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

[ttfn3]

Just booked the Wilderness Lodge for a spring break March trip for DS and I - it may be our final trip together since he'll be graduating. We've done a lot of offsite trips - visiting a lot of non park areas, stayed onsite at CSR, BWV a few times and SSR. We've dined at many of the MK Resorts over the years. First time staying at WL. DS is a distance runner so the running paths at WL and the campground were a huge plus. I've read a lot of this thread. It's been very helpful! Hoping to find the right balance of downtime at the hotel with park time....

 

[Wood Nymph]

We are midway through our week here at the WL villas (first time) and we are having a wonderful week! We asked for water park passes at check-in and received them. Me: "Since the main pool is closed, is it possible for us to get passes to a water park please?" CM: "Let me check with my manager." (Note - I think he was new.) CM returned and said "We'd be happy to give you a complimentary day pass to the water park. It will be linked to your magic bands shortly." It ended up being a 1-day pass to BB or TL. We used them today and it was fantastic. I do think it's unfortunate that you have to ask vs them granting them automatically though. We are in a villa overlooking the smaller pool and though it's been popular I wouldn't call it crowded. My 3 kids (ages 5-9) have been perfectly happy with this pool (and it's easier for me to supervise than at the large pool).

Thanks for the live report. I'm glad to hear that the quiet pool wasn't too crowded. We will be at the WL next week and are looking forward to some pool time with our five year old grandson.

Have you had a chance to view the construction area in the inner courtyard yet? I was wondering how the pool area construction is going. Can you hear any construction noise from the villas pool area?

Just booked the Wilderness Lodge for a spring break March trip for DS and I - it may be our final trip together since he'll be graduating. We've done a lot of offsite trips - visiting a lot of non park areas, stayed onsite at CSR, BWV a few times and SSR. We've dined at many of the MK Resorts over the years. First time staying at WL. DS is a distance runner so the running paths at WL and the campground were a huge plus. I've read a lot of this thread. It's been very helpful! Hoping to find the right balance of downtime at the hotel with park time....

You picked the best Disney resort for distance running. I hope your son enjoys the trails. We love walking to FW. It is one of the reasons we like the WL so much.

 

[mystery222184]

After switching to the YC/GF for our stay coming up due to the pool closure, I knew it wouldn't be long before we came back. We took advantage of that great Orbitz deal and will be back staying CL 2/28 - 3/7. Very exciting!!

 

[ccarter]

Hi everyone, my daughter and 2 granddaughters (2 and 6) will staying at WL 12/27/14-1/03/15. This is our first deluxe resort stay and we upgraded from POR. I decided that it might be the only time I would be able to "afford" it so we have a woods view bunk bed room booked and my daughter and I are super excited...the girls would be but we are surprising them with the trip!

 

[Polynesian27]

Hi All,
I know you can rent bikes at WL, but can you rent them and ride over to FW for dinner at Trails End? Or, do you have to return the bikes before dark? We would like to see the xmas decorations over at FW too after dinner and thought the bikes would be perfect. Thanks!

 

[dkrauss]

Hi everyone, my daughter and 2 granddaughters (2 and 6) will staying at WL 12/27/14-1/03/15. This is our first deluxe resort stay and we upgraded from POR. I decided that it might be the only time I would be able to "afford" it so we have a woods view bunk bed room booked and my daughter and I are super excited...the girls would be but we are surprising them with the trip!

Just returned from WL this past Sept and had the Bunk Bed woods view room you speak of. We were on the 6th floor (I believe it was 6024) with a great view of the Contemporary and Space Mountain. Using the boat to get to the MK is so much fun too!!!!!

Be sure to have a meal at Whispering Canyon Cafe...........is so worth it!

Have a great vacation!

Doug

 

[ccarter]

Just returned from WL this past Sept and had the Bunk Bed woods view room you speak of. We were on the 6th floor (I believe it was 6024) with a great view of the Contemporary and Space Mountain. Using the boat to get to the MK is so much fun too!!!!!

Be sure to have a meal at Whispering Canyon Cafe...........is so worth it!

Have a great vacation!

Doug

Thanks, Doug, that sounds like exactly the room we want! And I read such good things about WCC that we made an ADR there for what was our first night...until we added a day on to the beginning of our trip shortly after we upgraded (why not!) so now it's night #2!

