Just back from first DVC stay - random thoughts

[vacationman]

First stay with DVC - June 15 - 23 - at BWV and had a great time. Here are some random thoughts which are all IMHO:

The Boardwalk Villas were better than expected (and I expected alot). The action on the boardwalk was an added dimension that we have never had before at a Disney resort. Each night there were fire eaters, brass bands, jugglers, sword swallowers, etc. AND for our last two nights, Discovery magazine had booths set up along the boardwalk that were great for the kids. They had laser tag, kareoke (which they e-mailed for you), photo stickers, a match game, a DJ on stage that really got the crowd going, baseball throw, and many other booths. All FREE!

The rooms at the BWV are great. We had a studio, non-preferred view, that was on the same floor as the check-in area (2nd floor). No elevator problems. Loved the refrigerator, microwave and toaster. Pleanty of room for two adults and two kids. The decor was nice and not cheap.

One thing I never really factored in on buying into DVC was what we now save on food by having the fridge, microwave and toaster. One stop ($120) at the Publix and we had two meals per day in opur room. Since we spent a minimum of $30 every meal in Disney, this ended up being a huge savings. My entire room bill ended up being under $125!

The surry bikes are fine but it is very hard to get through the crowds at night. May be better to rent them early evening before the crowd grows. Maybe because I was the only one really peddling, but going up the bridge near the Swan and Dolphin was tough.

The walkway to MGM was great. Sure beat getting on the bnoat and having to stop at the Beach/Yacht Club and the Swan/Dolphin before getting to MGM. The boat was about a 20-25 minute deal whereas walking was 15 minutes from the end of the BWV. Very well lit at night too.

We pool-hopped to Stormalong Bay and had a very pleasant experience. They had castmembers at each entrance checking to see if you were staying at the Beach/Yacht Club or if you were a DVC member staying at a different resport. Everyone else was not let in.
This seemed fair and should answer most of the issues brought up in the numerous pool hoping posts.

Epcot is a very short walk from BWV. It was a nice surprize.

When watching the parade at Epcot, get a spot on the lake side of the path. On the other side, there is a constant stream of folks walking by during the entire parade.

Now that Disney has relegated smokers to designated smoking areas, there is alot less smoke around BUT there are still many folks who light up outside of these areas and there seems to be no enforcement. As a smoke hater, I just put these people in the same "rude/obnoxious" category as those who cut in line, block exits and entrances while they decide what to do, and slap their kids around because their kids are acting like kids.

We experienced several Disney magic moments that remind us why we love the Disney level of service. (1) The bus driver who took us to BWV even though it was not his route because we were drenced in a downpour and just got on the first bus we saw. (2) The worker who gave my wife a sundae for free because she was 50 cents short and no one would help out. (3) The cast member who gave my daughter four pins in exchange for one. (4) The cast member who gave the family desert for free since we had to wait for our burgers (and it was a real short wait).

We got hooked on the Who Wants to be a Millionaire Play It! game at MGM and went to at least 20 shows in our eight days there. Once we figured out the process, members of our family got in the hot seat four times. We have several hats, shirts and lots of pins and cannot say enough how that show made our trip. Beware - this show is addicting.

Many folks think Disney is just for little kids but I can assure you that as my children get older, they enjoy it more and more. Now 9 and 12, they try out new things each time there. This time during a daylong rain, they spent the day in Innovations and had what they now describe as their best day. Now don't get mad, but IMHO Disney for kids under 5 years old is a waste of time and frustrating to parents and kids alike. If all of your children are under 5, consider going somewhere else that does not put such a strain on a family. I can not tell you how many times parental outbursts and out of control crying children could have been avoided by using the 5 year old rule.

Seeing the construction at the Beach club for the new DVC property, it occurred to me that none of the units will be on the water. Just another great reason to be glad I bought in at BWV.

This trip has convinced me that buying into DVC was a great decision. I wish I had bought more points when BWV were still available.

