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

[KAT4DISNEY]

Very rainy day here compliments of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Barry. Good thing I didn't have any beach plans for today. I might need a groupie to send a boat though. I have enjoyed catching up on all the WDW rumors that are floating around. I'm hoping that the walkway from GF to MK might actually be a thing. Would that make a loop around the lake possible for running? Since we've lost our running path at VWL, maybe this might be an alternative.

They'd have to add a path on the east side of the 7 Seas Lagoon before they had a loop. The problem is the waterway connecting 7 Seas and Bay Lake I'd think. I'm not certain what kind of room there is in the tunnel for a good running path thru it? I've heard they can get kind of cranky if you walk/run thru there now.

Maybe once they finish the path they'll give a $1.50 discount on your ticket if you walk from your car to the MK.

 

[ErinC]

They'd have to add a path on the east side of the 7 Seas Lagoon before they had a loop. The problem is the waterway connecting 7 Seas and Bay Lake I'd think. I'm not certain what kind of room there is in the tunnel for a good running path thru it? I've heard they can get kind of cranky if you walk/run thru there now.

Maybe once they finish the path they'll give a $1.50 discount on your ticket if you walk from your car to the MK.

Well, there is a sidewalk there though the tunnel. I ran on it when I did the half marathon, but the road was closed then. I like the idea of discount! Of course the Poly and GF folks may not appreciate the extra foot traffic through the resort from all the bargain hunters!

 

[Suzabella]

So we've had an unexpected change in plans and ended up cancelling our spring trip to DHHIR and booking our beloved VWL instead. So very excited!! We're staying at our Marriott on HHI Labor Day week and decided to extend a day at DHHIR though. So excited about that too!! We're having withdrawal....need a Disney fix!!

 

[sleepydog25]

With the upgrade to the DIS a few months back, I noticed that Stan's picture had been turned sideways. My beautiful wife Luv was able to correct that minor snafu (I'm still working on getting rid of the pesky Photobucket logo on the other pics). While I was on that page, I was reminded to, well, remind everyone that if you wish to have your trips recorded on Page 1, just shoot me a note. As always, they can be trips to anyplace. All right, people, go slay the week!

 

[jimmytammy]

I love those! I need to get one for DH. We just purchased a Mickey Waffle maker so these would be a terrific addition to our mornings.

We got one of the Mickey six waffle makers recently as well. Love it! We used it once so far a few weeks back. Our DGS Rafe and his mom n dad came over. Rafe loves Mickey(not sure how that got forced on him) so it was exciting to see his reaction to his 1st Mickey waffle. Thanks to Sleepy for sharing his recipe!!

On a side note, my daughter loves the movie Pearl Harbor that Disney made back in 2001. I had no idea she got the name Rafe for her son from that movie until sometime later. He was the character that Ben Affleck played. The movie holds a special place for her as she had the opportunity to visit Pearl Harbor with my parents and it touched her to be there. Though much of the movie is based around fictional characters and fictional romances, I think it stirred an emotional tug at her heartstrings, so much so, that she carried that name as a little girl into her adult life, knowing someday, if she had a son, she would name him Rafe. I didn't have a clue until shortly after he was born.

 

[Dizny Dad]

Thanks Sleepy for taking care of business!

 

[Granny]

I'm back from a great weekend at a Catholic youth conference...it was awesome to see 5,000 teenagers in a praise and worship mode!

We have our first stay as owners at Copper Creek in December. Just booked CP with Gary Sinse. First time seeing the CP as well. Just can’t wait to get back to VWL!

Hope...that's awesome! Staying at a new location and doing something like CP for the first time...what an exciting plan! CP is always excellent, and Gary Sinise is a sincere and humble narrator for the celebration.

On a side note, my daughter loves the movie Pearl Harbor that Disney made back in 2001. I had no idea she got the name Rafe for her son from that movie until sometime later. He was the character that Ben Affleck played. The movie holds a special place for her as she had the opportunity to visit Pearl Harbor with my parents and it touched her to be there. Though much of the movie is based around fictional characters and fictional romances, I think it stirred an emotional tug at her heartstrings, so much so, that she carried that name as a little girl into her adult life, knowing someday, if she had a son, she would name him Rafe. I didn't have a clue until shortly after he was born.

Jimmy...that's a great story. You just never know what is going to touch someone's heart so deeply. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Dizny Dad]

I'm back from a great weekend at a Catholic youth conference...it was awesome to see 5,000 teenagers in a praise and worship mode! . . . . . . . . . . . .

Amen to that!

