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

[WDWKOOK]

WL Beach Movie Schedule:

Sundays - Hercules
Mondays - The Great Mouse Detective
Tuesdays - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Wednesdays - Treasure Planet
Thursdays - A Goofy Movie
Fridays - A Bug's Life
Saturdays - The Emporer's New Groove

Your kids are sure to enjoy this wonderful free activity at the Wilderness Lodge. This program is open to all guests of Walt Disney World, not just to those staying at the resort. Refreshment stand and restrooms available. The movie starts at 8:45pm. These movies are projected on to a large permanent screen on the beach near the marina and bike rentals.

http://www.buildabettermousetrip.com/activity-outdoormovie.php#wilderness

 

[TGI Racing]

Hello All,
I am staying at the WL next week for the fourth time and yet I still have questions. I was hoping someone could shed some light on the following:

1. How much should I be tipping the room cleaning service per day? I am thinking $5 or is this being cheap?

2. How much should I be tipping the evening turn down service? Is $3 to cheap and is there a way to opt out of this? One time I came back from RF with my daughter and found the guy in the room doing his thing, only thing was my Wife was in the tub chillin. I gave the man a five and got him out of there but this could have easily gone way differently. By the way my Daughter and I never told the wife.

3. When you pull up to front of the hotel for check in what is the correct method of attack? Every time I do this I pull to the left side since the right it seems is always filled with cars and service trucks. And when I do this I always end up with one of the rangers running over complaining I can’t park there, where I usually respond by telling him to shut it and just bark orders at the poor guy and make him deal with the luggage which is not ideal. My goal here is for once I would like to start out on vacation on the right foot.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Cheers,
Rick

 

[Janet B]

Kook: Wonderful job with the new thread!! Love the pictures and the way you framed them. Suits WL perfectly! It is evident from all the hard work you put into it how much you enjoy this resort and want to share it with others.

As I am scrolling thru the pictures, (those presidential pix look amazing – wonder where I saw them before ??) came upon some that looked familiar … and yeah, it is some pix of mine from last year when we were at the WLV! Loved, loved my stay. Thanks for including them on your thread. Hope to return some day. All the CMs we encountered were amazing friendly and accommodating.

 

[livinlife25]

Doesn't that movie sound like it starts a little late considering it is for kids?

 

[WDWKOOK]

Kook: Wonderful job with the new thread!! Love the pictures and the way you framed them. Suits WL perfectly! It is evident from all the hard work you put into it how much you enjoy this resort and want to share it with others.

As I am scrolling thru the pictures, (those presidential pix look amazing – wonder where I saw them before ??) came upon some that looked familiar … and yeah, it is some pix of mine from last year when we were at the WLV! Loved, loved my stay. Thanks for including them on your thread. Hope to return some day. All the CMs we encountered were amazing friendly and accommodating.

Aren't you sweet, Janet. Thank you for your kind comments. Is Christine (Minnie&Nana) minding the (POP) store?.

There was some confusion at first with your photos. When Christine sent them to me, I thought they were hers. Luckily, she looked at the attribution on them and let me know that they were in fact your WLV photos - so thank you!!

Even though you're extra busy with your spiffy new POP thread, I hope you'll stop by and sit a spell!

Doesn't that movie sound like it starts a little late considering it is for kids?

Well, with the EWP (which is pretty loud) not starting until 9:30 every night and then Wishes right after, I guess they figure the kidlets aren't getting to bed until after 10 anyway

 

[Minnie&Nana]

I'm finally back! With all the POP Thread time, I sure am missing WL more than ever. Of course, now Fall is almost here and the holidays after that...so you know WL gets to tugging away, pulling me...make a reservation, make a reservation... So far, I've held out, but don't know how long that will last.

So, here I am again, hanging out, enjoying the photos and WL chat.

Just love this FAQ thread, KOOK.

