VWL Refurb Info

[melk]

So you listed all five guests names on the reservation? That is good news.

I did. It said on the website it only sleeps 4 but I put in 5 as number of guests and it allowed me to put in all the names.

 

[Goofy442]

Just came back from staying at VWL and the rooms are really nice. If you have older kids, the pull down bed doesn't work for a seventeen year old who is 6'1. Not sure how much weight it might hold, my son is 165lbs and he said sometimes it felt like it wanted to break. Probably better for small children, which is nice for larger family's.

 

[Sarabi's Cubs]

Did they add a sleeper chair/single under the tv to the 2BR? We have a group of 9, and I wondered if we would be able to stay at VWL. It looks on the website like they allow 9 but you have to provide the bed. It's only for 1 night, so the cramped space is not an issue, but the single would be nice. Otherwise, the 3 little girls will get the king.

Laurie

 

[twinklebug]

Did they add a sleeper chair/single under the tv to the 2BR? We have a group of 9, and I wondered if we would be able to stay at VWL. It looks on the website like they allow 9 but you have to provide the bed. It's only for 1 night, so the cramped space is not an issue, but the single would be nice. Otherwise, the 3 little girls will get the king.

Laurie

It depends on which type of 2 bedroom unit you have. The new murphy bed is only in the studios. So, if you have the lock off type, you will have it available in the studio portion. The dedicated 2 bedroom units do not have it since they have 2 queen beds in that room. (this is going off of the latest video I saw of the dedicated 2br unit)

 

[Sarabi's Cubs]

It depends on which type of 2 bedroom unit you have. The new murphy bed is only in the studios. So, if you have the lock off type, you will have it available in the studio portion. The dedicated 2 bedroom units do not have it since they have 2 queen beds in that room. (this is going off of the latest video I saw of the dedicated 2br unit)

Thanks! This is helpful!!!

 

[bastos]

We, also, just booked a studio for December - and are a five member family. We stayed in the POR last year - and my wife even took a turn in their Murphy bed. Certainly not spacious - but able to hold an adult person.

More than likely one of us will spend one night on the pull out one this winter.

Personally, I am happy to stay in the five person studio. Gives us more reasonable options to stay in a variety of resorts without breaking the bank - and able to come back more often.

 

[sajetto]

Just wanted to weigh in with the opposite opinion.


HOORAY!

We have a son and a daughter, and we go to Disney as much as we can - but they will NOT sleep together! What a horrid frustration it is for us to have to make a pallet so that our 10 year old daughter sleeps on the FLOOR every time we stay in a studio! It has gotten to the point that we must get a 2BR, or get a 1 BR only at BLT, OKW or AKV (and VGF, which are difficult to get right now....) We have gone to Disney 5 different times in the last 12 months, and our daughter had to sleep on the floor when we had a studio at Beach Club this summer, and also for one night at Saratoga, because it was all they had available. I simply cannot stand having our daughter sleep on the floor.

So we are thrilled that VWL will be back in the rotation for our short stays. HOORAY!



I also like the decor... they have gone from "hoop de doo" decor to a more upscale cowboy-type decor.

LOVE IT!

(that said, I'm sorry to those who do not like it - perhaps you may change your mind seeing it in person)

ITA! I just changed our reservation this summer from BLT to VWL after seeing these pictures. I liked VWL already, but now I'm hoping we'll get one of these rooms, because my 4 year old would LOVE sleeping beside the Bambi theme!

Yes, I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I like the look. Just more proof that we are all different in our tastes.

 

[Lisann]

I have just read the entire thread. I can honestly say that most posters here were hoping for a change in the dated rooms, but the change is less than stellar. I can certainly understand.

I think that in order to get things changed/done at Disney, you need to write to guest services. I always send a note after I visit to let them know the good, and then some of things that might not have been so good. I always get a response. WDW takes these comments seriously...I once suggested that the UK in Epcot carry more real English teapots, got a call from guest services, and oila...next visit, I bought teapots (NOT made in China) to my heart's delight! Anyway...

I got to visit a 1 bdrm while there two weeks ago. It was okay. Seemed small, but I had just visited VGF, so it was hard to make a comparison. As far as the furnishings and decor...nothing really stood out for me. The rug in the living room looked cheap and out of place. The solid color sofa will be a mistake. Overall, I feel I could have decorated the room much better, as could some of the posters here, but maybe that's just my lack of sleep talking.

Yes, I will stay there. I will always love that resort.

But I really feel that, out of all the resorts, VWL is in need of some special furnishings and designs, not cheap looks, or bland colors. The wilderness theme has so much from which to choose! I'm somewhere in the middle on the new-look debate, but I believe there could have been so much more to these rooms, that when you opened the door, your first word would have been "wow"..... . But I don't think that's the case right now.

 

[buckeev]

We, also, just booked a studio for December - and are a five member family. We stayed in the POR last year - and my wife even took a turn in their Murphy bed. Certainly not spacious - but able to hold an adult person.

More than likely one of us will spend one night on the pull out one this winter.

Personally, I am happy to stay in the five person studio. Gives us more reasonable options to stay in a variety of resorts without breaking the bank - and able to come back more often.

Hey BASTOS! Sounds like we have very similar situations with our "Fab 5 Families!" POR has been our resort choice for 4 out of our last 6 stays. Love Riverside! But the FD snub there this year forced our hand though...(hard to turn down a deluxe for about the same price as a moderate-when food is factored in!)
We took the tour at DVC a few months ago, and are SOOO close to pulling the trigger, but probably will wait until we experience VWL personally.
We are booked for 9 nights at VWL during the Christmas season, and are very excited about it! (Heck, we might be neighbors!)