 

[ErinC]

Just stopping in for a quick second to check in the with the groupies. I need to put my February dates on the calendar Sleepy (I always forget that). Granny, glad you are back. Working with the youth in the country always fills me with hope for the future. We seem to hear more about the bad "eggs," and not enough about the good ones.
I'm off to my first MRI today. I'm trying not to be nervous about it. My mother is claustrophobic, so she's all worried about me. I think I'm just going to pretend nap. It's a $400 co-payment, so I feel like it should be a vacation or something! LOL My shoulder has been giving me fits for months, so it's finally come to this. Wednesday they'll do some test where they put needles in my arm and check the nerves. I'm super excited about that! Oh well, hopefully we'll get some answers. We are less than a month out from school starting back, so I need this dealt with. Happy Monday everyone!

 

[twinklebug]

Just stopping in for a quick second to check in the with the groupies. I need to put my February dates on the calendar Sleepy (I always forget that). Granny, glad you are back. Working with the youth in the country always fills me with hope for the future. We seem to hear more about the bad "eggs," and not enough about the good ones.
I'm off to my first MRI today. I'm trying not to be nervous about it. My mother is claustrophobic, so she's all worried about me. I think I'm just going to pretend nap. It's a $400 co-payment, so I feel like it should be a vacation or something! LOL My shoulder has been giving me fits for months, so it's finally come to this. Wednesday they'll do some test where they put needles in my arm and check the nerves. I'm super excited about that! Oh well, hopefully we'll get some answers. We are less than a month out from school starting back, so I need this dealt with. Happy Monday everyone!

Oh boy. Have a good vacation! Dream of your happy place!

Psst...
I'm not sure I'd be happy about them telling me about the pins in my arm. There has to be a less intrusive way to test nerves than that, yes? I think doctors just think too many people fake being non-responsive to touch that they feel the need to torture the truth out of us. (I say this with a couple of doctors in the family too, LMAO)

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Did everyone see the remodel test rooms for WL? I'm so very disappointed because I think it points the direction of things we'll see at VWL. I really have to get around to giving my input to DVC even just for my own knowledge that I did it. I'll be very disappointed if we get this as I far prefer a more traditional rustic look. You know that the railroad camps didn't look like this! Although I guess that story has been changed for VWL? I forget how we supposedly became the lodge of rocks now.

FWIW I thought the existing WL rooms were spot on. I remember that they won awards for that design.

For those that haven't seen the WL pictures here's a link to the article on WDWNT: https://*****.com/2019/07/photos-ne...urrently-testing-at-disneys-wilderness-lodge/

And one of the room:
https://cdn7.wdwnt.com/wp-content/u...ewly-refurbed-rooms-july-2019_27-1200x900.jpg
Humphrey's facebook page has some info on it too.

 

[Suzabella]

One of the things that sets Disney apart is theming and no one does it better. But I think they've forgotten that skill. For us, we go to WDW to be whisked away to someplace magical. There's no magic left in those rooms. It looks the same as the next.

I sincerely hope the people who stay in those rooms express their thoughts when asked.

 

[sleepydog25]

Did everyone see the remodel test rooms for WL? I'm so very disappointed because I think it points the direction of things we'll see at VWL. I really have to get around to giving my input to DVC even just for my own knowledge that I did it. I'll be very disappointed if we get this as I far prefer a more traditional rustic look. You know that the railroad camps didn't look like this! Although I guess that story has been changed for VWL? I forget how we supposedly became the lodge of rocks now.

FWIW I thought the existing WL rooms were spot on. I remember that they won awards for that design.

For those that haven't seen the WL pictures here's a link to the article on *****: https://*****.com/2019/07/photos-ne...urrently-testing-at-disneys-wilderness-lodge/

And one of the room:
https://cdn7.*****.com/wp-content/u...ewly-refurbed-rooms-july-2019_27-1200x900.jpg
Humphrey's facebook page has some info on it too.

One of the things that sets Disney apart is theming and no one does it better. But I think they've forgotten that skill. For us, we go to WDW to be whisked away to someplace magical. There's no magic left in those rooms. It looks the same as the next.

I sincerely hope the people who stay in those rooms express their thoughts when asked.

KAT, I have seen those pics, and my initial thought was, "here we go again." As most of you know, I've been decrying Disney's lack of imagination and theming in rooms and common areas for years. When Disney refurbed the Poly lobby, I was quite disappointed by the removal of the iconic fountain as it was replaced by a very modern, sterile look. Then, VWL had its room refurbishment--again, they opted to go for the boring and mundane (personal opinion, naturally ). Copper Creek and Riviera followed suit. Clean and sparkly? Yes. Imaginative and thematic? Barely. Just like you say, Suzabella, they're losing the magic with each passing build or refurbishment. I feel certain that the move to the generic is a cost-saving measure for them--less research, fewer themed items to purchase that only fit one resort, more mass buys of interchangeable items. At first I was just annoyed by these changes happening across the Disverse. Now, I feel we're in the middle of a seismic shift in Disney sensibilities, away from the magical feel they once had to a more, for lack of a better term, sleek look that is "industry standard." Those last two words are an anathema to imagination but what Disney now embraces vice setting its own standards.