 

[WDWKOOK]

We will be checking in 9 days from now as well!!! We arrive MCO @ 10:15 planing to be at WL for lunch and then we will see I have fast+ for TSM and Frozen but my nephew insists he wants to go to pool! Yes, I have told him pool is closed! I will be the woman next to the tall unhappy guy. maybe a nice CM can explain to him why we were not told pool would be closed when we first made reservation and another resort was available for our dates! They may give us a refund and pay for tickets to send us home!
But I am hoping we will get over it and find the

We were planning a split stay with last 2 days 10/26-10/28 at the POFQ but I just changed the last 2 days so we will be staying entire visit at WL. 10/22-10/28

can't wait already have begun putting piles of our clothes downstairs on sofa on their way into the suitcase! Our collection of Disney clothing just continues to grow and now we have to choose which items to bring this trip we have so many shirts n sweatshirts, n hats! We are still trying to decide which costumes to bring for MNSSHP! Decisions decisions......

I hope your piles don't tip over and I'll amend your dates in the Lodgers' Log.

Very grateful for all of the information provided in this thread, thanks so much!!

My husband and I, along with our two boys, will be staying at WL in a courtyard view room from Jan 5th-9th. I've only stayed at the Poly and AS-Sports in the past, and that was over 15 years ago when I was a kid, so I'm extremely excited!! My dh and kids have never been to WDW, so this is going to be quite the treat for them. Dh grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and I'm hoping WL will help him fall in love with Disney so we can go back in a few years

What a trip of firsts! I'm sure your DH and kids will LOVE WDW and WL. Let us know if you have any questions and I'll add you to the Log.

Hi, guys....staying at WL for the first time 11/17-11/22 for my birthday! We've stayed at POFQ/Pop/ASMo and Disneyland Paradise Pier (I stayed at GF many years ago with my parents).

My DD's bff who works at WDW informed me the decorations for Christmas are going up the night of 11/18, so I am thinking of doing a live blog of it. I used to be a Visual Merchandiser for Marshall Fields department store where I decorated over 500 Christmas trees one year (whew!!!) and I adore Christmas, so I think it would be fun!

I was originally bummed about the pool closure, but we got over that and are just looking forward to a fun trip. My 2 kids have been to WDW TWICE on their birthdays and my husband once for his (for F&W/MNSSHP), but this is my first time. My previous career never allowed me to take vacation time between Nov 1-Jan 15, but now I can. It's been my dream to be at WDW for my birthday/during the holidays so YAY!!!! We are attending MVMCP, dining at Narcooses on my birthday night, and of course spending time with my DD's bff, who she hasn't seen in 5 months, so that is cool!

Our dear friends are huge WL fans, so they are excitedly telling us about the resort. My DH has even been on a diet/workout program and has lost 40 pounds...he doesn't want to be a Pooh-sized guest! Our last trip was in 2012, and his appendix burst 3 weeks before the trip, so I attempted to cancel, and he said NO WAY. His surgeon said it was ok for him to go and he insisted (it was one of the birthday trips for our kids). We moved slowly on the trip, but we were chosen to be Grand Marshals for the parade at MK on my son's birthday...what a memory! So this trip, my husband is really looking forward to it and is in great shape!

Happy vacation to everyone and enjoy your stays!

Your birthday sounds fabulous and congratulations to DH on his weight loss. This will be a very special Christmas for you and your family and I hope no one gets sick before the trip. BTW, love those Frango Mints

I love reading everyone's plans! Its still too early to make concrete plans for our June trip, but I'm taking notes! Not sure where to eat for DH's birthday, where to celebrate dd's achievements and oh yeah, we'll be celebrating 34 years of marriage!

there are many choices, and I don't think we can go wrong with any of them! Tried and true California Grill, or something new, Narcooses? I have no idea, but I'll be changing my mind often between now and then!

May I suggest Yachtsman Steakhouse? We had a fabulous meal and server this summer and it's our new favorite Signature restaurant.

Just wondering I hear about people being upgraded with pixie dust...Do they upgrade to CL? I'm really looking forward to being at WL for Christmas this year. This will be my first time at the resort and first time at Disney for Christmas. I am thinking i'd love a view of the MK for wishes, though not sure how often i'd be in the room for it.

You're going to love WL at Christmas and don't forget to go over to VWL and see all their decorations, too. Some of the North Wing Woods View rooms that are high up have a partial Wishes view.

