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

[Granny]

Granny, your daughter WAS a beautiful bride. I know you were a proud Daddy.

Tom, I too just saw your DD on FB. What a proud Dad you must be, congratulations!!!

Thanks so much, Kathy and Jimmy. It was the usual whirlwind of a weekend, but Mrs. Granny and I enjoyed seeing our two daughters (the younger one was the maid of honor) looking so beautiful. And Mrs. Granny looked very hot too!

Need massive amounts of Moose/Pixie Dust! My youngest son Clay, the brother just older than Kati is in the hospital as of Saturday evening fighting for his life. He is Spina Bifida so has a very fragile system to begin with. He developed pneumonia and it went sepsis and he also suffers from impaction and looks like there was a kidney stone and an infection there. Needless to say, he is a very sick young man. Our local hospital care-flighted him to Baylor Dallas, my choice because if his shunt is compromised his neurosurgeon is there. He is intibated so that means he is heavily sedated and they are pushing big time antibiotics and a continuous dialysis to take care of the sepsis and a huge team of other doctors are also there trying to take care of the other issues. Yes, I am a basket case, but Kati as usual is my rock and taking care of me and watching all those doctors and nurses like a hawk to be sure she knows all that is being done for her brother. Love to all the Groupies and thanks for listening.

Kathy...may God rain his blessings on you and your family at this time. Prayers continue to go up for Clay.

 

[twokats]

Thanks again for the thoughts and prayers. We had a major test for a bad bacteria and it came back negative today so that was good news. He is also off all blood pressure meds. They are going to try and lower the sedation meds and wean him off the breathing machine.

 

[Flossbolna]

Thanks Twinklebug.....
That is who I was speaking to ---IT. The supervisor told me point blank that someone staying 14 days in a row CAN book ALL 14 days for Fast Pass. But as an Annual Passholder, I am LIMITED to only 7 DAYS worth of FP's. I am penalized because I also have Nov 7 & 8 booked. It's a quick overnight trip for Food and Wine. They told me once I use those FP's up, I can book another two. This will not help me plan my Dec 9-12 FP's with my friends who we are cruising with. So those guests who stay 14 days IN A ROW have more FP rights than someone like me who breaks their park days up. I don't see this as fair. Sorry....trying to wrap my brain around it but it was a bit Disney let-down for me.

Since it seems that IT is unwilling to help, I would suggest to complain to guest services about it. The only way this will change is if enough people complain. I can see the reason for this in the potential abuse by local AP holders. They could book a hotel room for every Saturday, make their FP+ 60 days before and then cancel at the last minute, but keep their FP+. However, otherwise you are indeed penalised by Disney for being a loyal customer with an AP and multiple trips. Also, remember that once you used all three FP from Nov 7, you can make an additional day's worth of FP. This will still put you before the 30 day mark. Unless you want those really hard to get FPs for every day, you should be fine with prioritising those days which have hard to get FP now and do the other two days once they become bookable.

@twokats thinking of you and your family! I hope your son's health will improve quickly!

 

[jimmytammy]

Thanks again for the thoughts and prayers. We had a major test for a bad bacteria and it came back negative today so that was good news. He is also off all blood pressure meds. They are going to try and lower the sedation meds and wean him off the breathing machine.

Thats great news Kathy! Every little step in the right direction is a plus. Continuing to lift Clay and your family up to Him for healing

 

[DVC Jen]

Thanks again for the thoughts and prayers. We had a major test for a bad bacteria and it came back negative today so that was good news. He is also off all blood pressure meds. They are going to try and lower the sedation meds and wean him off the breathing machine.

Great news. You must be feeling a lot of relief.

 

[Granny]

Kathy...thank you for the update.

Groupies...I have posted a conversation for all Groupies going to WDW the first couple of weeks of December. If you would like to be included in the conversation, please let me know and I'll add you.

I don't know about you guys, but from mid-October to the end of the year just seems like a blur every year!

 

[horselover]

Having some good waitlist luck for the bonus Dec. trip. I was originally at PVB, SSR, BLT, BWV. Then I managed to grab a 1 BR at VGF to replace the SSR night so I grabbed it but kept the BLT & BWV wait lists up. A few days ago my VGF reservation got replaced with a BLT lake view studio which was good news resort wise as that put me 2 nights at BLT but night 2 was in a 1 BR lake view so still required a move. My 2nd waitlist for a lake view studio just came through. Confused yet? So as of now I'm at PVB for 1st night, 2 nights BLT, 1 night BWV. I just added a waitlist for the 1st night at BLT. I'll give up Poly if I can have 3 nights in a row in the same resort. Hope my luck continues!

