VWL Groupies & Lovers Thread (Special Collectors Edition 2.0) updated 21 June 2023

[jimmytammy]

Yep, I think it's Grandstand, as well. I don't know that those are totally refurbished yet, but it is a prime location. Luv stayed there once last year and was in the building closest to the main area, thus closer to DS. She liked it a lot. Love that you're keeping in touch with a past acquaintance. Those sort of things are rare anymore.

If we get GS, we will like it Im sure. I feel as though my luck for getting requests, of any kind may have run its course. Is KAT4DISNEY nearby?

I actually spoke with Kenny last night and it was so good to hear his voice after 7-8 years. He spoke highly of his days at Wilderness Lodge and he too longs for the way it used to be. I told him how AP changed and it changed the vibe at TL as well. We can always long for and hold tight too the past I guess, and hold on tight as the present and future pass us by.

 

[jimmytammy]

Hi Groupies...back from a silent retreat the past few days, and looking forward to getting immersed back in the real world!

Sleepy...thanks for the trip report and reviews. I'm glad you've seen the real beauty of DVC ownership is to enhance vacations by having nice accommodations, and ease of mind in the knowledge that we will be back so no need to stress over anything during a particular trip. I have always thought that most of the "magic" that people experience at WDW is due to their own attitude, and lower expectations can certainly contribute to more pleasant surprises.



Jimmy...the Preferred View areas at SSR are Congress Park and The Springs areas. Congress Park has the best access to Disney Springs, and The Springs has the best access to the resort main pool and restaurants. So anyone booking PV at SSR will be placed in one of those two areas.

Based on a great tip from @Dizny Dad & @DiznyDi , we stayed at Grandstand last year and found it combined easy access to both Artist Palette and Disney Springs. If you're not staying PV, I'd recommend Grandstand.

I keep saying GS...DUH!! I know that area well as we always request it per DI and Dad's tips as well. We love that area. By the time we decided to add on a few nights, standard views were gone, so we chose CP as our preferred. The Springs, in my mind, is what I keep saying is GS. Again...DUH!!

Thanks for the clarification Granny. Someone needs to straighten me out

 

[Dizny Dad]

Sleepy - Great reports! Thank you for the time and effort to share the experience and opinions you & Luv have.

SSR - I have always found SSR to be somewhat lacking in "hit you over the head" with a Disney theme. It has always been a good retreat from the park environment after a day of crowd participation.

Sleepy said "We adjusted our attitudes for this trip, and that made all the difference, truly. We gracefully dodged people, tried to smile when someone committed the grand sin of standing in the opening of door or entryway, etc. We let others run ahead of us knowing we'd get our turn. We were calm. Sure made for a more pleasant experience. I will say, however, that we still observed the total lack of situational awareness and personal space for so many. For example, I can't say how many times we walked up to a FP entrance only to have it completely blocked by people waiting to enter but too early. Standing to one side is really easy. But, we politely excused ourselves and slipped by.

Yup! DiznyDi & I adjusted our attitude years ago, after about 10 years of calculating the best attack each day for the planned assault on the park selection of the day. "We'll be back" is now the mantra of choice. I think I made the decision to stand back the day the french speaking lady continued to ram me from behind in the Main Street Emporium one crowded spring break with her double stroller saying something to me with a mean look on her face every time my ankles where assaulted. I finally just stepped out of the checkout line, wished her a good day and wished the guy in front of me "Good Luck". It took us a minute or two to get out onto Main Street USA, as I had to stand aside while about 30 young Brazilian students, all in the same colored shirts, came pushing into the Emporium singing, clapping, and in general attracting as much attention to themselves as possible.

Sleepy; your right. It does indeed feel better to just stand aside and to remember "We'll be back".