.


ETA: sorry somehow I posted on the wrong thread! Dumb iPad.

No problem and that explains why I didn't understand your post

A little OT but SEEYAREELSOON a popular blogging couple are in the middle of posting their May trip and here is a resort day (mostly at the Campgrounds but still nice to watch)


http://youtu.be/eyfDBxY3kDo



This was the episode where Joe surprised Ashley with the Wilderness Lodge stay and they show their room.

http://youtu.be/uAsk3iSM7uk

Thank you for posting the links

Hi! Thanks to everyone who posts pics and info on here. I am so excited about our first Christmas time trip and our first stay at VWL. Please add us to the log for Dec. 20-25. Can anyone tell me about how long it takes to walk from the villas to the boat dock to Mk? Thank you

I'd be happy to add you.

How long will the tree stay up?

All decorations usually come down 2-3 days after NYD, I believe.

We are midway through our week here at the WL villas (first time) and we are having a wonderful week! We asked for water park passes at check-in and received them. Me: "Since the main pool is closed, is it possible for us to get passes to a water park please?" CM: "Let me check with my manager." (Note - I think he was new.) CM returned and said "We'd be happy to give you a complimentary day pass to the water park. It will be linked to your magic bands shortly." It ended up being a 1-day pass to BB or TL. We used them today and it was fantastic. I do think it's unfortunate that you have to ask vs them granting them automatically though. We are in a villa overlooking the smaller pool and though it's been popular I wouldn't call it crowded. My 3 kids (ages 5-9) have been perfectly happy with this pool (and it's easier for me to supervise than at the large pool).

to the DIS and the WL/VWL thread. We're honored that your first post is here

I agree that the tickets should be offered at check-in, which makes me wonder how anyone who doesn't follow these boards would know about them.

I hope the rest of your stay is magical.

Just booked the Wilderness Lodge for a spring break March trip for DS and I - it may be our final trip together since he'll be graduating. We've done a lot of offsite trips - visiting a lot of non park areas, stayed onsite at CSR, BWV a few times and SSR. We've dined at many of the MK Resorts over the years. First time staying at WL. DS is a distance runner so the running paths at WL and the campground were a huge plus. I've read a lot of this thread. It's been very helpful! Hoping to find the right balance of downtime at the hotel with park time....

Glad you've found the thread helpful and let us know if you have questions.

After switching to the YC/GF for our stay coming up due to the pool closure, I knew it wouldn't be long before we came back. We took advantage of that great Orbitz deal and will be back staying CL 2/28 - 3/7. Very exciting!!

Great choice and I'll add your dates in POST 2.

Hi everyone, my daughter and 2 granddaughters (2 and 6) will staying at WL 12/27/14-1/03/15. This is our first deluxe resort stay and we upgraded from POR. I decided that it might be the only time I would be able to "afford" it so we have a woods view bunk bed room booked and my daughter and I are super excited...the girls would be but we are surprising them with the trip!

What a great surprise! I'll put your dates in the Lodgers' Log.

Hi All,
I know you can rent bikes at WL, but can you rent them and ride over to FW for dinner at Trails End? Or, do you have to return the bikes before dark? We would like to see the xmas decorations over at FW too after dinner and thought the bikes would be perfect. Thanks!

The marina/bike rentals closes around 5-6, depending on the season. You would only be able to use the bikes during lunch. Also, the paths are not lit at all so they're essentially unusable after dark or early morning.

 

[diskids2]

Hi all! Just switched back from BC to WL for our 12-23--1-1-15 trip! Plus I posted this on the FW thread. Just goes to show you how excited I am!

 

[WDWKOOK]

Hi all! Just switched back from BC to WL for our 12-23--1-1-15 trip! Plus I posted this on the FW thread. Just goes to show you how excited I am!

It wasn't hard for me to follow your trail…I think you took the concrete path over. I still have you in our Lodgers' Log so I guess I didn't realize you had switched - welcome back.

 

[JnKinVA]

I know this is the WL thread, but we technically will be making a 'visit' to the WL this weekend! We are staying at POP as that was really that was all available.
But we will take the boat over to say 'hello' and have a look at the construction.

DH had to come home due to his mother's health and she ended up passing away on 10/12. DH is doing ok, as he was sort of prepared for this. His mom had survived a cancerous brain tumor 7 years ago and lived 6 years longer than they had given her.

