WL with a toddler? I need advice!

[SouthernBelle21]

This will be our first time taking my son (will be almost 3 on the trip) to Disney. We are going for 4 nights/3 days just as an intro to Disney trip. We are spending two days in MK and one day at AK. Is it worth the $1k extra (in relation to Pop, which is where we typically have stayed in the past) to be at WL? Is the direct boat ride worth it? How much time does the boat option save in reality? We will be going back for naps during the day and I don't want to waste half the day on or waiting for a bus when we only have 3 days to play with. If the travel times are about the same, the extra $$ isn't worth it IMO.

So, is the direct boat worth it? WWYD? Thanks so much!!

 

[goopysolelady]

IMO it would be if you're willing to put out the extra dollars. Boat ride is a treat in itself but it's hard to say how much time would be saved. Not very often, but we've waited 20-30 minutes for the boat. Then...we've also waited that long or longer for a bus to the value resorts. The boat ride is 10-15 minutes max and is SO enjoyable. WL is a beautiful resort. They've recently added (within the last year or 2) a children's play area at the pool and it looks really cute. Our DGD's have outgrown the play area so can't speak of any direct experience but this is a photo of the area:

The boat dock:

Rooms (excuse the "resting" family ):

Our room view:

The geyser (another fun thing he may enjoy):

Lobby:

General area:

I haven't stayed at the POP but visited during my stay at Art of Animation and it's cute but the WL is absolutely beautiful! Granted, there is currently construction but it didn't bother us in the least. It's proximity to the MK is the #1 reason I'd recommend it. Bus service to AK was good also...they have the bus arrival time board up now and it's very helpful and fairly true to wait times. If you have the extra money I'd go for it! Good luck with your decision.

 

[patty57]

For such a quick trip, I think I would save the $1000, and Uber back and forth from Pop if there were a solution to the car seat situation with your toddler.

 

[loves to dive]

Is it worth it is subjective. You can not predict how Disney transportation is going to go, in theory, yes you should be able to get to MK quicker from WL than from Pop just because it's closer. In practice, that might not always be the case. If there is bad weather, it is possible they are going to cancel or delay the boats, meaning you are taking a bus. In reality the boat may be late and you wait 20 min for it. In theory you could get to the bus stop at Pop right when the bus arrives, have only 10 more passengers on there and get to MK in 15 min. In reality you could arrive at the bus stop at Pop and the bus just left and for some reason a bus for every other park will cycle through 3 times before half a hour later your MK bus arrives. See where I'm going here, it's public transportation and no way to know. Having said that, if you can swing the $1000, WL is a beautiful resort and for such a short trip and spending 2 days at MK, I'd probably go for it.

 

[TravelingTotMom]

While WL is on my list of resorts I'd like to stay at, we have always been fine staying at values and moderates with DS (he's almost 3, and we've been going since he was 7 1/2 months old). With two parents and only one kid, the busses have always been pretty easy to use.

But we usually don't go back for a midday nap either. We've tried, but it never seems to work out. DS will just sleep in his stroller when he gets tired, and we use that time to use child swap on the height restriction rides.

He also enjoys the larger than life figures at the values, and his absolute favorite is the Cars section of AoA. If your son likes Cars, you might want to consider Pop just so you can walk over the bridge to see them. We even have trouble getting him to want to go to the parks b/c he loves the Cars section so much.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We absolutely love WL, and took our daughter there just before she turned 3 and our son at 9 months. We love the convenience of the boats and the proximity to MK, but those factors aren't enough to justify that cost for us. What does justify the cost of not staying at a Value resort is the size of the beds and the size of the rooms themselves. That gets up to looking at Moderates, and we really love Port Orleans. Because Disney does such a good job pricing their rooms though, it often isn't a whole lot more to make the jump from Moderate to WL (especially with a Standard View room, which are totally fine with us) and then you get a slightly larger room, a much smaller resort, interior hallways (which is a huge plus in the rain), and the great location on Bay Lake with close proximity to MK.
So you'll have to make the individual decision as to what's worth the cost, and believe me they don't make it easy. WL is a nice price fit for us, but certainly isn't a necessity. Either way, happy planning.

 

[bumbershoot]

With 3 days I wouldn't bother with a proper nap. Disney is very good at causing stroller naps to happen. The place is exhausting.

I've waited an hour for a boat from WL. The line was long.

