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

[Roxyfire]

DiznyDi & I remember when those covered areas (now grass) just outside of the IG were bus drop offs/pick-up points. But even then, the traffic was pretty low; most wanted to enter Epcot from the front.

Pool Hopping - After reading a number of comments & concerns about Pool Hopping, I can't help but say I'm not that worried about those that show up and USE the seating; it is the ones that leave their stuff first thing in the morning and walk away, so they can sit when they return mid afternoon. It is so rude and self centered. Once I watched a lady at The Lodge place colored towels and an empty beach bag on several lounges and walk away. After she had gone, I collected the towels and bag and set them aside on a large rock, as people were beginning the 'morning flood" to pool side. After a wonderful Mickey Waffle breakfast at RF, as we walked back through the pool area, the items were once again spread out over four lounges and the bag was reserving a table. Yeah, I couldn't just let it go, as DiznyDi advised; I looked around the pool area, and not seeing the guest anywhere, I re-collected them and set them on the rock. Yup, didn't she come around the corner, obviously heading for the boats, and find her items sitting on the rock. Again she spread them around and left. With DiznyDi's advice hyper2: ) I let them be, and settled back into that second class group that tries to follow the rules.

I know no one needed to read that, but it felt good typing it. Sorry.

Oh boy, reminds me of when I was at the lodge in June, I was sitting at a table by the pool eating some lunch while my son swam. A couple was walking around looking for a table. The one next to me had tons of towels and bags on it, but no one around. So they asked me if I had seen anyone at the table and I said no. The woman was in an ECV and they had quite a bit of food with them, so I suggested they take my table and they wouldn't have it. Instead one of the lifeguards came by told the couple to take the table, moving the items to a chair. I was there for another hour or so, the couple long gone after they ate, and never did see those people claim their items. What's the point of "snagging a table" if you're not even going to use it?

 

[horselover]

DiznyDi & I remember when those covered areas (now grass) just outside of the IG were bus drop offs/pick-up points. But even then, the traffic was pretty low; most wanted to enter Epcot from the front.

Pool Hopping - After reading a number of comments & concerns about Pool Hopping, I can't help but say I'm not that worried about those that show up and USE the seating; it is the ones that leave their stuff first thing in the morning and walk away, so they can sit when they return mid afternoon. It is so rude and self centered. Once I watched a lady at The Lodge place colored towels and an empty beach bag on several lounges and walk away. After she had gone, I collected the towels and bag and set them aside on a large rock, as people were beginning the 'morning flood" to pool side. After a wonderful Mickey Waffle breakfast at RF, as we walked back through the pool area, the items were once again spread out over four lounges and the bag was reserving a table. Yeah, I couldn't just let it go, as DiznyDi advised; I looked around the pool area, and not seeing the guest anywhere, I re-collected them and set them on the rock. Yup, didn't she come around the corner, obviously heading for the boats, and find her items sitting on the rock. Again she spread them around and left. With DiznyDi's advice hyper2: ) I let them be, and settled back into that second class group that tries to follow the rules.

I know no one needed to read that, but it felt good typing it. Sorry.

Love this times a million! I totally would have moved the bags again once she boarded the boat. It's entitlement at it's finest & so rude.

 

[DenLo]

Disney has been pulling the security screening stations further and further out from the entry turnstiles. I'll bet the drop off point for the gondolas will be off to the left as we approach IG from the resorts and they will have their own security at that point, if not prior to boarding at the resorts themselves.

I agree, like so many of the MK resorts, the screening will be done before you board the gondola. Disney could move the ticket entrance to the IG further out and have walkers and the boat guests use it while gondola people walk right in.

Count me in on the 50th parties! Been planning out my points for 2021 for over a year now. Concept is similar to what I'm doing this year with a 2br and only myself booked into it. As we get closer to the trip more and more family members are joining in.

I am looking forward to the 50th anniversary as well. We have never been at WDW for one of these parties and the 50th should be a blast.

 

[ErinC]

I leave town and I've missed so much! No more flag family, a new DVC, the new stinky roaring forks menu that doesn't seem to include magic cookie bars! Just got home from church camp and I had to catch up on several pages of posts. All these changes!
Thanks for the inquiries and happy thoughts about my fur baby. Woody and Slinky are back together again! Woody is recouping well. After broken ribs, punctured lung, bruised heart, and several puncture wounds, he is doing much better. We brought him home a few days after surgery and then he tore his stitches back out. So a couple of trips to the vet later we are patched back up. I was out of town last week, so my DH had to play pet vet daddy all week.

Only about 2 weeks til school starts back, and i just found out what I'm teaching next year. I'm going to have to get busy and bring an end to summertime very soon.

 

[twinmom108]

Happy Anniversary @twinmom108 !!!

