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

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Yeah! :cool1::banana::yay::goodvibes:cheer2:

No, I am not celebrating booking WL yet but I have finally read all 192 pages of this thread. I've been reading through it for a few weeks. I already knew how beautiful the lobby is, especially in December, because Artist Point is one of our 2 favorite WDW restaurants. We hope to book WL the end of August 2013 for our grandson's first trip to WDW with us. As soon as the 2013 room rates are announced we're booking a room only for 4 nights in February at POFQ for just DH & myself prior to heading on down to Sanibel Island. Of course I hope to be able to book a BB during that short stay for WL in August.

Thanks so much for all the wealth of information I've learned about WL through reading this thread. I've copied and pasted many notes into my Word document for WL. You've all been such help, especially Kook. :grouphug:

How about that, I see that I began page 193.
 
We leave next week for our first stay at WL! We are beyond excited, it is actually our 11 year-olds first trip to Disney. We have a Woods view room, does anyone know if those are only in the North wing or are there some on the other side as well? Thanks!
 
We leave next week for our first stay at WL! We are beyond excited, it is actually our 11 year-olds first trip to Disney. We have a Woods view room, does anyone know if those are only in the North wing or are there some on the other side as well? Thanks!

Congratulations on your trip! Your 11 year old should have a ball. The first post of this thread has great view information, and shows woods views on both the north and south wings. Check it out here. Also there is always the possibility of a room view upgrade based on what's available when they assign your room. All the options are wonderful though, and it will be a great trip. Enjoy!
 
Just found out yesterday I'll be going on a NON-Disney World vacation BEFORE our trip to the WL in December. My daughter is taking DH & I to Costa Rica over Labor Day. :banana:First big trip besides Disney for years! Gee, wonder if I'll know how to act someplace BESIDES Walt Disney World? What? No characters or Dole Whip Floats?!?!:scared1:
 

Yeah! :cool1::banana::yay::goodvibes:cheer2:

No, I am not celebrating booking WL yet but I have finally read all 192 pages of this thread. I've been reading through it for a few weeks. I already knew how beautiful the lobby is, especially in December, because Artist Point is one of our 2 favorite WDW restaurants. We hope to book WL the end of August 2013 for our grandson's first trip to WDW with us. As soon as the 2013 room rates are announced we're booking a room only for 4 nights in February at POFQ for just DH & myself prior to heading on down to Sanibel Island. Of course I hope to be able to book a BB during that short stay for WL in August.

Thanks so much for all the wealth of information I've learned about WL through reading this thread. I've copied and pasted many notes into my Word document for WL. You've all been such help, especially Kook. :grouphug:

How about that, I see that I began page 193.

:welcome:
That is a lot of reading to do. pixiedust: Hope you get your bounce back!
 
Today is DD's last day of middle school - where has this school year gone?

My ticker probably gave it away:rolleyes1, but AoA has been replaced with Kidani Savanna View. A one bedroom opened up with our discount and I grabbed it. I had been trying to get either BLT or Kidani and after I switched our travel dates, Kidani magically appeared. Have any of you stayed at Kidani? This will be our first stay at a DVC and DH's first at AKL, but I've really talked up the great food and having two bathrooms, so I think this might work!





Absolutely. I do the laundry at least once per trip.
:rotfl: I'm laughing because I was asking Rebecca if she could do laundry while at WL (to pack less) and I re-read my post and it sounds like I'm asking if they have a laundry at WL. I'm way too familiar with that laundry room every trip:laughing:. They need to put a margarita bar in there and spice it up a little:idea:

Oh I do laundry halfway thru. I have a list too. But I work off of "what ifs" ......what if I need this or what if I need that? :rotfl2:
There was a Seinfeld episode where George over-packed for a short trip to CA with Jerry. When asked why he packed so much, he said that he packs "for the many moods of George Costanza." I know exactly what he means and it sounds like you have the same issue.

We are at exactly two months today!!!:banana::banana:

This comes with mixed emotions. My husband was one of the first to lose his job when the Mortgage industry started to fail in 2007. He retained another position in January 2008 with a local mortgage company and although they were very good to him the pay scale just wasn't there. He just got a position with a different company that has a much better pay scale and more along the lines of his former wages. This is great news for us as a family but sadly he probably will be unable to come with us for our family vacation.

