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

[pas130]

Never!!!

Yep I was referring to January

Hey that's me!!!! Another stay at WL ..... I can't wait!!!

I am sort of ashamed to admit that I have vast experience with the Territory Lounge

I for one think that is NOTHING to be ashamed of

You have been logged and I even included pas130 for good measure.


Unlike WDTC, I should maybe charge for corrections after say the 5th one. Sort of the opposite of the buy 4 coffees get your 5th free card.

You know I love BLT, too and seeing how many pas130's need to fit in one place...

A much needed laugh, thanks Kookaluka, I can always count on you!!! Oh, how I'd love to stay at WL in January...as my wallet gets smaller..and the holidays approach...just have to get my holiday shopping done...then maybe some changes. BUT DS11 is very happy with AS Sports

And janet and I were conferring on my August trip...me thinks BLT will fit all the Pas-ettes

It looks like it's time for me to join the party since I am one of the cool kids staying at WL in January I am excited that Grumpy Grandma, Janet B and Minnie & Nanna as well as Magic...it is (we hope) will be there part of my stay also! As for pas, we need to get a lot closer until we know where she is staying. For anyone who doesn't know she has a habit of changing her resorts, up until the last minute. Stay tuned

So we are staying CL from 12/31 to 1/13. I have never stayed CL at the WL before and don't know the rooms/views at all. My only request I have put in is for a room with 2 queen beds. Since it is January I don't expect to spend much time on a balcony. We will be arriving around noon on 12/31 and I have asked and am hoping we can get into the room early, since I have health issues. My thought process is not to request a specific room, thinking the probability of getting in early is higher if I am flexible. Thoughts? Also, conversely is there any room(s) I should avoid?

Sarah, I just wanted to say I am SO excited for your NYE trip

I am sure you will get into your room early!!!

 

[Kathymford]

We are going back again in February (2/25 - 3/2)!! Yay! Although since we are out of points for the time being, we booked cash and that means AS Movies for us!!! Ha. I still like checking in here though. And I'll admit, we will probably take a break on our MK day and go visit our real home!

 

[MandyTG]

I just changed our December reservations from POR- 4 nights, AKL-2 nights, WL-2 nights, to POR- 4 nights and WL- 4 nights. I hate to miss AKL, but I was getting worried about all the resort hopping making the trip too stressful. I'm looking forward to have several days to relax and enjoy WL now!
I do need to make a final decision regarding our WCC dinner ADR. I'm afraid I won't like the changed menu. I've heard it has lots of rosemary in the various meats and sides and I do not like rosemary at all! We do have a breakfast ADR for WCC on checkout day that we will keep, but may try Trail's End for dinner instead and visit the decorations at the campground.

 

[yolie912]

I called today and still no club level for our last day!
On another note... Who has done hoop dee see venue?
I want to try it out. How is the food??

Thanks again!

 

[Kathymford]

I called today and still no club level for our last day!
On another note... Who has done hoop dee see venue?
I want to try it out. How is the food??

Thanks again!

We just did in September! We really enjoyed it. We are not big eaters, so the whole all you can eat thing is lost on us, but it was good!! Loved the beans, and the chicken was good. Ribs were ok.

 

[cmdg]

We are thinking of switching from a CL room to a woods view, any big reasons not to? We'll have a 3 year old and the dining plan, so just not convinced that CL is worth the extra $900. We really enjoyed it last time we were at WL, but that was pre-baby.

 

[heather13]

I am sort of ashamed to admit that I have vast experience with the Territory Lounge

They have multiple tv's and have always been good about putting on whatever sporting event I am trying to take in. Johnna, the bartender there is one of my favorite cm's ever. She is awesome.

FWIW, they were having major staffing issues when we were there this weekend. I guess several folks from WL dining moved to BOG, which shifted people all around internally and as a result TL had three servers and no bartenders (and a bar full of impatient customers). Hopefully it will be fixed soon, but just have patience and be aware that it sounds like the whole FLE and CMs moving to new jobs might be affecting a lot of unexpected areas.

