Just back from Wilderness Lodge

[Dicecatt]

I stayed at 3 hotels during our last week's stay...loved Wilderness Lodge and would be happy to answer any questions. We had courtyard booked, upon arrival the CM checking me in said your requests have been granted (pool and geyser view, higher up floor) and I have also upgraded you to concierge! Woo hoo! Very exciting, and I did not ask for any special treatment. The view was magnificent. I stay Poly concierge and I told the WL concierge staff that I really enjoyed my stay and will be returning!

Ask away if you have any questions!

 

[MBELSANTI]

HI,

I also see you have stayed at POR before too. Would you say it is really worth it for me to spend an extra $100 per night to stay at WL compared to POR?

 

[Dicecatt]

Let me say first that I really liked POR. But I was not thrilled with the bus system. If you don't have a rental car, POR can be tough if it is a busy time of year.

For me, yes it is worth it, but it really depends on your budget. While Riverside is lovely, and a very nice resort, Wilderness Lodge is spectacular. POR is my favorite moderate, even over POFQ, but Wilderness Lodge is in my top three resorts, right now tied for second with AKL. The Poly remains number 1!

If you can afford it comfortabley, I say upgrade...I had the best view at WL and boat transportation is nice, I like being close to MK because it is where we spend a good part of our time, we don't spend much time at AK so every time we got on a bus at AKL it was a long ride. WL was just a stunning resort visually, and the CMs were wonderful. The CMs at Riverside were nice but nothing great.

 

[Redbudlover]

I have stayed at POR a couple of times and though the last two times I stayed at the POLY and at Boardwalk Inn, (which were both wonderful!) I plan to make my next stay at the POR. I really love the place and never found the bus system to be a problem. I take taxis when I have a resort to resort travel - cheap and easy. And the food court makes up for a lot. The resort is so gorgeous and serene and I love the boat to DTD.

 

[MINNIE OF TWO MICE]

I am so glad that you posted this. Last year we stayed at the Poly. We LOVED it. I like to stay at different resorts but after last year I said I would be back to the Poly. Last year I booked WL until the children asked me to change it to the Poly. This year our trip is a complete surprise to the children and I really wanted to book WL. We are only staying three nights before our cruise. I will be booking room only because I already have passes. Do you think I would be diappointed at all? I know you loved it but then you said Poly is #1. What are the cons? Was the transportation ok? The monorail will spoil you! Is it long rides to the other parks? Was the cons???? service worth it if you had to pay for it and not upgraded? Please convice me I want to stay there over the Poly!!!!! It is a beautiful resort!

 

[DizneyNutz]

And that you enjoyed the WL. It is our FAV. Now you have to try and stay there during the Christmas Holiday decorations.

 

[Jrabbit910]

Let me say first that I really liked POR. But I was not thrilled with the bus system. If you don't have a rental car, POR can be tough if it is a busy time of year.

For me, yes it is worth it, but it really depends on your budget. While Riverside is lovely, and a very nice resort, Wilderness Lodge is spectacular. POR is my favorite moderate, even over POFQ, but Wilderness Lodge is in my top three resorts, right now tied for second with AKL. The Poly remains number 1!

If you can afford it comfortabley, I say upgrade...I had the best view at WL and boat transportation is nice, I like being close to MK because it is where we spend a good part of our time, we don't spend much time at AK so every time we got on a bus at AKL it was a long ride. WL was just a stunning resort visually, and the CMs were wonderful. The CMs at Riverside were nice but nothing great.

HI Glad you had a great time... you wrote that the WL was tied w/ AKL; we are trying to decide between the two resorts for next year... could you tell me which one you liked a little more?!?!? Did you find that either one of these resorts were a little more "kid" friendly and lastly....can you tell me the difference between the transportation? I heard that the AKL seems like it takes forever to get to things...when the wl has a boat that goes over to the MK... Any sugguestions is greatly appreciated.

 

[Dicecatt]

I am so glad that you posted this. Last year we stayed at the Poly. We LOVED it. I like to stay at different resorts but after last year I said I would be back to the Poly. Last year I booked WL until the children asked me to change it to the Poly. This year our trip is a complete surprise to the children and I really wanted to book WL. We are only staying three nights before our cruise. I will be booking room only because I already have passes. Do you think I would be diappointed at all? I know you loved it but then you said Poly is #1. What are the cons? Was the transportation ok? The monorail will spoil you! Is it long rides to the other parks? Was the cons???? service worth it if you had to pay for it and not upgraded? Please convice me I want to stay there over the Poly!!!!! It is a beautiful resort!

Wilderness Lodge is usually not an option for me, because I have a family of 6 (one under 3). This trip was just me and my twins, so we decided to try resorts we normally can't because it would require 2 rooms.

