Who else is planning to try VGF?

[GranJan]

Don't forget about the boat!

Are the boats handicap accessible?

 

[Inkmahm]

Definitely not giving up. I'm hoping there are a lot of people who are walking their reservations and once they walk past my dates, that my waitlist is filled.

If not, I figure in future years I could always do a trade with a GF owner. I can book a BWV room for someone with my points at 11 months for food and wine in October and the GF owner can book a few nights at GF for me. Seems like a trade that would benefit both sides! But I'm still hoping my waitlist comes through for this year.

 

[Dacky619]

We are currently planning on staying at our home resort next June (BLT). When we get to 7 months, we are going to take a look and if VGF is open we'll switch. I know DW would love to stay there just once.

 

[marie1981]

Well, that certainly didn't work. Even though online showed that std studios were available for the 10/28 to 10/31 timeframe, when 8 am Eastern came along they were all taken. I waitlisted for my 3 nights and hope that people are walking reservations and my 3 nights will open once they've walked their reservations past my dates. At least I still have my BWV reservation! So, no good news yet for those on the BWV waitlist, but hopefully mine will come through for VGF and then someone else will get their BWV waitlist filled for Food and Wine time at Epcot!

This morning, I was able to reserve a standard view studio for October 28.

I did it at 8:00. What I really want is a Lake view. If I get one, I will cancel the standard view one. Good luck !

 

[OKWMom]

Are the boats handicap accessible?

I don't know and that is an issue for us since my DD is in a chair.

 

[jillmc40]

I don't know and that is an issue for us since my DD is in a chair.

I don't think they are accessible but I could be totally wrong.

 

[GranJan]

I don't think they are accessible but I could be totally wrong.

If they're not, I guess that would leave only the monorail to get back & forth from MK & VGF. I know there is an elevator in Epcot to avoid that long ramp getting to the monorail. I read that the monorail in MK has no elevator. That steep ramp really drains the battery on my scooter, so I was hoping to use the boats instead.

 

[beachclub]

we were able to get in at the 4 month mark for the end of october, we were torn between a lake vs standard view due to the cost, but figured this was probably our only chance to do a 1 bed lake view we will ever have so we might as well do it.
Went on at exactly 8am and it was still available, I had been watching the availability for several days as you know you can see it.

I was shocked we were even able to get it cause this is one of the resorts on the monorail that is a better option than SSR to get to the food and wine festival. ALl we have to do is jump onto 2 monorails now rather than a forever bus ride. Im surprised no other SSR people have switched.
THis is exactly why we switched from there to be closer to food and wine, or easier acccess

 

[rlovew]

we were able to get in at the 4 month mark for the end of october, we were torn between a lake vs standard view due to the cost, but figured this was probably our only chance to do a 1 bed lake view we will ever have so we might as well do it.
Went on at exactly 8am and it was still available, I had been watching the availability for several days as you know you can see it.

I was shocked we were even able to get it cause this is one of the resorts on the monorail that is a better option than SSR to get to the food and wine festival. ALl we have to do is jump onto 2 monorails now rather than a forever bus ride. Im surprised no other SSR people have switched.
THis is exactly why we switched from there to be closer to food and wine, or easier acccess

You may feel the monorials are better for getting there and back but from previous experience I wish they still had epcot buses from the monorail resorts. They were so much faaster.

 

[com_op_2000]

Will try it eventually, maybe not till 2015.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

we were able to get in at the 4 month mark for the end of october, we were torn between a lake vs standard view due to the cost, but figured this was probably our only chance to do a 1 bed lake view we will ever have so we might as well do it.
Went on at exactly 8am and it was still available, I had been watching the availability for several days as you know you can see it.

I was shocked we were even able to get it cause this is one of the resorts on the monorail that is a better option than SSR to get to the food and wine festival. ALl we have to do is jump onto 2 monorails now rather than a forever bus ride. Im surprised no other SSR people have switched.
THis is exactly why we switched from there to be closer to food and wine, or easier acccess

You may feel the monorials are better for getting there and back but from previous experience I wish they still had epcot buses from the monorail resorts. They were so much faaster.

I completely agree with rlovew. The monorails are an interesting, almost ride like form of transportation but the transfer to the Epcot monorail is a time sucker. There are many reasons to stay at VGF but I wouldn't stay there for the quicker transportation to anywhere except going to the MK or the other monorail resorts.

Here's the avg travel time to/from both GF and SSR to Epcot. The SSR numbers probably don't include the total ride around the resort but that adds at most 10 minutes. When we stayed at the THV in January I totally enjoyed the quick trips to both Epcot and DHS - they really are very close to SSR. And in the past I remember several long monorail trips to/from both GF and BLT.

GF to Epcot:
Monorail to Transportation & Ticket Center
Transfer to Monorail to Epcot®
Estimated Time: 42 minutes

SSR to Epcot:
Bus directly to Epcot®
Estimated Time: 15 minutes

Epcot to GF:
Monorail to Transportation & Ticket Center
Transfer to Monorail to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Estimated Time: 39 minutes

Epcot to SSR:
Bus directly to Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Estimated Time: 15 minutes

 

[beachclub]

obviously these times are after you have waited 20 to over 40 min for that bus.. that 40 isnt an exaggeration eityer..average monorail wait , what, like 10 min?