 

[Kathy Z]

Hi all!! We arrive at WL for our DD's (1yo) 1st trip on Nov 9th! Can't wait! This is my 5th time staying at WL - love it

Here's my question. We currently have a ressie at San Angel for Sat night. We plan to do AK that day. I'm worried Epcot will be CRAZY on the last Sat of F&W, so I'm thinking of switching to Jiko or Flying Fish (both places we'd love to try). If we do Jiko - we'd stay at AK all day, and head straight over for dinner (lounge/DD could nap in the lobby if need be) - thinking it would be too much trouble to get back to Jiko if we come back to WL in the afternoon. Is that nuts?

Are we better off coming back and doing FF? Is there a bus from WL direct to the Boardwalk?

Finally - what's the best way to get back to WL from Jiko? I'm thinking we'd take any bus from AKL to a park, and then hop the bus/boat back to WL from there?

Hope that made sense!

I am in the minority here, but depending on how well your DD naps in strange places you could be fine with AK for the day followed by dinner at Jiko. If you went to the "Finding Nemo" show in the early afternoon she may well sleep through it. Also, there are plenty of quiet & comfortable areas in the lobby of AKL to have a decent rest/nap. During our 2009 trip with our granddaughters the 7 year-old did not need a nap but she did not have the energy to be on the go all day long like the 10 year-old. So we hopped the bus over to AKL while my DH stayed with the older DGD at AK until time to meet us for dinner at Boma. We found plenty to do around AKL in addition to resting on some sofa's. BTW, I find the lobby of AKL much more comfortable than the lobby of WL. Our dinner was early enough that it was no problem getting a bus back to MK after and then the monorail back to the Poly.

Flying Fish is also a favorite of ours so you can't go wrong with that choice either.

I think you're wise in avoiding World Showcase on the last Saturday of F&W. That could be insane.

 

[JulieODC]

Thanks for all the helpful advice on my dining dilemma! 15 days and counting...

 

[Grumpy Grandma]

It looks like it's time for me to join the party since I am one of the cool kids staying at WL in January I am excited that Grumpy Grandma, Janet B and Minnie & Nanna as well as Magic...it is (we hope) will be there part of my stay also! As for pas, we need to get a lot closer until we know where she is staying. For anyone who doesn't know she has a habit of changing her resorts, up until the last minute. Stay tuned

So we are staying CL from 12/31 to 1/13. I have never stayed CL at the WL before and don't know the rooms/views at all. My only request I have put in is for a room with 2 queen beds. Since it is January I don't expect to spend much time on a balcony. We will be arriving around noon on 12/31 and I have asked and am hoping we can get into the room early, since I have health issues. My thought process is not to request a specific room, thinking the probability of getting in early is higher if I am flexible. Thoughts? Also, conversely is there any room(s) I should avoid?


Thanks!

Hi KOOK

Yay I'm one of the cool kids!!!! And yes kook I'll be wearing my dark glasses!

 

[hockeybabe]

Woohoo! Paid off the balance on our ressies today, Dec 12-16 at WL with free dining!

We've never had the bunk bed room before, is it a standard twin sized mattress, or are they smaller/shorter than twin size?

 

[Doctor Mouse]

Tomorrow night in the lodge!!! Thanks for all the great advice Dis-ers!

 

[Grumpy Grandma]

Tomorrow night in the lodge!!! Thanks for all the great advice Dis-ers!

Enjoy!

 

[jsantini]

I am hoping to order room service while at WL, but my food has to be gluten free. Has anyone here ordered room service from WL with a special dietary need? How did it go? I think I may call Wilderness Lodge and ask a chef about this prior to our trip, but it's always nice to hear about others' experiences.

 

[WDWKOOK]

We are going back again in February (2/25 - 3/2)!! Yay! Although since we are out of points for the time being, we booked cash and that means AS Movies for us!!! Ha. I still like checking in here though. And I'll admit, we will probably take a break on our MK day and go visit our real home!

