DisneyGirlFlorida
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 17, 2015
So, July 23/24th I went to Disney for the DVC Neighborhood Bash at Typhoon Lagoon.
Let me back up a minute by saying that I did NOT plan to go to Disney that time. I just came back from a weekend stay at All-Star movies a few weeks prior, and I'm going in September for MNSSHP.
However, when I saw the news that there was "free" admission to Typhoon Lagoon, I emailed my sister and asked if she wanted to go. Then I hopped on the DVC site, saw that SSR and AKV was open, and asked my sister if she wanted to stay at SSR or AKV? I didn't care which, since I'm staying at SSR in November and I've stayed at AKV years ago.
She told me she wanted both, but didn't want to mess with moving luggage. I told her bell services will do that for you. She was surprised, then said "let's stay at BOTH!!" I laughed and said okay. So, my first split stay with my shiny new DVC points was booked. SSR night 1, AKV Jambo night 2. Then when the registration was opened, I called and registered for the Typhoon Lagoon party.
So, a spontaneous 2-week out trip was born.
I was working Wednesday the day we were leaving, but we planned to leave about 3ish or so when I got home from work. While I'm packing last minute things and loading the car, I got a text that my room at SSR was ready. 1st. Floor, Carousel.
I told my sister and off we went! We drove right up to the building, walked around and found our room. It was a bit weird not stopping in at the desk, but also VERY convenient!
My first impressions of SSR buildings/rooms were OMG I LOVE IT!!! I don't know what it is, whether it's the "condo" feel of walking right from the car into my room, or the freestanding buildings that makes it truly feel like "I live here", but I LOVED IT!
My only complaint was that the TV in the room was too low to sit on the couch and watch it, even for sitting in the bed. I LOVED the patio, we overlooked the little carousel and the lake. I LOVED that I was close to the entrance/exit of the resort.
After a quick freshening up, we hit the road for our reservations at our new favorite non-Disney restaurant. Land Remembered at the Rosen Shingle Golf Resort. This was our second time there and we LOVED it.
Land Remembered is a bit (okay, a lot pricey) but WELL worth it! It's about a 20-25 minute drive north, right up Palm Parkway just a hop away from Disney Springs. After dinner, we had plans to catch the Wishes fireworks from BLT Top of the World at 10pm that night.
So, we head back to the room, change into more comfortable clothes, then head to BLT. Drove right in and parked right when the fireworks started. Head into the lobby, and enjoyed the escort to the TOTW lounge.
That was my first time there and it did NOT disappoint! WOW is all I can say. Though we only caught the last 5-10 minutes of fireworks, it was still a show and so beautiful up there! We head inside and check out the menu. Had we not just eaten, I could have ordered 1 of everything on the menu - YUM!
My sister was floored at how nice the lounge was, and it was relaxing just sitting there for about 5 min. We headed back down and walked around the grounds of BLT and Contemporary. We walked the bridge to the main monorail area, saw the pool, and the new decor.
Side note, the last time I stayed at the Contemporary was about 2004/2006. I DID NOT like it because of the decor. It was the 1970's art deco decor that made my eyes hurt. WHAT a surprise this time!
OMG I LOVE the new modern decor - SO nice! I felt like I was in a Jetson's house (Okay, I just showed my age if you know who the Jetson's are). I told my sister I would love to stay here too! LOL
After our exploration of the grounds, (OMG the bamboo forest by the pool area - gorgeous!), the lobby, etc, it was late and we decided to head back. A short car drive back to SSR we were "home".
My sister slept on the pull out couch in SSR, I slept in the queen bed. We're not "small" women, and we both agreed the queen bed wasn't big enough for both of us. Before we left for dinner that evening, we requested an extra blanket and found pillows & sheets in the closet for the sofa bed. My sister said the next morning the bed was uncomfortable. Now keep in mind she is a heavy woman (about 200 lb+). I only say that to give you an idea of why she found the pull out bed uncomfortable. Someone who is much lighter, or even a child, would be fine in the bed.
