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

[PatMcDuck]

Followup on the BRV delayed refurb rant, I got a DVC satisfaction survey today, NOT related to a recent stay. I was able to complain on there about the refurb delay, so I feel better now. Also mentioned delayed maintence on DVC rooms, and in 2 spots mentioned BRV delays, lack of communication about it, and how badly it was needed there, and the frustrating delay. hahaha.

 

[jimmytammy]

Followup on the BRV delayed refurb rant, I got a DVC satisfaction survey today, NOT related to a recent stay. I was able to complain on there about the refurb delay, so I feel better now. Also mentioned delayed maintence on DVC rooms, and in 2 spots mentioned BRV delays, lack of communication about it, and how badly it was needed there, and the frustrating delay. hahaha.

Go get em Pat!!

 

[Lorana]

Also, given that the BRV refurb was originally planned for 2020, did we already pay for it in our dues, since they would have planned for that cost when figuring out our dues increase? If so, can they just keep sitting on that money, as that doesn’t seem right to me… and are they going to charge us again?

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

Can't believe that tomorrow it will be 20 years. I'm sure we can all remember just where we were and remember that day well. I think of our friend Eliza and what she went through that day. I miss seeing her on here. I hope she is doing well. Take care everyone and let us always remember.

 

[CarolynFH]

Also, given that the BRV refurb was originally planned for 2020, did we already pay for it in our dues, since they would have planned for that cost when figuring out our dues increase? If so, can they just keep sitting on that money, as that doesn’t seem right to me… and are they going to charge us again?

Part of the dues you pay goes into Reserves. Money from the Reserves account is used to pay for refurbs (as well as repairs, etc.). It's like a savings account a person might have for their home, to cover improvements, repairs and maintenance. If a refurb is postponed, that money is still there, and the Reserve fund grows each year. That's what a well-run timeshare condominium association does, instead of hitting owners with huge "special assessments" to pay for things that should have been anticipated, like replacing worn-out furniture or replacing the roof.

 

[sleepydog25]

Morning, Groupies~
Yes, today marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and, no, we'll never forget. I'm sure we each have memories of what we were doing that day when the unimaginable occurred, and I never want to discount that emotion in anyone's life. However, the fact remains there is evil everywhere, all the time, both foreign and domestic. It's a constant in life all over the world, not just here in the U.S.

For me, then, I prefer to take 9/11 each year to remember my first sense of hope and relief after the horrific events of that day. I was retired from the AF by less than a year and was a SAHD, and I was still living in Alaska. As you recall, all major flights/airlines had been shutdown for several days. All the heavy airline traffic into Anchorage (the second busiest FedEx hub in the world due to inbound overseas flights) was stopped. We were all holding our collective breaths trying to determine "what's the next step?" With that in mind, I took my daughter--who was all of 14 months old--on a hike with her perched on my back. We climbed a mountain trail that started in the trees, and as those trees began to thin out, the sky was a brilliant periwinkle. It was quiet, too, only the occasional piping call of a bald eagle to break the silence. I stopped as we broke through the tree line, looked up, and I spotted a sign that we were going to be okay. Piercing that blue sky were the contrails of high-flying aircraft--the flight ban had been lifted earlier that morning. What an amazing sight that gave me hope and optimism I hadn't felt in what seemed like months. It looked something like this:


I will never forget that moment. My point in all this? Let us not forget 9/11, certainly, but let's also remind ourselves that hope remains a constant, as well as beauty, comfort, and goodness in many people.

So, does anyone else have a similar story about hope and optimism in the days following 9/11? If so, and you feel up to it, please share--I'd love to hear them.
Cheers!
Patrick

 

[Corinne]

Emotional day for sure.

Similar to your recollection Sleepy, I remember the first time I saw a plane flying after the ban had been lifted. Also very emotional.

 

[bobbiwoz]

As in NEVER!!!

You got it! VWL

Sorry to be responding so late to this, but we just got back from an awesome 4 night DCL cruise. DH has one more test before his cancer lung operation, and we have decided to wait until WDW family vacation is over, October 12, to begin to get the operation scheduled. We hope It can be as soon as the week after that.

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

Thank you Sleepy. That was very eloquent. When this happened we lived in Iowa yet. Our house was in the flight path for the Omaha airport and so we had planes flying over constantly. It was so weird and eerie when all the flights stopped. We saw only one plane that day and it was Air Force One flying over on it's way to Offut Air Force Base. So I think when the planes started flying again was the first step to things feeling normal again for us.

 

[Corinne]

Keeping your DH is my prayers Bobbi

.

 

[twinklebug]

Keeping your DH is my prayers Bobbi

Ditto! ❤

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

You got it! VWL

Sorry to be responding so late to this, but we just got back from an awesome 4 night DCL cruise. DH has one more test before his cancer lung operation, and we have decided to wait until WDW family vacation is over, October 12, to begin to get the operation scheduled. We hope It can be as soon as the week after that.

Best of luck to your husband. I hope everything goes smoothly and he fully recovers.

 

[Corinne]

Happy Sunday Groupies. I am the single digits countdown, but feeling anxious about work, traveling, and even being at WDW for various reasons So, instead of the usual single digits dance . I am feeling more like this …..I know I need to settle myself down.

One area I’m particularly concerned about is our AP exchange certificates. I obviously was unable to activate in the short window Disney provided, so I will be given an “equivalent “ new version, and allegedly will be able to keep the photopass perk. My concern is I read yesterday that the guests that were upgrading their tickets to APs were discovering their park reservations were no longer valid. I hope this is not the case with us. It sounds like a glitch, but who knows.

I have a question regarding MDE….our BWV reservation is still showing even though our BCV waitlist came through. The BCV reservation is also showing. I initially thought it would eventually go away, but it has not. I wasn’t really concerned about it, but now I’m wondering if I should be? I have not been able to figure out how to remove the BWV reservation.

