(CLOSED) Disney's WILDERNESS LODGE and VILLAS Information Thread ~2012~

[lovingeire]

It's official! We have booked Wilderness Lodge, Woods View & Bunk Beds for Aug 11-16t! I cannot wait! I already booked all of our dining reservations except for our check in night. I am debating if we should try Whispering Canyon since we're staying there or go to Raglan Road, one of our favorites, at Downtown Disney. I just can't decide! We are doing a TON of new restaurants this trip, so I thought maybe I'd try to do something familiar, but I think next time my husband is insisting on a monorail resort, unless he falls in love this trip, so I might want to take advantage of being there & eat at the resort? I'm so indecisive, but overall just stoked to have another Disney trip to look forward to!

 

[Grumpy Grandma]

It's official! We have booked Wilderness Lodge, Woods View & Bunk Beds for Aug 11-16t! I cannot wait! I already booked all of our dining reservations except for our check in night. I am debating if we should try Whispering Canyon since we're staying there or go to Raglan Road, one of our favorites, at Downtown Disney. I just can't decide! We are doing a TON of new restaurants this trip, so I thought maybe I'd try to do something familiar, but I think next time my husband is insisting on a monorail resort, unless he falls in love this trip, so I might want to take advantage of being there & eat at the resort? I'm so indecisive, but overall just stoked to have another Disney trip to look forward to!

One of our favorite things to do .... on our MK day hit the park in the morning and then come back to Whispering Canyon for a relaxing lunch. Our last 3 trips we have not needed ADRs for our lunch .... eating lunch after 1:00 pm.

 

[lovingeire]

One of our favorite things to do .... on our MK day hit the park in the morning and then come back to Whispering Canyon for a relaxing lunch. Our last 3 trips we have not needed ADRs for our lunch .... eating lunch after 1:00 pm.

That is a great idea and one I thought about doing on our AKL day, just wasn't sure if we'd make it for a later lunch after an early TH breakfast, but there are plenty of Disney snacks to much on to tide us over, right?

 

[jennifer in canada]

Best part of WL.....the boat ride back in the evening to see the fireworks at MK!!

 

[owl0306]

HI! I have not stayed at WL in years because we have one too many babies. I am staying in a few weeks, as grandma is taking them to her dvc villa. So excited to go back to WL especially all the rooms have been refurbed! When booking a view is it worth it to request inner courtyard, I think it is call Bear something on DIS? How is it having your door off the lobby?

 

[tinkerrn]

I am so excited! We will be checking into one of the Honeymoon Suites on Sunday for 5 nights! We have had the villa view three times so far and are really hoping for a MK view this time. Does anyone know if they still serve Kings Estate ine in the CL? I love this wine and can't find it anywhere locally.

 

[bumbershoot]

Well, we're back and we liked it! Stayed in a studio. It had more usable space (or, rather, space to put our luggage and still be able to walk around) than the 2 bedroom at SSR we'd just been at. Go figure!

They were also the smoothest to deal with; we had issues at Kidani and ISSUES ISSUES ISSUES at SSR, but VWL was issue-free.

Well, OK, the $5.19 charge made by SSR caused BofA to put a fraud alert on our CC (righteous charge...just confused the CC people), which then *later on* was doing weird things to charges on our KTTW at VWL, but it was all fixed beautifully and without a problem. The CMs at WL were lovely and wonderful and EASY to deal with.

Given what we had just dealt with at SSR (multiple lines of problems culminating in a lower level manager giving attitude when DH was *sad* while spending 2 hours on an issue that was their fault 100%), this made VWL our fave DVC of this trip.


Our stay there was definitely far too short. My *only* thought about it that makes me hesitant is the pinecone pattern on the carpet in the room. I knew it was pinecones, but I kept seeing it as giant arachnids. My eyes and brain were messing with me, big time. Anyone else mis-see that pattern? (doubtful but I can hope)


Oh, and Territory Lounge was lovely. The QS breakfast was beyond ghastly, but I really shouldn't have expected anything else from the eggs, etc, in any QS's Bounty Platter, especially when it was 10:58am, LOL. But the TL was great.

 

[uagirl]

DH and I have stayed at WL twice, including our honeymoon. It holds and extra special place in our hearts. We are planning a Christmas 2014 trip with my mom, step dad and brother. We want to stay WL CL again, but my mom is deathly afraid of heights. I know you can go in and out of the room with food without going near the railings, but is there any seating that is not near railings? I can't remember and can't seem to find any pictures that show the seating.

 

[disnmooner2013]

I am so excited! We will be checking into one of the Honeymoon Suites on Sunday for 5 nights! We have had the villa view three times so far and are really hoping for a MK view this time. Does anyone know if they still serve Kings Estate ine in the CL? I love this wine and can't find it anywhere locally.

Tinkerrn - Can you please let me know what honeymoon suite you are in and what your thoughts of it were after you come back? We will be there in June in a honeymoon room.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

HI! I have not stayed at WL in years because we have one too many babies. I am staying in a few weeks, as grandma is taking them to her dvc villa. So excited to go back to WL especially all the rooms have been refurbed! When booking a view is it worth it to request inner courtyard, I think it is call Bear something on DIS? How is it having your door off the lobby?

