DisDaydreamer
I have this DIS-ease
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2006
- Messages
- 6,164
Sorry about the length of this. I intended to do a day by day from the resort, but it really wasnt feasible using a public terminal. So here it is in retrospect.
We took the Amtrak Auto Train from Lorton, Va. 4pm Saturday to Sanford, Fla. 9 am Sunday. We have never visited Florida in the Aug-Sept time frame because of hurricane season, but we wanted the chance to see turtle hatchlings on the beach. Air temperatures were in the mid to upper 80s all week. I thought the ocean waters would be too warm to enjoy, but they were really on the cool side and (I am guessing) in the mid 70s all week. The Florida sun at this time of year is definitely stronger than the mid-Atlantic. The air is not hotter, but the sun is stronger You can feel the difference immediately when you step into the sunshine even early in the morning.
Sunday - We arrived at VB at around 11 am. Sonyas restaurant cooks on an oak wood fired grill and the aroma of the grill greets you as soon as soon as you open your car door, it is wonderful we are home! We booked a 1 bedroom this time and a ground floor unit was ready, but we opted to wait for a second floor unit to come ready. For the first time ever we had to wait until 4 pm. During our wait we traveled out to the Publix and got our groceries for the week. We brought a cooler so were not concerned about cold items getting hot. We finally check-in and get everything unload and put into their proper place. The evening is spent just roaming around and re-acquainting. It looks like the campfire site is now a permanent location at the north end of the property. This seems like a better location because there is much more room and a huge grassy area for onlookers. Dont forget to bring your Cutter Advanced to fight off those no-see-ums. Still got some bites throughout the stay.
Monday The weather is perfect. Resort seems moderately full, but not overcrowded by any means. I thought the pool was warm, but DW thought it was on the cool side. Beach was less than half full. It seems like many people go to the beach just to swim in the pool. We are aware of Ernesto at this point and watching closely. Waves are nice and good for riding. At night DW and I went combing the beach to seek out turtle hatchlings. You cant carry any source of light on the beach and VB has no outdoor lighting facing the beach so it was DARK. I ended up kicking a sizeable rock and breaking my little toe (I think Im sure). Looked like a big purple grape and it hurt something awful, but I didnt need to wear footwear so it wasnt too bad. What is that little toe for anyway?
Tuesday Perfect weather. Population seems same as day before. Ernesto is getting close and waves are the best I have ever seen. Pool starts to clear out by late afternoon and by evening it seemed like a ghost town. Many had checked out and headed north. Tues night Disney notified all Vacation Home and Cottage guests that they were moving them into Inn rooms early Wed morning. Obviously, a lot of people had left Dodge to have that many rooms available. We went to the desk and asked whether this was a mandatory move. They wouldnt say yes or no, but said we would like for everyone to move into the Inn. It seemed to us that Ernesto wasnt going to be any big event, and all structures at VB are concrete, so we decided we werent going to move.
Wednesday Disney announces the move is cancelled except for those wanting to move. It is cloudy all day, but Ernesto is a non-event. Mild rain comes in all afternoon. DW and I make it a rainy day occasion and thats all Im going to say about that
Thursday Cloudy in the morning, but partly to mostly sunny in the afternoon. Resort is still relatively empty. Surprisingly, there was some beach erosion, but not up to the dunes. Some turtle nests are ruined. Ocean was murky and more calm than usual, but still a good day on the beach and OK with the waves. We had some strong rains in the evening. We learned our train might be cancelled and we enquired as to the possibility of extending our stay, but the resort is completely sold-out. We did end up getting a hold on a studio cancellation.
Friday Mostly sunny by mid morning and the ocean is still murky, but a great day on the beach and in the water. Water seems much colder. Late afternoon someone opened the flood gates and newbies were streaming in at an amazing rate and exploring the resort. They were everywhere it was fun to watch as they excitedly discovered new areas and sites. We had some strong thunderstorms in the afternoon, after that the pool was filled with people into the night. We found out tonight that our train is running on time so we cancelled our unit hold.
Saturday Our day to go home and we left for home. It was a great stay as always. Weather looked like it was going to be perfect.
Pleasant surprises:
We suspect the king bed was new, but DW and I were just amazed at how comfortable it was. We love our king at home, but this was the best ever felt. It was a Sealy mattress, though I couldnt find a model name on it.