Hopefully he can come with us on our December trip :earboy2:
Oh, how stressful that must be for you and your family. Yes, a bitter-sweet trip indeed. You'll need to book a BB so he can come to WDW the next time with all of you!

When do they put the Christmas decorations up? We are moving our trip dates to be there Nov 4th-10th, so we are hoping we will get to see some.
The Christmas decorations generally start being put up after all the Halloween decorations are taken down. There should be some up when you're there, but maybe not all yet.

I've been at WL since Saturday. We are in a refurbished room on the 6th floor. The room is nice, but the construction noise can get pretty loud. I have seen construction guys going in and out of rooms on this floor so they are evidently not done with all the rooms here, and we hear a lot of buzzing and hammering when we are here in the afternoons. It hasn't really bothered us but would definitely be a concern if we had little ones who needed a nap. They have also completely dry walled off the wing on the 1st floor right by the elevators down by Roaring Forks. Overall we are enjoying the resort. It's beautiful and the staff is wonderful. :thumbsup2
I'm sure this is a distraction to guests, but it has to be done. I'm glad it hasn't been too bad for you. Thank you for the update and I hope you enjoy the rest of your vacation!

If you do automatic online check in, does it give you an area to ask for specifc room #/location?

Never mind, I found the info on the WDW site....


What information is collected online prior to arrival?


Information typically collected at the Disney Resort hotel front desk during the check-in process will be collected online, including:
•A credit card that you may use for incidental charges
•Arrival time
•Departure time
•Guest names
•Room requests (subject to availability)
•Address
•On-site phone number
The WDW info. is a tad misleading because there is no line item for room requests with OCI. Some resorts will have a line item for some room requests, such as at BWI they have an option to request a Boardwalk View. You need to always add any room location requests to your reservation at least 5 days prior to arrival. Just call the WDTC or your TA and have your requests added to your reservation. Even if your request isn't reiterated on your OCI, it will still be in your reservation and the room assignor will see it.

I need you to come here and pack for me !!

I will admit part of my problem is having a son with Autism. The last thing I want to do is be 1200 miles from home and having forgotten the ONE thing he wants.

With that said, I have the suitcases packed except for shirts, and I will get that all settled today after work.

Thank you all for listening to my packing woes. :goodvibes
You have some additional challenges and you are probably always having to think one step ahead and anticipate, so I can see how packing might be more stressful for you. Keep us posted on how it's going:)

Yeah! :cool1::banana::yay::goodvibes:cheer2:

No, I am not celebrating booking WL yet but I have finally read all 192 pages of this thread. I've been reading through it for a few weeks. I already knew how beautiful the lobby is, especially in December, because Artist Point is one of our 2 favorite WDW restaurants. We hope to book WL the end of August 2013 for our grandson's first trip to WDW with us. As soon as the 2013 room rates are announced we're booking a room only for 4 nights in February at POFQ for just DH & myself prior to heading on down to Sanibel Island. Of course I hope to be able to book a BB during that short stay for WL in August.

Thanks so much for all the wealth of information I've learned about WL through reading this thread. I've copied and pasted many notes into my Word document for WL. You've all been such help, especially Kook. :grouphug:

How about that, I see that I began page 193.
I wish I had an award to bestow upon you for reading 192 pages (and being the FTP on 193:thumbsup2) - will this do? (Pretend your name is on it;))

41TB8gsQatL._SL500_AA300_.jpg


Just found out yesterday I'll be going on a NON-Disney World vacation BEFORE our trip to the WL in December. My daughter is taking DH & I to Costa Rica over Labor Day. :banana:First big trip besides Disney for years! Gee, wonder if I'll know how to act someplace BESIDES Walt Disney World? What? No characters or Dole Whip Floats?!?!:scared1:
Yep, you'll have to forget every DIS or WDW acronym you've ever learned and I'll bet you won't even have to make an ADR. Does Costa Rica have EMH?

You're going to have a great time and think of all the fishing! What a great gift from your DD:goodvibes
 
Just stopping by for a quick hi :wave2:

kook congrats on your lodge to lodge split. I'll be doing the same in Oct. :thumbsup2
I'm so glad you told us that because it takes about 5 minutes for your ticker to rotate through to all the resorts you have booked and by that time, I've lost track of the first ticker:rotfl:
 
Today is DD's last day of middle school - where has this school year gone?

