(CLOSED) Disney's WILDERNESS LODGE and VILLAS INFORMATION THREAD ~2014~

[Marlyn]

We have an ADR for Ohana for breakfast at 7:30am. What's the best way to get there from WL? I'm thinking taking the boat to MK then boat to Poly… or Boat to CR then Monoral to Poly? Bus to MK then boat to Poly? We also have another ADR to GF for another time is the travel the same? Thanks!

Boats to MK start at 8:30. I agree with cab

 

[Marlyn]

We prefer taking the boat to CR and then the monorail to Poly (or GF). If you are at the dock at 6:45 to catch the first boat (and get the one going towards the CR if you have a choice) you should be ok on time. It won't leave you much extra time, especially if the monorail is slow, but you should be ok for your ADR.

Don't forget the monorails are on reduced hours right now...

 

[WDWKOOK]

Hi Kook!!
LOVE THE BEAVER!!!!! Where is that from??????

After almost two weeks, DH's Ablation is still holding, but he knows it's possible he may have to have it done again some time. It was harder for him to get used to the diagnosis, than the procedure itself. He was very active, a lifeguard for over 50 years, a runner, swimmer... He can still be active, but needs to take it down a few notches, which requires a new mind set.......but he's working on it.......
Thank-you so very much for asking

Have you been to WL recently? How is the gang? Any personnel changes?????

Oh, one more thing-I'm curious about one room. If you look at the "Bear Face full frontal "pic at the top of this page, it's the squared off balcony to the right, all on it's own. In February, when we had to stay in, I think,#7111 for two days,until 7127 was ready. I noticed that balcony right across from us. Never saw anyone on it the whole week. But can't figure out the room number. If anyone would know it, it would be you. Just curious.....

Yikes, you must have missed the bad news? Randy, the wonderful CL manager for about 4 years, is no longer at WL. He was only there for about a day of our 8-night stay. He moved at the end of June to a TA at POR/POFQ in the Recreation Dept. He even had to be trained to be a lifeguard, so your DH can relate to how much work it entails. (BTW, I posted some room/vacation comments shortly after we returned, maybe around the first week of July?)

After Randy left, Jackson replaced him, but you wouldn't really know it. The rest of the week we were there, we only saw him his first day putting something in the office and then he left. I was told that he "didn't need to be up there unless they have a problem and need him" and that he would mostly be downstairs. Sterrie is downstairs now, working the back office, but we were lucky to see him a few times. Kash has been downstairs for sometime. Ana, Bonnie, Loyda, Mike, Rob and Lindsay were also there, off and on. I don't recall seeing Samuel, Mary or Grace though. And, since we were on the 5th floor, we didn't have Jonnet as our housekeeper

I really missed seeing Randy around interacting with the guests and helping out. I did send a note to Guest Relations mentioning that Randy's presence made the OFC unique and special and that we will miss that special touch that made the OFC stand apart from other CLs where you never see a manager.

Speaking of Randy, the balcony you're asking about is a fake balcony that's attached to the OFC manager's office. It's the room right across from the stairs to the roof and the adult TV in the lounge. The mirror image is where the CL check-in is located next to the mid-Lodge elevators, but there is only a window there and no faux balcony. Bonnie, a CL CM, actually went out on the faux balcony for us when we asked her about it last month. We wanted to confirm that it was indeed the "balcony" to the office.

I will be staying there in a year and requested a Bear Face room. Hopefully, someone will post some view photos over the next few months. Are there any other views you might recommend? We have a CYV booked with bunk beds for 2 weeks. We were going to get CL, but opted out of that because we are traveling with my parents and my in-laws that wanted to be together but not pay the additional expense. None of us have stayed at WL before, so any advice would be appreciated.

With a CYV booking, I would request an inner CYV room, to assure that you are overlooking the WL CY as opposed to the VWL CY. The rooms on the 5th floor are popular because they're the highest rooms that don't have solid balcony railings. You can see a little bit of Wishes from the South Wing high floors.

It seems like such a long trip from the airport, but we finally made it. We arrived at DME at 1:30 and probably got to the hotel around 2:30. Many people on our bus were coming to WL. We waited probably 20 minutes on the bus before departing. Then stopped at Poly and GF before WL (they continued to CR and BLT).

