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

[jimmytammy]

Us too Kathy
We hung out at club level and soaked up every last min. we could. At airport now, flight looking maybe 10 min delay. Can't wait til Oct!! 145 days to go!!

 

[Dizny Dad]

. . . . . . . . . Went to illum dessert party, great area to view, good desserts, esp doughnuts with Kahlua. If you do the party my advice, don't walk a lot that day as you have to stand the whole time. . . . . . . . . . .

DiznyDi & I had ressies for the party, but decided to cancel them when there was so much rain. When asking a CM that was standing in the area of the party that day if the party was ever cancelled due to rain, we were told no, that the food was moved into the large round pavilion behind (convention pavilion?) and you were allowed to stand in the designated area during the show.

We were glad to have cancelled; we stood on the bridge between France and England and had a great view for free. We did lower the umbrellas during the show, but were glad we had them!

 

[Muushka]

Hello

Lots of reading to do....but in the meantime.....

We had an awesome cruise! We did the 15 night Panama Canal repositioning cruise from Miami to San Diego.

Highlights:

The actual transition through the PC is, in a word, awesome. It has been my dream since who knows
when to do this cruise.

They had a PC pilot with 30 years on the PC as a guest speaker. Lots of interesting info.

Sitting in a lounge on the 3rd deck and watching a wall move by swiftly.

Standing on a large uncrowded aft deck watching the gates close.

Chip and Dale visited on above deck!

Standing on top deck forward while we entered the fist set of locks at Gatun. Wow.

Cruising Lake Gatun.

After leaving the PC we had 4 sea days and then off to Puerto Vallarta and then Cabo.

Cabo was a most beautiful port. The rocks.....wow!

Then off to our final destination, San Diego. On the way we saw whales, dolphins and sea otters!

The weather was the best. No complaints. Well, it was hot going thru the PC, but that is normal.
What is not normal is that we got no rain for the transit!

The Pacific ocean was so calm it was like glass. Not even a ripple except for the ones we created.
I've never seen anything like it!

The ship does need some TLC. Rust and wood that was screaming for care. But the rest of the ship
was beautiful and well cared for.

Lots of trivia. Lots of booty!

Met a couple we had cruised with 1.5 years ago, what a treat! We switched our dining to join them. Great!

Got to meet Bobbiwiz and her husband. Another treat!

Saw lots of great movies including...my all time favorite classic, To Kill a Mockingbird. Ahhhhh.

Saw some great shows and some not so great. Our favorite singer John Charles was with us for 3 shows!

Food...meh. I am pretty picky and apparently Mr Muush is too!
But they had some great wraps and salads at a fast food place. Yum.

Flight to Miami was very bad. The roughest. Flight home from CA was great, very smooth.

My feral cat, Lucy, finally agreed to allow another human to touch her!
My neighbor Milo took very good care of her. What a good kid!

We both picked up upper respiratory bugs and are still on the mend.
Mr Muush did go to the ship's doc.

I had a rather scary medical situation before we left and thankfully, no problems
My doc was so good. He told me to have the ship doc call him if I had a problem. So sweet.

Met lots of Dis cruisers.

Boy, that was one fantastic cruise. The best!
didn't have any problems on the cruise. Yay!

 

[MiaSRN62]

Kathy-

Maria so sorry you had the flu, it's the worst! Take care, you know how it can weaken you!!

We have our son and dil-to-be Jack and Jill shower today.

13 more sleeps

Thank you Corinne! Still sick. I am now on antibiotics as of last night. Hoping this will cure me. On day 11 of this I am doing more lounging on couch and reading the DISboards on my iPad vs posting lately.
Hope the shower went well and all had a fun time

Muushka....
WELCOME BACK! Your cruise sounded awesome sans the rocky flight to Miami and the medical issue prior to the start of the vacation. Hope you will be sharing some photos with us

 

[Corinne]

Thank you Corinne! Still sick. I am now on antibiotics as of last night. Hoping this will cure me. On day 11 of this I am doing more lounging on couch and reading the DISboards on my iPad vs posting lately.
Hope the shower went well and all had a fun time

Oh no! Maria, I hope you are feeling better soon! The shower was wonderful, thanks!

