We are doing a split stay. October 4-7th at POP and 7-10th at WL. We have a bunk bed room - woods view. My friend who is a cast member got me the 40% room discount...i never used my discount when I worked costuming back in 09 so this is the closest I could come to to save some moolah. How do I get put on the LL?
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I've added you to the LL
Howdy folks. We are just back from a fabulous first stay at WL. Thanks for all the tips and pics that really helped make our trip that much more wonderful. A few observations about our stay at the Lodge, and other aspects of the trip.
...We stayed in room 6142 (Woods View), which was one of the top floor room overlooking the Villas. This room had a closed balcony, which was OK by me. We sat out on the balcony some, but not a whole lot. It would have been nice to have an open balcony, but no big deal.
...That big lovely lobby was a total magnet for us. We kept finding ourselves drawn to it. Listening to the soothing music, taking in the sights, soaking in the ambiance.
...DW and I enjoyed the nature trail. We walked it one evening and saw a deer grazing just a few feet away from us. Such a serene sight. We got caught pretty far out on the trail by ourselves as the sun went down, and were really troubled by hordes of gnats. I was somewhat surprised there was not a bit more signage or lighting along the way. Lots of fun though. DW and I joked that if we wandered along any longer we would wind up like the people on "Naked and Afraid"
...Mixed reviews for Roaring Forks. The Bounty Platter was disgusting; breakfast croissant was just alright; the Mickey waffles with strawberries were edible. Best meal I had there was a cheeseburger late one night
...I am an earlier riser than the rest of the clan, so had a few mornings where it was just me and a mug of coffee wandering the grounds watching the sun come up. These were some of my most favorite moments of the trip.
...I was so sad to have to leave today. Even though I am a 40something year old man, my heart was heavy and I felt a distinct sense of loss at having to leave that lovely place and end our vacation.
I can hardly wait to go back!
Welcome back and thank you for posting about your stay! We all share your sense of loss when we depart. Did you book a BB?
My DH suggested that we take the trail to our ADR at Trail's End, in the dark, and I told him that the people on the WL thread suggested that it wasn't a good idea to walk the trail in the dark.
I've tried to jog on the path before sunrise and after a few hundred feet I had to turn back. Unless you have a miner's helmet or flashlight, it's pitch black and there aren't any lights. But, you and DH could walk to FW for dinner and take the boat back.
Here now and the weather is great and crowds are low!
We're all jealous! Enjoy your stay and thanks for checking in with us.
We are loving our stay here, and especially the OFC. Haven't really had any evening offerings, but did enjoy the scallops, pulled pork and shepherds pie. The cobbler is also so yummy! So far we have tried peach and strawberry, blueberry and apple.
The cast members are wonderful also. We are headed into the MK later today to have lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern and the for the a Wishes Dessert Party. This has been a relaxing trip, just kind of hanging out and enjoying the resort.
I'm really sensing another OFC booking for 2014
Oh my goodness....this place was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!! We loved loved loved the stay here. The boys really liked the bunk beds. They even took turns with who got to be on the top bunk. We only had bad weather one day and the crowds were the lowest we've ever seen (usually go in October/November/February). The only thing we waited a long time for was Soaring - and that was because of the rain and EVERYONE being inside the land pavilion. All in all it was a great trip, went by way to fast and I can't believe it's over!!!
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What a great trip you had and lots of great memories and fun. I hope you can book your next stay soon.
Got all my plans in order now... had to scale back a lot but was still gonna make it happen ...
now the Government shut down...
If something don't give there this trip is really over....
So sorry to read this. DH is furloughed now, too. I completely understand your frustration and not being able to make plans. So many are wondering if/when they will be paid and/or if/when they can take leave, etc... so much uncertainty. For so many, it's almost impossible to look forward to a vacation or rationalize taking a vacation (or any other non-discretionary spending) with this crisis, the impending debt ceiling limit expiration in a couple of weeks and ongoing sequestration. Rant over. Now back to your regularly scheduled WL/VWL programming
There were two emotions that took this grizzled old WDW vet by surprise on my first WL stay...
1) I felt more relaxed than I remember on any previous WDW vacation. WL lends itself to slowing down and chilling out. The property invites guests to discover its charm and beauty in unexpected places such as predawn boat whistles, dusky animal encounters, and shaded pathways that stretch out forever.
2) After 17 family trips to WDW you might think I would be immune to feeling so down about leaving. However, yesterday morning when we were checking out, I realized that I was dealing with a great sense of loss as the vacation came to an end. I am still not so sure that I like that the place got its hooks into me in such a way.
I told DW as we were sitting in the lobby waiting for the bus to take us to the airport that the WL was a metaphor for life: Everyone knew that their time there was coming to an end. But when the end came, the great majority were sad to know the end had arrived. All the while new folks were coming along to begin their own grand adventure which would also come to an end all too soon. (No extra charge for the dime store philosophy
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Grizzled?! Never in your 40's
All your great insights make me know that you had a wonderful vacation. You know you've picked the right resort and venue when you feel like you did. Time to start planning another trip
Back home after 8 nights at disney, our first night (room only) at art of animation and then 7 nights club level at WL. I was very impressed that our room was ready at 9 am when we checked in and we got bunk beds like the kids wanted. I was very disappointed with the club lounge offerings as I am used to Beach and Yacht club. We never ate breakfast in the lounge because we usually eat boiled eggs and oatmeal that the other lounges had and WL doesn't have these and I can't have all the pastries that WL offered. The desserts were also a disappointment to all of us as we are used to YC/BC having a bigger variety. Also the lounge closes at 10 where at YC/BC the drink offerings are out all night, so you can grab a cola when you come in late. It just didn't feel like it was a "special" area like the other resorts have. The cast members were AMAZING though and so very nice and helpful. Plus we got to watch the crew take the raw hide covering off the huge lobby lights one day and that made me kiddos very happy.
Thank you for posting your experience. Isn't it great that there's a WDW Resort for everyone? We all value different aspects of each resort/location/CL... and there's the perfect resort (or two) for each of us. But, sometimes there isn't just one, so splits and multiple trips are acceptable
. Have fun planning your next trip.
Hi, everyone! I've been stalking the thread for quite some time, but now I am coming out of lurkdom with a question.
My DD and I are lucky enough to be spending 11 nights at the Wilderness Lodge starting in about 2 weeks! While at Disney World we will be attending 2 of the halloween parties. Any opinions/experiences on what mode of transportation would be best to return to the Lodge at the end of the parties - bus or boat? We anticipate staying until 12:00 am.
Thanks so much!!
Just want to welcome you to the thread! If you're spending 11 nights, why not mix it up a bit and try the bus and boat and see which works best for you and your family. As far as travel time, the bus is faster and probably less utilized than the boat.
This is exactly how we feel!
Nice to see Musket Mickey around these parts
Magic bands arrived today!!! Wahoo!!
We also got our magic bands today. I'm nervous I hate wearing watches and bracelets and tried mine on and I don't like it either!
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You can still use your KTTW card or maybe you could hook the MB to a belt loop or to a carabiner like this:
did you get to customize at 60 days after you did online check in? what day did you get the CUSTOMIZE YOUR BANDS sign?
thanks!!!!
Ok - so I know some on this thread received the option to customize their mb at 65 days and others got to choose their FP selections.
So 127 days until I am at the Lodge!! And the discount will stop my resort changing ways, I think. 
