I’m a big fan of early May and have long recommended that time period. Early or late February can be nice too (avoid the Presidents’ Day weekend unless you’re strategically using it as part of a school holiday trip; the same applies to the MLK weekend). The weather in January and February is...
I voted BLT, mainly because we find the CR pool to be rather bland. However, the BLT pool is quite small for the resort IMO (almost like it was an after-thought). When it is crowded, it’s not very pleasant, but otherwise we enjoy it.
It kind of depends on who we’re traveling with and the time of arrival. We’ve arrived at the resort as early as 9:00 a.m., but usually it is early afternoon. With the grandkids, we probably would head to the MK or opt for the resort pool.
Otherwise, we usually do a nice lunch at the resort...
We are visiting in both May and September this year. May is my first choice. There is a better chance of somewhat less humid weather. September is still uncomfortably hot IMO, but a friend is celebrating a milestone birthday this year, so September it is. :-) I always try to choose our...
We usually exit through the back entrance at BRV (leads to the pool) and go past Geyser Point to reach the boat dock. I’ve never timed it and don’t know the actual distance, but I’d estimate 10 minutes or so.
It looks to be trending to the 90’s later this week. I agree to check on your dates a few times beforehand - maybe include a local Orlando news weather report. We have visited in April and early May and the weather was really lovely (warm, but not humid), but best to be prepared.
For us, 180 days seemed too far ahead and 60 (or even 90) seems about right for our needs. I have not heard anything about the current policy changing.
In the early years of the resort, it was very common to get a lift from Mousekeeping or maintenance folks on golf carts. They often offered lifts if they saw someone walking. It doesn’t appear to be as common now in my experience.
I’d say it is about a 12-15 minute walk from Turtle Pond...
We prefer BRV. It was recently renovated and we think they did a great job. It is in a separate building (which we actually prefer), but it is not a great distance away from the main building and the walkway is covered. We have had some luck with obtaining lake views on the higher floors with...
We never visited the Moroccan restaurant, so are excited to see it. I’m just surprised our trip actually takes place during one of these events. We always just seem to miss them.
Wilderness Lodge at Christmas is incredible! :cloud9: It is not quite as convenient as the monorail resorts, but it has so much else going for it that it barely matters. We are Riviera fans too.
OKW for sure. We purchased our membership there before the resort was completely built out (and before it was even renamed OKW for that matter) and it has always had a very relaxing atmosphere.
I actually didn’t realize it was on their menu - maybe because we love their mac and cheese and just overlooked it. It’s now on my list to try on our trip in May! :-)
I concur that a car service would be your best alternative. You can book them one-way and use Mears for your return to MCO (assuming it is for an earlier time of day).
You check in at the main hotel lobby, although BRV does have its own small (and cozy!) lobby.
The pools at the resort are very nice and we are big fans of Geyser Point. The lobby itself is worth more than a quick glance; it is stunning! Also, we enjoy using the watercraft to go to the...
I don’t think they are worth the hype. We had issues with ours on our first trip using them (using to access our room, theme park entry snafus) that didn’t exactly inspire confidence. The regular MBs worked much better for us.
The extra bathroom would almost always be the deciding factor for us. It offers so much extra convenience and is a time saver in the mornings especially.