Trip Report (and other gossip)

[Beca]

Well, we just returned home from a 5 night stay in an OKW 2bdrm (2914-15). OKW is beautiful....but, I don't know that I will stay there again. For us, it just felt too "detached" and "spread out". We do own a small amount of points there, but we will either sell them or try to use them somewhere else. We just missed walking out of our hotel and being "in the middle" of so much action.

We had dh, dd, friends (dd's friend and parents), and me. We had two rental cars so we could come and go without depending on WDW transportation. The weather was good, but got a little hot the last couple of days. We got the DDE card (it took a while to get, but it was worth it). The staff at OKW was wonderfully sweet...they really are the best.

We did a LOT of character meals (1900 PF, CRT, Aurora's Tea Party, and dinner at Norway...yes, Ariel was there), and had a great time!!! We didn't have to go the minor emergency room or hospital (which is a record in itself), but we ALL got sick...I think WDW incubates germs.

We ate at Beaches 'n Cream MANY times, and even had the Kitchen Sink . And, if possible....we came home even MORE in love with BCV!!!! We just "hung out" there many times. The new gift shop at BC is really nice, and the Chocolate Gelato is AMAZING!!! My only complaint about BC is the staff. I have heard many others say that they are not very friendly, and I was shocked (and disappointed) to find this to be somewhat true. The DVC people and the people in the gift shop were really nice, but some of the bell staff and registration were not so much. I was REALLY disappointed in Art (I know...it is almost sacreligious to say that, and I am really sad to report that). I saw him, and thought he was such a celebrity, I went to ask if I could have his picture taken with him, and he was so "snooty" that I just walked away...it was AWFUL!!! We saw him again the next day, and thinking he might have been having a bad day, I approached him again. This time he looked at me (he was the only one at the bell desk, so it was obvious I was waiting for him) and turned away. So I left...it was SOOO sad....it was kind of like having Santa Claus be mean to you!!! I saw him being REALLY nice to other people...but, never to us. Maybe he just didn't like us...it's just SOOO sad...we try to be so nice to everyone in WDW!!!

But, all in all it was a WONDERFUL trip!!! I cannot wait to go back next month (we are staying offsite as chaperones of a school trip , but are putting my parents up at BCV so they can help take care of dd...yea!!!) I will FINALLY get to see the inside of a BCV room!! I just cannot wait until we stay there in Nov/Dec!!!

Oh, the gossip. We were "pin trading" with a DVC person in Epcot. He was not dressed "casually" like the other CM's, and he seemed to be "observing" them. Since he was dressed a little more "formally", I asked if he was a guide. He said, "No. I am a manager." So....I said, "What's up with all these Contemporary Rumors I keep hearing about." "He grinned, and said, "Just rumors." We pin traded, and when I turned to go, he said "Keep listening for those rumors...you'll hear something soon." I SOOOO got the impression from all the DVC CM's that it is a "done deal". I don't think we will buy there (we are such BCV fanatics), but I know that will interest a lot of people on these boards.

Oh, and for those who were asking...there is NO cherry coke at the new BCV store...sorry!!!

Please feel free to ask any questions,



Beca

 

[DebbieB]

Did your room have much of a view? We stayed in building 28 once and didn't have much of a view, I noticed that 29 was really surrounded by trees.

 

[Beca]

We were on the first floor, so we were pretty surrounded by trees (we did see a bunny this morning though...pretty cool!!!). Some of our living room windows faced the woods, and a couple of them faced the "village" area. Walking to our car, we saw the pool with the sandcastle slide, and the playground. The whole village area looked really nice, but since there was no bridge across the lake to get to it (you had to drive all the way around by the main entrance), it wasn't as convenient as I had first hoped. It was pretty to look at, though.

Oh...some more random thoughts. I know Richyams would be upset at this...but, the "extra room" at OKW didn't seem like such extra room to me. The dining table was nice, but...maybe it was because everyone says how "huge" the rooms are...I was expecting them to be bigger. I actually like having the smaller washer and dryer (although, the separate room was nice) because I felt SO guilty running them with just a few clothes (I do a load pretty much every day). I really missed having the walk-in closet in the bathroom. Our room seemed much "junkier" with some of our bags in it. I really think BWV has the BEST closets (Okay...I haven't seen a lot of closets...but, theirs was REALLY big!!). And, although I was really excited to have an ice maker in the fridge...Orlando water is SOOO bad that I refused to put that ice in my water glasses (yuck!!! How do people STAND that water...I had to put LOTS of lemons in it at the restaurants to be able to drink it). And, maybe it is because I live in the desert where we are VERY concerned about water conservation, but I felt REALLY guilty when I ran enough water in that tub for dd to "turn on the bubbles" (which, immediately scared her anyway). That is one BIG tub!!!!