Arrival was fine. Lovely touch to have CMs meet you with iPads saying, "Welcome Home" and escorting you into checkin. Our CM wasn't terribly interested in conversation, but it was nice nonetheless. The checkin CM that he passed us to was lovely. We got our request (upper floor, lobby view). LOVE this location. More on that later, but the kids were thrilled with all the nooks, crannies, fireplaces, sitting areas and staircases in the lobby atrium. We take a different route to our room every time.

On to the room - nice towel animals. I love the new bed linens and bathroom. We dropped our carry-ons and went to RF.

Lunch was 2 kids pizza meals (they are flatbread, not the other Disney pizza) and that fantastic roast beef sandwich (roast beef, focaccia, caramelized onion, lettuce, blue cheese). Love the cucumber salad (sweet/dill pickle flavors).

Back up to the mercantile by way of the courtyard. I really would love to have an upper CYV one day. So lovely.

Mercantile - 3 kinds of WL coffee cups, a few cute woodland animal plush (including a wolf? and an adorable moccasin wearing Pluto, among others). Standard WL magnets and t-shirts. There is a baby Bambi that DD fell in love with. Decent selection in the grocery area. Greek yogurt is missing but they have it at RF. They do have fruit in the Mercantile. And 1 quart of milk is the same price as a soda from a CS restaurant.

For the person asking about wine, there is a 1/2 bottle at $11. Bottles are different labels starting from $13. I saw one that was $23. Red is on the shelves. White is in the cooler. They had probably 5 kinds of red. I didn't look at white.

After we dropped our groceries (still not DME!), we're off to the boats. Did I mention the pool was closed for storms.

First in line to the blue flag boat. Sharing with FW and CR in one route. They had one boat going WL to CR to FW and another WL to FW to CR at the same time. We took a round trip on the monorail and enjoyed the CR concourse before a good wait for a boat back to WL. The breeze and the sunset were fantastic after the storms blew away.

Back at WL, Trout Pass had a great margarita for $10. The kids didn't want marshmallows on the beach. They delayed the 6:45 start for the campfire because of the weather and were staying later to accommodate. We moved onto the playground and bare feet in the sand. Drawing hidden Mickeys, making friends and watching the boats and the water birds. One couple was camped out making an evening of it. SO peaceful down there.

Back to the room by way of Hidden Springs. That is one SMALL pool for a big resort during an upgrade. It was almost empty, but the kids wanted the slide, so . . .

Back at the room and it's 8pm. We landed 7 hours ago. Still no bags! So come prepared. Just as we were changing and on our way to guest services, there was a knock. They're here!!! So glad. The poor guy looked swamped. We had bathing suits and pjs, but I really wanted my stuff.

Night swimming! Woohooo! Girls loved the warm water and the slide. Great monitoring by the very active lifeguards. They rescued one kid who acted like he didn't need it. They are on the ball. Unfortunately kids being kids means the slide gets turned off on occasion, but they got it back going again.

We bailed out before EWP. The Fire Rock Geyser is in great form. It's loud and shooting way up in the air. Quite an improvement from our 2010 visit.

Back at RF, tomato basil flatbread and chicken nuggets. The kids meal is 4 nuggets. We did double fries and I shared the flatbread with 1 DD. To-go. It's pajama time.

Back at the room getting fed and pajamas. We got our south side lobby room, and boy that WCC hootin and hollerin is loud! They did settle down around 10, so it's ok, but be warned. Afterward the wonderful lobby music was audible in our room until just now (after midnight).

SO if you've read this far you get the great tidbit for today - at 9:45 we heard big booms. At first I thought Wishes. But then, remembering the time, I looked out the window. It's the FROZEN FIREWORKS from HS!!!! You can see them from the south side of the WL, probably only from the lobby rooms. Maybe from the woods or CY view, depending, but I think the Villas would obstruct. They are far in the distance through trees, but they are HUGE! It was a nice bit of pixie dust.

