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

[sleepydog25]

Hi there, everyone! I have been lurking here for a while and wanted to come and introduce myself now that we are official WLV owners....I mean Boulder Ridge.

We bought a resale contract of 150 points -- our first DVC purchase -- that went through on Monday, and could not be more excited!

I love the vibe of this group almost as much as I love Wilderness Lodge. It is our favorite, and I can't wait for many future trips!

Right now we are planning a trip in January 2018 with my sister and her family. I'm hoping the construction will be finished by then. Any thoughts?

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Here's a picture from our visit to the Lodge in January 2015.
View attachment 214809

Welcome, ElizabethCB!! We're so happy you've turned your lurking into posting now (though you could have joined the conversations before--owning VWL is not a requirement). Still, congratulations on your new contract and being able to call VWL your new home. You'll have to pardon us regarding the name of our beloved Lodge--most of us have decided to not use the new name as it doesn't evoke the ambiance that made us fall in love with the resort in the first place. I know that it is now called Boulder Ridge Villas but I'll always refer to it as VWL. It's okay if you call it BRV, though. Progress and all that. In all seriousness, I know it's such an exciting time for you, and all of us here can relate. I'm excited for you!! As we always tell new Groupies, if you feel like sharing your trips on Page 1, just PM me; same goes for birthdays and anniversaries, only PM KAT4DISNEY. Otherwise, pull up a rocker, grab your favorite libation, and set a spell (spittoon optional). Glad you've come out from "lurk-dom."

As for construction end, no one truly knows, but I'd guess that if it's not finished by this time next year, it should be close. I'm sure some of the bugaboos will still need be worked out and the landscaping won't be very mature, but most of the major work should be done. Again, congratulations and as well as, "welcome home."

 

[ElizabethCB]

Thank you for the warm welcome! I love it here already.

 

[TCRAIG]

So, some of you may remember me saying at the December groupie meet that I didn't get the potential job in Florida. Well, my friend who works there emailed me yesterday saying that the technology manager asked him if I was still interested. They never sent me a rejection email which I thought was inappropriate. I replied to my friend that I am still interested. Surprised but interested. We shall see if the manager contacts me. He may still decide not to or maybe he will, but maybe it won't go beyond that. We'll see.

Fingers crossed

So, some of you may remember me saying at the December groupie meet that I didn't get the potential job in Florida. Well, my friend who works there emailed me yesterday saying that the technology manager asked him if I was still interested. They never sent me a rejection email which I thought was inappropriate. I replied to my friend that I am still interested. Surprised but interested. We shall see if the manager contacts me. He may still decide not to or maybe he will, but maybe it won't go beyond that. We'll see.

Sending you lots of good luck wishes Wildernessdad!

 

[DVC Jen]

Hi there, everyone! I have been lurking here for a while and wanted to come and introduce myself now that we are official WLV owners....I mean Boulder Ridge.

We bought a resale contract of 150 points -- our first DVC purchase -- that went through on Monday, and could not be more excited!

I love the vibe of this group almost as much as I love Wilderness Lodge. It is our favorite, and I can't wait for many future trips!

Right now we are planning a trip in January 2018 with my sister and her family. I'm hoping the construction will be finished by then. Any thoughts?

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Here's a picture from our visit to the Lodge in January 2015.
View attachment 214809

Welcome Home!!!!

 

[Granny]

Hi there, everyone! I have been lurking here for a while and wanted to come and introduce myself now that we are official WLV owners....I mean Boulder Ridge.

We bought a resale contract of 150 points -- our first DVC purchase -- that went through on Monday, and could not be more excited!

I love the vibe of this group almost as much as I love Wilderness Lodge. It is our favorite, and I can't wait for many future trips!

Great to see you come out of lurkdom and join us! And congratulations on your new purchase. Of course, you know that we all think you've made the best decision possible for DVC ownership!

Right now we are planning a trip in January 2018 with my sister and her family. I'm hoping the construction will be finished by then. Any thoughts?

I think construction will be very far along by that time, and probably very little impact on VWL stays. It appears that they are focusing on the cabins on the south side (nearest VWL) first and they are moving pretty quickly. The pool is slated to open this summer and the new food service location is supposed to open next month. So I think you are pretty safe with your January 2018 trip as far as intrusive construction issues.


