

We checked into VWL on the 9th, we too were on the bus side, and I also smelled smoke but couldn't see anyone smoking on the balcony. We were on the 4th floor. This only happened once.

Bobbi

 

[Cyndibear]

Thanks for sharing your magical visit. We also love VWL. Nice to hear you had such a wonderful time. I know that its hard to go from staying DVC to non-DVC resorts. It makes us appreciate DVC even more!!

Cyndi

 

[byoung]

Thanks for reporting.