Welcome back Muush! Missed you! Sounds like the cruise was a blast! I hope you have photos to share!

 

[DiznyDi]

Muush is back! Yea! Your trip sounds fabulous! Rest for a day or two, then I know we'd all love to see a picture or two. So happy to hear the weather co-operated for you. 15 days would be a long time in rough seas and rain.

JT sounds like you had a great trip, too! Thanks for your recommendations for the Illuminations Dessert Party. As DDad said, besides the rain, my next concern was having to stand the entire time - truly not my idea of a $100 party. IMO: They really need to provide some type of seating. I felt badly canceling, but I'm glad we did.

Hope you feel better soon, Maria! No fun being sick. Your mind want you to be productive, but your body is saying no, no, no.

DDad came home (May 10) from our trip to the World sick. He's just beginning to feel better. He never gets sick.... Head cold, sinus issues, upper respiratory and general body aches.

Counting down the days with you Corinne! I can just feel your excitement building. Oh the anticipation.... I'm another D&B fan. I have way too many of them. The pattern has to be really spectacular for me to consider purchasing another.

Kathy's back too! Love your photos. Thanks so much for posting. Now that you're home, have any other thoughts about the re-furb?
My number 1 complaint would have to be the poor quality of the materials used in the covering of the pull-out and the chair. The 'tweed' type material had pulls/holes in both pieces in our room. And this is new. I just don't see it holding up. Rather disappointing.

 

[jimmytammy]

At the Alan Parsons Show L to R Tammy, Jimmy, Kat4Disney(Kathy)and her DH Gordon
The Hat Lady at Rose n CrownSaw this and had to share with all you groupiesMK CMs enjoying the Mine RideViews from ME

 

[Lisann]

Hi, all. Just got back Saturday from a great 8 days at Disney. We stayed at the Grand Floridian. It was heaven!

Got to visit a one-bedroom Villa at Wilderness Lodge. My sister and I are considering purchasing DVC, and we needed to see some villas to "re-assure" us, or mainly, my sister.

I really like the new decor, but of course, I didn't get to see the previous decor. I feel much better about the look and feel of the room now that we got to do a (very quick) walk-through. My sister doesn't want too much of a campy feel to her vacation, so the villa got her approval. haha. It was weird seeing the WLV decor, as compared to the GFV decor, which we decided is a little too fancy-schmancy for us. Plus, the GFV is too far from the main resort. We actually much prefer the GF resort's regular rooms (although, I wouldn't turn down a stay at the GFVillas.).

The Wilderness Lodge is still so wonderful. We were there last Thursday night for dinner at Artist Point...filet...mushroom soup...pistachio cheesecake...ahhh....

WL is so comforting. I love that place! The whole lodge feels so 'Disney' to me. It was so difficult going to work yesterday morning, but working allows me to afford a vacation at my happy place.

 

[Dizny Dad]

Well, WELCOME HOME everyone . . . great times seemed to be had by all!

Muush - great trip hints, but we need pics! Settle in, get back into the routine, and remember us with some of the pics of the trip.

JimmyTammy - Cool trip, good pics, GREAT Attittude ( Can't wait til Oct!! 145 days to go!! ) It just never wears out, does it!

Lisann - The Lodge during the Christmas season is just wonderful. DVC isn't for everyone, but you know if it is for you; you can just feel it!

DiznyDi tells me she just booked our October and December flights for our return to The World - makes getting up each day and going to work a little easier knowing she is taking such good care of me!

 

[DiznyDi]

Hi, all. Just got back Saturday from a great 8 days at Disney. We stayed at the Grand Floridian. It was heaven!

Got to visit a one-bedroom Villa at Wilderness Lodge. My sister and I are considering purchasing DVC, and we needed to see some villas to "re-assure" us, or mainly, my sister.

