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

[2goofykiddos]

I did call and just requested to be close to the elevator so we will have less walking once we get there. Some of the villa rooms look like they are far away from the lodge, so I thought that might get us closer. Also asked for an upper level in hopes of less noise for naps.

The CM I spoke with said she believes they are doing flag family on most days and to be sure we ask when we get there!

So excited!!!!!

 

[Mammaz]

The CM I spoke with said she believes they are doing flag family on most DAYS!

YEA!!!!!

 

[twinkles]

I did call and just requested to be close to the elevator so we will have less walking once we get there. Some of the villa rooms look like they are far away from the lodge, so I thought that might get us closer. Also asked for an upper level in hopes of less noise for naps.

The CM I spoke with said she believes they are doing flag family on most days and to be sure we ask when we get there!

So excited!!!!!

Thanks for the update. We may request an upper level also since our grandsons may take an afternoon nap.

That's great news about the flag families I hope one of my grandsons are picked!

 

[minniesbiggiestfan]

we will be staying at the Wilderness Lodge when we go back to disney in September!!!!

so so excited to see this amazing hotel and hopefully get to experience the flag family thing.. my ds will be celebrating his 11th birthday while we are there and my daughter will be turning 8 while we are there also.. September is a big month for us and we didnt plan it.. haha... our anniversary and two kids birthdays..

does the WL do cakes also? gonna need a big one to celebrate all our events.. haha...

 

[mickeynut1]

We are finally down to less than a week....Seems like it took forever... Finally sent the kids to school today with notes letting the schools know they will be gone next week..... We can't wait to get on ME and pull into Wilderness Lodge for the first time on Saturday...

Have a great trip and enjoy the WL .

I did call and just requested to be close to the elevator so we will have less walking once we get there. Some of the villa rooms look like they are far away from the lodge, so I thought that might get us closer. Also asked for an upper level in hopes of less noise for naps.

The CM I spoke with said she believes they are doing flag family on most days and to be sure we ask when we get there!

So excited!!!!!

Have a great trip......I hope you get your request .

we will be staying at the Wilderness Lodge when we go back to disney in September!!!!

so so excited to see this amazing hotel and hopefully get to experience the flag family thing.. my ds will be celebrating his 11th birthday while we are there and my daughter will be turning 8 while we are there also.. September is a big month for us and we didnt plan it.. haha... our anniversary and two kids birthdays..

does the WL do cakes also? gonna need a big one to celebrate all our events.. haha...

How exciting to be celebrating so much in one trip ....and the WL is a great resort to celebrate at .

 

[ssjones]

This will be our first stay at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge! 2 Weeks away...Does the online check-in save time?? Also is there a certain room request I should ask for. Heard you couldn't make special request if you do the online check in?? Please help, not sure what to do??

 

[CuteAsMinnie]

I am so glad to read this and know that I am not the only one sticking my finger in that old bottle to try and get to the conditioner

OMGosh!!!!

 

[markuehl]

looking for advice we will be staying at the WL June 13-15th we are booked for a bunkbed woods view room is there a request i should make to get the best room hopefully a rehabbed room appreciate any advice it will the pre trip portion of our Disney Dream cruise vacation!

 

[WDWKOOK]

Didn't see it in the pictures but do you know if WL gives the solar gel in each room. I remember getting it last year at Poly and it is wonderful. My daughter kept calling it "Bob" from the Monsters vs Aliens movie since it was the same color. She would ask each day if we had Bob in our bags since we had gotten a little sun the first day.

I've never gotten the Solar Relief Gel at WL, BWI/CL had it last month, but not WL, I thought that only some CLs had it. Maybe if you request it they could find some for you

We are finally down to less than a week....Seems like it took forever... Finally sent the kids to school today with notes letting the schools know they will be gone next week..... We can't wait to get on ME and pull into Wilderness Lodge for the first time on Saturday...

Oh, you're all going to be so excited to walk into that amazing lobby - enjoy!

I did call and just requested to be close to the elevator so we will have less walking once we get there. Some of the villa rooms look like they are far away from the lodge, so I thought that might get us closer. Also asked for an upper level in hopes of less noise for naps.