 

[MiaSRN62]

Julie (Horselover) and me had a fun time at Flower and Garden. I was happy to be able to join her for March 4-6. The weather was quite hot on Wed and Thurs and def cooled down Fri. I agree with Sleepy....Epcot Future World is a hot mess. Walls up and detours everywhere. Even in the World Showcase there were a few F&G booths not open which Julie and I found annoying. We both stayed at BWV and I enjoyed it. Lately I have been having an easy time securing BWV reservations. Never had this much ease going back 4-5 yrs ago? Anyway....sharing some photos of trip!
On FIgment ride:

















We had dinner together at Beaches and Cream......and I couldn't resist this dessert!








Cooling off with adult beverages at Rose N Crown!


Cheers!

 

[rkstocke5609]

Julie (Horselover) and me had a fun time at Flower and Garden. I was happy to be able to join her for March 4-6. The weather was quite hot on Wed and Thurs and def cooled down Fri. I agree with Sleepy....Epcot Future World is a hot mess. Walls up and detours everywhere. Even in the World Showcase there were a few F&G booths not open which Julie and I found annoying. We both stayed at BWV and I enjoyed it. Lately I have been having an easy time securing BWV reservations. Never had this much ease going back 4-5 yrs ago? Anyway....sharing some photos of trip!
On FIgment ride:

















We had dinner together at Beaches and Cream......and I couldn't resist this dessert!








Cooling off with adult beverages at Rose N Crown!


Cheers!

That dessert looked extreme! How did you finish it?

 

[Lakegirl]

Julie (Horselover) and me had a fun time at Flower and Garden. I was happy to be able to join her for March 4-6. The weather was quite hot on Wed and Thurs and def cooled down Fri. I agree with Sleepy....Epcot Future World is a hot mess. Walls up and detours everywhere. Even in the World Showcase there were a few F&G booths not open which Julie and I found annoying. We both stayed at BWV and I enjoyed it. Lately I have been having an easy time securing BWV reservations. Never had this much ease going back 4-5 yrs ago? Anyway....sharing some photos of trip!
On FIgment ride:

















We had dinner together at Beaches and Cream......and I couldn't resist this dessert!








Cooling off with adult beverages at Rose N Crown!


Cheers!

Great pictures and so glad you were able to connect and have fun!!
Sleepy thank yoi so much for trip reports!!

 

[MiaSRN62]

That dessert looked extreme! How did you finish it?

I did not finish it! I took the Minnie cupcake back to my room and had it the next day. Didn't even finish the shake part in the restaurant----but had to have it! It was just too cute!

 

[jimmytammy]

Great photos Maria!!

 

[Dizny Dad]

Maria - just had to join in with the other Groupies - - Great Pictures! Not so sure I would participate in the Oysters!

 

[twinklebug]

@MiaSRN62 echoing the sentiment. Thank you for sharing! Beautiful pictures, seems you captured the magic and fun of EPCOT wonderfully in them, including that sidetrip to B&C. Wishing I was there.

 

[Dizny Dad]

So there is now a discussion in our family over the concern that DiznyDi & I will be flying to The World the first of May. DiznyDi & I are both in the "high Risky" category, although I find it hard to believe I am in such a group (jeese, I'm just old). DiznyDi is definitely in a group for concern. She always has come home from the The World with a terrible cold or flu. I have always blamed the air in the airplane spreading the cold that that "one guy" has. With a compromised immune system and CF issues, I am also wondering if it is a good time to start driving to The World. It is a long trip from Lake Erie to The World. My butt is sore just thinking about it; and not so much about getting there, but facing the drive home will loom in my mind starting three days out from departure.

 

[Granny]

So there is now a discussion in our family over the concern that DiznyDi & I will be flying to The World the first of May. DiznyDi & I are both in the "high Risky" category, although I find it hard to believe I am in such a group (jeese, I'm just old). DiznyDi is definitely in a group for concern. She always has come home from the The World with a terrible cold or flu. I have always blamed the air in the airplane spreading the cold that that "one guy" has. With a compromised immune system and CF issues, I am also wondering if it is a good time to start driving to The World. It is a long trip from Lake Erie to The World. My butt is sore just thinking about it; and not so much about getting there, but facing the drive home will loom in my mind starting three days out from departure.

