Are there any BAD VIEWS at VWL in a 2br? Should I request...

[edk35]

a certain floor/view/anything??? We are staying there for part of our trip later in the month of Jan. We have never stayed at VWL so is there anything we should request? THANKS

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Just a couple that I'm aware of. There is the dreaded dumpster view. That is at the very end of the hallways that face the woods. There is also a unit that has no balcony! Apparently this was done at construction. Not sure where this unit is exactly located. But I always request close to the elevator, upper floor. So far I've been lucky to avoid these two areas.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

The question is actually, "are there any views?"

VWL is pretty much surrounded by tall pine trees. That's the view you'll get in most rooms. Trees. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, as it makes for a very peaceful "wilderness" feeling when you sit on your balcony.

There are some rooms that look out on the pool, but for the most part, my advise for this resort is to use your requests to choose what you want to be close to (or far from) rather than what you want to see from your balcony. Also, many of the rooms on the top floor have a different style balcony; one that's incorporated into the roof in the style of a dormer window. We prefer the lower floors because we're not real fond of those top floor balconies.

Here's a picture...

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

We were at (or very close to) the end of the fifth floor once, facing the dumpster area (room 5556 I believe). You couldn't see it from inside the room, but we just chose to look the other direction while sitting on the balcony. I've seen much worse views at other resorts.

Enjoy your stay!

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Hey Denise, I'm with Dave on the view. You're pretty much going to be looking at trees, which I like Seriously though, you all are going to have a great time. The experience of the hotel architecture, atmosphere, and grounds is wonderful.
Hoping you all have a happy new year.

 

[edk35]

Maybe we will wing it or ask for close to the elevators.

 

[Buckeye Fan]

Maybe we will wing it or ask for close to the elevators.

I agree with the others. Not much of a view, really, though the resort is amazing. We just got home yesterday from an 8 day stay there , and we asked for a room close to transportation. We ended up in a 2-BR lockoff (rooms 1506 and 1508). These were on the first floor, and IMHO, they were AMAZING. Some people may not have liked them because you have a patio instead of a balcony, and our patios were right by the entrance into the main lodge. It was so convenient, though. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed being on the 1st floor so close to everything. So my vote is close to transportation!

Have a wonderful time. You'll LOVE the resort if you've never stayed there before. It's absolutely gorgeous.

 

[edk35]

I agree with the others. Not much of a view, really, though the resort is amazing. We just got home yesterday from an 8 day stay there , and we asked for a room close to transportation. We ended up in a 2-BR lockoff (rooms 1506 and 1508). These were on the first floor, and IMHO, they were AMAZING. Some people may not have liked them because you have a patio instead of a balcony, and our patios were right by the entrance into the main lodge. It was so convenient, though. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed being on the 1st floor so close to everything. So my vote is close to transportation!

Have a wonderful time. You'll LOVE the resort if you've never stayed there before. It's absolutely gorgeous.

Oh wow so you were there over Christmas!!! That would be the resort I would want to be at if we ever stayed over Christmas. This is our first time staying at VWL. We also bought two VWL contracts this past fall.

 

[Buckeye Fan]

Oh wow so you were there over Christmas!!! That would be the resort I would want to be at if we ever stayed over Christmas. This is our first time staying at VWL. We also bought two VWL contracts this past fall.

Yes...12/22 - 12/30. First time we've ever been away from home. Jury is still out on whether we liked it or not, even though we had a GREAT time! We got in a Christmas tree exchange thanks to bobbiwoz, so that made the room feel much more festive.

As for where to stay...I really wanted to stay at VWL, too, but didn't think it would be possible given how small the resort is. We were really lucky, though. We got nights 2-8 when I called to book, and wait listed the first night. It came through about 2 months later. Definitely had a little extra pixie dust spread our way!

I had forgotten all about your VWL contracts! You'll love owning there. Like I said, it's just an amazing resort. In fact, DH looked at me this last trip and said, "I think this is my favorite." He is a big "hotel-style" fan, and he loves that everything is right at his fingertips there. Plus, with us being so close to the main lodge, he had the best of both worlds. The other thing we like is the transportation. I'm not sure why, but it just seems the busses run more frequently and have less overall stops there. We've stayed there twice, and both times, the transportation has been so efficient.