A lot of people have commented about the "cleanliness" (or lack thereof) of OKW. Our unit was really clean, except for the tiniest amount of mold in the shower...but, seriously...in a "swamp" like Orlando...that could grow in a day!!! Overall, I thought the resort was in great shape!!

Oh, totally off the subject....but, has anyone noticed that the "Arabian Nights" sign on 417 is STILL hanging off the billboard? It seems like a hazard to me. Arabian Nights must not be doing very well if they cannot get their sign fixed....it's very sad.

Also....a question for all you "veterans". We noticed that about 95% of the people who have pools at their homes have a sort of "solarium" built around the pool. We have never seen this before anywhere else. We were wondering if this was to keep out "wildlife". If anyone can answer that, I would really appreciate it!!



Beca

 

[Muushka]

Also....a question for all you "veterans". We noticed that about 95% of the people who have pools at their homes have a sort of "solarium" built around the pool. We have never seen this before anywhere else. We were wondering if this was to keep out "wildlife". If anyone can answer that, I would really appreciate it!!

When you say "solarium", is it screened?

We lived in the WPB/S FL area for many years. We actually enclosed our entire backyard with the screened room. Great for keeping the bugs out and enjoying another room for most of the year.

Not sure if that is what you saw?

Very interesting info about CR/DVC. Very interesting......

 

[Scratch42]

Hi Beca!

So, Art is not up to form. I thought the same thing when we stayed at BCV during Christmas and New Years's but never mentioned anything. Seems his status of being a celeb has gone to his head!LOL

Oh, regarding the rumours, it seems that they are moving out west! California. Advertising for CM to go out there to set up DVC! Time will tell though!

They have also lowered points to stay in DL!

Glad that your overall stay was fabulous! Can't wait for our next stay in May at BW!

Scratch

 

[bobbiwoz]

Welcome back, Beca! I'm glad you managed a vacation without a trip to the ER. I does sound as if you had a great time!

You were hesitant to talk about it, but I'll mention that I have mixed feelings about Art, he seems to have a role that's not relevent in this day and age, sort of like the jockey statues that people had/have by their driveways. I'm sorry that picture didn't work out for you.

Bobbi

 

[wdwstar]

When my sister and i were on our trip last may, we had approached Art to give him a message from a dear friend of his that my sister happened to know and this friend of Art is a guest that stays at the BC all the time, this is how the friend became to know him. well he was so excited to get the message and even gave us a message to give back to his friend. when we stay there and we stay there most of the time, when he greets us i greet him back and keep moving past him so he can greet the next family. I believe Art was not being rude just trying to greet families. look at all the families that walk thru those doors and if every family wanted to take pics with him he wouldnt be able to perform his duties is which he must really enjoy since he has been there for a very long time. i seen him during christmas/new years several times but only one time during easter so i would say you were very luckly to have seen him several times during your trip. Enjoy the BCV you will really enjoy the resort & pool . Congrats on ordering the kitchen sink, did you finish it

 

[TammyAlphabet]

I am glad that you are back and had a good time!! We missed you on the boards!

 

[DisneyHumbug]

We noticed the Arabian Nights sign also. It looks sad.

 

[kathleena]

When we were at BCV in March Art was his usual wonderful self. I have never seen him any other way and I have never, ever seen him at the bell desk. He has always been just inside the doors, in the lobby greeting every single guest that came and went.

I feel the same way about OKW, BCV and BWV. You and I definately have the same tastes in that regard! Glad you had a great trip.

 

[magicalmcwho]

Hi Beca,

Glad to hear you had a great trip and you will be getting to go back in a month.

We will be leaving in week for our 2nd trip home to SSR.

How was the dinner at Norway? Did you book PS ahead of time or the day before going? How was the Tea party? What took so long about getting the DDE card?

Sorry for all the questions, Jim.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Welcome back, Beca! I'm with you on your love for BCV, but DH's one of those "OKW Fanatic"-types, so let me know if you want to sell those points!
When you had the kitchen sink, did they flash the lights and make a big announcement to everyone in the room? And did you attend any evening EMHs? If so, how busy were they? When we went in January, the evening EMHs were packed!

