(CLOSED) Disney's WILDERNESS LODGE and VILLAS Information Thread ~2012~

[Flossbolna]

GrandCalifornian, thanks for the great review! I had dinner at RF once and really liked it and must say that it has been one of the plus points of WL for me. But your review made me even more excited about it!

[Wood Nymph]

Originally Posted by GrandCalifornian

Since you asked (and even asked for more detail the better) I will gladly write about Roaring Fork. Are you ready, because here it goes...

Thanks, GrandCalifornian. This is exactly what I wanted to know. We are going to be doing the DDP for the first time on this trip and your information really helps me a lot. We are not much for lots of sweets and desserts, so knowing that hash browns is a snack has me totally won over. It looks like we can get some decent food there for any meal.

[GrandCalifornian]

Originally Posted by Wood Nymph

Thanks, GrandCalifornian. This is exactly what I wanted to know. We are going to be doing the DDP for the first time on this trip and your information really helps me a lot. We are not much for lots of sweets and desserts, so knowing that hash browns is a snack has me totally won over. It looks like we can get some decent food there for any meal.

Yep, you should be happy with it filling out your meals. For a relatively small place, it covers the basics and throws in some variety too.

Since it will be your first time on the Dining Plan, let me say that we found it to be one of the best parts of our vacation, both this year and five years ago. I have seen negative things posted about it, but for us eliminating the worry of paying for Disney food out of pocket was great. My parents joined us on this recent trip and the dining plan was their favorite thing. They questioned whether one table meal, one quick service, and a snack each day would be enough, and they had stuff leftover at the end.

We found that sharing meals often worked well, since we often didn't need to use a whole Quick service meal per person. Another tip is to use your refillable mugs with meals and then use the included beverage to get water bottles to take with you or juice or milk to save for breakfast. Not being that into sweets you will enjoy that you can get fruit or a beverage as a snack. Sometimes you can get fruit as your dessert, but that depends a little more on the person who is working.

Overall you should have a great time eating your way through the world.

[WDWKOOK]

Originally Posted by StEpHandMiKe<3Disney

Only three more sleeps!!!!! I keep checking the reservations page to see if perhaps some pixie dust was sprinkled upon us and we are upgraded from standard view. No such luck yet. If I wanted to see what the difference would be upgrading to woods or courtyard would I just call reservations or the WL directly? I'd like to hold out till Friday just to see if we get upgraded but we will be happy just being at the WL!!!!!! Can I also just ask at check-in what the cost would be?

Just check the Disney booking site by plugging in your dates and selecting Woods View. Then, just subtract the amount you paid from the quoted price to get the difference in price to upgrade. (Don't forget to subtract any discount you used when booking from the Woods View quoted price online). That would be much faster than calling, but you can also call the WDTC and get the same info.

It's better to upgrade or make changes prior to check-in, only because it's usually easier to upgrade (more availability) AND it's easier to apply any of your eligible discounts prior to check-in. Sometimes, any discount you used when booking may not be applied to an upgrade upon check-in.

Originally Posted by blackdogg

Does anyone have any recent reviews, pic or experiences with the cub's den? I can't seem to find anything current at all

There is also Cub's Den info./photos on the first page HERE and a link to AllEars reviews.

Originally Posted by Mousemommy1

I don't have any pictures, but our DD's (ages 8 and 5) stayed at the Cub's Den one evening while DH and I had date night during our trip in July.

The night we brought them, it was EMPTY...no other kiddos, so they got the full attention of the two very nice ladies working there and they had the run of the place.

They said they enjoyed themselves, and they liked the food they were given. I think they may have liked it even more if there were other kids to play with, but overall, we had a positive experience.

Thanks for posting your CD experience

Originally Posted by Kathymford

Kook, things have calmed down here at work, so I was going to post some of my favs of the lodge directly in the thread. If you want to use any of them let me know.

Originally Posted by GrandCalifornian

Since you asked (and even asked for more detail the better) I will gladly write about Roaring Fork. Are you ready, because here it goes...



Roaring Fork is WL's quick service snack bar / restaurant. It is located near the pool, down a long ramp from the main lobby in the North wing of the resort. It is also the mug fill station for the refillable mugs that you get with room packages or you can purchase for $15.99 that entitles you to free soda, tea, and hot beverage refills for the entire length of your stay.

On the Disney Dining plan, the meals here are Quick Service and for lunch and dinner they include a dessert. There are also a lot of dining plan snack options available here, from drinks to desserts to even hash browns at breakfast.

For made to order food, there are two service counters where you wait in line and order one of the items available at that station. At breakfast, one station has typical bacon, sausage, pancakes, and biscuit breakfast plates, while the other has Mickey waffles topped with strawberry, chocolate, or bananas. For lunch and dinner, one station has burgers, fries, chicken, and another daily special. The other has different items, like sandwiches or even spaghetti and meatballs depending on the day. There is a dessert cabinet with pastrys, cookies, and the biggest and best chocolate brownies that we saw anywhere on property. They could easily be split between multiple people, or even over multiple meals. (I liked having the leftovers with breakfast). Once you collect the food that you want, there are cashier stations where you pay for everything you wound up with.



Then there is an adjacent dining area with tables and chairs where you cna eat your meals if you choose not to take them to the tables outside by the pool or up to your room. This area can get pretty crowded during busy times, but is a nice place to sit and eat.