WELCOME HOME !!!

 

[Lakegirl]

So, some of you may remember me saying at the December groupie meet that I didn't get the potential job in Florida. Well, my friend who works there emailed me yesterday saying that the technology manager asked him if I was still interested. They never sent me a rejection email which I thought was inappropriate. I replied to my friend that I am still interested. Surprised but interested. We shall see if the manager contacts me. He may still decide not to or maybe he will, but maybe it won't go beyond that. We'll see.

Hope it works out for the best!!!

 

[DiznyDi]

We have new Groupies! So nice to have you join our little corner of cyberspace!

WD, I too will pass some moose dust hoping all will fall in your favor.

JT savor the moment and relish in your thoughts of that special place far away... (I was listening to Aulani music today.......) Ahhh, yes.....again.....someday.....

 

[pmaurer74]

Hi there, everyone! I have been lurking here for a while and wanted to come and introduce myself now that we are official WLV owners....I mean Boulder Ridge.

We bought a resale contract of 150 points -- our first DVC purchase -- that went through on Monday, and could not be more excited!

I love the vibe of this group almost as much as I love Wilderness Lodge. It is our favorite, and I can't wait for many future trips!

Right now we are planning a trip in January 2018 with my sister and her family. I'm hoping the construction will be finished by then. Any thoughts?

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Here's a picture from our visit to the Lodge in January 2015.
View attachment 214809

Welcome! This is the best group on the DIS and the best DVC! Fell free to grab a Moussie avatar and pull up a rocker.


Yesterday was my 11 month mark and I reserved a 2 bedroom dedicated for Dec. 14-19. (hoping to get the cool corner room my sister got last trip) We are taking my MIL and SIL who will be first timers at WDW and WLV. We are looking to book BLT for 2 nights this summer. DH is going to a conference in Orlando and we are staying at Gaylord Palms for the first three nights and BLT for the other two. Summer is the only time of year I can get DH to book anywhere else but WLV and who can blame him right? We and some friends booked a last minute trip in a few weeks. 4 parks in 2 days! We are staying at Coronado Springs. I need more points!

 

[Corinne]

Happy (belated) Birthday Blossom!!!

 

[Lakegirl]

Welcome! This is the best group on the DIS and the best DVC! Fell free to grab a Moussie avatar and pull up a rocker.


Yesterday was my 11 month mark and I reserved a 2 bedroom dedicated for Dec. 14-19. (hoping to get the cool corner room my sister got last trip) We are taking my MIL and SIL who will be first timers at WDW and WLV. We are looking to book BLT for 2 nights this summer. DH is going to a conference in Orlando and we are staying at Gaylord Palms for the first three nights and BLT for the other two. Summer is the only time of year I can get DH to book anywhere else but WLV and who can blame him right? We and some friends booked a last minute trip in a few weeks. 4 parks in 2 days! We are staying at Coronado Springs. I need more points!

I need more points too!

 

[alldiz]

Hi,
Trying to recover from the whiplash of recently deciphering "WLV" Boulder ridge and copper creek.

Happy to see that it will always be WLV to some. (Hey its still MGM)
Boulder Ridge I don't think so. Copper Creek not sure the point but I'm sure it will
be nice. Just don't get the draw to pay more points to stay a few feet closer to lobby.

However......I almost fell off my chair when I just realized WLV points are just about the highest on property
Why is this???
Thanks
Kerri

 

[sleepydog25]

Welcome! This is the best group on the DIS and the best DVC! Fell free to grab a Moussie avatar and pull up a rocker.


Yesterday was my 11 month mark and I reserved a 2 bedroom dedicated for Dec. 14-19. (hoping to get the cool corner room my sister got last trip) We are taking my MIL and SIL who will be first timers at WDW and WLV. We are looking to book BLT for 2 nights this summer. DH is going to a conference in Orlando and we are staying at Gaylord Palms for the first three nights and BLT for the other two. Summer is the only time of year I can get DH to book anywhere else but WLV and who can blame him right? We and some friends booked a last minute trip in a few weeks. 4 parks in 2 days! We are staying at Coronado Springs. I need more points!

Have had one of those corner room twice, and it was awesome both times. Thanks for the reminder to grab a Moosie avatar, too. As for needing more points, that's also a common theme around here. Sadly, that comes with more needing more money.

