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

[jimmytammy]

13 more sleeps!!

 

[MsChristy12]

Good morning/afternoon groupies! My 11-month window booking is almost here!! So excited! This will be our first BRV stay since we bought our contract!
We just came back from Paris and did a couple night stay at DLP. We visited most of the resorts since they are all walking distance. As expected, Sequoia Lodge is basically the dup of WL and the pre-refurb BRV! Our Florida version is much nicer though!

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

13 more sleeps!!

Woo Hoo!!! So exciting.

Good morning/afternoon groupies! My 11-month window booking is almost here!! So excited! This will be our first BRV stay since we bought our contract!
We just came back from Paris and did a couple night stay at DLP. We visited most of the resorts since they are all walking distance. As expected, Sequoia Lodge is basically the dup of WL and the pre-refurb BRV! Our Florida version is much nicer though!

We had thrown around going to DLP at one point and Sequoia Lodge was where we wanted to stay if we went. We are doing Tokyo Disney next year instead.

 

[MsChristy12]

Woo Hoo!!! So exciting.

We had thrown around going to DLP at one point and Sequoia Lodge was where we wanted to stay if we went. We are doing Tokyo Disney next year instead.

Hey us too! We are planning for Spring.

My husband and I love visiting different resorts no matter where. So for DLP, we also visited all of them except Davy Crockette Ranch since you can't walk to that one. Our stay was at Newport Bay Club, which they tried to dup as Yacht club. The interior theming isn't bad but again, ours is still better. Their rooms though...MY GOODNESS!! Had I known their rooms haven't been refurb in ages...I probably would have booked Cheyenne instead w/ Wild West, Jessie and Woody theme! The only issue is, the buildings at Cheyenne are far apart. If your room is in one of the further back buildings...not fun walking back to your room at the end of the night when you're tired. Or in our case, a little chilly and maybe wet at times. Then going to the lobby would also take awhile. Newport Bay is one huge building all connected (east and west wing), and we got lucky that our room was pretty much right in the center and close to elevator, easy to get to the lobby and the Brita water machine! They only have one in the entire resort, if they have more, no idea where they are located.

Disneyland Hotel of course is their crown jewel! It's gorgeous, updated and prime location! If it wasn't more than double the price of Newport, we would have loved to stay there instead.

Anyone wanna know more about the other DLP resorts, let me know! Happy to share.

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

Hey us too! We are planning for Spring.

My husband and I love visiting different resorts no matter where. So for DLP, we also visited all of them except Davy Crockette Ranch since you can't walk to that one. Our stay was at Newport Bay Club, which they tried to dup as Yacht club. The interior theming isn't bad but again, ours is still better. Their rooms though...MY GOODNESS!! Had I known their rooms haven't been refurb in ages...I probably would have booked Cheyenne instead w/ Wild West, Jessie and Woody theme! The only issue is, the buildings at Cheyenne are far apart. If your room is in one of the further back buildings...not fun walking back to your room at the end of the night when you're tired. Or in our case, a little chilly and maybe wet at times. Then going to the lobby would also take awhile. Newport Bay is one huge building all connected (east and west wing), and we got lucky that our room was pretty much right in the center and close to elevator, easy to get to the lobby and the Brita water machine! They only have one in the entire resort, if they have more, no idea where they are located.

Disneyland Hotel of course is their crown jewel! It's gorgeous, updated and prime location! If it wasn't more than double the price of Newport, we would have loved to stay there instead.

Anyone wanna know more about the other DLP resorts, let me know! Happy to share.

Once you get back from Tokyo you will have to give me some tips. It is so overwhelming. I know WDW like the back of my hand so this is an unusual feeling for me to feel so lost when it comes to the planning. We are gonna use a travel agent where we can and I also plan to buy TDR Explorers guide. We love his videos. We are watching a lot of videos right now lol

 

[MsChristy12]

Once you get back from Tokyo you will have to give me some tips. It is so overwhelming. I know WDW like the back of my hand so this is an unusual feeling for me to feel so lost when it comes to the planning. We are gonna use a travel agent where we can and I also plan to buy TDR Explorers guide. We love his videos. We are watching a lot of videos right now lol

Just Japan in general? Or TDR specific? I went to Japan (Tokyo only) in September and can totally give you some general tips. We didn't go to TDR because it was actually my husband's work trip and I just tagged along, but I also did remote work 5 days a week. We didn't want to stretch it w/ the time we had, so decided we'll go to TDR when we go on a real vacation so we could truly enjoy it. However, we did take the train to the Maihama station and went shopping around TDR! Went to Bon Voyage and also visited Disneyland Hotel and Ikspiari (their version of Disney Springs).

