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

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

http://www.wdwmagic.com/Resorts/Walt...t-schedule.htm

The cable TV selection is about to be vastly improved across all of the Walt Disney World resorts on a staggered rollout, beginning March 13 2012, and completed by May 8 2012. New channels include Fox News, Bravo, AMC, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Discovery, HGTV, TLC, History Channel, Food Network, TV Land, SyFy and National Geographic. The rollout schedule is listed below, and you can view the full channel list on channel 17 on the in-room TV.

March 13: Disney's Port Orleans Resorts
March 15: Disney's Old Key West Resort
March 20: Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
March 22: Disney's Pop Century Resort
April 3: Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
April 5: Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
April 10: Disney's All-Star Resorts
April 12: Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
April 17: Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts
April 19: Disney's BoardWalk Inn
April 24: Disney's Contemporary Resort
April 26: Disney's Polynesian Resort
May 1: Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
May 3: Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort
May 8: Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground

 

[bluecastle]

I am so sorry!! I did not even notice it was you who asked both questions! Will you have a one or two bedroom? Either is so nice and think you'll really enjoy the space. Having a washer/dryer right in the room is fabulous - I washed my favorite khaki crops every night so I could wear them the next day...it was August and those were so comfy!

If you do have a room facing the lake, even with the trees in between, be sure to listen for the Electrical Water Pageant at ngt if back in the room - we could hear it perfectly, but not see it clearly...it was still neat. Love EWP! If you happen to get one of the rooms facing the pool it might be a better view of EWP - that would be very nice.

Glad I could help!

No apology needed! I got a 2 bedroom even though there are only 4 of us. We are staying for 8 nights, it's 2 couples (my DH and I, my DD and her boyfriend), none of us want to be on a sleeper couch, and we all need the privacy. (that's why I originally booked 2 rooms)
I am trying to figure out what clothes would be good for me for touring every day. I am not really comfortable in shorts, but those cargo ones with all the pockets might be a good idea.


We love the EWP-on our last trip we had accepted the fact that it was going to end up being one of the things on our list that we didn't get to see (too busy enjoying all the holiday decorations!). Then, on the last night, while we were waiting for the boat back to the WL, we heard the music and were surprised to see it go past the MK while we waited for the boat! It was a sweet way to end our trip.
Thanks again!

143 days to HP, 145 to VWL

 

[WDWKOOK]

I read on the last page that you usually go in August. We are going the first week in August. We used to go in June right after school ended, so I still have my lists from those trips to help me remember what we need for a summer trip. I was just wondering if you had any advice or if you knew of a thread here that deals with summer touring tips. Right now our general plan is to go early, nap, pool, shower, then go back to parks for the evening. (with a sleep late, hang out at hotel day in the middle)
Thanks!

143 days to HP, 145 days to VWL

While I'm not Kook , we went in August for many years so have lots of experience with that time of year. We planned our days just as you mentioned: out early (rope drop or morning EMH), back to the resort about noon (or when the heat and crowds got bad), a swim, rest, shower etc, then back to the parks after 5...it will still be very humid, but can be a little better heat wise once the sun goes down. You've been in June and the heat is pretty much the same; although my native Floridian friends tell me June and all of September is the worst!

Happy planning and have a wonderful trip!

Your plan sounds like a good one for anytime of the year, bluecastle and Minnie&Nana. Though I might switch the nap to after the swim

The first week in August will be less crowded than June because some of the schools in the South will be starting again. We're not EMH people, so we get to the parks in the late morning after breakfast in the CL lounge and then we get FPs and usually head back to the resort in the late afternoon. We prefer our TS meal in the late afternoon and using the CL lounge in the evening. If you aren't going to be doing each park multiple times or you need to "see it all" then EMH, particularly AM EMH, is the way to go.

We used to go toward the end of August since DD's school doesn't start until the day after Labor Day, but because of Free Dining in August now, which brings more crowds in, we try and time it so that we depart before FD starts. This year it starts on August 25, so we're departing that day.

Hi everyone, we are staying at the WL for the 1st in May!!! We are beyond excited!!! Two things I am hoping all you WL experts can help me with.

First, so I am just hearing about construction starting in April. Seems like this isn't something I should worry about b/c its done one floor at a time right? I just don't want the atmosphere of the WL to seem disrupted b/c of the construction. So if they do one floor at a time, will the whole floor wing be closed? I wouldn't want to be in a room next to room in the process of being refurbed.