The CM I spoke with said she believes they are doing flag family on most days and to be sure we ask when we get there!

So excited!!!!!

Thanks for letting us know that the CM said that FF is back on most days.

we will be staying at the Wilderness Lodge when we go back to disney in September!!!!

so so excited to see this amazing hotel and hopefully get to experience the flag family thing.. my ds will be celebrating his 11th birthday while we are there and my daughter will be turning 8 while we are there also.. September is a big month for us and we didnt plan it.. haha... our anniversary and two kids birthdays..

does the WL do cakes also? gonna need a big one to celebrate all our events.. haha...

All the resort have cakes, but they need to be ordered through the Walt Disney World’s Cake Ordering Hotline at 407-827-2253 or through the IPO if you're staying CL, unless you just want a small 6" that feeds 5. Those are called "podium cakes" and can be ordered when you check-in for your ADR.

Here's a great explanation of how to order cakes at WDW:

http://disneytravelbabble.com/how-to/order-cake/

Thanks for reminding me that I need to order one! Let us know what you end up odering, and make sure all your celebrations are noted in your reservation

This will be our first stay at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge! 2 Weeks away...Does the online check-in save time?? Also is there a certain room request I should ask for. Heard you couldn't make special request if you do the online check in?? Please help, not sure what to do??

Online Check-In can save time if you're arriving at peak check-in times (afternoon - early evening) or popular check-in days such as Saturday and Friday or right before a holiday or if you're with a large group, such as a team or band, etc... If you're staying CL, there's never any benefit or need or if you know you may want to tweak your room location at check-in. I've even read reports that some Online Check-In lines have been longer than regular check-in.

While you can't request a location on the online check-in form, the requests that are in your reservation will still be seen by the room assignor - it is my understanding that they aren't overridden or negated by OCI. Some OCI forms for some resorts will designate location preferences, but some don't and some are limited - depends on the resort. If you do OCI, just make sure that you also have your requests noted in your reservation. If you have any issues, you can always still speak to a CM, you just may have to get into another line or wait for one to come over.

looking for advice we will be staying at the WL June 13-15th we are booked for a bunkbed woods view room is there a request i should make to get the best room hopefully a rehabbed room appreciate any advice it will the pre trip portion of our Disney Dream cruise vacation!

The only non-CL floor that would be done when you check-in would be the 6th floor/North Wing. I don't know how many BB rooms are on the 6th floor/North Wing/Woods View, but I would suspect there aren't too many. Request a rehabbed room and also ask at check-in - good luck!

 

[TheLodgeLady]

Hi all,

WOW!!! I go away for the weekend and look what happens

Thanks Macavity for the photos They are beautiful. Can't wait to see the rooms in person.

One question, I see they didn't change the vanity in the sink area, but did they change the faucets?

 

[TheLodgeLady]

Kook,

We stayed at the Villas for our Honeymoon (10 years ago). We were supposed to be at the Disney Institute but they called us one week before and told us they were closing it down and we needed to pick something else. We looked around and picked VLW and we've been hooked.

We booked a one bedroom and just LOVED it. There is so much room and it is set up very nice. We loved having the full kitchen and large fridge. And having the living room, and washer/dryer. We stayed in room 4517 and it was perfect. We had a very nice view. We had two balconies I think and we could see the lodge and the lake.

One really nice thing about the villas is when you come "home", walking into the lobby there, it is so quiet and peaceful. You can really hear the music. Now, I super love the main lodge lobby with it's grandeur and hustle, but the villas were just different and very nice.

I think you will really enjoy staying there. The only downside, I think would be when you move over to CL on the second half of your trip, the rooms may seem very small. But that is a very, very minor detail.

Enjoy.

 

[tinkerdee]

Who do you call to request a room location in Wilderness Lodge? When do you call? We have never done that before, but we would like a room close to the lobby, not worried about any noise. Thanks.

 

[pas130]

WAY behind here. Not even going to attempt a catch up....CATSUP Sorry....my bad....

Thank you for the photos!!!!!!