 

[npcougar]

Did they redo the shower heads at all? As a somewhat tall person, it is very difficult to wash my hair at VWL. The shower heads are too low.

 

[Longhairbear]

We just got our copy of Disney Files today. I have to say we are in shock at what's been done to the decor of the villas. They took out all the personality of the rooms.It looks like any generic hotel room now. It's such a shame in our opinion. Everything has been painted over in beige. They definitely cheaped out on this redo. And it's my home base, but no longer what I bought back in 2003.
Generic headboards over the carved ones that used to be there. Why oh why did they take out the colors and make it bland, with Bambi pillows is beyond comprehension. Very sad to see this.

 

[crabbie1]

We stayed for our first visit april 2013 and loved the lodge but thought the rooms were a bit dated. I think the new rooms look great. Love the fact the two girls one 9 one 12 don't have to share a bed. Horses for courses I suppose.

 

[disneyobessed]

I was given an option to book 5 in a studio for August so they must be complete!

 

[jlovesee]

This is exactly what happened with the main lodge (not DVC), several years ago. People complained it was "too dark" so Disney went and made it all bland and beige. (the rooms that is). I LIKED WLV the way it was, I own some of my points there and I bought only a few years ago, because I still LIKED the decor. I mean seriously how can 1890's themed decor really NOT look dated? That's the whole point.

I will have to obviously see it in person to make a truly valid decision as to my opinion... but really? IF you don't like the "dark decor" please go visit BWV, OKW, BCV, some of us LIKED the dark decor, the red walls, the flannel curtains, the cute pine cone carpet and the green cabinets. So sad.

Jennifer

 

[sonofanarchy]

Definitely don't like the changes to the 1 bedroom villas. Doesn't seem nearly as rustic anymore.

Doesn't surprise me. I don't recall a Disney Resort refurb (except for the Contemporary) where the rooms came out looking better.

 

[twinklebug]

Hard core VWL lover here... just got back from staying in the refurbished studio. First off: they're not bad at all. In fact I do think the new murphy bed was very nice, my 5'11", 150# son loved it and said it was more comfortable than his bed at home (he has a brand new one waiting to be moved up to his room, so he's comparing it to a 20 year old mattress) It was VERY sturdy, although I'd not want to hear of kids jumping on it. The part of the unit that encases the television set is not attached to the murphy bed, but rather is mounted right to the wall. They only look like a unit, so no fears about the tossing and turning causing the DVD player or tv to jostle and fall.

Second: I did not miss the red paint at all, nor the mess of patterns. It's much cleaner, but I do feel the couch is just too plain, and really wish they had updated with the style Kidani is using without the side bar running around it. The carpeting feels odd on the feet particularly for me with the typical blisters. I wish they had gone with a wood patterned rug instead of one with a special multi level weave to it.

Third: The updates to the kitchen and bathroom areas do brighten those up in a way they badly needed. The wood laminate flooring works very nicely in this area, and was not scratched up in the studio as I've been hearing those who are staying in the 1 br+ units reporting. No images, sorry, but I think those that are posted show the details very well.

Last item: the table they removed, and replaced with the little kick table... we missed the old table, but I see now there would not have been any room for it. We never folded the Murphy bed back up during our stay so had to make due without a table. Got creative with the chairs.

 

[Pirate Granny]

Looking forward to our Christmas visit, but where will I put the tree if the Murphy bed is in use and no table available? where will we eat breakfast? Love the fact we can fit 5, hate the fact that we lost the table.

 

[twinklebug]

Looking forward to our Christmas visit, but where will I put the tree if the Murphy bed is in use and no table available? where will we eat breakfast? Love the fact we can fit 5, hate the fact that we lost the table.

You're going to have so much fun!

The new coffee table is very well made too. We moved it over to the kitchenette and entry area with the chairs, which gave us plenty of room, but it is rather low, and slippery.
If it were Christmas, I'd put the tree up on top of the new dresser.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

We were @ WDW this past April. VWL is our home resort. Stayed in a 1 BR. First, let me say that if you're disappointed in any aspect of the remodel, please contact and tell them. They need to know this. Especially if this is your home resort. I was most upset about the workmanship in general. In our room, there was a hole (approx. 5 inches) to the wall left of the sink. The cabinets were painted cream on the outside but left green on the inside. The fridge isn't pushed back all the way and it's because if you push it back, you can't open the door...hits the stove. In the bathroom, they changed out the bronze fixtures to a high polished chrome. AND in our bathroom, some of the bronze wasn't changed so it was both type of fixtures. I noticed in Disney Files it said a nickel polish. Ours was definitely a modern, high polished chrome. There were pieces missing on kitchen sink fixtures and a small hole in the wall in the bathroom. I did call Member Services when we returned home and will say I wasn't pleased with the person I talked to. I did all the talking and all she could say was "I'll write that down." I left it at that but about a month later, I received another call from someone else. I guess my complaints went further. This person I talked to was a lot more interested in the specifics, etc. I'm hoping that they're looking into things and fixing the terrible workmanship. Hoping our room was not the norm. As a DVC member, I don't want to see our dues pay for such terrible workmanship. Again, please call if you have a complaint. That's the only way things will get fixed.

 

[DVC Jen]

We were there in early June and I thought the decor was very blah as well. The bell services guy who brought us our luggage asked if we loved it and I told him the truth - no.

It isn't horrible - just lost a lot of the theming we loved so much. I do like the addition of the murphy bed in the studios.. I think the bambi decore on the inside of it is very cute.

Honestly though - cute is not rustic - and it should have that rustic feel to it we fell in love with.