Im fuzzy (sat on the runway for 2 hrs, home at 1am) but thrilled and excited with my most recent visit home!
First, I must say that we have close friends that live in Central Florida and the damage to the area was very prevalent. Disney fared very well compared to the damage we saw outside. As we were there for a wedding, we spent much more time offsite visiting friends than we normally do and saw incredible damage to homes and trees.
Having kept up with the movements of H-Jeanne on the boards, the word spread that MCO would be closing early on Saturday 25 Sept. We were on the first thing smoking to Orlando on Saturday morning! LOL Yes we went to Orlando with a Hurricane approaching. Not recommending it to others, just being truthful.
We arrived around 11am, picked up our National rental car (3rd time this year @ MCO renting from Nat'l and they have been FLAWLESS) got lost as Dh refuses to use the Toll road and arrived at SSR around 3pm after our grocery stop. Due to the impending Hurricane we shopped at Goodings @ the Crossroads. They had plenty of everything, water, etc but the prices were ridiculous. $6.99 for a 12 pack of Aquafina. We didnt have time to be choosy and go elsewhere (curfews were in effect)so we picked up a few items (good thing I packed 1 suitcase of supplies).
Checked into SSR and our room was ready. Since we arrived a day early, With 1 day notice, I found a studio available for the 1 night (sat.) and then we were to move to BWV SV 1 bdr for 7 nights.
Our room was in Congress Park 3rd floor studio Poolview. This was Dh's first stay at SSR and my second. Our room was on the corner, first room on the right when you come up the stairs. The view was AWESOME! I will say it again after staying there a second time, SSR is a beautiful resort! Not only did we have a Pool view, but you could see most of DTD too! It was almost overwhelming to be able to stand out and see and hear the fountain frogs in the quiet pool and then this panoramic view of the lake and DTD right behind it. Our room was very clean, well stocked and they even left us 2 working flashlights on top of the ent. center. Love those Disney touches, even in Hurricane situations. The staff was wonderful and kept us fully informed by slipping notices under our door and leaving taped messages on the phone. They did tell us to be prepared to stay in our room for 24 hours and that is exactly how long we were there during the storm. From 7 pm to 7 pm. Luckily, it was Jack Lalanne's 90th birthday and ESPN Classic showed his old program all day, and in combination with the 3 channels of movie loops, we didnt lack entertainment. Plus I cant recall the last time Dh and I spent that much time together in a confined space.
The approaching Hurricane was a little scary not knowing what to expect, but there was never a time when we felt unsafe. Jeanne came through in the early morning hours, so we slept through most of it.
The next evening, (Sun.) they opened up Artist Pallette, and the Community Hall. There was music and Minnie and Pluto characters taking pics and interacting. Board games and activities and movie checkouts available. Yes AP has a limited menu, but everything we ate there was excellent! My Dh really enjoyed his BBQ rib dinner and the Chicken Caesar salad and Chef Salads were excellent as well. They do offer some items for children, but there are many more healthier choices that I know my children will enjoy too. Im not disappointed at all that they dont serve standard fare and the one thing the "World" has plenty of is Burgers and Fries.
We extended our stay at SSR for Sunday Night because movement was still restricted. SSR did an outstanding job, and the CM's were great and dedicated even during the storm. Many of them chose to spend time with the guests instead of at home and i thanked many of them for taking such great care of us.
Many trees were uprooted at SSR and the Performance Hall lost some shingles and siding. (across from check in). There was a young tree that fell on a minivan in the parking lot, but the damage was minimal. By Monday Mid Morning, the crew had piled many of the trees in the parking lot, ready to be replanted.
After the Storm.............
Mon we headed over to BWV to checkin. Worked out at M&B, walked around the lake, and the path to MGM. There was a huge tree that fell across the walkway to MGM, making the path impassable. The next day they had cut a walkway from the part of the tree that was over the path.
Our 1 bed SV was ready by noon! It was room 2321, a corner NS (in the round part of the building that faces the resort entrance)room that faced the bridged entry to BWI/BWV. Very large room with the expansive balcony. There were 3 sets of French doors in the kitchen/dining area and a private balcony for the master. Lots of sunlight, which i loved, but a little dark at night in the kitchen because there is only the hanging light over the dining table and the counter tops are not lit.
