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

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

Did anyone else see the map Humphrey posted that is hanging inside the VWL building? It has "coming soon" by the TBD spaces. I am going to try and post it but forgive me if I mess up - it's been a while since I posted a photo.

 

[DiznyDi]

FYI: We've been re-assigned to a new guide, who happened to call us today wanting to know if we would like to add-on to our membership by purchasing additional points at the new Copper Creek available today for current members. DDad asked me what the cost per point was. Honestly I told our guide that without a Club level, I simply wasn't interested. So didn't get the current price.

DDaughter and I were at VWL early February and while we could have missed it, we did not see the sign posted originally by Humphrey. That's news worthy! Thanks for posting, Pirate

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Happy Birthday @Icecoldpenguin !!!
Hope you have a great day Teresa!

​

 

[twokats]

Happy Birthday Icecoldpenguin!​

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Happy Birthday Icecoldpenguin!​

Hi twokats! Been thinking of you and hoping the wildfires are not affecting your area!

And for many of our eastern groupies - stay warm! DH decided to head to NH for a ski vacation and visit with some friends while I'm basking in 60's and 70's here in Reno.

 

[twokats]

Hi twokats! Been thinking of you and hoping the wildfires are not affecting your area!

And for many of our eastern groupies - stay warm! DH decided to head to NH for a ski vacation and visit with some friends while I'm basking in 60's and 70's here in Reno.

No the fires are about 6+ hours away from us in the panhandle near Amarillo. But my oldest son is moving to that area in about a week, so I am a little nervous for him!!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

No the fires are about 6+ hours away from us in the panhandle near Amarillo. But my oldest son is moving to that area in about a week, so I am a little nervous for him!!

Glad it's far away from your area. Hopefully things are all under control and out by the time your son heads there!

 

[pmaurer74]

I really loved the corner two bedroom my sister got last December, the one off the lobby, how does one request that room type? I assume the odds of getting it are poor?

 

[Flossbolna]

We have made a similar request, and we word our request "across from the bus stop". So far they've done a good job in giving us a room near that corner with the exit door. Since we don't care for ground floor villas we also ask for "upper floor" and have gotten anywhere from 2nd floor to 4th floor.

We don't use refillable mugs (aside from our lifetime one that Disney somehow doesn't seem to recognize anymore) so I don't know if there is another refill station. The Boardwalk Bakery has had the refill option for several years now but I don't know if it knocked out the pool bar. My guess is that the pool bar is no longer an option since they introduced the bar code mugs. But I will defer to others (Kathy!) who can give you an actual answer to this one.

When we have a standard view I like to be at the very end. If that's what you would like then request a tennis court view - we've always been placed down there with that request and it usually elicits a chuckle from MS as they say they usually get requests for near the elevator and that's as far away as you can get! If you're not looking to be at the very end then I'd use Granny's across from the bus stop.

AFAIK you can still get a mug refill at the pool but it's been awhile since we've done the refillable. I can't imagine they wouldn't have it though as that's the location many would be using them. And for coffee and such you can get refills at the Belle Vue Lounge in the mornings.

Thanks! This morning I was able to catch one more night at the end of our reservation. Despite my waitlist I kept checking and then suddenly today there was availability for two nights, the first of them them being the one that I wanted. So happy that this worked out!! But a bit disappointed that the waitlist process is still so faulty that you need to keep checking yourself. Really, those nights should not have been available for me to book.

I think we will go for the "across from bus stop" location. I think we would not mind to be at the lower end of the villas that look over to the bus stop. At least we would be a bit closer to the lobby that way and ultimately we will spend more time at Epcot than at DHS. I can see that there is a walkway from that corner of the BWV towards the bus stop. I assume one can exit and enter the building there?

Also, do you know what the current status is at the Boardwalk with regard to pool fences?

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

I really loved the corner two bedroom my sister got last December, the one off the lobby, how does one request that room type? I assume the odds of getting it are poor?

I believe you request Atrium and I think there are 6 of them so hopefully you have decent odds.

 

[Granny]

I think we will go for the "across from bus stop" location. I think we would not mind to be at the lower end of the villas that look over to the bus stop. At least we would be a bit closer to the lobby that way and ultimately we will spend more time at Epcot than at DHS. I can see that there is a walkway from that corner of the BWV towards the bus stop. I assume one can exit and enter the building there?

Yes, there is an entry/exit door at the corner with a path that leads right towards the bus stop. Uses the magic band to enter. And on the other side of the hallway is a door that leads to the quiet pool. We like that corner area a lot when staying at BWV.

Also, do you know what the current status is at the Boardwalk with regard to pool fences?

They have fenced the pools for several months now. Here's a link to CarolMN's post that includes some pictures from last October: https://www.disboards.com/threads/bwv-pool-fences.3551536/

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

Has anyone else noticed the number of posts regarding confusion between CCV and BRV (scratch that) VWL? I am not saying there was a magic answer that would completely eliminate confusion when opening a second DVC at the same resort but I am thinking this is going to be a headache.

Is anyone planning to change their current plans to stay in CCV on their upcoming trip? Also, does anyone know if there are pictures somewhere from people who have toured it? I want to see more photos!

 

[sleepydog25]

I really loved the corner two bedroom my sister got last December, the one off the lobby, how does one request that room type? I assume the odds of getting it are poor?