The "Bear Face" rooms are the inner courtyard view rooms that have their doors open to the lobby. When you look at the resort from Bay Lake the windows of these rooms look like the face of a bear. Any courtyard view that overlooks the main pool is considered inner courtyard, and most of these are in the wings of the hotel. Other "Courtyard View" rooms overlook the villas pool which is quieter but probably not as impressive a view.

We had a room opening to the lobby last trip and loved it. We really enjoyed the view and not having to walk down a long enclosed hallway. We often stopped to look down on the lobby and take pictures. While we liked it, others prefer a quieter location since you can hear noise from WCC especially at peak times. It just comes down to your preference. Enjoy your return to the Lodge.

 

[lovingeire]

bumbershoot, I love your sons name! Eamon is on our short list should we have another boy.

 

[kerri0616]

Hello WL fans! I'm a WL newbie and we tacked on 2 days in June at WLV after our 5 days at BC. Can't wait to try both resorts!

Here's my question...Has WLV replaced the bedding yet? I thought I read something about this a few months ago.

Thanks for any info!

Kerri

 

[Paul Couturier]

I am so excited! We will be checking into one of the Honeymoon Suites on Sunday for 5 nights! We have had the villa view three times so far and are really hoping for a MK view this time. Does anyone know if they still serve Kings Estate ine in the CL? I love this wine and can't find it anywhere locally.

PLEASE give a review once your trip is over! I'm going to WL for my honeymoon in Sept, and staying in a Honeymoon Suite also!

Paul

 

[bumbershoot]

bumbershoot, I love your sons name! Eamon is on our short list should we have another boy.

Aw, thanks! And yay!

Just know that it is mispronounced ALL the time. Almost everyone will think you are saying Aidan, even kids (who usually hear things pretty well, I've found). We've also gotten Damon and yep, Liam (but the man that says that is nearly 100 so I'll give him a pass).

I've actually given him a pass to change his name when he's older, because it has kind of been annoying. I wish we'd used Hamish instead, actually. Other than saying it like "ham", I think it would be harder to pronounce incorrectly. And his personality is more like a Hamish (which I see as burly and noisy but kind b/c I've seen Braveheart too many times) rather than the calm and quiet Eamon I thought he was when he was brand new! (Even hubby's pick of Angus would have been better for him, LOL) He is still sweet and kind, but just doesn't match his name as well as I thought he would.


Speaking of WL to keep this more on topic, we met a woman there in the hallway who had called out the name from behind us, which stopped us in our tracks, but it turns out her husband's name is Egyptian (that's who she was calling out to), and his name is spelled something like Aiman. Said the same, though.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hello WL fans! I'm a WL newbie and we tacked on 2 days in June at WLV after our 5 days at BC. Can't wait to try both resorts!

Here's my question...Has WLV replaced the bedding yet? I thought I read something about this a few months ago.

Thanks for any info!

Kerri

You mean the bedspread? Not yet. That probably won't happen until 2014.

 

[lovingeire]

Aw, thanks! And yay!

Just know that it is mispronounced ALL the time. Almost everyone will think you are saying Aidan, even kids (who usually hear things pretty well, I've found). We've also gotten Damon and yep, Liam (but the man that says that is nearly 100 so I'll give him a pass).

I've actually given him a pass to change his name when he's older, because it has kind of been annoying. I wish we'd used Hamish instead, actually. Other than saying it like "ham", I think it would be harder to pronounce incorrectly. And his personality is more like a Hamish (which I see as burly and noisy but kind b/c I've seen Braveheart too many times) rather than the calm and quiet Eamon I thought he was when he was brand new! (Even hubby's pick of Angus would have been better for him, LOL) He is still sweet and kind, but just doesn't match his name as well as I thought he would.
)

I can't believe it's mispronounced that often and with such names that are different! However, my name is Gretchen and I get Rachel and Bridget a lot. I love my name, but sometimes I wish it was more familiar! We'll see, we have all boys so I'm still holding out some hope for a girl the final time around!

 

[ethansmommy]

Sadly we will not be staying at our beloved WL this coming trip. We are trying to save some $$ so we went with a moderate for now. I really hope a good discount comes out for our timeframe so we can switch back. It just won't be the same with out the lodge. Please remove our name from the lodge travelers list hopefully just temporarily.

 

[WDWKOOK]

It's official! We have booked Wilderness Lodge, Woods View & Bunk Beds for Aug 11-16t! I cannot wait! I already booked all of our dining reservations except for our check in night. I am debating if we should try Whispering Canyon since we're staying there or go to Raglan Road, one of our favorites, at Downtown Disney. I just can't decide! We are doing a TON of new restaurants this trip, so I thought maybe I'd try to do something familiar, but I think next time my husband is insisting on a monorail resort, unless he falls in love this trip, so I might want to take advantage of being there & eat at the resort? I'm so indecisive, but overall just stoked to have another Disney trip to look forward to!

You have to try WCC - lots of fun and atmosphere. I don't know what time you're checking-in, but we check-in early and are able to go down to WCC for breakfast after arrival. It really gets us in the mood for being at the Lodge.

