Please tell me your thoughts on Wilderness Lodge

[cinmell]

My mother just decided she would like to take advantage of the FTP in October. First choice was CR but that is sold out. Next choice was CBR which is also not available and no interest in AKL. Wilderness Lodge is available for the dates we're looking at but I've heard transportation is terrible and the rooms are small. I've also read several posts about rooms not being cleaned upon checkin or even thru the length of stay.

What has your experience been at the Wilderness Lodge? Thanks!

 

[tinkerbelle28]

Its a really nice place! my fam and i went and did the flag raising ceremony. there are duck races (rubber ducks race down a little thing of flowing water) i hope that u love it! there is a hot tub, and pool w/ slide. its great!

 

[DISNEYFAMILYOFFOUR]

We have stayed there twice and loved it both times. For us, the convenience of taking the boat to MK was great. With two in strollers, nothing is better than leaving them in the stroller and rolling them onto the boat.

The transportation from MGM could of been better, but mainly we were at MK. That is what are kids wanted.

I say go for it--you cannot beat those prices. I am itching to take advantage of the FTP, but cannot swing two trips within a couple of months.

 

[sherry8253]

Hi - WL is one of my favorite resorts. We have stayed there several times and our rooms were always very clean. The resort is great and we had no problem with the buses. In fact, even though we had a car the only times we used it were when my DH played golf. Hope you have as much fun staying there as my DH and I have had on our trips. Enjoy. Sherry

 

[sjc]

We returned from the Wilderness a week and a half ago and to address a few of your concerns:
1. Transportation- Great for the most part. We never waited more than 10 minutes for either the boat to the Magic Kingdom or busses to Epcot, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, or Animal Kingdom. I really liked the boat trip. We also ate at the Contemporary one night and took advantage of the smaller boat which travels to and from the lodge.
2. Room Size and Cleanliness. The rooms were small, but comfortable and we liked the balcony. My wife was not impressed with the condition of the bathroom when we checked in. Nothing major, but it seemed victim of a slightly too quick previous cleaning. However, after our first night, the mousekeeping was excellent and we got two towel animals (we don't have kids so I was left to marvel at them.)
3. Other issues. We would have liked a dedicated coffee bar for espressos or lates like they have at the contemporary, but we made due with ordering them "to go" from the Whispering Canyon which worked for the most part. I was not impressed with the "snack bar" which seemed way too busy for it's size while we were there. The gift shop was nice however and had fresh fruit and other "convenience store" type offerings due to the nearby villas.

Overall we were happy with the Lodge and would return for our next trip. I can't emphasize how convenient the transportation worked for us (major MK fans), but of course you mileage may vary.... hope this helps.... steve c

 

[jabbo87]

My DW and I have been to WDW 20+ times in the last 10 years and our favorite trip thus far was a 1998 7-day trip to the WL. We have stayed at 9 different Disney resorts and WL is our favorite. The ambiance and scenery far outweigh any issues with room size. How much time will you actually spend in your room while awake anyway? IMHO--go for it!

Jabbo

 

[Donalds_best_pal]

Are you sure those people stayed at WL? That doesnt sound like disney at all I have been to disney about 25-30 times in the past 13 years and have stayed at WL a few times. I loved it! Great transportation from WL-MK on boat and also rooms are always cleaned. I have stayed at almost of the resorts. I stayed at AKL and love it. I think if you can afford to stay at AKL, I would stay there at WL. The atmosphere is nicer and some ways prettier the WL but they are different. I love AKL so much, we are now DVC members will now probably stay at BCV for awhile but I am 100% going to back to AKL soon. AKL ROCKs! You cant go wrong with either though.
Have a good trip
Matt

 

[asta]

We have stayed at the Wilderness Lodge twice and thought it was a wonderful resort. The lobby is absolutely beautiful, my children loved the pool, and the boat to the MK is a nice, relaxing way to travel. The only drawback is that the rooms are smaller than those at my favorite resort - the GF. I don't think you can go wrong if you end up staying at the WL.

 

[PoohBear68]

We have also stayed at Disney many times, three times at the WL. Each time the rooms were clean, staff was wonderful and the overall atmosphere was worth the money. I would HIGHLY recommend this resort. Twice we were at a moderate and switched to WL. Give it a try!

 

[Ratpack]

You will love the WL. It is the only place for us. Rooms are not huge, but they are adequate and clean. Transportation was never an issue for us. The boat ride is sooo relaxing and a great way to start the day getting to MK. They also have a boat that goes directly to CR so you can hop the monorail if you like. And buses always seemed to come quickly, with the exception of DTD bus, but that lets me keep my money a few minutes longer.

 

[gduvall]

We stayed on WL for 7 seven night over NYE,(very busy time), but the transportation was very good. We liked the boat to MK.

 

[Liv2CdWorld]

Love it there!