Hi,
Trying to recover from the whiplash of recently deciphering "WLV" Boulder ridge and copper creek.

Happy to see that it will always be WLV to some. (Hey its still MGM)
Boulder Ridge I don't think so. Copper Creek not sure the point but I'm sure it will
be nice. Just don't get the draw to pay more points to stay a few feet closer to lobby.

However......I almost fell off my chair when I just realized WLV points are just about the highest on property
Why is this???
Thanks
Kerri

Hey, Kerrie! Welcome!! Yes, to most on here it will always be VWL--Boulder Ridge is sounds like a collection of pet rocks. And, yes, to my wife it's still MGM and Downtown Disney. I have a feeling that Copper Creek sales will fare better than PVB or Aulani. DVC learned the lesson of having nothing but studios or cabins, and Aulani sales stalled due to the you-would-think-well-known, assumed fact that you have to spend a small fortune just to get there. The larger issue is one hinted at a couple of pages or so ago that the word on the street was occupancy at WL had been suffering for years, so renovating half of it to DVC would provide immediate cash flow once sales opened. One reason VWL points are high is that DVC property--perhaps more so than the regular Lodge--is very desirable. Mix desirability with small venue and you get higher point needs. At least that's one theory. . .

 

[Granny]

However......I almost fell off my chair when I just realized WLV points are just about the highest on property
Why is this???
Thanks
Kerri

Hi Kerri!

I assume you mean that the VWL point schedule per night is just about the highest on property? VWL point schedule is very similar to BWV Preferred and BCV points per night for similar units. At that point, Disney was cranking out DVC resorts pretty quickly and I think they felt like they had a pretty good point schedule in place while price per point continued to rise with each new resort.

Then they built SSR and AKV, two very large resorts and the point schedules dipped a bit.

But VWL points per night are nowhere near as high as BLT, VGF and PBV point schedules for similar villas. So I'd probably describe VWL/BWV Preferred/BCV point schedules as "middle of the pack".

 

[Dean Marino]

Hi Kerri!

I assume you mean that the VWL point schedule per night is just about the highest on property? VWL point schedule is very similar to BWV Preferred and BCV points per night for similar units. At that point, Disney was cranking out DVC resorts pretty quickly and I think they felt like they had a pretty good point schedule in place while price per point continued to rise with each new resort.

Then they built SSR and AKV, two very large resorts and the point schedules dipped a bit.

But VWL points per night are nowhere near as high as BLT, VGF and PBV point schedules for similar villas. So I'd probably describe VWL/BWV Preferred/BCV point schedules as "middle of the pack".

Let me add an eye opener....

BEING VWL owners since about 2013? We've been tracking "break even", every trip, two trips per year, compared against the DISCOUNTED Main Hotel rooms.

On average? Here is what our data indicates, for an eight night trip (our usual)..... Let's use our April 2017 trip (yes, we DID factor in the newest 35% AP discount - that would be "REAL rack"):

Eight Nights, two Adults....
Room Rack Cost $2,583.00 (Main Hotel, Courtyard View)
DVC Room Cost $932.39 (VWL Studio)

DVC discount: 64%. All costs include tax.

Just us - but we're pretty happy . We will hit break even on our fall 2018 trip. FIVE years - including time cost of money . After this? Highway robbery... and WE get to be the robber .

Soooooooo - we're having a hard time seeing a negative . Point cost MIGHT be a bit higher than some, but we get to stay where we WANT to stay .

 

[Dizny Dad]

Wow. Calculating Breakeven Levels . . . . . in 2006 I created a spread sheet that allowed me to enter in our Disney trip expenses and compared them to local non-DVC Disney costs. For a while, it helped me justify our investment in DVC, and was showing me how much I was getting out of our DVC experience. We now sit here in 2017, and I must say I have left all that behind.

I haven’t opened up that sheet to evaluate our Disney trips in a few years. It really does not reflect how far ahead we really are, no columns that allow me to enter in what is really important in evaluating life’s choices. I doesn’t reflect the smiles I see on DiznyDi’s face, or the smiles on our family’s faces when we share our good fortunes of DVC ownership. It doesn’t have a measure of how many really great people we have met, how many more lives we have had the opportunity in which to make a difference, whether that be in sharing the excitement, or the sadness, that can come in life. It never told me the story of the exciting times of meeting up with Groupies, or the intimate moments with family and friends that we still talk about today. It never reflected the building of a lifetime of all of these things, and so much more.