 

[Pens Fan]

So, does anyone else have a similar story about hope and optimism in the days following 9/11? If so, and you feel up to it, please share--I'd love to hear them.

My husband was on one of the first flights out of Nashville on the day that flights resumed. I remember sitting at my desk at work refreshing a flight tracker website, making sure his plane was at a normal altitude. I'll never forget the feeling of relief when his plane safely landed. After 20 years I don't remember where he flew to, but I remember vividly sitting there hitting refresh, refresh and then just being in tears when he landed. It was a first step to normalcy - or some semblance of it.

 

[sleepydog25]

Not much happening on our page the past couple of days, so I hope our Groupies are all doing well, or at least hanging in there. In other Disney news, DHHIR is putting in new propane grills on property to replace the charcoal ones. Here's a pic:

It's a nice shell motif and should provide an easier way (if less tasty to grilling enthusiasts!) to cook up burgers, dogs, steaks, shrimp, and more when you come visit!

 

[horselover]

Morning groupies. Checking in to see how everyone is doing. Looks like some of you are off to the World soon. Have fun!

Bobbiwoz wishing your DH all the best with his surgery.

I actually just had surgery myself last Friday. I found a rather large thyroid nodule last year which turned out to have genetic markers for the C word. Doesn't mean it is the C word, but it was large enough & suspicious enough that it had to come out along with 1/2 my thyroid. The surgery itself was successful although my neck is really aggravating me & the incision looks horrid. Now I'm just sitting here bored out of my mind "resting & recovering". I won't have the pathology results until the end of the month which really puts me in bind for my Oct. trip. My 30 day prior to check in date to cancel is appoaching really fast & I have no clue what I'm going to do. I wanted to rent the reservation, but you can't rent existing reservations here until after the 30 day mark which stinks because then my points are in holding if I don't rent it. Thought about just cancelling & only renting the 119 points I borrowed that now have to be used by 3/31, but wow there is no availability anywhere through the spring. So now I'm not sure what to do. Do I wait it out hoping I can go? Cancel & try to rent the points I borrowed? I don't know what my solution is but I'm going to have to find one within the next couple of days.

Have a great day friends.

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

Morning groupies. Checking in to see how everyone is doing. Looks like some of you are off to the World soon. Have fun!

Bobbiwoz wishing your DH all the best with his surgery.

I actually just had surgery myself last Friday. I found a rather large thyroid nodule last year which turned out to have genetic markers for the C word. Doesn't mean it is the C word, but it was large enough & suspicious enough that it had to come out along with 1/2 my thyroid. The surgery itself was successful although my neck is really aggravating me & the incision looks horrid. Now I'm just sitting here bored out of my mind "resting & recovering". I won't have the pathology results until the end of the month which really puts me in bind for my Oct. trip. My 30 day prior to check in date to cancel is appoaching really fast & I have no clue what I'm going to do. I wanted to rent the reservation, but you can't rent existing reservations here until after the 30 day mark which stinks because then my points are in holding if I don't rent it. Thought about just cancelling & only renting the 119 points I borrowed that now have to be used by 3/31, but wow there is no availability anywhere through the spring. So now I'm not sure what to do. Do I wait it out hoping I can go? Cancel & try to rent the points I borrowed? I don't know what my solution is but I'm going to have to find one within the next couple of days.

Have a great day friends.

Wishing you the best! I hope you recover quickly and that the test results come back in your favor.

 

[Lakegirl]

Morning groupies. Checking in to see how everyone is doing. Looks like some of you are off to the World soon. Have fun!

Bobbiwoz wishing your DH all the best with his surgery.

I actually just had surgery myself last Friday. I found a rather large thyroid nodule last year which turned out to have genetic markers for the C word. Doesn't mean it is the C word, but it was large enough & suspicious enough that it had to come out along with 1/2 my thyroid. The surgery itself was successful although my neck is really aggravating me & the incision looks horrid. Now I'm just sitting here bored out of my mind "resting & recovering". I won't have the pathology results until the end of the month which really puts me in bind for my Oct. trip. My 30 day prior to check in date to cancel is appoaching really fast & I have no clue what I'm going to do. I wanted to rent the reservation, but you can't rent existing reservations here until after the 30 day mark which stinks because then my points are in holding if I don't rent it. Thought about just cancelling & only renting the 119 points I borrowed that now have to be used by 3/31, but wow there is no availability anywhere through the spring. So now I'm not sure what to do. Do I wait it out hoping I can go? Cancel & try to rent the points I borrowed? I don't know what my solution is but I'm going to have to find one within the next couple of days.

Have a great day friends.

I think you are going to going on your trip. Prayers it all works out for you.

 

[Lakegirl]

Happy Sunday Groupies. I am the single digits countdown, but feeling anxious about work, traveling, and even being at WDW for various reasons So, instead of the usual single digits dance . I am feeling more like this …..I know I need to settle myself down.

One area I’m particularly concerned about is our AP exchange certificates. I obviously was unable to activate in the short window Disney provided, so I will be given an “equivalent “ new version, and allegedly will be able to keep the photopass perk. My concern is I read yesterday that the guests that were upgrading their tickets to APs were discovering their park reservations were no longer valid. I hope this is not the case with us. It sounds like a glitch, but who knows.

I have a question regarding MDE….our BWV reservation is still showing even though our BCV waitlist came through. The BCV reservation is also showing. I initially thought it would eventually go away, but it has not. I wasn’t really concerned about it, but now I’m wondering if I should be? I have not been able to figure out how to remove the BWV reservation.

I am feeling the same way. I was excited now I’m getting super nervous.

 

[jimmytammy]

Bobbi and Julie
Prayers for you both