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

[Dizny Dad]

Happy Birthday Mrs. Granny!

 

[sleepydog25]

Happy Birthday Mrs. Granny!

Ditto!!

 

[ottawagreg]

Hello to everyone in VWL Groupie land! Now that summer has "officially" started with the passing of Memorial Day, my thoughts are focusing on the castle. Which made me think of you kind folks and how everyone is getting along. Hopefully summer is a good one for all. Here in the corn belt things are a struggle. It will NOT stop raining. There is no corn crop in the fields anywhere that I know here in north central Illinois. I don't think Iowa is faring much better. June 5 is the drop dead date for field corn. Judging by the forecast for the rest of the next week they will not get it in.

We are checking into the villas at the wilderness lodge in 30 days. The only thing left for us to do is make tee times at local golf courses. I hear is hot as Hades in the southeastern states.

BTW I did sell a 170 point contract a few months ago. We have to complete this trip before closing the deal, but it clear ROFR. Several were listed in the $105 range so I did too, with no takers. A few offers came in at the low 90s which I passed on. Eventually I received a $95 offer and we agreed to a deal at $98. Just throwing that out in case anyone that is sniffing around buying or selling may find it useful. We are a little bummed out to unload points, but we still have enough for two trip per year and feel blessed every time we make the turn onto Timberline Dr.

Mrs. Granny happy birthday to you!

 

[sleepydog25]

Hello to everyone in VWL Groupie land! Now that summer has "officially" started with the passing of Memorial Day, my thoughts are focusing on the castle. Which made me think of you kind folks and how everyone is getting along. Hopefully summer is a good one for all. Here in the corn belt things are a struggle. It will NOT stop raining. There is no corn crop in the fields anywhere that I know here in north central Illinois. I don't think Iowa is faring much better. June 5 is the drop dead date for field corn. Judging by the forecast for the rest of the next week they will not get it in.

We are checking into the villas at the wilderness lodge in 30 days. The only thing left for us to do is make tee times at local golf courses. I hear is hot as Hades in the southeastern states.

BTW I did sell a 170 point contract a few months ago. We have to complete this trip before closing the deal, but it clear ROFR. Several were listed in the $105 range so I did too, with no takers. A few offers came in at the low 90s which I passed on. Eventually I received a $95 offer and we agreed to a deal at $98. Just throwing that out in case anyone that is sniffing around buying or selling may find it useful. We are a little bummed out to unload points, but we still have enough for two trip per year and feel blessed every time we make the turn onto Timberline Dr.

Mrs. Granny happy birthday to you!

Good to hear from you, Greg. I do so hope the weather will break to allow the corn to go in. We had nothing but wet, wet, wet from last July until about a week ago. We're now in the middle of what would usually be summer weather here in the mountains of southwest VA, but at least we don't have floods, tornadoes, and such. Thoughts to you folks there.

We don't have any intentions of selling anytime soon, at all really, but thanks for the heads up. I think prices will stabilize until we see what Riviera and Reflections do downstream.

 

[ErinC]

Happy Birthday to our beloved lodge! Wilderness Lodge is 25 today! I only remember this because today is my birthday. Sadly, I'm not 25 today. I had a great birthday and managed to spend all my birthday money in one shopping trip. All my girls are home this summer, so that makes it extra special.
Happy Birthday to Mrs. Granny as well!
Sleepy, glad to hear you are recovering well. I was supposed to have foot surgery Thursday morning, but I decided I didn't want to take the time to recover, so i called a canceled it this morning. I'm sure the podiatrist is thrilled with me.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Hello to everyone in VWL Groupie land! Now that summer has "officially" started with the passing of Memorial Day, my thoughts are focusing on the castle. Which made me think of you kind folks and how everyone is getting along. Hopefully summer is a good one for all. Here in the corn belt things are a struggle. It will NOT stop raining. There is no corn crop in the fields anywhere that I know here in north central Illinois. I don't think Iowa is faring much better. June 5 is the drop dead date for field corn. Judging by the forecast for the rest of the next week they will not get it in.

We are checking into the villas at the wilderness lodge in 30 days. The only thing left for us to do is make tee times at local golf courses. I hear is hot as Hades in the southeastern states.

