Disney's WILDERNESS LODGE Information & Questions

[CuteAsMinnie]

I was planning on staying at the lodge the very first couple days of December. When I look at availability for woods view rooms there is none. I tried changing it to every month after March to see if they were really all taken or what, and it looks like no woods view rooms are available except for right now. Are they planning to close these rooms after March or something? I can't imagine every woods view room is taken already for the rest of the year. My experience with woods view was that it was actually hard to see much of anything because the wood siding on the balcony is so high. We did get lucky to have a fireworks view once though. I'm thinking courtyard shouldn't be too bad. It's the pool by the Villas that is being worked on, not the main lodge pool right?

I'd forgotten the reason for that high wood railing was because we were on the top floor. I actually really liked it despite not seeing anything. It felt private. I really hope they didn't remove trees from the wilderness lodge property for the purpose of viewing fireworks...or have they built something where those trees were as well? I'm a little confused just where the construction is. In the beginning I thought it was all where the villas were, but now I have seen pictures of the lobby being remodeled, and the trees blocking fireworks - isn't that far away from the villas?

After looking at the many pics folks have been so kind to post, it certainly appears like the majority of the 'woods' are gone. The view of the villas from the lake was a shocker as well as the view to to south with the CR and castle clearly visible. Im betting the woods view rooms in the north wing will be renamed 'castle view' with an up charge surpassing the courtyard views. The remaining rooms will be classified as standard rooms. The entire north side of the south wing will be classified as courtyard view. The Lodge will certainly have a completely different feel when all is said and done. We'll see if it's still the 'Wilderness' Lodge? We are so happy we were able to spend so many wonderful Disney vacations there from the time our children were toddlers, into their late teen/early 20s years. Those memories will always be cherished.

 

[Tina1]

Is the pool still open and does it still have the 2 hot tubs? And is the slide still there?

 

[Wood Nymph]

Is the pool still open and does it still have the 2 hot tubs? And is the slide still there?

Yes, the main pool, its slide, the two hot tubs and the children's splash pad are all open and operating as normal.

The Trout Pass Bar is open, too, just in case you wanted to know that, too.

 

[mousemama13]

Hi all! We are traveling to DW with a 4 and 7 year old the week after Thanksgiving. We stayed at WL 5 years ago and loved it so we were planning to return, but the construction has me reconsidering. We don't care about the restaurants or really most of the amenities, we really just want a nice Christmas feel and a place to come back and rest mid-day. Our youngest still naps and I had hopes of sitting in a big chair in the lobby with a book! Some questions for everyone:

1. Do you think the noise during the day will make it tough for my daughter to nap midday?

2. We were planning to stay in the villas. Do you think the main hotel would be quieter/better?

3. I'm now wondering if Contemporary might be better since we will mostly be at MK, and the location would be nice for naps. Don't love the decor though.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[mousemama13]

Just as a follow up, I also considered POR, the location is my biggest concern there since it's nice to be close to MK for us.

 

[Smbmoyers]

Is it normal for them to run out of military discounts for wl? Called today and they have NONE for the 27th of November through December 4th. I thought a military discount would be applicable to anything and they should never run out? I booked at rack rate with hope of a discount down the road.

 

[dansdad]

Is it normal for them to run out of military discounts for wl? Called today and they have NONE for the 27th of November through December 4th. I thought a military discount would be applicable to anything and they should never run out? I booked at rack rate with hope of a discount down the road.

They only set aside a certain number of rooms at each resort for any discount. So yes, this is normal.

 

[T_O]

Thanks for the advice! I ended up booking at the Polynesian Villas since the current discount brought it down to my price range. I'm happy with my choice, but a little disappointed that I won't get to try a Club-Level room.

 

[Tina1]

Just switched from sports to WL for our April stay. We have a Court yard reserved. The question is the bear faced rooms Court yard views?

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Just switched from sports to WL for our April stay. We have a Court yard reserved. The question is the bear faced rooms Court yard views?

Congratulations on the upgrade. WL is a great resort in a beautiful location.

Yes, the "Bear Face" rooms are considered courtyard view. They are the only courtyard view rooms that open to the lobby. Right now there are only 8 of them in use though, so getting one might be difficult and nothing is guaranteed.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Other than the trees being gone the only signs of construction is a path being built directly below our balcony. I'm taking the camera tomorrow (visiting the horses after breakfast) so I will take some from the boat as we go by.

