I think what is interesting in this picture is that it names the un built Mediterranean Hotel.
I think if done right these can be pretty good. At first I thought they were going to be over the water eye sores like the Polynesian bungalows but doesnt sound like that will be the case.
Good eye! And, this is where I got totally distracted yesterday. When I saw that on the plan, I went straight to all those documents and got completely sidetracked.
Basins 4 and 5 sit near/on that area and it was thought that they might be involved with the SFWMD part of the WL/VWL project. Consequently, construction documents related to "Club Med," as I like to call it, were posted along with the WL docs. I was so enthralled with all of these documents that I think I may gather the information and create a thread about it. It's very interesting and technically, could still be built on that site since the permits are considered "active" and were approved.
Well…the placement is better…
But i'm just seeing this…these are point flooders into the system. Are they any mention of retrofits to the original building that might house villas that the other 98.8675% of DVC may actually book?
Two ground floor rooms in the South Wing were being gutted in January. In March, the rooms' sliding glass doors were completely covered and so I couldn't determine what they had done to them. The rumor was that they were converting one or two floors in the South Wing into Studios, like that have done at Poly. Recently, a guest asked about those rooms and a CM told her that, "They were being used to test a new ADA room." I still feel like it's a Standard room-Studio conversion model, but nothing has been confirmed and I haven't seen permits related to this yet.
I'm not seeing how they can call the view from the north wing "woods" view if the cabins are going to start right by the existing pond. If they are putting a restaurant where the beach is, will they no longer have a beach? I wonder if they will work on both sides at the same time and will they build the restaurant right away or later? We are supposed to stay at the lodge mid January, I hope it's not too torn up and noisy. God forbid we should stay at A Disney resort without construction going on. I'm sure the cabins will be great for those with unlimited income. I love WL, but it looks pretty packed together in the plans for my taste. We'll see I guess.
From the plans I've seen, it would appear that the entire beach area will be occupied by the restaurant or there may be a small swath of beach left in front of it, I can't tell.
While some of the cabins will be in front of the North Wing Woods View rooms, I don't know if they will leave a wooded area, like a buffer, in front of the North Wing and behind the cabins or if all this brush will be removed from this area:
Thanks a million for posting this. Seems like WL will be a much bigger resort in a few years.
You're welcome. Maximum occupancy will increase as well as some amenities
Cabins look to be 1750-1800 square feet - larger than the bungalows at the Polynesian.
http://i235.*************************************CabinSizeDM_1.png
Mike, I want to thank you so very much for posting your fabulous imagery in this thread. I love your attention to detail and your overlay is fantastic. It adds so much and makes for a more complete picture of what we can expect from this project. Thank you for sharing your hard work and I hope you'll continue to share your DVC expertise with all of us.
If your estimate is correct, then this would be the first of its kind DVC villa with this kind of square footage. Looking at DVC SF charts, an 1800 SF villa would be currently equivalent to a one and two-bedroom combo or the smallest Grand Villa ever built. What do you make of this?
Thank you Kook! This makes me sad. I guess change is hard. I'm not sure why we have to tear up all these beautiful resorts instead of building a new one. Glad we stayed there in April!
You're welcome and yes, change is hard, especially when you don't have all the details. It's all about the bottom line: Modifying existing infrastructure is more cost effective and DVC creates an almost immediately cash flow from those who purchase points. Expanding makes more fiscal sense for Disney, for now.
We're booked for our 1st visit to WL (2nd visit to WDW) over Thanksgiving; I think we'll be switching resorts. Think we'll save WL for a future trip- once the construction is done. Now, to decide where to stay..... Thanks for posting this info
You never know what might be coming up at another resort. At least this is a known project, like Poly, but rehabs and general maintenance occur at all the resorts, year 'round, so at some level it's almost impossible to avoid on a daily basis especially when you also factor in all the park rehabs taking place, too.
As a DVC owner I'm excited about the new changes. But sad for the next two years there will be construction. If it looks anything like the Poly demolition then I need to use my VWL points elsewhere. Happy but also sad......
As of now, it looks like 1.5 years of construction, but that can certainly change. The Poly rehab has really been all over the entire resort and this shouldn't look like that at all. The Poly had the GCH completely redone and Capt. Cook's, but the lobby and RF aren't being changed at WL. The NeverLand club was also redone, but the Cub's Den won't be affected (that I know of). The Volcano pool is right in the middle of the resort and created a big mess. The WL pool had already undergone renovation so that shouldn't be impacted. I think the footprint of this project is considerable less than Poly's.
Well after see this looks like I'll. E switching over to AKL in November. Really wanted to stay here b/c I love the feel of WL during the holiday but don't want to stay here during construction.
At least you'll still be at a Lodge and it has the same architect
We'll be staying at VWL for the first time over Thanksgiving and I'm kind of second-guessing now, too.
I wonder if the construction will be absolutely horrible or just somewhat of a nuisance... Not sure what to do.
If it does start in September, then I'm sure we'll get reports from guests here and/or on the WL/VWL thread. I'll be there in August doing some snooping
Following along..
WL holds a piece of my heart, I'll be very interested to see what the changes will bring.
Keeping an open mind. For now...
That's the spirit
Wow! Thanks Kook for all the information. I was struggling with not staying at WL this October but glad we are trying the Beach Club now.
Those BC rooms will all be rehabbed by the end of August so you should have a nice, new room
). Given how the new update to the Poly really disrupted the resort, what can we expect here? I don't see how the type of construction they're talking about for this won't be. 
........well we will be visiting this December for a lunch at Whispering Canyon! 
…Do we know 100% that these cabins will in fact be DVC? I know that's all Disney has been adding since AoA, but I just have to ask since the square footage is so unlike anything that currently exists in DVC inventory. Also, none of the permits include the word "DVC" or "villa" or "Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge," for example:
