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

[jimmytammy]

Late to the party

Happy Birthday DisneyFreaks!!!!

 

[Granny]

Late to the party

Happy Birthday DisneyFreaks!!!!

Not as late as DisneyFreaks.

 

[twinklebug]

Not as late as DisneyFreaks.

The paging system on the forums works great, when folks are off wandering threads

Happy Birthday @DisneyFreaks !!!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Got a few pictures uploladed to photobucket since most from my phone were too large to upload and I didn't get around to downsizing. Weather has been really wonderful! Today was the first day we had some rain and it has now cooled down but tomorrow is supposed to be sunny. Today was the last day of my conference so now I have 2 days just to play!

Going back to Saturday, a few pictures from WL/VWL. First from the boat from MK to WL:

The view some of the cabins may have. As sleepy noted a few pages ago they seem to have left a row of trees between the lake and where they have cleared for the cabins. If there are going to be some clear views they will need to do some more tree removal. I'd guess that even if that is planned they have left the trees there for the time being to hide some of the construction.

The north wing can be easily seen now:

The scaffolding:

You can't walk this way!

Still pretty though:

South wing rooms all walled off:

A bright spot:

Can't walk this way either. Nor is Mickey over seeing the work.

And the door out the back of the Villas - only for emergency use.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

After my first night at VWL I moved over to BWV. I was in a renovated pool/garden room and can report that the quality of work done was much better than our poor lodge received.
My room view:

And a few more from around the Boardwalk area:

A strange find in the hallway!

 

[Granny]

Kathy...wonderful pictures!


I agree that they must have left the row of trees along the shore to hide the construction. I'm afraid we won't be seeing them once the construction is complete, but hoping that they move them to another location to restore some of the woodsy feeling.

 

[twokats]

Sorry so late,

Happy Birthday, DisneyFreaks

 

[jimmytammy]

Great shots Kathy!
Told T since we will be in WDW for 2 nights before cruise, I would like to drive over from OKW to check out the construction.

 

[horselover]

Thanks for the pictures Kathy! Did BWV get new hallway rugs? It's been quite awhile since I've stayed there but that rug doesn't look familiar. Can't wait until new rugs go in at BCV. I don't have the same issue with the rooms as many have. I've never been in a truly bad room at BCV. Scuffed paint & some furniture dings are about the worst I've experienced but hallway rugs have needed replacement for years. They look horrible.

 

[DiznyDi]

Thanks Kathy for the pictures! I'm surprised to see the south wing walled off from the lobby. Somehow that detail escaped me. I sure hope Mickey comes back home once this is all finished. Your weather looks wonderful.

Enjoy your conference and stay at Old Key West, wildernessDad!

 

[jimmytammy]

Sleepy
Thanks for the great restaurant reviews and the trip reports

WD
Hope you have a great time at OKW! We will be there next Thurs-Fri pre-cruise, cant wait. Excited to go check out WL

 

[DiznyDi]

Oh no.... We're almost on page 2! No postings in 24 hrs

 

[horselover]

I'll do my part to keep us on page 1.

TGIF groupie friends!

One week from today.

 

[pmaurer74]

Those photos are worse than I thought. I wonder how long the the south side will be closed. Would anyone guess? I assumed it would be completed by the time we go in December or maybe at least the scaffolding would be down by then I hope.

 

[horselover]

Those photos are worse than I thought. I wonder how long the the south side will be closed. Would anyone guess? I assumed it would be completed by the time we go in December or maybe at least the scaffolding would be down by then I hope.

I definitely wouldn't assume it will look much different in Dec. especially if you base it on how slowly things have gone at the Poly. Official word is 2017. My guess will be end of 2017 if we're lucky. I'm hoping the pool might be done by Dec. but I'm not holding my breath. Anything beyond the pool is just wishful thinking IMO.