 

[Beachangel]

I'm taking my first official trip home in August at BWV. Great to hear your expectations were met. Of course I don't agree with your 5 yo policy. Perhaps parents should be a little more flexible when travelling with small children. My sister, her DH and her 9 month old came on the family trip last August and it was a blast. To watch her reactions with the characters, etc was a memorable experience for us and one we won't forget. Actually, its our 11 yo niece that doesn't have anymore enthusiasm about Disney. Oh well!

 

[littlenicky]

I also got back from my 1st trip to the boardwalk as a DVC member, and felt the same way. I wish I had bought more points. Glad to hear it went well.

 

[Doctor P]

Thanks for your report. Glad you had a good time.

 

[mickey7861]

Glad you had a great time. I love the Boardwalk too, so much action. Actually it's not usually the 5 and under crowd that's the problem, it's the adults that expect them to be able to tour commando style, non-stop.

 

[Lesley]

Glad your trip was a great one!

I agree with the last poster..parents do need to come into WDW with a better understanding of their kids limits and needs. My 5yo and my baby had a wonderful trip last summer...and so did we. I can't wait to take them again...they'll be 7 and 22 months on our next trip!

Also, taking kids under 5 *anywhere* occasionally involves " parental outbursts and out of control crying children"...my 6yo lost it in Subway yesterday because he changed his mind about his sandwich after it was made...It all comes with having kids. They're sometimes unpredictable. Let whoever has never lost it with their kids in public be the first to criticize (and I don't mean publicly smacking them around...I mean snapping at them and raising your voice). Perhaps next time instead of focusing on the upset kids and parents take a look at all the ones who are having the time of their lives!

 

[Ralph&Pam]

I can see that my DW will be spending a lot of time at MGM--she loves that game. Any special strategy you can share?

Ralph

 

[dbkelly]

I just want to thank Lesley for commenting on stressed out parents and children. It drives me crazy when people talk about the way they see other parents behave. The worst thing of all is when childless adults make a comment on how they would handle the situation (I would love to see them in the same situation). I have simpathy for every parent who gets a little stressed out because their children are so demanding. The hardest challenge I ever put myself through is being a parent. I totally agree with Lesley that I am against any type of physical abuse, however sometimes a parent has to raise their voice to a child who is being totally unreasonable. On our last trip my son just wanted to do what he liked. He got upset with us everytime we did something for his sisters. Don't get me wrong, he is actually a very well behaved 8 year old boy, but for some reason the trip to Disney made him a little unreasonable.

 

[dbkelly]

Sorry for spelling sympathy incorrectly!

 

[vacationman]

To Ralph&Pam: Here is the Millionaire strategy that worked for us. First, unless there is a carry over in the hot seat from the previous show, each show starts out with a fastest finger question. Our strategy was to pick a four letter combination (each member of the family had a different one) and enter it as soon as the keypad lights up. Yes, this means before we even know what the question is. If your combo comes up, you are probably in. This worked for my wife and our 9 year old.

Second, once someone is in the hotseat, the audience gets to answer along with the contestant and, for each correct answer, points are given. The key here is to start clicking on the keypad as soon as you have the answer (before the keypad lights up) since you get more points the faster you answer. It was our experience that if you got even one question wrong, you were probably out of the running since there are over 650 folks competing against you. Being fast and correct got us in the hotseat twice.

Good luck!

To Everyone: Many of you have put the children issue much more eloquently than I. My thought is that Disney is not cheap thus many folks are trying to see/do everything in a short amount of time and kids (especially those under 5) cannot be expected to handle it as well as an older child might. Maybe for DVC owners, we get to stay longer and more frequently and thus are not as rushed as others. I agree that this is not a kid issue, it's a parent issue. If you understand the limitations of your child for enduring a Disney trek, all can go well regardless of the child's age. Also, Disney has many scary attractions and parents need to know that every attraction/ride is not for little kids. Enjoying the happiest place on earth does not mean you have to see/do everything at once.

 

[MikeBW]

vacationman,

Was a toaster in your room when you arrived or did you have to ask for one? I sent MS an e-mail about making toasters part of all studio rooms after our trip in March. I am just wondering if MS actually heard me.

