VWL Groupies & Lovers Thread (Special Collectors Edition 2.5) updated 2 February 2025

[wildernessDad]

December 10, 2015…the condo meeting was at Contemporary, and there were characters, I think we each could get a Rice Krispies Mickey as well as drinks.

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I see four characters in that picture.

 

[jimmytammy]

I have not been on this board for a long, long time, feels like a hundred years the way the last few have gone. So glad to see all the familiar names still here.

We are thinking of off-loading our lodge points to buy at CCV - I know it’s blasphemy here (lol), but thinking long term, I think I want the longer end date. We will probably sell our VGC points too, so IN THEORY it should all be a wash.

Anyone have any thoughts or advice?

Kathy
I totally get it! I too had thought of doing the same, sell BWV pts to get BLT pts, extend the life of DVC a bit
I think I will be 72 when original VWL pts run out and hope to have a few good years left in me at that point to continue traveling
If not can give to kids so either way it’s a win win
I don’t think for your needs you are making a bad choice

 

[jimmytammy]

Anybody know if the Arcade and the gym are open?

vwlfan
Hoping someone can give you an answer who has been recently or going soon

 

[bobbiwoz]

Kathy
I totally get it! I too had thought of doing the same, sell BWV pts to get BLT pts, extend the life of DVC a bit
I think I will be 72 when original VWL pts run out and hope to have a few good yes left in me at that point to continue traveling
If not can give to kids so either way it’s a win win
I don’t think for your needs you are making a bad choice

Tom will be 98, and I will be 95 in January of 2042, and I am at a loss to make a decision. Surprisingly, both sons said they would be interested in receiving points from us. ( You would have to know our younger son to realize how shocked that statement was to us, coming from him.)

My Mom traveled with the whole family to WDW until she was 87. We are not as feisty!

Tom got the OK to travel yesterday, and drive. When you lose 15-20% of lung capacity there is much to get used to as far as moving around. He is 3 1/2 weeks from surgery, and was in hospital for 5 days. “They” say recovery takes a week for every day in hospital. I think we will be OK for our late November trip to WDW!

 

[sleepydog25]

Anybody know if the Arcade and the gym are open?

Unsure of the arcade, but I believe it is open, yes. The gym was open shortly after the resort opened last year.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I'm getting lost on the theme park board so maybe someone here can answer. Where on the App I get to the spot to make park reservations? The website is currently not loading that page and tells me to contact the site owner. And I haven't looked at the app in ages. Thought it might be under the park hours but not seeing it there. Tickets are linked so that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I have not been on this board for a long, long time, feels like a hundred years the way the last few have gone. So glad to see all the familiar names still here.

We are thinking of off-loading our lodge points to buy at CCV - I know it’s blasphemy here (lol), but thinking long term, I think I want the longer end date. We will probably sell our VGC points too, so IN THEORY it should all be a wash.

Anyone have any thoughts or advice?

The main thought I have is if you're looking at resale for CCV then you'll lose the grandfathering on the Blue Card. That may or may not be important. Might be a reconsideration for selling everything you currently have though assuming they that all of them keep you a qualified member.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Well I got in a back way to the website to see park availability and finally figured out on the app where to see it. Sure would make sense to me to have a link to it from the theme park hours tab. But they didn't check with me.

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

I saw on another site that the tree is up and the Lodge is decorated! Wish I could go and see it.

 

[Kathymford]

The main thought I have is if you're looking at resale for CCV then you'll lose the grandfathering on the Blue Card. That may or may not be important. Might be a reconsideration for selling everything you currently have though assuming they that all of them keep you a qualified member.

Thank you so much for this. We are actually going to buy direct ... I think. I am too nervous about what Disney will do with restricting access on resales.

We have now tossed around about 18 different ideas of which way to go with this, which includes doing nothing, not selling anything and buying more VWL points, and everything in between. lol

 

[bobbiwoz]

Thank you so much for this. We are actually going to buy direct ... I think. I am too nervous about what Disney will do with restricting access on resales.

We have now tossed around about 18 different ideas of which way to go with this, which includes doing nothing, not selling anything and buying more VWL points, and everything in between. lol

It’s good to have options! So you make the right decision for you!

 

[Granny]

Well I got in a back way to the website to see park availability and finally figured out on the app where to see it. Sure would make sense to me to have a link to it from the theme park hours tab. But they didn't check with me.

Kathy....I hate to sound like a grumpy old man (mostly because I am one) but I find the new app and Genie thing to be very user-unfriendly. Before it was a pretty straightforward app to get to plans and make ADRs/ FPs and even park reservations. Now it seems like you have to go through a fair number of screens, and they aren't all that intuitive as you alluded to. I can handle change, but I don't see this as a positive change experience. Okay, getting off my soapbox now.