Or, I could just not have had enough caffeine yet this morning. . . Have a great day, Groupies!

 

[Starwind]

There are aspects of the new look I like and hope they do continue when they renovate the rest of the hotel rooms: no carpet, no bed runners, handheld showerheads, no shower curtains, lighter paint/lighter room.

Easier to clean, better for those of us with dust and mold allergies, and IMO the current WL rooms are too dark.

Our next stay we will be staying in AKL and CCV. We are really hoping to get a renovated room at AKL.

FWIW, AKL's current renovation may give ideas of how they may keep some of the character and theming of WL while moving to a more standard look and feel for some elements [flooring, tub/shower, sinks, lighting].

SW

 

[Dizny Dad]

. . . . . . . . . . Wednesday they'll do some test where they put needles in my arm and check the nerves. I'm super excited about that! . . . . . .

Been there . . . done that . . . for both legs. It really isn't bad. I had a great Doctor that made it easy. Good Luck with that!

As to changing room themes, never forget that as the young take over, things are never the same. Some day they will think the same thing when their children take over. I remember when we used to used Directories for file management, now we have to have Folders. I used to use multiplexers often in the 70s, but now that name is used for something completely different. Sorry about the tech talk, but I now have a better understanding of why my Dad said what said about my generation. . . . . . . .

 

[sleepydog25]

Been there . . . done that . . . for both legs. It really isn't bad. I had a great Doctor that made it easy. Good Luck with that!

As to changing room themes, never forget that as the young take over, things are never the same. Some day they will think the same thing when their children take over. I remember when we used to used Directories for file management, now we have to have Folders. I used to use multiplexers often in the 70s, but now that name is used for something completely different. Sorry about the tech talk, but I now have a better understanding of why my Dad said what said about my generation. . . . . . . .

Always true. My daughter laughs at the notion of cassette tapes. I told her wait until her kids laugh at her having to use a clunky cell phone. Something new is always around the corner. I will say in regard to the increasingly generic rooms and theming, I wonder if Disney has thought about the kids they're influencing now--will they have the same attachment to sleekness and homogeneity that our generations have to actual Disney charm? Perhaps.

 

[Suzabella]

I'm not opposed to change and agree that there are good points...no carpet, hand held shower..but if I closed my eyes in that room and only concentrated on that room, I'd forget I was at a Disney resort. There is nothing there that sets it apart or makes it unique. That's what I loved about the theming of old...that you knew you were at Disney because of the imaginative touches. I can understand the purchasing bulk on certain things to keep the cost down but keep some of those unique touches that set each resort apart from the others and any area hotel. They're not competing with the DS area hotels any longer. They're becoming one.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I'm also ok with change as long as it's change I like!

What is killing me with the Disney rooms is that they are Disney and I could imagine having so much fun designing the rooms. You can see that it was done in the past (better at times than others) but now you could compare the hotel rooms to hotel rooms at so many places. It truely is an area that they should not become "standard" IMO. And oddly they still don't when they are building the resorts. Why the refurbs are so lackluster makes no sense. As I said though, I'm going to share my input for VWL.

Regarding darkness of the rooms my input will actually be to keep that. There's light colors at so many other resorts and I actually get a nice feeling of calm and reprieve from the FL sun with darker woods and paint. IMO their making everything too much alike and it's nice to be able to walk into a room and know for certain where you are.

 

[DVC Jen]

I'm also ok with change as long as it's change I like!

What is killing me with the Disney rooms is that they are Disney and I could imagine having so much fun designing the rooms. You can see that it was done in the past (better at times than others) but now you could compare the hotel rooms to hotel rooms at so many places. It truely is an area that they should not become "standard" IMO. And oddly they still don't when they are building the resorts. Why the refurbs are so lackluster makes no sense. As I said though, I'm going to share my input for VWL.

Regarding darkness of the rooms my input will actually be to keep that. There's light colors at so many other resorts and I actually get a nice feeling of calm and reprieve from the FL sun with darker woods and paint. IMO their making everything too much alike and it's nice to be able to walk into a room and know for certain where you are.

I completely agree with you. 100%

 

[ErinC]

I remember there was a website that sold Disney resort furniture, bedding, shower curtains, and such as refurbishments took place. Not sure if it's still even around. This stuff is so generic. The only change that I have loved was the double sheeting duvets. I hated the old bedspreads that they continued to use, even after they were certainly not the industry standard. They were icky! I didn't want to touch them! So I was happy about that change. These new designs looked like they let some person who has never been to Disney design them. I just don't get it. Do they think because these resorts are deluxe that people don't want the touch of Disney in them? The value resorts, and some of the moderates still get the themed look when those are redone. Most of these designs look like Ikea showrooms in my opinion, and while I love Ikea, it is not deluxe furnishings.