Notes on the lobby balconies - 5th and 6th floors are smaller than I remember having in a standard room on the north side. Also, all of the 4th floor on the south side of the lobby are enclosed balconies. Some with stone. They look pretty private, but the roof is right there and probably obstructs a view. We do have a view of the buses and driveway, but they aren't noisy. The bell from the breezeway is gone. Sad for us when we head to the buses, but nice when we want the quiet in our upstairs room.

ETA: I was mistaken We can still hear the lobby music. And there is a tiny loading area between bell services and the buses that seems to serve DME. Trucks pulling in now.

Thanks for reading. Pictures soon. I probably won't get to ask about construction until Tues.

What a great and thorough update, thank you! Re. the lobby music, we noticed that it had been turned way down last month. We asked a resort manager about this and he said that he came in one day and also noticed it had been turned down. We nicely mentioned that it would be nice to have it at its old volume so you could hear it better. He said he was going to see what he could do about raising the volume. Can you hear it well enough now?

Thanks BlueFairy for the update! It sounds amazing! I never would of thought of being able to see fireworks from HS at WL!

If you get a chance, can you let us know what the new Bounceback offer is? I'm headed to WL in a month and am dying to know so I can plan for 2015! TIA!!

The BB is unchanged and the link is in POST TWO. I even checked mine from last month to make sure it's the same and it is. The BB only goes through 2014 (12/23). The next BB will probably come out in the Fall, but unless BlueFairy reports differently, the BB that's in the middle of the Be Our Guest Guide is still for 35% off RO for Deluxes and 30% off RO for Moderates. The phone number is 407-939-1923.

We came back to the resort to swim just as they were closing the pool, then we went to EPCOT. No rain at EPCOT, but when we returned to MK later we heard a CM say it had rained slightly.

Crowds at EPCOT were even lighter than MK. I was really surprised how light they were.

Have a great stay! We're off to Typhoon Lagoon

Just wanted to point out that the boat to MK doesn't start until 8:30. We had 8:00 am ADRs at Crystal Palace yesterday. I called the front desk to ask what time boats start to run to MK. I was told they were running (this was at 7:00). Got to dock and was told that MK boat starts at 8:30 and I would need to boat to CR and walk....didn't think we had time at that point so went out front to catch a taxi just as MK bus was pulling in....good timing!

Also....buses yesterday were good, hardly any waiting. Hope that continues!

Thank you for the update and for posting the time that the MK boat departs from WL.

So glad this thread still exists! We won't be able to take another Disney trip until 2016, but it's WL or bust for me and I have to find a way to get my WL fix over the next two years. Keep posting pictures! At least by the time we go, the pool will be refurbished...

Me, too

It's never too early to start planning and tweaking!

I can't believe I am asking this question, after reading this thread for over 2 years, but my brain is pretty fried from all my lists and sending itineraries to our group.

Anyhow, when you make your call with your room requests (or to check on ones you have already made) when you are around 5 days out, which number do you call, the Disney reservations number or the 824-3200 one? Like I said, brain fried.

Actually, you want to make sure any requests are already in your reservation NLT 5 days prior to arrival. This is when the reservation is dropped into the resort's system and then the Room Assignor begins assigning rooms. If you aren't staying CL, then just call the WDTC/CRO (407-WDISNEY) and ask them to add your request to your reservation. This can be done as soon as you book your vacation.

 

[CAHarwell]

OK! Trip paid in full, ADR booked, FP+ booked........ when should we receive our travel documents and luggage tags? Do they come with the MBs (which show shipping after Sept. 3)? It's going to be a loooooong 2 months!

 

[pixarmom]

Hello WL/VWL Fans!!

We're so excited to return to WL (well, the villas this time) for 2015 Easter Weekend! It's one of those on-the-way-to-the-airport-from-the-beach resort days for us. Our options were more limited than usual because Easter weekend rates are crazy and we need a room for all five of us (my husband isn't coming along for our upcoming stays at ASMu and AKL so we have more flexibility for those.) Then I saw the deluxe studio villas sleep five! (A tight fit, I've read, but they still sleep five!)

Enjoying my VWL research and learning more about Easter at the resorts. We've been to WDW around Easter, but never on Easter Day. Anyone done the WL candy scramble or been to the Wave for Easter Brunch?

