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

[rea59]

Originally Posted by mslhb

I believe they are rooms x123. We stayed in one in December. I had the IPO add "halfway down south wing" to our room request to get the location. We used the lounge a lot so was glad to be closer vs the end of the wing locations. Plus if you end up on a higher floor they have a great view of both the courtyard and bay lake.

Thanks mslhb!

[fla4fun]

Originally Posted by WDWKOOK

Thank you! I noticed that, too and could not place it. The photo makes it look like it's right in the middle of the woods! My only guess is that like BLT, it's a DVC feature and must be nestled in near the VWL pool area like at BLT

When I was at WL last month, I was taking a walk around the bike rental cabin, and there were two ping pong tables sort of around the side of the building behind the bikes. Since the rental desk was closed, I don't know if that's their permanent location, or if they move them somewhere else during the day, but they were definitely in a woodsy location when I saw them.

My room overlooked the VWL pool area, and I could see the trees surrounding the rental cabin, and I never saw the ping pong tables from my balcony - so they could have still been under those trees during the day.

[tarak]

Originally Posted by bluecastle

I am still getting used to the differences between posting on my laptop and on my iPad. Apparently the subject line I entered (archery experience) on my laptop did not appear on the iPad app.
So thanks for the dining link, but what I wanted to know about was the archery experience!

bluecastle - here is an activity list for the Cabins, and it includes information on the archery experience (scroll down about half-way). I'd imagine there are reviews on the site (or elsewhere). http://allears.net/acc/faq_fw.htm#horses

ETA: found one! http://land.allears.net/blogs/photob...nce_revie.html

I'm 90% sure I'm keeping my reservation for Thanksgiving week. My plan is to take my mom, who has never seen WDW decorated for the holidays, and my older three kids. I know the parks will be crazy, so at this point, I'm planning on it being more of a resort-only trip. We have a deluxe room booked for Sunday-Friday. I think the kids would love the archery and the campfires at FW. Have to make sure I look back through the thread and know what I want to request for a room - I'm thinking north wing and asking for a MK/wishes view if at all possible.

So excited to finally stay at the WL CL!

[WDWKOOK]

Originally Posted by Wood Nymph

We booked our Bounce back for December. We really love the lodge but haven't had very much time for exploration. We are looking forward to a more relaxing trip here next time. We haven't been to WDW at Christmastime in a very long time.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Yippee for having another trip booked before leaving

Originally Posted by DetTigsGal

We ventured out to Bertuccis for dinner, the roads we were on were cleared to the pavement and it was pretty smooth sailing Hamden CT got 40 inches!! Glad we weren't them

Doesn't it always feel good after a storm to go out and find civilization alive and well?

Originally Posted by bluecastle

I know this has been discussed here (by WDWKOOK and maybe some others) but I am not sure where to find the info. I think my family would really enjoy this and was thinking of doing it after our breakfast at Trail's End.
Questions:
1. How much is it per adult?
2. Do you need to make a reservation and if so, how far in advance?
3. What are their summer hours?

Any help, including pointing me in the right direction to find this out myself!, would be appreciated.

I think tarak helped you out. We loved it and I highly recommend it. They even do it when it rains!

Originally Posted by Grumpy Grandma

Just stopping by for a little lodge love!!!

Right back at you!

Originally Posted by mom2mizmous

thinking warm thoughts of VWL here in ct too! DH plows for town haven't seen much of him dd and I trying to clear our hilly drive -blower keeps cutting out but think we have a path cleared-lol. Any fellow dis members want to join me in day dreaming about lying next to pool at wl?

Welcome! What a mess. I hope DH came back by now.

Originally Posted by kroy

We stayed in a 2BR villa January 6-12, and all three rooms had ceiling fans. The villa was in excellent condition and very clean. We were there with our daughter, her husband and our two grandkids (ages 2 and 4). My wife and I have visited Disney World many times, including several stays over the last three years as a couple. We've also stayed at the Grand Floridian and the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The Wilderness Lodge is our favorite resort (with the Animal Kingdom Lodge a close second) because it is very relaxed (less "snooty" than the Grand Floridian, and it has better transportation options than the Animal Kingdom Lodge (bus only). I highly recommend the Wilderness Lodge for couple for these reasons– we've always been very happy there!

Thanks for posting about your recent stay at VWL. What a helpful report

Originally Posted by nyrebecca

Yesterday was spent cleaning up the snow from the storm, and today was spent sitting and relaxing by the fire. We of course were thinking of sunny FL, but I will admit we cheated on the WL and looked at other resorts.

