Trip Report - Jul 2021 - First Time as DVC Members

[Lumee23]

Hi Everyone! Long time lurker here trying out my first trip report. This was our first time back since Covid. Our group included me, my husband, our daughters (6 and 9) and my parents who live in Florida met us for a couple of days. Our 2yo son had to stay home with my in-laws due to mask wearing complications and health considerations.

This will not be a short report. You have been warned

Trip Preface:
I should preface this by noting that I have not been to Florida in the summer since I was 10 and my 10 yr old self swore I would never go back to Florida in the summer even if someone paid me. I was desperate to scratch the Disney itch though. With some vacation time already booked for a July beach trip I managed to cajole my husband into switching it to Disney. The goal was to try a split stay to see how we felt about it, tour DVC resorts and squeeze in some park time before we made a final decision on a DVC resort to purchase in the fall.

Now my husband says I have a gift for getting him to agree to one vacation and then over time that initial vacation morphs into something longer and more expensive. In this case we went from three nights at the beach to four nights at Disney with two park days to landing at five nights at Disney with four park days. Since this trip was somewhat last minute (well past the seven month booking window), we were unable to get an Epcot DVC resort for the 2nd half of our split stay. We ended up renting points to book a BLT lakeview studio for the first two nights and booked CBR for the last two nights. When we decided to add the additional day it had to be in the beginning of our trip due to work limitations and BLT was unavailable. Since it was going to be a Disney Springs day we went with a SSR point rental. I was really trying out this split stay thing with three resorts in five nights.

We were going to spend the third day touring the resorts and I had a list of everything I wanted to scope out including finally talking to a DVC guide in a serious buyer capacity. Or so I thought… Flashback to the end of May 2021 when the rumored rise in min points hit. We knew we were going direct but we were bouncing the idea of buying Riviera or going more budget friendly OKW/SSR/AKL to help offset the direct premium. Part of our trip was to determine how we liked the skyliner and if I was as much in love with Riviera in person to get over the resale restrictions, high point chart, etc. We pulled the trigger and became Riviera DVC owners without stepping foot in the resort; however, I think I had watched every single Riviera Youtube video at that point haha. They were unable to book us anywhere except SSR for our welcome home visit to replace our CBR days so we opted to bank the points and leave our trip as is. So our DVC exploratory visit became our first trip as DVC members!

Day 1: Arrival - SSR and Disney Springs
Our flight was for 7am on Southwest and we timed everything perfectly with a 3:45am wake up call and out the door by 4:30am. This was our first time with TSA pre-check and it was worth every dollar. The regular TSA line wasn’t super long but not having to take out all of our electronic and liquid paraphernalia was amazing. The flight was full but smooth and we were at the Magical Express around 10am with luggage in hand. I wish the luggage service was still available but otherwise Magical Express was very smooth as well with very little wait. We had dropped off our luggage at SSR and were on our way to Disney Springs at around 11am.

We made our way to Gideons first expecting to sign up for a virtual line but they weren’t doing it at that time so we went to grab lunch at Chicken Guy. Hubby eagle eyed one of very few tables in the AC thankfully as we were already melting in the Florida heat. Chicken Guy pricing was very reasonable and we felt the food was decent but we wouldn’t rush back there again. Checked back at Gideons and hopped in line since there still wasn’t a virtual queue. Grabbed some cookies to go and at this point we were feeling our 4am wakeup call.

I was hoping for an earlier check-in to freshen up, get our luggage and take a swim but it wasn’t meant to be. At around 2:30pm we decided to make our way back to the resort to take the girls swimming. Luckily we packed our swimsuits in our daybag so we were able to swim prior to getting our luggage. Our girls loved the main SSR pool and slide and it wasn’t too crowded. Our youngest kept giggling the whole way down the slide and it was very entertaining. Our room assignment ended up coming in late around 4:30pm and we had minimal time to get our luggage and get ready for our 6pm Raglan Road reservation. Our room was in the location I requested so I was happy despite the late room assignment. The room was great except our phone was broken, which made getting in touch with bell services difficult. Bell services thankfully came really quickly and we were able to get out the door and made it just in time to meet my parents for dinner. Raglan Road was as good as I remember it being and the service was excellent. We got to whip out our DVC blue card for the first time for the 10% dining discount. We did a little bit of shopping where we flashed the blue card a bit more and then headed to our hotel to call it a night. Since we were only there for one night I prepped for the early morning departure to MK and re-packed the minimal amount we had unpacked.