We actually met Chris from TDRexplorers at D23! We sat down at a table at the food court and he was right there across from us. He was not nearly as enthusiastic as he is in videos. I told him we watch his videos all the time and he has one of the best contents for TDR, and he was just like "oh thanks". BUT, he's human too and maybe he wasn't feeling well or just having a bad day, so I'll give him a pass and not take it personal.

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

Just Japan in general? Or TDR specific? I went to Japan (Tokyo only) in September and can totally give you some general tips. We didn't go to TDR because it was actually my husband's work trip and I just tagged along, but I also did remote work 5 days a week. We didn't want to stretch it w/ the time we had, so decided we'll go to TDR when we go on a real vacation so we could truly enjoy it. However, we did take the train to the Maihama station and went shopping around TDR! Went to Bon Voyage and also visited Disneyland Hotel and Ikspiari (their version of Disney Springs).

We actually met Chris from TDRexplorers at D23! We sat down at a table at the food court and he was right there across from us. He was not nearly as enthusiastic as he is in videos. I told him we watch his videos all the time and he has one of the best contents for TDR, and he was just like "oh thanks". BUT, he's human too and maybe he wasn't feeling well or just having a bad day, so I'll give him a pass and not take it personal.

We are doing both TDR and Tokyo and a couple other places. I would mostly welcome TDR tips. My daughter has been to Japan before so I think she has a pretty good idea of what we need to do. When did you meet Chris?

 

[MsChristy12]

We are doing both TDR and Tokyo and a couple other places. I would mostly welcome TDR tips. My daughter has been to Japan before so I think she has a pretty good idea of what we need to do. When did you meet Chris?

Ah that's fantastic! We met Chris at D23 in Anaheim this year.

 

[wildernessDad]

Hello, fellow groupies! It is I, the pest from the past. We'll be at VWL from Dec 15 - Dec 20. I'll check the list at the front of this thread to see if anybody will be there at that time. I just checked. Looks like we'll miss you by one week, but we are close by, so if there's a meet-up somewhere, please let me know here and we'll come if we can.

 

[TCRAIG]

Hello, fellow groupies! It is I, the pest from the past. We'll be at VWL from Dec 15 - Dec 20. I'll check the list at the front of this thread to see if anybody will be there at that time. I just checked. Looks like we'll miss you by one week, but we are close by, so if there's a meet-up somewhere, please let me know here and we'll come if we can.

Hey WD - sorry I’ll miss seeing you - I’ll be at WLV 12/4-12/8 (BCV before that)…

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

Hello, fellow groupies! It is I, the pest from the past. We'll be at VWL from Dec 15 - Dec 20. I'll check the list at the front of this thread to see if anybody will be there at that time. I just checked. Looks like we'll miss you by one week, but we are close by, so if there's a meet-up somewhere, please let me know here and we'll come if we can.

Hi WD!!! Great to hear from you

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

So looks like the resort is happening but not gonna be called Reflections now. I just hope it won't be an eyesore.

 

[Mle8308]

So looks like the resort is happening but not gonna be called Reflections now. I just hope it won't be an eyesore.

River Country Lodge??? I don't think it will be an eyesore.

 

[twinklebug]

River Country Lodge??? I don't think it will be an eyesore.

Disney Lakeside Lodge is the new name. I like it.

 

[twinklebug]

So looks like the resort is happening but not gonna be called Reflections now. I just hope it won't be an eyesore.

I have warmed up a little to the design, although the seagull-winged canopy over the entrance still seems too retro-modern to me.

 

[Mle8308]

Disney Lakeside Lodge is the new name. I like it.

I missed that! I like that name (though I like River Country Lodge better )!

 

[twinklebug]

I missed that! I like that name (though I like River Country Lodge better )!

I have my fingers crossed they recreate the tube river-raft slide RC had. That was the best,

 

[Mle8308]

I have my fingers crossed they recreate the tube river-raft slide RC had. That was the best,

Yes! I do remember going to River Country with my family when I was a kid! I don't remember much, but I thought it was pretty cool.

 

[CarolynFH]

I have warmed up a little to the design, although the seagull-winged canopy over the entrance still seems too retro-modern to me.

I think that's the old Reflections concept art, so it's possible they'll tweak it somewhat. I hope it will blend better with WL and FW (although those new CFW cabins kind of remind me of the Reflections concept art). Also, since DVC announced it, does that mean it will be all-DVC instead of the DVC/hotel combo Reflections was planned to be?

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

River Country Lodge??? I don't think it will be an eyesore.

I hope not. I hope it will blend well with the area.