BLT ot Villas at Wilderness Lodge

[Lupeix]

We are planning a trip for 2018. We are going to rent DVC to get a 1 bedroom villa, so I want to book at the 11 month mark to get my pick. DH is not a big Disney fan, so he likes to do "Disney lite". I wanted to do be close to MK, which is the park we will visit the most (DD will be 3 and DS will be 7). That way I can take the kiddos to the park at rope drop for 2-3 hours some days and return later in the evening with DH. I was originally set on BLT, since walking to MK will be ideal for this. We also like the restaurants on the monorail loop and being able to use the monorail to go to Epcot. On the other hand I know the theme of the wilderness lodge will appeal more to the whole family, the pools look nicer and the new villas look amazing. As a family we do spend a lot of time at the resort, never do a full day in the parks and go for a full week. Which one will you pick? How long is the boat ride to MK from the wilderness lodge?

 

[Hopefully]

What difference does it make what others would do? You sound pretty sure that Boulder Ridge Villas at Wilderness Lodge will appeal more to your family.
They are beautiful, it is a beautiful resort. Go for it!!!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

FWIW, Boulder Ridge Villas are the old villas. If you like the look of the new villas, you need to rent Copper Creek. They will be hard to get points for at 11months because they are new, and most of the resort will neither be sold nor declared.

 

[Lupeix]

What difference does it make what others would do? You sound pretty sure that Boulder Ridge Villas at Wilderness Lodge will appeal more to your family.
They are beautiful, it is a beautiful resort. Go for it!!!

I have never been in either of them, so I guess I wanted an opinion from people that have stayed in those villas
also, if the boat takes too long I may reconsider
I know I am going to be doing most morning at MK by myself, because DH has to go to the gym while on vacation (I know...)
and yes I like the look of Copper Creek, so not sure how easy will be to book there

 

[jtowntoflorida]

The boat takes under 10 minutes. The bus takes around 5. The bus stop is right outside the Boulder Ridge Villas (i.e., the former Villas at Wilderness Lodge) and is our preferred form of transportation to MK from the villas because it's closer, faster, and more reliable as far as timing goes. We bring the boat back to the villas when we're not in a hurry to get somewhere.

We've stayed at both BLT and at VWL. We all prefer VWL.

 

[JETSDAD]

We stayed at both on our last trip. Our family much prefers VWL. We enjoy the boat ride over other modes of transportation and the setting/theming of the resort. BLT we did not really enjoy....it's a decent hotel but just not what we imagine when staying at Disney (of course watching fireworks from the balcony was a plus). It really does come down to what your family would enjoy most as a whole.

 

[DG25]

Another vote for BRV, we stayed both last year and out of the two we will do BRV, this year we will do so full weeks at BRV. We did not care for the staff at BLT, that was really our problem they were the least helpful of any staff on property. We were not crazy about the rooms, just not friendly, very small. We did not like the pools. At BRV we loved the boat ride, the fast bus ride, the ability to walk to BLT and boat from there also, for less crowded boats at night. Ask for a room on the wood size, I think we were 1 minute walk to the bus if that.

 

[Smittolis]

I have done both so here is my take from a family of 5...

BLT:

This is my favorite, not the wife or kids, but mine! I like the styling and the relative 'newness' to it. I love the location right by MK and the ability to walk too and from it is worth the money and then some! No rushing at the end of the evening to get inline for the monorail, no pushing and mad dash for the boats, no jostling for position like sardines to get on the right bus etc... Just casually walk on by! Loooooooooove it ;o) Being able to use the walkway directly over to the Contemporary is also a big bonus, you get to use all the awesome facilities and amenities there too so its a nice trade off.

However, the pool isn't the greatest and there is very little to no 'theming' for the kids. The lobby is nice and plush, but it looks just like an upmarket hotel anywhere. Despite it being relatively 'new' and modern, it is showing its age in spots and we could definitely see the 'wear and tear' in our room.

That said, I really enjoyed it but thought it was overpriced for what it was. You can get a similar experience with respect to walking to MK and the CR amenities by actually staying at the CR!!

WLV:

This is my wife and my kids favorite location. The location reminds my kids of home (PNW Cabin style!) and it has a much better 'feel' to it regarding Disney theming, the huge impressive entrance hall, the food options etc... It is more of a 'complete' hotel as opposed to an annex to the CR like the BLT often feels. The pool is awesome! My kids love it, and with the new bar and grill poolside it will be even better! With a family of 5, 2 of them in a double stroller we were concerned about having to consistently fold the stroller up to get the kids on the bus or the boat. We ended up using the boat almost exclusively. We were served by one of the larger boats almost every night and as such we were able to keep the stroller up and lock it down by the side of the boat. This was a huge plus. The boat ride was quick and was also very fun for the kids!

