Trip Reports

Carol’s DVC Scouting Trip 5/22/98-5/24/98

Characters: Carol, age 33, and my mom, age 59.

Background

For a couple of months my husband, Joe, and I have been considering a Disney Vacation Club purchase. We have two young children. We find the flexibility of the DVC very appealing. We can’t imagine a better place for a fun family vacation than Disney World. We could set the pace for our own vacation. It could be totally relaxing or filled with excitement, depending on what we choose to do and where we choose to stay. In addition, it would be great to have a place of our own that we could share with relatives and friends.

The BoardWalk Villas seemed to suit our style, mainly because so many restaurants and entertainment options are within walking distance. Since I am the internet junkie of the family, I took charge of the research. I read everything I could find about the DVC. By the time of my trip, I felt that I had a pretty good understanding of how the DVC works.

Preparation

In March I called DVC Member Services and requested the sales video and information packet. It arrived about 10 days later. Joe and I were intrigued by this preview. We decided that it would be worthwhile to see the BoardWalk Villas and Old Key West in person. Our plan was that Joe would take care of the kids for a weekend, and my mom and I would have a "girls only" mini-vacation to check out the DVC.

I called my vacation guide, whose name was listed in the sales packet, to set up an appointment for a tour and presentation. He was friendly and very helpful. In fact, when I told him Mom and I would be staying at the All Star Music Resort, he asked if we would be interested in staying at the BWVR at a reduced rate. Fantastic! We would stay at the ASMR on Friday night and a BWVR studio on Saturday night. I would meet my guide for a tour on Saturday morning.

The Friday Night Glitch

It was tough waiting until May 22, but the day finally arrived. Joe and the kids dropped me off at the airport. Mom would be flying from South Carolina to meet me in Orlando. Uh Oh. As I was boarding the plane, the flight attendant stopped me and said she had a message from my mom. Her flight on Air Tran was canceled, and she wouldn’t make it to Orlando until Saturday. Rats! I would be on my own.

Friday, May 22 — ASMR

I arrived at the ASMR around 11:00 p.m. The line for check-in wasn’t long, but it still took nearly 45 minutes until I finally got my room. It was #5553, on the second floor of the Country Fair section. My room overlooked the woods. It was remote and peaceful, perfect for a good nights sleep.

Saturday, May 23 — ASMR, DVC Tour and BWVR

I woke up early and headed off to get some breakfast. There was a breakfast cart at the piano pool, but I decided to explore the rest of the resort and walk on to Melody Hall. It was a long walk! Each section of the ASMR had its own garden, which matched the theme of the section. The Country Fair garden was filled with colorful wildflowers, and the Jazz garden had gorgeous roses. At the Intermission Food Court I had a mediocre egg and cheese bagel and an orange, then I packed up for my stay at the BoardWalk.

I arrived at the BoardWalk around 8:30 a.m. I self-parked in the lot and lugged my bag to the lobby. Wow! The lobby was so pretty. I couldn’t wait to sit down in one of the big old-fashioned chairs and relax a while. Since I wanted to get settled in my room as soon as possible, I requested any available room. I was in luck! There was one studio ready.

My room was #4133. It overlooked the parking lot and tennis courts, but if I stood on the balcony and looked towards the right, I could see the Tower of Terror. My room was one door away from the stairs, and it was a very long walk from the elevator. As a result, I hardly ever used the elevator during my stay. I just took the stairs and walked outside past the quiet pool and main pool to the lobby and boardwalk area.

I found my studio room very pleasant. It was comfortable and attractive. There were decorative touches you wouldn’t find in a normal hotel room, such as fancy tiles in the bathroom and mini-kitchen areas, a well-lit vanity, and a mirror in the entryway. However, there were only two drawers for clothing. The studio also had a blow-dryer, an iron and ironing board, a vacuum, and a portable crib. I looked closely at the picture hanging over the sleep sofa. It was a view of the boardwalk, complete with a Mickey-ear balloon drifting into the clouds. I could tell I was going to like it here.

I had a few minutes before my tour appointment, so I used them to take some pictures of the resort to show to Joe. The pool areas were deserted at that time of the morning. I could tell that the quiet pool would make a nice retreat from the Luna Park pool during crowded periods of the day, though. At the Community Hall bikes were available for rental. Some had baby seats, and there were sizes for both adults and kids.

