Surprising finds...... About This Page:

[HiddenMickey]

What has been the most surprising thing you found out about your resort after you checked in? What was that one thing that added extra meaning to your resort stay that you hadn't expected?

-HiddenMickey

[Luv2plan]

We were surprised with how calm and relaxing we found the atmosphere at OKW. I didn't know how much we needed just that until we were there. We had stayed in BWV before and I thought I might miss the hustle and bustle, but when I sat out on our balcony at night at OKW and looked over the golf course, it was just the thing I needed to top off a great vacation.

[ariel1]

illuminations fireworks viewed from our yc balcony. [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img]

[LoveWL]

Those BIG leather rockers and the peacefulness of the Iron Spike Room at VWL. A wonderful place to read, nap and just generally unwind.

[statelady01]

We were really surprised at how much the Great Ceremonial House became to us during our stay- we shopped, we ate and we also relaxed there many, many times- just sitting in the lounge - listening to the waterfall and music.

Heaven!!

[eliza]

I had never stayed at the same hotel over and over again until the GF. After 6 visits, it really does feel like a home away from home! My favorite discovery was that I could take a leisurely stroll to Gasparilla Grill at 6 am or so while everyone else was still asleep, get some coffee and oj, and stroll back to the room (we usually stay in Boca Chica) and have this fantastic view of Cinderella's Castle dead ahead...still changing colors in the twilight. Also there are usually a few ducks swimming in the quiet pool at this time. It's quite something!

[Tara O'Hara]

I love [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img] both the lobbies of the Wilderness Lodge and AKL!! The huge fireplace in the WL ROCKS!! The intricate detailing of AKL, including the rope bridge, the wonderful African Art, and the gorgeous Marketplace there were delightful little surprises to me!! [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img]

[kadterp]

Being upgraded by surprise to the Vice Presidential suite when we stayed at the GF! Can we say heaven?? [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img]

[wdw4us]

The fantastic upgrade we received at the Poly to a lagoon view room and that unbelievably magical feeling of awe when we opened the curtains to see the amazing view all around the lagoon and over over to The Castle! [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img]

[AKLRULZ]

Well, I think actually what surprised me the most of any resort stay thus far was how serene and peaceful my balcony was at the Wilderness Lodge given that we overlooked the upper courtyard. I used the balcony for my daily quiet time on the trip and found it to be a world away from the World. I know I say the AKL RULZ in just about every post, but the WL is a real treasure, too. [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img]

[Marv]

O.K., here's a plug for the value resorts... In May I stayed at ASMu. The check in time was faster than the deluxes and moderates I've stayed in.

I've never really had a magical experience from CM's at either moderate or deluxes and I did at ASMu. Amoung my magical experiences, a CM offered to call down and have our room changed when she brought us in and it smelled like smoke. The room we got moved to was a room with king size bed, so we got the free fridge!

Also, when getting a cup of coffee from the snack bar, it came to some odd amount with like 3 cents on the end of it. Rather than charge me for the cents, the CM said he'd cover it for me. I was speechless (but recovered quick enough to tell him how thoughtful that was). Maybe that doesn't sound like much but I was on my way to the parks and didn't want to carry all that loose change around in my pocket. Sometimes it's just the little things... [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[GATechGal]

At the Port Orleans French Quarter, we loved the beauthiful courtyards that really looked like what New Orleans would look like if they cleaned the streets everyday and freshened up the paint every year. We also LOVED [img]graemlins/love.gif[/img] the Beignets and Chicory coffee every morning for breakfast. We even got our 8 year old daughter hooked (on the beignets not the coffee).

[Wendyismyname]

When we walked into our cabin at Ft. Wilderness, we felt right at home. It's so quiet there. All the trees, all the animals, the smell of people cooking on their charcoal grills. It was great!

But what really made it nice, was how big the bathroom was!!

Wendy

[Rick Akin]

Originally posted by Wendyismyname:
When we walked into our cabin at Ft. Wilderness, we felt right at home. It's so quiet there. All the trees, all the animals, the smell of people cooking on their charcoal grills. It was great!

<font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS, Arial">[img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] They cooked people on the grills? Great googly moogly!

[All Ears]

They cooked people on the grills? Great googly moogly!

<font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS, Arial">Rick -- Tooo funny! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

My favorite surprises... I think I have been pleasantly surprised by something different at each & every resort. Here are a few highlights...
* Strolling along the river between POR & POFQ, especially as the sun is setting. Does it get any more relaxing and romantic than this?
* Watching the monorail whiz by from our balcony at the Poly. It was never loud or obstructive. It always made us smile when we would see it coming around the bend.
* Having a room at WL that overlooked a fantastic little pond area -- that was surrounded by trees. We were on the ground level -- and we would watch the ducks & otters play daily!
Thanks, everyone for sharing your magical moments. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Michelle