Wait list came through, but...

[sueg]

When I made last minute changes to our OKW March vacation, I was unable to get a studio for 2 nights, at the beginning of our trip. I did get 2 nts. in a studio, at VWL. I took WL & we were on the wait list for a studio at OKW. But the idea of staying at WL started to grow on me. First, it was the only resort we haven't stay in. Second, I made PS for dinner at Artist Point & I sort of got a thrill from the idea of walking down to that dinner. The downside is: it is more pts., we will have a pull out sofa instead of a queen bed & my wonderful spoiled DSs are used to a 2 BD with separate beds & are likely to "complain" about sharing a pull out for 2 nights (But we move into a 2 BD after 2 nts. in the studio) and, finally, we'll be moving resort-to-resort, rather than room to room (this is an issue because we have a lock-off for the 2 BD & were hoping for the studio to be linked with our 2 BD, but as MS repeatedly pointed out, there was no guarantee!!)
They called to say the waitlist came thru and I opted to stay w/ WL. My DVC-savvy sons expressed a slight preference for WL, left it up to me, but we'll see their attitude after a nt. on the pull out. DH is always agreeable, as long as we're at WDW. As I declined the wait list, I still marvel at the impact of DVC on our vacation decisions & this thread is a perfect example of it.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

What about bringing an aero bed for the trip and using that for the two nights? Even though you only need it for two nights, it would be a great investment for future trips. We bought one a couple of years ago and don't go anywhere without it anymore.

HBC

 

[RweTHEREyet]

I will be interested to hear your thoughts about staying at WLV. We stayed in a stuio for a week there last March. I have to say it is my least favorite DVC resort, and we have stayed at all of them, with the exception of Vero.

Our studio in March was on the first floor and looked straight into the woods, but that alone was not the reason we didn't like it. We confirmed for ourselves that we are more "tropical" people and we did not like the big dark headboard, or the darker colors on the walls. In the bathroom the tub was close enough to the "throne" that you could rest your hand on the side of the tub while "sitting". I have stayed at BCV since then and noticed that the bathroom is larger. I also felt that the lighting in the room was very, very dim, even around the vanity.

That being said, we loved walking into the lobby of the WL and loved the short walk into the WLV lobby area. My husband and son took a ton of pictures of both, usually very late at night with very few people around. We also loved taking the boat to Fort Wilderness and for the great buffet breakfast at Trail's End buffeteria, we felt it a better deal than the Whispering Canyon breakfast. And the boat ride to MK was wonderful, too.

Also, try and get to be the "flag family" of the day. This may be difficult because of your short stay, but you go up to the top of the WL and help raise the flags, and you see "all" of WDW, all Resorts and all Parks. Ask at the Front Desk when you check in.

Our stay was not a bad one, and there is nothing wrong with WLV, just our personal preferences. A change of Resorts is nice and your stay will be short enough there that you will only enjoy the "good things" and this way you will know if you wish to stay there again in the future.

Have a wonderful trip and don't stress over your decision.

 

[sueg]

Happy Birthday Cat, We own an Eddie Bauer aero bed. My mistake was that I bought a queen size and that may pose a problem if space is at a premium. Since we are flying, I'll probably decide about the aero mattress after seeing how many bags we have.
RweTHEREyet, We go to Hilton Head every summer & I expect the decor at VWL to be similar. While dark is great in S.Carolina, I think I agree with you about "tropical" in FL. We stayed at Grand Californian when we went to DL & the lobby at WL reminds me of the lobby of GC. I'm now glad I declined the wait list & we're going to try VWL.
I'm really getting excited about our March trip. We go every yr. at this time and inevitably, something happens (usually good, sometimes bad) to get my juices flowing. If DS(16) brings his laptop, I'll post from WL & OKW. If not, I always post alot after a trip.

 

[Dancind]

We spent two nights at VWL in a studio on Dec. 17 & 18 (first time). Since it was a last minute wait list deal, and we arrived at 1 am, I'm pretty sure we got a "least desirable" locale. It was first floor, first room if you walk in and head back to the left (1516 maybe?). It looked out onto the walkway. The first thing we noticed about it, was that compared to studios we've had at BCV, it was huge! Easily room for an aerobed in the main room, and roomier in the dressing/kitchenette area. Don't know if it was just because of the location, but you might want to ask for that one! Diana

 

[sueg]

We are flying in late for our first night and since it's a high-point Saturday, that's how I started this whole "start-in-a-studio-move-into-a-2BD" plan. DH & I want to sneak in an adults-only trip to celebrate my 50th, in May, & I wanted to save some points. Maybe, as the last DVCers to arrive, we'll get the big, but bad location, studio.