GrandCalifornian
Can't Wait To Go Back
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2012
We (me, dw, dds 7 & 2) are thinking about staying at WL in September of this year, but did not know what areas are best to request. Are the woods views rooms truly an upgrade from standard? also what category are the rooms (i know there are not many) that you can see the castle? Our only other dw trip was at POR this past Oct. and WL seems like a nice upgrade from por. I can only assume the bus transportation is better than POR. Thanks in advance to everyone for their help.
Hello and welcome! We will be there this September after having a wonderful trip last September.
For room locations, a good source on info is the resort map on the second post of this thered (here). It shows where the (relatively few) standard view rooms are, and which areas are considered Woods or Courtyard view. It is a very individual decision which view works best for your family (and your wallet). Some people prefer a quiet location (like overlooking the Hidden Springs pool on the South side of the resort) while others prefer rooms that open to the big lobby on the West side of the resort. You mentioned a view of MK, and while you can't see much of the castle your best chance would be on the North wing, and on higher floors you can catch a view of the Wishes fireworks. We book standard view and hope for the best, and have been fortunate with room upgrades. Going during a quieter time (like September) increases the chance of a free room location upgrade, but nothing is guarranteed unless you pay for the better view.
Compared to POR I think you will see some similarities in the cozy rural atmosphere of the resort, but an advantage of WL is that it it much more compact and all under one roof. The bus service is Disney busses, and unlike some other MK area resorts there are busses to all of the parks, but I wouldn't count on it being a whole lot better than POR. Some park busses pick up at the Grand Floridian as well after picking up at WL, which adds a few minutes to the trip. You do have boat options though, which include a direct boat to MK or a resort boat to CR (where you can catch the monorail) or FW (which is another great place to check out).
Happy planning and enjoy your trip!