Thank You! Don't get back to this thread very often anymore. Hubby and I didn't get to celebrate our Anniversary yet. We got back from vacation - Disney Fantasy 10 night Southern Caribbean cruise & within a week I came down with Pneumonia. Doc said recovery should take about 6 weeks. Ugh, we have ressies for Copper Creek Villas in two weeks & been under the docs care for only a week now. Hope we get to go.

 

[twinmom108]

I echo these sentiments!!

Thank you!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I leave town and I've missed so much! No more flag family, a new DVC, the new stinky roaring forks menu that doesn't seem to include magic cookie bars! Just got home from church camp and I had to catch up on several pages of posts. All these changes!
Thanks for the inquiries and happy thoughts about my fur baby. Woody and Slinky are back together again! Woody is recouping well. After broken ribs, punctured lung, bruised heart, and several puncture wounds, he is doing much better. We brought him home a few days after surgery and then he tore his stitches back out. So a couple of trips to the vet later we are patched back up. I was out of town last week, so my DH had to play pet vet daddy all week.

Only about 2 weeks til school starts back, and i just found out what I'm teaching next year. I'm going to have to get busy and bring an end to summertime very soon.

I'm sorry.....WHAT?! No Magic Bars?!!!? It's time for war. I go to WL most trips just for those. Last trip they still had them at the gift shop and the clerk told me I was lucky there was still a couple left as they were popular and always sold out. I really dislike WDW F&B.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Thank You! Don't get back to this thread very often anymore. Hubby and I didn't get to celebrate our Anniversary yet. We got back from vacation - Disney Fantasy 10 night Southern Caribbean cruise & within a week I came down with Pneumonia. Doc said recovery should take about 6 weeks. Ugh, we have ressies for Copper Creek Villas in two weeks & been under the docs care for only a week now. Hope we get to go.

Pixie dust that you recovery quickly and get to check out CCV!!!

 

[jimmytammy]

twinmom108
So glad to hear your little one is back home and on the mend Well wishes for you for quick recovery and that the trip pans out

I'm sorry.....WHAT?! No Magic Bars?!!!? It's time for war.

I am ready!! Haven't had a Magic Bar, but I know you like them, and thats what matters. A lot of things we like have been destroyed, all of us have lost something along the way. Now Flag Family. To me, a bit of WL went away with that one. We spent(luckily)several times up on that roof with Ranger Stan. And I will cherish those moments. I probably never would have done it again unless I could have shared it with my grandchildren. But, for the future folks staying there, no chance to do it now. How much would WDW really have to pay the ranger to do this in the AM? And I feel that a bit of WL died again with its loss. Stan was instrumental in getting the FF going along with the Tour of the Lodge too. Wonder when that will come to a screeching halt?

 

[Dizny Dad]

Flag Family - one of the things I always recommended to those here at my office that would ask for advice about staying at The Lodge; as soon as you check in, ask to be Flag Family. DiznyDi & I had the privilege of participating as Flag Family numerous times; with Ranger Stan, Ranger Jack, & Ranger Don. It always allowed a private time to talk to the Ranger about more personal things, such as what they did before finding their true calling as a Ranger. If you happen to see Ranger Don, ask him what he did. You will be surprised as well as dumbfounded; I wont say what he did, but he spent lots of time with Jack Welch. I still love talking to both Ranger Jack & Ranger Don, and of course, we all miss Ranger Stan.

And I'm with Jimmy - with the demise of the Magic Bar; so many things have been destroyed that were meaningful to so many. The Magic Bars were mentioned a time or two, here on this thread and in other places, but it isn't until we loose something that we discover how much it meant; not just the taste, not just the texture, not just the mix of chocolate, coconut, and other gooey delights, but the event of opening the glass cover and removing the prize, and that first bite as the memories of the last time flood in. If we can't complain enough to get the Magic Bars reinstated, maybe we can convince them to hang a picture of our bar in a hallway somewhere where only those in the know will understand.

 

[DiznyDi]

We've enjoyed being Flag Family on several occasions and were privileged to have done it with Ranger Stan, as well! We've also been on the roof with Ranger Don and Ranger Jack - all wonderful and unique experiences. I'm so sorry other families won't have opportunity to experience this

Are we certain the Magic Bars are no longer available? DDad won't be very happy...... We'll join the resistance.

JT, I'll be heading over your neighborhood in the next day or so. Taking my mom to visit relatives in Hampstead,NC. Its a quick trip down and back by the week-end. I'll wave as I fly over.

Twinmom - sorry about your pneumonia! Lots of fluids and plenty of rest and there's no better place to get that rest than at the peace an serenity of the Lodge.