My ticker probably gave it away:rolleyes1, but AoA has been replaced with Kidani Savanna View. A one bedroom opened up with our discount and I grabbed it. I had been trying to get either BLT or Kidani and after I switched our travel dates, Kidani magically appeared. Have any of you stayed at Kidani? This will be our first stay at a DVC and DH's first at AKL, but I've really talked up the great food and having two bathrooms, so I think this might work!

I wish I had an award to bestow upon you for reading 192 pages (and being the FTP on 193:thumbsup2) - will this do? (Pretend your name is on it;))

41TB8gsQatL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

:rotfl2: Thanks for that reading award! The last time I got one was in second grade (ancient times).

We have not stayed at Kidani so I can't help you in regard to the rooms themselves. But now that you think :) you are staying at Kidani in August I do have a suggestion for you. I just love the buffet breakfast at Boma. In addition to the regular breakfast offerings at other WDW TS places you can get made to order omelets, several African themed dishes and the juice is so yummy! We book 1 breakfast there when we stay at Jambo House but it is a bother to use Disney transportation to get there for breakfast from another Disney resort. I know that you don't normally eat a large breakfast when you are staying WL CL but since you'll be at a DVC while at Kidani it could be worthwhile varying your routine. And I second the opinion that all three TS restaurants at AKL are wonderful. We like Mara too for a quick bite. The buses to the parks pick up at Kidani first. Transportation has been the biggest drawback for us as far as AKL goes. We have the worst luck with buses. Many are already nearly full when they get to Jambo House. The DTD bus is the only one that does pick up in reverse order.
 
I'm so glad you told us that because it takes about 5 minutes for your ticker to rotate through to all the resorts you have booked and by that time, I've lost track of the first ticker:rotfl:

:rotfl2: I guess that's why one of my many title is Crazy Split Lady!!! :rotfl2:
 
We are leaving in 10 minutes to start our drive to WDW! Good thing I told the family we would be on the road no later than 6 am EST ! :rotfl2:

We should be checking in to WL CL sometime tomorrow afternoon. Will let you all know if we get a new room or not.
 
We are leaving in 10 minutes to start our drive to WDW! Good thing I told the family we would be on the road no later than 6 am EST ! :rotfl2:

We should be checking in to WL CL sometime tomorrow afternoon. Will let you all know if we get a new room or not.

Woohoo!!! Enjoy your trip!!! :banana:

We'll be checking into WL CL in 29 days so take notes!!! :)
 
We are leaving in 10 minutes to start our drive to WDW! Good thing I told the family we would be on the road no later than 6 am EST ! :rotfl2:

We should be checking in to WL CL sometime tomorrow afternoon. Will let you all know if we get a new room or not.

Safe travels!
 
We are arriving Sept 29, should the construction be done then? I really want a refurb room.
There could be some odds and ends left I suppose (installing the in-wall cappuccino makers? JK), but the entire room rehab is slated to be finished by the end of September. I don't think it would even be possible for you to NOT have a rehabbed room because even if the last floor they were working on (which would be the 1st floor of the South Wing) isn't done, it would be closed and you couldn't stay there anyway - by default you'd have to be in a rehabbed room:)

We are leaving in 10 minutes to start our drive to WDW! Good thing I told the family we would be on the road no later than 6 am EST ! :rotfl2:

We should be checking in to WL CL sometime tomorrow afternoon. Will let you all know if we get a new room or not.
You were smart to tell them to be ready by 0600! Drive safely - are you stopping at South of the Border:eek:? Don't forget your free cup of OJ or grapefruit juice and wave to Mickey and the gang when you pass under the Welcome to WDW sign.

Can't wait to hear about what room you get - good luck!

Woohoo!!! Enjoy your trip!!! :banana:

We'll be checking into WL CL in 29 days so take notes!!! :)
:yay:
 
Drive safely - are you stopping at South of the Border:eek:?

Some 40 years ago (dating myself here), we used to drive down to Myrtle Beach every year for vacation and the best part of the trip was reading those South of the Border billboards. I tried to convince my parents to stop and they never did.