Second, we booked a standard room. Currently, I requested on my reservation a room close to lobby and elevators and room with balcony. My question is can anyone recommend a good standard room location? Basically I just want our room to be close to all the action of the resort (i.e. lobby, pool, roaring forks, transportation). If that is what I am looking for, what should a request when I call the room assigner before the trip?

Appreciate any and all advice!!!

Yes, they will close off one floor at a time. But, I will try to get more specific information about the rehab in a few weeks when I'm back at WL.

The WL room assignors are very good about trying to accommodate guests' requests, so if you're unhappy about your room location, just ask at check-in for something else. They'll be able to tell you at check-in if your room might be affected in any way by the rehab. and they'll do their best to make you happy.

The Standard rooms are all located near the front of the resort, overlooking the service areas and some overlook the bus stop/parking lot area on the VWL side of the resort. Here is a map showing their location:

This is a photo of the location, floors 2 and up, of the Standard Rooms that face toward the MK. You can see some of Wishes from the upper floors:

We just made are final payment.... WHOO WHOO We have woods view with bunk beds... The kids are so excited. Is there any special request we should make for the room?

Congratulations on being paid-in-full! For a Woods View room, some guests like a high floor so that they might be able to see some of Wishes. Also, some like to be near the "Otter Pond."

http://www.wdwmagic.com/Resorts/Walt...t-schedule.htm

The cable TV selection is about to be vastly improved across all of the Walt Disney World resorts on a staggered rollout, beginning March 13 2012, and completed by May 8 2012. New channels include Fox News, Bravo, AMC, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Discovery, HGTV, TLC, History Channel, Food Network, TV Land, SyFy and National Geographic. The rollout schedule is listed below, and you can view the full channel list on channel 17 on the in-room TV.

March 13: Disney's Port Orleans Resorts
March 15: Disney's Old Key West Resort
March 20: Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
March 22: Disney's Pop Century Resort
April 3: Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
April 5: Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
April 10: Disney's All-Star Resorts
April 12: Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
April 17: Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts
April 19: Disney's BoardWalk Inn
April 24: Disney's Contemporary Resort
April 26: Disney's Polynesian Resort
May 1: Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
May 3: Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort
May 8: Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground

Thank you for posting the schedule! I guess I will have to wait until our August trip to enjoy the new line-up. Does anyone know why this is being completed over a 3-month period? You'd think they could just "flip a switch" and have them all done simultaneously. Do they have to install dishes?

 

[stephgles]

We just made are final payment.... WHOO WHOO We have woods view with bunk beds... The kids are so excited. Is there any special request we should make for the room?

Request by the Otter pond. We have had rooms 5024 and 4024 and you are able to sit on your balacony and watch the fireworks and see the castle.

 

[bluecastle]

Testing to see if my signature works. Don't think I did the ticker right. oh well. I have really been enjoying catching up on this thread. There is so much info and everyone is very nice and helpful. I better hurry up and finish before there are so many pages you have to make a new thread again!
Thanks.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Testing to see if my signature works. Don't think I did the ticker right. oh well. I have really been enjoying catching up on this thread. There is so much info and everyone is very nice and helpful. I better hurry up and finish before there are so many pages you have to make a new thread again!
Thanks.

All you forgot to do is add

to the end instead of url. Then, your ticker should look exactly like this:

Just copy and paste it right into your signature. (BTW, I won't have to start a new thread until it's closer to 250 pages, so you have a while)

 

[bluecastle]

Thanks WDWKOOK! Just looking at those banners makes me happy.

 

[grkmbee]

I'm not even sure where to start...We've recently booked at trip to WL for the middle of April (16-20) for my DS's 5th birthday. My mom (his grandma) and I are taking him and it's a complete surprise for him! Whenever I ask him where he'd go if he could travel anywhere, his response is always WDW. I can't wait to see his reaction when we tell him on the plane where we're headed! I haven't been to WDW since I was a tween so I'm excited to go back.

We booked a CL-Standard room but I didn't see a place online where to put a view or bedding request. Is this done through the IPO? I'm reading a lot about people getting upgrades but since we're already staying CL, is there a chance of an upgrade? to what? I'd imagine that if the rehab starts on the 7th floor, we'd be moved to a lower level?

What do people usually do about pool towels? Do they provide them?

Since I haven't been to WDW in nearly 2 decades, what else do I need to know/do? I'm thinking about shipping water as that seems like a good thing to have on hand and avoid paying $2.50/bottle. But, do they have bottled water in the CL lounge?

