Just back from my BEST trip ever (long)

[dvcdudes]

OK, maybe I'm over stating a little. My best trip is a toss up between my first trip as a kid (I'm still a kid, just an older one now) or the first trip I took my two DS's.
This was my first trip to WDW staying at our DVC resort (BWV). I cannot put into words how great it was. (Your not getting away that easy) I'm going to try...
We arrived at about 12noon on Sunday. I got a "welcome home" from the bell hop and 1/2 a welcome home from the CM at thte desk (she said "Welcome. Is this your first stay at your vacation home?". Our room was not ready (I didn't think it would be) so off to the pool we went. Our luggage was safely storred and we spent a few hours at the pool and had a quick lunch at leaping horse (we were going to have lunch at ESPN, but the kids didn't want to leave the pool). At just after 3pm, I called and was given our room # (2034 studio overlooking lunar park as requested). The room was in excellent condition and had all the supplies (I think). That night we walked over to the Yacht club Galley for dinner. We had PS and good thing, the wait times were at about 45-60mins. We had a wonderful meal and received our 20% DVC discount. We strolled about the BW that night and played some arcade games at ESPN.
The next morning we woke up early and went to AK. They changed the awakening before the gates open but it was fine. We did lunch at the Rainforest and then back to our BWV. We rested a bit (this was a first for me) and headed over to EPCOT. We did TT for the first time and it was a hit. a couple more rides and it was off to Gullivers at the Swan. This was a bit of a disappointment. It was a character dinner and the characters were there but it didn't have that Disney feel. Not very crowded at all and this was at 6PM. We got our 20% DVC discount but I would only go for the food not the characters. We went back to EPCOT and watched ToN and IRoE.
The next day we spent at the BW. We did do Chef Mickeys for breakfast. We went over to Stormalong Bay. The kids liked it there. We watched the Epcot fireworks from the bridge and then my kids fell in love with Fred and Brian performing on the BW.
Wed. we did MK. We had lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern and then took a break at the hotel. We had 4:30 PS at Crystal Palace but canceled because no one was hungry. We grabbed some hot dogs at caseys later and watched the EP and FITS. I took notice that the parks were not as crowded as in years past (we always do Pres Week). I don't know if we just hit it lucky with ourr park selection or if we left for our mid day break as they got crowded but the crowdes seemed light. Another thing I was very pleased with was the lines(or lack of) at the busses and boats. Thu. it was on to MGM. We did the major rides and then did lunch at Hollywood and Vine "outstanding". The food was great and the characters were the best. We had PS for 50's Primetime but were too full from lunch and cancelled. We caught the early Fantasmic. We caught the boat just right and when we got back to the BW Brian, this time with Miss Peapod and "someone" the incoparable, were setting up and we took in the show. The BW atmosphere is great. I absolutely LOVED it and I'm only sorry we didn't join DVC earlier.
We checked out on Friday and all went smooth. We did drive by OKW after checkout. I can see that it is deffinitely a different type of resort. It reminded me of Dixielandings (we stayed there once and loved it). We will give it a try when looking for a laid back vacation or if we ever tire of BWV. I don't think that will be for a long time.
Sorry this was so long. I was just trying to describe how wonderfull it was. I am now looking SOOOOOOOOOO forward to our next trip in August. I can't wait.

P.S.
I hate to admit this but my DW was right. we did the parks at a nice liesurly pace and took breaks in the middle of the day to recharge our batteries and it is the only way to go. I used to think I had to get my monies worth from my park passes. You were right. I was wrong.

P.S. P.S.
We had FRS radios with us and they really came in handy.

any questions (construction, etc.) I'll be glad to answer.

DVCDUDES
Owner BWV Feb 2000

 

[Luv2Dream]

Wow, sounds like a great time. Thanks for the great report. It included a little bit of everything..it's so hard to come home, isn't it?

 

[MinnieMe2]

We just got back last Tues., having arrived the Wed. before. Your comments about crowds interested me because we found NO crowds, lines, etc., up until Sun. Then things filled up. Not as bad as July, mind you, but certainly far fuller than the week before Pres. Day. I'd still prefer going at this time of year!

I have a question. We are considering purchasing points and I notice you said something about 20% discounts at certain restaurants. Is this something for all DVC members? Is it only for certain restaurants? Is there any kind of DVC discount on park passes? Thanks....

Counting the Hours Til We're Back in the World

Mother-of-Four (Five, If You Count My Husband)

 

[Tinker Bell]

Sounds like a great trip! We were at the GF from Saturday to Wednesday. I agree that the crowds seemed light relative to past years. We took the tour and are contemplating DVC. I have never been able to book a villa for cash during President's week and think DVC may be the way to go. However, I am concerned about availability through DVC for such a busy week. How was your experience in getting your ressie? Did you get the exact days you wanted? How far in advance did you book? Can anyone else share his/her experience in booking for President's week?