You're welcome here anytime. Maybe a good general public discount will come out before your trip and you could look into booking a STD WL room

I just changed our December reservations from POR- 4 nights, AKL-2 nights, WL-2 nights, to POR- 4 nights and WL- 4 nights. I hate to miss AKL, but I was getting worried about all the resort hopping making the trip too stressful. I'm looking forward to have several days to relax and enjoy WL now!
I do need to make a final decision regarding our WCC dinner ADR. I'm afraid I won't like the changed menu. I've heard it has lots of rosemary in the various meats and sides and I do not like rosemary at all! We do have a breakfast ADR for WCC on checkout day that we will keep, but may try Trail's End for dinner instead and visit the decorations at the campground.

I think the two-way split will be more pleasant and you'll feel more settled.

We love TE and I think you'll enjoy it, too. No rosemary at breakfast at WCC so you should be good

I called today and still no club level for our last day!
On another note... Who has done hoop dee see venue?
I want to try it out. How is the food??

Thanks again!

Don't give up!

HDDR is lots of fun and the food is sort of secondary to the show. I think a good view adds to the enjoyment. I don't really have any complaints about the food and they're good about replenishing it. I think everyone should try it at least once.

We are thinking of switching from a CL room to a woods view, any big reasons not to? We'll have a 3 year old and the dining plan, so just not convinced that CL is worth the extra $900. We really enjoyed it last time we were at WL, but that was pre-baby.

So you're saving $900 and you already have the DDP? Seems like that change would work out nicely for you. Three-year-olds don't really like 'relaxing' much so that would probably be out of the question in the lounge. But, it is convenient grabbing breakfast in the lounge before you head out for the day - but not $900 worth of convenience! You could do room service everyday and still come out ahead.

FWIW, they were having major staffing issues when we were there this weekend. I guess several folks from WL dining moved to BOG, which shifted people all around internally and as a result TL had three servers and no bartenders (and a bar full of impatient customers). Hopefully it will be fixed soon, but just have patience and be aware that it sounds like the whole FLE and CMs moving to new jobs might be affecting a lot of unexpected areas.

That's very interesting - thank you for reporting that. Of course, you'd think that Disney would have hired new people to work at BOG rather than shuffle CMs around and leave other places short staffed.

Yay I'm one of the cool kids!!!! And yes kook I'll be wearing my dark glasses!

Woohoo! Paid off the balance on our ressies today, Dec 12-16 at WL with free dining!

We've never had the bunk bed room before, is it a standard twin sized mattress, or are they smaller/shorter than twin size?

Congratulations on being PIF (Paid in Full). The bunks are twins. I hope you have a great holiday at WL!

Tomorrow night in the lodge!!! Thanks for all the great advice Dis-ers!

to the thread and have a great trip! Will you be reporting back to us live?

I am hoping to order room service while at WL, but my food has to be gluten free. Has anyone here ordered room service from WL with a special dietary need? How did it go? I think I may call Wilderness Lodge and ask a chef about this prior to our trip, but it's always nice to hear about others' experiences.

I know that the WDW chefs in general are very flexible and accommodating to guests' dietary needs. In fact, on the private dining menu and breakfast pre-order it says (in the fine print at the bottom) they are "...happy to discuss and attempt to accommodate your special dietary needs"

 

[ejrj]

P.I.F. Baby!!!!

45 days to go!

 

[WDWKOOK]

P.I.F. Baby!!!!

45 days to go!

PIF Dancing Guy for you!

 

[Jungle Cruiser]

So KOOK and other experts, as for CL rooms, I don't care about how far I am from the OFC. A little extra walking means another snack! As for views, a partial view of the castle isn't really important, I would rather see more of the lodge, probably not so much the villas. So, does that narrow it down? Any suggestions?

 

[Doctor Mouse]

Checked in! They were unable to honor our request for connecting rooms although the CM was on the phone checking for about ten minutes. She said they were so full that there were no connecting a available either today or tomorrow. :-(

In a pair of adjoining standard rooms over looking the infamous loading dock. I will report on noise tomorrow but so far so good.

Otherwise, just catching up during nap time. A nice afternoon in the pool interrupted by a brief rain shower. After nap, it is dinner with Chef Mickey!

 

[Macavity]

Very sad news for us, Randy has left and been promoted to something on Team
Disney.... Tina has taken his lace, has been with Disney for 19 years, recently at AKL... We talked at length today, and she seems very nice... But I miss seeing Randy.