The VWL Groupies & Trivia Thread

[Granny]

I've got a question for you. I have heard that you can influence which room you are assigned if you fax your request to the "room assigner" at the Wilderness Lodge one week before your arrival. Is this true, or are the requests we make to member services our only avenue for influencing room assignments?

If this mythical room assigner does exist, do any of you have the fax number to reach him/her?

Jill...DVC rooms don't work the same way as the resort rooms. In fact, Disney has come out and flat out said that there is no point in calling or faxing room assignments for DVC rooms.

Just make the request through MS. We've found that they will try to meet the requests, but are always aware that they are just requests. The nice thing is that most of the rooms at VWL have the same view....trees! Of course, this fits perfectly with the theming.

VWL rooms do seem to be pre-assigned (as opposed to other resorts like OKW that will use a "room ready" philosophy at check in). So put your request in and take your chances. Good luck!

 

[bobbiwoz]

Is the villa pool opened now? I hope so!

Bobbi

 

[keliblue]

I'll be there is 11 days staying at the cabins this trip and will be making the trek over to the lodge daily I'm sure

 

[vwlvette]

Is the villa pool opened now? I hope so!

Bobbi

Yes it is, It was opened on about the 11/12, We were some of the first swimmers!!!! Now I am getting depressed, Have to wait till 11/4/08 for my next visit to our beloved lodge.

Have a great time all of you that are on your way down for the holidays, the Castle does look incredible, In fact I am using it in our Christmas Picture with the kids.

 

[Muushka]

Yes it is, It was opened on about the 11/12, We were some of the first swimmers!!!! Now I am getting depressed, Have to wait till 11/4/08 for my next visit to our beloved lodge.

Have a great time all of you that are on your way down for the holidays, the Castle does look incredible, In fact I am using it in our Christmas Picture with the kids.

I'm sorry for your depression, it is understandable.

Now, how is the construction coming along? Still working at it?

 

[rwcmath]

Yes it is, It was opened on about the 11/12, We were some of the first swimmers!!!! Now I am getting depressed, Have to wait till 11/4/08 for my next visit to our beloved lodge.

Have a great time all of you that are on your way down for the holidays, the Castle does look incredible, In fact I am using it in our Christmas Picture with the kids.

Great news!

 

[TheBeadPirate]

DVD! And their movie collection is much improved since the VCR days!

Hey, aren't we going to be there the same time?

Yepper! We're checking in on the 20th.

 

[Muushka]

I am going to try to put the lime green Mickey ears on our door with, of course, Mr and Mrs Muushka.

Stop on by!

 

[vwlvette]

The construction was going well at our lodge, There are lift tracks on the grass, I am sure that will be taken care of. The walkway from the lodge to the villas was getting a new stain job, the part that was done looked great!

I'm getting home sick!!!!!!

 

[vwlvette]

Thought I would mention this to my groupie buddies!

We had an issue at check in where we were over charged for 2 dining plans, This took two visits to the front desk and about an hour and a half of my vacation time to deal with. They finally did clear it up and credited our credit card, If my mother didn't notice the extra credits on the dining plan we would never had noticed, we spend way too much money on our trips!!! anyway, the front desk on the night before check out finally got it right, they told me that they would send something to the room (Had 3 rooms, 1 twobed & 2 Studios) I told them I was not looking for that just wanted the charge to be correct, that was on 11/13, fast forwarding to yesterday, DW tells me there is a box from Disney out front for me, wnated to know what seceret item I purchased for her, I was bewildered, so we opened the box, to our surprise it was a Mickey shaped basket full of goodies, with a note from the front desk at our beloved lodge, somehow Disney finds ways to make things right, We were not displeased just wanted to be charged the correct amount, Got to love that Disney Spirit!!!

 

[beachwarmer]

Hi Groupies.....

I posted way back at the beginning of the thread but only lurked since. We leave in a few days for our first vist home to VWL and was hoping that the resident experts could help answer a few questions.

We will be going to MK on Christmas morning. It is my DD's fifth birthday and as is our tradition she goes to CRT to celebrate. I know we need to get there around 6:30 am for a 7 am openning. Would I be correct in assuming we need to grab the direct to MK bus? I am assuming the boat does not start operating that early.

We have done Christmas morning in the MK a couple of times and know how crazy it is. We are looking forward to escaping back to the VWL this time. Are there any special Christmas events at the lodge we should not miss?

Thanks for all the great info you guys have shared in this thread.

 

[MaryJ]

Hi Groupies.....