The next morning, we got up, packed our things (sans bathing suits and a day bag) and called bell services to transfer our luggage to AKV. We decided to spend the day exploring the grounds at SSR, hitting the pools, then making our way to AKV and checking out the pools there.
We moved the car over to the High Springs area, then after a quick tour of the DVC models (my sister REALLY wanted to see them), a pit stop in the community center to do some coloring of Disney characters, a few minutes of watching "Into the Woods" (I really want to see that movie), we walked around the lobby, took some pictures, took the boat to/from Disney Springs, then headed to the pool. Went in the pool for a bit, tested the water slide, then headed over to the Paddock Pool.
We went in that pool and tested that water slide. The Paddock Pool slide is AWESOME! When we were sitting on the side relaxing, I got a text that my room was ready at AKV. I told my sister and she said "let's go!".
Headed over to AKV, parked, and walked to the main lobby. We wanted to go to the Uzuma pool, so we took the shuttle to Kidani. Checked out that pool (it was okay), and decided what we wanted to do for lunch/dinner. That evening was the Typhoon Lagoon party, and we wanted to get the bus about 6:30 or so since they were letting us in early. So we decided to order out for pizza, and found a GREAT place that delivered to AKV. After calling in our order, we headed back to our room.
OMG the walk to our room!! It felt like it was never ending compared to SSR. We were in Jambo, all the way at the end of the hall on the 5th floor. So we waited for the shuttle from Kidani to Jambo, then the LONG walk to our room through the lobby, up the elevator, and down the hall.
We ordered pizza from Giordano's which is right near AKV and the food was excellent! We met the delivery guy in the lobby and brought the food back to our room (another long trip to the lobby and back!). LOL The only reason I keep mentioning the long walk to our room is that I was so spoiled by the convenience of SSR relative to where our car is parked, and that I could (if I'm really lazy) move my car around SSR to hit the other areas.
After lunch, we enjoyed some balcony time (we had a savannah view) watching the animals, but my sister and I were a little bored. My sister works as a Vet Tech at a large animal hospital in Florida, and has actually assisted in treating some of the Disney animals (zebras, giraffes, and the parade horses mostly). Disney brings their animals to her hospital if it's an issue the Disney vets can't handle. So my sister was kind of unimpressed, as was I. I was unimpressed mostly because I've experienced the Savannah view, and the animals are nice the first time, but after that, it's "meh".
So we got some pictures of the animals then it was nap time before getting changed for Typhoon Lagoon.
We got the bus right about 7 pm. Arrived at Typhoon Lagoon and they were checking DVC membership cards and registrations. We were let in by about 7:15, got our lockers and hit the Crush N' Gusher. We did that THREE TIMES! WOOHOO!!!
After that, we hit the other slides, and about 9:30 the party started. The park put out chips, cookies, lemonade and water. All the rides were open except for Crush N' Gusher which closed at sunset. The park did a great job of swapping daytime guests for DVC Guests (we had wristbands given to us at checkin).
Got a nice pic w/Mickey & Minnie and had a great time! About 12ish or so, we decided to head back. There were tons of charter busses taking us back to the resorts. With the exception of our bus driver (non-Disney) trying to run some red lights, then stopping short, and NOT knowing where to go for the Jambo bus stop, it was an okay ride. The high point was when the bus driver realized he missed the Jambo stop, went around the loop again, then made a u-turn in the area where the road forks for the bus stop and cars. LOL Talk about stopping traffic! (Even though it was late).
Before we left for the evening, we requested a blanket for the pull out bed in our room. My sister tried the bed, it was the same as SSR. However, she noticed the couch was wider (front to back) and the back pillows could be removed. So she slept on the couch as is, without using the pull out bed, and it was MUCH more comfortable. She said she could stay there another night or two.
The next morning, we packed up, called Bell services, and had the final long walk to our car. Well, I did the walk to the car, my sister waited in the lobby. (OMG the walk from our room to the car!), I wanted the convenience of SSR!