The dehumidifier (though noisy) worked like a champ. We emptied the 1.5 gallon bucket at least 2X every 24 hours. It made for a very comfortable (dry) indoor environment. We suspect these were implemented after the recent hurricanes to prevent mold growth.
The vegetation around the resort has completely recovered. It is beautiful and lush. The newly planted dune grass has taken hold along with some robust vine plants with violet like flowers. Time is still needed for these to grow over enough to secure the dunes. All of the cottages except for the one furthest north (1150) have open ocean views from top and bottom floor. 1150 is still partially obstructed on top and bottom. Even villas 12 & 15 on the 2nd and 3rd floors that face the ocean have a clear ocean view.
The board walk down to the ocean is very nice. It is a much more gradual slope for wheeled access than before, and a much shorter set of stairs (than the old scary stairs) for quick and easy foot access. A room key is necessary for access to and from the beach.
They now have wireless Internet access in the Inn lobby areas. Unfortunately, I didnt know this ahead of time and wasnt prepared to use it.
Disney staff handled the storm day exceptionally well. As it turns out the Life Guards are also entertainers. They had probably 75+ children completely occupied with games, face painting, arts & crafts, and movies, all in the lobby areas of the Inn. I didnt know this before, but there is a wing off of the lobby that has entertainment rooms and a small theatre/stage where they show movies and puppet performances. They also had a genuine (commercial type) popcorn making machine. Seems to me this maybe should be a one day a week event regardless of the weather (although, I guess they need the lifeguards at the pool). The kids seemed happy and content. Very well done!
Disappointments:
We ended up in 1431 (2nd floor facing the mini golf) and only had a little sliver view of the ocean.
Tru-Green Chemlawn and Jims landscaping appear to be maintaining the grounds instead of Disney.
Disney started picking up and storing unused lounge chairs and umbrellas from the pool area way too early in the morning on Tues making it hard to find one if you didnt arrive real early. On the other hand Disney was too late in announcing the possible move to the Inn, and really too late in canceling it (13 minutes before people were supposed to show up in the lobby to transfer). A practice run I hope.
Seems to us the resort management is starting become lax in taking care of little maintenance things. Nothing significant, but age is starting to show, and we had a short list of things we passed on upon leaving. Perhaps they have been focused on recovery work from the recent hurricanes, but I think it is important for everyone to point out even the smallest of issues. Partly because it is the little things that arent obvious to one unless you are actually staying in a unit, and partly to remind management that the little things are big issues to come, and reflect poorly upon Disney (more than the little problem itself is an issue).
It seems wildlife is not as abundant at this time of year as opposed to spring or fall. We rarely saw pelicans (our favorite birds) flying over the water or overhead, didnt see any dolphins in the ocean either.
Didnt get to see a shuttle launch.
Expectations met:
The life guards are the best, truly professional and methodical in their scanning of the pool while on watch. They are Robo-Guards.
CMs everywhere are smiling, happy, and helpful.
The room and the resort in general are very clean.
The vegetation around the resort is perfect (even though maintenance is outsourced) and is beautiful beyond comparison.
We Wish:
They had life guards on the beach.
They offered more public reading materials on the local wildlife and environment, and included wildlife sites on their local map of places of interest.
A real pet peeve of ours is that the people renting out the umbrella and lounge chairs on the beach place one of these little sites every 20 ft. or so 10 times over in both directions on the beach starting at the base of the beach access. Anyone not renting one of these sites has to walk 200+ feet just to get to a vacant spot to set up. They use to set up these rental sites to one side or the other, now it is both ways. We are DVC members and we have paid our dues for equal access to the beach. We wish they would go back to loading up one side or the other.
They would better advertise the lake, nature trail, and tennis and basketball courts on the other side of the highway. We saw one boy dribbling his basketball endlessly around the resort, probably not knowing about the facilities. I dont think many people realize the facilities exist and that there is a private tunnel running under the highway to that area.
Disney does a good job of announcing the existence of turtle nests, and what not to do around them, but we wish they would better explain what the different color stakes and stake markings meant like the orange stakes indicate Loggerhead turtles, green stakes are Green turtles, and the blue stakes are Leatherback turtles. The stakes also have numbers and other markings on them that mean nothing to the novice. We stopped a naturalist on his route to the nests and got these questions answered.
Bottom Line:
We didnt get to see any turtle hatchlings, but we did see their cute little tracks from their nests to the ocean (most of them went to the ocean) the next mornings. All-in-all it was a great vacation. Already we are thinking about our next stay Were talking HHI. We havent been there for a while.
