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- Joined
- Jul 4, 2006
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- 3,528
This was our first trip as DVC members, and our first time staying at all three resorts. We don't spend much vacation time in the rooms, so for now at least we are staying in studios. I was pleased with EVERY resort.
Part One - OKW and VB
Our first stop was OKW. We arrived on Sunday around 2:00. The line to check in was all the way back to the door and all the check-in stations were occupied! It's clearly a very popular resort! The grounds were beautiful and everything was much smaller than I imagined it would be. Checked in without a problem (but no "welcome home" from the CM) Our room was not ready, so we were given a card to call. Took the kids to the community hall and they made little bears while we ate, then we ate at Goods to Go. The food was good, but it was so HOT outside that we ate in little the bar area. I think it would be nice to have an air-conditioned area with the counter-service. There were some off-duty CMs at the bar drinking and they were complaining about people on the DDP! I think the servers at Olivias are ticked-off about the plan. Around 4 the room was ready. It was HUGE, very clean and beautiful. We were impressed.
We kept saying how happy we were to join the DVC. We took a bus to EPCOT for dinner and then did extra magic hours at MK. We only use Disney Transportation, so we are used to the system and it does not bother us. Day two we started at AK and then ended up at MGM. Day three we were at the MK all day.
Other than the initial bus to EPCOT (which arrived right away) the bus system seemed a little inefficient. The resort was packed and we waited at least 20 minutes for every bus. The last night at MK was the worst - every other bus stop had two busses come by before the first OKW bus got there. I'm not sure what the problem was.
Day Four we drove to Vero Beach. I bought DVC and planned my points with the intention to spend a week at HH every summer (since it's a shorter drive), but I have to say it will be really hard to not just drive to Vero for our beach time. We loved this resort. It was very laid-back and casual - much more so than I expected (I had in mind that it would be more fancy/snobby for some reason). I grew up in Florida and this resort just felt very much like "home" to me. We arrived at 12:00 and our room was ready. We were in an Inn room, which I loved and would probably do again instead of the studio. Our room was right next to the laundry room, but we did not hear any noise.
The first day we ate lunch at the Green Cabin Room (food was fine, but not great - service and the view were EXCELLENT). Then, we went to the ocean and the kids played in the surf and pool (we put a trash bag over DD's broken arm and just did not let her go totally under water). The pool was actually hot, but the water slide was really fun
. Because DD7 could not really get in the pool, the CMs worked her in and let her go to the unbirthday party. All the CMs at VB were fabulous - super-friendly and helpful. That evening, we put the kids in the Discovery Program and DH and I went to dinner at Shutters (Sonya's was closed). Again the food was okay but the view and service were EXCELLENT. We agree that if we stay longer we will venture out to eat most of the time, and use the on-site restaurants once or twice. We picked up the kids and attended the campfire, which was so much fun (glad I packed the Cutter Advanced because the NoSEEUms were OUT!) Then, we went for a family walk along the beach and ran into some people observing a sea turtle laying a nest of eggs. They had night vision goggles and they let us all take a peek. It was so cool!
The next morning we surprised the kids with room-service - Mickey Pancakes. They wanted to go to the beach again, so we went down one last time and then headed off to SSR. As we were leaving, one of the CMs gave them each a special Vero Beach pin. It was a wonderful trip and I can't wait to go back. If I ever have a hard time getting summer ressies there, I'll add-on points in a heartbeat.
Part One - OKW and VB
Our first stop was OKW. We arrived on Sunday around 2:00. The line to check in was all the way back to the door and all the check-in stations were occupied! It's clearly a very popular resort! The grounds were beautiful and everything was much smaller than I imagined it would be. Checked in without a problem (but no "welcome home" from the CM) Our room was not ready, so we were given a card to call. Took the kids to the community hall and they made little bears while we ate, then we ate at Goods to Go. The food was good, but it was so HOT outside that we ate in little the bar area. I think it would be nice to have an air-conditioned area with the counter-service. There were some off-duty CMs at the bar drinking and they were complaining about people on the DDP! I think the servers at Olivias are ticked-off about the plan. Around 4 the room was ready. It was HUGE, very clean and beautiful. We were impressed.
We kept saying how happy we were to join the DVC. We took a bus to EPCOT for dinner and then did extra magic hours at MK. We only use Disney Transportation, so we are used to the system and it does not bother us. Day two we started at AK and then ended up at MGM. Day three we were at the MK all day.Other than the initial bus to EPCOT (which arrived right away) the bus system seemed a little inefficient. The resort was packed and we waited at least 20 minutes for every bus. The last night at MK was the worst - every other bus stop had two busses come by before the first OKW bus got there. I'm not sure what the problem was.
Day Four we drove to Vero Beach. I bought DVC and planned my points with the intention to spend a week at HH every summer (since it's a shorter drive), but I have to say it will be really hard to not just drive to Vero for our beach time. We loved this resort. It was very laid-back and casual - much more so than I expected (I had in mind that it would be more fancy/snobby for some reason). I grew up in Florida and this resort just felt very much like "home" to me. We arrived at 12:00 and our room was ready.
We were in an Inn room, which I loved and would probably do again instead of the studio. Our room was right next to the laundry room, but we did not hear any noise. The first day we ate lunch at the Green Cabin Room (food was fine, but not great - service and the view were EXCELLENT). Then, we went to the ocean and the kids played in the surf and pool (we put a trash bag over DD's broken arm and just did not let her go totally under water). The pool was actually hot, but the water slide was really fun
. Because DD7 could not really get in the pool, the CMs worked her in and let her go to the unbirthday party. All the CMs at VB were fabulous - super-friendly and helpful. That evening, we put the kids in the Discovery Program and DH and I went to dinner at Shutters (Sonya's was closed). Again the food was okay but the view and service were EXCELLENT. We agree that if we stay longer we will venture out to eat most of the time, and use the on-site restaurants once or twice. We picked up the kids and attended the campfire, which was so much fun (glad I packed the Cutter Advanced because the NoSEEUms were OUT!) Then, we went for a family walk along the beach and ran into some people observing a sea turtle laying a nest of eggs. They had night vision goggles and they let us all take a peek. It was so cool! The next morning we surprised the kids with room-service - Mickey Pancakes. They wanted to go to the beach again, so we went down one last time and then headed off to SSR. As we were leaving, one of the CMs gave them each a special Vero Beach pin. It was a wonderful trip and I can't wait to go back. If I ever have a hard time getting summer ressies there, I'll add-on points in a heartbeat.
, the landscaping and attention to detail was incredible. It seemed like there was a little seating area or fountain tucked around every corner. The quiet pool and playground that overlooks DTD in Congress Park was incredible. We even took the stairs up to our room instead of the elevator just to see the "horror" of the hallways and I was impressed by the windows at each landing. They had clearly been designed and placed specifically to act as "frames" for the view (I'll post pictures). 
Same thing happened to us!
