Thank you so much everyone!!!! You really are a truly special group here
Me and hubby are looking forward to enjoying our
families, especially our grandsons who are super excited
I'll report back while we are there.
Going back to work has really interfered with me keeping up with this thread! So many trips happening or being planned. Isn't there someone in a 2BR villa now? I am sorry, I forget who it was. I hope they check in here soon because I have some questions. (actually, I hope they are having too much fun to post now!)
Anyhow, just wanted to say hi and I can't believe that my countdown is down to 2 1/2 months! (my original booking was done in June 2011) My back is not completely better yet, but that is not going to stop me!! scanne- I think we are going to be there at the same time.
You've got to just stop that whole teaching business so you can post more here
. Your trip is going to be here before you know it,
bluecastle! In fact, do our trips overlap?
Bluecastle. We will be leaving in about 3 hours for the airport to check into the 2 bedroom villa. I will take lots of pics and ask all the questions you would like
That's sweet of you. Hope you're having a GREAT time
Hi everyone! We just booked our first Wilderness Lodge vacation! Having never stayed there before, we have just a couple of questions!
1. Is it worth it to upgrade to a courtyard view? We booked standard, and it would be about $200 more to upgrade.
2. What is the best route to Epcot-take the boat to CL, and then the monorail, or just take the bus?
We are so excited to stay there at Christmas time! We have always gone in the spring, so this will be quite a change. I hope the weather is nice, we are used to it being pretty hot while there! We are going with my 2 daughters and their family's, so a total of 11 people, including 5 little ones!
TIA!!!
Welcome to the thread and congratulations on booking
. If you can do it, I would upgrade. With an "inner" or "Wilderness Lodge" Courtyard View, you'll be able to watch the Electric Water Pageant from you balcony every night at 9:35. You'll also have what I think is one of the best resort views - the geyser, the courtyard and Bay Lake. However, if you have any nappers or very light sleepers who fall asleep before 9:35, they could be bothered by the afternoon pool party music and/or the EWP. In that case, I would recommend a Woods View on a high floor or a STD room with a high floor request, so that you might be able to see some of Wishes
Checking in today for 6 nights then cruising on the Dream. Super excited!
I hope your vacation is going well - can't wait to read about it!
I got a CL!!!!!
I drove to work today thinking about it, and realized that since most people get paid on Fridays, maybe someone realized that they couldn't afford CL and downgraded, so I gave it a shot and got my CL! I'm so psyched
.
What was the IPO email address again?
I'm so glad that a CL room opened up with the BB for you
. You're going to love the Old Faithful Club,
amykay9377!
ten days until check in!
Did you do online check-in? Time to get to packin'!
You are going to love being there at Christmas time!! One of my Disney dreams was to stay at the WL during the holidays and it finally came true in Dec. 2009. We had stayed there before but never at that time of year. I was past the point, or so I thought, of being wowed by the lobby, but when I walked in and saw the tree I cried. I took so many pictures that trip. I loved seeing that tree every morning when we set out and every time we came home. I also enjoyed the little trees and wreaths and garlands everywhere. As for the weather...it was pretty cold. On the plus side: it really felt like Christmas and when the fake snow on Main St. started I had to remind myself it wasn't real! The Osborne Lights and all the holiday happenings just seemed more Christmassy in the cold. My feet never hurt once-no sweating, no blisters or chafing anywhere! I didn't miss having to drink so much water or having a fan mister or be always dealing with the tiredness and crankiness that comes from the heat and humidity. No sunscreen. On the negative side- no real pool days, no trips to the water parks, the nights got almost uncomfortably chilly sometimes and we had to buy sweatshirts. (not a totally negative thing) I kind of missed the usual music at the WL (they replace it with an all holiday music loop) and also at the parks, but that just added to the holiday spirit. Make sure you visit some of the other resorts to see their decorations. I made ADRs at some of the resort restaurants just to make sure we saw the decorations, and on New Year's Eve we made the rounds of the monorail resorts to make sure we saw all of theirs. But, IMHO, there is no better place to stay at Christmas than the WL!!! p.s. As far as the weather is concerned YMMV. We just happened to hit a streak of unusually cold weather-even for December. You just have to be prepared for anything and keep an eye on the 10 day forecast online.
I couldn't have said it better,
bluecastle!