A few years ago now as a parent we took our kids to Myrtle Beach for the first time and did the same thing - reading the signs (which didn't seem as numerous or clever as the ones from ages ago). I was excited because I WAS going to stop and show the kids. So we stopped. It was one of the biggest disappointments - the place was a total dump and given this is a Disney board I won't relate the actual language I was using to myself to express what it was really like. My DW was like, this is what you were excited about? Even the kids (who get excited about everything) were like - this place is terrible. Everything was rusted out, broken, not working, it just doesn't stand up to the image and up close it looks even worse than it did from the highway. Fortunately we left without any money spent there (although perhaps stopping at the firework store might have been a worthwhile endeavor).

Oh well, at least I stopped to make the kids happy, but I guess sometimes dreams are better than reality. Not in the case of Disney of course and WL in particular. ;)
 
saintstickets just returned from a stay at the Villas of Wilderness Lodge and was kind enough to let me post his photos. Unfortunately, I don't have any room left in the Villas section of the first page for images, so I've posted them here and I've linked to them on the first page. You can read Bill's review HERE. He also stayed at Bay Lake Tower.






VWL STUDIO #3509:
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VWL TWO-BEDROOM #3519:
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Hi all,

I am hoping a WL guru can give me some advice, or at least direct me to which of the almost 200 pages of this topic I might be able to find some direction! :goodvibes:

I have a trip planned for me, DH, DS (5) and DS (2) 10/8 - 10/13 at AKL. I am seriously considering changing to WL solely based on location. I stayed at AKL in May of last year and LOVED it. Part of our decision to stay there was based on the fact that we knew we weren't going to visit Animal Kingdom park, and that was a way the kids could see the animals, but we probably will go to Animal Kingdom this time, so it's not an issue. This will be our last trip to Disney for a while, so I'm weighing staying at some place I know I love vs. trying some place new.

Have any of you stayed at both? I would love to hear the pros and cons of both (if there are any) beyond just location and preference for theming. Is there any advice as to which would be better for a family with a 5 and 2-year old? . I loved the theming of AKL so much I'm afraid I'd be let down by WL. I am more than willing to be proven wrong though ;)

Any help is greatly appreciated!
 
Some 40 years ago (dating myself here), we used to drive down to Myrtle Beach every year for vacation and the best part of the trip was reading those South of the Border billboards. I tried to convince my parents to stop and they never did.

A few years ago now as a parent we took our kids to Myrtle Beach for the first time and did the same thing - reading the signs (which didn't seem as numerous or clever as the ones from ages ago). I was excited because I WAS going to stop and show the kids. So we stopped. It was one of the biggest disappointments - the place was a total dump and given this is a Disney board I won't relate the actual language I was using to myself to express what it was really like. My DW was like, this is what you were excited about? Even the kids (who get excited about everything) were like - this place is terrible. Everything was rusted out, broken, not working, it just doesn't stand up to the image and up close it looks even worse than it did from the highway. Fortunately we left without any money spent there (although perhaps stopping at the firework store might have been a worthwhile endeavor).

Oh well, at least I stopped to make the kids happy, but I guess sometimes dreams are better than reality. Not in the case of Disney of course and WL in particular. ;)

Oh wow! South of th e Border!! I grew up in NY, and the folks would load up the family car and we'd drive down to Miami. I loved reading those signs. We even stopped once. I don't remember it being terribly run down but sad to hear its a bit worse for wear now..
We used to stop at Stuckeys too, loved their pecan pie :cloud9:
 
Hi all,

I am hoping a WL guru can give me some advice, or at least direct me to which of the almost 200 pages of this topic I might be able to find some direction! :goodvibes:

I have a trip planned for me, DH, DS (5) and DS (2) 10/8 - 10/13 at AKL. I am seriously considering changing to WL solely based on location. I stayed at AKL in May of last year and LOVED it. Part of our decision to stay there was based on the fact that we knew we weren't going to visit Animal Kingdom park, and that was a way the kids could see the animals, but we probably will go to Animal Kingdom this time, so it's not an issue. This will be our last trip to Disney for a while, so I'm weighing staying at some place I know I love vs. trying some place new.


We've stayed at both. Aside from the obv theming, they are similar, being built by the same man. The location is better with WL, being in the MK resort area. Transp to MK by boat. Def more fun then the bus. They also have a resort boat that loops around WL, FW, & CR. so easy to get to dining. They have movies on th e beach, and the Electric Water Parade goes by,.The CMs at WL are wonderful. I love many things about this resort.

You already know all about AKL. I would suggest you look at the photos people posted, and the photos on all ears.net. Good luck deciding.
 
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