The minute I saw the Luna Park pool, I knew my kids would love it. It reminded me of a circus, complete with a clown slide and a squirting elephant. There was also a small playground right next to the baby pool. I peeked into Muscles and Bustles, the health club, and a small arcade which was adjacent to it. Joe and my son would like these amenities.

DVC Tour and Presentation

At last it was time to meet my guide for the DVC tour. I brought a list of questions, because I knew I would forget half of them if I didn’t write them down.

The DVC receptionist gave me a name tag and offered me a drink. She told me that I was standing in a one-bedroom unit, and I was welcome to explore it while I waited for my guide. Well, I was pleased with the studio, but I flipped over the one-bedroom. I could envision my family staying here, and loving it. There was plenty of room for the four of us, and having a door to separate the adults and kids was a major plus. The kitchen and washer/ dryer would save time and money. The one thing that impressed me the most was how tasteful and pretty the units were. No wonder members call the DVC "home."

My guide was just as friendly and low-key as I had expected he would be. He showed me a two-bedroom unit and an incredible Grand Villa. I took pictures of every room. The Grand Villa overlooked the boardwalk. I doubt I will ever have enough points to stay in one, but it was nice to dream of it! My guide told me that there are only seven Grand Villas at the BoardWalk Resort, while there are twenty-five at Old Key West.

After the tour we sat down for a question and answer session. My guide patiently and thoroughly answered every question on my list. He also gave me an overview of the purchase process. The entire tour and meeting took about 90 minutes. I asked my guide if he could arrange for me to tour Old Key West that afternoon, and he did. The DVC van would pick me up after lunch.

Lunch and Exploring the BoardWalk

I decided to try out the carry-out pizza from Spoodles for lunch. It’s not quite as good as New Jersey pizza, but it’s definitely a step up from the Maryland version. Mmmm. I plunked myself down in one of the big rockers on the BWVR porch and took a hard-earned break.

After lunch I took a few minutes to check out the boardwalk shops. The Screen Door General Store carries all the basic necessities, like cereal, milk, and even frozen dinners. The BoardWalk Bakery looks like a good place to pick up breakfast. The Character Carnival carries lots of Disney shirts and souvenirs.

Old Key West Tour

I met the DVC van right outside the lobby, for the drive over to Old Key West. As we entered the resort area, I recognized right away that this was a very different place from BWVR. OKWR is more like a village than a hotel. Each building is surrounded by lots of greenery, and it’s very pretty and quiet. BWVR is right in the middle of action, while OKWR is like a retreat.

The DVC office was very busy. Many other people were touring OKWR that day. That surprised me, since my guide told me that they were planning to move all the DVC offices to BWVR soon.

Another friendly guide showed me the OKWR units. They are just as pretty as the BWVR ones, but they have a few differences. The studios have two queen-size beds instead of one queen-size bed and a sleep sofa. The Grand Villas have a two-story floor plan instead of a one-story floor plan. Even though the OKWR units are larger than the BWVR ones, I felt that the BWVR units had plenty of space for my family. The porch was my favorite thing about the OKWR units. It was much more private than my balcony at BWVR.

Next I took a brief stroll through the OKWR grounds. Once again, I was impressed by the beauty of this resort. It is a perfect place for a relaxing, restful vacation. I would love to come here without the kids someday!

After my tour I took the DVC van back to the BWVR. I called my husband to gush about the DVC, and we agreed that we would make a purchase.

The Purchase

There were several factors that helped us decide to purchase through Disney rather than through a resale:

Disney was currently offering a March use year, which would be excellent for us. At the end of May, Disney would switch to an April use year. Since spring break is often in March, we didn’t want to pass up the chance to purchase a use year that coincided with our most likely vacation travel month.
BoardWalk resales are hard to come by, and they are more expensive than OKWR ones. We didn’t want to wait until just the right package became available. In the long-run, we felt the savings we would reap by purchasing a resale weren’t worth the trouble of searching for one.
A purchase from Disney would be hassle-free. (At least, that’s what we hope!)
I met with my guide, paid a down-payment, and filled out a one-page form. The DVC would send me the rest of the paperwork next week. It was so simple!

