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

[brettcw23]

Yes, we've kicked that rumor around a little on this thread. It is an intriguing rumor and not out of the question by any means. I would have to wonder what they would do with the new points coming on line that would be sor sale. Would they create a second expiration date from the rest of VWL (expires 2042) so they could sell them better? Or would they just line them up with VWL expiration date and sell off a bunch of 27 year right to use contracts? Seems like that would be a tough sell when they are selling 50 year contracts elsewhere, unless the price was significantly lower.

It will be interesting...stay tuned!

I'm curious about the layout. Wonder if they'd plan on modifying the existing non-DVC rooms or add on to the DVC section.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I'm curious about the layout. Wonder if they'd plan on modifying the existing non-DVC rooms or add on to the DVC section.

The only talk for VWL has been converting existing WL rooms and then the possible tepees over the water.

 

[brettcw23]

The only talk for VWL has been converting existing WL rooms and then the possible tepees over the water.

Interesting! Not sure how I feel about them mixing the WL and VWL rooms. I'm sure the tepees will be more points than what I'll want to use! If they are anything like the Poly bungalows...yikes!

 

[Granny]

Interesting! Not sure how I feel about them mixing the WL and VWL rooms.

Mixing resort and DVC rooms is nothing new for Disney. That's what they did at AKV-Jambo. Originally Jambo was a stand alone resort with no DVC. When they build AKV-Kidani they also converted a number of AKL rooms to DVC. A couple of notes about that:

• The configuration of the rooms at AKV-Jambo are slightly different than AKV-Kidani for the same room type. That's because they had a fixed area to convert at AKV-Jambo and had to lay the rooms out a little differently. I would assume that they would do the same at Wilderness Lodge.

• At AKV-Jambo, they included a few Concierge Level rooms in the conversion to DVC and they created a whole new booking category for Kilimanjaro Club Level (Concierge) for studios, 1BR and 2BR villas.

At AKV, it appears the conversion was done due to lower occupancy issues at Jambo. Wilderness Lodge is similar in that it is also a Deluxe Resort but has reported occupancy issues. I think both resorts (designed by the same architect) have a very strong appeal to a dedicated group, but the majority of WDW visitors don't put them on the same level as the monorail resorts or BC/YC. This is reflected in the pricing for rooms.

I'd have to think that converting rooms to DVC should be a win-win for Disney. If the current resort rooms continually run at a somewhat lower occupancy rate, then this would generate a cash influx to offset the lack of full occupancy. And the other aspect is that we as VWL owners would then be picking up a higher percentage of all the shared fees (front desk, bell services, general area maintenance, etc) that WL & VWL split.

Bottom line....it makes WL more profitable (reduced costs) and assuming they can sell the points, Disney wouldn't have to wait long to recoup their construction costs plus a nice profit.


Personally, I think the conversion rumor has some validity for the reasons cited above. It really doesn't have much impact on us other than giving us more rooms to go after at the 11 month mark and more options. Concierge could be fun to do (once).

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Interesting! Not sure how I feel about them mixing the WL and VWL rooms. I'm sure the tepees will be more points than what I'll want to use! If they are anything like the Poly bungalows...yikes!

I think that Granny outlined some excellent points for the conversion. It has had me wondering if they would somehow make any converted rooms a booking category so that you'd at least know what building you were going to be in - at least assuming there isn't going to be something else to differentiate them such as a concierge level or something like that. But with this recent emphasis on studios I might not have to worry since we usually do 1BR's.

 

[jimmytammy]

I like the idea of concierge like AKL has at VWL too

 

[Granny]

I think that Granny outlined some excellent points for the conversion. It has had me wondering if they would somehow make any converted rooms a booking category so that you'd at least know what building you were going to be in - at least assuming there isn't going to be something else to differentiate them such as a concierge level or something like that. But with this recent emphasis on studios I might not have to worry since we usually do 1BR's.

Kathy...I would think that they would create a separate booking category like they did for Jambo and Kidani. As you say, if they are all studios then it won't impact us much either since we are 1BR residents these days too.

I guess 1BRs have proven to be a bit cumbersome for Disney as they seem to be the last villas to book due to big discrepancy in points between studios and 1BR with similar occupancy restrictions. I still think it is downright weird that studios at VWL now officially sleep 5 and 1BRs sleep 4.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I agree Granny. Double the space in a 1BR and less sleeping capacity (unless you BYOB!).

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I don't know if there are any groupies that go to Star Wars Weekend but FYI that the FP's for the SWW shows opened up today. Frank Oz is going to be there for the 5th weekend. I'd love to see him but no trip planned for that time.

 

[jagoffee]

That is a dedicated 2 bedroom so unless one unexpectedly goes out of service you'll have 2 real beds in the second bedroom. If it's a lock off which has a queen and a double sleeper sofa in it would say "2 Bedroom Lock off villa."

