Your most unexpected DVC moment

[Regina]

I remember stepping out on my balcony at OKW and watching a golfer who was wearing knickers and a hat. It was Payne Stewart. I'll never forget that moment, particularly since his career ended in such a tragedy.

How about you? Anything that stands out that you'd like to share?

 

[wdwsos]

Walking into the OKW Grand Villa for the very first time with my seven year old goddaughter. She sat on the ottoman, looked all around, and said, "Aunty Dotti...where are the servants?" She truly thought she was in a castle.

 

[Peterd]

Within a week, Muhammad Ali checking into the BW, the soap stars, (talked to one Adam/stuart chandler) in the elevator, I think his name is canary, not sure. The kids meeting christine aguilera, busy week. Kids meeting Terrel Davis at the ESPN club.

"Aunty Dotti...where are the servants?" She truly thought she was in a castle. "

Precious. That beats everything! That's what it's really about , the kids. Where they're happy, is where we're happy. Every time we go, it's just listening to the kids go wow..I still go wow, just not as loud.

 

[Merilyn]

Mine is booking a GV at OKW. They overbooked it and we got to go to BWV to a GV. The extra points were waived and they gave us park passes for all of us for the entire stay instead of the 6x5 that we were suppose to get. What a great stay. Right on the Boardwalk with a great view.

 

[Beth]

Our very first DVC stay - Memorial Weekend, 1997 - Vero - Ocean View Inn Room - 3 nights.

How foolish we were, in retrospect.. We didn't get to leave until around 9:30 Friday night - got to the resort around 11:30 that night - what a waste of points!

Anyway - circumstances were such that we missed dinner that night and, by the time we reached the resort - we were starving! I remember - I was literally <i>trembling!</i> I'm not sure if it was the chilly air in the lobby, the hunger, or my sheer excitement of "checking in" for the first time as members! My husband thought I had truly lost it!

Anyway - we mentioned to the sole CM at the desk that we were really hungry, and if there was anything we could get to eat around the resort... (at 11:30?!?) Anyway - he said, "Sure." and opened up the gift shop, and let us "peruse the frozen section." It was best meatloaf I had ever tasted!!!

I still have the pictures I took of the room, the deserted lobby, the hallways - taken at 1:00 AM that morning (even the inside of the shiny brass elevator!) - then of the sunrise I took from our balcony - just a few short hours later!

My DVC excitement still hasn't faded - no matter WHICH resort I stay at!!!!

 

[Hilary]

Your most unexpected DVC moment?

I guess that would have to be the moment DH agreed to joining!

 

[dianeschlicht]

I have to agree with walking into the GV the first time we rented one was a great moment!! Our 9 guests were flabbergasted!!!
We also got an unexpected "Disney moment" on our second DVC trip. DS and I had gone to play mini golf at Fantasia Gardens while DH stayed back at the villa and did some computer work for his job. When it came time to return to OKW, DS and I just barely caught the bus from the Dophin to DTD by running and having the bus driver stop for us after he had already pulled away. The bus was crowded, we were hungry, and as the bus neared OKW, I commented to DS that I wished we could just get out and walk from there instead of having to go all the way to DTD and then back to OKW. The bus driver overheard me and asked where I wanted to walk to. When I said OKW, he said he thought he could give us a Disney Day and switched his sign to "special" while pulling into OKW and dropping just the two fo us off at Hospitality House!! Made our day!!

 

[DebbieB]

When I bought DVC in 1999, my Mom thought I was crazy. So when I took her for the first time in May 2000, we stayed in an OKW 1 bedroom. The look in her face as she looked around the unit was priceless! She was going through all the cabinets and drawers. When we came back to the room after getting groceries, she started carrying them down the hall to the bedroom. She turned around and said - I'm lost! She didn't say I was crazy anymore, when she got home she told everyone about the "apartment" we stayed in.

 

[nhmomx2]

Our family trip (all 24 of us) without any fights! Oh, wait, that hasn't happened yet...check back in August - lol!

 

[TnRobin]

I think my favorite moment is like most everyone else. The first trip. After 2 years of pleading and begging, DH finally said that we could use the extra money from my promotion to buy DVC. Our first trip was planned for the next March. Well November turned into a very hectic month for us - MIL had a heart attack and my Dad had a stroke all within a week. After everyone was deemed okay, I called DVC on a Monday and asked if anything was available that weekend - Veterans Day. Lo and behold a studio at OKW was available.