LOVED the BWV!!! The service was Excellent! Mousekeeping did an excellent job with all our requests. As we were preparing for a wedding, and didnt have our Ds's with us, we used many new services. Our room was supposed to be nonsmoking, but because of the H-cane, many people smoked in the rooms. The room had to be deodorized twice as the smell returned a couple of days after the deodorizer was sprayed. Both times I called, they were there in minutes. I also requested a blender and was given a brand new one in the box which they had cut open for me. I used laundry services to press my bridesmaid dress and although expensive, it looked excellent and it was picked up and returned the same day. Plus with Dh boycotting the toll roads, I didnt want to risk taking it offsite! LOL Because of the excellent service, staying at BWV felt more "connected" and hotel-like. We had an great stay at BWV, we swam at Luna Park one day and was surprised to find that they only serve cold sandwiches and not burgers, so we went to ESPN for a burger. I went down the slide several times, and enjoyed it much better once the kind gentleman behind me at the top told me to stay sitting up instead of laying down and flailing all the way down! This lady asked if Dh and I were on our honeymoon, because we were having so much fun! LOL I told her no we were just happy to be out of our room!
The health club was great and we even jogged around the resorts and the lake a few mornings. I will definitely write a letter to commend the staff on their excellent service.
I told you it was detailed...Thanks for staying with me!
Saturday we went to EPCOT for our first visit to the F&W festival. How much fun was that! We did the Kluge Farms wine tasting, had lunch at Le Cellier which was excellent, and went to all 3 sets of the Kool and the Gang concert in America. Did a little shopping, the Australian Winery Walkabout (which is hard to do after tasting 5 wines, walk about that is) wine tasting and Illuminations. We then walked out of EPCOT to Beaches N Cream for a late dinner and carried our dessert back to the villa.
Sunday was checkout day, so we had a leisurely morning, had ice cream and leftover B&C for breakfast. (shh..dont tell the boys) and stopped at Belz Outlet on the way to MCO.
We had a great trip, the wedding was beautiful, lots of fun with friends and Dh and I talked about returning next year to BWV for the F&W.
I'd be happy to answer any questions!
First, I must say that we have close friends that live in Central Florida and the damage to the area was very prevalent. Disney fared very well compared to the damage we saw outside. As we were there for a wedding, we spent much more time offsite visiting friends than we normally do and saw incredible damage to homes and trees.
Having kept up with the movements of H-Jeanne on the boards, the word spread that MCO would be closing early on Saturday 25 Sept. We were on the first thing smoking to Orlando on Saturday morning! LOL Yes we went to Orlando with a Hurricane approaching. Not recommending it to others, just being truthful.
We arrived around 11am, picked up our National rental car (3rd time this year @ MCO renting from Nat'l and they have been FLAWLESS) got lost as Dh refuses to use the Toll road and arrived at SSR around 3pm after our grocery stop. Due to the impending Hurricane we shopped at Goodings @ the Crossroads. They had plenty of everything, water, etc but the prices were ridiculous. $6.99 for a 12 pack of Aquafina. We didnt have time to be choosy and go elsewhere (curfews were in effect)so we picked up a few items (good thing I packed 1 suitcase of supplies).
Checked into SSR and our room was ready. Since we arrived a day early, With 1 day notice, I found a studio available for the 1 night (sat.) and then we were to move to BWV SV 1 bdr for 7 nights.
Our room was in Congress Park 3rd floor studio Poolview. This was Dh's first stay at SSR and my second. Our room was on the corner, first room on the right when you come up the stairs. The view was AWESOME! I will say it again after staying there a second time, SSR is a beautiful resort! Not only did we have a Pool view, but you could see most of DTD too! It was almost overwhelming to be able to stand out and see and hear the fountain frogs in the quiet pool and then this panoramic view of the lake and DTD right behind it. Our room was very clean, well stocked and they even left us 2 working flashlights on top of the ent. center. Love those Disney touches, even in Hurricane situations. The staff was wonderful and kept us fully informed by slipping notices under our door and leaving taped messages on the phone. They did tell us to be prepared to stay in our room for 24 hours and that is exactly how long we were there during the storm. From 7 pm to 7 pm. Luckily, it was Jack Lalanne's 90th birthday and ESPN Classic showed his old program all day, and in combination with the 3 channels of movie loops, we didnt lack entertainment. Plus I cant recall the last time Dh and I spent that much time together in a confined space.