 

[MickeyEars]

Thanks Kook for the update on Randy. We met him during our trip this past June and he was just super nice. He was teasing me about being in line at the grand opening of the Marketplace Co-Op to get a Vera Bradley purse.

Why did they move him and what is a TA that you spoke of? Seems like he has a much different job than he was doing at the Lodge.

Carla

 

[ElenaJane]

The BB is unchanged and the link is in POST TWO. I even checked mine from last month to make sure it's the same and it is. The BB only goes through 2014 (12/23). The next BB will probably come out in the Fall, but unless BlueFairy reports differently, the BB that's in the middle of the Be Our Guest Guide is still for 35% off RO for Deluxes and 30% off RO for Moderates. The phone number is 407-939-1923.

Thanks Kook! I have read another thread on the Dis though that a new bounce back is already out and is for free dining in 2015. http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52010754&postcount=50
Must be brand new!

 

[bluecastle]

Called today and changed villa request to 5th floor from 4th floor. Also asked to be far from elevator. Quiet is important to me, especially during our afternoon break time. Confirmed previous requests: dedicated, not lock-off, and lake side. Watch, we'll get ground floor bus stop side! I hope not, but will hope for the best.
Cakes ordered ( congratulations and birthday ), emails of itineraries to group done, all lists done and packing lists organized according to what goes where, and warning to group that we will probably have lots of rain! Luckily, everyone is cool about that and we always have alternate plans in our heads, ready to go when needed. Laundry finished, now 2 days of packing! Just hope I don't regret not putting enough time into the Universal planning part of our trip. Basically, I made a dinner reservation at Mythos, and my DD and I are going to hang out in the HP worlds while her BF and my DH ride all the ExpressPass rides everywhere else. So excited!!!!

 

[BlueFairy]

duplicate. see below.

 

[BlueFairy]

We have seen mixed reviews of noise in rooms that open to the lobby. Some say it was bad, others didn't notice it, so it really depends on how sensitive you are to it and when you will be in the room.

In our personal experience, while we have not stayed in a Bear face room, we have stayed in rooms that open to the lobby twice and loved them. We could hear some noise from WCC, particularly in the evenings during the dinner rush, but we found that we are rarely in the room at those times anyway. By the time we wanted to go to sleep, there was no noise from the lobby at all. From the balcony side the Bear Face rooms are further from the pool than any other Courtyard View rooms, so noise from the pool shouldn't be a problem either.

I have to agree on this. We've had a north side view toward MK over the loading dock, an inner CYV (lower), and now a lobby standard view facing the bus stop. Far and away we prefer the lobby room location. There is noise from the service entrance on the north side, noise from EWP and the pool at CY, noise from Wishes everywhere. The lobby noise really is no different. I like hearing the music through the door. The lobby is noisy, but only until 10:00. After that it's fairly quiet. Breakfast starts with a bang around maybe 7:30 (??) but we are early risers, so I haven't had a problem with that.

I would disagree about the pool party though. If I had a napping child I would think twice about the CYV. I am sensitive to bass thumping, and could hear it twice this week while inside the lodge near the lobby. Maybe an upper floor or upper CY is better? Dunno.

We have an ADR for Ohana for breakfast at 7:30am. What's the best way to get there from WL? I'm thinking taking the boat to MK then boat to Poly… or Boat to CR then Monoral to Poly? Bus to MK then boat to Poly? We also have another ADR to GF for another time is the travel the same? Thanks!

Boats to MK start at 8:30. I agree with cab

Don't forget the monorails are on reduced hours right now...

Normally we have taken the boat (starts at 6:45? CR sign said 6:55, so maybe it arrives there last on it's first run) followed by walking up to the monorail and riding over to the Poly. Quick and easy. But the monorail is starting late now. Search the boards for times on that. I would trust Marlyn on the 8:30 MK boat. We didn't try it. I would think they would have to send a character bus, but the cab may just be simplest.

What a great and thorough update, thank you! Re. the lobby music, we noticed that it had been turned way down last month. We asked a resort manager about this and he said that he came in one day and also noticed it had been turned down. We nicely mentioned that it would be nice to have it at its old volume so you could hear it better. He said he was going to see what he could do about raising the volume. Can you hear it well enough now?