In the end we did change our reservation....Instead of staying in the VWL 1 bedroom, we are going to be at the WL CL. Yay! While the extra room at the Villas would have been nice, it turns out we were all a bit sad at the thought of missing the OFC.

But what about that W/D you were so looking forward to? You know you're going to love it up on the 7th floor! I'll change your Lodgers' Log entry!

Originally Posted by Crazy Kanga

After considering YC and Poly we have decided to stick with our original plan and go back to WL in May. Now just can't wait for May 26th to get here!

Congratulations! We're happy to answer any questions you might have.

Originally Posted by kroy

We were in room 2553, which was about 3/4 of the way down the long hallway from the elevators on the 2nd floor. That's quite a walk, but we didn't mind it. We were not aware of any refurbishment or construction going on in the villas. Our villa was very quiet day and night, and we did not hear any noise from the hallway or adjacent villas. We actually rented points for our stay, and one of the things we like about staying as if we are Vacation Club members is that maid service comes only every 4th day– so you don't have to worry about being out of the room so it can be serviced. Our balcony overlooked the woods, and we saw several small deer in the woods below. The 2BR villa was very roomy, with plenty of space for four adults and two little ones. The Pack and Play crib used by the 2 year old easily fit in the large closet in the second BR. The villa could easily have accommodated two more adults because of the convertible sofa in the LR. There is a flat screen TV in each BR and also in the living room. The 2BR villa was so nice that my son in law wanted to know if we could purchase it as a retirement home!

More great info - thanks

Originally Posted by rea59

Can't wait to get back to the lodge in June. Does anyone know which deluxe rooms are closest to the Old Faithful Club lounge? Last year we stayed in room 5000 and although the room was great, it was a long walk to the club lounge. I have 2 teenagers that like to sleep in so I would like to be close enough that I could send them to get breakfast on their own.

I think if you put in a request to be close to the lounge that might get you closer to the front of the Lodge. Here is a map showing the Deluxe Room locations:

Originally Posted by mslhb

I believe they are rooms x123. We stayed in one in December. I had the IPO add "halfway down south wing" to our room request to get the location. We used the lounge a lot so was glad to be closer vs the end of the wing locations. Plus if you end up on a higher floor they have a great view of both the courtyard and bay lake.

Yes, the Deluxe rooms that are near the middle of the resort and not at the ends nearest Bay Lake end in 123.

Originally Posted by fla4fun

When I was at WL last month, I was taking a walk around the bike rental cabin, and there were two ping pong tables sort of around the side of the building behind the bikes. Since the rental desk was closed, I don't know if that's their permanent location, or if they move them somewhere else during the day, but they were definitely in a woodsy location when I saw them.

My room overlooked the VWL pool area, and I could see the trees surrounding the rental cabin, and I never saw the ping pong tables from my balcony - so they could have still been under those trees during the day.

That's it! Yes, now I remember coming back on the trail from FW and seeing a table on the sidewalk near the bikes? Thanks for solving the table tennis mystery.

Originally Posted by tarak

bluecastle - here is an activity list for the Cabins, and it includes information on the archery experience (scroll down about half-way). I'd imagine there are reviews on the site (or elsewhere). http://allears.net/acc/faq_fw.htm#horses

ETA: found one! http://land.allears.net/blogs/photob...nce_revie.html

I'm 90% sure I'm keeping my reservation for Thanksgiving week. My plan is to take my mom, who has never seen WDW decorated for the holidays, and my older three kids. I know the parks will be crazy, so at this point, I'm planning on it being more of a resort-only trip. We have a deluxe room booked for Sunday-Friday. I think the kids would love the archery and the campfires at FW. Have to make sure I look back through the thread and know what I want to request for a room - I'm thinking north wing and asking for a MK/wishes view if at all possible.

So excited to finally stay at the WL CL!

Thanks for posting the links for bluecastle.

You might be surprised by the crowd levels. It's not always as bad as you might imagine and if you go early AM, it's even better. Avoid the parades and staying for Wishes (watch it from the beach or boat), Illuminations, etc... and you'll be fine

[nyrebecca]

Originally Posted by WDWKOOK

But what about that W/D you were so looking forward to? You know you're going to love it up on the 7th floor! I'll change your Lodgers' Log entry!

Eh, I will just start saving my quarters now for some trips down to the laundry room.

I was looking forward to the W/D, but now I am THRILLED about being back on the 7th floor.

