Just back from WL Villas and LOVED IT!!!!!!

[robdam]

Great, great time; thanks to all who responded to my many basic nOOb questions over the past 9 months. My family and I are looking forward to visiting the WL Villas again - REAL SOON!

 

[Serenity]

Glad you are back and had a great time.

We are staying at WL for the first time in Dec. I know you were at the Villa's but did you do anything at the main hotel? Did you eat in the rest. or visit the lobby? What was it like?

 

[robdam]

Originally posted by Serenity
Glad you are back and had a great time.

We are staying at WL for the first time in Dec. I know you were at the Villa's but did you do anything at the main hotel? Did you eat in the rest. or visit the lobby? What was it like?

We spent the majority of our time in the hotel part itself; Spent a bit of time in the villas pool. Ate at Whispering Canyon, (great fun & food, especially if you have children)., and Roaring Forks for a quick bite -burgers, dogs, etc. My wife ran on the beautiful running trails every morning. Quick & easy boat ride to MK or the monorails. Only bad part was noise above us at night; we were on the 4th floor. we'll request 5th floor next time. We viewed the fireworks in MK every night from our balcony; not the best view but the kids, (DD5/DS3), didn't seem to mind/notice. We are already looking at our 2005 calendar for a return visit to the WL Villas!

 

[colleen costello]

The Lodge is gorgeous and we love the Villas. That end of the resort is just so nice and a few steps off to the side so its seems private and peaceful. I love the smells and sounds of the place. Glad you had a good time.

 

[Serenity]

Thanks so much for this info. We are really looking forward to our trip in Dec. Can't wait to see WL all decorated for Christmas.

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

I think we'll try to get the WLV next time also.

How long was the wait for the boats most of the time?

How long was the boat ride to the TTC (Monorail Station)?

Was the noise above you from rowdy guests or are the rooms just poorly constructed?

Did you try waiting for busses to other theme parks and if so, how long was a typical wait?

How far were the bus stations from your room?

Thanks for any help you can offer,

MDF

 

[ILoveWDW2003]

Originally posted by Montana Disney Fan
How long was the boat ride to the TTC (Monorail Station)?

You take a bus to the TTC, the boat runs between WL, Ft Wilderness, and the MK. Another goes to the Contemporary.

 

[robdam]

Originally posted by Montana Disney Fan
I think we'll try to get the WLV next time also.

How long was the wait for the boats most of the time?

How long was the boat ride to the TTC (Monorail Station)?

Was the noise above you from rowdy guests or are the rooms just poorly constructed?

Did you try waiting for busses to other theme parks and if so, how long was a typical wait?

How far were the bus stations from your room?

Thanks for any help you can offer,

MDF

Wait time for the boats wasn't very long; 10 minutes @ most, usually less than that. The kids (3 + 5 ), loved going on the boat. The boat ride itself is ~ 10 minutes long to MK. Yes, we were on the 5th floor of the Villas and we had some overhead noise from the 6th floor. I made sure to request 6th floor for next years stay. We took the bus to AK one day and the wait was HORRIBLE; ~ 20 minutes 2 WL and ~ 30 miutes @ AK for the ride back to WL. Bus Station is just off of the lobby, not too far from our room.

 

[GEM]

We've got a two-bedroom villa reserved for our December trip, and I can't wait!

 

[jel0511]

Yes, we were on the 5th floor of the Villas and we had some overhead noise from the 6th floor. I made sure to request 6th floor for next years stay.

The 5th floor is the top floor in the Villas, there are no rooms on the 6th floor. You might have has some sort of mechanical equipment above you, causing the noise. I'm glad you had a GREAT stay, we love VWL.

 

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

Glad you had a good time!!!! Can't wait to go again myself!!

Allison

 

[Taratink]

Has anyone stayed in the studio at the WL and if so what is the set up as far as the beds. Does it have a mini kitchen.Tell me everything. Robdam has gotten me interested. Have these villas available at a discounted rate in the past? Would you pick a villa for a 3 and 5 yr old or one room at the Poly? My original budget was $200 a night but I have till the end of Jan. to save and beg Santa for disney dollars.

 

[newcomer52]

I've rented points from a DVC member for Jan 1 -8 for $1040. That makes it $148 a night which is fabulous.

 

[Taratink]

How do you go about renting points? Is it risky?

 

[jel0511]

Originally posted by Taratink
Has anyone stayed in the studio at the WL and if so what is the set up as far as the beds. Does it have a mini kitchen.Tell me everything. Robdam has gotten me interested. Have these villas available at a discounted rate in the past? Would you pick a villa for a 3 and 5 yr old or one room at the Poly? My original budget was $200 a night but I have till the end of Jan. to save and beg Santa for disney dollars.

The bedding in a villa is a queen bed, along with a double sleeper sofa. There is a mini kitchen. It includes, an undercounter refrigerator (think dorm size) a coffee maker and toaster. A small sink is there as well. You get paper supplies for plates and utensils and there are a couple of juice glasses. Personally after staying in a studio once, I'd pick any deluxe resort over a studio. The bedding is MUCH better, usually two queens and a day bed and more room.
Renting points is easy, just visit the Rent/Trade board here at the DIS. It is a private transaction, and lots of trust is involved between both parties. Usually all payments once made are non-refundable, unlike regular reservations.

 

[ceejay13]

If you are going to rent points you might want to check into a 1 bdr instead of a studio. The 1 bdrs have a full kitchen, washer/dryer and whirlpool tub. There is a kings size bed in the bedroom and a queen size fold out couch in the living room. Lot of people rent out their points if they aren't going to use them and it appears to work very well for both parties. We are DVC members but always use all of our points so have never tried it.

 

[newcomer52]

Go to this link and read up on renting points. I posted a message on DVC Rent/trade forum. I had a couple replies+ and was able to strike a deal with one of them. I was a little nervous to begin with because I was sending over $500 to someone I didn't really know. I did do a search on her user name and read a lot of her posts. We did a lot of emailing back and forth working out the logistics and she was excellent about quick replies etc. After booking the January trip, I emailed her again and booked a May trip at BCV. I have both reservation letters that show they are in my name. Good luck.


http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/RentTrade-FAQ.htm

 

[N&B'smom]

I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed this resort so much! We also will be staying in a 2 bedroom villa and I can't wait!!! I know my family will LOVE it!

Shelby

 

[SnowWhiteIsDreaming]

Can you also book the WLV or BCV through CRO or is renting 'points' from a DVC owner the only way to stay at these villas?

Thanks, Karen

 

[jel0511]

Originally posted by SnowWhiteIsDreaming
Can you also book the WLV or BCV through CRO or is renting 'points' from a DVC owner the only way to stay at these villas?

Thanks, Karen

CRO only has access to approx 4% of the rooms at any of the DVC resorts, unless a DVC owner decides to trade their points out to a non-DVC resort or timeshare trade. There is usually limited availability of the DVC resorts through CRO, since DVC members retain much of the resort for their own use. If you truly want to stay, and guarantee your accomdations, the best way is to rent from a member. Also, usually renting can be more cost effective then booking through CRO. If you want to find out the ins/outs of renting, visit the Rent/Trade board here at the DIS.