 

[Friendlyadvice2]

Those photos are worse than I thought. I wonder how long the the south side will be closed. Would anyone guess? I assumed it would be completed by the time we go in December or maybe at least the scaffolding would be down by then I hope.

That's the big question! FWIW, I found it interesting that the construction foreman said last week they won't complete the pool portion of the expansion until the end of the project because they are using that general area as the staging area for the other portions of the project. Not that I'm surprised, but this information, if accurate, is completely opposite of what initially was surfacing around the time last year when the "special guest services team" began alerting people to the expansion. It's hard to say if they will open the South Wing up and declare/start selling those points if the rooms are complete while having significant construction going on in the pool area. Although, I want to say that IIRC, the rooms over at the Poly that overlook the quiet pool have been open for at least some of that construction project?

 

[twinklebug]

South wing rooms all walled off:

If the rooms directly over the front desk are being included, I'm willing to bet the new villas will have value (or I'd hate the see them labeled as standard) room views for the floors right over that desk. Does anyone who go to the lodge and wanting to see this?:

Here's our standard view at WL:

Many years back, we had the room the next floor up from PinkPony's for a couple of nights, and while it was called 'Woods View', it was just as bad as this. There was also a loud echo from excited adults and children at the bus stop in the early morning. The doors may block the construction noise, but not the voices. :/

Given that VWL was the one place we could go and count on a good room view no matter what they gave us (even the dumpster view wasn't bad) I had hoped the construction would leave these rooms in the hotel inventory.

 

[twinklebug]

I'm happy to note that the first images of the new Ranger Mickey topiary for the F&G has been installed and pics posted are showing he is not the Villa's Mickey by a long shot (He's huge!), and his friends are Chip and Dale, not buffalo and geese

I suspect the ones we've all grown to love should be back as soon as they are tended to. Disney has to keep those gardening cast members busy with all their creations being put out on display.

 

[sleepydog25]

Those photos are worse than I thought. I wonder how long the the south side will be closed. Would anyone guess? I assumed it would be completed by the time we go in December or maybe at least the scaffolding would be down by then I hope.

I agree with horsey--don't expect the construction to be done until late 2017 at the earliest especially given PVB has taken so long. I was just there last week, and it was apparent they were still pulling drywall and such out of the south wing rooms as they piled loads of it into the dumpsters sitting where the entrance to Hidden Springs pool used to be. I might add that it appears a few of the Villa rooms (those facing the south wing of the Lodge) might not currently be open as they're replacing the roof and repainting the balonies. I couldn't verify that as fact, however. Friendly's statement about the new pool makes complete sense as that area is, indeed, the staging area for the current build (and also serves as the dumpster area and "picnic" area for the workers). The primary progress being made is where the new beach building will go with lots of pipes being laid and pits being dug. Further, they appear to have filled in and leveled (after dumping loads of sand over it) a broad thoroughfare roughly along the path of where the old nature trail used to be. I would assume that will be a new paved path to the cabins. Speaking of, though they could still come down, there are numerous trees between that new sandy path and the water. As with the cabin prep on the north side of the main boat dock (noted in KAT's pictures above), if they do plan to put cabins near the water, I'm guessing they will leave at least some of them upright.

P.S. I noticed the work didn't begin until 8 a.m. Though workers do arrive a bit earlier, the noisy stuff never started until at least 8, and they didn't seem to operate heavy, noisy machinery much after 4:30 p.m., either. As for weekend work, none. Not a soul.

 

[perdidobay]

Hi all, I'm sitting in the lobby of WL right now, just checked out and waiting to head to the airport. Wanted to let you all know it's really loud in the lobby with construction noise on the south side (above the front desk). When it's going on you can't hear the music over the noise of saws, etc. I feel for the cm's who have to field complaints! We were in a studio in the villas and had no noise issues but we were in the parks all day. They just started today on re roofing the villas, so there may be some noise from that. Otherwise the landscaping around the front of the lodge is beautiful as always. It's got growing pains right now but I think in 2018 she's gonna be a stunner