 

[twinmom2002]

Could I please get opinions from those of you who has stayed at or seen some of the standard room views?? Its the last thing I am obsessing over lol! We are staying at WL Nov 13 - November 19 and I have everything (including the flights!) paid for, all our ADRs made (we are doing the Deluxe Dining Plan) and now I wondering just a little if I should upgrade to a courtyard view....or just use the money we could save to go for all those tips!!

Thanks for the info,
Ramona

 

[WDWKOOK]

I'm finally back! With all the POP Thread time, I sure am missing WL more than ever. Of course, now Fall is almost here and the holidays after that...so you know WL gets to tugging away, pulling me...make a reservation, make a reservation... So far, I've held out, but don't know how long that will last.

So, here I am again, hanging out, enjoying the photos and WL chat.

Just love this FAQ thread, KOOK.

So great to have you back. Your new POP thread is super! I need a resident VWL expert. Pull up a rocking chair and stay a while

Could I please get opinions from those of you who has stayed at or seen some of the standard room views?? Its the last thing I am obsessing over lol! We are staying at WL Nov 13 - November 19 and I have everything (including the flights!) paid for, all our ADRs made (we are doing the Deluxe Dining Plan) and now I wondering just a little if I should upgrade to a courtyard view....or just use the money we could save to go for all those tips!!

Thanks for the info,
Ramona

Ramona,

If I were you, I wouldn't change. The odds are you might be upgraded to WV and even if you're not, you're still saving money which can definitely, as you mention, be used toward all those tips you'll need on the DxDP. Worse case scenario, if you really hate the view that much after you check-in, just go back to the front desk and ask if you can pay to upgrade to WV.

Have a wonderful vacation!

 

[RobinHoodGirl]

Could I please get opinions from those of you who has stayed at or seen some of the standard room views?? Its the last thing I am obsessing over lol! We are staying at WL Nov 13 - November 19 and I have everything (including the flights!) paid for, all our ADRs made (we are doing the Deluxe Dining Plan) and now I wondering just a little if I should upgrade to a courtyard view....or just use the money we could save to go for all those tips!!

Thanks for the info,
Ramona

My mom and I had a standard room in May 2008 and we loved it! We even got to see some of Wishes from our room which was a really nice surprise since the trees block most of the fireworks - we didn't get the music and only saw the really high ones but still a very nice way to end the day

 

[Anna114]

Could I please get opinions from those of you who has stayed at or seen some of the standard room views?? Its the last thing I am obsessing over lol! We are staying at WL Nov 13 - November 19 and I have everything (including the flights!) paid for, all our ADRs made (we are doing the Deluxe Dining Plan) and now I wondering just a little if I should upgrade to a courtyard view....or just use the money we could save to go for all those tips!!

Thanks for the info,
Ramona

Here's my oh so humble opinion. Your courtyard view can be the villas view. While we liked that view we paid as much as those that really got the courtyard. If you are people that enjoy the balcony, as my family does, and you spend time at the resort then it's worth it. It's not worth it if you use the balcony to dry your clothes and that's the only time you use the balcony.

 

[Minnie&Nana]

So great to have you back. Your new POP thread is super! I need a resident VWL expert. Pull up a rocking chair and stay a while

Aw..thanks for the welcome back and glad you like the POP thread. If it makes sense, we wanted to bring a touch of class,in a fun and appropriate way, to a value resort thread.

VWL expert? Nevertheless, am happy to contribute when possible. I'll take that rocking chair...though I'd move it to CL if the balconies were not enclosed.

Romona, I've never stayed in a std Lodge room, but not sure I could even book one. With all the photos I've seen and comments I've read of the docking area with the beep beep beep of trucks...would rather pay for at least a woods view. View is important to us even if we do not get to use the balcony much.

 

[ALittleDisneyFan]

Does the WL bus go to FW THEN MK or are they separate buses to each location?

 

[WDWKOOK]

Does the WL bus go to FW THEN MK or are they separate buses to each location?