 

[Suzabella]

I'm getting lost on the theme park board so maybe someone here can answer. Where on the App I get to the spot to make park reservations? The website is currently not loading that page and tells me to contact the site owner. And I haven't looked at the app in ages. Thought it might be under the park hours but not seeing it there. Tickets are linked so that shouldn't be an issue.

Sorry, Kat. I just saw your post. I played around and was able to get to the Theme Park Reservations screen in the phone app by hitting the + at the bottom of the screen in the tool bar. It takes you to a menu where 'Make a Park Reservation' is an option toward the bottom of the screen. I'm using an iPhone if it matters.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Sorry, Kat. I just saw your post. I played around and was able to get to the Theme Park Reservations screen in the phone app by hitting the + at the bottom of the screen in the tool bar. It takes you to a menu where 'Make a Park Reservation' is an option toward the bottom of the screen. I'm using an iPhone if it matters.

Thanks! Yes, that's finally a "button" that I hit and voila!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Kathy....I hate to sound like a grumpy old man (mostly because I am one) but I find the new app and Genie thing to be very user-unfriendly. Before it was a pretty straightforward app to get to plans and make ADRs/ FPs and even park reservations. Now it seems like you have to go through a fair number of screens, and they aren't all that intuitive as you alluded to. I can handle change, but I don't see this as a positive change experience. Okay, getting off my soapbox now.

Call my grumpy old lady or Grump #2 then. It was the first time I'd looked at it since the Genie roll out and agree that it wasn't terribly intuitive or at least not to me. I hadn't really thought that about previous versions.

 

[jimmytammy]

Hey Gang!
Just checking in on this bright, cool morning from sunny NC. The leaves are bright and colorful here and I love seeing them glow this time of year, all the yellows, reds and oranges that God painted. They have held on for longer than normal, where usually we get a big November wind and rain by this time and they will all come tumbling down. The winter is just around the corner as our mountains got a bit of snow yesterday.

I guess I'm mainly blubbering on as I noticed we were slipping near the bottom of the page, and 2nd page status doesn't bode well with us

Hope everyone here has a great week filled with lots of joy and good health

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

So I got some good news from the owner we are renting points from for our February trip. All of our waitlists have come through! So now instead of having to stay in multiple rooms at BWV, we will have one room the whole time. He was also going to try to keep checking to change the3 nights at BLT over to BWV but I told him I wanted to keep it. I have never stayed there and I'd like to try it. Stayed in the main tower many many years ago but first time at BLT. Plus it's close enough to VWL for a quick visit. Just hoping the boats are running till then.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Hey Gang!
Just checking in on this bright, cool morning from sunny NC. The leaves are bright and colorful here and I love seeing them glow this time of year, all the yellows, reds and oranges that God painted. They have held on for longer than normal, where usually we get a big November wind and rain by this time and they will all come tumbling down. The winter is just around the corner as our mountains got a bit of snow yesterday.

I guess I'm mainly blubbering on as I noticed we were slipping near the bottom of the page, and 2nd page status doesn't bode well with us

Hope everyone here has a great week filled with lots of joy and good health

I enjoyed reading about your version of God’s coloring book! ( Dolly’s words )

 

[ErinC]

Good Afternoon all! Jimmy, I do think the Carolina's have a significant advantage this time of year in the beauty department. DH and I did a week of camping back in late October in Gatlinburg. The leaves were just starting to change and we drove through the Smokies several times just in awe of how beautiful the scenery was. We also visited Dollywood for a couple of those days. I had not been since I was maybe in high school. I really enjoyed the visit, and the pumpkin lights were really fun. The newest section of Dollywood was pretty impressive (IMHO). I think it's so funny to visit other theme parks and just compare them to Disney. Disney is really all I know, but I felt like there were areas that really reminded me of things at Disney parks. I know there are people that like it better than Disney, I wouldn't go that far, but I sure enjoyed the couple of days we spent there. If I lived anywhere close, I would buy a season pass in a heartbeat and visit during every season to enjoy their decor. I'm sure the Christmas lights are probably equally impressive.

On a totally separate note, I did get that BWV reservation for my college kid's spring break. She will be driving her car, but one of the other girls will also drive. Will they have to pay fees to park at BWV if they are on my DVC reservation? Asking here on this board instead of the other, because you all will not be ugly to me.

 

[bobbiwoz]

^ Season passes at Dollywood are barely more than a day pass at WDW. We have lived in Ohio and now NJ ( where we are 13+ hours away) and have season passes at Dollywood since 1998. Dollywood‘s Christmas parade is much more low keyed than anything in WDW, but here’s a float.