We took the Amtrak Auto Train from Lorton, Va. 4pm Saturday to Sanford, Fla. 9 am Sunday. We have never visited Florida in the Aug-Sept time frame because of hurricane season, but we wanted the chance to see turtle hatchlings on the beach. Air temperatures were in the mid to upper 80s all week. I thought the ocean waters would be too warm to enjoy, but they were really on the cool side and (I am guessing) in the mid 70s all week. The Florida sun at this time of year is definitely stronger than the mid-Atlantic. The air is not hotter, but the sun is stronger You can feel the difference immediately when you step into the sunshine even early in the morning.
Sunday - We arrived at VB at around 11 am. Sonyas restaurant cooks on an oak wood fired grill and the aroma of the grill greets you as soon as soon as you open your car door, it is wonderful we are home! We booked a 1 bedroom this time and a ground floor unit was ready, but we opted to wait for a second floor unit to come ready. For the first time ever we had to wait until 4 pm. During our wait we traveled out to the Publix and got our groceries for the week. We brought a cooler so were not concerned about cold items getting hot. We finally check-in and get everything unload and put into their proper place. The evening is spent just roaming around and re-acquainting. It looks like the campfire site is now a permanent location at the north end of the property. This seems like a better location because there is much more room and a huge grassy area for onlookers. Dont forget to bring your Cutter Advanced to fight off those no-see-ums. Still got some bites throughout the stay.
Monday The weather is perfect. Resort seems moderately full, but not overcrowded by any means. I thought the pool was warm, but DW thought it was on the cool side. Beach was less than half full. It seems like many people go to the beach just to swim in the pool. We are aware of Ernesto at this point and watching closely. Waves are nice and good for riding. At night DW and I went combing the beach to seek out turtle hatchlings. You cant carry any source of light on the beach and VB has no outdoor lighting facing the beach so it was DARK. I ended up kicking a sizeable rock and breaking my little toe (I think Im sure). Looked like a big purple grape and it hurt something awful, but I didnt need to wear footwear so it wasnt too bad. What is that little toe for anyway?
Tuesday Perfect weather. Population seems same as day before. Ernesto is getting close and waves are the best I have ever seen. Pool starts to clear out by late afternoon and by evening it seemed like a ghost town. Many had checked out and headed north. Tues night Disney notified all Vacation Home and Cottage guests that they were moving them into Inn rooms early Wed morning. Obviously, a lot of people had left Dodge to have that many rooms available. We went to the desk and asked whether this was a mandatory move. They wouldnt say yes or no, but said we would like for everyone to move into the Inn. It seemed to us that Ernesto wasnt going to be any big event, and all structures at VB are concrete, so we decided we werent going to move.
Wednesday Disney announces the move is cancelled except for those wanting to move. It is cloudy all day, but Ernesto is a non-event. Mild rain comes in all afternoon. DW and I make it a rainy day occasion and thats all Im going to say about that
Thursday Cloudy in the morning, but partly to mostly sunny in the afternoon. Resort is still relatively empty. Surprisingly, there was some beach erosion, but not up to the dunes. Some turtle nests are ruined. Ocean was murky and more calm than usual, but still a good day on the beach and OK with the waves. We had some strong rains in the evening. We learned our train might be cancelled and we enquired as to the possibility of extending our stay, but the resort is completely sold-out. We did end up getting a hold on a studio cancellation.
Friday Mostly sunny by mid morning and the ocean is still murky, but a great day on the beach and in the water. Water seems much colder. Late afternoon someone opened the flood gates and newbies were streaming in at an amazing rate and exploring the resort. They were everywhere it was fun to watch as they excitedly discovered new areas and sites. We had some strong thunderstorms in the afternoon, after that the pool was filled with people into the night. We found out tonight that our train is running on time so we cancelled our unit hold.
Saturday Our day to go home and we left for home. It was a great stay as always. Weather looked like it was going to be perfect.
Pleasant surprises:
We suspect the king bed was new, but DW and I were just amazed at how comfortable it was. We love our king at home, but this was the best ever felt. It was a Sealy mattress, though I couldnt find a model name on it.
The dehumidifier (though noisy) worked like a champ. We emptied the 1.5 gallon bucket at least 2X every 24 hours. It made for a very comfortable (dry) indoor environment. We suspect these were implemented after the recent hurricanes to prevent mold growth.