I posted way back at the beginning of the thread but only lurked since. We leave in a few days for our first vist home to VWL and was hoping that the resident experts could help answer a few questions.

We will be going to MK on Christmas morning. It is my DD's fifth birthday and as is our tradition she goes to CRT to celebrate. I know we need to get there around 6:30 am for a 7 am openning. Would I be correct in assuming we need to grab the direct to MK bus? I am assuming the boat does not start operating that early.

We have done Christmas morning in the MK a couple of times and know how crazy it is. We are looking forward to escaping back to the VWL this time. Are there any special Christmas events at the lodge we should not miss?

Thanks for all the great info you guys have shared in this thread.

I don't know if there are any special Christmas events at the lodge, but I can answer your question about early transportation. We went to the Crystal Palace for breakfast on my birthday last month, and yes, you will need to take the bus. The boats do not start to run until 1/2 hour before the park opens. Have fun and an early Happy Birthday to your DD!

 

[eliza61]

Thought I would mention this to my groupie buddies!

We had an issue at check in where we were over charged for 2 dining plans, This took two visits to the front desk and about an hour and a half of my vacation time to deal with. They finally did clear it up and credited our credit card, If my mother didn't notice the extra credits on the dining plan we would never had noticed, we spend way too much money on our trips!!! anyway, the front desk on the night before check out finally got it right, they told me that they would send something to the room (Had 3 rooms, 1 twobed & 2 Studios) I told them I was not looking for that just wanted the charge to be correct, that was on 11/13, fast forwarding to yesterday, DW tells me there is a box from Disney out front for me, wnated to know what seceret item I purchased for her, I was bewildered, so we opened the box, to our surprise it was a Mickey shaped basket full of goodies, with a note from the front desk at our beloved lodge, somehow Disney finds ways to make things right, We were not displeased just wanted to be charged the correct amount, Got to love that Disney Spirit!!!

Glad to hear the pixie dust was flying.

 

[jimmytammy]

Have a great trip!

 

[beachwarmer]

I don't know if there are any special Christmas events at the lodge, but I can answer your question about early transportation. We went to the Crystal Palace for breakfast on my birthday last month, and yes, you will need to take the bus. The boats do not start to run until 1/2 hour before the park opens. Have fun and an early Happy Birthday to your DD!

Thanks for the information. I had a dream about standing on the dock at the WL waiting so long the MK was full on Christmas morning and we could not get in.

Have a great trip!

Thanks. We are very much looking forward to our first Christmas there.

 

[beachwarmer]

I found this posted on another tread and was wondering if anyone who has just gotten back can confirm these new routes.

Thanks.



There are new boat routes:

Please note the following changes in WDW Watercraft operations on 7 Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake. The WDW Watercraft boat routes to the WL and FWC from the MK have changed effective 11/16/07. Boats to the WL and FWC leave for the World Cruise dock (center dock) at the MK. They now are as follows

The WL is now serviced by 2 Motor Cruisers (RED FLAG) and begin running each day at 0830 and terminate operations about 1 hour after the MK closes. These 2 boats run only between the MK and the WL.

The FWC is now serviced by 1 motor cruiser and 1 motor launch (GREEN FLAG) running each day from 0830 until about 1 hour after the MK closes. These boats run only between the MK and the FWC.

The 2 Motor Launches (BLUE FLAG) on Bay Lake serving the CR, WL and the FWC begin service at 0645 daily. They both run clockwise until 3 p.m. and then reverse direction at 3 p.m. These launches run until 2330.

***NOTE: If you want to go to the GF/Poly from the WL, CR or FWC by boat, you will have to go to the MK and then get the Gold flag (MK->Poly/GF) launch. In addition, there is no boat that goes directly from the CR to the MK, GF or Poly. Additional boats may be added to the Gold, Green, Red and Blue routes during periods of exceptionally high demand - like at heavy MK closings - to alleviate the guest lines at the docks. Additionally for all motor launches, strollers must be folded prior to boarding and ECVs cannot be accommodated on motor launches under any circumstances.

 

[BlueFairy]

I found this posted on another tread and was wondering if anyone who has just gotten back can confirm these new routes.

Thanks.



There are new boat routes:

Please note the following changes in WDW Watercraft operations on 7 Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake. The WDW Watercraft boat routes to the WL and FWC from the MK have changed effective 11/16/07. Boats to the WL and FWC leave for the World Cruise dock (center dock) at the MK. They now are as follows

The WL is now serviced by 2 Motor Cruisers (RED FLAG) and begin running each day at 0830 and terminate operations about 1 hour after the MK closes. These 2 boats run only between the MK and the WL.