 

[pmaurer74]

Kathy...thank you for the update.

Groupies...I have posted a conversation for all Groupies going to WDW the first couple of weeks of December. If you would like to be included in the conversation, please let me know and I'll add you.

I don't know about you guys, but from mid-October to the end of the year just seems like a blur every year!

I would like to be included. My trip might be too late though.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Granny, I really appreciate your visual planning tool!

 

[twokats]

With the exception of the meet or meets, I am so glad all my planning was pretty well done before the madness around here started!!!

He is better today. I think they got rid of the infection in the kidneys, and are considering stopping the dialysis. He still has a small amount of pneumonia, but they have started cutting back on the sedation and the breathing machine is at 40% and they said they usually take it off when they get it to 20%, so here's hoping that will be gone soon also. Still pretty sick, but they are just letting him chill and rest.

 

[Granny]

Still pretty sick, but they are just letting him chill and rest.

Kathy...thank you so much for continuing to update us with Clay's progress. We are all praying up a storm for him!

Granny, I really appreciate your visual planning tool!

Thanks, Bobbi. Ah, the wonders of Microsoft Excel.

I would like to be included. My trip might be too late though.

I will certainly add you to the conversation but as you indicated there isn't a lot of overlap. But I do see a couple of Groupies that will still be around when you come in, so I invite you to set something up with them.

 

[horselover]

Very good new @twokats. Continued prayers for Clay's full recovery.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Having some good waitlist luck for the bonus Dec. trip. I was originally at PVB, SSR, BLT, BWV. Then I managed to grab a 1 BR at VGF to replace the SSR night so I grabbed it but kept the BLT & BWV wait lists up. A few days ago my VGF reservation got replaced with a BLT lake view studio which was good news resort wise as that put me 2 nights at BLT but night 2 was in a 1 BR lake view so still required a move. My 2nd waitlist for a lake view studio just came through. Confused yet? So as of now I'm at PVB for 1st night, 2 nights BLT, 1 night BWV. I just added a waitlist for the 1st night at BLT. I'll give up Poly if I can have 3 nights in a row in the same resort. Hope my luck continues!

Wow, you are a determined person!

 

[horselover]

Wow, you are a determined person!

Yep. The wait list did most of the work for me, but I do have the luxury of being in front of a computer all day so a little availability stalking never hurts. I'll do what I have to do to not have to move every night.

 

[Granny]

So, Mrs. Granny and I went to an awesome concert last night:




That's Matt Maher and Chris Tomlin. For those of you not aware, they are Christian music artists as you can see from the lyrics above the stage.

Sorry for the poor quality of the shot...one of these days I'll figure out how to take a decent picture with my iPhone in the darker settings!

 

[wildernessDad]

I’d like to propose that for a VWL Groupie Meet in Dec of 2018, we start planning before we make park and dining plans for the Dec vacation.

 

[Granny]

I’d like to propose that for a VWL Groupie Meet in Dec of 2018, we start planning before we make park and dining plans for the Dec vacation.

Makes sense. I guess we rarely make ADRs so for us it is a lot more flexible. But I can definitely see that an earlier start to the process would be good. Maybe sometime in May when the 7 month mark is pretty much over?


In other news, did any of the Groupies see this announcement?:

Beginning Sunday Oct 15 2017, Walt Disney World Resort will allow canine companions to stay at four resort hotels, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, Disney Port Orleans Resort – Riverside, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort and the cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.

The new service permits up to two dogs per guest room with no weight or breed restrictions. Each resort also offers easy access to outdoor pet exercise areas and green spaces with pet relief areas.

Disney will not be designating specific rooms for dogs, but they will be staying in specific areas of each resort.

Dog lovers will find plenty of Disney amenities and special touches for their four-legged friends.

• 
  
  
  • 
    
    • At check-in, Pluto’s Welcome Kit includes a mat, bowls, a pet ID tag, courtesy plastic disposable bags, puppy pads and dog walking maps. Also included: a Pluto “Do Not Disturb” door hanger indicating to hotel staff that a pet is in the room.
    • Day care and other pet services are offered nearby at Best Friends, an on-property full-service pet care facility. Fees apply.
    • Coming soon – select pet merchandise at the four resort properties.

