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

[CuteAsMinnie]

Originally Posted by Mousemommy1

We arrived at 10 am this past July to go to WL, and there were enough people to fill most of the bus. It stopped at Poly, GF and CR first before stopping at WL. I love ME!! That's when my vacation truly begins!

I can't believe I am still surprised that many guests arrive that early! Lol. Do you remember what time you arrived at WL?. We were really hoping to enjoy bkfst at Old Faithful Club to start our vaca but doesn't look like that's possible.

[pepe of ohio]

I'd love to arrive as early as possible, heck, 5 am would be grand but Amtrak sets the arrival times and rarely accomplish their scheduled time of 1:30pm.....grocery stop in route 2:30- 3:30 pm check in is the usual resort arrival time ....

We hit the room, stock the fridge and get the beer on ice, grab a few for the cooler and hit the pool..... Soooo relaxing, we're here, it's sunny and hot and the rest of the world is elsewhere !!

[WDWKOOK]

Wilderness Lodge's Artist Point has announced a Valentine's Weekend Wine luncheon on February 16 at 12:30 p.m. The event will be hosted by Chef Marco Chaves and Founder of Willamette Valley Vineyards, Jim Bernau. Limited seats are remaining. Cost is $90 per guest. To reserve, call Alvin at 407-824-1642 or email at alvin.e.burrill@disney.com.

[gwynne]

Originally Posted by WDWKOOK

Wilderness Lodge's Artist Point has announced a Valentine's Weekend Wine luncheon on February 16 at 12:30 p.m. The event will be hosted by Chef Marco Chaves and Founder of Willamette Valley Vineyards, Jim Bernau. Limited seats are remaining. Cost is $90 per guest. To reserve, call Alvin at 407-824-1642 or email at alvin.e.burrill@disney.com.

Hi Kook,
We attended an Epcot Wine School event last Oct that was hosted by Jim Bernau. He was a very good presenter, and his wines (pinot noir) were top notch. I would highly recommend this to anyone who's going to be at WDW at that time.

[DetTigsGal]

Originally Posted by mckinna

We just switched our booking from POR to WL- we tried to get the new discounted rate for our POR reservation, but couldn't keep themtype of room we wanted. So, we decided to try WL. I have a question about the bus service- I've read several comments about how slow it is, too many stops, etc. We have a couple of ADR's at other resorts, so I'm concerned about it taking so long to get there. The bus service at POR has always, at least for us, to be very good.

Any comments? We'll be going June 2-9.

Thanks!

I only took the bus from HS to WL, it was a straight shot.

[KNJWDW]

I want to thank everyone on here for posting such great info. on the WL! This helped us make the decision to switch our reservation from the Poly to the WL a little easier. We needed to switch our plans in order to make this a more budget-friendly trip. At first I felt a little sad having to change, but I think this resort will be great and we are excited about our trip in June!

Amy

[GrandCalifornian]

Originally Posted by mckinna

We just switched our booking from POR to WL- we tried to get the new discounted rate for our POR reservation, but couldn't keep themtype of room we wanted. So, we decided to try WL. I have a question about the bus service- I've read several comments about how slow it is, too many stops, etc. We have a couple of ADR's at other resorts, so I'm concerned about it taking so long to get there. The bus service at POR has always, at least for us, to be very good.

Any comments? We'll be going June 2-9.

Thanks!

I wanted to clarify our comments on the busses. We didn't have any problem with the busses at WL, and found them to be very similar to the other resorts. We just don't think WL has substantially better bus service than most other resorts, but it certainly isn't bad at all.

For going to MK, the bus is very quick with no extra stops, and we found it to be faster than the boat, although not as fun. For HS and AK our busses were shared with GF on the way to the park, which only added a few minutes to the trip and provided the opportunity to take the bus from WL to GF to resort hop. The busses to DTD and I believe Epcot stopped at FW on the way, which wasn't far out of the way either. For all the busses returning to WL from the parks WL was the first stop, and then the bus often continued on to Fort Wilderness.