The 1 bedroom villa was really nice, a separate shower and toilet with an additional sink and bath tub in the bedroom made it easy for everyone to take care of business. The kitchen was great, full sized fridge and stove, complete with kettle, toaster, microwave etc... all the things you need. They also have a really cool Pizza delivery service that runs up to midnight! It's pretty darn good too! The washer and dryer was also essential for a family of 5 on an extended stay. All in all the space was great, the additional pull out queen sofa bed was a god send and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there, So much so that we tried to book it again this last time but couldn't get the availability.

Conclusion:

If I had to choose between the two? I'd definitely go with WL, simply due to the level of enjoyment my family got out of it, in an ideal world I would do a split stay and have the best of both worlds! But if not and there was only one? I'd do WL due to all of the things stated above. However, to throw a wrench in the works, if a great discount comes out and you can get a room at the contemporary resort for really cheap then i'd do a hybrid and get that! lol..... ahhh good old choices ;o)

Whatever you choose you will have a great time regardless.

 

[Uncranky Donald]

I am with other PPs. My family stayed at BLT last trip and I did not like it at all. I would take VWL (BR) any day. I only used the monorail once as it took way too long to walk to it(already half way to MK,why get on a 10min ride?) and it broke down the very 1st time we got on. My poor SIL nearly peed her pants we were stuck on it so long . It was kind of cool to walk to MK but I SO missed taking our private little boats back to the Lodge. I felt very "exposed" at BLT, it was so white and well, modern, lol, I guess I am not a contemporary gal With the 2 bedrooms we give up an entire bathroom and sleeper chair by going back to VWL this year but it's worth it...thats how much I really didn't enjoy BLT. From the theming, coziness, food and even travel ambiance I always choose WL

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I am going to emphasize again:

If you like the new pictures of the light-colored furniture, that is NOT Boulder Ridge, it is Copper Creek, and if you rent Boulder Ridge you will not get the rooms pictured at https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/copper-creek-villas-and-cabins/.

The interiors at BRV are very different.

 

[Quellman]

I love staying at BLT and it is our resort of choice. However the 3 year old won't like the walk to and from the resort. It is a lot of walking for little pay off. If you have a stroller use that. The pools at BLT aren't as nice as the ones to be at Wilderness Lodge. The splash zone for young kids is particularly weak.

 

[oceanmarina]

I am going to emphasize again:

If you like the new pictures of the light-colored furniture, that is NOT Boulder Ridge, it is Copper Creek, and if you rent Boulder Ridge you will not get the rooms pictured at https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/copper-creek-villas-and-cabins/.

The interiors at BRV are very different.

Wow they look amazing, thanks for posting and clarifying (I also thought the new ones were Boulder Ridge!)

OP, I would say go with Wilderness lodge, having stayed at both the pools are better hands down at WL, also the theming is better. My DH never liked Bay Lake because of the lack of theming, I would call it "nondescript", yep it was fantastic to be able to walk to MK but the bus ride was very short from WL and we never waited long for a bus at all. We loved WL that we stayed there 2 trips in a row and since you (like us) spend time at the resort during your trip, I would recommend WL.

 

[Lupeix]

Thank everyone for the feedback. I think I am leaning towards WL. But I do like Copper Creek. We are planning to go during likely free dining (end of august-september). Am I correct that WL is eligible for free dining for BLT is not? If we get free dining the difference in price between renting DVC and paying through Disney will be not as much. Will it be easier to book Copper creek through Disney than trying to rent DVC to get it?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Copper Creek may be easier through Disney depending on unit type. It is unlikely to be free dining eligible. The villas often are not.

 

[brockash]

We are planning a trip for 2018. We are going to rent DVC to get a 1 bedroom villa, so I want to book at the 11 month mark to get my pick. DH is not a big Disney fan, so he likes to do "Disney lite". I wanted to do be close to MK, which is the park we will visit the most (DD will be 3 and DS will be 7). That way I can take the kiddos to the park at rope drop for 2-3 hours some days and return later in the evening with DH. I was originally set on BLT, since walking to MK will be ideal for this. We also like the restaurants on the monorail loop and being able to use the monorail to go to Epcot. On the other hand I know the theme of the wilderness lodge will appeal more to the whole family, the pools look nicer and the new villas look amazing. As a family we do spend a lot of time at the resort, never do a full day in the parks and go for a full week. Which one will you pick? How long is the boat ride to MK from the wilderness lodge?

I would def. do BLT, especially at the ages of your kids. Being able to monorail or walk to/from MK without having to collapse stroller etc. is a huge benefit. Many times the resort boats are the small ones and if you get a small one, you'll have to collapse your stroller. Also, as long as it's working correctly, you'll be able to monorail to Epcot and back. The kids will probably love that the monorail goes through the CR and while the pool is not hugely themed, my kids still really liked it.