 

[sleepydog25]

Flag Family - one of the things I always recommended to those here at my office that would ask for advice about staying at The Lodge; as soon as you check in, ask to be Flag Family. DiznyDi & I had the privilege of participating as Flag Family numerous times; with Ranger Stan, Ranger Jack, & Ranger Don. It always allowed a private time to talk to the Ranger about more personal things, such as what they did before finding their true calling as a Ranger. If you happen to see Ranger Don, ask him what he did. You will be surprised as well as dumbfounded; I wont say what he did, but he spent lots of time with Jack Welch. I still love talking to both Ranger Jack & Ranger Don, and of course, we all miss Ranger Stan.

And I'm with Jimmy - with the demise of the Magic Bar; so many things have been destroyed that were meaningful to so many. The Magic Bars were mentioned a time or two, here on this thread and in other places, but it isn't until we loose something that we discover how much it meant; not just the taste, not just the texture, not just the mix of chocolate, coconut, and other gooey delights, but the event of opening the glass cover and removing the prize, and that first bite as the memories of the last time flood in. If we can't complain enough to get the Magic Bars reinstated, maybe we can convince them to hang a picture of our bar in a hallway somewhere where only those in the know will understand.

The demise of the Magic Bar. In and of itself, I can't say it affects me since I've never had one. HOWEVER, I fully understand the angst that they may be gone. As Dad hits upon above, it's the memories associated with items--events, locations, food--that mean the most to us. While I understand Disney needing to change as newer generations arrive, I will never understand some of their decisions except in context that they're always concerned with the bottom line. What and how much we as guests and fans of Disney count toward the final decisions only matters if those notions fall in line with profit.

Most of us loved WL and VWL the way it was. However, the bottom line was WL wasn't populated enough. "Let's build!" The beach? Gone, replaced by a money making bar and food service. Hidden Springs pool? A new pool that we all know will begin charging for the cabanas at some point. Roaring Fork? Cheapen the product, make it more assembly-line oriented, and we're going to charge as much or more for less. CCVC? $170 pp and $7.33 pp dues. Ouch. Disney seems intent on going more mainstream, doing more of the "industry standard," a term I hear cropping up more and more from them. Disney, you're supposed to SET the standard.

I'm preaching to the choir a bit here, but Disney employs a lot of bait and switch anymore. "We'll build better" (but we'll charge more). "We'll offer better food options" (then we'll remove it since we got you coming--you'll never notice). "We'll build a community hall" (but we'll close Cubs' Den permanently). "We'll bring back the bison" (but we'll stop the Flag Family). There is always a trade off. Perhaps it's just my younger self remembers things differently, but Disney once used to stand for top flight entertainment and service. . .at a price. To my older, cynical self Disney seems to now cut corners or take away something AND continue to charge the same high price. Such a tack is deflating. I never had the opportunity to be a Flag Family, and now my grandkids won't either.

As an addendum to my semi-tirade above, I've gotten to know the restaurant manager for AP & Territory Lounge over the past few years. He is very open to, at least, listening to concerns. In our case, he has ensured we've had very good experiences, particularly at AP. I recently contacted him about my displeasure at the other eateries on site at WL, how RF has lowered its quality and how GP has taken off the most popular items on the menu and reduced their breakfast to basically nothing. Here is part of his response:
I appreciate that you take the time to write to me and offer such candid feedback. I have copied the leadership team for Roaring Fork and Geyser Point to let them know about your concerns. All of us definitely want to hear your concerns about menu selection and quality. We do want to hear from you and other guests what you would like to see offered at the locations. . . . .Since Roaring Fork opened essentially as a fresh restaurant with different and unique offerings, everyone wants to react swiftly to improve the menu and to have any growing pains smoothed over quickly. Because both Geyser Point and Roaring Fork represents new ventures, this is a great time for us to evaluate what guests enjoy and if we can continue to make all of the items offered.

The least we can do, then, is to make our voices heard. I urge you to contact anyone and everyone at WL to voice your displeasure whatever the issue may be. If there's one thing Disney hates as much or more than a shaky bottom line, it has to be bad publicity and a corps of disgruntled guests. Okay, I'll be quiet now. . .if I can. . .

 

[ErinC]

I'm not 100 percent sure about the cookie bars, but I've looked through recent photos and the photos of the menus and I don't see them. I would love to be wrong about their removal. My kids and I always enjoy them around the pool. My kids have even asked about them. There is a recipe on Pinterest that we have made to have a taste of Disney at home. But it's not the same if you aren't sitting around the WL pool.
I told DH about the flag family being discontinued. DH was sad. He doesn't always drink the Disney koolaid like I do. I'm grateful for our one morning with ranger Stan several years ago. I have a photo of us with Ranger Stan that sits in our wilderness themed family room. I guess we need to try new experiences too, but it think it's the memories attached to the old ones that make change hard to accept.