We were there Christmas '10 and some days you could swim and we even used the hot tub on Christmas Day, but the hard part was getting out of the pool and the hot tub. Bring something very warm to put on after you get out of the pool or hot tub. That walk back when you're wet seems extra long
I recently made a reservation for our first stay at the WL!!! We will arrive Dec 14th for 5 night & 6 days. It will be our first time to see the WDW Christmas decorations in person and first girls only trip with my 2 grown daughters!! I am beyond excited!! We have only stayed at the Polynesian Resort until now as DH loves the convenience of a monorail resort & being within walking distance of the TTC. Maybe after the 3 of us stay here he will want to try it, too!
The pictures I've seen look amazing and I've read that it is one of the best "themed" resorts in general and especially at Christmas. I will always love the Poly, but look forward to joining the WL family!
ALOHA and HOWDY! Congratulations and welcome to the thread,
rcsilverspring! While you won't be able to walk to the TTC, you can walk to FW where there are places to eat and shop and ride horses and do archery and you can rent bikes at WL and go around FW. There are lots of fun activities at FW! And, you take the boat over to the CR to visit the Poly. With all the monorail issues lately, the bus to Epcot is frequently just as quick if not quicker than the monorail.
I think you're going to love the theming at WL. While it's very different from the Poly, it's very warm and cozy and welcoming. Everything is in one building so you won't get soaked during a downpour. And, no carts will beep at you when you're walking down the sidewalk!
Have fun planning your trip with your DDs!
The map on the first page does not list seventh floor room numbers with the various views. The Disney booking site promises either a woods or courtyard view, but it seems to me (and Ronald Duck's map) that the north facing CL rooms have a view of a service area. Is this true? And if so, are these the rooms that also potentially have a view of the MK fireworks?
Also, the seventh floor rooms do not extend all the way to the end of the U shape, right? The end where it widens and begins a new "leg"?
The Club Level rooms that are nearest the service area are the two Honeymoon Suites. There are two on the North Wing (near the service area) and two on the South Wing (near the bus stop and VWL). There are Woods View, WL Courtyard and VWL Courtyard CL room requests. If you want to be able to see some of Wishes, I think you would need to be in either a Woods View or a South Wing room might also have a partial view.
Yes, the 7th floor does not extend out to the ends closest to Bay Lake.
Hope someone can answer these:
1. Boat to MK - once the boat arrives at WL, does it go straight to MK or does it stop at CR and FW first?
2. Anyone know whether it has been noisy due to the room renovation/ construction?
3. Are the CL rooms done yet on the 7th floor?
4. Does the WL pool have a slide? I saw a little slide on the first page of this thread. No bigger slide like at the other resorts?
Thanks!
The North Wing of the 7th floor was completed in early May and the South Wing of the 7th floor is slated to be completed in the end of July.
Just got back two weeks ago.
Boat schedule seemed to change based on time of day.
Main pool has one small slide, DVC pool has no slide.
Construction noise not a big issue as construction started after 9 or 10 a.m.
One issue regarding refillable mugs. The only refill station is in the counter service roaring forks. So you had to walk from the DVC pool past the regular pool into the main building to refill your drink. This is especially difficult when your child wants a drink but doesn't want to leave the pool.
BLT has refillable station poolside.
Welcome back. Did you book a BB?
just got back last week! Boat goes DIRECTLY to and from MK. There is a separate boat for FW and CW. Boat service was very good!
Our room was loud during the day-hard to nap. Construction started above us around 7:30 AM and was still going strong at naptime around 3. We brought a white noise machine which helped. They were also testing smoke alarms one day which was horrible!
I do not know about the 7th floor. We were on the 4th floor. The construction was above us and outside we could see mattresses leaning against the sliders. I will say that the hallways-even for being right next to the elevator were VERY quiet!
The main pool has a slide. The other pool does not. The slide does wind a corner and is a good size for all ages-although my child wanted nothing to do with it! always pool games and activities and music-so fun! I miss it!
Hope that helps!
Thanks for checking-in with us and I hope all the chaos won't prevent you from returning. It should all be done by the end of September
Hi, Linda! Oh my, I think I last posted here Friday, but now you've made me feel guilty
and I know I have a LOT of catching-up on the RC thread - changes don't take the weekends off
. Exactly 5 months from today you'll be at VWL