I love the fresh new look for the rooms....really love them

As for a special order cake. Call Private Dining at WL, and they will help special order a cake from the CR bakery as well as schedule a delivery to the room, plates etc

 

[PamelaKay]

Didn't see it in the pictures but do you know if WL gives the solar gel in each room. I remember getting it last year at Poly and it is wonderful. My daughter kept calling it "Bob" from the Monsters vs Aliens movie since it was the same color. She would ask each day if we had Bob in our bags since we had gotten a little sun the first day.

I do not recall getting solar gel at the WL during my stays there. I did get it at the AKL and GF, but not at Poly when we were there.

I wonder if it is seasonal. We stayed at the Poly in December.

 

[mommadjones]

When we went last year(August), staying in a standard room, there was no Solar Gel while we stayed.

 

[stephgles]

Who do you call to request a room location in Wilderness Lodge? When do you call? We have never done that before, but we would like a room close to the lobby, not worried about any noise. Thanks.

Call Disney reservations. I normally put the requesting in asap and normally a month prior to our trip I call and confirm the request is there.

 

[Mama Moose]

I am so excited on our upcoming "girls" trip to WL Sept 7-15!! This trip is my mom and I taking my 2 girls, ages 5 and 7. It's her first trip and our 3rd. I picked WL because it looks so relaxing and compact, compared to some other resorts. Also love the idea of being able to take the boat to MK and CR!!!
We are currently booked in a standard view room. Are these rooms loud from all the service vehicles?
Are you able to see the MK fireworks from the beach? Do any rooms have the fireworks view?
This is our 1st time staying at WL, so any advice is welcome.
Thanks!!!

 

[WDWKOOK]

Kook,

We stayed at the Villas for our Honeymoon (10 years ago). We were supposed to be at the Disney Institute but they called us one week before and told us they were closing it down and we needed to pick something else. We looked around and picked VLW and we've been hooked.

We booked a one bedroom and just LOVED it. There is so much room and it is set up very nice. We loved having the full kitchen and large fridge. And having the living room, and washer/dryer. We stayed in room 4517 and it was perfect. We had a very nice view. We had two balconies I think and we could see the lodge and the lake.

One really nice thing about the villas is when you come "home", walking into the lobby there, it is so quiet and peaceful. You can really hear the music. Now, I super love the main lodge lobby with it's grandeur and hustle, but the villas were just different and very nice.

I think you will really enjoy staying there. The only downside, I think would be when you move over to CL on the second half of your trip, the rooms may seem very small. But that is a very, very minor detail.

Enjoy.

I feel guilty, especially after reading your comments. I've already changed to a CR/BLV Tower room. But, I confirmed today that VWL is still available. I was afraid I'd be wishing I was next door at WL the whole time I was in the VWL.

I'm torn between booking WL/CL for the whole trip or splitting with VWL or CR, as I have it now. BLT was our first choice, but there's no availability with our discount. Discounted suites are never available and neither were the Deluxe rooms at CR or WL and once the discounted rooms are booked they're taken out of the inventory, even when canceled.

You brought up a valid point about the WL rooms - 340 SF Vs. 727 SF at VWL. The CR rooms are about 420 SF, so an easier transition? What to do? No bad choices here, just pros and cons to each

BTW, I'm currently double-booked for our anniversary at both CA Grill and Artist Point - I'm hopeless.

Who do you call to request a room location in Wilderness Lodge? When do you call? We have never done that before, but we would like a room close to the lobby, not worried about any noise. Thanks.

As stephgles mentioned, call the WDTC and have them add your request to your reservation: (407) W-DISNEY.

WAY behind here. Not even going to attempt a catch up....CATSUP Sorry....my bad....

Thank you for the photos!!!!!!


I love the fresh new look for the rooms....really love them

As for a special order cake. Call Private Dining at WL, and they will help special order a cake from the CR bakery as well as schedule a delivery to the room, plates etc

Thank you for the very witty CATSUP reference. And, thank you for telling us how to easily order a cake from WL. Is this the same process as having the cake delivered to a restaurant, such as CA Gill and AP?

