The VWL Groupies & Trivia Thread

[keliblue]

for some reason, I am not getting my email update on my beloved groupie site Posting to set up options again

 

[lenshanem]

Ya, I think something is going on with the email notifications. All of mine today have been messed up...

 

[ammo]

We were slipping down the first page, so here are some pictures from last weekend. I see one of the ubiquitous lost balloons behind the totem -- I hope it hadn't lost its owner!

 

[MiaSRN62]

Shan and Keliblue....the system had a database crash a couple days ago. Check out these threads :
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1394869

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1395179

We were slipping down the first page, so here are some pictures from last weekend.

Ammo,
Thanks for bringing us back to the front. Love the pics and I do spot the orphaned balloon. I tried to post yesterday late in the evening and the boards were having problems. I wanted to say that I was shopping in Marshalls yesterday and came across some cool, WL'ish lamps. They were rustic looking and in the design of tree branches. They would be perfect for someone doing a WL themed room.

 

[DISNEY FIX]

The waterfall and stream are not connected to the pool, as you saw. It is one of Disney's many magic tricks to give the illusion of the stream feeding into the main pool when in fact it disappears under the bridge and the pool water is fed from another source that starts there.

Is the pool at VWL heated?
Is SAB heated? Are any of them?
Some say the one at the Poly was it didn't feel it on chilly Dec. day.
Thanks
Chris

 

[MiaSRN62]

Is the pool at VWL heated?
Is SAB heated? Are any of them?
Some say the one at the Poly was it didn't feel it on chilly Dec. day.

Chris ~
Yes, the pools are all heated, but disney was playing around with lowering the temp to which they heat the pools as an energy-saving move. This upset alot and I can understand why, because for awhile the pools were pretty much unswimmable during colder months.
There were many threads about this last year. Here is one of the larger ones :
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1055807&referrerid=&highlight=pools+heated
I noticed a difference myself and I also own an offsite timeshare (Vistana), where you can actually see steam coming off the water during chilly times. They make the pools almost like bath water when it's cold outside at Vistana. I'm not saying disney should make it this warm, but they really needed to rethink how cool they were keeping them.

 

[DIZZNY]

Thanks for the live reports. The lodge is definetly so peaceful. That is what I love about it!

We always seem to wait forever for food at WCC and order the skillet as well. What is even worse is that they bring the normal skillet serving and when there are 3 people, including a 15 yo boy & big man eating it it doesn't go very far. We ask for another and it takes them forever to bring it as well. By the time it gets there we are ready to leave. But even with all that, we love WCC. It is one of the places DD always asks to eat at during our trips.

By the way, I see you are from Oklahoma. What part of the state do you live in? We are just outside of OKC.

Have a great trip!

We live in Lawton at the present time. We are at the Orlando airport and waiting for our flight - surprised I have internet access.

Our trip went great. Our friends left Friday and we headed over to BCV. Of course, the WLV pool opened Thursday night so a move wasn't necessary. We enjoyed BCV for the first time. Loved the pool but the bus transportation was slow with so many stops to make to Swan, Dolphin, Yaght Club, and Boardwalk. It was convenient to Epcot and MGM but we just stayed and relaxed at the resort - no parks for the last day.

The waterfall and stream are not connected to the pool, as you saw. It is one of Disney's many magic tricks to give the illusion of the stream feeding into the main pool when in fact it disappears under the bridge and the pool water is fed from another source that starts there.

It is a great illusion. One change in the Villa building. They removed the DVC desk at the entry and replaced it with chairs and a table. I meant to take a picture but it was a mad rush the last morning there. Sorry.

Have to catch our flight! Have a great Sunday.

 

[loribell]

Glad you had a great trip. Hope your trip home was uneventful.

You are just down the road from me about an hour. It's great to see another Okie around here.

 

[Brayn28]

Just closed on VWL and very excited to make our first trip down there next Feb. We had our choices where we wanted our home, but the VWL just stuck out to us the most. There is something about this resort that speaks to us!

 

[Muushka]

Just closed on VWL and very excited to make our first trip down there next Feb. We had our choices where we wanted our home, but the VWL just stuck out to us the most. There is something about this resort that speaks to us!

That's because you are one of us

So, grab yourself a Moose and visit us often.

Oh, and Welcome Home and.....

You have great taste in DVC resorts!!

 

[ammo]

Just closed on VWL and very excited to make our first trip down there next Feb. We had our choices where we wanted our home, but the VWL just stuck out to us the most. There is something about this resort that speaks to us!

Congratulations and welcome home! There is just something special about VWL.

 

[ammo]

Do many of you have a connection to FW? My first and only childhood trip to WDW was for the bicentennial, and we spent a week in FW -- watched 4th of July fireworks from the Treehouse in MK and enjoyed River Country while it was only a month old (how I miss RC!). That is undoubtedly part of the attraction of VWL for me, not to mention the national parks theming, the great lobby music, ...