Overall, we enjoy Disney transportation and always found that we could get where we wanted to go. We visited AKL, CSR, POP, and AoA during our trip by taking busses from parks. With the exception of WL to GF there aren't a lot of resort to resort busses, but it is a quick ride to MK where we could catch a bus (or monorail or boat) to any other resort we wanted. Enjoy your stay, it should be great!

[carolinakk]

We will be staying in a one bedroom villa beginning Feb 3. We are renting a full size crib from abbf.com.

We've stayed in the 1 bedroom before and I recall a large walk in closet adjacent to the bathroom vanity. It had the safe in it and the ironing board I think.

Does anyone know if a full size crib could fit into this closet space? I'm trying to give my little one a space of his own so we aren't waking him every time we get in and out of bed (we put the crib next to the bed by the window last time). Also so we don't necessarily have to go lights out by 7:30 pm every night

[Mouse14]

Just a little info on my up coming stay at WL this weekend....2 years ago this weekend I proposed on the roof top during MK fireworks... WL staff was very helpful in assisting me with keeping everything a secret. They even went as far as to fill my room with roses and beverages. We got married last year on the same weekend (1 year later). So this coming weekend is our 1st anniversary and I can not wait because i know the WL will not disappoint us....

[WDWKOOK]

Originally Posted by ethansmommy

Can you add us to the Lodgers Log please. We will be staying 11/16 - 11/23. So excited to be going back to Disney after taking a year off!!

Originally Posted by erikaluvsdisney

Add us to the list, too! We are going June 1-8.

You've both been added to the first page/last post

Originally Posted by gamecock

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.

Welcome! You can see some of Wishes from both Courtyard and Woods View, but only the castle from some high North Wing Woods View rooms.

Originally Posted by danceteachermom

Had a tough day so relaxing with some DIS time dreaming about our spring break trip. A few questions if anyone would like to tackle them I would appreciate it.

My DS is 5 (he would say 5 and 1/2). We booked Cub's Den for him for three occasions during our 8 night trip. Our thoughts were that he would likely prefer a casual meal and play time over some of the fancier dinners. Do any of you have experience with the Cub's Den? We visited and took a quick trip when we were at the world for a work thing earlier this month and it seemed really small and not near as exciting as we hoped. Do you think three nights is too much? We do not want to get ride of him. We love spending time with him. We just want him to have fun and hoped he would get to play with kids his age. The only dinner we can't take him to is Victoria and Alberts so we might switch to just one night.

If anyone is at the lodge right now, I am wondering if you know if they are doing a lot of work on the villas. We have booked a one bedroom there. I am thinking about asking for a renovated room if they have them by the end of March. Wondering if my chance might be good at a good room or renovated room since we did a cash reservation. (I know this was not super bright, we could have rented points. But we used a Disney Visa promotion and kind of like the daily housekeeping while on vacation. ) we were considering buying DVC and we could have applied our cash res. to do so.....but we decided against it.

I am also looking for hints on things to do other than the parks. We have a 13 year old and a 5 year old so the age difference can be rough when looking for something all will enjoy. None of us like crowds so we just do the parks super early and then head back to the resort when it gets too busy for us. I am thinking lots of pool time but maybe a boat rental, bike rental, or something else. What does Fort Wilderness offer?

Counting the days....wanting to escape from reality.

Three times at any activity center may be too much unless DS really hates sitting at dinner for an hour or two. If he has someone to play with while he's there, he'll like it much better. If the next visit he doesn't, he might not like it as much. Have you thought about mixing it up a little by booking the Neverland Club while you're at V&A? Maybe he could do Cub's Den once and Neverland once?

FW offers pony rides for your DS, trail rides for everyone else. There is a corral with ponies and a great stable with draft horses. They have archery lessons, canoeing, fishing and bike rentals. There are a few trails from WL to FW which are fun - one is paved and the others meander along Bay Lake and one leads to the paved trail. There is also a dinner show and Trail's End has great meals.