The BB is unchanged and the link is in POST TWO. I even checked mine from last month to make sure it's the same and it is. The BB only goes through 2014 (12/23). The next BB will probably come out in the Fall, but unless BlueFairy reports differently, the BB that's in the middle of the Be Our Guest Guide is still for 35% off RO for Deluxes and 30% off RO for Moderates. The phone number is 407-939-1923.

I did notice during checkin (a busy Sunday afternoon) that the lobby music was almost inaudible. Maybe it's the crowded lobby? But in the quieter hours I can hear it through our door. I haven't stayed in a lobby room before, so who knows. Even then, though, it seems to come and go. I remember "crickets" in the upper CY at night (or was that AKL?) and I haven't heard them this week. The geyser is loud and I don't remember any noise from it before. Also, I remember lovely Lodge music around the CY (outside of party hours) and I haven't noticed that either.

As for BB, I guess someone else will need to check. I can't plan a trip for next year right now, so I'm resisting the temptation of knowing what we're missing.

OK! Trip paid in full, ADR booked, FP+ booked........ when should we receive our travel documents and luggage tags? Do they come with the MBs (which show shipping after Sept. 3)? It's going to be a loooooong 2 months!

Travel docs came as a booklet (1st mailing with confirmation number and dates) and tickets for bags (2nd mailing from Magical Express). We booked in May and had those well before the July mailing of our MBs.

 

[BlueFairy]

So, inquiring minds want to know - POOL UPDATE.

Basically, it's not an update. The construction is non-existent for now and the Lodge is picture perfect! That's the great news. I did ask at Concierge about the plans. They plan to be down from "September to November" with a pool closure. He had no details on specifics, except to say they are adding an enclosure to keep people out when lifeguards are off-duty. He suggested that details from higher up are sketchy and contractors won't be pinned down on a specific date. He would not confirm that August construction is completely out of the question, but he did say the closure is scheduled for September. That's reassuring, but not exactly concrete. I asked 3 times, "so not before August" and got a sort of agreeing answer. I asked about geyser or lakeside rock work and he basically said 'we really don't know what they'll be doing exactly." Anyway, that's the latest. I wish it was more helpful.

 

[djamesdisney1st]

strange question: are there ceiling fans in the standard rooms at WL?

 

[martinmont]

I have to agree on this. We've had a north side view toward MK over the loading dock, an inner CYV (lower), and now a lobby standard view facing the bus stop. Far and away we prefer the lobby room location. There is noise from the service entrance on the north side, noise from EWP and the pool at CY, noise from Wishes everywhere. The lobby noise really is no different. I like hearing the music through the door. The lobby is noisy, but only until 10:00. After that it's fairly quiet. Breakfast starts with a bang around maybe 7:30 (??) but we are early risers, so I haven't had a problem with that.

I would disagree about the pool party though. If I had a napping child I would think twice about the CYV. I am sensitive to bass thumping, and could hear it twice this week while inside the lodge near the lobby. Maybe an upper floor or upper CY is better? Dunno.







Normally we have taken the boat (starts at 6:45? CR sign said 6:55, so maybe it arrives there last on it's first run) followed by walking up to the monorail and riding over to the Poly. Quick and easy. But the monorail is starting late now. Search the boards for times on that. I would trust Marlyn on the 8:30 MK boat. We didn't try it. I would think they would have to send a character bus, but the cab may just be simplest.



I did notice during checkin (a busy Sunday afternoon) that the lobby music was almost inaudible. Maybe it's the crowded lobby? But in the quieter hours I can hear it through our door. I haven't stayed in a lobby room before, so who knows. Even then, though, it seems to come and go. I remember "crickets" in the upper CY at night (or was that AKL?) and I haven't heard them this week. The geyser is loud and I don't remember any noise from it before. Also, I remember lovely Lodge music around the CY (outside of party hours) and I haven't noticed that either.

As for BB, I guess someone else will need to check. I can't plan a trip for next year right now, so I'm resisting the temptation of knowing what we're missing.