I really like the new decor, but of course, I didn't get to see the previous decor. I feel much better about the look and feel of the room now that we got to do a (very quick) walk-through. My sister doesn't want too much of a campy feel to her vacation, so the villa got her approval. haha. It was weird seeing the WLV decor, as compared to the GFV decor, which we decided is a little too fancy-schmancy for us. Plus, the GFV is too far from the main resort. We actually much prefer the GF resort's regular rooms (although, I wouldn't turn down a stay at the GFVillas.).

The Wilderness Lodge is still so wonderful. We were there last Thursday night for dinner at Artist Point...filet...mushroom soup...pistachio cheesecake...ahhh....

WL is so comforting. I love that place! The whole lodge feels so 'Disney' to me. It was so difficult going to work yesterday morning, but working allows me to afford a vacation at my happy place.

Yea! A new Groupie! WELCOME Lisann! Wait til you see the Lodge at Christmastime - Beautiful! So nice to have you join us. Come back and visit often and join in in our daily banter. Not much happening here today - everyone must be planning their next trip

 

[DiznyDi]

We'll, would ya look at that - DDad and I posted at the same time! Great minds must think alike.

I did book our flights yesterday. We're now flying Southwest. Their booking window opened yesterday for Nov/Dec travel. When checking last evening, our return flight on Nov 2 is showing as Sold Out! I checked again this morning and found the same. Wow. Sure glad I jumped right on it at 6:35 AM and secured seating for us.

 

[Lisann]

Yea! A new Groupie! WELCOME Lisann! Wait til you see the Lodge at Christmastime - Beautiful! So nice to have you join us. Come back and visit often and join in in our daily banter. Not much happening here today - everyone must be planning their next trip

Why thank you for the welcome! I am already planning a trip for the early part of December!

 

[ottawagreg]

Hello to all!

I have not checked this page for many days. I am so busy that I barely know what day it is. We are getting close to our summer trip. My count down clock is at 34 days now. My anticipation got me to going thru some pics of trips in recent years. We are so much looking forward to getting away.

Lisa, if you do buy DVC at VWL there isn't anything that is not to like there. At least I can't think of anything.

I decided to bore you all with a few of my vacation pics. Hope you don't mind.

greg

 

[DiznyDi]

Ahhhh to be at the Lodge.....
Thanks Greg for sharing your photos!

 

[jimmytammy]

Welcome to the the groupies Lisann!!!!

 

[Lisann]

Lisa, if you do buy DVC at VWL there isn't anything that is not to like there. At least I can't think of anything.

That's what I was thinking...

 

[eliza61]

Wow, lot's of good reading to catch up on.

Muush and Maria, take care of yourselves. ugg being sick sucks. Muush, glad every thing is ok. I need all my gal pals healthy.

LOL. seems like every one is coming off of vacations. Boy we are going to be in a few months with no vacations. I've come to the conclusion that people who hit the lottery and say they will continue to work are nuts. I'm convinced I could find tons of things to occupy my time.

Anyhoo, so my recap in 60 secs.
Pros:

Contemporary Resort. Very very nice. It's not going to become a favorite but it was surprisingly nice. I say surprisingly because the décor never thrilled me. We were on the 6th floor, had a wonderful pool view and right outside the door we overlooked chef mickey. Kudos to the engineering people. I had trepidations about noise when I first saw our room. No worries. we did not hear a peep from Chef Mickey nor the monorail. Disney really does the resort theme extremely well.
Absolutely cannot beat the walk to MK. Loved the light parade on the lake every night also.

Cons:
Rooms are not designed for tall folks. Sinks and toilets are really low. My knees were creaking every time I tried to get up off the John. Sid and Rizzo had to bend over to brush their teeth.

Magic bands & FP+
Hate 'em. I reserved using that word until after I tried them. While they are nice to open your room door, I don't like the fact that my information pops up every time it's scanned. I pulled into the parking lot at the BC and the guard there made chit chat about my entire day's adr's. I know it's a very minor thing but it's just weird having the guard say "you'll have a great dinner at nine dragons" when I go to park.