TIA for all your help and advice!

Melissa

 

[WDWKOOK]

Thanks WDWKOOK! Just looking at those banners makes me happy.

I know just what you mean! They look great. May I suggest that you put your tickers next to each other so that the bottom ticker won't be cut off

I'm not even sure where to start...We've recently booked at trip to WL for the middle of April (16-20) for my DS's 5th birthday. My mom (his grandma) and I are taking him and it's a complete surprise for him! Whenever I ask him where he'd go if he could travel anywhere, his response is always WDW. I can't wait to see his reaction when we tell him on the plane where we're headed! I haven't been to WDW since I was a tween so I'm excited to go back.

We booked a CL-Standard room but I didn't see a place online where to put a view or bedding request. Is this done through the IPO? I'm reading a lot about people getting upgrades but since we're already staying CL, is there a chance of an upgrade? to what? I'd imagine that if the rehab starts on the 7th floor, we'd be moved to a lower level?

What do people usually do about pool towels? Do they provide them?

Since I haven't been to WDW in nearly 2 decades, what else do I need to know/do? I'm thinking about shipping water as that seems like a good thing to have on hand and avoid paying $2.50/bottle. But, do they have bottled water in the CL lounge?

TIA for all your help and advice!

Melissa

to the DIS and the WL thread, Melissa!

Oh, what a wonderful surprise for your DS! We arrive at WL about 12 days before you and I would have loved to see the look on your DS's face when he walks into the lobby - priceless! Make sure you take him over to the VWL lobby and into the Carolwood Pacific Railroad room to see the model trains and photos. There's more info. about it at the end of the first page.

Towels are provided at the pool, so no need to bring any. Since you booked online, you'll need to either call the WDTC/CRO and add any room location requests to your reservation. Or you can just email the WL IPO and ask them to put the request in your reservation. By "bedding request" do you mean you'd like to request a bunk? That would be the only bed request you could make for a 2 adults and one child. If you do request a bunk, either you and mom would have to sleep in a queen together or one adult could squeeze into a bunk bed, but it wouldn't be ideal. The other request you could make would be a view. The CL rooms have either an inner courtyard view of Bay Lake, the pool and the geyser or a Woods View or a VWL courtyard view.

I'm going to ask about the rehab floor schedule when I arrive and I'll post here. If they close only one wing at a time, then in theory, the lounge could remain open with one wing of guests. If they close one entire floor at a time, then I assume CL guests will be moved to another floor. The Deluxe room guests are already on floors 1-6.

Yes, there is water in the CL lounge, however, it is no longer in individual bottles. You can pour as much as you like into your container or you can take all the canned beverages, beer and juice boxes you'd like. You can even store them in your fridge.

If you have more questions, feel free to post them anytime

 

[bluecastle]

WDWKOOK- the dialogue box wasn't wide enough for me to move the 2nd banner over. (am I missing something?)
As far as the bedding question is concerned, I think I remember a place online to note a request for a hypo-allergenic room- no carpet cleaner, twice rinsed sheets, etc. Maybe I am thinking of a different hotel that I reserved online sometime. (but there is no other place we travel to where we would stay long enough to care about that stuff!) p.s. both banners show up in preview-we'll see what happens!

 

[bluecastle]

oh well

 

[grkmbee]

By "bedding request" do you mean you'd like to request a bunk?

I was thinking that I didn't want bunk beds because of the exact situation you described. Given that my DS is still type of kid who'll sneak into Mom and Dad's room in the morning, the two queens will probably work out the best.

One thing I am second guessing right now is going with the CL room. I'm worried that with the enclosed balcony and a slightly sloped ceiling (not sure if that is for all rooms?) the room will be darker and less inviting. But the convenience of having breakfast and snacks so close to our room seemed like it might be worth it?

REHAB NEWS!!!
I emailed the IPO office today inquiring as to whether our reservation would be affected by the rehab. This is the response I got from them:
"At the time of your stay the North Wing of the 7th floor will be close[sic] for construction. This will only affect requests for a Magic Kingdom view room. You may hear some noise from the construction during the day, but that should be very minimal as it is on the other side of the courtyard from your room. "

So perhaps the rehab will be top down. I'd guess that they're only blocking off 1/2 the 7th floor at a time due to it being CL and that the other floors would be closed off in total when it is their time - obviously just speculation on my part as I'm certainly no expert!