Travel docs came as a booklet (1st mailing with confirmation number and dates) and tickets for bags (2nd mailing from Magical Express). We booked in May and had those well before the July mailing of our MBs.

what travel documents are we suppose to receive? I know we are suppose to get the tags from ME and magic bands closer to the actual date, not sure what else is there. First timer here!

 

[dansdad]

strange question: are there ceiling fans in the standard rooms at WL?

Not a strange question at all. Yes there are. Check out the first room picture in post #4.

 

[BlueFairy]

Well, we were up early Monday for our MK day. I'm glad DD6 kept saying to take the bus since I later found out that Marlyn had boat trouble. We walked down at 8:10 and were front and center at the Mickey floral by 8:30!!! I did notice quite a long line waiting for a DHS bus.

So after a long, hot and crowded afternoon at MK we exited the park right at 4pm to a waiting Red Flag boat that was just full. Smooth sailing back to the Lodge. We stopped in at the Mercantile for a gallon of water ($2.75?!), a Husky plush ($10) and a baby Bambi ($23).

Returned to a clean room with everything replenished (thanks Brenda!) and enjoyed a little break and showers. On the boat ride over I had checked WCC and found plenty of availability for dinner, so I made an ADR for 6:30. Back downstairs we arrived to a bustling restaurant. The girls were happy to play with the WL Lincoln Logs. Unfortunately they didn't have my ADR. Turns out I made it for Tues!!! So I canceled that (just in time). The WCC CM was super nice and good humored about it. I'm glad I felt the same.

We turned around to see the bottom falling out of the clouds. A gully washer! Boy does the WL feel cozy during a storm! We walked over to an almost empty TL. I asked if they could accommodate the kids, and she said they served the whole AP child menu. Chelsea brought out crayons and Hercules menus. Kiddos had chicken nuggets and fried (DD6), chicken breast and veggies (DD9), watermelon for both, and Tinker Bell punch (There's even a photo in the TL drink menu of this light up drink for kids that they serve all over WDW.) The kids colored and searched out the Hidden Mickey (as did 2 other groups of kids before we left). The atmosphere was quiet, and there are TVs if you're looking for news or sports. I had the habanero lime margarita (great! nice spicy kick!) and the charcuterie plate (venison sausage, buffalo sausage, liver pate, cheddar, blue cheese, cucumber pickles, mustard chutney and walnut toast - $13). This was super yummy and hit the spot.

On to the bus (it's still raining!) to a crowded MK. We arrived after 8pm without much of a wait (maybe 10 min) for a bus.

Back out of the park after Wishes. I can't say for sure how long it took since the walk out was tedious and the kids were dragging. We had a wait with an almost-bus load for a few minutes, but it wasn't bad.

Tuesday - what a nice day! We tried to sleep in, but those internal clocks are hard to beat. Everyone has slept well. I love these mattresses and linens. There is an extra blanket that's actually comfortable stored in the closet. The ceiling fan is nice too. I have noticed that the bathroom gets stagnant if you leave the door closed, which is the most convenient. The fan in there really isn't much use.

Anyway, the kids wanted breakfast in pjs, so we had granola in the room. Then some lobby time with Lincoln Logs, Hidden Mickeys, and the cartoon corner. We grabbed Mickey pretzels ($2.50) in the Mercantile. From there we made ADRs for TE at FW. So off to the boats we went around 11. It is HOT and sunny. We had the boat to ourselves. That breeze from the moving boat makes all the difference in the heat. We had a nice time at the Fort. Arrived back at the boat launch to gathering clouds, but a boat wasn't long in coming. Back at the WL, DD9 needed to get some pins. The CMs were nice at the cart, and a manager overheard her asking about Frozen pins. He personally escorted her to the Mercantile to point out the 3 they had in stock. Another nice touch!

Pool time - the pool chairs are starting to sag. They're quite serviceable and comfy, but the canvas needs to be re-done. Again with the threatening clouds. More very capable lifeguards. Wonderful bartenders at the Trout Pass (DD was able to get the smoothie she wanted based on a visual description). Fresh towels seem to be in constant good supply. Little brown short-eared bunnies seem to be quite common in the CY, and they're not terribly skittish.