We headed home with some wonderful memories, some sunburn, and my sister and I both enjoying our very spontaneous Disney Waterpark 2-night stay.
SUMMARY:
I LOVE SSR - much more than I thought I would. I kind of wish I would have bought more points there instead of VGF, but I know how much I love VGF having stayed there in the past in the main building. I'm a little perturbed that I can't get a reservation there...yet (my resale contract hasn't closed).
However, it's good to know how nice SSR is (especially for spontaneous trips) and the things I do like about it. I LOVE that I can park right outside my room. I love how it feels like a condo. It was QUIET, serene, gorgeous, had great pools, LOVED the boat to Disney Springs, LOVED the Turf Club for dinner (ate there when I bought my DVC in June), and SSR was just magical for me.
I did not like AKV. Not saying I would not stay there again (I am staying there in January), but it's definitely at the bottom of my list. Unless I have a lobby room, the walk to the rooms are LONG (especially after a day at the park). I didn't see Kidani building, so that may be different...but my stay in January is in Jambo. I'm not a huge fan of Boma or Jiko (ate in one of them when I stayed at AKV in 2006). I wouldn't be opposed to trying them again, but it's not something I'd rush to do.
So far I LOVE BLT/Contemporary. OMG I can't wait to get a room there on a future trip! The decor is gorgeous, the grounds are beautiful. My opinion may change after a stay there, but for now, I liked it more than I thought.
The Typhoon Lagoon DVC party was a BLAST! It was well organized, the DJ was fun, and it was cool being in the park after dark and not waiting in long lines for the rides. However, Typhoon Lagoon is showing it's age, in that the slides are very mild compared to other water parks (Aquatica, Wet n' Wild, even though WW is closing in a year). However, the new water coaster, Crush N' Gushin is a LOT of fun, and the tidal wave pool/lazy river are always good times.
So, for my first visit as a DVC member, I was pleased! It felt great coming home and not seeing the hit to my bank account for room charges. I think this was my "cheapest" trip to Disney EVER (or my most expensive, depending how you look at it)! LOL
Stay tuned for my next update after MNSSHP in Mid-September!
Let me back up a minute by saying that I did NOT plan to go to Disney that time. I just came back from a weekend stay at All-Star movies a few weeks prior, and I'm going in September for MNSSHP.
However, when I saw the news that there was "free" admission to Typhoon Lagoon, I emailed my sister and asked if she wanted to go. Then I hopped on the DVC site, saw that SSR and AKV was open, and asked my sister if she wanted to stay at SSR or AKV? I didn't care which, since I'm staying at SSR in November and I've stayed at AKV years ago.
She told me she wanted both, but didn't want to mess with moving luggage. I told her bell services will do that for you. She was surprised, then said "let's stay at BOTH!!" I laughed and said okay. So, my first split stay with my shiny new DVC points was booked. SSR night 1, AKV Jambo night 2. Then when the registration was opened, I called and registered for the Typhoon Lagoon party.
So, a spontaneous 2-week out trip was born.
I was working Wednesday the day we were leaving, but we planned to leave about 3ish or so when I got home from work. While I'm packing last minute things and loading the car, I got a text that my room at SSR was ready. 1st. Floor, Carousel.
I told my sister and off we went! We drove right up to the building, walked around and found our room. It was a bit weird not stopping in at the desk, but also VERY convenient!
My first impressions of SSR buildings/rooms were OMG I LOVE IT!!! I don't know what it is, whether it's the "condo" feel of walking right from the car into my room, or the freestanding buildings that makes it truly feel like "I live here", but I LOVED IT!
My only complaint was that the TV in the room was too low to sit on the couch and watch it, even for sitting in the bed. I LOVED the patio, we overlooked the little carousel and the lake. I LOVED that I was close to the entrance/exit of the resort.
After a quick freshening up, we hit the road for our reservations at our new favorite non-Disney restaurant. Land Remembered at the Rosen Shingle Golf Resort. This was our second time there and we LOVED it.