Would you think it would be the same for a cash (using CM discount) reservation? We have reserved a two bedroom villa and our reservation says the same thing. Since we have 7 in our party from three families (my wife and I, my daughter and her family (4), and my brother (CM) the two beds in the second BDR would work out best for us. So I just want to confirm if the reservation does not say 2 BDR lock off villa it is a 2 BDR dedicated unit?
We are really looking forward to experiencing the WLV for the first time in June.
Thanks

 

[jimmytammy]

Welcome to the groupies jagoffee!!!!
I would think that since your ressie says that, it should be a dedicated. I would call just to make sure that is on the request, though they will inform you all requests will try to be met, but no guarantee. As someone else posted here recently, it makes more sense for VWL to get the dedicated 2 bedrooms into the mix 1st as this allows more 1 beds and studios to be rented as well, thus allowing more occupancy. Hope this helps.

 

[horselover]

Just got home from a pre-deployment ceremony and hit the phone before DVC closed...sorry folks, just cant contain the excitement, we are finally, finally going to be back at the Lodge after all this time!!!!

Woo hoo! I think we all understand your excitement. It had been 2 years since we had stayed at the Lodge when we stayed last Dec. So good to be home.

Naturally I scream bloody murder, then proceed to go back into the lab and get fully suited up in my hazmat suit.

Armed with squirt bottles of acetone to destroy Godzilla

I love this!

This is one of my favorite pieces of trivia at WDW. That tree is the oldest living thing found in WDW being more than 130 years old. The plaque beneath the tree proclaims:

Under the Boughs of the original Liberty Tree in Boston in 1765, Patriots calling themselves "The Sons of Liberty" gathered to protest the imposition called the Stamp Act. In the years that followed almost every American town had a Liberty Tree - A Living symbol of the American Freedom of Speech and Assembly. Our Liberty Tree is a Southern Live Oak Quercus Virginiana more than 100 Years Old.
​

And to give you an idea of how Disney doesn't always take the easy way to doing something, here's a little blurb I found about that tree's origin:

The live Southern Oak that serves as the centerpiece for Liberty Square was found on property about six miles away and was moved to it's current location during the Park's construction. Because it was such a large tree, and they wanted to do as little damage as possible a unique plan was devises. In order to move such a large tree two holes were drilled into the trunk and rods were inserted. The moving team was then able to lift the 38 ton tree using the rods and 100-ton crane. The tree arrived safely and the holes were plugged with the original wood that had been removed.

However at some point the wood had become contaminated, the tree was infected and began to rot. Disney's expert horticulturists would save the tree by drilling out the infected areas and filling the holes with cement. To add support to the tree a young southern oak was grafted to the bottom of the original tree.


Cool stuff indeed.

Wow I never knew any of this! I've never looked at that tree close up. Will have to remedy that next time I'm at MK. Thanks for sharing.

H

My experiences with critters is swimming in the WL pool with ducks......someone years ago posted a very funny pic of me in the pool with the caption, "the WL duck whisperer". Wish I could find it.
We have also ran across bull frogs.....armadillo, deer........one time we stayed at VWL in the very last room at the end of the hall (maybe 4th floor??). We had a family of deer sleep under our balcony. Tried to take pics but it is so dark there at night it didn't come out.

As for the rumor, we would def consider buying points if they sold contracts with extended expiration. We LOVE the VWL, but my husband can't wrap his mind around the expiration date so if we add-on, he will probably choose a later contract expiration. So come on DVC! Tell me something good!

I remember that picture! So funny.

Hummm, I'm the one who is always scared when I hear this rumor. I think primarily it's because when I fall in love with some place I'm uber resistant to change. The WL is my ideal vacation spot in Disney. I love the size, the lobby, the smells, the sounds. absolutely every thing. most people get excited on their first day when they see the "welcome to Disneyworld" signs on the highway, I get excited by


So my natural antenna goes up when I hear "expansion".
Lastly, while I loved the GFV's the new poly rehab leaves me feeling "meh". while very nicely done, it has the "Marriott" feel to it, sort of generic with sprinkles of "Polynesian" where before the Poly was much like WL where when you first walk in you are bowled over.

I'm with you Eliza. I'm not resistant to change but I'm not thrilled about new DVC rooms at WL. So much for Ranger Stan's insistance in Dec. this was not true. I can only hope if this does come to fruition there will be separate booking categories like AKV. I have no interest in staying in the main Lodge. I only want to stay in my peaceful, perfect oasis on the Villa side.

The only talk for VWL has been converting existing WL rooms and then the possible tepees over the water.

That rumor better not ever come true!!!! Cute little log cabins maybe. Teepees no way. I still hope they do nothing along the lake. I don't want to lose any of the beach or the nature path behind the bike shop.

Happy Easter to all that celebrate. I hope you have a lovely day with your families tomorrow.

Oh I have big news! I almost forgot. I'm going on a river cruise this summer through Germany & ending in Luxemburg with a couple nights extension in Paris. If air cooperates I'll fly into Munich 2 days early & will finally get to see this in person!

[URL=http://s285.photobucket.com/user/sullystaub/media/Neuschwanstein%20castle_zpsrvnwjmgx.jpg.html][/URL]

So excited!