I completely agree with rlovew. The monorails are an interesting, almost ride like form of transportation but the transfer to the Epcot monorail is a time sucker. There are many reasons to stay at VGF but I wouldn't stay there for the quicker transportation to anywhere except going to the MK or the other monorail resorts.

Here's the avg travel time to/from both GF and SSR to Epcot. The SSR numbers probably don't include the total ride around the resort but that adds at most 10 minutes. When we stayed at the THV in January I totally enjoyed the quick trips to both Epcot and DHS - they really are very close to SSR. And in the past I remember several long monorail trips to/from both GF and BLT.

GF to Epcot:
Monorail to Transportation & Ticket Center
Transfer to Monorail to Epcot®
Estimated Time: 42 minutes

SSR to Epcot:
Bus directly to Epcot®
Estimated Time: 15 minutes

Epcot to GF:
Monorail to Transportation & Ticket Center
Transfer to Monorail to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Estimated Time: 39 minutes

Epcot to SSR:
Bus directly to Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Estimated Time: 15 minutes

 

[Tinkerdreams]

Hoping to stay in a 2BR the end of October 2014. My daughter and her family so want to make that our next DVC stay. I told her I will book at 7 months and see what happens!!

 

[rlovew]

obviously these times are after you have waited 20 to over 40 min for that bus.. that 40 isnt an exaggeration eityer..average monorail wait , what, like 10 min?

I have never waited longer than 20 minutes for a bus and that was only 2 times. My average wait for a bus at SSR has been 10 minutes, a little longer than my waits at OKW- which has been my best resort for bus transportation. I have only stayed at GF once but the waits for a bus there were pretty minimal and they always had someone at the bus stop checking where you were going and letting you know how much time till the bus was due to arrive.

Monorail wait has been getting longer and longer since the major accident a couple of years ago. I had friends that were going back to BLT from Epcot on the monorail and it took them 2 hours (it was during food and wine last year). I have no plans to use the monorail for Epcot from VGF unless it is as we are leaving at night.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

obviously these times are after you have waited 20 to over 40 min for that bus.. that 40 isnt an exaggeration eityer..average monorail wait , what, like 10 min?

Oh no - we've had some long waits for the monorail - especially the Epcot one. And when going to Epcot you have the wait first for the resort monorail and then you exit it, go down the ramp and back up the ramp to get to the Epcot platform and wait for it. At best between the 2 monorails you should expect 20 minutes wait time and it can extend much further. On one return from Epcot to BLT in early Dec it was over one hour from the time we were waiting at the Epcot platform until the time we arrived at BLT. And it was not a long stop at the MK that added on all the time.

 

[NoleFan]

We stayed @ Polynesian years back and remember the walk from the Poly to TTC was not bad. Probably faster than taking a monorail & transferring. We are hoping for a Poly DVC !

 

[beachclub]

wow, only 10 minutes, thats good timing..Unfortunately thats not the waits I experience, im happy to ride the monorail, its not the only reason we are staying here either, it will be nice to stay at a new resort for once rather than the usual. I'm sure the Grand Floridian will be nicer than SSR. And we have Magic kingdom for the kids at our doorstep. Im glad we made the change...
Who cares if we have to wait an extra 10 minutes compared to your timings,
It will be faster compared to my own timings.

I have never waited longer than 20 minutes for a bus and that was only 2 times. My average wait for a bus at SSR has been 10 minutes, a little longer than my waits at OKW- which has been my best resort for bus transportation. I have only stayed at GF once but the waits for a bus there were pretty minimal and they always had someone at the bus stop checking where you were going and letting you know how much time till the bus was due to arrive.

Monorail wait has been getting longer and longer since the major accident a couple of years ago. I had friends that were going back to BLT from Epcot on the monorail and it took them 2 hours (it was during food and wine last year). I have no plans to use the monorail for Epcot from VGF unless it is as we are leaving at night.

 

[dsneygirl]

Will try it eventually, maybe not till 2015.

Us too. Not high on our list right now.

I had a love/hate with the monorail. I was once stuck for almost 30 min next to a family pealing and eating hard boiled eggs. Not fun.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

wow, only 10 minutes, thats good timing..Unfortunately thats not the waits I experience, im happy to ride the monorail, its not the only reason we are staying here either, it will be nice to stay at a new resort for once rather than the usual. I'm sure the Grand Floridian will be nicer than SSR. And we have Magic kingdom for the kids at our doorstep. Im glad we made the change...
Who cares if we have to wait an extra 10 minutes compared to your timings,
It will be faster compared to my own timings.

The gist of our messages is just to make you aware your expectations may be a bit high in using the monorail from VGF to Epcot. My input is based on experience.

No discouragement from staying at VGF. Just to be prepared for worse than you seem to be and hope for better.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Us too. Not high on our list right now.

I had a love/hate with the monorail. I was once stuck for almost 30 min next to a family pealing and eating hard boiled eggs. Not fun.

Let's see...

(That's just wrong!)

(Some people are nuts!)


(Perhaps these people lacked grace and decorum.)

and finally... Don't you love how close you get to other families while at Walt Disney World? You get to see how other people live and go about their lives. Its fun to learn about other people's cultures.

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