Land Remembered is a bit (okay, a lot pricey) but WELL worth it! It's about a 20-25 minute drive north, right up Palm Parkway just a hop away from Disney Springs. After dinner, we had plans to catch the Wishes fireworks from BLT Top of the World at 10pm that night.
So, we head back to the room, change into more comfortable clothes, then head to BLT. Drove right in and parked right when the fireworks started. Head into the lobby, and enjoyed the escort to the TOTW lounge.
That was my first time there and it did NOT disappoint! WOW is all I can say. Though we only caught the last 5-10 minutes of fireworks, it was still a show and so beautiful up there! We head inside and check out the menu. Had we not just eaten, I could have ordered 1 of everything on the menu - YUM!
My sister was floored at how nice the lounge was, and it was relaxing just sitting there for about 5 min. We headed back down and walked around the grounds of BLT and Contemporary. We walked the bridge to the main monorail area, saw the pool, and the new decor.
Side note, the last time I stayed at the Contemporary was about 2004/2006. I DID NOT like it because of the decor. It was the 1970's art deco decor that made my eyes hurt. WHAT a surprise this time!
OMG I LOVE the new modern decor - SO nice! I felt like I was in a Jetson's house (Okay, I just showed my age if you know who the Jetson's are). I told my sister I would love to stay here too! LOL
After our exploration of the grounds, (OMG the bamboo forest by the pool area - gorgeous!), the lobby, etc, it was late and we decided to head back. A short car drive back to SSR we were "home".
My sister slept on the pull out couch in SSR, I slept in the queen bed. We're not "small" women, and we both agreed the queen bed wasn't big enough for both of us. Before we left for dinner that evening, we requested an extra blanket and found pillows & sheets in the closet for the sofa bed. My sister said the next morning the bed was uncomfortable. Now keep in mind she is a heavy woman (about 200 lb+). I only say that to give you an idea of why she found the pull out bed uncomfortable. Someone who is much lighter, or even a child, would be fine in the bed.
The next morning, we got up, packed our things (sans bathing suits and a day bag) and called bell services to transfer our luggage to AKV. We decided to spend the day exploring the grounds at SSR, hitting the pools, then making our way to AKV and checking out the pools there.
We moved the car over to the High Springs area, then after a quick tour of the DVC models (my sister REALLY wanted to see them), a pit stop in the community center to do some coloring of Disney characters, a few minutes of watching "Into the Woods" (I really want to see that movie), we walked around the lobby, took some pictures, took the boat to/from Disney Springs, then headed to the pool. Went in the pool for a bit, tested the water slide, then headed over to the Paddock Pool.
We went in that pool and tested that water slide. The Paddock Pool slide is AWESOME! When we were sitting on the side relaxing, I got a text that my room was ready at AKV. I told my sister and she said "let's go!".
Headed over to AKV, parked, and walked to the main lobby. We wanted to go to the Uzuma pool, so we took the shuttle to Kidani. Checked out that pool (it was okay), and decided what we wanted to do for lunch/dinner. That evening was the Typhoon Lagoon party, and we wanted to get the bus about 6:30 or so since they were letting us in early. So we decided to order out for pizza, and found a GREAT place that delivered to AKV. After calling in our order, we headed back to our room.
OMG the walk to our room!! It felt like it was never ending compared to SSR. We were in Jambo, all the way at the end of the hall on the 5th floor. So we waited for the shuttle from Kidani to Jambo, then the LONG walk to our room through the lobby, up the elevator, and down the hall.
We ordered pizza from Giordano's which is right near AKV and the food was excellent! We met the delivery guy in the lobby and brought the food back to our room (another long trip to the lobby and back!). LOL The only reason I keep mentioning the long walk to our room is that I was so spoiled by the convenience of SSR relative to where our car is parked, and that I could (if I'm really lazy) move my car around SSR to hit the other areas.