The WL bus to the MK goes from the WL directly to the MK. It does not share with FW. I actually found it to be quicker than the boat (wait time included) and much more comfortable to wait for since there is a covered area with benches. I highly recommend it!

 

[Minnie]

Could I please get opinions from those of you who has stayed at or seen some of the standard room views?? Its the last thing I am obsessing over lol! We are staying at WL Nov 13 - November 19 and I have everything (including the flights!) paid for, all our ADRs made (we are doing the Deluxe Dining Plan) and now I wondering just a little if I should upgrade to a courtyard view....or just use the money we could save to go for all those tips!!

Thanks for the info,
Ramona

I guess I'm in the minority but at the WL we pay for the CY view. Our 1st trip we booked a std and received an awesome upgrade to a bear face room and that's all it took

We don't bother at other resorts but the WL it is just really worth it to us as we use that balcony, relax just watching the lake and just really really enjoy the trip - DH and I will be there soon

 

[WLSILVERCREEKSPRINGS]

We don't spend much time in the room so for us it's not worth it to pay up, but I will say that when we were upgraded it was nice to look out at the woods or the pool

 

[buzz1121]

My family will be staying at the WL in October and December this year. DH, me, DS(6) and DD(3) have been to WDW several times as a family, but these two trips will be our first stays at the WL. We have dined at WCC several times and DS in particular loves the look of the WL. He says the resort reminds him of giant lincoln log buildings. We are going in October for a long weekend to enjoy MNSSHP and in mid December to enjoy the Christmas season at WDW. Are there any specific seasonal activities/sights at the WL that are not to be missed during either of these visits? We are really looking forward to our stay!

 

[shmoogrrrl]

My family will be staying at the WL in October and December this year. DH, me, DS(6) and DD(3) have been to WDW several times as a family, but these two trips will be our first stays at the WL. We have dined at WCC several times and DS in particular loves the look of the WL. He says the resort reminds him of giant lincoln log buildings. We are going in October for a long weekend to enjoy MNSSHP and in mid December to enjoy the Christmas season at WDW. Are there any specific seasonal activities/sights at the WL that are not to be missed during either of these visits? We are really looking forward to our stay!

You mean like this??

Sadly, I didn't see this kit in the gift shop at the WL when we were there a couple of weeks ago. We got it a few years ago when we went to eat at the WCC.

BTW.......It was our first time staying there too, and we LOVED it! Have a great time!

 

[WDWKOOK]

My family will be staying at the WL in October and December this year. DH, me, DS(6) and DD(3) have been to WDW several times as a family, but these two trips will be our first stays at the WL. We have dined at WCC several times and DS in particular loves the look of the WL. He says the resort reminds him of giant lincoln log buildings. We are going in October for a long weekend to enjoy MNSSHP and in mid December to enjoy the Christmas season at WDW. Are there any specific seasonal activities/sights at the WL that are not to be missed during either of these visits? We are really looking forward to our stay!

How exciting that you get to go to WDW twice and just two months apart!

I'm not certain what special activities are offered in the middle of October. We were there last Christmas and they had some activities. Here is the flyer from last year which had some activities in the middle of December:

 

[sydneysmom]

Okay, I'm coming over to the WL experts for this question!! On another thread, someone was talking about a less than great experience at WL. In that thread, it was mentioned that the rooms needed updating and someone replied that was going to happen next year.

Does anyone know if this is true that the rooms might be getting a "refreshment" next year ? That would be good news!

 

[WDWKOOK]

A major room rehab was slated to begin in December, but has been postponed until February 2012. It will be completed one floor at a time and will include replacement of bedding, carpets, fixtures, sinks, toilets - pretty much everything! The CL manager, who saw the model room, said it looks fantastic and guests will be very pleased. The rehab is slated to take about two years to complete.

BTW, while some rooms may in fact look like they need a rehab, I can say that the room I had last Christmas and this July, did not look shabby at all. Nothing was broken, badly worn or dirty, including the bathroom (and I am very persnickety). But that is only my personal experience.