VWL Groupies & Lovers Thread (Special Collectors Edition 2.0) updated 21 June 2023

[Dizny Dad]

As DiznyDi shared, I took last week off from work. It was the first time in 10 yrs that we stayed at home instead of jetting off to The World. I had so much I wanted to accomplish during my time off on the house and property. I accomplished about 40% of what I thought should be done, but had a great time with DiznyDi none-the-less!

Great to hear of all the excitement from the group; and Happy Anniversary Sleepy & Luv. and Sleepy, I really appreciated the trip report.

 

[ArielSRL]

Moose dust ArielSRL on your contract! I hope everything goes well and you'll soon have those points in your account for trip planning.

Thank you!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Happy Belated Anniversary to Sleepy and Luv. Sorry I missed it yesterday. Love reading the trip highlights though.

Today has not been a good one at our house. One of our little dogs was attacked last night in our back yard. Not sure by what, maybe a coyote or a fox. Took him to the vet this morning and he's got several puncture wounds (which I knew) and a broken rib (which I had no idea) She had to do surgery on him this afternoon. We are super sad at our house. Hope to hear back from the vet a little later about his progress.

Hope your guy is doing better! I had a dog attacked by a raccoon many years ago. Punctured trachea for one thing. She was sooooo sore for a long time. I'd have to carry her outside to do her business, set her down and when she was done carry her back in. Also first time she ever got to eat whatever she wanted as long as she'd eat as her throat and rest of her was very painful so she wasn't very inclined. Hand feeding and lots of encouragement.

You didn't. They are indeed Percherons & very beautiful. A sweet, mild mannered breed. Gentle giants. I bet @KAT4DISNEY would agree.

Yep! Mostly Percherons at WDW although a few Belgians thrown in and maybe some others have snuck in. DL has a Brabant for one - which is a "european" belgian.

 

[horselover]

Yep! Mostly Percherons at WDW although a few Belgians thrown in and maybe some others have snuck in. DL has a Brabant for one - which is a "european" belgian.

Those Europeans & their fancy words. It's been a long time since I've walked over to the stables at FW. Mostly because it's been so long since I've stayed at VWL. Always enjoying visiting with the horses.

I've got a split stay BLT/VWL in March (2 & 2) mostly because I didn't want to borrow any points. My preference would be to move to BCV at the 7 mo. window just because it's easier for F&G, but now I'm wondering if maybe I shouldn't do a split between BCV & VWL. Not sure when I'll get another opportunity to stay at VWL. We aren't doing a Chrismtas/NY trip in 2018. I miss my home. I may be stuck with the BLT/VWL split though because my 7 mo. window opens while we're in NZ. Can't call from there. I'll have to take my chances when we get home mid Aug.

 

[ElizabethCB]

Elizabeth[/B]...If I haven't already said so, CONGRATULATIONS on your DVC ownership!

I think you did, but thank you! It went through in January, and we are taking our first trip (to Copper Creek) in January 2018. Can't wait!

 

[rkstocke5609]

Hmmm. Interesting.

I use it for my IPad mini & iPhone. For the cost, its definitely worth a try. Absolutely no good for a beverage however....

 

[pmaurer74]

We signed up for July 12th - my birthday. We got very lucky with the timing. We leave the 13th

Let me know how the tour goes and what they do on the tour. Thanks!

 

[Corinne]

Sleepy - disappointed to hear the MK fireworks are not as good as Wishes, especially from afar, which is often how we view them. We will be at CA Grill for our anniversary in September so that's a bummer, but I'll make the most of it!

I enjoyed your trip report, and completely agree way too much CGI used in the new version of Soarin'.

 

[aoconnor]

Sleepy - disappointed to hear the MK fireworks are not as good as Wishes, especially from afar, which is often how we view them. We will also be at CA Grille for our anniversary in September so that's a bummer.

I enjoyed your trip report, and completely agree way too much CGI used in the new version of Soarin'.

I'm a little surprised because I thought I read that Happily Ever After actually has quite a few more fireworks shells than Wishes. It's longer though so maybe it's more spread out.

I third the CGI criticism for Soarin'- way too noticeable.

 

[Lakegirl]

Sleepy thanks so much for your trip report!!! Loved every minute of it.

 

[ArielSRL]

Hopefully I won't get flamed...lol...but I loved Happily Ever After! Granted, we did the Plaza dessert party so we had a great view without the crowds. I love Wishes, too, though.