We were upgraded in September for our first Poly stay, and now we will only stay concierge there. I adore the Poly and doubt anything will beat it...Wilderness Lodge shares the same preplanners as Poly concierge, so I would book it in a heartbeat. The service was worth it although we barely used the lounge, I had not planned on concierge so already had plans for most of our stay. I love the concierge preplanners so I'm certain I would have loved WL concierge had I booked it in advance. I love sitting up at a lounge table and looking down at the magnificent lobby.

Boat transportation to MK was not speedy, but it was decent the rest of the day. I suggest in the morning just getting on whatever boat arrives first, I got on the resort boat and walked to MK from the Contemporary, or you could take the monorail. The convenience is of course not quite what the three monorail resorts are, but you could take the boat to Contemporary to the monorail anytime.

I will stay at WL again. It is a magnificent hotel, absolutely stunning. And the CMs are among the nicest I have encountered. I was greeted at every turn by a smiling CM. Whispering Canyon is fun, and Artist Point is superb. I liked that WL has a hot tub, the Poly does not. I liked the pool a lot, and the view was wonderful, we watched the Electrical Water Pageant from our room.

As far as MK resorts, I would definitely choose WL again. It is a great hotel and I would give it a try if I were you. You could always do a split stay, if you wanted to, spend half at WL and half at Poly!

 

[Dicecatt]

HI Glad you had a great time... you wrote that the WL was tied w/ AKL; we are trying to decide between the two resorts for next year... could you tell me which one you liked a little more?!?!? Did you find that either one of these resorts were a little more "kid" friendly and lastly....can you tell me the difference between the transportation? I heard that the AKL seems like it takes forever to get to things...when the wl has a boat that goes over to the MK... Any sugguestions is greatly appreciated.

Transportation was very good at AKL, no shared busses and I didn't wait longer than about 8 minutes for a bus. AKL seemed a bit more kid friendly. There are a lot more kid activities, my kids did crafts while the pool was closed because of lightening, they heard the African Storyteller around the firepit, they did a musical parade through the lobby, and night vision viewing of the animals, plus seeing animals from our balcony was amazing. I actually found the transportation was a bit more fast at AKL, although you spend more time on the bus.

I know WL has kid activities as well, but we didn't see any. It really depends on your kids...do your kids adore animals? Do you plan on spending time at AK? Or more at MK and Epcot? My twins are split...DS8 likes WL best, DD8 likes AKL best! Sorry, not much help, but honestly, they are both spectacular.

 

[MINNIE OF TWO MICE]

I will probably book WL. I have always wanted to stay there and it is a short stay. If I dont care for it as much as I do the Poly, I will go back to the poly the next trip. I have never stayed concierge. Can you tell me what services are provided? If too much to ask...I can ask TA. Just wandering. Thanks for your help.

 

[ktink]

Glad you had such a wonderful trip and talk about a free upgrade! We will be staying at WL this September. I've read what you posted about AKL and it makes me sick... We changed our ressies Sunday to WL. I was worried about the construction and told DH I wanted him to look at pictures of WL to see which he liked better. I thought he would reassure me that AKL was the right choice. Well he loved WL and chose to stay there.

 

[auntie]

I've been to the WL many times. Our next trip is just over a week away(May 19th!). We have requested a view of the Villa Pool..as it is the same rate as Courtyard. We found we liked this better than Courtyard view.
I'm wondering...what views are available to the Conceirge level?...We are celebrating a 30th anniversary..and also a 50th birthday..so it might be a consideration. do any of the Conceirge level rooms have a view of the Villa Pool?

 

[Dicecatt]

I will probably book WL. I have always wanted to stay there and it is a short stay. If I dont care for it as much as I do the Poly, I will go back to the poly the next trip. I have never stayed concierge. Can you tell me what services are provided? If too much to ask...I can ask TA. Just wandering. Thanks for your help.

Well, although obviously I didn't utilize the preplanners, WL shares with the Poly, so they are amazing, Cara, Sarah, and Lisette at the Poly are wonderful. I'll post a pic of the WL lounge later tonight, I'm not done uploading. The offerings in the morning was cereals, fruits, muffins, pastries, bagels, juice, milk, coffee, tea. You can request soda at anytime. During the day there are snacks like gummy bears, several types of cookies, pretzels, ect. At night there is one or two hot items (I saw some type of BBQ meat, probably from Whispering Canyon), wines, and other snacks and desserts. I really enjoyed it and will probably book it next time I stay at WL.