DDad...I guess DW & I are in the high risk category too due to our age. But I think the compromised immune system is the bigger concern, and I certainly understand your thinking. Of course, we could just sit at Geyser Point for a week and wipe down every surface every day!

Truthfully, I think the situation may be abated quite a bit by May. I received this tidbit in my in box this morning from my financial advisor:

We are also looking for the spread of COVID:19 to slow, which has started to happen in China and South Korea, areas that were hit first. The US may be a couple of months behind before we would see some tapering off of the spread. However, we see colleges have students study from home, and we see families and businesses cancelling travel to avoid inadvertently catching or spreading the virus. The NBA has postponed their season to reinforce social distancing. These are healthy choices for managing the spread of the virus and there will be short term economic impact. Finally, we are looking for industrial production and shipping to resume, which has begun to happen out of Asia. ​

​

So it is hard to guess what the situation will be 7 weeks from now.

As for driving, you could make your life a lot easier if you would break it into a couple of days if you have time. Driving 8 hours a day for two days is easier than a 16 hour straight through run!

We're playing this one pretty flexibly. Probably take a hard, serious look at our trip at the 31 day mark.

 

[sleepydog25]

Yeah, I'd look at driving, as well, if you have the time. I've not been a fan of flying for the past two decades or so, as airlines have increasingly made the experience more difficult: crowded passenger cabins, nitnoy charges (save SW for the most part), nasty airports, uncomfortable seats, and traditionally poor customer service. We're 10 hours away, and we usually break it up into two days. For your distance, I'd recommend three days down and maybe two back. For some reason, going back we rarely stop as we're ready to just get home. The next two weeks may very well answer a lot of folks' questions and resolve quandaries. Best wishes to you both, regardless of plans.

On a side note, I got to thinking today that I'm quite happy not to be a CM during these times. It's one thing to go there and dodge illnesses, to be very careful in the parks for a week; I wouldn't want to be dealing with this issue day in and day out while literally a million people stream into the area. Sometimes, being from a rural area has its advantages.

 

[twinklebug]

So there is now a discussion in our family over the concern that DiznyDi & I will be flying to The World the first of May. DiznyDi & I are both in the "high Risky" category, although I find it hard to believe I am in such a group (jeese, I'm just old). DiznyDi is definitely in a group for concern. She always has come home from the The World with a terrible cold or flu. I have always blamed the air in the airplane spreading the cold that that "one guy" has. With a compromised immune system and CF issues, I am also wondering if it is a good time to start driving to The World. It is a long trip from Lake Erie to The World. My butt is sore just thinking about it; and not so much about getting there, but facing the drive home will loom in my mind starting three days out from departure.

I'm in the high risk zone too and have given this thought. The prices are dropping to $40 each way on select flights, I have an AP burning a hole in my pocket and a beautiful house available to use nearby. It's still not worth it.

Given the airlines still lax attitude toward cleaning the aircraft between flights, I would drive. (Also, those waiting areas and service counters must get pretty questionable.)

from southwest air:

Aircraft Cleaning and Cabin Environment — Keeping you safe within our experience

Southwest Airlines aircraft are maintained in accordance with an established program aimed at providing a clean and inviting cabin environment. In addition to tidying each aircraft between flights, we spend more than six hours cleaning each aircraft every night. And, as of March 4, 2020, we have enhanced our overnight cleaning procedures.

That doesn't get my vote of confidence. All the airlines are running pretty much the same cleaning model.

In your own car you have the control of what viruses are permitted to exist - just watch the stops.
Turn it into an adventure with a side trip if you need to make it a bit more exciting. Remember the drive home seems faster than the one there as you have your trip to reflect on.