Oh and I asked for Row B1 with Soarin and it was a great view...but I've heard the curving is really noticeable, otherwise.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I am another fan of HEA! I think you have to decide to watch the projections or the fireworks. We did the dessert party with Plaza viewing on July 2, and really enjoyed the projections, and then did TTOTW on July 6 and enjoyed the fireworks. I love the theme to make your own Magic!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

We haven't seen HEA yet but I had the concern of fewer fireworks and more stuff projected on the buildings. The projections are nice and add a lot if you can see them but I LOVE fireworks so have been afraid I won't like the new show as much. I'll know in October.

 

[sleepydog25]

Hopefully I won't get flamed...lol...but I loved Happily Ever After! Granted, we did the Plaza dessert party so we had a great view without the crowds. I love Wishes, too, though.

Oh and I asked for Row B1 with Soarin and it was a great view...but I've heard the curving is really noticeable, otherwise.

Oh, no, you're in trouble now! Seriously, such matters are totally subjective, and just because Luv and I didn't like HEA as much as Wishes doesn't mean others won't. Perhaps if we'd viewed HEA in MK so that we could see the projections on the castle, we would have liked it more. Of course, that means to see them, you actually HAVE to be in the park or pay extra for a dessert party (neither of us are big sweets eaters, so that might be problematic). As for the fireworks, I don't know that there are fewer--there may even be more. The fireworks, in fact, were fine as a standalone segment--there are a couple of new explosions that are quite remarkable, too. For us, standing at the TOTWL and not being able to see the projections, we simply didn't get the connection to the music as much. Personally, and again it's only my lone opinion after only one viewing, missing out on an important component of the display (projections) lessened the emotional impact. On top of that, with so much of the music being of the newer generation variety, I felt a bit lost. Perhaps one day we'll venture into MK and see HEA up close.

As for the curve in Soarin', they were only operating one flight deck (the first one) when we arrived for our FP (Epcot hadn't been open long), and we were seated in the front row about middle way down. While the smell-o-rama aspect was better than our visit in May (4 distinct smells--grass, jasmine, mountain air, sea breeze), the tilt seemed worse--I thought the Eiffel Tower was the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Sorry to seem like such a negative nanny, but Soarin' went from one of my top five rides to just a middling attraction.

I'm certain part of my issues with current things at Disney is that I'm reluctant to change unless I can perceive a noted advancement or better product. On my list of personal annoyances:
- Maelstrom: Wasn't a great ride, but Frozen isn't, either. The songs are better is all.
- Soarin': Old version had more glee, more Disney joy. . .and lacked "The Tilt."
- Test Track: Neon update a few years ago seems cheaply done and added nothing to the ride.
- BRV/CCVC: WILDERNESS Lodge, Disney. . .
- Roaring Fork: Freshly made Mickey waffles with toppings, Disney. . .
- HEA: You can't fit everyone into MK on any given night to see the projections, Disney. . .
Well, you get the picture. Luv would say "roll with it, babe," but sometimes I just can't. Okay, now back to the regularly scheduled programming. . .

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

. On top of that, with so much of the music being of the newer generation variety, I felt a bit lost. Perhaps one day we'll venture into MK and see HEA up close.

When I saw the song list I thought they were "interesting" choices and are not things that I'll identify much with. Will the younger generation identify enough or were the classics something they also knew with appeal for everyone? It was disappointing to me but again, have to wait and see.

.
As for the curve in Soarin', they were only operating one flight deck (the first one) when we arrived for our FP (Epcot hadn't been open long), and we were seated in the front row about middle way down. While the smell-o-rama aspect was better than our visit in May (4 distinct smells--grass, jasmine, mountain air, sea breeze), the tilt seemed worse--I thought the Eiffel Tower was the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Sorry to seem like such a negative nanny, but Soarin' went from one of my top five rides to just a middling attraction.

I'm certain part of my issues with current things at Disney is that I'm reluctant to change unless I can perceive a noted advancement or better product. On my list of personal

Oh that curve. I mean seriously. This came from a company that does huge movie productions? Did they forget to tell the film people that they had a curved screen to shoot for? It really is so poorly done and no decent excuse at all. Just an oops - we forgot about that. And that seems to encompass so many of the new changes and additions. Not bad but then some rather big oops.

