We were originally booked for 2 standard rooms at the polynesian. There are 7 adults and 1 infant. We thought it would be better to get a 2 bedroom villa. We really wanted Bay lake tower but they didn't have a military discounted room available. So we booked a 2 bedroom villa at wilderness lodge, using the military discount. We are saving about $1250.00 but with all the construction going on there, I don't know if I made a mistake
I highlighted what you said you booked which is a 2BR suite at the Villas section of the Wilderness Lodge. We were just there two weeks ago in a 1BR facing the construction and had no issues at all. As another noted, the construction hours are during the day only, and while we were there, they never started before 8 a.m. and were done each day before 5 p.m. No work was done on the weekend at all. No workers, no trucks, nothing.
Yes, during the day, you can hear a bit of construction noise, but unless we opened the balcony doors, we could barely hear the heavy equipment. Even standing out on the balcony, the noise was not terribly intrusive, and we had a room overlooking what used to be the courtyard/Hidden Springs pool area. I'd be far more worried about noise within the room made by others while a small child was attempting to nap than the noise outside.
Certainly you won't have access to the Hidden Springs pool which no longer exists and is now the staging area for the construction, and you won't be able to take the nature trail that started by the bike/boat rental shop and followed the shore line of the lake. However, the main pool is going strong along with the new kids' splash area, and the paved path that heads toward Fort Wilderness likewise is open. As someone mentioned, the entire south wing of the main Lodge is closed and scaffolding does cover the entire length of that wing on the pool side; however, you won't hear any of that work in the Villas, only when you're at the main pool during work hours.
All the other services are open: Roaring Fork, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Artist Point, the Mercantile, the arcade, buses, boats, et. al. The small things that make the Lodge so endearing still exist, too. The music still majestically plays; the lanterns along the walkway still flicker; the crickets chirrup; the particular smell of the Lodge seemed enhanced; and the CMs were as friendly as any other time we've been there. In fact, one could argue that some, say the wait staff, might be friendlier since there are reduced numbers of people at the Lodge thanks to the south wing being closed and people being scared away by the construction, thus tips could be more scarce. Oh, and the geyser still goes off on the hour.
The Villas are my home resort, and I will admit to feeling a bit saddened by the reduction in some of the "wilderness" aspects of the Wilderness Lodge due to construction. Even as cynical as I can be about Disney's long-term plan for the new Villas, I will still admit that our week-long stay there was just about perfect. We had a wonderful room (the Villas rooms were all refurbished less than two years ago), and though the construction site wasn't gorgeous, the silver lining was that we had near perfect views (not all the trees are gone) of the Electric Water Pageant each night. Should you get a room on the non-lake view side, you'll have plenty of peace and quiet with a view of lots and lots of trees. Service was excellent; CMs were friendly; the food at Artist Point was topnotch; Roaring Fork still serves the best fresh, made-to-order Mickey waffles in the World; and the boats still run to and from the Contemporary and the Magic Kingdom. If you simply don't like being near construction, then that's a separate issue. However, if you're simply worried that the construction might be a major stress factor, I think you can put that idea to rest. Best of luck in your decision, and have a great trip!
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