Depending upon how many CL-standard rooms they have booked as compared with how many exist on the South wing, some people may be moved down stairs??? I'd be happy as long as I have an inner courtyard view. (My other choice was MK - but that won't be available)

 

[WDWKOOK]

WDWKOOK- the dialogue box wasn't wide enough for me to move the 2nd banner over. (am I missing something?)
As far as the bedding question is concerned, I think I remember a place online to note a request for a hypo-allergenic room- no carpet cleaner, twice rinsed sheets, etc. Maybe I am thinking of a different hotel that I reserved online sometime. (but there is no other place we travel to where we would stay long enough to care about that stuff!) p.s. both banners show up in preview-we'll see what happens!

The dialog box has "soft corners" and can be expanded from the bottom/right. You should be able to put both IMG codes (tickers) side by side, but don't worry too much about it - at least you now have your tickers

I was thinking that I didn't want bunk beds because of the exact situation you described. Given that my DS is still type of kid who'll sneak into Mom and Dad's room in the morning, the two queens will probably work out the best.

One thing I am second guessing right now is going with the CL room. I'm worried that with the enclosed balcony and a slightly sloped ceiling (not sure if that is for all rooms?) the room will be darker and less inviting. But the convenience of having breakfast and snacks so close to our room seemed like it might be worth it?

REHAB NEWS!!!
I emailed the IPO office today inquiring as to whether our reservation would be affected by the rehab. This is the response I got from them:
"At the time of your stay the North Wing of the 7th floor will be close[sic] for construction. This will only affect requests for a Magic Kingdom view room. You may hear some noise from the construction during the day, but that should be very minimal as it is on the other side of the courtyard from your room. "

So perhaps the rehab will be top down. I'd guess that they're only blocking off 1/2 the 7th floor at a time due to it being CL and that the other floors would be closed off in total when it is their time - obviously just speculation on my part as I'm certainly no expert!

Depending upon how many CL-standard rooms they have booked as compared with how many exist on the South wing, some people may be moved down stairs??? I'd be happy as long as I have an inner courtyard view. (My other choice was MK - but that won't be available)

Your news makes perfect sense. Thank you for posting this information. That answers my theory that they'll only be closing one wing at a time as opposed to one floor, as I was told in August. Knowing that the 7th floor rooms would be completely "new" for our August anniversary, really solidifies my plans to change our reservation back to WL/CL. I may be making a call to the WDTC today

You arrive April 16 and the rehab is slated to begin the day before, but they already seem to know that you'll in fact be on the 7th floor in the South Wing. I can't imagine any reason to skip floors, so top-down seems the plan which makes perfect sense to start with the most expensive rooms first. I wonder if they're re-doing the two suitesg. I will say that having a CL room on another floor can be advantageous in that you will most likely have a balcony railing that you can actually see through and be able to sit down and enjoy the view

Even though I was going to wait until we arrive on April 2 to ask the CL manager about the details, since the IPO actually seems to know what's going on, I'm going to email them today and see if I can get any more specific information for everyone.

Thanks again for the great information, grkmbee

 

[juliehoey]

It's been quite a few years since I've stayed at WL. Can anyone tell me if the bus loop for TL stops at DTD and PI bus stops first or it goes directly to TL? And is it still one hour start prior to park opening? Trying to plan for rope drop at TL. We'll be going last week of August. We stayed at POP last year and it was a direct bus to TL.

 

[bluecastle]

REHAB NEWS!!!
I emailed the IPO office today inquiring as to whether our reservation would be affected by the rehab. This is the response I got from them:
"At the time of your stay the North Wing of the 7th floor will be close[sic] for construction. This will only affect requests for a Magic Kingdom view room. You may hear some noise from the construction during the day, but that should be very minimal as it is on the other side of the courtyard from your room. "

Thanks for sharing that news grkmbee! As much as I might be tempted to change my Aug. res back (again!) to 2 rooms on a high floor in the lodge, my family and I have all gotten very excited about trying a villa for the first time. I guess we'll save experiencing a "new" room for another trip.
Please excuse my ignorance on this, but what does IPO stand for? Is that the room assigner? Is the email address in another thread here? I am not new to WDW, but I am new to this site.
One of my concerns about the construction was that it might interfere with our afternoon naps-either noise from above or below. But the lodge is so big I think that being in a different wing would probably take care of that.
Have a wonderful trip!

