I poke my head in here from time to time, but figured its time for me to start posting! I just returned from a 10 day stay in early May, and have been day-dreaming about returning every day since we landed back in Ohio! This was a pretty magical trip, and my entire family has been beaming ever since we returned. A little background about myself and my Disney (and more specifically, WL) obsession&
My Father convinced my Mother to stop at WDW for a brief visit while on their honeymoon in April, 1972 shortly after WDW first opened. She claims it was the biggest mistake she ever made, because he was hooked instantly! After that, annual (and sometimes two) trips per year ensued. With the opening of EPCOT in 1982, my brother was born and went on his first trip later in 1983. I came along in 1984, but didnt make my first visit until 1989. My folks decided that it was best to wait a few years until we could appreciate and remember things a little better. A good call, I believe, but more than anything, I just think its a pain to travel with really young kids. As a family, we bounced from various resorts; Caribbean Beach, Fort Wilderness, the old Howard Johnson near DTD (now a Best Western). Every trip was magical, but everything changed when we stumbled across the WL in 1994. My father read about the resort prior to opening, and decided to book a 13 day stay shortly after it came online. I remember the feeling that we got when we first pulled up to the valet and then walked into the grand lobby. We were instantly struck with WL fever. After that trip, we planted our flag at WL for all future visits.
The trips continued almost every year up until 2001. At this point, my brother and I were entering college, and financial obligations changed. Fast forwarding through the decade, a few health issues forced my father into retirement, and WDW just became too costly while on a fixed-income. Needless to say, the fever never died, as my father continued to build his WDW collection of pins and various collectibles through Ebay. He also found various WDW-related web blogs, and became an avid contributor to one. My father is essentially a walking WDW encyclopedia, having knowledge and experiences that date back to the very beginning of the park. My mothers interest also stayed alive, as she always looked for "lodgey" items for the house - lamps, wall sconces, additions to her garden, etc. A painting of WL that was purchased on a trip back in the 90s still hangs proudly in their living room, and is often the spark of many fond nostalgic memories.
So having the back history down, that brings us to last September, when I decided that it was finally time to rally the troops and get everyone back down to our home that is the WL. I bid on a DVC resale listing (VWL, of course), and closed later that month. For Christmas, I wrapped up the owners packet and addressed it to the entire family. Naturally, I let my father open it. He didnt quite understand at first, so I explained that I had purchased a Vacation Club membership, and that we would be returning to WL sometime in 2013. At the time, I hadnt yet booked our reservation, so the details were a little sketchy. But the important thing was, we were going. Needless to say, cheers of joy followed and the planning began shortly thereafter.
Naturally, the trip became the talk of the family. It was mentioned at a holiday get-together with some extended family, who also happened to be passionate about WDW. When they learned of our upcoming trip, ideas of a larger family gathering began to percolate. My cousin, his wife and three kids began to kick things around. Before you knew it, they were on the phone with their
travel agent and we started to talk dates. We locked in on May 3rd through 12th, and shortly thereafter, made our reservations. My Aunt and another cousin decided to join in as well. All in all, we had 12 people headed to WL for ten days. Life doesnt get much better than that.
Landing at MCO gave everyone goosebumps. Walking off the plane, the "Florida smell" brought back fond memories of past trips. Its funny how certain smells can stay in your memory and evoke such vivid past experiences. We headed towards the Magical Express kiosk - a first for our family - and boarded the bus. The WL was the 3rd stop, making pit stops at the Poly and GF first. Our excitement grew at every stop, knowing we were that much closer to "home". Finally, we were headed toward Timberline Drive. The "old man" was beaming, and my mom had tears of joy streaming down her face as we passed the geese topiaries and underneath the archway. Finally, we were pulling up to the main entrance. We had arrived.
Walking through the front doors and into the sprawling lobby for the first time is an experience unto itself. It never grows old, and it never loses that "wow" factor. The music, the sounds, the smells - everything was just how we had remembered it. The bustling activity at WCC, the bubbling spring near the elevators, and all of the chatter of other happy guests. It felt as if we had never left from our last trip in 2001. Its a feeling that is so hard to explain, but I imagine everyone who is posting in this thread can completely relate. We are Wilderness Lodge people, through and through.
Ive already taken up enough space here, and could write a 10-page diatribe on our trip, but Ill end it with this. The trip was pure magic. And for me personally, it was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. My parents had taken me on roughly 15 trips to WDW throughout my childhood, spending a small fortune I am quite sure. As a young kid, its hard to appreciate how difficult it might be to pull off a 10, 12 or 14 day trip to WDW. Each trip translated into hundreds of work hours. Being a little older and a little wiser, I now understand the sacrifices that my parents made for those trips. And its a great feeling to know that as a DVC owner, I can now begin to re-pay those debts over and over.
All you need do is grab a rocking chair (spittoon optional) and your favorite libation, then sit back and relax. Feel free to join in on our bantering and well wishes. Welcome home!
I had no idea that would happen - he's supposed to be a voice against my addonitis.