Resort/Room Review: SSR Preferred Studio - Congress Park. This was our first time here. The room and pool were nice with the exception of the broken phone, which we alerted them to but nobody came to fix. The girls really enjoyed the murphy bed and we all slept comfortably. This was the best shower of our entire stay as well (shower head/water pressure). Love the wood floors instead of the carpet and the room was nice and bright. I was aware of how sprawling SSR was but the reality of it after a long day of walking made me happy we own at a smaller resort. We would stay here again but only if we budgeted for a rental car and/or Lyft.

Food: Chicken Guy - 6.5/10, Raglan Road - 9/10

Steps: 21,616

Day 2: MK Day
It was yet another early morning. For breakfast we did some light snacks in the room. My dad picked us up and gave us a ride to Bay Lake Tower. In a reversal from the day before, we received our room assignment at 7am so rather than dropping off the bags at bell services we just took them up to our room and then walked over to MK for the day. I was really excited to see that purple light when I scanned in, meanwhile my husband didn’t even notice. MK was busy and it was hot. I was sweating in places that I didn’t realize could sweat. We got there prior to park opening and they were holding people at rope drop at the land entrances. Right at 9am we made a beeline for Splash Mountain, then we did Thunder Mountain and Pirates.

I had mobile ordered at Pecos for 11:30am so we went to cool down and get some food. Nobody really liked their food but we were all hungry so we devoured it. Our next stop was Haunted Mansion, Winnie the Pooh and Tea Cups. At this point it was around 2:30pm and mostly everyone was overheated and ready for a break. We had planned to leave around 3pm but everything we wanted to ride had at least a 60 min expected (per Touring Plans) wait time. I am an overplanning park warrior and part of the agreement on DVC was that our Disney trips would be more low key. I (somewhat) gracefully acknowledged the reminder of this agreement and we took the monorail back to BLT though I was disappointed we had only done 6 rides so far.

We weren’t sure what the pool situation would be like since my parents were not BLT guests so we set them up in our room to enjoy some much needed AC and sitting time while we took the girls swimming. We lost track of time and were again making the mad dash from the pool to our dining reservation. I had managed to snag a last minute California Grill reservation so we had to look somewhat presentable. On our way we walked by the Open House unit and stopped in. Hubby was not impressed with the studio we were in but agreed with me that the one bedroom unit was a significant improvement.

We made it to the restaurant with minutes to spare. The goat cheese ravioli was fantastic and the dip for the bread was a big hit at the table. Things went a little off the rails once dinner entrees arrived. They incorrectly gave me the filet instead of the ribeye I ordered so the filet went back. Unfortunately they accidentally sent my stepmom’s medium well filet back instead of the medium rare I had ordered and gave her my incorrect medium rare filet. I told everyone to eat rather than waiting for my food to come and it did take quite a while. Everyone was done by the time my entree arrived. Overall it was a disappointing experience for the price point; however, the waiter was very apologetic and the ribeye once received was incredibly delicious. The kid’s “sushi” dessert was a big hit as well.

Dinner took longer than expected and we didn’t get back to the park until 8pm. We quickly did another ride on the Winnie the Pooh ride since I had promised my daughter we would ride twice and then found a spot for the HEA fireworks. I assume it was the somewhat symbolic feeling of coming out of the hardship of the pandemic but the fireworks show made me cry. I am really happy I got to see it again before it was retired for the 50th show. After the show we made another beeline for Splash Mountain for what I presumed would be my final ride on the original before it gets changed over to Tiana. A lot of other people had the same idea and it was well after 11pm by the time we rode and walked back to BLT to pass out.