 

[Muushka]

Nope, no connection to FW for either my husband or I. But for me it was the whole lake, forest, no palm trees that did it! (being from S. FL a while back)

 

[bobbiwoz]

Do many of you have a connection to FW? My first and only childhood trip to WDW was for the bicentennial, and we spent a week in FW -- watched 4th of July fireworks from the Treehouse in MK and enjoyed River Country while it was only a month old (how I miss RC!). That is undoubtedly part of the attraction of VWL for me, not to mention the national parks theming, the great lobby music, ...

Twice we stayed at Disney's trailers at FW with our DSs. The last time was in 1991. My family, DM, DD, DSis were staying at the GF. It was a very special time, really the only family trip with this group other than the Jersey Shore...our DS's really got to know their DGrandpop, he wasn't much of a talker at family gatherings, but he loved the Disney experience. He teased the kids, they responded in kind...2 years later, he was gone...and the memory of that trip is precious to all of us. It was the summer, lots of downpours, we gathered in our trailerhome and played pinochle, probably the first time of many for our DSs.

We all enjoyed the nightly campfires with movie, and the kids and we went on Marshmallow Marsh.

We were at RC in '01, June...we're glad we had that one last trip...I have pictures of Goofy acting up there. I loved the little nature trail in the RC area. You could be by hundreds of people, but in the woods by the water, you were alone in quiet.

As a family we also have fond memories of Discovery Island, and have pictures there, when it was only opened sporatically, because AK was opened, but the Friskies contract was still in effect, so there had to be days it would open. We would call every day of our visit, and finally, we were lucky, for one last walk around. I forget the little animals that would gather under the shelters with us while we waited for the rainshowers to end.

We would always look for the lawnmower tree at FW, very little is visible now, but it's there! There used to be more armadillos around, do you remember seeing so many of them...I don't see them any more? Are they bad critters?

We took our kids to HDH Review so many times! We would book as early as we could, and sometimes we had seats right in front, and the boys would get extra attention.

We still ride bikes or walk over to FW every chance we get. We've stayed in other DVC resorts, but try to make at least one visit to WL, FW. We love the buffet at the Trails End.

Yes, we have a FW connection...thanks for making me remember those good times!!!
Bobbi

 

[ammo]

Yes, we have a FW connection...thanks for making me remember those good times!!!

Thanks for sharing such great memories! FW was the only chance my father had to visit Disney, so I really appreciate the link to family.

Armadillos -- they are only bad critters when acting as speed bumps, otherwise they strike me as a gentle cross between a 'possum and a turtle. My kids all think they are cute (?!), but we rarely see them. FW was actually our first encounter with a FL alligator. One was caught in a ditch, which caused understandable commotion. Most parents prefer Disney alligators to be animatronics.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Thanks for sharing such great memories! FW was the only chance my father had to visit Disney, so I really appreciate the link to family.

Armadillos -- they are only bad critters when acting as speed bumps, otherwise they strike me as a gentle cross between a 'possum and a turtle. My kids all think they are cute (?!), but we rarely see them. FW was actually our first encounter with a FL alligator. One was caught in a ditch, which caused understandable commotion. Most parents prefer Disney alligators to be animatronics.

I agree about alligators! I don't know if they still post pictures of some of the larger alligators that have been found in FW. I think not! I saw my first (and only in the wild) king snake at FW. I chose not to mention it at the time. Poor amadillos, really, they were seen everywhere in the campgrounds in the 1980's!
Dad's and Disney How nice that we share that!
Bobbi

 

[loribell]

What great memories those are to have. Thanks for sharing them.

We have never stayed at FW but have visited it a couple of times. It is a beautiful place. I wish we had made the time to visit River Country. I always wanted to but always thought we will just do that next time. Unfortunately we ran out of next times.

As for the armadillos, they can be a nuisance. I have always thought they were very cute little critters but they can do quite a bit of damage to yards and landscaping. My FIL had a couple that were really tearing up his yard and had to trap them so that they could be moved. Maybe they started causing to much damage and they had to be removed.

 

[ammo]

Dad's and Disney How nice that we share that!

And how meaningful to share it with our next generation! We have the benefit of knowing ahead of time how much these memories will mean to our kids in future years.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Just closed on VWL and very excited to make our first trip down there next Feb.

HOME Brayn28 !

Thanks for all the memoirs about FW and RC. We never stayed at FW but visited many times (it's quite dark around there in the evening !). We did have the privledge of visiting RC once in '86 (we had no children at that time). I don't recall too many details about RC, but I do recall we had a wonderful day.

 

[jimmytammy]

Thanks for sharing those memories with us. Being able to share your life and the things you love with the ones you love, that is what its all about. We are only here a short while, and we can get caught up in our daily lives to the point we forget to stop and smell the roses. Your kind of story helps me to remember that.