A Little Celebration and Jellyrolls

After I said goodbye to my guide, I thought a little celebration was in order. I needed some refreshment. What better place to go than Beaches and Cream! I walked around Crescent Lake, and by the time I arrived at Beaches and Cream, I was really hot. I ordered a Frozen Sunshine at the take-out counter. Yum! It was decadent and delicious. As I slurped up the Frozen Sunshine, I strolled along Stormalong Bay. I’ve never seen a pool quite like it. It was pretty crowded, and I thought the best time to explore it would probably be early in the morning. Now that we are officially DVC members, the whole family can swim there.

Stormalong Bay looked so tempting, I couldn’t resist returning to the BoardWalk for a swim. My mission was to test out that slide. What can I say, I’m a kid at heart! I hiked back to my room, changed into my swimsuit, and headed for the Luna Park Pool. A few kids were in line for the slide, but soon it was my turn. Yippee! It was so much fun, I tried it two more times. Now it was time for a break, so I went back to my room to relax a while.

Later on I had a light dinner at Spoodles. Although I didn’t have priority seating reservations, I didn’t have any trouble getting a table at 5:00 p.m. I ordered two appetizers, mixed grilled vegetables and a tuna dish. These appetizers were fairly good. However, I felt the vegetables were too oily and the tuna was too rare. I wished I had asked my server for recommendations. The menu is so unusual, ordering from it warrants guidance. The bread and dips that came with my meal were very good.

I returned to my room and waited for my Mom. She arrived just as the fireworks show began at EPCOT. She got settled, then we went to Jellyrolls. I had heard that this nightclub was fun, but I didn’t expect the entertainment to be so good. Two pianists played and sang hits by Billy Joel, STYX, and other artists. They also played lots of funny songs that required audience participation. The performers were so talented! My Mom didn’t want to leave, but I finally dragged her out around 10:30 p.m. I was pooped.

Sunday, May 22 — MGM Studios and Beaches and Cream (again!)

We woke up early because we wanted to catch the first boat to MGM. We checked out of the BoardWalk and went to the BoardWalk Bakery to get some breakfast. There was a power outage at the bakery, so we had wait until we got to MGM to buy breakfast. It was a pleasant boat ride over to MGM. I’m not a big fan of buses, because they make me queasy. I appreciated this alternate form of transportation. The boat was air-conditioned too!

Although there weren’t many people ahead of us in line to enter MGM, it took nearly forty minutes to get through the turnstiles. The computers were having trouble reading the passes, so early-entry was a total disaster. The lines of angry and frustrated people behind us were enormous. Mom and I were just thankful to finally get in at about 8:00 a.m. Here’s a synopsis of the attractions we saw and our thoughts about them:

Tower of Terror — It was a once in a lifetime experience. There were about 6 drops, and we thought it would never end. We understand why some people love it, but next time Mom and I will take the chicken elevator. We were glad we hadn’t eaten breakfast before we rode.
Breakfast at Starring Rolls, a rich and fattening sticky bun
Voyage of the Little Mermaid, 9:30 a.m. show — An excellent show for people who know the story, but a little hard to follow for those who don’t. Misty and cool. Warn small children about lightening at the end.
Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, 10:00 a.m. show — Very good. My son (5 yo.) would love the action, but my daughter (2 yo.) would have a tough time sitting through it.
Muppet Vision 3-D — Fabulous! My all-time favorite. Don’t miss the pre-show either.
Backlot Tour — OK. Long and hot. It’s a must-see, though for boys like my son who love tanks, old vehicles, and firefighting.
Hunchback of Notre Dame, 12:30 p.m. show — Very good. We were sitting on the left side, and it was hard to follow the pre-show because people were constantly walking in front of us. The performance was great, especially the singing.
Mom and I were pretty tired by the end of the Hunchback show, so we took the boat back to the BoardWalk. We decided to have lunch at Beaches and Cream, my new favorite dining establishment. Mom and I considered renting a surrey bicycle or walking there, but we were just too tired, so we opted to drive. Beaches and Cream was crowded, as usual, but we got seats at the counter. The service was fast and friendly. We split a single cheeseburger with a side order of fresh fruit. Plus we ordered two Frozen Sunshines. Our waiter brought our meal on two separate plates, which was a nice surprise. This lunch was delicious - a fitting end to our trip. Afterwards we headed to the airport and back to the real world.

Thank you

A big thank you goes to Deb Wills, Brian Bennett, Pete Werner for their fascinating and informative websites. Another thank you to all the people who share their Disney knowledge and experiences with newbies like me.

Carol Flynn

cmsflynn@aol.com

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