1st Timer to Wilderness Lodge, Help!

[tamu91]

We've been going in May for the past couple of years and while crowds were manageable, it was lot worse this year than last. I think the crowds gets worse and worse each year but that's just MO.
Anyway, transporation to MK is great. You can either take the boat or the bus to MK. It's a direct bus to MK so the entire ride takes about 5 minutes. The boat takes little longer but kids love it. The boat services both WL and the campgrounds so the ride back in the afternoon can be long if you're in a hurry. The bus ride to other parks is convenient but it can take 20 minutes to Epcot and 25-30 minutes to AK. It's usually not crowded but it can get packed at night, especially after closing hours.

 

[TXTink]

We've been going in May for the past couple of years and while crowds were manageable, it was lot worse this year than last. I think the crowds gets worse and worse each year but that's just MO.
Anyway, transporation to MK is great. You can either take the boat or the bus to MK. It's a direct bus to MK so the entire ride takes about 5 minutes. The boat takes little longer but kids love it. The boat services both WL and the campgrounds so the ride back in the afternoon can be long if you're in a hurry. The bus ride to other parks is convenient but it can take 20 minutes to Epcot and 25-30 minutes to AK. It's usually not crowded but it can get packed at night, especially after closing hours.

Thanks for the info!

I didn't know that there was also a bus to the MK, interesting! So, with the long commute times, do you think it would be faster to take a bus to the MK, then ride the monorail to Epcot?

Gosh, I guess then you could also take the monorail to Epcot, then walk or boat over to MGM..... I don't know, it sounds pretty complicated to me! What do you think?

 

[wintermom]

I wondered the same thing, can you take the boat to MK or MK resort
and then monorail to Epcot? Do I also understand that you take a boat
to MK and then another boat from MK to the Poly if you are trying to get
from WL to O'hannas for dinner?

This is my first time to stay at WL and I am not sure about the transportation.

Thanks
Wintermom

 

[HIHO...HIHO]

I wondered the same thing, can you take the boat to MK or MK resort
and then monorail to Epcot? Do I also understand that you take a boat
to MK and then another boat from MK to the Poly if you are trying to get
from WL to O'hannas for dinner?

This is my first time to stay at WL and I am not sure about the transportation.

Thanks
Wintermom

Not sure about taking the monorail to Epcot. We did not go there...but from WL you can take the boat to MK then hop on the monorail to the poly. That is what we did when we had ressies at Ohanas. The kids loved the monorail...and the boat for that matter! WL is great - you will love the convience of the boat to the MK. We also took the boat to Fort Wilderness to explore and had ressies for Hoop Dee Doo. The CMs there will fill you in on the busses and such to the other resorts. They were very helpful! Loved every minute of our stay and cannot wait to go back.

 

[wintermom]

Thanks!
That sounds great!

Wintermom

 

[Disneyjamie]

Someone said they had a room over the otter pond - does the WL have an otter pond? That is the first I heard of that!

 

[Third times a charm]

Thanks for the info!

I didn't know that there was also a bus to the MK, interesting! So, with the long commute times, do you think it would be faster to take a bus to the MK, then ride the monorail to Epcot?

Gosh, I guess then you could also take the monorail to Epcot, then walk or boat over to MGM..... I don't know, it sounds pretty complicated to me! What do you think?

We took the boat to MK, then walked to the monorail to EPCOT and MGM. We took the buses to Animal Kingdom. Downtown Disney and Blizzard Beach. Have a great trip!!!

 

[IStoleMyKidsPins]

WL is absolutely the BEST. Be sure when you check-in to ask about being a Flag Family. If there's availability, you get to go on the roof & help raise the flags. Plus the views are spectacular & make for great pictures.

I could go on & on about the Lodge, but I'll save that for a later post.

 

[DonaldsDaisy]

We stayed on the 5th floor of the WL overlooking the pond in April (I guess it's called the Otter Pond, but I didn't know it at the time). We could see the castle very well and had a great view of Wishes every night. It's also very peaceful standing on the balcony over the pond in the morning. You really feel like you are in the middle of a national park with all of the varieties of birds and animals you see and hear. Occasionally you hear a steamboat whistle in the background or a motor boat but, other than that, it is very quiet (except sometimes there are screaming children in the hallway that come with the territory).

If you like nature, I recommend taking a hike around the lake towards Fort Wilderness. When I was there, there wasn't another soul around. It felt like I was in a remote area of Maine. We also rented bikes and rode around Fort Wilderness. It's nice to visit all of the farm animals there.

We had an AP passholder rate of $199 for a Woods View. That was in April, so I would assume May is comparable. Of course now they've changed the whole AP policy so who knows what the rates will be next year.