We arrived on Thursday morning to find our studio was ready. As soon as we turned the key and entered, my "Doubting Thomas" of a hubby said "You did good." He was overcome by how nice our room was and how large the bathroom was. That afternoon we watched bunnies hop past our porch. We enjoyed watching boats cruise up and down the river to DTD. By the end of the day, he had said those fateful words - "Why didn't we do this sooner." By Sat evening - DVC had become the "best thing we have done (next to DS)"

 

[yesdisneyfool]

For us it was the 1b at OKW. WOW, we have all of this - can't wait to try the GV's. DW called her Mom and I overhear her say "He did good". One of our best trips ever - but with DVC, they just keep getting better & better.

 

[perdidobay]

Hearing my DH, whom I had talked into buying DVC, say it was a great thing WE did when he saw the 1 bedroom VWL unit we stayed at in January. We had bought sight unseen the previous May.

 

[Eck45]

My wife & I were on our honeymoon staying at Coronado Springs. We went to the boardwalk to eat lunch (ESPN, I talked her into it). First we decided to check out the boardwalk. We saw the sales area and were looking in that big book they have out front. So a guide comes out and we are talking and it turns out he is from MN and so are we, etc, etc. So he says, "atleast come in and take a look." Needless to say we were stunned. Then he told us the cost and we were mesmerized.

So we decided to use some of the cash we received from our wedding as the down payment, and here we are.

This is the best impulsive buyer item we have ever bought.

2nd -

That would be my sister shedding a tear when she saw Mickey walk down from the Castle and hug my niece. She never thought she would go to WDW because they couldn't afford it, but now she will be making her second trip in May 2003 along with first trips by my Mom, and older sister and kids.

I can't wait....

 

[trishy]

My dh had taken my dd5 to the BWV gift shop to do some b'day shopping for *me* (what a surprise - I thought they were at the pool while I did laundry). When they got back upstairs she showed me a cute pin of Cleo (the fish from Pinnochio) she had gotten from the "Fish Lady". My dh claimed ignorance. After my b'day he told me they had been in the shop for about 1 1/2 hours with shopping, wrapping, talking and the saleslady was so impressed with my dd's patience, she let her pick a pin from the rack. My dd stood there not quite sure of what the trick was and the lady picked out Cleo because "she's cute, just like you". From then on, that was the "Fish Lady" at BWV.

Can't wait to have one of those GV moments you all are talking about, though.

 

[Regina]

I love that comment about the servants.

These are all great stories. I hope that more of you share that "special moment" with the rest of us.

 

[thepoohbear]

I think our BEST moment was when we brought our mom and MIL. We were checking in at BWV and they were out on that balcony off the lobby overlooking the boardwalk. I went out to get them and my MIL said, "So, where are we staying?" I said, "Here." She said, "I know that. I want to know where our hotel is." I said, "This IS our hotel." She quietly said, "Oh," and then louder, "OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!" She had thought we were in a park!


But my most unexpected moment was when I was taking a picture of of my family on the patio of our GV from the golf course at OKW and the sprinklers all turned on!

 

[adamak]

Eck45,
Me too. DVC is the best impulsive buy we ever did. And we did it on our honeymoon too, when we're broke. We had the same story, went to BW for lunch, walked by, I heard about DVC, but never researched that. Walked in, and end up using my credit card for down payment. We paid that off with our wedding money too. (Wait, same storyline here...you sure you're not my DH??)

Now we have that paid off, and we've been asking friends and families there. That really was the best reason for owning DVC.

The best unexpected moment was us taking DH's family & teenage niece and nephews there. 2 hours at the park and they turned around and told everyone, it's the best vacation ever in their lives, even if it ended right there. It's very sweet.

 

[Ashley'sDad]

I do not have a DVC memory yet. But one of the happiest moments of my life was when my daughter first saw tigger in person. My wife hade recently passed away, and my daughter was not handling it very well. She just shut down. She hardly said a word, and never smiled or laughed. I did not smile a lot myself, but tried my best to make her feel better.

I decided to take us to WDW for a vacation because my wife always loved it there. We went to character breakfast where Pooh and Tigger would be. My daughter was just staring down at her plate, and looking like she just wanted to go home. I saw Tigger coming towards our table, and told her to look up. When she saw Tigger, her eyes lit up, and I got to see her pretty smile again. She started crying and ran to hug Tigger. She pretty much cut in line of the people at the table before us, but they were very nice about it. I wish I had a picture, but I was crying too hard to take one.

That's when I decided that WDW would always be a part of our lives. When I learned about the DVC, I just knew it was for us!

 

[Jeanne]

Before we became members, my Brownie troop of 12 3rd grade girls decided to sell enough cookies to go to Disney World for 3 days. My cousin rented the troop enough points to stay at OKW in 2 - 2bdr units. Watching those girls, in their uniforms attracting the Disney Magic was priceless. What a fabulous cousin I have to rent those points to the girls at $3 a point!

 

[adamak]

Ashley'sDad,
Blessed you. DVC is happy to have you and your daughter home.