Resort/Room Review: BLT Lake View Studio - 7th floor. This was our first time staying at BLT as well. Coming from SSR the room felt very tired and small. The TV was also unusually small for a deluxe resort. My girls said the sofa bed was extremely uncomfortable and they were happy to leave for that reason; however, they loved the pool and slide. I was hoping to get hubby to agree to addon to BLT in the future as our MK resort but he was not impressed overall. I think it was a tactical error booking the studio instead of a one bedroom haha. The water pressure of the shower was really poor and far less enjoyable than the SSR shower. We both really liked the one bedroom model with its additional bathroom and greatly appreciated the more compact nature of the resort compared to SSR. The ability to walk to MK was also a winning feature for us. I may have to wait for the refurb to sway his opinion on adding on though.

Food: Pecos Bill - 4.5/10, California Grill - 8/10

Steps: 23,089

To be continued....

 

[TXRunner]

Your comments on BLT are interesting - I think we may want to wait on that one being refurbed also. It's tempting to stay there with the extra bath in the 1 BR. Have been looking at SSR as well. Love the step count in your report!

 

[sjrec]

Enjoying your report!

 

[Lumee23]

Your comments on BLT are interesting - I think we may want to wait on that one being refurbed also. It's tempting to stay there with the extra bath in the 1 BR. Have been looking at SSR as well. Love the step count in your report!

I think had we been in a 1 bedroom instead of a studio we would have felt a lot differently. Having that rare 2nd bathroom in a 1 bedroom is a huge perk. We would definitely stay again even before a refurb because that location really is amazing; however, I don't think I can convince hubby to add-on there quite yet. We are going to hold out anyway to see what DVC does with the GF add-on.

 

[Minniemoo15]

Great report! I have two girls as well, around the same ages. Reading about the trips others are taking gets me really excited for our trip in March!

May I suggest Poly as a MK add-on? The studios are the largest on property, have 2 bathrooms and are undergoing a soft refurb. Rumour is they will have the same pulldown beds as Saratoga and RIV - my girls can only hope!!

 

[Lumee23]

Day 3: “Rest” and Epcot Day
This was originally planned to be a DVC investigation/pool day before my parents jumped in to join us. Since I wasn’t certain if they would be able to join us at BLT and since we had bought DVC already it was switched to a low-key Epcot day where we would do some Food and Wine booths and take it easy.

We started at Whispering Canyon for breakfast. I was aware of the eccentricities of this restaurant but the rest of the party wasn’t. When the waiter came and greeted us by throwing our napkins and straws in the air onto the table he was greeted by very wide eyes from everyone at the table but me to which he quickly asked if it was our first time there. My parents weren’t fans with the “uniqueness” of the service but I thought it was fun. The skillet was very good and the Mickey waffles really hit the spot. Wilderness Lodge is a beautiful resort and I was reminded at how disappointed I am that CCV is not good for a family of 5 and BRV expires too soon for us.

Since we were at Wilderness Lodge I dragged everyone to go check out the open house cabin. Until this point I think my dad thought we were completely nuts for buying into DVC. He typically stays at luxurious accommodations and values large rooms so the BLT studio was not a good first impression with its small size. Once we saw the Cabins I think he understood a bit more that there were actually some very luxurious accommodations in the DVC portfolio. Hubby was also very impressed until he heard how many points per night (lol). It was around 11am at that point and we decided to make our way to Epcot.

I suffered a debilitating ankle and foot injury about five years ago. I have had several surgeries and need to have at least one more. The reality is that I will most likely never recover fully. I am mobile but walking long distances is extremely painful. This was my first trip since my injury that I was going to try to not use a wheelchair or ECV to see how it went. After two 20k+ step days and a giant blister from my ankle brace I was already struggling. Since my parents were around to help we rented a wheelchair so I could give my bad foot and ankle a break. Now that we are DVC members and visiting more often I am not sure what the long term strategy will be as I really hate using a wheelchair or ECV.

Epcot was predictably a madhouse due to F&W and we did not get to do much here due to crowds and our slow speed. In hindsight we really should have found a way to make the rest day work with my parents. I didn’t anticipate our arrival day being the equivalent of a park day in terms of steps and everybody was tapped out between the heat, the walking and the crowds. We did the Finding Nemo ride, Soarin and Test Track and two food booths before everyone was really sagging. We had a Topolino’s dinner reservation that day and since we had never been to Riviera I suggested we take the Skyliner and check it out prior to dinner, which everyone agreed. Overall not a good value for the money we spent on the extra ticket but I have learned in previous trips that it is better to have happy kids than squeak out those extra hours at the park.

