VWL Groupies...yes, we love the Lodge, a lot!!

[jimmytammy]

Roughly 6" of snow here since 1:30. Now sleeting, got to say it got slick quicker than anytime I remember. We saw 3 wrecks happen in front of our house in 2 minute stretch. More on the way til 6pm Thurs. I know lots of others facing similar, stay warm, dry and best wishes and prayers to you all.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Roughly 6" of snow here since 1:30. Now sleeting, got to say it got slick quicker than anytime I remember. We saw 3 wrecks happen in front of our house in 2 minute stretch. More on the way til 6pm Thurs. I know lots of others facing similar, stay warm, dry and best wishes and prayers to you all.

Thanks Jimmytammy!! Praying you and all the Groupies in the path of this storm stay safe. Here in PA it has not arrived yet. Due between now and midnight. My area is predicted to get 8-12 inches. We are still recovering from an 8 in snow storm last Monday and an awful ice storm last Wednesday that left 849,000 without power in my region. I am so ready for Winter to be OUTTA HERE!!!!

 

[DiznyDi]

I'm just seeing the path of this huge storm. Oh, my! All of our friends in its path, please stay safe and warm!

About the re-furb, I prefer the darker colors particularly of the kitchen cabinets and I'm really going to miss the stenciled leaves. I do like the larger tile in the bath area. Guess we'll get to see it in May.

 

[Granny]

Hey guys!

Lots of good topics out there, I guess I'll weigh in on the new decor for the villas. Some random thoughts:

1. First and foremost....Muush wins...we now have a boring, non-themed sofa to look forward to.

2. I think that my initial reaction was "OH NO!", but as I calmed down and looked again I think that it may be okay. Pictures are hard to use for colors and decors, so I'll hold off until I see the new villas in person. Overall, I can't say I'm aghast and I can't say that I'm wowed. Kind of a neutral feeling at this point until we have more details on whether anything functional changed, etc.

3. I know that Disney has a team of interior designers that work hard to make the resort amazing. Since I loved the interior of the villas so much before, almost any change in decor was going to get an initial negative reaction from me. But I don't think that the designers set out to "ruin" the decor in the villas.

4. Having said that, it doesn't seem that the designers put as much effort into integrating the theming of the villas into the new decor as the old one had. And certainly not as much as we see in the newer villas such as AKV Kidani and VGF villas.

5. I think that resort management finally caved in to the "it's too dark" comments that we've seen for many years now on these boards. I think by a more neutral decor they hope to make the villas more appealing to a broader group...don't forget that they have cash reservations they need to obtain to keep the resort full.


6. Finally, I guess it comes down to this. As long as they don't feel the need to "redo" the entire WL lobby, this resort will always be a place of instant connection to my family's memories and emotions. I'm sure the new decor will not diminish our love of WL, and we may even like some of the new decor better.



Sorry for the rambling...can you tell I've been wondering if the new villas will have the same feel to them? And if it makes us feel better, just bop over to the OKW Lovers thread to see how much they HATE the refurb there!

 

[Deb & Bill]

...Sorry for the rambling...can you tell I've been wondering if the new villas will have the same feel to them? And if it makes us feel better, just bop over to the OKW Lovers thread to see how much they HATE the refurb there!

Yep, I own two resorts, OKW (since 1997) and VWL (since 2000). The refurbs have ruined both of them. BCV owners should be very happy that I sold my BCV points. Their refurb won't be disgusting.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Hey guys!

Lots of good topics out there, I guess I'll weigh in on the new decor for the villas. Some random thoughts:


4. Having said that, it doesn't seem that the designers put as much effort into integrating the theming of the villas into the new decor as the old one had. And certainly not as much as we see in the newer villas such as AKV Kidani and VGF villas.

5. I think that resort management finally caved in to the "it's too dark" comments that we've seen for many years now on these boards. I think by a more neutral decor they hope to make the villas more appealing to a broader group...don't forget that they have cash reservations they need to obtain to keep the resort full.


6. Finally, I guess it comes down to this. As long as they don't feel the need to "redo" the entire WL lobby, this resort will always be a place of instant connection to my family's memories and emotions. I'm sure the new decor will not diminish our love of WL, and we may even like some of the new decor better.