Originally Posted by GrandCalifornian

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!

Originally Posted by Weluvdizney2

We are planning a trip for Thanksgiving at WL. We have stayed there several times before, but never club level. Does anyone know the percentage of club level rooms with bunk beds?

I'm sorry, but I don't know.

Originally Posted by mckinna

We just switched our booking from POR to WL- we tried to get the new discounted rate for our POR reservation, but couldn't keep themtype of room we wanted. So, we decided to try WL. I have a question about the bus service- I've read several comments about how slow it is, too many stops, etc. We have a couple of ADR's at other resorts, so I'm concerned about it taking so long to get there. The bus service at POR has always, at least for us, to be very good.

Any comments? We'll be going June 2-9.

Thanks!

Congratulations on the great switch and welcome!

Originally Posted by gwynne

Hi Kook,
We attended an Epcot Wine School event last Oct that was hosted by Jim Bernau. He was a very good presenter, and his wines (pinot noir) were top notch. I would highly recommend this to anyone who's going to be at WDW at that time.

Thanks, for posting about the host, Ginny

Originally Posted by DetTigsGal

I only took the bus from HS to WL, it was a straight shot.

Yes, on the return, WL is the first dropped off.

Originally Posted by KNJWDW

I want to thank everyone on here for posting such great info. on the WL! This helped us make the decision to switch our reservation from the Poly to the WL a little easier. We needed to switch our plans in order to make this a more budget-friendly trip. At first I felt a little sad having to change, but I think this resort will be great and we are excited about our trip in June!

Amy

So glad you're excited, Amy. Happy planning and let us know if you have any questions.

Originally Posted by carolinakk

We will be staying in a one bedroom villa beginning Feb 3. We are renting a full size crib from abbf.com.

We've stayed in the 1 bedroom before and I recall a large walk in closet adjacent to the bathroom vanity. It had the safe in it and the ironing board I think.

Does anyone know if a full size crib could fit into this closet space? I'm trying to give my little one a space of his own so we aren't waking him every time we get in and out of bed (we put the crib next to the bed by the window last time). Also so we don't necessarily have to go lights out by 7:30 pm every night

Welcome! I'm sorry, but I don't know, but hopefully someone else might.

[WDWKOOK]

Originally Posted by Mouse14

Just a little info on my up coming stay at WL this weekend....2 years ago this weekend I proposed on the roof top during MK fireworks... WL staff was very helpful in assisting me with keeping everything a secret. They even went as far as to fill my room with roses and beverages. We got married last year on the same weekend (1 year later). So this coming weekend is our 1st anniversary and I can not wait because i know the WL will not disappoint us....

What a wonderful story! Have you noted your anniversary in your reservation? Do you have a special dinner planned?

[Mouse14]

Originally Posted by WDWKOOK

What a wonderful story! Have you noted your anniversary in your reservation? Do you have a special dinner planned?

Yes i did, maybe a little magic can happen and get bumped up to CL. I tried making reservations to BoG at MK but of course that was full. I also tied Ohana at the poly but it was also full. Not sure where to go now... might just go to Rain Forest again. Any other suggestions?

[AngiTN]

Originally Posted by Mouse14

Yes i did, maybe a little magic can happen and get bumped up to CL. I tried making reservations to BoG at MK but of course that was full. I also tied Ohana at the poly but it was also full. Not sure where to go now... might just go to Rain Forest again. Any other suggestions?

Almost anything at Epcot. Rose and Crown was quite good. Le Cellier would be another to try.
Artist Point at WL for a signature

[Mouse14]

Originally Posted by AngiTN

Almost anything at Epcot. Rose and Crown was quite good. Le Cellier would be another to try.
Artist Point at WL for a signature

Thanks ill do some research tonight.... I've never ate at an Epcot restaurant...

[pepe of ohio]

Yachtsmans Steakhouse at the Y&B resorts.... Best steak dinner on property ... Elegant dining at its best... Far surpasses Le Cellier!!