.
I'm certain part of my issues with current things at Disney is that I'm reluctant to change unless I can perceive a noted advancement or better product. On my list of personal annoyances:
- Maelstrom: Wasn't a great ride, but Frozen isn't, either. The songs are better is all. Or rather - there are songs now. The queue is an improvement. It would have been cute as a new ride added to MK or DHS but gutting Maelstrom for it - still a no-no for me.
- Soarin': Old version had more glee, more Disney joy. . .and lacked "The Tilt."
- Test Track: Neon update a few years ago seems cheaply done and added nothing to the ride. We ride it because it's still the same track, but where I used to actually like the theme before and would almost hope for some small line to look around more I now want to get thru the queue as quickly as possible. The design a car? We do single rider to avoid it. The room where you used to get sprayed with "acid"? They couldn't even think of anything to do there. A complete waste of remodel money for us.
- BRV/CCVC: WILDERNESS Lodge, Disney. . .
- Roaring Fork: Freshly made Mickey waffles with toppings, Disney. . .
- HEA: You can't fit everyone into MK on any given night to see the projections, Disney. . . That's the thing I dislike a lot about using the projections for the story. They took the best fireworks shows at Disney (DHS - one of which were the Star Wars fireworks) and by adding the projections it made them a much more disjointed show to watch from anywhere other than right in front of the projections. That means they have decrease the number of viewers that enjoy the full experience as designed vs increasing the viewing size.
Well, you get the picture. Luv would say "roll with it, babe," but sometimes I just can't. Okay, now back to the regularly scheduled programming. . .Such wise advice. Sometimes you just want to stomp your feet and throw a tantrum though!

 

[Roxyfire]

Oh that curve. I mean seriously. This came from a company that does huge movie productions? Did they forget to tell the film people that they had a curved screen to shoot for? It really is so poorly done and no decent excuse at all. Just an oops - we forgot about that. And that seems to encompass so many of the new changes and additions. Not bad but then some rather big oops.

At this point it all kinda makes me chuckle. There's one landmark, and I'm not going to say what or when, but I really have a hard time stifling my giggles. It's just so...uhm...anatomical... I am basically an overgrown teenager after all

But I do wonder why not focus on landmarks that are more round. Maybe they'll change the video sooner rather than later but that's just getting my hopes up. We still go on it a couple times every trip because it's a fantastic ride.

 

[DenLo]

Hi, groupies!

I have been watching the 3 br villas at Copper Creek since we are staying there in January. I've been meaning to post this and realized I'd better do it today!

Check this out. It looks like someone booked the 3br villa for 5 nights in February. They booked before the 7 month mark, so they must be CCV owners...of 575 points! (Or maybe half that, and they are borrowing from 2018?)

I'm a new owner, and we bought resale, so maybe I'm off here...just looked like a pretty big investment in CCV! I'm jealous, although that would wear off once I got the annual fee bill.

I keep trying to figure out how our 65 CCV points will cover a cabin's point cost. I cannot imagine a GV. Even if we book at the 7 month mark for additional nights and use three years of CCV points we won't be able to stay there more than a few nights. I am not sure I want to give up all the nights those points would represent if we stayed in a studio instead.

Or maybe for our 40th anniversary in 2020, we might do it.

 

[sleepydog25]

Agree with all your comments, KAT. Like you, the TT queue feels laborious to me, and I liked the old theme as a test track. I still love the 60+ mph part of it, but the rest feels like a rejected TRON experiment. Frozen ride is fine, and the queue there IS better. The ride certainly has an appeal if you love the movie; however, there was something so very old school (read: retro cool) about Maelstrom, partially because it represented some of the culture of an actual country. . .in the World Showcase. Plus, it also holds a special place in our hearts as it's an integral part of how Luv and I met. I like projections. I thought when they first started them a few years back as part of Christmas or the family vacation memories that was an appropriate use. However, and sorry for whacking on an expired equine, making them a focal point for a fireworks show reduces the appeal for me unless I make the effort to go into MK and spend a couple of hours standing around in order to get a decent viewing spot. I know, I know. It's a cool effect and people love it. I'm just not a fan of this approach as it reduces the full enjoyment for thousands each night who have gathered at TOTWL, Poly, GF, Narcoossee's, TTC, and even Geyser Point (where the music is now piped in). Okay, I'll shut up.

At this point it all kinda makes me chuckle. There's one landmark, and I'm not going to say what or when, but I really have a hard time stifling my giggles. It's just so...uhm...anatomical... I am basically an overgrown teenager after all

Aren't we all?

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Happy Birthday @DVC Jen !!!!!
Hope you have a Moose wonderful day!

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[KAT4DISNEY]

A belated Happy Birthday @lisah0711 !!!!

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