So some non construction views!

We have been pixie dusted on our cruise stateroom as well: upgraded to a midship full veranda! I am so excited to get aboard tomorrow.

Liz

Thank you for posting all your photos and I hope that you're having a magical cruise!

I can't believe how much time I've beèn spending thinking about our WL ressies for August. We can't go to WDW and NOT go to WL,but that scaffolding.....

So, just when I was comfortable with our decision to stay the whole 8 days, I started thinking about being there end of August. It will be our first summer visit,so we were actually planning on spending time at the pool,something we've never done on any of our visits. I know the big pool will be fine,but the option for a quieter smaller pool won't be there.. Sitting at the pool surrounded by the beauty of the lodge, the building,won't be there. We do like To have the experience of the resort. So, I'm looking into doing a split stay, 4 days at WL and 4 days at the Poly. That way our conscience is clear, we stay at WL, but we also get a few days with a quiet pool,beach and a tad less chaos.

I don't know yet if it'll happen,as the Poly is more expensive,so we have to check out if our BB,from December will still be allowed ( same week,so days aren't changing). Also,hoping the discounts that are currently only running to the end of July will be extended to August. The last time we were at the Poly was Easter 1999, and we were pixie dusted with our room. Upgraded from Garden view to lagoon view. Our son,nine at the time,left the sliding doors open, allowing a family of ducks to wander our room. We woke up to quacking!!!! The Poly does hold special memories. But 4 days at WL will keep us from feeling like we're cheating on it........if we can get an AP/FL discount or keep the BB,then I think we have found the perfect construction solution.

Have you thought about a split with an Epcot area resort? It's like getting the best of both worlds and their rates are usually less than Poly's.

We'll be at the Lodge next week so we can provide another update.

I know many are looking forward to your update. Hope you're having a magical time!

Hi! With the discount that came out today, I just upgraded our reservation from POR Royal Room to a Wilderness Lodge standard room for just $38 dollars! I was looking forward to the royal room, but we have stayed at POR before and for $38 couldn't pass up a deluxe for the first time. I know there is construction but we will manage. Sounds like maybe they are not using all the rooms, so less people at the resort- that could be a plus. Here to read up and learn about a new resort. This will be fun!

Welcome! WL offers several transportation options and with FW right next door, it's like having one HUGE woodsy resort.

Oh, we will be there 6/11-6/17. Don't know whether to make any room requests or just see what we get.

I'll log your dates, @bjscheel. The only request you could make would pretty much be for a certain floor since the South Wing is closed.

Hi all! We are traveling to DW with a 4 and 7 year old the week after Thanksgiving. We stayed at WL 5 years ago and loved it so we were planning to return, but the construction has me reconsidering. We don't care about the restaurants or really most of the amenities, we really just want a nice Christmas feel and a place to come back and rest mid-day. Our youngest still naps and I had hopes of sitting in a big chair in the lobby with a book! Some questions for everyone:

1. Do you think the noise during the day will make it tough for my daughter to nap midday?

2. We were planning to stay in the villas. Do you think the main hotel would be quieter/better?

3. I'm now wondering if Contemporary might be better since we will mostly be at MK, and the location would be nice for naps. Don't love the decor though.

Thanks in advance!!

to the DIS and the WL/VWL thread! I'm not a fan of major resort construction with closures. I would recommend CR so that you can easily walk right to the MK and the kids will also be able to play on the beach. The Garden View rooms are less expensive than the Tower rooms, but are identical inside. The rooms at CR are quite a bit larger than WL. Feel free to check out the CR/BLT THREAD and post any questions you might have.

Is it normal for them to run out of military discounts for wl? Called today and they have NONE for the 27th of November through December 4th. I thought a military discount would be applicable to anything and they should never run out? I booked at rack rate with hope of a discount down the road.

They only set aside a certain number of rooms at each resort for any discount. So yes, this is normal.

@dansdad is absolutely correct. We've been booking the Military Salute room rate since it first came out in '09. Only a finite amount of rooms are allocated to the program. When resorts aren't full, there are times when they will have more Military Salute rooms added to the inventory. They also have blackout dates, such as spring break (starting 3/20 this year), Christmas and around July 4. Thanksgiving isn't blacked-out now for '16, but they may have limited inventory since it's around a holiday. Don't give up though. Sometimes a room will be added to the inventory or put back if someone cancels. I've gotten previously unavailable rooms this way, but you may not be able to change your rack rate to a MS rate so be prepared to apply a different discount, if available.

