Need input on VWL...

[wdwphanatic]

Hi there! We're planning to stay at VWL in early Nov... Just wondering if you all could give me some feedback on your recent experiences there, such as room and general facilities upkeep, treatment by CMs, ease of getting places on bus and boat transport, etc... I usually stay in the Epcot area (BCV), so it's been a while since I visited VWL. We'll be headed there with 2 other families on my recommendation, so I want to make sure it's still as wonderful as I remember! Feel free to PM me, if you'd like.

Thanks,
wdwphanatic

 

[shawty2]

Hi from the UK;

VWL is our home resort and have stayed three times. LAst was July last year and we had a great time. Had DD, 2 DS's and brother and sister in law with us.Standard of rooms, service in fact everythign was great. B&S in law had stayed elsewhere on site but were KO ed out by VWL.

Haven't stayed in November but in late October didn't have a problem with any of the transport.

Heading back this October to celebrate our Silver Wedding (No kids!!)

 

[darner]

Stayed at VWL in Oct. 04... home resort is BWV... so we understand your "concern" regarding location... That was our only negative only because we love the ability to walk to Epcot and to MGM from the Boardwalk. It just took a little more time and coordination to get around... the bus to Epcot/MGM frequently stopped at Grand Floridian first and the boat ride from the MK (while always relaxing) stops at Ft. Wilderness... minor complaints, but added up over the week and it was an hour or two of transportation time... plus we felt it was more diffiicult (or just took more planning) to just hop over to the room in the middle of the day.

Aside from that minor inconvenience of its location (compared to Epcot resorts) I'd say the facilities at the WVL are the BEST. The ambiance is also the BEST -- a mountain-style resort lodge in the middle of tropical Florida. Our room was a 1-bdrm on the 5th floor... very quiet, nice views of the main WL hotel and of Bay Lake from the balconies. CM were great, we've always had great experiences with them even when we stayed at the WL before DVC was built here.

We enjoyed renting boats at the WL marina and had a great night walking to Ft. Wilderness for their evening campfire w/ Chip & Dale (including marshmallow roasting) and movie.

It was a great time, and we LOVE the lodge, but we did miss being able to walk home from Epcot -- which is our favorite park.

 

[lsutiggeratwk]

Dh and I stayed at VWL last Oct. for 9 days and we loved it. It is our favorite resort. Check in was good. Room not ready until 4:00, but that is the rule, so no big deal. We had other things to do (buy our AP's and get a Dole Whip at MK ). Room was in great shape. Had a one-bedroom. It was at the end of the "short hallway" - to the right as you exit the elevator. Real quiet. Don't remember any problems with bus transportation or with the boat.
It was a great trip for us. Hope you have fun also!!

 

[mrsminniemouse]

Keep 'em coming! I want to hear more great stuff about VWL!!!!

Mandy

 

[colleen costello]

Hi. We were in a 2-bedroom villa at the Lodge just 2 weeks ago for Spring Break. It was wonderful and I believe you will enjoy it thoroughly. We checked in early (room was ready at 11:30!) and had a nice room (2512) on the second floor. You know the DVC Mickey topiary on the way to the Villas? Our balconies were right above Mickey's rear end. I said goodnight to him every evening before bed.

Our room was in good shape. Everything was in working order and clean. My hubby felt the room could have been cleaner -- he feels they clean quickly but need to dust more, etc -- but everything that matters (kitchen and bathroom!) was spotless. We are used to OKW and I worried my parents would think the room was "too cramped" but it was fine. The living area/kitchen were wonderful and we enjoyed having THREE tv's!

The second bedroom was especially roomy. This is where my family stays as there are 4 of us. There was a huge closet and a big "dressing area" near the vanity. We had lots of room for all our stuff. Our hallway was clean and quiet. I never heard any evidence that anyone else was nearby.

The Lodge itself is gorgeous. We enjoyed the main pool on warm days and the kids enjoyed the sandy beach. My daughter fed every duck in the place. We rented boats and enjoyed lots of fluffy drinks from the pool bar. Had some quick lunches at Roaring Fork (which, while hardly gourmet, is great when you need it). Didn't get to Whispering Canyon this time but it sure sounded like people there were having fun!

Staff was nice and housekeeping was good. Just walking around this place made me smile. The flowers were gorgeous. My son and I went on the "Secrets of the Lodge" tour which was very interesting. Ian was excited to find a new "hidden Mickey" on the ceiling of the empty Artist's Point.

OH! There is now a bus to the MK. This is a great (fast!) alternative to the boat to the MK. You get home in minutes after leaving the bus stop. The buses ran regularly while we were there; no problems.

We love the Lodge!