DH is also turning 40 this year, and he will be back in Afghanistan so we are going to celebrate it while we are there.

I can't believe I woke up the morning and went "Let's go to Disney tomorrow" and DH went, whatever you want to do!

 

[elaw]

Does anyone have any updated pool construction photos?

 

[Offsides]

We will be staying at WL (for the first time!!) Dec 11-16th! We switched resorts a number of times (4) but decided on WL since we have never stayed there before. I am a little nervous because we usually stay at one of the Epcot resorts and love being able to walk to Epcot and DHS.. but I am also excited to try out WL!

A couple of questions:

1) We have a courtyard view with bunk beds. We have 3 adults and a 16 year old.. Are the bunk beds comfortable for adults/older kids?

2) I am so used to timing everything from the Epcot resorts, I feel lost here, ha ha. If we want to make it to rope drop at MK by taking the boat, about how much time should we allow?

 

[CuteAsMinnie]

Just booked the Wilderness Lodge for a spring break March trip for DS and I - it may be our final trip together since he'll be graduating. We've done a lot of offsite trips - visiting a lot of non park areas, stayed onsite at CSR, BWV a few times and SSR. We've dined at many of the MK Resorts over the years. First time staying at WL. DS is a distance runner so the running paths at WL and the campground were a huge plus. I've read a lot of this thread. It's been very helpful! Hoping to find the right balance of downtime at the hotel with park time....

DS was a distance runner in HS and has ventured on to collegiate XC now. He ran the trails between WF and FW every day for between 8-10 miles and they were fine. I'm sure it'll be a little more comfortable for your DS running in the spring than it was in July. Good luck to him in his final HS season!


P.S. You picked a great resort for 'down time!' Don't count on this being your last trip together.

 

[chigirl]

What day is your birthday? We will be at VWL for my birthday as well. It's November 23.
Happy Birthday! 19th of November is mine!






Do they have a specific day that the tree goes up? That was an awesome part of our vacation last year when we were at AKL.

My daughter's best friend says decor is going up on 11/18, she works at WDW.

 

[MrsJobba1]

Just wondered - how long does it take to walk to fort wilderness from wilderness lodge? Thanks

 

[patty57]

DH had to come home due to his mother's health and she ended up passing away on 10/12. DH is doing ok, as he was sort of prepared for this. His mom had survived a cancerous brain tumor 7 years ago and lived 6 years longer than they had given her.

DH is also turning 40 this year, and he will be back in Afghanistan so we are going to celebrate it while we are there.

I can't believe I woke up the morning and went "Let's go to Disney tomorrow" and DH went, whatever you want to do!

I'm sorry about your mother-in-law. My dad passed away unexpectedly four years ago, and a WDW trip for my mom and me helped us both a lot.

 

[Wood Nymph]

2) I am so used to timing everything from the Epcot resorts, I feel lost here, ha ha. If we want to make it to rope drop at MK by taking the boat, about how much time should we allow?

We love both the WL and the BC. One of the really nice things about the WL, besides the ease of travel to MK, is having a real counter service restaurant.

The boat ride to MK is about 12 minutes and the boats are usually 20 minutes or less apart. The line for the boat first thing in the morning can be rather long and sometimes you have to wait for the next boat. So I would give myself about 45 minutes to get there for rope drop. The bus might be safer if you want to get there for rope drop. Usually we aren't in a big hurry to get there at a certain time, so we usually take the boat.

Just wondered - how long does it take to walk to fort wilderness from wilderness lodge? Thanks

It takes us about 15 to 20 minutes to walk to FW. It is one of our favorite things to do when we are staying there.

 

[danikoski]

So, I will be at WL Jan.19-27 for my Disneymoon...this will be my new husband's first time at DW...I mentioned that there are celebration buttons that we can wear...he balked...I was just wondering what examples people have of pixie dust when wearing the celebration buttons? I recognize the pixie dust is at CM discretion, but just looking for examples to convince my significant other the buttons are a good thing
I can only dream of getting him to wear the tux mouse ears

 

[JnKinVA]

I'm sorry about your mother-in-law. My dad passed away unexpectedly four years ago, and a WDW trip for my mom and me helped us both a lot.

Thank you. I am hoping it will keep us both preoccupied at least for the few days that he will be here.