Hello Groupies! I am back from a lovely stay at the WL. We had booked our home resort, BRV, but ended up in a Copper Creek studio. While nice, it did not feel like home. I have to admit that the rooms are nicer and warmer in person than what they look like in the pictures. However, it does more feel like a room at a modern day Hilton that happens to be in a mountainous area. Nothing special about them. We did talk to some people and emphasized how much we love the more rustic atmosphere at BRV and how much we hope that the refurb there will maintain that charm. Supposedly the design has not been decided yet, so I would encourage everyone to voice your concerns to DVC about those refurbs. There were features that I really liked: the two nightstands, the amount of drawer space, the sliding door at the sinks. I went on the architecture tour and the backstory I got for Copper Creek was that those rooms are themed after the add ons to the National Park Lodges that were done in the 1960s and 1970s. Who thinks that that's a theme????
We were lucky to watch the end of operation "Christmas Tree Takedown": What an amazing operation. They were there with multiple people and within a few hours all Christmas had disappeared from the WL. As lovely as Christmas is, I loved seeing both versions of the lobby and it was great to have the original soundtrack back!
We had a lot of meals at Roaring Forks and I love that they have gone over to re-usable plates and real metal baskets. They also use paper with the Roaring Fork Logo in the baskets. If they were to go with real cutlery, this would be a great improvement! I spoke to a CM there and she said that it's an issue of RF not having its own dishwasher. But they hope to get an upgrade and their own dishwasher. If you ask me, if Disney is truly serious about minimizing waste, it is not about avoiding straws, but plastic utensils! The food was really good as well! They have the option of a soup instead of the fries/chips that are the usually sides and one night we got the grilled cheese with a side of soup and an extra soup and that was perfect dinner on a slightly chilly evening! All the other food we had from there was really good, too.
Artist Point is just sad. I had a peek inside there one late evening and it looks like they just added some branches to the walls. The good news is that it has not taken over the Lodge. The Snow White merchandise in the shop is a bit silly, but the Territory Lounge has not become a toddler waiting room, instead it still continues to serve some of the AP classics (mushroom soup, salmon and cobbler).
I loved the new pool area. I was shocked about this. They did a great job with the landscaping and I feel that in another 5-10 years it will start to look even better. I also have the advantage that I never knew the old quiet pool, so my opinion might be different if I had. I liked the "cabanas" that are actually free to use by everyone (at least at the moment) and the large hot tub, even if it has very little bubbling going on.
So, all in all a great stay. I will post some pictures soon!