 

[donmil723]

Art had foot surgery late last year and wasn't at the BCV during our December trip. Maybe he wasn't feeling well when you were there. We saw him in March and he seemed his usual jolly self. DD and I were rushing through the lobby and he turned away from the doors to greet us which surprised and pleased me.

Donna

 

[Beca]

Hi Everyone!! Thanks for all the "Welcome Home's"....you guys are the BEST!!!! You make coming home not "hurt" so much!!

Simba's Mom....We did two evening EMH's, one at MK, and one at Epcot. They were both awful!! Crowds were insane!!! It reminded me of the parks at Christmas time. Epcot was the worst!! Since so much of that park is shopping, exploring, eating and drinking....there really is no motivation for people without wristbands to leave. We saw MANY people in restaurants eating who did not have wristbands, and about half of the people in the park did not have wristbands. Another interesting "tidbit" about wristbands is that they only asked for a room key for one person in the party. We were walking around with two cast members (friends of mine), and they asked if they could stay in the park for EMH. The CM said, "Sure. As long as you have someone with you who can show a room key. We only need one key per party." I thought that was a little weird.

When we had the "Kitchen Sink" they did "flash the lights" and the whole shebang!! We were the 4th kitchen sink in about 20 minutes. We were with two cast member friends who were making fun of everyone who did not finish their kitchen sink. Well...I am ashamed to say that between the 5 of us...we finished only about one-third of the ice cream....definitely FAR less than anyone else in the room...we certainly made the "Hall of Shame" where kitchen sinks are concerned! But, boy was it "yummy"!! I never would've thought of getting coffee ice cream...but, it was the BEST!!!

magicalmcwho - the dinner at Norway.....not so good. Although, my friend had the venison stew and said it was amazing (I'm just not sure I can trust the opinion of someone who actually eats Bambi ) I had Pasta Akershus, which was a grilled chicken breast with fettucine that tasted like it just had butter on it...kind of bland. They did let my friend order off of the kids menu, so she got the mac 'n cheese that WDW is so famous for (yum). The appetizers are a little strange (some wilted salad, and a cold plate of cheeses, chicken salad, potato salad, crackers, and shrimp salad), and the desert is a trio of mousse, a granola-type cake and rice pudding with strawberries. I don't think I would like the way Norweigan's eat....I guess it is SOO cold there....very little in the way of fruits and veggies (something that I DESPERATELY miss at WDW anyway). There is a grilled chicken salad on the lunch menu that looked pretty good, and if it was the same dressing that was on their appetizer in the evening...it would be really good). I would definitely go for lunch in the future (if we go at all). It just wasn't that good. But, Ariel is gorgeous!!! Her dress looked like something that belonged in a parade, not at dinner...it was so beautiful!! And, the girls were SOO excited to see her!!! I asked Ariel how often she is at the lunch and dinner, and she said "Right now, I am here everyday. I'm so flattered...it seems when people call they want to see me...so, I am here everyday for a while. After that, I guess I will be on a rotation like the other princesses." So, that's cool....go there now, and you will see Ariel for sure.

We booked Norway about a week before, and I would definitely recommend NOT waiting until the "day of" to book restaurant's in Epcot. People on the boards may talk about the "decline of Epcot"...but, it is busier than ever. There is a sign just past SSE that tells what restaurants still have PS's available for the day, and when we entered Epcot in the mornings, most of the restaurants were already showing "FULL".

The tea party of FABULOUS (as always)...this was our second time doing it, and we will certainly do it again. I think it is the best money we spent at WDW. They just make the girls feel SOO special. Rose Petal is SOO funny!! She is very good at being sweet and wonderful to the girls, and then a little "racy" to the adults (in ways that the girls won't get, of course). It just goes by SOO fast...it is amazing!! However, don't expect to eat much there either. We took friends with us on this trip (he's the CFO of a computer company...they actually LIKE the "hoity-toity" things in life...exotic food, caviar. Whereas dh and I are much more "Walmart" types) and even they thought the food was not so good. Once again, I looked around to see who was eating it....VERY few people ate. But, that's okay....we don't really go there for the food, anyway!! Just don't hesitate to schedule an early PS (or ADR, or whatever they are calling them now) the day of the tea party...you WILL be hungry!!! . An interesting "tidbit" about the "Tea Party". GF now includes free valet parking for anyone attending the tea party!! The bellman even made a point of telling us it was for the whole day, in case we wanted to leave our car there and go into the MK...pretty cool!!

