I am truly blessed. My family is wonderful, our friends are great, I have a good job and I did something almost eight years ago that changed my life. I joined the Disney Vacation Club. I wrote about the DVC in one of my posts a while back called
Disney's Best Kept Secret. I love the Disney Vacation Club. Not only because of the fact that we get to vacation in Disney as much as we do, but because when we go to Walt Disney World, the accommodations we get are unbelievable. Being Vacation Club Members, we get to stay in what Disney used to call the
Home Away from Home Villas. They are now called the
Deluxe Villa Resort Hotels, and this is today's
Unknown Magic.
 |
My Mom in the Kitchen
at the Beach Club Resort |
The
Deluxe Villas used to be called the
Home Away from Home Villas, because they offer the amenities of home. They each have a Washer/Dryer, a full Kitchen; with refrigerator, dishwasher, and full oven. Each also has a dining area and a living room area that has a sofa, chair and television, with DVD player. I know some of you are thinking, “Why on earth would I want a washer/dryer on vacation?” With the amount of money that the airlines are charging for baggage, it may be another way people are thinking about to save money. Another question, you may be asking is “Why would I want to cook when I can get the Disney Dining Plan?” The Disney Dining Plan only really covers 2 meals a day. This leaves you to pay for the third meal. If you are getting a breakfast and dinner, you’ll need to get lunch. What a great way to take a break in the middle of the day; head back to your room for some lunch and a swim, before going back to the parks later in the afternoon. Or getting up in the morning and enjoying a nice breakfast before you leave for the park is a nice way to start the day. The other great thing about having the kitchen, even with the Dining Plan is having a refrigerator for left-overs!
The best thing about this is now anyone can stay in the
Deluxe Villa Resort Hotel rooms. They are offered at what are considered the Disney Vacation Club Resorts. These would be: Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort, Disney's Beach Club Villas, Disney's Boardwalk Villas, Disney's Old Key West Resort, Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas at Kidani Village, The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort. All of the Resorts offer different reasons why you may want to stay in them. Everything from being able to see the Animals from the Animal Kingdom (in the Villas at Kidani Village) as you wake up in the morning, to being able to watch the Wishes Fireworks from your bathtub (Bay Lake Tower) at night.
A few years ago, we stayed at the Beach Club Resort and had a room that faced Epcot. This room was wonderful, because we could see IllumiNations, the Epcot fireworks from our room. What a Magical Experience that was. We have also been able to stay in room at the Boardwalk Resort that was above the Boardwalk. My son slept with the curtains open all night long, so that he could see the lights of the Boardwalk as he went to sleep. We have also had the pleasure of staying in the Wilderness Lodge Villas, which were very nice around Christmas, because it was very rustic.
But no matter which of the
Deluxe Villa Resorts you decide to stay in, you will get the added
Magical Experience of size. The normal room size in the Walt Disney World resort has two beds and a sitting are. As described above, not only do you have a kitchen and a living room/dining area, you will have either one bedroom with a King size bed, or a two bedroom with a king size bed in one room and either a twin and a pull out sofa, or two twins in the second. Some of the units also have balconies. For larger families, these Villas are wonderful options to having someone sleep on a cot. I whole heartedly recommend the
Disney Villa Resorts for the added room and privacy, especially if you have teenagers. We have found in the last few years that traveling with a teenage son and staying in a smaller room with two beds is not the best for us. After a few days we all need a little bit of space.
So, now you know, if you want a little more space and maybe a washer/dryer or a fridge and stove, you might want to look into one of the
Disney Villa Resorts. Not only will the size help you, but where they are and what they offer can help you to have
Magical Experiences.
For more information about the Disney Villa Resorts, check out: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/benefits/groups/
The Picture of the Fireworks from the Balcony is actually from the website http://www.parkinfo2go.com/dvc-bcv/ A great site that shows where your room in the Beach Club can be.