 

[Granny]

Hi there! We're planning to stay at VWL in early Nov... Just wondering if you all could give me some feedback on your recent experiences there, such as room and general facilities upkeep, treatment by CMs, ease of getting places on bus and boat transport, etc... I usually stay in the Epcot area (BCV), so it's been a while since I visited VWL. We'll be headed there with 2 other families on my recommendation, so I want to make sure it's still as wonderful as I remember! Feel free to PM me, if you'd like.

Thanks,
wdwphanatic

Room upkeep....never had a problem in multiple stays there.

Facilities upkeep....just gorgeous, though I think the hurricanes played havoc with many of the trees. Still, a stunning resort in combination with WL.

Treatment by CM's....never had what I'd call a bad experience, and have enjoyed many wonderful ones with the CM's there. Check-in can take a while, and that's about the only "complaint" I have. Even that I don't mind as I gaze at the awesome lobby and do some people watching.

Eease of getting places on bus and boat transport....we've never had any big problems with transportation at VWL. The only issue we had was that they used to share a bus with FW when going to Blizzard Beach/Animal Kingdom, but the last time we stayed there they shared with Poly/GF and it was much better. Other than that, we've never waited more than 15-20 minutes for a bus or boat to any destination.


It's a wonderful resort, and I hope you like Northwestern woods theming. Because it is overwhelming theming and if you don't like that you won't like WL/VWL. But if you do like that kind of theming, it's a wonderful resort. Bay Lake is also a great setting....looks like a postcard!

 

[littlestar]

VWL is where we have the majority of our points at. We LOVE it there. We also own at BWV and BCV. On our stay in January at the VWL in a two bedroom we had a top floor dedicated two bedroom unit. The master bedroom had a cathedral ceiling (it was gorgeous). Check in early if you want to make sure you get your requests.

Have fun!

 

[wdwphanatic]

Great -- and very helpful -- feedback! The last time I stayed at VWL was in Spring '02, so it has been a while... We thoroughly enjoyed it then (we love the Lincoln-log theming of the place!), and it sounds as though it's been kept up well. I just want to make sure it is the best choice for all of us. There will be 3 families with kids ranging in age from 7 to 13. The one downer is that the pool doesn't have a cool slide like BC or BW... Do you think this (and the lack of proximity to the Epcot area) would be enough of a negative to try to waitlist at either BCV or BWV?? Any and all input is MUCH appreciated!

Thanks,
wdwphanatic

 

[GeorgiaTiggerGirl]

I've stayed in a studio and a 1br and loved them both. Cast members and overall service was fine. I understand about the pool slide; however, a plus is being able to rent the, oh what are they called, used to be water sprites, but the names have changed. These are really fun, and you can take them over to the 7 seas lagoon area and get great pictures of the MK, Poly, etc. (must be 16 with a license to drive, however). Oh, and don't forget you can see the Electrical Water Pagent as well. Good luck with your choice!

 

[DizneyNutz]

Keep 'em coming! I want to hear more great stuff about VWL!!!!

Mandy

I truly do not think you will be dissapointed there. It takes your breath away when you walk into the lobby. It is most probably what sold my DW on Disney DVC from the beginning, because that is the first place she saw on her first trip and I will never forget that moment!!! Hope you ALL have as great of an experience as we did on that trip!!!

 

[jacksmom]

We just got back 3-25! We stayed at the Lodge 4 nights and in a studio at the Villas 5 nights. We were able to check out of our lodge room and into our villa before 11am. We had a 4th floor corner room that overlooked the villa pool. The room was very clean and in excellent condition! Our home resort is BCV, but we usually alternate stays because we enjoy VWL so much! We love that laid back feeling you get at WL! Also, we usually stay in a 1 bedroom (we are a family of 3) but the studio was very roomy! Also, we got to be the flag family! That was a great experience! The staff were all very friendly and helpful. We ate several times at Roaring Forks snack bar and it was fine. We ate dinner one night at WCC also and it was really good! The only draw back we have ever fond at WL is the transportation! But even with that considered, we still enjoy staying there!

 

[LVSWL]

Stayed there in a two-bdrm villa in december with friends who loved every minute of it. We had a wonderful stay. No complaints at all. We were on the 4th floor woods view, which is now a lake view because of the recent storms and we had a fantastic time. Only one slow bus, to DD, and I think we had just missed the previous one. Have fun!

 

[Bugeye]

BWV is home for us and we love it but this year it's VWL for us. Take everything Darner said and multiply by two.

 

[Disney Doll]

Never had a problem at the WL.

Sometimes busses to other parks seemed to take a longer time to come, but it could have just been our timing too. I dn't get too excited about that kind of stuff, since I am on vacation.