While the concept is similar to quick service at other Disney Resorts, I found the quality to be better at Roaring Fork. This time I had the bacon cheeseburger at the Poly, Coronado Springs, and RF, and by far preferred the one at RF. It just tasted better, came with fresh hot fries as a side, and had lots of good dessert options. There are also daily specials, ranging from cheesesteaks to various flavors of flatbread sandwiches which often looked interesting.

During our 10 day stay we had a dinner and two lunches at RF, and we had at least four breakfasts from there. At breakfast we would often share either a breakfast platter or waffles, and usually would take them up to the room. I would have been perfectly happy having many more meals there, since it is so convenient and I really enjoyed the food.

RF is definitely not a fancy sit down dining experience, but it is a great compliment to scheduled ADRs since you can always stop by and eat something whenever you are in the resort, and you have lots of options as far as how much you want to eat. During our trip they were open from 6 AM to midnight, with hot food from 7AM to 11 PM.

Thank you for posting about your RF experience

[GatorEye]

Kook - unfortunately I haven't kept up on the thread like I wanted to the past month. But with December bearing down, I'm trying to get back in gear and get my priorities straight.

Were you able to find out the status of rooftop Wishes viewing while you were there? I didn't see any responses to that. I need to lock down my anniversary plans for the DW.

[WDWKOOK]

Originally Posted by GatorEye

Kook - unfortunately I haven't kept up on the thread like I wanted to the past month. But with December bearing down, I'm trying to get back in gear and get my priorities straight.

Were you able to find out the status of rooftop Wishes viewing while you were there? I didn't see any responses to that. I need to lock down my anniversary plans for the DW.

I posted either here or to my TR that as of last month they weren't doing Flag Family or rooftop Wishes viewing due to the ongoing roof construction as seen here:



I don't know what the status is this month. If you're still booked club level, you can email the IPO and ask them when it's a little closer to your arrival.

[GatorEye]

Originally Posted by WDWKOOK

I posted either here or to my TR that as of last month they weren't doing Flag Family or rooftop Wishes viewing due to the ongoing roof construction as seen here:

I don't know what the status is this month. If you're still booked club level, you can email the IPO and ask them when it's a little closer to your arrival.

Thanks for the update! I thought they would have been done by now. I guess I have to work on plan B and plan C, just in case.

[WDWKOOK]

Originally Posted by GatorEye

Thanks for the update! I thought they would have been done by now. I guess I have to work on plan B and plan C, just in case.

That's a good idea, especially since the rooftop viewing (and possibly Flag Family) technically aren't 'Disney sanctioned activities' since technically there are some ADA 'issues.' To be safe, I would assume that you won't be able to do it. In fact, I even removed the rooftop viewing from the first page months ago. Let us know what Plans B & C end-up being - a fireworks cruise perhaps or CA Grill?

[WDWKOOK]

Deb Wills of AllEars has a wonderful review of Whispering Canyon Cafe and its new menu with many sure-to-make-you-hungry photos:

http://land.allears.net/blogs/debwil...e_at_wild.html

[Kathymford]

Lovely lobby

Disney's Wilderness Lodge Lobby by SteveDupuy, on Flickr

Our Lovely Lodge

5D3_6905.jpg by SteveDupuy, on Flickr

Bear Face

5D3_7099.jpg by SteveDupuy, on Flickr

Electrical Water Pageant

5D3_7086.jpg by SteveDupuy, on Flickr

Silver Creek Springs

5D3_7216.jpg by SteveDupuy, on Flickr

Rain can be pretty

5D3_7217.jpg by SteveDupuy, on Flickr

Docks back to the Lodge

5D3_7256.jpg by SteveDupuy, on Flickr

[WDWKOOK]

Kathy, those are simply gorgeous - thank you. Did your DH take them? The creek that flows into the pool is called Silver Creek Springs.

[Kathymford]

Originally Posted by WDWKOOK

Kathy, those are simply gorgeous - thank you. Did your DH take them? The creek that flows into the pool is called Silver Creek Springs.

Yes, well, DBF technically, but yes he took them. The lodge is his new favorite resort to photograph!

[GrandCalifornian]

Originally Posted by Kathymford

Yes, well, DBF technically, but yes he took them. The lodge is his new favorite resort to photograph!

I can see why it is his favorite with results like that! Great pictures, thanks for sharing.

[luvallprincesses]

We have a Woods View room booked for our first WL stay Nov 23-Dec 1. I am contemplating our room request. We would love a view of Wishes/Castle, but at the same time have to consider DS6 who is very small for his age at (almost...keeping fingers crossed) 44 inches who will not be able to see over the closed balconies and I don't want to prevent him from a great view. Is there a level high enough that still has the open balconies but that there is also a chance of seeing Wishes...or is this asking for too much Magic?

[VbChristy]

Originally Posted by Wood Nymph

Thanks, GrandCalifornian. This is exactly what I wanted to know. We are going to be doing the DDP for the first time on this trip and your information really helps me a lot. We are not much for lots of sweets and desserts, so knowing that hash browns is a snack has me totally won over. It looks like we can get some decent food there for any meal.

At some point try the rice crispy treats- it is my favorite dessert/snack!