 

[rkstocke5609]

Flag Family - one of the things I always recommended to those here at my office that would ask for advice about staying at The Lodge; as soon as you check in, ask to be Flag Family. DiznyDi & I had the privilege of participating as Flag Family numerous times; with Ranger Stan, Ranger Jack, & Ranger Don. It always allowed a private time to talk to the Ranger about more personal things, such as what they did before finding their true calling as a Ranger. If you happen to see Ranger Don, ask him what he did. You will be surprised as well as dumbfounded; I wont say what he did, but he spent lots of time with Jack Welch. I still love talking to both Ranger Jack & Ranger Don, and of course, we all miss Ranger Stan.

And I'm with Jimmy - with the demise of the Magic Bar; so many things have been destroyed that were meaningful to so many. The Magic Bars were mentioned a time or two, here on this thread and in other places, but it isn't until we loose something that we discover how much it meant; not just the taste, not just the texture, not just the mix of chocolate, coconut, and other gooey delights, but the event of opening the glass cover and removing the prize, and that first bite as the memories of the last time flood in. If we can't complain enough to get the Magic Bars reinstated, maybe we can convince them to hang a picture of our bar in a hallway somewhere where only those in the know will understand.

We have also been a Flag family. I feel lucky to have been chosen for that experience and am sad that future guests won't get the opportunity.

Another thing I expect I'll be missing is the tetherball court...unless they put a new one up and I missed hearing about it.....

 

[ArielSRL]

Good morning groupies! I was wondering if any of you have ever been to Glacier National Park. We are traveling by Amtrak to Whitefish, Montana in two weeks and will have 3 full days to enjoy and just wondered if anyone has any "Don't miss this" suggestions...

I have been to Glacier! It was in 2002 though! I did a 7 week cross country road trip. 4.5 weeks by myself, 2.5 weeks with my dad who flew out and met me in Seattle. I do remember it being a beautiful place, but because it was a road trip, we only did one day there, along with several other national parks and monuments. I am hoping to rent an RV with my parents and take my boys - currently 3 and 5 - on a (much shorter) cross country trip to DLR one summer.

 

[ArielSRL]

Oh boy, reminds me of when I was at the lodge in June, I was sitting at a table by the pool eating some lunch while my son swam. A couple was walking around looking for a table. The one next to me had tons of towels and bags on it, but no one around. So they asked me if I had seen anyone at the table and I said no. The woman was in an ECV and they had quite a bit of food with them, so I suggested they take my table and they wouldn't have it. Instead one of the lifeguards came by told the couple to take the table, moving the items to a chair. I was there for another hour or so, the couple long gone after they ate, and never did see those people claim their items. What's the point of "snagging a table" if you're not even going to use it?

When we were there in June, we walked into the pool area - all 4 of us - and saw the last open table. While we headed that way, a man who was sitting on one of the loungers with several around him covered in towels, saw us coming, immediately got up and moved to the table to sit. I absolutely couldn't believe it. I mean, he already had about a whole row of loungers to sit on, yet he needed the darn table, too??? Fortunately we found one in the corner with some shade but no umbrella, in the splash pad area.

 

[ArielSRL]

Only about 2 weeks til school starts back, and i just found out what I'm teaching next year. I'm going to have to get busy and bring an end to summertime very soon.

I start back to work on Monday! Ugh. We have a week of pre-planning and then the first day of school is August 7th. I'm so not ready to go back....

 

[ArielSRL]

I am extremely sad to hear about the demise of the Flag Family. It is one of those things that I read about WL many years ago and had hoped to do one day. Obviously we did not because our first stay there was in June and it wasn't offered then. But I had hoped on a future trip, like the one we are planning to take in June 2018, that we would be able to experience it. It will be a mostly resort only trip and it would have been perfect.

On a good note, we received word that Disney waived ROFR on our contract today! It was submitted 7/7, so about 18 days ago. We are extremely excited though I hear it can take about 2 more months before we actually have our member number and points available. KMFX that it goes faster, but not expecting it.

 

[DiznyDi]

Congratulations Ariel! Such an exciting time for you and your family! Just think of all the fun you'll have planning your family vacations.

Boo that you have to begin work so soon. August 7 seems awfully early to me. We're pretty rural and many of our kids participate in 4-H. The culmination of their efforts is the local county fair. Schools here begin after Labor Day.

 

[jimmytammy]

Ariel, that is awesome news! While true it can take a couple months to get all the finalizing done, just know its happening. After awhile, I called our rep when we bought resale(new experience for us as we had bought the other contracts via direct)and just touched base where things were at. My suggestion, wait a month then call. If nothing but for peace of mind. But on occasion, it happens really fast. Moose Dust for a quick turnaround!!

Sleepy, I agree, contacting The Lodge, contacting WDW, voicing our concerns, is the best way possible to reach and letting them know how we(the long time customers)feel about the changes taking place. Sunday, this will be happening on my end. So I encourage others to do the same when time allows. Lets begin the revolution