 

[ErinC]

Never thought I'd see the day that all the Disney parks would be closed. Things are just crazy. DD20 has been doing study abroad this semester in Greece. Needless to say she will be home 6 weeks early. We completely understand the school closing there, and it seems like I've heard of dozens of universities closing for the rest of the semester here in the U.S. It sounds like most will be finishing their coursework up online. We were supposed to be headed to Europe ourselves on the 28th. We were going to make a stop at DLP and then visit with the kid in Greece. So, I've spent numerous hours cancelling reservations online, and it's going to take several more hours to finish cancelling all these plane reservations. We are possibly thinking of rescheduling the first of June. I don't think I can get a refund on much of the airfare, but I can make changes to the dates. Lots of disappointments to go around. There could even be the possibility of having to teach online for a few weeks if we have to cancel school due to the virus. As of this evening, there are still no cases in Alabama yet. I feel certain it's probably coming.
I'd appreciate the prayers of the groupies for DD as travels home on Saturday from Greece. I know she will be subject to extra screenings, and then we have been told that she will need to self quarantine for 14 days. The whole family will need prayers for that!

 

[jimmytammy]

Erin, We will definitely pray for your daughter and your family as you deal with these real world problems. We seemed so far removed from it all for so long, yet, here we are.

Our decision to fly out on Mar 23 was made for us last night with the announcement of WDW closing. We are hoping to be able to re book flights and reservations soon but a call to DVC needs to be made 1st this AM to see what we can do with the 2 weeks worth of points. If we cant put them into next years points we may be very well out of luck. Oh well, we have to move on and see what happens. Lots of folks in worst case scenarios than our little WDW problems.

 

[Suzabella]

Please keep us posted on what you find out. We are scheduled to be at DVC HHI in 2 weeks.

We were also scheduled there last year when HHI was evacuated due to Hurricane Dorian. Disney was very accommodating and put our points back in the use year they came from with no penalties. Now...in that case, the resort closed. I'll be anxious to see what they do with this.

Even though we spend more days at the resort than at the parks when at VWL, I doubt we're the norm. They are being very accommodating to guests who cancel hotels but I can't find anything for DVC members.

And I agree 100%! We are blessed!

 

[Granny]

a call to DVC needs to be made 1st this AM to see what we can do with the 2 weeks worth of points. If we cant put them into next years points we may be very well out of luck.

Jimmy...I've been reading that Disney is handling DVC cancellations on a case by case basis, but that was before the announcement of the park closure. With parks being closed, I'm sure that Disney will refund all points for stays during that time. My understanding is that Disney has also been putting borrowed points back in the original UY which should alleviate some issues. And they may let you bank points beyond the normal banking deadlines. Definitely, a call to MS would be in order. I'm sure they are overwhelmed at this point, so you can expect a significant wait time. But I think Disney will handle this with generosity as they have in the past.

We are scheduled to be at DVC HHI in 2 weeks.

Suza...I don't know that this will affect HHI. Tossing some Moose Dust your way hoping that everything works out okay for that.

 

[Granny]

I'd appreciate the prayers of the groupies for DD as travels home on Saturday from Greece. I know she will be subject to extra screenings, and then we have been told that she will need to self quarantine for 14 days. The whole family will need prayers for that!

Erin...prayers going up for your daughter and your family. These are stressful times indeed, and hopefully your daughter will return and enjoy two weeks of binging on Netflix!

I went to a Sam's Club yesterday and I couldn't believe how cleaned out the store was. No toilet paper, paper towels and half the frozen food racks were picked clean. Looks like everyone is planning on hunkering down. Best wishes to all Groupies during this situation.

 

[Dizny Dad]

I went to a Sam's Club yesterday and I couldn't believe how cleaned out the store was. No toilet paper, paper towels and half the frozen food racks were picked clean. Looks like everyone is planning on hunkering down. Best wishes to all Groupies during this situation.

I, too, went to our local Walmart & Marc's stores and found the rumor I had heard were really overblown. They still had plenty of TP, but yes, out of hand squeezer stuff. there was plenty of foods in all departments and the clerks were active in restocking shelves.

My family did encounter a typical human response to all of this. A lady was clearing off the shelf of hand sanitizer, about 16 big bottles in all, and bragged that she was going to put it on E-Bay at triple the price. In every perceived crisis, there will always be those hoarders and those to take advantage of others in the crowd. They just don't know how much the act of generosity, especially in the face of real human concerns, can fill the soul and uplift you in general.