The odds are low since there are so very few of them; then again, with 2BRs being the most expensive point-wise, you might get one. Near the VWL lobby/elevators overlooking the pool (it used to be called courtyard view, so that might be something to say). We've had one of those once, though we also stayed in a 1BR on the corner which is also quite awesome.

As for the confusion over CCVC and VWL (aka BRV ), I believe Disney was in a lose-lose situation no matter what names they used. I still see the occasional post on other threads where someone has said they didn't know anything was going on at WL at all. Many others don't follow the action as closely as most of us on this thread, so they're suddenly faced with a lot of information which can be overwhelming. I'm completely clear: that new stuff is CCVC; the mature stuff is VWL.

We'll be there in May, and we may try to get into a new room. We're torn since we fell in love with VWL; however, at some point we will undoubtedly want to try the newer rooms. Not sure we'll have much chance this go round given how close to our travel dates the rooms will open up for current owners, but we are considering it. If we do, I'm sure a report would be closely followed here.

 

[jimmytammy]

Thanks @KAT4DISNEY, @Granny and @jimmytammy! I had seen the thread on the regular resort board, but somehow it seems that those threads always seem to focus much more on the non-DVC side of the resort, and especially on club level.

So, my questions are really not big ones, so I hope they won't take our lovely VWL thread too far off topic. It is mainly about how to word my room request. We have a standard studio booked and I know where these are. I want to be at the far end towards the parking lot and not close to the lobby. How would you put this into a room request that I can email to DVC? We request near the tennis courts to get way near the tail end of the building. Thanks to Granny many yrs back for this request, it puts us basically halfway between HS and Epcot. Some DVC reps may fuss that there are no courts there, but if you put specific room numbers, that helps.

The other question is whether you can still refill the refillable mugs at the pool bar? When we stayed there the Boardwalk Bakery had not yet the self-serve refill station and all the refill options were to show your mug and you got a cup filled with the drink of your choice. Now that the Boardwalk Bakery has the option that you can refill yourself, I was wondering if the pool bar refill option is still around.

Not sure about this

 

[jimmytammy]

Found this new map and legend of the WL/VWL/CCV resort grounds. Makes for a nice reference.


View attachment 224490

Nice!! I like it, now it feels a little better seeing it like this

 

[Granny]

Has anyone else noticed the number of posts regarding confusion between CCV and BRV (scratch that) VWL? I am not saying there was a magic answer that would completely eliminate confusion when opening a second DVC at the same resort but I am thinking this is going to be a headache.

I agree with Sleepy...there was nothing that Disney could have done that would make things easier. They've been fighting the confusion between Wilderness Lodge and Ft. Wilderness ever since they opened. It really isn't that complicated but for some reason people don't understand that VWL just had a name change (for some people, that is) and that CCV is a new resort. It is hard to realize that most DVC owners are pretty casual in keeping up with DVC and WDW in general, and my guess is they are surprised every trip to see what's new.

Is anyone planning to change their current plans to stay in CCV on their upcoming trip? Also, does anyone know if there are pictures somewhere from people who have toured it? I want to see more photos!

We have May and December trips planned for VWL and I don't see anything that would make me want to change them. Maybe after we tour a model we'll get a little more excited. After all, we've stayed in every DVC resort at WDW except PBV so I am sure we will stay at some point in the next 25 years. It would be weird staying in the main building again...we haven't done that since our last WL stay in 2000.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Is anyone planning to change their current plans to stay in CCV on their upcoming trip? Also, does anyone know if there are pictures somewhere from people who have toured it? I want to see more photos!

I've seen that about the names and expect the confusion will be ongoing, perhaps forever.

I'll try and tour the models in April and will decide then when we might give it a try. That should be just shortly before they open booking for the "7" month window.

I think @horselover should be getting back with some model pictures soon! Julie?

 

[horselover]

Hey groupie friends! Here in the World now. Did the tour on Wed. There were a few things I liked. Headboards are quite nice. Bathroom in 1 BR is very nice. Tub is lovely but not particularly practical. Shower is nice. TVs are huge but overall nope not a big fan. Furniture really does look cheap. Really don't like the long narrow kitchen. Living area is smaller & more narrow. I took lots of pics but won't be able to post til next week.

I think it was Starwind that asked about the shower faucets. Rain head & handheld. I asked about tubs in the studios. Model had shower only. Some will have shower only & some tubs. By request only, not guaranteed.

Also went to GP on Thu. As much as I grieve the beach it's fabulous! Beautifully done. Views are spectacular on a nice day. Highly recommend the brisket dip & cascadia sangria cocktail. Be warned they are strong! So strong after 2 I completely forgot to take any pics! Sorry. Landscaping around the building looks nice & they've added some tables on the concrete area in front. Still no trees in sight in front of the villas.

Let me know if you have questions.

 

[Flossbolna]

Thanks @horselover! Great to hear that you like GP as well. I think the tables must be new. There was quite a lot of pavement around GP where I thought they could add tables. We sat at the tables at the old Trout Pass pool bar. Are those still available as well?

Hope the rest of your stay continues to be wonderful!

 

[horselover]

Thanks @horselover! Great to hear that you like GP as well. I think the tables must be new. There was quite a lot of pavement around GP where I thought they could add tables. We sat at the tables at the old Trout Pass pool bar. Are those still available as well?

Hope the rest of your stay continues to be wonderful!

They are. The bartender said the new tables just came this week.

And the cushions aren't really white. They look white but they're a cream beigey color. I made that color up.