[MomofDisneyLoversx3]

Hi I'm Heather! I'm thinking about cheating on AkL w the WL. I've been trying to run numbers but can't make the website give me a quote for a deluxe room. Is there a trick?
Also, I looked at the pics from the beginning of the thread. Am I correct that all deluxe rooms have balconies ?

Thanks
Heather.

[AngiTN]

Originally Posted by MomofDisneyLoversx3

Hi I'm Heather! I'm thinking about cheating on AkL w the WL. I've been trying to run numbers but can't make the website give me a quote for a deluxe room. Is there a trick?
Also, I looked at the pics from the beginning of the thread. Am I correct that all deluxe rooms have balconies ?

Thanks
Heather.

Are you clicking through the promo or looking at rack rate? If you are clicking through the promo I don't think there are any Deluxe rooms with the promo so it won't show them. I've gotten them to show as available at rack rate.

Only other thought I have is they won't show if they are S/O

[MomofDisneyLoversx3]

I was clicking through the promo. Never thought about that. Thanks

[goofynut41]

Only 299 days till our trip!!!!!

[Wood Nymph]

We are back from our trip to WDW. We had a great time of the lodge. Previously, we had stayed at Epcot area resorts, mostly the BC, for over twenty years, so this was a new experience for us. We loved having a real counter service option, something missing at BC/YC/BWI. We loved the pool, the view of MK, the lodge theme and especially the boats. We only took the bus back to the resort from MK once, and that was because we had just missed the boat. The boat is a lot closer to the main gate at MK than the buses are. We took boats to Ft Wilderness and the Contemporary, too. We had two dinner reservations, one at Poly and one at GF that we traveled to via the resort monorail. We really didn't like the resort monorail at all. One time it was packed full of people, standing room only, sitting at the CR for 15 minutes. Luckily, we weren't in that one. We were waiting for the next one and glad to find it empty.

We had been so spoiled by the fact that we seldom had to take a bus anywhere when we stayed at the BC that we really weren't too happy about all the bus rides we had to take this trip. In fact, we have been debating whether to go back to the BC in December. But finally decided to give the WL one more try. It might be a lot easier without the big family group that included the crabby 3 year old and cranky DH. Besides, the lodge will be beautiful in December. And we did like the easy ride to MK.

We had room number 6018. My daughter's room was 6010 and she had a great view of the castle. I think other people have posted pictures of the view from 6010. Next time we go I think I will request a normal balcony. The dormer balcony was only good for standing and looking at the view, not for sitting and enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning. We were seldom in our room at fireworks time, anyway.

I'll try to post pictures of our "towel animals" later. We had three days of them, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We thanked our maid and she was very happy to see how much we liked them. The weekend crew didn't leave any.

Now I need to get back to work.

[letsgoreds]

Club level...are there 2 elevators or 4 elevators? I am trying to figure out room request, and prefer not to be close to an elevator due to noise. I can't tell form the lovely room map on the first page if I need to be concerned of the elevators near the suites on floor 7. Thanks!

[WDWKOOK]

From AllEars:

A Florida black bear was recently spotted at Fort Wilderness, and guests there were reminded to secure all food items in their cabins or cars, and to avoid contact with the bears. Any guests on the Fort Wilderness grounds who spot a bear should call Disney security at 407-560-7959 and seek shelter indoors until the bear leaves the area. The Florida black bear is a protected species managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Disney is working with that commission to develop a plan of action for dealing with bears who wander into the Fort Wilderness campground areas.






I think I found it over at Trail's End

[WDWKOOK]

Originally Posted by nyrebecca

Eh, I will just start saving my quarters now for some trips down to the laundry room.

I was looking forward to the W/D, but now I am THRILLED about being back on the 7th floor.

I believe the VWL laundry is free to VWL guests, so no quarters (Deb & Bill correct me if I'm wrong). But you know the "secret" way to the laundry from CL so you don't have to go through the lobby with your frillies?

Originally Posted by MomofDisneyLoversx3

Hi I'm Heather! I'm thinking about cheating on AkL w the WL. I've been trying to run numbers but can't make the website give me a quote for a deluxe room. Is there a trick?
Also, I looked at the pics from the beginning of the thread. Am I correct that all deluxe rooms have balconies ?

Thanks
Heather.

Heather! Nice to have you here. All the Deluxe rooms have two balconies. Happy planning!

Originally Posted by goofynut41

Only 299 days till our trip!!!!!