 

[horselover]

Would you think it would be the same for a cash (using CM discount) reservation? We have reserved a two bedroom villa and our reservation says the same thing. Since we have 7 in our party from three families (my wife and I, my daughter and her family (4), and my brother (CM) the two beds in the second BDR would work out best for us. So I just want to confirm if the reservation does not say 2 BDR lock off villa it is a 2 BDR dedicated unit?
We are really looking forward to experiencing the WLV for the first time in June.
Thanks

If it doesn't say dedicated it's a lock off but as JimmyTammy suggested I'd call MS or CRO & confirm what you have.

 

[prune1977]

Mixing resort and DVC rooms is nothing new for Disney. That's what they did at AKV-Jambo. Originally Jambo was a stand alone resort with no DVC. When they build AKV-Kidani they also converted a number of AKL rooms to DVC. A couple of notes about that:

• The configuration of the rooms at AKV-Jambo are slightly different than AKV-Kidani for the same room type. That's because they had a fixed area to convert at AKV-Jambo and had to lay the rooms out a little differently. I would assume that they would do the same at Wilderness Lodge.

• At AKV-Jambo, they included a few Concierge Level rooms in the conversion to DVC and they created a whole new booking category for Kilimanjaro Club Level (Concierge) for studios, 1BR and 2BR villas.

At AKV, it appears the conversion was done due to lower occupancy issues at Jambo. Wilderness Lodge is similar in that it is also a Deluxe Resort but has reported occupancy issues. I think both resorts (designed by the same architect) have a very strong appeal to a dedicated group, but the majority of WDW visitors don't put them on the same level as the monorail resorts or BC/YC. This is reflected in the pricing for rooms.

I'd have to think that converting rooms to DVC should be a win-win for Disney. If the current resort rooms continually run at a somewhat lower occupancy rate, then this would generate a cash influx to offset the lack of full occupancy. And the other aspect is that we as VWL owners would then be picking up a higher percentage of all the shared fees (front desk, bell services, general area maintenance, etc) that WL & VWL split.

Bottom line....it makes WL more profitable (reduced costs) and assuming they can sell the points, Disney wouldn't have to wait long to recoup their construction costs plus a nice profit.


Personally, I think the conversion rumor has some validity for the reasons cited above. It really doesn't have much impact on us other than giving us more rooms to go after at the 11 month mark and more options. Concierge could be fun to do (once).

Its still crazy to me to think of that price difference between monorail resorts, YC/BC and WL. I mean I guess I can see a little price difference maybe but none of those resorts has the wow factor of the lobby that WL does, not even close or the relaxing quiet atmosphere.

 

[jagoffee]

If it doesn't say dedicated it's a lock off but as JimmyTammy suggested I'd call MS or CRO & confirm what you have.

Either I am really confused or you and jimmytammy are saying exactly the opposite thing. You are saying that it is lockout if it does not say dedicated.
Jimmytammy is saying that it is a dedicated if it does not say lockout. What am I missing?

Welcome to the groupies jagoffee!!!!
I would think that since your ressie says that, it should be a dedicated. I would call just to make sure that is on the request, though they will inform you all requests will try to be met, but no guarantee. As someone else posted here recently, it makes more sense for VWL to get the dedicated 2 bedrooms into the mix 1st as this allows more 1 beds and studios to be rented as well, thus allowing more occupancy. Hope this helps.

Thank you for the welcome. My 60 day window is approaching and I will call as you suggest.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

If it doesn't say dedicated it's a lock off but as JimmyTammy suggested I'd call MS or CRO & confirm what you have.

Either I am really confused or you and jimmytammy are saying exactly the opposite thing. You are saying that it is lockout if it does not say dedicated.
Jimmytammy is saying that it is a dedicated if it does not say lockout. What am I missing?
.

I'm confused too! Perhaps it's different for CRO although I do believe that they put you in dedicated when booking thru them although it's may not be guaranteed. For a point booking though I'm positive that it will say lock-off if that's what it is and will only say 2BR if it's a dedicated. How can I be so positive you ask? Well, because I currently have a lock-off that I'm working on switching over to a dedicated for next Oct. Lock-off lists it as such and the dedicated only says 2 bedroom.

 

[jagoffee]

I'm confused too! Perhaps it's different for CRO although I do believe that they put you in dedicated when booking thru them although it's may not be guaranteed. For a point booking though I'm positive that it will say lock-off if that's what it is and will only say 2BR if it's a dedicated. How can I be so positive you ask? Well, because I currently have a lock-off that I'm working on switching over to a dedicated for next Oct. Lock-off lists it as such and the dedicated only says 2 bedroom.

Thank you for your quick reply. The real life example is appreciated. I will post when I confirm ours.

 

[Corinne]

I like the idea of concierge like AKL has at VWL too

Oh my goodness, how FAB would that be!!!!??? With VWL as our home resort, we would have first dibs. Lol

Happy Easter Groupies!!!

 

[Granny]

Happy Easter!​

May your day be beautiful and blessed!​

 

[twinklebug]

Love Pluto and Mickey combo @Granny, so to continue that theme ... Happy Easter everyone!