 

[TXTink]

We stayed on the 5th floor of the WL overlooking the pond in April (I guess it's called the Otter Pond, but I didn't know it at the time). We could see the castle very well and had a great view of Wishes every night. It's also very peaceful standing on the balcony over the pond in the morning. You really feel like you are in the middle of a national park with all of the varieties of birds and animals you see and hear. Occasionally you hear a steamboat whistle in the background or a motor boat but, other than that, it is very quiet (except sometimes there are screaming children in the hallway that come with the territory).

If you like nature, I recommend taking a hike around the lake towards Fort Wilderness. When I was there, there wasn't another soul around. It felt like I was in a remote area of Maine. We also rented bikes and rode around Fort Wilderness. It's nice to visit all of the farm animals there.

We had an AP passholder rate of $199 for a Woods View. That was in April, so I would assume May is comparable. Of course now they've changed the whole AP policy so who knows what the rates will be next year.

I am hoping for an AP rate as well. Do you happen to remember when that rate was released?

It sounds like you all had a great time. Do all of the rooms have balcony's? (Well, all the rooms except the first floor anyway! LOL ) It would be wonderful to be able to see Wishes from the balcony on those nights that we aren't in a park!!

To IStoleMyKidsPins......can't wait to hear more stories!!

 

[zdad]

WL is spectacular. We were newbies when we went this past June, and these are some thioughts for other newbies going in the future.....

- Don't obsess over what view you get. The environment of the lodge from the moment you walk through the doors is something undescribable. We have never felt so relaxed and at home in a hotel before. Some views from the rooms are better than the others, and yes we really appreciated our upgrade to inner courtyard, but the view didn't make or break our experience. The best times at the lodge were when we'd sit in the lobby, or just wander around. Many, many places throughout the lodge that are quiet and have wonderful views. So many great thinigs about WL to let the view from your room make or break your experience.

- PLan time to wander around the lodge. Make sure you put time in your schedule to relax at the lodge. Stroll the floors, find the views, float around the pool, sit in the looby and watch the expressions on peoples faces when they walk through the doors for the first time. This was just as much fun as being in the parks. It really makes the vacation much more peaceful.

- Don't always worry about the fastest method of transportation from point A to Point B. We found the boat rides to be relaxing and visually wonderful. Nothing like pulling into the WL at night from the water. As suggested earlier, if going to EPCOT, take the boat to the Contemporary, then jump on the monorail system there. The view and perspective of the CR when walking from the boat dock is unique. You really get a feeling of how big that building is. The bus system is super, efficient, and great way to go too. Seems the WL is in the bus routes such that we were always first on and first off. Probably not exactly true, but is sure felt that way !

I guess in summary, we learned that WL is designed as an extremely peaceful place. We found that by letting the lodge do it's job, we had a vacation that was beyond belief. The world seemed to move at a much more reasonable pace when we stayed there, and boy was that fun !!

 

[purplern]

I wondered the same thing, can you take the boat to MK or MK resort
and then monorail to Epcot? Do I also understand that you take a boat
to MK and then another boat from MK to the Poly if you are trying to get
from WL to O'hannas for dinner?

This is my first time to stay at WL and I am not sure about the transportation.

Thanks
Wintermom

You can take a boat to the Contemporary catch the monorail to the TTC and get the Epcot monorail from the TTC.
Yes you can take a boat to the MK and get the boat from MK to the Poly.

 

[TXTink]

WL is spectacular. We were newbies when we went this past June, and these are some thioughts for other newbies going in the future.....

- Don't obsess over what view you get. The environment of the lodge from the moment you walk through the doors is something undescribable. We have never felt so relaxed and at home in a hotel before. Some views from the rooms are better than the others, and yes we really appreciated our upgrade to inner courtyard, but the view didn't make or break our experience. The best times at the lodge were when we'd sit in the lobby, or just wander around. Many, many places throughout the lodge that are quiet and have wonderful views. So many great thinigs about WL to let the view from your room make or break your experience.

- PLan time to wander around the lodge. Make sure you put time in your schedule to relax at the lodge. Stroll the floors, find the views, float around the pool, sit in the looby and watch the expressions on peoples faces when they walk through the doors for the first time. This was just as much fun as being in the parks. It really makes the vacation much more peaceful.

- Don't always worry about the fastest method of transportation from point A to Point B. We found the boat rides to be relaxing and visually wonderful. Nothing like pulling into the WL at night from the water. As suggested earlier, if going to EPCOT, take the boat to the Contemporary, then jump on the monorail system there. The view and perspective of the CR when walking from the boat dock is unique. You really get a feeling of how big that building is. The bus system is super, efficient, and great way to go too. Seems the WL is in the bus routes such that we were always first on and first off. Probably not exactly true, but is sure felt that way !

I guess in summary, we learned that WL is designed as an extremely peaceful place. We found that by letting the lodge do it's job, we had a vacation that was beyond belief. The world seemed to move at a much more reasonable pace when we stayed there, and boy was that fun !!

WOW! Great information!! Thanks for sharing. This is just what I wanted to know!!