The whole DDE card was partially my mistake, and partially Disney's. It seems that WDW keeps changing the rules on how DDE cards can be ordered, and picked up. Two days before I left, WDW stopped faxing copies of the DDE card to "wherever". Now, you can only pick them up outside Epcot at guest relations.

Since DDE cards expire at the end of the month that you order them, not receive them, we wanted to make them as closely match our AP as possible, and order them right before we left. Many people have posted being able to order the DDE card with only their will call number, so my plan was to order my DDE card the day before I left using my will call number, have it faxed to OKW and pick it up when I arrived, as we were having dinner at 1900 PF our arrival evening. Well....now they don't fax it to your resort, and as of a couple of weeks ago....no more "will call" numbers can be used to order the DDE. It just TOTALLY messed me up. Since we arrived on a Sunday night, we could not call the DDE line until Monday morning, and then you cannot pick up your DDE until after 5:30 PM that same day. We had a CRT ressie Monday morning, and a Tony's ressie that afternoon....all which could've made up for the cost of the DDE right there....but, I didn't have it!!!

We didn't go over to Epcot until Tues (an EMH day) and we went to the front gate THREE times to try to get the DDE, but the lines at the front gate were SOOO long, that DH did not want me to go outside to get it. We thought they would die down in the evening, but they really didn't. I know this sounds bad, but I think a LOT of non-resort guests have figured out that Epcot is a good evening EMH place even if you cannot ride anything, and people start POURING into Epcot about an hour before scheduled closing. Well, finally I just gave up and went to go get the DDE card. It took forever to get back in the park, so I just sent the group on and met up with them later. All in all it was a HUGE hassle to get, but a really nice thing to have once you got it!!!

Oh, BTW.....Mission Space and Test Track are now staying open as late as the World Showcase!!! Maybe that is not new, but I did not know it....pretty cool!!!!

kathleena....too funny about "tastes" in resorts!! We must be VERY much alike...we should "meet up" sometime!!! As far as Art goes, he DID seem to be working very long hours. We saw him two days. Both times during the day, he was "wandering" around the lobby (we never saw him greeting people outside) talking to people. Then, at night he was working the bell desk. He was in a different uniform (or, at least minus his coat), but he still had on his nametag that said "Art". It does seem like awful long hours for someone his age.

Muushka - yes...the screened rooms are what I was talking about. We were wondering if they were there to keep out mosquitos, or much larger "visitors" (snakes and "croco-gators", as dd calls them). We saw a lot of subdivisions that were built really close to "standing bodies of water". We just weren't sure what the rooms were acting as a deterrent to.

Thanks again for all your "Welcome Home's"....you guys are SOO sweet!!!



Beca

 

[MJTinNH]

Thanks for the report and insight on DDE cards. I'll be picking mine up tomorrow.

Glad you had a great trip!!

 

[tjkraz]

Thanks for the report.

Glad to hear all of the horrible CMs are still at BCV. Don't let them into OUR resort!!!

 

[SueOKW]

Just to show you how provincial I am - - Who is Art and why do we care about him so much?

At OKW I love Jim, but I'm not sure he's a celebrity like Art seems to be!!!

 

[jekjones1558]

Hi, Beca! Glad to read your post. The boards just aren't the same without you.
Sorry you weren't that fond of OKW. Although BWV is our favorite because of all the activity, we do enjoy the parking and rooms at OKW. We have only 230 of our points there, but we wanted to have access to GVs at 11 months by banking and/or borrowing. (OKW GVs seem to be so much cheaper in points, too!) And, once in a while, we like to go for a REALLY quiet vacation.
Happy to hear that Ireland stayed out of medical facilities this time. Maybe her WDW germ immunities are building up! I sure would love to see her face and sparkling eyes when she's in SAB. And it won't be too long now, will it!

 

[DaveT1]

Beca,
did the Art you saw have gloves and a hat on at least without his blue jacket? or was he just dressed in all white?

We just got back also, CM who checked us in was super friendly. Saw Art twice in full uniform at the front door. Everything was pretty busy though.

 

[quentina]

OK....Call me dumb but I need to ask....Who is Art?

Kim