Let me just say FP+ simply does not fit our touring style. the basic problem is that imo it's not easy to make changes. I didn't like the fact that if you use two of your fp's and change your mind on the third one you either have to stop at a fp kiosk or pull out your cell phone, hope the wifi in the parks in adequate that day and try to cancel or change them. Also if you park hop, basically the nano second you enter the second park you must find a fp kiosk. It just really took the emphasis off of enjoying the second park and became an exercise in getting a fast pass. don't even get me started about getting stuck behind a visitor that doesn't speak English.

 

[digiMom]

Hi! We're staying at VWL for a couple of nights in August and I have a few questions. I'm hoping you don't mind if I pop in here

We're staying in a studio on rented points and looking for recommendations on room requests. DD and DH are afraid of heights. I was thinking of requesting the first floor, but started wondering if critters might be an issue. Maybe 2nd floor is a better option? Also, DD has some special needs and so a quiet area is appreciated. Are the rooms on the pool side OK as far as noise? How about near the elevator? Any suggestions are appreciated.

The other questions concern transportation. We'll only be going to MK and visiting the other resorts in the area. I'm pretty sure we'll mostly use the boats for transportation. I'm thinking there may be times when the bus makes more sense.. so... Do the buses to MK run all day or just early and late? If you leave MK around fireworks or electrical pageant times, are the boats interrupted? Are there better times to just take the bus?

Thanks for your help! I'm really looking forward to staying here!

 

[Dizny Dad]

Hi! We're staying at VWL for a couple of nights in August and I have a few questions. . . . . . . . . . concern transportation. . . . . . . . . . . Do the buses to MK run all day or just early and late? If you leave MK around fireworks or electrical pageant times, are the boats interrupted? Are there better times to just take the bus? . . . . .

Hi DigiMom!

Just to answer a few of those pesky concerns: Busses run to MK and all parks, including DTD, all day (early enough to get to rope drop, character breakfasts, etc); Boats are interrupted for the pageant, but if you are lucky, the boat you are on stops on the water for an upclose view and spectacular show! Really neat!; busses at park opening and closing are always packed. Busses from the Lodge also service other resorts and Fort Wilderness, so be aware of possible extended travel times if you have ADR's.

Just wait - the Groupies will fill you in on the rest! Enjoy your adventure at the Lodge.

 

[eliza61]

Hi! We're staying at VWL for a couple of nights in August and I have a few questions. I'm hoping you don't mind if I pop in here

We're staying in a studio on rented points and looking for recommendations on room requests. DD and DH are afraid of heights. I was thinking of requesting the first floor, but started wondering if critters might be an issue. Maybe 2nd floor is a better option? Also, DD has some special needs and so a quiet area is appreciated. Are the rooms on the pool side OK as far as noise? How about near the elevator? Any suggestions are appreciated.



Thanks for your help! I'm really looking forward to staying here!

Hey Digimom,
I'll weigh in on the first part. so generally you won't see many critters coming close. I've seen a rabbit once or twice in the main lodge by the pool and of course the ducks but you won't have to worry about raccoons or squirrels wandering in.

WLV's imo is one of the most peaceful and quiet resorts on site. The woods are natural mufflers and the wood inside the lodge tends to damper loud noises also. In the main lodge, the sheer height of the lodge does an excellent job of dissipating noise. Generally even whispering canyons restaurant is a lower volume than what you might find else where.

Not sure if the villas actually face the pool, I thought those were the rooms to the main lodge but one of the other groupies might know for sure.

Outside of requesting first floor due to the fear of heights, I think you'll be fine.
I've had a number of rooms near the elevator with no noise issues at all. In the villas "near" the elevators can be misleading as the elevators open up into a "rotunda" type area so even the rooms near the elevators are not really next to them.

I'll see if I have some pics to give you a better idea.
E