 

[noblemaidenfair]

I haven't stayed at POP, but have stayed at WL several times because it is so close to MK and affordable, and have had very few times that I had to wait any extraordinary amount of time for the bus or the boat. With a tired child, I would think the boat would be more entertaining (i.e. distracting) than a bus, since you're spending most of your time in MK. Also, for me, you can't beat the Electric Water Pageant in the evenings Good luck and have a magical time!

 

[CMNJ]

We actually stayed at WL on our son's first trip to Disney when he was almost 3. We had a short trip too (4 days/nights) and wanted to be close to MK. I didn't expect to like the hotel that much as camping/wilderness is NOT my thing but we absolutely loved the lodge and would definitely consider staying atit in the future. There was something so peaceful about coming back there in the afternoon (we had a napper too) and getting a break from the hub bub of MK Never stayed at POP but I can't imagine it has that same peaceful feel. However $1000 is quite a difference for just 4 nights.

 

[Ashleybritton]

I love the WL, but I don't think their transportation options are anymore convenient for kids in strollers, you're still collapsing the stroller and cramming in to a boat or bus. The boat rides are more scenic, but I didn't feel like I saved much time taking the boat. That said, it's a beautiful hotel and I would spend more to enjoy the hotel, the surroundings, and amenities. It's a really peaceful resort. If that doesn't matter to you, I would save $1000 and stay at POP.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I'm just curious, when is your trip and are you comparing rack rates for WL vs. Pop? I must be really out of touch with value prices, $1,000 for four nights seems like a lot to me.

 

[CMNJ]

I love the WL, but I don't think their transportation options are anymore convenient for kids in strollers, you're still collapsing the stroller and cramming in to a boat or bus. The boat rides are more scenic, but I didn't feel like I saved much time taking the boat. That said, it's a beautiful hotel and I would spend more to enjoy the hotel, the surroundings, and amenities. It's a really peaceful resort. If that doesn't matter to you, I would save $1000 and stay at POP.

Unless something changed they used to alternate the large and small boats going to WL (large boats are shared with FW) in order to accommodate ECV/wheelchairs. If you are not traveling at peak times (park opening/closing) you usually can just wheel the open stroller on to the larger boat without needing to close it. The boat is definitely a slower means of transportation back to the lodge as the bus ride is very short and drives much faster than the boat but the boat ride can be an attraction of sorts in itself.

 

[KrazeeK120]

I'm just curious, when is your trip and are you comparing rack rates for WL vs. Pop? I must be really out of touch with value prices, $1,000 for four nights seems like a lot to me.

$250 per night more sounds about right to me.

OP, I had originally booked Coronado Springs for my family's trip in May. My son will be 18 months old. After thinking on it awhile, we decided to go for Wilderness Lodge. I was able to get a discount on the room, which helped. I've visited the resort and am very much looking forward to staying there. It is just beautiful. I've stayed at Pop before though as well, and it was perfectly fine! It's no frills, but it's very clean and comfortable. I didn't have my son yet at the time, but I think it's a place a small child would enjoy.

Good luck making your decision!

 

[sweetmama17]

If you think your kid is going to fall asleep in the stroller then WL (or a monorail resort) is worth it. You can leave the kid in an unfolded stroller on the larger boats while you would have to fold it up to get on the bus. We stayed at WL with a 2 year old and 6 month old in aug 15 and loved it! The splash area is amazing! It's the number 1 thing I look for now. We always have a car and prefer driving to parks because of the massive double stroller so taking out a car trip was nice for MK. But ultimately when looking at hotels price is huge and $1000 could get us another long weekend away at Disney hence why we will be staying at Pop for our next weekend.

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

For me the extra $1,000 would be way too much money for only 4 nights. I really don't think you would be "wasting half of your day" taking the bus versus taking a boat. We have always had excellent bus service with Pop, and with the single bus stop it is on and off, very easy.

We have also had the same experience someone above said with a 3 year old that with everything to see and do at Disney that she was wide awake all afternoon and didn't need to go back for a nap. Our routine is to get an early (rope drop) start to the day, then after a full day leave the park late afternoon (usually after the parade), go back to the resort, relax, have dinner, bath and then early to bed.

 

[happymommy]

I've had excellent bus service from Pop, and can't see the value in spending $250/night more for the WL. It's such a short trip, but I can't imagine going and not going to Epcot! My kids loved Epcot at that age, but we were pretty go with the flow type.

As far as returning to the room for a nap, that never happened to work out for us. They would fall asleep in the stroller for a while every afternoon.

If you were going for longer and planned on spending time at the resort, then maybe, but for me it would be an Epcot resort or maybe one on the monorail.

I am guessing you don't have any longer of time to take off, but to me, I'd go for longer and stay at Pop.