After lunch, we enjoyed some balcony time (we had a savannah view) watching the animals, but my sister and I were a little bored. My sister works as a Vet Tech at a large animal hospital in Florida, and has actually assisted in treating some of the Disney animals (zebras, giraffes, and the parade horses mostly). Disney brings their animals to her hospital if it's an issue the Disney vets can't handle. So my sister was kind of unimpressed, as was I. I was unimpressed mostly because I've experienced the Savannah view, and the animals are nice the first time, but after that, it's "meh".
So we got some pictures of the animals then it was nap time before getting changed for Typhoon Lagoon.
We got the bus right about 7 pm. Arrived at Typhoon Lagoon and they were checking DVC membership cards and registrations. We were let in by about 7:15, got our lockers and hit the Crush N' Gusher. We did that THREE TIMES! WOOHOO!!!
After that, we hit the other slides, and about 9:30 the party started. The park put out chips, cookies, lemonade and water. All the rides were open except for Crush N' Gusher which closed at sunset. The park did a great job of swapping daytime guests for DVC Guests (we had wristbands given to us at checkin).
Got a nice pic w/Mickey & Minnie and had a great time! About 12ish or so, we decided to head back. There were tons of charter busses taking us back to the resorts. With the exception of our bus driver (non-Disney) trying to run some red lights, then stopping short, and NOT knowing where to go for the Jambo bus stop, it was an okay ride. The high point was when the bus driver realized he missed the Jambo stop, went around the loop again, then made a u-turn in the area where the road forks for the bus stop and cars. LOL Talk about stopping traffic! (Even though it was late).
Before we left for the evening, we requested a blanket for the pull out bed in our room. My sister tried the bed, it was the same as SSR. However, she noticed the couch was wider (front to back) and the back pillows could be removed. So she slept on the couch as is, without using the pull out bed, and it was MUCH more comfortable. She said she could stay there another night or two.
The next morning, we packed up, called Bell services, and had the final long walk to our car. Well, I did the walk to the car, my sister waited in the lobby. (OMG the walk from our room to the car!), I wanted the convenience of SSR!
We headed home with some wonderful memories, some sunburn, and my sister and I both enjoying our very spontaneous Disney Waterpark 2-night stay.
SUMMARY:
I LOVE SSR - much more than I thought I would. I kind of wish I would have bought more points there instead of VGF, but I know how much I love VGF having stayed there in the past in the main building. I'm a little perturbed that I can't get a reservation there...yet (my resale contract hasn't closed).
However, it's good to know how nice SSR is (especially for spontaneous trips) and the things I do like about it. I LOVE that I can park right outside my room. I love how it feels like a condo. It was QUIET, serene, gorgeous, had great pools, LOVED the boat to Disney Springs, LOVED the Turf Club for dinner (ate there when I bought my DVC in June), and SSR was just magical for me.
I did not like AKV. Not saying I would not stay there again (I am staying there in January), but it's definitely at the bottom of my list. Unless I have a lobby room, the walk to the rooms are LONG (especially after a day at the park). I didn't see Kidani building, so that may be different...but my stay in January is in Jambo. I'm not a huge fan of Boma or Jiko (ate in one of them when I stayed at AKV in 2006). I wouldn't be opposed to trying them again, but it's not something I'd rush to do.
So far I LOVE BLT/Contemporary. OMG I can't wait to get a room there on a future trip! The decor is gorgeous, the grounds are beautiful. My opinion may change after a stay there, but for now, I liked it more than I thought.
The Typhoon Lagoon DVC party was a BLAST! It was well organized, the DJ was fun, and it was cool being in the park after dark and not waiting in long lines for the rides. However, Typhoon Lagoon is showing it's age, in that the slides are very mild compared to other water parks (Aquatica, Wet n' Wild, even though WW is closing in a year). However, the new water coaster, Crush N' Gushin is a LOT of fun, and the tidal wave pool/lazy river are always good times.
So, for my first visit as a DVC member, I was pleased! It felt great coming home and not seeing the hit to my bank account for room charges. I think this was my "cheapest" trip to Disney EVER (or my most expensive, depending how you look at it)! LOL
Stay tuned for my next update after MNSSHP in Mid-September!
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