The resorts’ per night/per room pet-cleaning rates are:

• 
  
  
  • 
    
    • Disney’s Art of Animation Resort $50/night
    • Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort $50/night
    • Disney’s Yacht Club Resort $75/night
    • Cabins at Disney’s Ft. Wilderness Resort $50/night

Dogs staying in a Disney resort Guest rooms must be well behaved, leashed in resort public areas and properly vaccinated.

Guest with dogs will be able to use Magical Express, Minnie Vans and internal buses at Fort Wilderness and Port Orleans, but dogs must travel in a pet carrier. Dogs will not be allowed on monorails or watercraft.


Not sure if the link will be allowed, but here's where it came from: http://www.wdwmagic.com/resorts/wal...o-stay-at-walt-disney-world-resort-hotels.htm


Personally, I'm glad that it doesn't include any DVC resorts. I guess the cleaning cost per day will keep this from being a big deal?​

 

[pmaurer74]

Kathy...thank you so much for continuing to update us with Clay's progress. We are all praying up a storm for him!




Thanks, Bobbi. Ah, the wonders of Microsoft Excel.




I will certainly add you to the conversation but as you indicated there isn't a lot of overlap. But I do see a couple of Groupies that will still be around when you come in, so I invite you to set something up with them.

I appreciate the invite. We go every December and stay at VWL, I will catch you guys sometime!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Makes sense. I guess we rarely make ADRs so for us it is a lot more flexible. But I can definitely see that an earlier start to the process would be good. Maybe sometime in May when the 7 month mark is pretty much over?


In other news, did any of the Groupies see this announcement?:

Beginning Sunday Oct 15 2017, Walt Disney World Resort will allow canine companions to stay at four resort hotels, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, Disney Port Orleans Resort – Riverside, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort and the cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.

The new service permits up to two dogs per guest room with no weight or breed restrictions. Each resort also offers easy access to outdoor pet exercise areas and green spaces with pet relief areas.

Disney will not be designating specific rooms for dogs, but they will be staying in specific areas of each resort.

Dog lovers will find plenty of Disney amenities and special touches for their four-legged friends.

• 
  
  
  • 
    
    • At check-in, Pluto’s Welcome Kit includes a mat, bowls, a pet ID tag, courtesy plastic disposable bags, puppy pads and dog walking maps. Also included: a Pluto “Do Not Disturb” door hanger indicating to hotel staff that a pet is in the room.
    • Day care and other pet services are offered nearby at Best Friends, an on-property full-service pet care facility. Fees apply.
    • Coming soon – select pet merchandise at the four resort properties.

The resorts’ per night/per room pet-cleaning rates are:

• 
  
  
  • 
    
    • Disney’s Art of Animation Resort $50/night
    • Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort $50/night
    • Disney’s Yacht Club Resort $75/night
    • Cabins at Disney’s Ft. Wilderness Resort $50/night

Dogs staying in a Disney resort Guest rooms must be well behaved, leashed in resort public areas and properly vaccinated.

Guest with dogs will be able to use Magical Express, Minnie Vans and internal buses at Fort Wilderness and Port Orleans, but dogs must travel in a pet carrier. Dogs will not be allowed on monorails or watercraft.


Not sure if the link will be allowed, but here's where it came from: http://www.wdwmagic.com/resorts/wal...o-stay-at-walt-disney-world-resort-hotels.htm


Personally, I'm glad that it doesn't include any DVC resorts. I guess the cleaning cost per day will keep this from being a big deal?​

I saw that Granny and took a dive into the thread over on the resorts board as one who is ok with it. I'm seeing more dogs every trip at the resorts and in the parks that are "service" dogs. On airplanes, airports etc. It's happening already and I don't think it's going to go crazy if it's now allowed without that designation. It's rather a pain to travel with pets no matter how much you want them with you and I think there are more people that realize that than don't.

 

[Granny]

I saw that Granny and took a dive into the thread over on the resorts board as one who is ok with it.

Kathy...you are much braver than I am to venture onto other threads! I definitely run away from the ones that have any controversy involved.

It's happening already and I don't think it's going to go crazy if it's now allowed without that designation. It's rather a pain to travel with pets no matter how much you want them with you and I think there are more people that realize that than don't.

I think forking out $50-$75 dollars per day for pet cleaning will also deter a lot of people. It's cheaper to kennel the pet on Disney property than paying that amount.

Personally, I wouldn't want to be part of Mousekeeping that has to go into rooms with dogs. Sorry, that just doesn't sound like a good idea to me when strangers walk in on dogs.