Sorry for the rambling...can you tell I've been wondering if the new villas will have the same feel to them? And if it makes us feel better, just bop over to the OKW Lovers thread to see how much they HATE the refurb there!

I agree totally with the above statements Granny. Missing a bit of a "wow" or "WL unique pop factor"?? And the complaints of it being dark---we own at AK and it's definitely dark there. If they ever change it I'll flip!!!

AGREED on the lobby! We will mutiny if they touch anything there!!!!

 

[sleepydog25]

Roughly 6" of snow here since 1:30. Now sleeting, got to say it got slick quicker than anytime I remember. We saw 3 wrecks happen in front of our house in 2 minute stretch. More on the way til 6pm Thurs. I know lots of others facing similar, stay warm, dry and best wishes and prayers to you all.

About the same here minus the sleet, at least so far. We're actually not predicted to get any ice this time as that should stay a bit south and southeast of us (JT & Muushka territory, unfortunately). Luv left work early but still couldn't get up our driveway, but she made it home safely.

As for the refurb, I fall into the don't-hate-it-but-don't-love-it camp, as well. While the old rooms were a bit dated, the throw-back theme worked for us. We felt all the rooms needed were some updated, but well-themed furniture. We stayed at Kidani a few years ago and thought that a similar approach to VWL would work wonders. Instead, they went for milquetoast and minimalism, neither vision fitting the grandeur of the Lodge. It appears as though Disney wants to appeal to the middle-of-the-road tastes in much of what they do anymore including refurbs. What made Disney special to me in the beginning was their derring-do, their ability to find the unique nature in a ride or attraction or resort.

There's a term that's been in use for a couple of decades now regarding society in general: dumbing down. Disney seems to be following that trend. Mass appeal was once based on demonstrating enough flair in a variety of ways; now the mass appeal skews to cookie-cutter, cost saving measures. Great for stockholders, not so much for nostalgia. Take Push, for example. A small pleasure to be sure, but one that made strolling Tomorrowland unique--he is no more and that makes me sad.

I do love Disney, but I wish they'd make more decisions with their hearts than their calculators, and that includes the refurb to the Lodge.

 

[rusafee1183]

I haven't posted in quite a while, so I am a bit behind on my reading. Just a few things...

Muush, I am so sorry for your loss. I'm still praying for you

Di - Thanks for the awesome mini TR. So glad so many magical moments happened for you and your mom. That's so sweet that the Dapper Dans touched your moms heart so much

DiznyDad - Sorry your trip was slightly "underwhelming". We would really love to go to DLP some day, and also DL/DCA. I am really thinking I will have to adjust my expectations for anything but WDW. Having being spoiled by the grandness of everything there, I think I would be disappointed anywhere else. At least with DL you know that it was Walt's park and there's the nostalgia to make everything seem more incredible despite it's size.

JT - Wooooooohooooooooo!!!!! What's the countdown at today??? And yes, I will be someone who is living vicariously through you and your pictures and updates on Facebook, I hope


To everyone in the south, I hope the storm passes quickly and all of you stay safe and warm


And as far as the room refurb goes, you can put me in the slightly disappointed crowd. I am reserving harsh judgement until I am there in Dec, but upon first glance it looks like the villas has lost a bit of their "soul". I personally love the deep, richness of VWL and AKV. It disappoints me that they are trying to make every resort appeal to every person. To me that is the whole point of having different themed resorts. They are making them all too cookie cutter, and potentially taking away the appeal of ALL of them.

I agree with (JT? I think said it...) that if I wanted light easy-breezy decor, I would book a stay at BWV or OKW.

Oh well, maybe the pictures aren't as bad as we think...?

 

[jimmytammy]

3 days and hoping we can leave this Sat. More snow and ice today, with a late burst of freezing rain late Fri, early Sat. My thoughts, hi the rd. by 12 pm Sat. be there at 10:30 pm. Happy thoughts it will all work out. I need a little Beatles "Here Comes The Sun" right about now

 

[nanajoyx2]

DH and I just returned on Friday from a 10 night stay. Our studio was on the third flood, so still the original decor. Personally, I like the new light colors but wonder about maintenance issues - stains on the sofa and carpet and nicks in the cabinets will be more noticeable. I love the Lodge and the Villas, but I always thought the rooms were too dark and the darkness made them feel cramped. I hope the lighting in the studio sink area has improved - not an easy area to apply makeup.