Getting closer

Originally Posted by Wood Nymph

We are back from our trip to WDW. We had a great time of the lodge. Previously, we had stayed at Epcot area resorts, mostly the BC, for over twenty years, so this was a new experience for us. We loved having a real counter service option, something missing at BC/YC/BWI. We loved the pool, the view of MK, the lodge theme and especially the boats. We only took the bus back to the resort from MK once, and that was because we had just missed the boat. The boat is a lot closer to the main gate at MK than the buses are. We took boats to Ft Wilderness and the Contemporary, too. We had two dinner reservations, one at Poly and one at GF that we traveled to via the resort monorail. We really didn't like the resort monorail at all. One time it was packed full of people, standing room only, sitting at the CR for 15 minutes. Luckily, we weren't in that one. We were waiting for the next one and glad to find it empty.

We had been so spoiled by the fact that we seldom had to take a bus anywhere when we stayed at the BC that we really weren't too happy about all the bus rides we had to take this trip. In fact, we have been debating whether to go back to the BC in December. But finally decided to give the WL one more try. It might be a lot easier without the big family group that included the crabby 3 year old and cranky DH. Besides, the lodge will be beautiful in December. And we did like the easy ride to MK.

We had room number 6018. My daughter's room was 6010 and she had a great view of the castle. I think other people have posted pictures of the view from 6010. Next time we go I think I will request a normal balcony. The dormer balcony was only good for standing and looking at the view, not for sitting and enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning. We were seldom in our room at fireworks time, anyway.

I'll try to post pictures of our "towel animals" later. We had three days of them, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We thanked our maid and she was very happy to see how much we liked them. The weekend crew didn't leave any.

Now I need to get back to work.

Your bolded comment cracked me up. Just think how efficient and painless our trips would be all by ourselves

Thank you for letting us know how your trip went. It is nice to be able to just walk or elevator right down to everything you need and never get wet

We're looking forward to your cute photos

Originally Posted by letsgoreds

Club level...are there 2 elevators or 4 elevators? I am trying to figure out room request, and prefer not to be close to an elevator due to noise. I can't tell form the lovely room map on the first page if I need to be concerned of the elevators near the suites on floor 7. Thanks!

Almost in the middle of the CL floor, right next to the lounge and concierge desk, there is a set of 3 elevators. At the end of each CL wing, there is one elevator. Unless you are in room 7127 in the South Wing, you won't hear the elevator. 7127 (our favorite room) backs to a housekeeping room and is nearest the elevator so you will hear the whirring of the elevator and sometimes housekeeping carts hitting the wall that the beds are up against. I've not stayed in the rooms that back to the main CL elevators, so I can't comment of those nor the room that backs to the North Wing elevator, though I imagine it's identical to 7127.


Lobby View:

[letsgoreds]

Originally Posted by WDWKOOK

I believe the VWL laundry is free to VWL guests, so no quarters (Deb & Bill correct me if I'm wrong). But you know the "secret" way to the laundry from CL so you don't have to go through the lobby with your frillies?

Almost in the middle of the CL floor, right next to the lounge and concierge desk, there is a set of 3 elevators. At the end of each CL wing, there is one elevator. Unless you are in room 7127 in the South Wing, you won't hear the elevator. 7127 (our favorite room) backs to a housekeeping room and is nearest the elevator so you will hear the whirring of the elevator and sometimes housekeeping carts hitting the wall that the beds are up against. I've not stayed in the rooms that back to the main CL elevators, so I can't comment of those nor the room that backs to the North Wing elevator, though I imagine it's identical to 7127.

I'm curious about the 'secret way' to the laundry. We have loved DVC for laundry reasons, but trying CL this shot (fingers crossed, booking 12/7-8 WL-CL and 12/9-13 YC-CL tomorrow). My only concern with our split stay is that we won't want to leave WL (personal fave, feels like home to me)!

Thanks for the tip on the favorite room/even though adjacent to elevators. I was going to request a 'quiet room' but LOVE the view from those two specific rooms...although bunk beds will be at the top of our request list, and guessing those two lagoon facing rooms do not have them, based on other posts. Oh, well. I'm sure there isn't a bad room to be had at WL CL!

[pas130]

Originally Posted by WDWKOOK

From AllEars:

A Florida black bear was recently spotted at Fort Wilderness, and guests there were reminded to secure all food items in their cabins or cars, and to avoid contact with the bears. Any guests on the Fort Wilderness grounds who spot a bear should call Disney security at 407-560-7959 and seek shelter indoors until the bear leaves the area. The Florida black bear is a protected species managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Disney is working with that commission to develop a plan of action for dealing with bears who wander into the Fort Wilderness campground areas.






I think I found it over at Trail's End