The vegetation around the resort has completely recovered. It is beautiful and lush. The newly planted dune grass has taken hold along with some robust vine plants with violet like flowers. Time is still needed for these to grow over enough to secure the dunes. All of the cottages except for the one furthest north (1150) have open ocean views from top and bottom floor. 1150 is still partially obstructed on top and bottom. Even villas 12 & 15 on the 2nd and 3rd floors that face the ocean have a clear ocean view.
The board walk down to the ocean is very nice. It is a much more gradual slope for wheeled access than before, and a much shorter set of stairs (than the old scary stairs) for quick and easy foot access. A room key is necessary for access to and from the beach.
They now have wireless Internet access in the Inn lobby areas. Unfortunately, I didnt know this ahead of time and wasnt prepared to use it.
Disney staff handled the storm day exceptionally well. As it turns out the Life Guards are also entertainers. They had probably 75+ children completely occupied with games, face painting, arts & crafts, and movies, all in the lobby areas of the Inn. I didnt know this before, but there is a wing off of the lobby that has entertainment rooms and a small theatre/stage where they show movies and puppet performances. They also had a genuine (commercial type) popcorn making machine. Seems to me this maybe should be a one day a week event regardless of the weather (although, I guess they need the lifeguards at the pool). The kids seemed happy and content. Very well done!
Disappointments:
We ended up in 1431 (2nd floor facing the mini golf) and only had a little sliver view of the ocean.
Tru-Green Chemlawn and Jims landscaping appear to be maintaining the grounds instead of Disney.
Disney started picking up and storing unused lounge chairs and umbrellas from the pool area way too early in the morning on Tues making it hard to find one if you didnt arrive real early. On the other hand Disney was too late in announcing the possible move to the Inn, and really too late in canceling it (13 minutes before people were supposed to show up in the lobby to transfer). A practice run I hope.
Seems to us the resort management is starting become lax in taking care of little maintenance things. Nothing significant, but age is starting to show, and we had a short list of things we passed on upon leaving. Perhaps they have been focused on recovery work from the recent hurricanes, but I think it is important for everyone to point out even the smallest of issues. Partly because it is the little things that arent obvious to one unless you are actually staying in a unit, and partly to remind management that the little things are big issues to come, and reflect poorly upon Disney (more than the little problem itself is an issue).
It seems wildlife is not as abundant at this time of year as opposed to spring or fall. We rarely saw pelicans (our favorite birds) flying over the water or overhead, didnt see any dolphins in the ocean either.
Didnt get to see a shuttle launch.
Expectations met:
The life guards are the best, truly professional and methodical in their scanning of the pool while on watch. They are Robo-Guards.
CMs everywhere are smiling, happy, and helpful.
The room and the resort in general are very clean.
The vegetation around the resort is perfect (even though maintenance is outsourced) and is beautiful beyond comparison.
We Wish:
They had life guards on the beach.
They offered more public reading materials on the local wildlife and environment, and included wildlife sites on their local map of places of interest.
A real pet peeve of ours is that the people renting out the umbrella and lounge chairs on the beach place one of these little sites every 20 ft. or so 10 times over in both directions on the beach starting at the base of the beach access. Anyone not renting one of these sites has to walk 200+ feet just to get to a vacant spot to set up. They use to set up these rental sites to one side or the other, now it is both ways. We are DVC members and we have paid our dues for equal access to the beach. We wish they would go back to loading up one side or the other.
They would better advertise the lake, nature trail, and tennis and basketball courts on the other side of the highway. We saw one boy dribbling his basketball endlessly around the resort, probably not knowing about the facilities. I dont think many people realize the facilities exist and that there is a private tunnel running under the highway to that area.
Disney does a good job of announcing the existence of turtle nests, and what not to do around them, but we wish they would better explain what the different color stakes and stake markings meant like the orange stakes indicate Loggerhead turtles, green stakes are Green turtles, and the blue stakes are Leatherback turtles. The stakes also have numbers and other markings on them that mean nothing to the novice. We stopped a naturalist on his route to the nests and got these questions answered.
Bottom Line:
We didnt get to see any turtle hatchlings, but we did see their cute little tracks from their nests to the ocean (most of them went to the ocean) the next mornings. All-in-all it was a great vacation. Already we are thinking about our next stay Were talking HHI. We havent been there for a while.
VB!
Either way have a great trip.