The FWC is now serviced by 1 motor cruiser and 1 motor launch (GREEN FLAG) running each day from 0830 until about 1 hour after the MK closes. These boats run only between the MK and the FWC.

The 2 Motor Launches (BLUE FLAG) on Bay Lake serving the CR, WL and the FWC begin service at 0645 daily. They both run clockwise until 3 p.m. and then reverse direction at 3 p.m. These launches run until 2330.

***NOTE: If you want to go to the GF/Poly from the WL, CR or FWC by boat, you will have to go to the MK and then get the Gold flag (MK->Poly/GF) launch. In addition, there is no boat that goes directly from the CR to the MK, GF or Poly. Additional boats may be added to the Gold, Green, Red and Blue routes during periods of exceptionally high demand - like at heavy MK closings - to alleviate the guest lines at the docks. Additionally for all motor launches, strollers must be folded prior to boarding and ECVs cannot be accommodated on motor launches under any circumstances.

Thanks for the heads up. We're leaving tomorrow. I'll try to report back. I would have been very confused, but this sounds simpler than the prior options.

 

[Muushka]

Thought I would mention this to my groupie buddies!

We had an issue at check in where we were over charged for 2 dining plans, This took two visits to the front desk and about an hour and a half of my vacation time to deal with. They finally did clear it up and credited our credit card, If my mother didn't notice the extra credits on the dining plan we would never had noticed, we spend way too much money on our trips!!! anyway, the front desk on the night before check out finally got it right, they told me that they would send something to the room (Had 3 rooms, 1 twobed & 2 Studios) I told them I was not looking for that just wanted the charge to be correct, that was on 11/13, fast forwarding to yesterday, DW tells me there is a box from Disney out front for me, wnated to know what seceret item I purchased for her, I was bewildered, so we opened the box, to our surprise it was a Mickey shaped basket full of goodies, with a note from the front desk at our beloved lodge, somehow Disney finds ways to make things right, We were not displeased just wanted to be charged the correct amount, Got to love that Disney Spirit!!!

vwlvette, that was so nice of you to not expect some pixie dust and sweet that WL dusted you. A great story, thanks for sharing.

Hi Groupies.....

I posted way back at the beginning of the thread but only lurked since. We leave in a few days for our first vist home to VWL and was hoping that the resident experts could help answer a few questions.

We will be going to MK on Christmas morning. It is my DD's fifth birthday and as is our tradition she goes to CRT to celebrate. I know we need to get there around 6:30 am for a 7 am openning. Would I be correct in assuming we need to grab the direct to MK bus? I am assuming the boat does not start operating that early.

We have done Christmas morning in the MK a couple of times and know how crazy it is. We are looking forward to escaping back to the VWL this time. Are there any special Christmas events at the lodge we should not miss?

Thanks for all the great info you guys have shared in this thread.

beachwarmer, are you a closet Groupie?? Lurking, on this thread! Glad to see you and wonder if you would like to grab a Groupie Moose? It would look really really good on you!

We will be at VWL the same time that you are. This is our first "official Christmas Day" time at VWL. We are also wanting to know all the goings on. Years ago at WL (for the big day) we were there. I remember Mickey and Minnie came for a visit in their Christmas outfits. And I remember several choral groups and hand bell ringers performing. I also remember that we visited GF that day and they had even better goings on. Big orchastral type stuff and lots of big choirs. We will stop by each of the lobbies and pick up their schedules and bounce around from hotel to hotel on the Monorail.

I hope to see you here on the Groupie thread and that you have a magical Christmas at VWL .

 

[beachwarmer]

Muushka

Thanks for the warm welcome. I would love a Groupie Moose...as soon as i figure out how to add it I will.

I am starting to panic now as we are leaving on 12/10 and I have never packed for a 19 day trip before. All the cloths and a five year old's Santa and birthday presents is proving to be quite a challenge. I think I will actually have to do the laundry on vacation. I could always just buy new cloth there...a trip to the outlets is always fun.

Maybe we will see you at Lodge.

 

[Muushka]

Wow, 19 days on vacation! How many days at VWL? You are going to have fun fun fun!!

I usually wear a baseball cap with at beltie cow (a cow that looks like an oreo cookie) on it, if you see me (middle aged childlike female) say hi! And we will have the lime green Mickey head on our VWL door. Come on by!