BTW I did sell a 170 point contract a few months ago. We have to complete this trip before closing the deal, but it clear ROFR. Several were listed in the $105 range so I did too, with no takers. A few offers came in at the low 90s which I passed on. Eventually I received a $95 offer and we agreed to a deal at $98. Just throwing that out in case anyone that is sniffing around buying or selling may find it useful. We are a little bummed out to unload points, but we still have enough for two trip per year and feel blessed every time we make the turn onto Timberline Dr.

Mrs. Granny happy birthday to you!

I'm on MN right now and they have extra 20,000 lakes to go with the normal 10,000. Farmers get into the fields but can't get out of the mud.

 

[jimmytammy]

Hey Greg!
All is well here in NC, but some of the rain you are now getting, would be nice here. Sleepy is right, we had massive amounts of rain earlier this year, and we have deep moisture, but our garden is not showing it. Having to water everyday to keep them alive. Oh well, seems us humans, no matter the circumstances are never quite happy with what He gives us at the moment. We had too much rain, now not enough, and it sure is hot for May in NC. This is me just being human

Happy Birthday Mrs. Granny!!!!

Happy Birthday Erin!!!!

 

[jimmytammy]

And can I say how excited I am to know come Dec 7, I will be back in our beloved home

 

[Granny]

On behalf of Mrs. Granny, I thank all of you for the birthday wishes. We enjoyed a nice day at our local zoo to celebrate.

 

[DVC Jen]

Happy Birthday Mrs.Granny. I hope it is magical

 

[Dizny Dad]

On behalf of Mrs. Granny, I thank all of you for the birthday wishes. We enjoyed a nice day at our local zoo to celebrate.

I'm sure at the Zoo, it was a good day Moo.

 

[Lakegirl]

Happy Birthday Mrs. Granny!! It sure is so very wet and so very cold up here in Mass. 79 days till we go home. I just booked my DD and I a trip to see my lifelong friend in Colorado. So excited. Also booked my April trip to VWL for a 1bdrm. So exciting to have two trips home planned and booked.

 

[sleepydog25]

Morning, Groupies! Recuperation is moving along slowly but definitely trending upward. I do not like sitting still or being mostly inactive at any time--it's not in my DNA. However, I'm currently stuck either on the couch, in the bed, or sitting on the deck. Now, that doesn't sound too bad--and, in the larger scheme of things, it's not--but I'm not a big TV watcher nor do I read as many books anymore as I should. I'm more of a tinkerer in the yard, runner, biker, hiker, golfer. . .active sort of person. Now, I sit or stretch out. I can't even drive, not for another 8 days! At least the weather outside has been good, if on the warm side. We did get a nice soaking rain yesterday evening when a storm system moved through. My heart goes out to those who are dealing with too much rain and the nasty storms lashing them without end. I've been there and can empathize.

In Disney news, Luv and I had managed to snag a studio for the second night of our stay at HHI in July, as well as a 2BR the last night. We had reserved a local Comfort Inn for the first night. Amazingly, we got an email yesterday afternoon that our waitlist for the first night had been filled, so now we are in a studio the first two nights before switching over to a 2BR that last evening. That works out great because we had planned to cook our own Low Country boil in the kitchen much like we did last summer when we stayed at Palmetto Dunes. That's the first time in five years that any of our waitlists for HHI (always during July since that's our anniversary) have come through. If there is a moral to the story, it's keep striving--sometimes the odds flip in your favor. . .unless you're KAT.

 

[Flossbolna]

That's the first time in five years that any of our waitlists for HHI (always during July since that's our anniversary) have come through. If there is a moral to the story, it's keep striving--sometimes the odds flip in your favor. . .unless you're KAT.

Oh, I was thinking the moral would be not to get married during peak season for travel, so that you won’t be trying to book something for your anniversary when availability is difficult. But that might be because our anniversary is 12/29, so we are during peak season, too. Maybe not for HHI though?

But it’s wonderful tat the waitlist worked for you!!

 

[sleepydog25]

Oh, I was thinking the moral would be not to get married during peak season for travel, so that you won’t be trying to book something for your anniversary when availability is difficult. But that might be because our anniversary is 12/29, so we are during peak season, too. Maybe not for HHI though?

But it’s wonderful tat the waitlist worked for you!!

My wife and I think about having made that our wedding date every year! We like to celebrate at Disney somewhere, but it's always hot and always crowded. Yep, we're happy to get in!

 

[twinklebug]

SWA just opened up December airfare this morning. Got mine booked, so excited to see my son and daughter in law!
We will have to make a trip over to VWL, it'll break my heart as always to have to leave, but Jambo will heal the wound.