Thanks for the advice! I ended up booking at the Polynesian Villas since the current discount brought it down to my price range. I'm happy with my choice, but a little disappointed that I won't get to try a Club-Level room.

WL and Club Level will be there for another trip

 

[mousemama13]

Thank you so much! This was my instinct as well, I hate to miss out on WL at Christmas, but I think with all the construction Contemporary will be the best bet for this trip. Appreciate the advice!

to the DIS and the WL/VWL thread! I'm not a fan of major resort construction with closures. I would recommend CR so that you can easily walk right to the MK and the kids will also be able to play on the beach. The Garden View rooms are less expensive than the Tower rooms, but are identical inside. The rooms at CR are quite a bit larger than WL. Feel free to check out the CR/BLT THREAD and post any questions you might have.

 

[Bon1423]

We are staying at WL for the first time in early September. We are hoping for free dining but I'm trying to compare to a room discount and I'm wandering what a typical discount is for WL? I can't seem to find that information anywhere. I've seen that deluxe hotels usually have a higher discount than value or mod, but wandering what would be a typical percent for WL? Just in general, obviously everything can be different year to year.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We are staying at WL for the first time in early September. We are hoping for free dining but I'm trying to compare to a room discount and I'm wandering what a typical discount is for WL? I can't seem to find that information anywhere. I've seen that deluxe hotels usually have a higher discount than value or mod, but wandering what would be a typical percent for WL? Just in general, obviously everything can be different year to year.

The discount on the Wilderness Lodge is typically 30%.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Thank you so much! This was my instinct as well, I hate to miss out on WL at Christmas, but I think with all the construction Contemporary will be the best bet for this trip. Appreciate the advice!

You're welcome

We are staying at WL for the first time in early September. We are hoping for free dining but I'm trying to compare to a room discount and I'm wandering what a typical discount is for WL? I can't seem to find that information anywhere. I've seen that deluxe hotels usually have a higher discount than value or mod, but wandering what would be a typical percent for WL? Just in general, obviously everything can be different year to year.

HERE is the link to WDW Resort historical discounts. If you are eligible for the Military Salute room rate, the discount is 40% and if you are an Annual Passholder, those discounts are also usually a bit higher than the General Public which @Wood Nymph quoted for you above. People also will "stack" discounts using popular travel websites that offer an additional % off discount on top of the WDW % off discount. For more information, The Disney Discount Codes and Rates thread is located HERE.

 

[Pepper pots]

Yeah, we were really lucky in 2014 and got a 40% room discount which worked out cheaper than staying at our beloved PORS..

 

[alhurricane]

According to Humphrey's Wilderness Lodge page, the scaffolding on the south wing has been removed.

 

[fernfritters]

Just returned from our yearly trip to WDW and our first stay at WL. It was our first time at a Deluxe; honestly, the construction was not an issue at all for us. We were on the fifth floor courtyard view, so we had a direct view of the scaffolding. DH commented that he never really noticed the construction unless he was out on the balcony. We hardly heard anything at all, even when we spent time at the pool in the afternoon hours.

I loved the boat launch to MK, and we utilized it every day of our stay. We went with my in-laws, and they stayed at Shades of Green. One night, we left right after the fireworks (around 10:15), and they told us later that they did not get back to their rooms until 12:30am. We only waited 5-10 minutes for a boat back to WL. I am definitely a fan of the transportation for deluxes!

I could tell the resort was at half capacity. Buses were never full, and the boats always had room for everyone in the queue. If WL was normally like that, I'd probably choose to stay there every time! It was a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of the parks. You can definitely tell it is spring break season. I would not normally go during this time, but FIL is a teacher and he wanted to go! I was worried about him as he does not like crowds and I thought he'd get bored, but my worries were all for naught. He had a great time, and he insisted on ending every evening at MK.

Finally got to try Whispering Canyon Cafe, and I think it was the family favorite of the week!

 

[CuteAsMinnie]

Have not seen this posted yet.....

OFC has been relocated to VP Suite

http://www.orlandoparksnews.com/2016/03/old-faithful-club-relocation-at-disneys.html

 

[alhurricane]

I may have missed this several pages ago, but have the alarm clocks been removed from the resort. If so, have they been replaced with charging hubs?