I was a little nervous about how my youngest daughter would take the Skyliner, especially since we bought Riviera. She gets anxious with certain rides and I was worried we wouldn’t be able to get her on it. Well the opposite happened and she absolutely loves it so that was a big relief. We stepped off the skyliner and walked into the mural area and just… wow. I understand this resort is very polarizing for a variety of reasons but from that point on I was practically squeeing. Totally in love with our home resort and have zero regrets. The lobby is small in comparison to the lobbies like Wilderness Lodge but I think it suits the smaller resort. I do agree that those stairs going up to the lobby are way too narrow though.

We stopped at the DVC desk and were taken to see a 2 bed and grand villa. Loved seeing all the artwork, which was what originally caught my interest in the resort. Afterwards we checked out the gift shop where I was hoping to make some purchases but was disappointed that everything on my list was sold out (presumably retired). We missed the new Riviera ears by one day... hoping they are still there when we go in January. The gift shop overall is small but I liked that they had some unique/rarer items. The smallest print size (16x20 on paper) looked to be $55 for most of the artwork.

We headed up to dinner at Topolino’s. Beautiful restaurant and our server was very good and attentive. We tried the ricotta, which was delicious. I wanted to get the filet but since I had a huge steak at California Grill the night before I ordered the rigatoni pasta, which was very good. Everyone was full and tired so we skipped dessert, quick checked out the gorgeous patio and then headed back to BLT. My oldest was too wiped out to even swim so she hung out with me as I prepared for our move to Caribbean Beach the next morning, while hubby and my youngest went swimming.

Overall, not the day I had envisioned but still had a great time. Even with the wheelchair for part of the day I managed a good amount of steps.

Food: Wilderness Lodge - 9/10, F&W Donut Booth - 2/10, China Booth - 9/10, Topolino’s - 9/10

Steps: 16,356

 

[Lumee23]

Great report! I have two girls as well, around the same ages. Reading about the trips others are taking gets me really excited for our trip in March!

May I suggest Poly as a MK add-on? The studios are the largest on property, have 2 bathrooms and are undergoing a soft refurb. Rumour is they will have the same pulldown beds as Saratoga and RIV - my girls can only hope!!

I am really hoping they put those Murphy beds in all the rooms eventually. They really are a huge improvement over the sofa beds! Poly definitely has me intrigued. We are staying there in January for a night before our cruise to check it out. Originally I was discounting it because of the lack of one bedrooms for when my family of five is older but it is my favorite of all the MK resorts based on theming and the actual resort space. None of the rooms we stayed at had the under the TV Murphy bed for us to check out. Will it fit a teenager?

 

[Minniemoo15]

I am really hoping they put those Murphy beds in all the rooms eventually. They really are a huge improvement over the sofa beds! Poly definitely has me intrigued. We are staying there in January for a night before our cruise to check it out. Originally I was discounting it because of the lack of one bedrooms for when my family of five is older but it is my favorite of all the MK resorts based on theming and the actual resort space. None of the rooms we stayed at had the under the TV Murphy bed for us to check out. Will it fit a teenager?

My (adult) sister is 5'10 and sleeps on it every year in my parents' room. She says it's fine and much prefers sleeping on that to paying for a real bed in her own room Another bonus of Poly is the connecting studios. We get connecting rooms with my parents and it is great.

 

[Daggyfamily]

Wow, such a detailed and good report. Thanks!

 

[LPnerd]

My (adult) sister is 5'10 and sleeps on it every year in my parents' room. She says it's fine and much prefers sleeping on that to paying for a real bed in her own room Another bonus of Poly is the connecting studios. We get connecting rooms with my parents and it is great.

my son is 6' and has had no problem on it. The problem we have with those studios was the lack of space , I think many had that C?O hence the do overs. we had 3 adults in there and we had to keep our suitcases in the car and pull out clothes for the next day and bring them in night before, LOL. only 2 days, so we managed, but longer than that would have been impossible. I understand they are making big changes. I'm anxious to hear reports as I LOVE the resort.

 

[bnurick]

Great reporting!