 

[vacationman]

To MikeBW

I thought there would be a toaster in the room and when there was not, I called housekeeping and they brought one up within two minutes. It was a nice toaster with slots wide enough for bagels.

 

[MikeBW]

thanks for the info!

 

[skorpie]

Dear Vacationman! We're leaving in 2 weeks for an OKW studio stay. I assume that most studios are equipped the same. Did the units supply coffee cups, utensils and regular drinking cups or should we buy these when we make our stop at the grocery store? Were these items replaced daily or do we wash them to reuse them? We plan to try to get 2 meals a day in the room to also save money. Any suggestions about what to buy would be appreciated! Thanks.

 

[vacationman]

Skorpie:

The studio unit had a coffee maker, 4 coffee cups, four glasses, about 8-10 semi-thin paper plates, 6-8 paper bowls, some plastic utensils (the same kind you can get at Disney fast food restaurants), and a roll of paper towels. They may replenish these but we don't know since we used our own supplies. Since we did not want to do any dish washing, we bought packs of heavy duty: paper plates (40 plates); bowls (20 bowls); and utensils (the multi-pack)as well as an extra roll of the paper towels that tear off in half-size sections (a great napkin substitute).

What we bought for our two meals per day in the room was nothing fancy: Three varieties of lunch meat, two kinds of sandwich cheese plus one cubed cheese, several containers of fresh fruit, peanut butter and jelly, cereal, three half gallons of milk, enough bread (sliced and crusty), donuts, toaster danish, pop-tarts, microwave popcorn, chips, pretzels, doritos, butter, english muffins, variety pack of 12 cookie packets, the little round container meals (mac and cheese, ravioli, etc. that can be heated in the micro, some canned foods, water bottles (we would freeze them 3/4 full and take them each day to the parks), lots of diet coke and crystal light, gushers, and little bottles of sunny delight. Especially if you have baggies, many items in the list above can also be easily carried into the park to provide snacks (saves even more $). We had very little left over at the end of our 8 days.

 

[skorpie]

Thanks! Do you know offhand the diretions to the food store you mentioned? I have directions to Goodings. WE'll have a car so we can go where it's most convienient. Thanks for your ideas. We're only going for 3 1/2 days to check out the DVC experience.

 

[vacationman]

I used Tiffany Towncar so I did not pay attention to the directions. It was a Publix and was about ten minutes from the BWV. Maybe someone else will chime in with the directions.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I agree with you on the Boardwalk action, it was amazing! We were there 6/20-27. Unfortunately for me, DH liked the parks so much that by the time we got back to the BW we were all whipped and either went to bed or went swimming.
I can tell you that my just-turned 3 year old DS had at least one meltdown a day. He had a major fit at BB and has developed a nasty habit of smacking me when he is mad. At one point I decided to slap his hand and he moved, so I slapped his ribs--boy did people look at me like I was Satan. But other times he was a perfect angel. It's the nature of the beast.
We also poolhopped to SAB, on a Monday, and no one checked our cards. I much prefer their slide and pool to BWV, esp. for the younger ones. We also walked over there to eat dinner at Cape May one night and got a 10% DVC discount. We also ate at ESPN for a snack two different times.
You never can picture what a short walk it is to MGM and Epcot until you are there doing it! I wonder why I didn't notice that on our tour last year? DH's favorite park is Epcot so we went there 4 different times.
Robin M.

 

[SueSue]

Vacationman, thanks for your wonderful report! I'm so glad you found BWV above your expectations. Our "home" is at OKW, and we really love the peaceful atmosphere and laid-back pace, but last year we tried BWV and fell in love with it as well. This time we're splitting our time evenly between the two - 4 nights at each, and we can't wait!

You answered some of my questions also. I was wondering about the walkway to MGM from BWV. Though it's a bit of a walk, it may be nice just to save time on the boat.

Thanks for the Millionaire tipsas well. We are really looking forward to trying this attraction out!

Did you eat any meals at the BW restaurants? Let us know what you thought of them if you did. Thanks!