 

[jimmytammy]

Happy Birthday Cheer4Bison!!!!

 

[sleepydog25]

Here are a few shots from our southwest Virginia mountain chalet:


Our house and Tank, our '97 Toyota 4Runner--even he doesn't want to go out in this!


From the top of our driveway looking down to the street. You'll have to trust me here, but the driveway extends about 15 feet behind Luv's car that you see in the picture and fronts onto our main subdivision street. As you can see, you can't see either. (Luv made it in last night after work but couldn't get up the driveway.) On a side note, you can't quite make it out, but the license plate on the car says DVC VWL--ironic, ain't it?


That's Tank. Pointing downhill and ready to rumble, but even in 4-wheel low, there's no way he could make it through a foot of snow with drifts to two feet and up.

 

[Granny]

Happy Birthday Cheer4Bison!!!

 

[twinklebug]

Looks like it's a beautiful time to strap on some x-country skis there Sly. Just need a touch of sunshine.

 

[sleepydog25]

Looks like it's a beautiful time to strap on some x-country skis there Sly. Just need a touch of sunshine.

The sun is threatening to finally break through as I type. Naturally, we have gusty winds as a result since the sun signals the low pressure system moving out. I will strap on the skis tomorrow, though I'm more of a groomed x-country track than a trail buster type.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

That's Tank. Pointing downhill and ready to rumble, but even in 4-wheel low, there's no way he could make it through a foot of snow with drifts to two feet and up.

4-wheel low - well that there is your problem Sly. My little Mazda 626 used to surf it's way around Tahoe thru snow that high. Nothing quite like that floaty feeling when you're in a car - especially with a drop off to the side of the driveway. I never could figure out how to get it to tunnel it's way back up to the house.

 

[sleepydog25]

4-wheel low - well that there is your problem Sly. My little Mazda 626 used to surf it's way around Tahoe thru snow that high. Nothing quite like that floaty feeling when you're in a car - especially with a drop off to the side of the driveway. I never could figure out how to get it to tunnel it's way back up to the house.

That's exactly what happened with Luv--couldn't zip up the hill that is our driveway.

 

[bluecastle]

So much snow! And it's snowing again here in NoVA. No school tomorrow-again. More time to spend on the Dis! Made my ADRs this week and looking forward to our first ever stay in a villa. I guess I can't really have an opinion on the refurb since we have never stayed there before. I have always liked the darkness of the lodge rooms, so cozy. It also makes me feel like we are not in Florida- especially in the summer heat. I kind of like the change from the old carpeting to the wood (laminate?) floor. Less allergens.
Does anyone know if that Murphy bed set-up in the living room will also be in the 1 and 2 BRs? Stay warm and safe everyone!

 

[sleepydog25]

So much snow! And it's snowing again here in NoVA. No school tomorrow-again. More time to spend on the Dis! Made my ADRs this week and looking forward to our first ever stay in a villa. I guess I can't really have an opinion on the refurb since we have never stayed there before. I have always liked the darkness of the lodge rooms, so cozy. It also makes me feel like we are not in Florida- especially in the summer heat. I kind of like the change from the old carpeting to the wood (laminate?) floor. Less allergens.
Does anyone know if that Murphy bed set-up in the living room will also be in the 1 and 2 BRs? Stay warm and safe everyone!

You guys actually have had more snow up in NoVA than we have here as this is the first system to give us significant snow. You'll enjoy VWL regardless of decor, I'm sure. However, as I understand it, only the studios are receiving the Murphy beds.

 

[bluecastle]

You guys actually have had more snow up in NoVA than we have here as this is the first system to give us significant snow. You'll enjoy VWL regardless of decor, I'm sure. However, as I understand it, only the studios are receiving the Murphy beds.

Tomorrow will be our 8th Snow Day. What a winter!
Too bad about the Murphy bed. I wanted to show my DD's friend a picture of it and ask him if he would have nightmares with those forest friends peering at him! ( just to clarify, my DD, her boyfriend, and their friend- who will be sleeping I am not sure where- sleeper couch?) are all in their late 20's)