Calculating breakeven levels is just a beginning, just the runway for a flight into building many dreams that can come true. Please, I would encourage all to calculate where you are, but remember to factor in the real paybacks it can bring.

 

[Geyser Gazer]

I haven't seen this posted yet but I overheard a WL desk cast member stating that the new cabins would have adjacent parking spots for their guests vehicles. I truly hope not, one of the beauties of the lodge was not having to see any cars once you checked in. We were at the Villa's New Years week and the lodge was still magical and majestic despite the construction. The pool/spa times were limited to something like 10 am-8:30 pm so we missed our early swim's and post park hot tub melts in to relaxation. I suppose the new pool will be similarly restricted unlike our quiet Hidden Springs of old.

 

[Corinne]

Wow. Calculating Breakeven Levels . . . . . in 2006 I created a spread sheet that allowed me to enter in our Disney trip expenses and compared them to local non-DVC Disney costs. For a while, it helped me justify our investment in DVC, and was showing me how much I was getting out of our DVC experience. We now sit here in 2017, and I must say I have left all that behind.

I haven’t opened up that sheet to evaluate our Disney trips in a few years. It really does not reflect how far ahead we really are, no columns that allow me to enter in what is really important in evaluating life’s choices. I doesn’t reflect the smiles I see on DiznyDi’s face, or the smiles on our family’s faces when we share our good fortunes of DVC ownership. It doesn’t have a measure of how many really great people we have met, how many more lives we have had the opportunity in which to make a difference, whether that be in sharing the excitement, or the sadness, that can come in life. It never told me the story of the exciting times of meeting up with Groupies, or the intimate moments with family and friends that we still talk about today. It never reflected the building of a lifetime of all of these things, and so much more.

Calculating breakeven levels is just a beginning, just the runway for a flight into building many dreams that can come true. Please, I would encourage all to calculate where you are, but remember to factor in the real paybacks it can bring.

Wow, so very well said!!!

 

[Granny]

I haven't seen this posted yet but I overheard a WL desk cast member stating that the new cabins would have adjacent parking spots for their guests vehicles. I truly hope not, one of the beauties of the lodge was not having to see any cars once you checked in. We were at the Villa's New Years week and the lodge was still magical and majestic despite the construction. The pool/spa times were limited to something like 10 am-8:30 pm so we missed our early swim's and post park hot tub melts in to relaxation. I suppose the new pool will be similarly restricted unlike our quiet Hidden Springs of old.

Hi Geyser Gazer! I think what the CM was referring to was the two new parking areas for guests that would support the cabins. They are circled in this layout and as you can see, they will not be intrusive to the view of VWL guests.





Although the new pool appears to be as large as the main pool, at this point it doesn't appear to have plans for a slide. If not, it might not have CMs as lifeguards either similar to the old quiet pool. So there's a chance it may be open "at swimmer's risk" at all times like the old pool. I guess that is something we'll have to wait and see.

 

[wdrl]

I haven't seen this posted yet but I overheard a WL desk cast member stating that the new cabins would have adjacent parking spots for their guests vehicles.

There is a parking lot near the cabins on the north side (the side closest to World Drive). I suppose Disney could allow guests staying in the north side cabins to park their cars in that lot. Based on what I see when I use Google maps, that parking lot could be more convenient than the main parking lot for those staying in some of the north side cabins. It would not be convenient for the cabins on the south side (the side closest to the Boulder Ridge Villas).

I don't know if guests are currently able to use that parking lot. Right now, I think its being used by some of the construction workers and hotel staff.

 

[Granny]

Calculating breakeven levels is just a beginning, just the runway for a flight into building many dreams that can come true. Please, I would encourage all to calculate where you are, but remember to factor in the real paybacks it can bring.

Beautifully said, DDad. Since we did not buy DVC to save money, we've never looked at the financial breakeven. For us it was an affordable way to stay in a suite on-site at Disney to enhance our vacation experience. It is safe to say that if we didn't own DVC, there's no way we would visit as often and experience the friends and memories we have incurred over the years.