I do not recall getting solar gel at the WL during my stays there. I did get it at the AKL and GF, but not at Poly when we were there.

I wonder if it is seasonal. We stayed at the Poly in December.

When we went last year(August), staying in a standard room, there was no Solar Gel while we stayed.

I have never had it at WL/CL, but we did have it at BWI/CL and YC/CL and possibly Atrium Club. I've only seen it in CL rooms.

I am so excited on our upcoming "girls" trip to WL Sept 7-15!! This trip is my mom and I taking my 2 girls, ages 5 and 7. It's her first trip and our 3rd. I picked WL because it looks so relaxing and compact, compared to some other resorts. Also love the idea of being able to take the boat to MK and CR!!!
We are currently booked in a standard view room. Are these rooms loud from all the service vehicles?
Are you able to see the MK fireworks from the beach? Do any rooms have the fireworks view?
This is our 1st time staying at WL, so any advice is welcome.
Thanks!!!

to the WL thread, Mama Moose!

The high floor STD North Wing rooms can have a view of Wishes. I've read that some service vehicles arrive early and you can hear them backing-up (beep-beep-beep). Most have reported here that they were either upgraded from their SV room or they actually liked the room's location and could see Wishes and the woods and the Otter Pond off to the right (in the North Wing).

You can also take the non-stop bus to the MK. Sometimes it's actually faster than the boat.

I hope you, mom and the girls have a great vacation and first-stay at WL! Make sure that it's noted in your reservation that it's your first WL stay

 

[TheLodgeLady]

I feel guilty, especially after reading your comments. I've already changed to a CR/BLV Tower room. But, I confirmed today that VWL is still available. I was afraid I'd be wishing I was next door at WL the whole time I was in the VWL.

I'm torn between booking WL/CL for the whole trip or splitting with VWL or CR, as I have it now. BLT was our first choice, but there's no availability with our discount. Discounted suites are never available and neither were the Deluxe rooms at CR or WL and once the discounted rooms are booked they're taken out of the inventory, even when canceled.

You brought up a valid point about the WL rooms - 340 SF Vs. 727 SF at VWL. The CR rooms are about 420 SF, so an easier transition? What to do? No bad choices here, just pros and cons to each

BTW, I'm currently double-booked for our anniversary at both CA Grill and Artist Point - I'm hopeless.

OK, I know that CR is Contemporary. What is BLV? (Did you mean WLV?) BLT is the Tower, right?

Remember, it is your vacation!! Make it very special. Don't feel guilty because you booked what you want. I like variety also. We usually book Yacht Club in October because we like to walk over to Epcot and the F&W.

When the time gets closer you can pick what dinner you want . I was bad also, I had an overlapping resort stay in October with the Yacht. I had booked the room back in November because I didn't want to loose it. But then in February was able to get a BounceBack there but not for all the dates I wanted. So they overlap. I'm hoping for Annual Pass rates for the first few days but they usually come out in August. So I wait.

Like you said there are no bad choices!!

 

[WDWKOOK]

OK, I know that CR is Contemporary. What is BLV? (Did you mean WLV?) BLT is the Tower, right?

Remember, it is your vacation!! Make it very special. Don't feel guilty because you booked what you want. I like variety also. We usually book Yacht Club in October because we like to walk over to Epcot and the F&W.

When the time gets closer you can pick what dinner you want . I was bad also, I had an overlapping resort stay in October with the Yacht. I had booked the room back in November because I didn't want to loose it. But then in February was able to get a BounceBack there but not for all the dates I wanted. So they overlap. I'm hoping for Annual Pass rates for the first few days but they usually come out in August. So I wait.

Like you said there are no bad choices!!

Oops - BLV is Bay Lake View - my mind was on the Tower... BLT is the DVC which replaced the North Garden Wing of the CR. Thank you for making me feel better and...less guilty

I know many are awaiting the summer AP rates. I will keep my fingers crossed for an AP rate that will cover what your BB doesn't or perhaps a FL resident rate will be released for you. I will never book at rack rate, so I can appreciate your waiting patiently for the AP rate.