The approaching Hurricane was a little scary not knowing what to expect, but there was never a time when we felt unsafe. Jeanne came through in the early morning hours, so we slept through most of it.
The next evening, (Sun.) they opened up Artist Pallette, and the Community Hall. There was music and Minnie and Pluto characters taking pics and interacting. Board games and activities and movie checkouts available. Yes AP has a limited menu, but everything we ate there was excellent! My Dh really enjoyed his BBQ rib dinner and the Chicken Caesar salad and Chef Salads were excellent as well. They do offer some items for children, but there are many more healthier choices that I know my children will enjoy too. Im not disappointed at all that they dont serve standard fare and the one thing the "World" has plenty of is Burgers and Fries.
We extended our stay at SSR for Sunday Night because movement was still restricted. SSR did an outstanding job, and the CM's were great and dedicated even during the storm. Many of them chose to spend time with the guests instead of at home and i thanked many of them for taking such great care of us.
Many trees were uprooted at SSR and the Performance Hall lost some shingles and siding. (across from check in). There was a young tree that fell on a minivan in the parking lot, but the damage was minimal. By Monday Mid Morning, the crew had piled many of the trees in the parking lot, ready to be replanted.
After the Storm.............
Mon we headed over to BWV to checkin. Worked out at M&B, walked around the lake, and the path to MGM. There was a huge tree that fell across the walkway to MGM, making the path impassable. The next day they had cut a walkway from the part of the tree that was over the path.
Our 1 bed SV was ready by noon! It was room 2321, a corner NS (in the round part of the building that faces the resort entrance)room that faced the bridged entry to BWI/BWV. Very large room with the expansive balcony. There were 3 sets of French doors in the kitchen/dining area and a private balcony for the master. Lots of sunlight, which i loved, but a little dark at night in the kitchen because there is only the hanging light over the dining table and the counter tops are not lit.
LOVED the BWV!!! The service was Excellent! Mousekeeping did an excellent job with all our requests. As we were preparing for a wedding, and didnt have our Ds's with us, we used many new services. Our room was supposed to be nonsmoking, but because of the H-cane, many people smoked in the rooms. The room had to be deodorized twice as the smell returned a couple of days after the deodorizer was sprayed. Both times I called, they were there in minutes. I also requested a blender and was given a brand new one in the box which they had cut open for me. I used laundry services to press my bridesmaid dress and although expensive, it looked excellent and it was picked up and returned the same day. Plus with Dh boycotting the toll roads, I didnt want to risk taking it offsite! LOL Because of the excellent service, staying at BWV felt more "connected" and hotel-like. We had an great stay at BWV, we swam at Luna Park one day and was surprised to find that they only serve cold sandwiches and not burgers, so we went to ESPN for a burger. I went down the slide several times, and enjoyed it much better once the kind gentleman behind me at the top told me to stay sitting up instead of laying down and flailing all the way down! This lady asked if Dh and I were on our honeymoon, because we were having so much fun! LOL I told her no we were just happy to be out of our room!
The health club was great and we even jogged around the resorts and the lake a few mornings. I will definitely write a letter to commend the staff on their excellent service.
I told you it was detailed...Thanks for staying with me!
Saturday we went to EPCOT for our first visit to the F&W festival. How much fun was that! We did the Kluge Farms wine tasting, had lunch at Le Cellier which was excellent, and went to all 3 sets of the Kool and the Gang concert in America. Did a little shopping, the Australian Winery Walkabout (which is hard to do after tasting 5 wines, walk about that is) wine tasting and Illuminations. We then walked out of EPCOT to Beaches N Cream for a late dinner and carried our dessert back to the villa.
Sunday was checkout day, so we had a leisurely morning, had ice cream and leftover B&C for breakfast. (shh..dont tell the boys) and stopped at Belz Outlet on the way to MCO.
We had a great trip, the wedding was beautiful, lots of fun with friends and Dh and I talked about returning next year to BWV for the F&W.
I'd be happy to answer any questions!
.... Oh i'm sorry i was just dreaming on how nice it must have been...
, but better than no plans at all 
