JonHM
Turn into the spin, Barbie!!!!
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2001
- Messages
- 665
Wow, wow, wow, wow, WOW!!! We stayed at BWV in January in loved it, but this was our first trip to our home, VWL. I am still in something of a state of shock over how fantastic it was. It started with having a fabulous villa. Our top priority after non-smoking was to be close to the elevators, and I don't think we could have been closer unless they dragged our beds out into the lobby. We were on the front side, facing the covered pathway from the Lodge to the Villas. At first I was worried, because everyone goes on about how the rear side is the best view, but I wound up being very very happy with the view. We were on the second floor, and so close to the elevators that once we got out on our floor, we could put our two year old down and he would run to the villa in about ten seconds. Turn right out of the elevator, pass ice/vending, and we were the first room on the left. Great location, and as it turns out, it was great on the inside as well. It was a dedicated 1BR, in great shape, no complaints. And the master bedroom actually had an extra window to the left of the bed because it was a corner unit.
Transportation was good, I think during the week we only had one long wait for a bus, around 25 minutes, and I think that that was because of a problem with another bus. Most of the rest of our waits were between 0-10 minutes or so. And the few times we took the boats to MK and Contemporary, pretty much no wait at all. Weather was great, actually a little bit hot - mid to high 80s, one day broke 90, and it only rained one day, for about half an hour.
Oh, one note on check-in. I guess they're not doing the first come first served room assignments at VWL, because we showed up to check in at around 8:15am, and they already had a very specific villa picked out for us, and didn't act like there was flexibility for us to pick another. Later in the day, when we were checking if it were ready yet, they did offer to let us switch to another, but it would have been farther from the elevators, so we decided to wait. I think we got into the room at around 2:30 or 3:00.
We did Flag Family on the last day we were there, and Ranger Stan was fantastic. What a nice guy he is. We got some great pictures from the roof and had a blast raising the flags. Oh, and WHAT a view from the stairway going up to the roof, that overlooks the lobby. Absolutely breathtaking.
I am still sort of stunned over how much I loved staying at VWL. I know that some people don't like the theming, think that the color schemes are too dark, but I LOVED it, it is JUST what I like. The only bad thing is not having too many options once DS is tucked in for the night, at least without leaving the grounds. But that in itself is a side effect of one of the things that I loved about VWL - the feeling of solitude, and restfulness. Once we went up on the roof, I could not believe how close we were to everything, because when we're there there is such a feeling of being out in the woods. Disney really outdid themselves with both the Lodge and the Villas. What a fantastic experience. It just makes me so happy that VWL is our home.
We got in on Saturday, and crowds in the parks were pretty high on Saturday, not quite as bad on Sunday, but MUCH lighter once we hit the weekdays. On the weekdays everything was pretty much walk-on or a very short wait.
I'd be happy to answer any questions, if anybody has any.
Oh, by the way, while I'm thinking of it, the water pressure was fine. Not the best, but better than some places I've lived...
Thanks for listening!
Transportation was good, I think during the week we only had one long wait for a bus, around 25 minutes, and I think that that was because of a problem with another bus. Most of the rest of our waits were between 0-10 minutes or so. And the few times we took the boats to MK and Contemporary, pretty much no wait at all. Weather was great, actually a little bit hot - mid to high 80s, one day broke 90, and it only rained one day, for about half an hour.
Oh, one note on check-in. I guess they're not doing the first come first served room assignments at VWL, because we showed up to check in at around 8:15am, and they already had a very specific villa picked out for us, and didn't act like there was flexibility for us to pick another. Later in the day, when we were checking if it were ready yet, they did offer to let us switch to another, but it would have been farther from the elevators, so we decided to wait. I think we got into the room at around 2:30 or 3:00.
We did Flag Family on the last day we were there, and Ranger Stan was fantastic. What a nice guy he is. We got some great pictures from the roof and had a blast raising the flags. Oh, and WHAT a view from the stairway going up to the roof, that overlooks the lobby. Absolutely breathtaking.
I am still sort of stunned over how much I loved staying at VWL. I know that some people don't like the theming, think that the color schemes are too dark, but I LOVED it, it is JUST what I like. The only bad thing is not having too many options once DS is tucked in for the night, at least without leaving the grounds. But that in itself is a side effect of one of the things that I loved about VWL - the feeling of solitude, and restfulness. Once we went up on the roof, I could not believe how close we were to everything, because when we're there there is such a feeling of being out in the woods. Disney really outdid themselves with both the Lodge and the Villas. What a fantastic experience. It just makes me so happy that VWL is our home.
We got in on Saturday, and crowds in the parks were pretty high on Saturday, not quite as bad on Sunday, but MUCH lighter once we hit the weekdays. On the weekdays everything was pretty much walk-on or a very short wait.
I'd be happy to answer any questions, if anybody has any.
Oh, by the way, while I'm thinking of it, the water pressure was fine. Not the best, but better than some places I've lived...
Thanks for listening!
)