 

[Dicecatt]

Let me ask you about your view..Courtyard...geyser view. Does this mean that you weren't looking across the courtyard to the opposite side of the "U"? Would you be looking straight out toward the geyser? I've been to the WL many times. Our next trip is just over a week away(May 19th!). We have requested a view of the Villa Pool..as it is the same rate as Courtyard. We found on our last visit we preferred this as we don't always enjoy the courtyard view..as it sometimes means you are peering into the rooms across the "U" shaped resort...not to mention the folks that hang their towels on the balcony for some reason. It can be unsightly..in my opinion. We decided to request the Villa Pool view as it is really lovely..and quieter. We enjoy the balcony and having something nice to look at. We did once have a view of Bay lake..at the end of the U..but it had a stone balcony..which meant you had to stand to see over it, and it was sort of confining. We actually had two rooms..so we gave this room to my older son, and took the view of the Villa Pool for ourselves. I'm wondering...what views are available to the Conceirge level?...We are celebrating a 30 anniversary..and also a 50th birthday..so it might be a consideration.

Yes, the view was straight out, not facing the building. My balcony was enclosed, but all concierge would be since it is the 7th floor, I believe 6 & 7 are solid balconies. I had a view of the entire pool area, the geyser, and straight out to the lake. It was gorgeous and I couldn't believe how lucky I was. I will post a picture of it later tonight when I'm finished uploading my pictures, you'll see what I mean...it was perfect. I didn't mind the balcony being solid at all, I think my view was one of the best possible on property! I was on the edge in the middle, so it wasn't facing either side of the U.

 

[auntie]

I've been to the WL many times. Our next trip is just over a week away(May 19th!). We have requested a view of the Villa Pool..as it is the same rate as Courtyard. We found we liked this better than Courtyard view.
I'm wondering...what views are available to the Conceirge level?...We are celebrating a 30th anniversary..and also a 50th birthday..so it might be a consideration. do any of the Conceirge level rooms have a view of the Villa Pool?

Anyone?

 

[Dicecatt]

Picture time.

Here was my view:

Old Faithful Club:

DD feeding a WL rabbit:

My room:

 

[pepe of ohio]

I am so glad that you posted this. Last year we stayed at the Poly. We LOVED it. I like to stay at different resorts but after last year I said I would be back to the Poly. Last year I booked WL until the children asked me to change it to the Poly. This year our trip is a complete surprise to the children and I really wanted to book WL. We are only staying three nights before our cruise. I will be booking room only because I already have passes. Do you think I would be diappointed at all? I know you loved it but then you said Poly is #1. What are the cons? Was the transportation ok? The monorail will spoil you! Is it long rides to the other parks? Was the cons???? service worth it if you had to pay for it and not upgraded? Please convice me I want to stay there over the Poly!!!!! It is a beautiful resort!

We used to stay quite a bit at the Poly a bunch of years ago, but their prices have gotten too high. We can get the same enjoyment from the Lodge for alot less money. We actually prefer the WL pool over the Poly plus the hot tubs are a bonus. Being under one roof is great at the Lodge too, always in the A/C, never get wet from rain, and the boat to MK is a pleasant ride. Poly has a few pros and some cons but still is a terrific resort. Would take it over CR and GF any day. Monorail is nice but does get crowded and it seems the people, or guests, staying at the Poly seem to lack equeitte (sp) when lining up for the train, just push ahead, no regards for others already standing or sitting before they arrived, just push to the head of the line, real put off for me. We usually took the big paddlewheeled boat to the MK instead of the monorail. Though the beaches at the Poly can't be beat for fireworks, we can always boat to the CR and then monorail over to use them a couple of nights. rooms are huge at the Poly but like I stated at the beginning, to us way over-priced now even with discount and the last 2 stays there, conceirge was not what it used to be and not worth it either.

We slightly miss the Poly but we can stay alot longer by staying at WL and in itself is a beautiful resort.

 

[richard_andmel]

What a great view!

 

[GoingtoWDWagain]

I stayed at 3 hotels during our last week's stay...loved Wilderness Lodge and would be happy to answer any questions. We had courtyard booked, upon arrival the CM checking me in said your requests have been granted (pool and geyser view, higher up floor) and I have also upgraded you to concierge! Woo hoo! Very exciting, and I did not ask for any special treatment. The view was magnificent. I stay Poly concierge and I told the WL concierge staff that I really enjoyed my stay and will be returning!

Ask away if you have any questions!

Thanks for sharing, great photos If you don't mind sharing, how did you split your stay over how many days? I've thought of doing a split three hotel stay and so far have only done the two hotel split stay. Thanks for any information/tips/ideas/suggestions

 

[Piglets Mommy]

Thanks for the post! We are excited to be going to Wl for the 1st time in Dec. We are Poly addicts and are going with my In-Laws who like POR, but we all wanted to try something different and thought Wl would be beautiful at Christmas time! I'm so excited...6months and counting....