 

[ErinC]

Oh, I was thinking the moral would be not to get married during peak season for travel, so that you won’t be trying to book something for your anniversary when availability is difficult. But that might be because our anniversary is 12/29, so we are during peak season, too. Maybe not for HHI though?

But it’s wonderful tat the waitlist worked for you!!

Yes, our anniversary is December 17, so always peak Christmas season everywhere. Airfare to Hawaii for our anniversary trip last year was killer.

Sleepy, glad you are recuperating well. It's so hard to be "stuck" at home when you are accustomed to being on the go all the time. I took your advice, registered for the Disney Princess Challenge race this morning. DH was all about doing both races. Of course, he just did a Half Ironman in Chattanooga 2 weekends ago. He's a little more into his training than I am. Hopefully, I won't regret it too much. They already had merchandise previews when you registered. It looks as though the 10K is Pocahontas themed, the 1/2 is Cinderella, and the Challenge items had the three fairies on them. I was tempted to actually order some merchandise, but I'll just wait. I'm glad I booked our room for that weekend awhile back, there are no studios available at BR right now for that weekend. The combo of the race, Mardi Gras, and President's Day are going to make for some serious crowds. They may be worse than our usual Easter trip.

 

[sleepydog25]

Yes, our anniversary is December 17, so always peak Christmas season everywhere. Airfare to Hawaii for our anniversary trip last year was killer.

Sleepy, glad you are recuperating well. It's so hard to be "stuck" at home when you are accustomed to being on the go all the time. I took your advice, registered for the Disney Princess Challenge race this morning. DH was all about doing both races. Of course, he just did a Half Ironman in Chattanooga 2 weekends ago. He's a little more into his training than I am. Hopefully, I won't regret it too much. They already had merchandise previews when you registered. It looks as though the 10K is Pocahontas themed, the 1/2 is Cinderella, and the Challenge items had the three fairies on them. I was tempted to actually order some merchandise, but I'll just wait. I'm glad I booked our room for that weekend awhile back, there are no studios available at BR right now for that weekend. The combo of the race, Mardi Gras, and President's Day are going to make for some serious crowds. They may be worse than our usual Easter trip.

Congrats on entering the race! I'm a runner even though I had to give up running well over a year ago. I did a half dozen marathons, even more half-marathons, 15-19 mile trail races in AK, and too many 5-15K races to mention over the years. Unfortunately, that pounding is partially responsible for my current condition. Oops. I wouldn't give up all the experiences, though. I do miss the challenges. Anyway, it's wonderful you entered AND you actually booked a room. Have fun training and keep us posted!

 

[sleepydog25]

Happy weekend, Groupies! Been very quiet here on the thread given the last post was over 36 hours ago. We've gotten some rain the past two days, so perhaps this means those who have been socked in by it will get some relief as the pattern has hopefully shifted a bit.

In WL-related news, I watched a YouTube video of a vlogger who lives in the area but has yet to stay at the Lodge. She was mostly reviewing Roaring Fork which she found okay. She did a quick walk around parts of the resort, in particular Geyser Point and a few of the cabins on the south side. Nice video but nothing new as she wasn't as familiar with the resort as we all are. She did a quick close up of the GP menu, and I noticed that the cheesy beef brisket did not appear. Is that new? While it wasn't a must do for us, we did enjoy it when we had it. On another site, someone else further posted that the waffle fries the past few visits have been sub-par, as well. Consistency has always been an issue at Disney, and now GP seems to be bitten by that same issue.

Enjoy the weekend!

 

[Granny]

In WL-related news, I watched a YouTube video of a vlogger who lives in the area but has yet to stay at the Lodge. She was mostly reviewing Roaring Fork which she found okay.

I can't really argue with her. Roaring Fork is okay, but it is no longer one of the best CS dining options at a DVC resort as I used to think that it was.

She did a quick walk around parts of the resort, in particular Geyser Point and a few of the cabins on the south side. Nice video but nothing new as she wasn't as familiar with the resort as we all are. She did a quick close up of the GP menu, and I noticed that the cheesy beef brisket did not appear. Is that new? While it wasn't a must do for us, we did enjoy it when we had it.

When we were at GP a few weeks ago, they definitely had the cheesy brisket as I ordered it twice during our trip. In fact, I'd say that the menu looked like it had more eating options than before. I've never paid real close attention to it so maybe it hasn't changed, but it seemed like more items to choose from. And definitely the brisket was there.