Hope you have great weather and enjoy your stay as much as we did!

 

[crisi]

Hey Denise, I'm with Dave on the view. You're pretty much going to be looking at trees, which I like Seriously though, you all are going to have a great time. The experience of the hotel architecture, atmosphere, and grounds is wonderful.
Hoping you all have a happy new year.

Sometimes you can catch a glint through the trees - either the lake or the sun on car windows in the parking lot - they look a lot the same though through the trees.

 

[Anal Annie]

View from a studio NOT a 2 bedroom (also in January - right after sunrise)....LOVED it!! We were right off the rotunda area at the beginning of the hallway not far from the elevators in the corner studio. Forget which floor (4th or 5th) but the balcony railing was open. The view was perfect!! I can't wait to stay there again!!

 

[Snoopygirl]

View from a studio NOT a 2 bedroom (also in January - right after sunrise)....LOVED it!! We were right off the rotunda area at the beginning of the hallway not far from the elevators in the corner studio. Forget which floor (4th or 5th) but the balcony railing was open. The view was perfect!! I can't wait to stay there again!!

Love your pics.....the views are perfect to me! We are hoping to stay here for our upcoming March 2013 trip. Being from AZ I'm looking forward to having trees to look at

 

[edk35]

View from a studio NOT a 2 bedroom (also in January - right after sunrise)....LOVED it!! We were right off the rotunda area at the beginning of the hallway not far from the elevators in the corner studio. Forget which floor (4th or 5th) but the balcony railing was open. The view was perfect!! I can't wait to stay there again!!

OH thanks!!! I don't remember you ever staying there though.

 

[Granny]

VWL is pretty much surrounded by tall pine trees. That's the view you'll get in most rooms. Trees.

Dave's picture is fairly old, and most of those trees around the pool have grown up to block even a clean view of the pool (as you can see more clearly on Annie's pictures).

But to give a feeling to reinforce Dave's comments above, here's an aerial view of VWL (red roof). Like Dave said....trees will be your view.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We had one of the wonderful corner dedicated studios once! It seems that ever since then, we've gotten a studio at the very end of the hall!

 

[Brian Noble]

There is the dreaded dumpster view.

I'm pretty sure the full-on dumpster views are all dedicated studios. Should not be a problem for a 2BR.

http://dvcnews.com/index.php/resorts/villas-at-wilderness-lodge/maps-a-photos

 

[edk35]

I'm pretty sure the full-on dumpster views are all dedicated studios. Should not be a problem for a 2BR.

http://dvcnews.com/index.php/resorts/villas-at-wilderness-lodge/maps-a-photos

Thanks..I think we will only request upper floor maybe. I don't mind winging it at all. We are just thrilled to stay there for the first time.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

Sometimes you can catch a glint through the trees - either the lake or the sun on car windows in the parking lot - they look a lot the same though the trees.

that made me laugh.

 

[Brandis]

Had a 2-BR in 2010 at VWL. I had requested "Close to Elevator / Pool View", we got the first, but opposite side of the building. However, that room was still occupied by Housekeeping, having dinner in there (don't ask)

So, they gave us a different room, now farther from the elevator (3 doors from the end of the building) but on the side towards the lake and through a clearing in the trees, we actually could see the lake quite well. We were happy with the location. And in hindsight, the room we were assigned to first, would have faced the bus stop, so we might have heard engine noise with the windows open.

This was our view:

 

[RweTHEREyet]

Hey Denise, I'm with Dave on the view. You're pretty much going to be looking at trees, which I like Seriously though, you all are going to have a great time. The experience of the hotel architecture, atmosphere, and grounds is wonderful.
Hoping you all have a happy new year.

I agree with that assessment, too, except to say that if you are on the first floor, all you are going to see is tree trunks, at least that was our experience during our one and only stay there.