Our room was always clean. The boat to MK is the best! For the most part, I haven't noticed any problems with the busses. However on our last trip, the bus to Blizzard Beach took forever to arrive.

The best themed resort on property (IMHO).

 

[Amy]

We just returned from our first stay at WL (June 7-13 - we got a great upgrade price when POFQ closed), and it was wonderful! The rooms are kind of small, but we managed ok (we have 2 boys, 11 and 13). Transportation was never a problem; the longest we had to wait was about 15-20 min. one afternoon when we decided to head over to Animal Kingdom at 2:30. Even returning from Epcot after Illuminations - no problem getting a bus.

Our room was clean when we checked in and throughout our stay; our maid gave us towel animals each day. Even the balcony was pretty clean.

My only regret: we usually stay at a moderate, but WL has spoiled us. Now we'll have to save extra $$ for our next trip so we can stay at WL again!

 

[ali cat]

We stayed at WL in a jr. suite in 2000---it was great.We thought the transportation was fine--the boat to MK and the smaller one to the contemporary was super.The only problem was one E-night return trip as it was very very late---no boats.DH and DS did a very long bus ride---but all of our bus trips to the other parks were fine.We stayed at the poly last year--of course the transportation is the best but the room was much smaller.Mousekeeping was better at the WL because the kids loved all the towel creatures and the scenes set up with all their puchases(stuffed animals,sun glasses,hats).We tipped well at the Poly but never had one special towel or set up.I guess we could have requested it---at the WL it was just done--Our room was spotless and we had a great view.

We liked the pool and the quick snack shop was perfect for kids.Of course the theme is wilderness so you have to decide what's best for your family but WL was beautiful.

 

[dizneykid]

hi, we just love the wl. we were there in may and had a wonderful time. our room was clean all the time, the mousekeeper even swept and dusted the balcony. it is a wonderful resort even from the moment you walk into the lobby. there were times, we didn't even want to go to the parks because we wanted to soak up the ambiance of the wl, walking around, ordering room service, etc.

to give you a sense of the room sizes, i looked up some square footage. the mod's are 314 sqft., except for cbr which is 340 sqft., wl is 340 sqft. (so if you like cbr they are the same), akl is 344 sqft., the poly is 409 sqft., and contemp is 422 sqft.

again, i think the wl is the best, give it a try and have a magical time.

hope this helps.

 

[MickeyEars]

You guys are making me sooooo excited!!! I can't wait for our first WL trip next June. All this info is great!!!


Carla

 

[Ratpack]

Originally posted by MickeyEars
You guys are making me sooooo excited!!! I can't wait for our first WL trip next June. All this info is great!!!


Carla

Then if you haven't done so, you need to hop on over to the Wl FAQ thread. We are on part two. The first thread filled up 150 pages at which it was closed due to size and the second part is already at 14 pages.

 

[PamNC]

from our first time at WL. Let me preface what I'm about to say. Our favorite resort is YC or BC. We've been staying there for every trip for the last few years. Got to feeling like we needed to try something different so we stayed at WL.

We weren't that impressed but, then again, I'm comparing it to our favorite. Why weren't we impressed? Rooms ARE small and a bit dark. The transportation wasn't the greatest although we had our car so our only experience was the boats. They were quite slow at times, but sometimes they ran pretty quickly. Thing is, it's not easy to get to the other resorts...we felt far removed. But, think about it, we're use to the Epcot resort area with tons of shopping and dining choices within walking distance. Maybe it's not a fair comparison and maybe we're just Epcot Resort folks so I hate to be negative.

However, I feel comfortable being negative about one thing we found lacking and that is the service. When we drove up at check-in, we actually had to find someone to take our bags. When we called the front desk it would take at least 10 to 15 rings for someone to pick up. The CM that checked us in never smiled, never looked up except when she wanted to take our credit card for payment. All in all, we were quite disappointed.

Also, the pool was small but then again I'm comparing it to Stormalong Bay.

What we did like - it is a beautifully themed resort. Also loved the trails leading to Fort Wilderness - you can bike or walk. And, the geyser is nice.

Just my rating of the Lodge - some folks love it. Me, I'm a YC/BC kind of gal from here on out and will NEVER feel bad about staying at the same resort.

pamNC

 

[Gail T AGAIN]

We just got back from WL, this was our 2nd stay so that should tell you we liked it. I did rent a car but always took the boat to MK then the monorail to Epcot. As far as the rooms being clean, I am a real fanatic about clean and they passed my test. the rooms are small but for 2 people it was fine, even 2 adults and two kids it isn't bad either. You won't regret your stay

 

[Geoff_M]

WL is our favorite resort (we've also stayed at POFQ, Dolphin, Poly, and YC). We've had good to excellent service with no problems. Transportation is good, except for the aforementioned trip back from MK after E-night. Two thumbs up!!!