 

[WDWKOOK]

It's been quite a few years since I've stayed at WL. Can anyone tell me if the bus loop for TL stops at DTD and PI bus stops first or it goes directly to TL? And is it still one hour start prior to park opening? Trying to plan for rope drop at TL. We'll be going last week of August. We stayed at POP last year and it was a direct bus to TL.

According to this sign I have on the first page, the DTD and TL buses are one in the same. I recall taking a DTD bus from WL in July and it did stop at a water park.

Yes, the bus will operate about one hour prior to park opening, including AM EMH days.

I hope you have a great stay at WL!

Thanks for sharing that news grkmbee! As much as I might be tempted to change my Aug. res back (again!) to 2 rooms on a high floor in the lodge, my family and I have all gotten very excited about trying a villa for the first time. I guess we'll save experiencing a "new" room for another trip.
Please excuse my ignorance on this, but what does IPO stand for? Is that the room assigner? Is the email address in another thread here? I am not new to WDW, but I am new to this site.
One of my concerns about the construction was that it might interfere with our afternoon naps-either noise from above or below. But the lodge is so big I think that being in a different wing would probably take care of that.
Have a wonderful trip!

IPO is the Itinerary Planning Office. They are the entity who will take care of you prior to arrival. After you check-in to club level, the club level staff/concierges will take over from there. The WL IPO is actually located at the Poly and are not the same staff you will see on club level. The email address is on the first page of this thread in the CLUB LEVEL section. The email address for the WL IPO is:

Wilderness.Lodge.Itinerary.Planning@disneyworld.com

Don't forget to include your confirmation number when sending correspondence to them.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Here is the latest information I received today from the WL IPO (Itinerary Planning Office - for Club Level):

The renovations at the Wilderness Lodge will begin on April 15th to May 4th and the entire North Floor (including the suites on the north side) will be closed during this time. The South Wing will be closed for renovations from July 7th to July 27th, including the Presidential Suite and Honeymoon Suites on the south side.
This is all the information I have at this time.


I am assuming that the IPO meant that the North Wing (facing MK/CR) would be completed May 4. That would be a 20-day completion for the 7th floor's North Wing and a 20-day completion for the 7th floor's South Wing. Why there is a two month gap between the completion of one wing and the start of the other, I don't know.

It seems the 7th floor rehab will take about one day per room, with two suites that would take longer perhaps. The CL/7th floor has fewer rooms than floors 1-6 so those floors will take longer. Even if crews complete one room per day on each wing of floors 1-6 (2 rooms total per day), at a little over 110 rooms per floor, that would take 55 days, multiplied by 6 floors, is 330 days plus the 40 days for CL, is about one year.

I was originally told that one floor at a time would be closed off. If this is the case, then floors 1-6 would be completed faster. Completing one wing at a time on Club Level makes sense for being able to keep the lounge open. I will try to get a time estimate/schedule for floors 1-6 when I'm at WL in 3 weeks.

I hope I haven't confused everyone with this. All I know for certain is what the IPO emailed today to me and grkmbee regarding the Club Level floor (which I will post to the first page rehab update section). The rest is just pure speculation on my part

 

[DevonsDisneyMom]

Yes, they will close off one floor at a time. But, I will try to get more specific information about the rehab in a few weeks when I'm back at WL.

The WL room assignors are very good about trying to accommodate guests' requests, so if you're unhappy about your room location, just ask at check-in for something else. They'll be able to tell you at check-in if your room might be affected in any way by the rehab. and they'll do their best to make you happy.

The Standard rooms are all located near the front of the resort, overlooking the service areas and some overlook the bus stop/parking lot area on the VWL side of the resort. Here is a map showing their location:

This is a photo of the location, floors 2 and up, of the Standard Rooms that face toward the MK. You can see some of Wishes from the upper floors:

Thank you so much. Can't wait to hear what you find out about the rehab when you are there.

I will definitely be sure to mention at check in that I want to ensure we are not near the rehabbing.

 

[nyrebecca]

Club level question....Am I right in assuming that besides the deluxe club rooms, all the other club rooms are on floor 7? Or am I wrong?

Thanks -

 

[bluecastle]

WDWKOOK-thanks for answering my IPO question. Since we are staying at the villas and not CL I don't think I would be able to access their services or help.
As you can see, since I couldn't widen the box, I narrowed the banners!
I know it sounds silly, but I am actually looking forward to walking the "shortcut" path from the villas, around the pool and down to the boat dock. There is something about this that is reminding me of our walks from our longhouse to the GCH at the Polynesian. No hidden speakers playing music in the bushes I guess, but still can't wait!!