Best part of WL.....the boat ride back in the evening to see the fireworks at MK!!

Thank you for the beautiful photo. It's also fun to catch the EWP while you're on a Bay Lake boat.

HI! I have not stayed at WL in years because we have one too many babies. I am staying in a few weeks, as grandma is taking them to her dvc villa. So excited to go back to WL especially all the rooms have been refurbed! When booking a view is it worth it to request inner courtyard, I think it is call Bear something on DIS? How is it having your door off the lobby?

We love the (Inner/WL) Courtyard View since you can see Bay Lake and the geyser - it's my favorite WDW view and I think you'll love it, too.

I am so excited! We will be checking into one of the Honeymoon Suites on Sunday for 5 nights! We have had the villa view three times so far and are really hoping for a MK view this time. Does anyone know if they still serve Kings Estate ine in the CL? I love this wine and can't find it anywhere locally.

I can't recall what wine was served in August, but it may have changed since then. Did you request a North Wing suite? Make sure that's in your reservation and good luck!

Well, we're back and we liked it! Stayed in a studio. It had more usable space (or, rather, space to put our luggage and still be able to walk around) than the 2 bedroom at SSR we'd just been at. Go figure!

They were also the smoothest to deal with; we had issues at Kidani and ISSUES ISSUES ISSUES at SSR, but VWL was issue-free.

Well, OK, the $5.19 charge made by SSR caused BofA to put a fraud alert on our CC (righteous charge...just confused the CC people), which then *later on* was doing weird things to charges on our KTTW at VWL, but it was all fixed beautifully and without a problem. The CMs at WL were lovely and wonderful and EASY to deal with.

Given what we had just dealt with at SSR (multiple lines of problems culminating in a lower level manager giving attitude when DH was *sad* while spending 2 hours on an issue that was their fault 100%), this made VWL our fave DVC of this trip.


Our stay there was definitely far too short. My *only* thought about it that makes me hesitant is the pinecone pattern on the carpet in the room. I knew it was pinecones, but I kept seeing it as giant arachnids. My eyes and brain were messing with me, big time. Anyone else mis-see that pattern? (doubtful but I can hope)


Oh, and Territory Lounge was lovely. The QS breakfast was beyond ghastly, but I really shouldn't have expected anything else from the eggs, etc, in any QS's Bounty Platter, especially when it was 10:58am, LOL. But the TL was great.

Thank you for your VWL review. I would have been distracted by that pattern, too.

DH and I have stayed at WL twice, including our honeymoon. It holds and extra special place in our hearts. We are planning a Christmas 2014 trip with my mom, step dad and brother. We want to stay WL CL again, but my mom is deathly afraid of heights. I know you can go in and out of the room with food without going near the railings, but is there any seating that is not near railings? I can't remember and can't seem to find any pictures that show the seating.

Actually, if you are in the North Wing, you will have to go past the railing to the lobby below, so make sure you request a South Wing room if you don't want DM to have to go past it. Most, but not all of the CL tables are next to a railing except for a sofa that backs to the railing, but looks out at a TV against the wall. There are also a few tables that are against a wall, but in between them is the railing that overlooks the WL courtyard. Some are closest to the trash can and one (or two?) are along the same wall/railing at the opposite end nearest the CL manager's office. They are hard to see, but they are in this photo underneath the wreath:

Hello WL fans! I'm a WL newbie and we tacked on 2 days in June at WLV after our 5 days at BC. Can't wait to try both resorts!

Here's my question...Has WLV replaced the bedding yet? I thought I read something about this a few months ago.

Thanks for any info!

Kerri

and let us know if you have any other questions.

Sadly we will not be staying at our beloved WL this coming trip. We are trying to save some $$ so we went with a moderate for now. I really hope a good discount comes out for our timeframe so we can switch back. It just won't be the same with out the lodge. Please remove our name from the lodge travelers list hopefully just temporarily.

I'm sorry, but you are still going to WDW! You don't have to be staying at WL/VWL to be in the Lodgers' Log. In fact, I'm logged and I'm not staying at WL for spring break. If you let me know where you're staying, I can update your entry and easily change it if you do end up staying at WL

 

[Wood Nymph]

You may as well add us to the Lodger's Log for Dec 3 - 8, 2013. We really didn't get much of a chance to truly appreciate the lodge last time. In fact, I never went in the gift shop or had a drink at the Territory Lounge! I didn't get to walk down the nature trail or go to the campfire. We didn't even eat dinner at the resort. I need to come back just so I can do this things. It will just be the DH and me, so it will be a very relaxing trip.

 

[WDWKOOK]

You may as well add us to the Lodger's Log for Dec 3 - 8, 2013. We really didn't get much of a chance to truly appreciate the lodge last time. In fact, I never went in the gift shop or had a drink at the Territory Lounge! I didn't get to walk down the nature trail or go to the campfire. We didn't even eat dinner at the resort. I need to come back just so I can do this things. It will just be the DH and me, so it will be a very relaxing trip.

YIPPEE!

You've been added with the notation that you didn't get to see it all the last visit!