Well, we are officially less than 2 weeks until we arrive for our next stay. After our April trip was moved to May, then our May trip cancelled, we have been only moderately hopeful that this October vacation would actually happen. Now that we are down to 12 days until arrival, we are crossing our fingers that no new Covid developments (aside from the train wreck that the world is currently in) will nix these plans at the last moment. That said, we are expecting almost anything until we actually get there.
"Our" side of the resort (we own in Fountains) is still largely closed, so I reached out to Kayla (the pre-arrival coordinator) to discuss our options, and the she advised us that the resort is currently allowing north side owners (Lakes, Fountains I and Fountains II) to be accommodated in the south side sections without penalty. So, it appears that we will have the opportunity to try out another section of the resort on this trip, as we have requested Cascades. The rooms are a bit smaller than what we are used to in Fountains, but having had major surgery just 3 weeks ago, we thought it would be prudent to be assigned a villa in a building with elevators while I am still freshly recovering. After this vacation, we will have officially stayed in 5 different phases of the resort: Spas, Fountains I, Fountains II, Lakes, and Cascades. While we would have preferred to be in our home section, we will embrace the opportunity for a new experience while we have that chance. It will be handy to be close to the Marketplace and we will definitely make use of the Cascades and Super pools.
Kayla is currently on reduced hours, but apparently the resort is increasing staff hours as of mid-month so she will be back to a more customary schedule within the next few weeks. For anyone who might be reaching out to her, just be aware that it may take her a few extra days to respond. She seems to be in the office consistently on Thursdays and Fridays right now (or at least, that is typically when I have been receiving her replies).
This is definitely shaping up to be one of the most unusual trips we have ever taken, and I have seriously re-planned our itinerary at least 10 times as various experiences (Halloween Horror Nights,
MNSSHP, our Busch Gardens tours, and even our dinner shows) have been cancelled or modified in some way. I guess we should not have been surprised when even our Vistana stay, which is usually the one constant of each vacation, took on a bit of a different spin! But, we will make the best of whatever we are able to make happen and try to enjoy the experiences regardless of what form they end up taking.
If anyone has anything specific that they might want me to check into when we are there, let me know and I'll be happy to get you whatever information I can.