When they'd had enough we came back up to pack and shower. ADRs re-made for WCC (at 8pm). We enjoyed one of the upstairs fireplaces and headed down to more Lincoln Logs. The wait was about 10 min past our ADR. Our server was fantastic. He struck just the right balance between entertainment and respecting the boundaries of shy kids and teenagers. DD6 was truly worried we'd have to eat that tower of ketchup that showed up at our table. The food was excellent! I didn't find the nachos appetizing, but DD9 gobbled them up. DD6 had nuggets and fries. The cornbread was yummy. The meatloaf and mashed potatoes + green beans was fantastic. Blueberry peach cobbler to go (Thanks Lodgers!) just in time to see the EWP from a quite crowded beach area. The movie was hopping (Robin Hood). I grabbed a printout of our room charges on the way upstairs.

We had our ME instructions on the door this morning. Late checkout seems to be easy to obtain. It is free of charge until 1pm.

 

[BlueFairy]

what travel documents are we suppose to receive? I know we are suppose to get the tags from ME and magic bands closer to the actual date, not sure what else is there. First timer here!

We also got a little booklet with the Incredibles on it (I think). It outlines some basics about your resort, has your confirmation number, and had a magnet with our booking window dates (180 days for dining ADRs, 60 days for FP+, etc). That came pretty early.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We had our ME instructions on the door this morning. Late checkout seems to be easy to obtain. It is free of charge until 1pm.

I've really enjoyed reading your trip report. Thank you so much for posting it. I'm rather sad that your trip is almost over, but then you must be a whole lot sadder about it.

 

[lovingeire]

Hello Lodgers! We are booked in for our second stay at Wilderness Lodge January 7-13. Had hoped to try out CR, but no military discount, so we debated between WL and AoA. Space vs. location. After going back and forth with DH my 14 year old said, I liked taking the boat to MK so back to WL we are headed! Have to call in our room requests because I forgot when making our reservations. Hoping the trees haven't gotten too tall and we'll be able to see Wishes from our room again!

 

[oceanmarina]

So, inquiring minds want to know - POOL UPDATE.

Basically, it's not an update. The construction is non-existent for now and the Lodge is picture perfect! That's the great news. I did ask at Concierge about the plans. They plan to be down from "September to November" with a pool closure. He had no details on specifics, except to say they are adding an enclosure to keep people out when lifeguards are off-duty. He suggested that details from higher up are sketchy and contractors won't be pinned down on a specific date. He would not confirm that August construction is completely out of the question, but he did say the closure is scheduled for September. That's reassuring, but not exactly concrete. I asked 3 times, "so not before August" and got a sort of agreeing answer. I asked about geyser or lakeside rock work and he basically said 'we really don't know what they'll be doing exactly." Anyway, that's the latest. I wish it was more helpful.

Thanks BlueFairy,

When I called customer services at Disney, they said Sept 3 & it would not interfere with our trip (the 19th - 26th), hoping those contractors don't decide to get a head start in August .

I'm enjoying reading about your trip, thanks for posting & keeping us updated.

~ Marina

 

[GrandCalifornian]

I have to agree on this. We've had a north side view toward MK over the loading dock, an inner CYV (lower), and now a lobby standard view facing the bus stop. Far and away we prefer the lobby room location. There is noise from the service entrance on the north side, noise from EWP and the pool at CY, noise from Wishes everywhere. The lobby noise really is no different. I like hearing the music through the door. The lobby is noisy, but only until 10:00. After that it's fairly quiet. Breakfast starts with a bang around maybe 7:30 (??) but we are early risers, so I haven't had a problem with that. I would disagree about the pool party though. If I had a napping child I would think twice about the CYV. I am sensitive to bass thumping, and could hear it twice this week while inside the lodge near the lobby. Maybe an upper floor or upper CY is better? Dunno.

I agree that Courtyard View in general could be a problem with sleeping children and the pool party, but among Inner Courtyard View rooms the Bear Face ones are the farthest from the pool. For a quieter CYV location, the South side of the South wing is quiet, but not as pretty.

I'm glad to hear that you enjoy lobby rooms as well, and it has been fun following along on your trip. WL is just so neat!