I remain a bit perplexed by the whole system. It seems like the entire DVC sales process essentially creates a resort pre-sold to 96% capacity. How can everyone get what he/she wants with so little room to maneuver? It doesn't seem to me that the banking/borrowing & swapping changes this reality. Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks
<IMG SRC="/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif" alt="confused"> <IMG SRC="/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif" alt="confused">

 

[drusba]

Just answering some of the questions. DVC members get various restaurant discounts, often they are 10% but at the S/D restaurants they are currently 20%. What restaurants provide discounts and how much vary over time (two of my favorites, the Yachtsman Steakhouse and Cape May Cafe are currently on the 10% list). DVC members also get 10% off at Disney Stores (other than those at WDW).

As to getting ressies as a member, you can make them 11 months out at your home resort and 7 at another (the home DVC resort is the one you actually own at). If you make them 10 to 11 months out you are virtually certain to get what you want. For example, I have never had trouble getting Easter time 10 to 11 months out. (Note, for Christmas week things work differently--you get on a special seasons list more than 14 months out and they contact you about 14 months before to let you know if you got what you want.) Also, what is necessarily the most busy times for WDW are not the same as the ones for highest DVC demand. For example, summer time seems to be easy to get as a DVC member even as late as making a ressie 5 or even fewer months out, while the first two weeks of December fill very quickly..

 

[Peterd]

We had a great trip( though far from our first, each trip is great!) The weather was fantastic. I agree that the crowds did seem lighter than in past "President week" trips. We received two "welcome home" greetings. Our 2 bdrm wasn't ready until 4, but it too was in perfect condition. DVC is great. We love the 2 bdrm villas and it was great walking to Epcot and MGM. We found that we were more willing to stay to watch Fantasmic because we knew that we could just walk back to the resort.
We hardly used our car, choosing to eat on the Bw and at Y&B.
We have stayed at BWV during President's week for the past 4 years. Usually we make the ressie 11 months out, this year we made it at 9 months and still got everything we wanted. (I would recommend trying to get as close to the 11 month mark as possible.) Just to avoid being disappointed.

 

[BillM]

Tell me about the FRS radios. What does FRS stand for? We are considering buying Walkie Talkies?

 

[dvcdudes]

first off... I forgot to mention that I had my lime green ribon on my backpack that I took everywhere but I didn't see one other person with one nor did anyone notice mine. Oh well.

MinnieMe2; There are a list of DVC discounts that change from time to time. they include certain restaurants, Disneyquest, free admission to Atlantic Dance, Miniature Golf, Sammy Duvall's Watersports Centre, located at Disney's Contemporary Resort, etc.Here's a link to a post where I got all the discounts via email from MS.
As far as park passes go. DVC offers a special pass package that I don't think is all that good of a deal. Perhaps someone who knows more about these passes could explain it.

Tinker Bell; I had no problem at all getting exactly what I wanted. I did book at exactly 11 months. I also have ressies for Aug that I booked at 11 months. I did not book day by day though. I might do that for our easter 2002 trip. I don't know much about the %s but I think the lower accomodations (studio SV) go quickly and of course GVs due to the fact that there aren't many.

Peterd; I forgot to mention the weather. It was fantastic. I guess they could use some rain but I'm glad it didn't happen while I was there. As for the car. We had the valet park it and never got it again until checkout. The location of BW really gives you a lot of options for getting around. We love it too and hope to have many wonderful vacations for years to come.

BillM; I'm not exactly sure what FRS stands for. I think the F is for family. perhaps something like family radio system. They worked great. We have the Cobra 220s and used Rayovac rechargeble alkaline batteries. I would charge them each night eventhough we had them on all day and the power line never went down. I would recommend getting ones with the privacy codes. these have 14 channels with 32 privacy codes for each channel, giving you a lot of options. Just to give you an example of how well they worked, my DW went back to the hotel while me and the boys went on our 2nd X on RnR with fastpass (she wanted to keep her lunch down). When we got off, we started heading back to join her for our mid day break. I figured I'd give it a try and they worked from hollywood blvd to our room at BWV. They also worked from the international gateway to our room but broke up a little once inside world showcase. I would highly recommend them.

DVCDUDES
Owner BWV Feb 2000

 

[dianeschlicht]

Glad you had such a great time. I know you will now be singing the "Wish we had done it sooner" song.

Disneydiane