Disney's WILDERNESS LODGE Information & Questions

[cgattis]

Spoke to CM this PM, no plans for photopass photographers at WL until 2 weeks prior to Christmas

They may have one there on TG day however

This is different from prior years IIRC as I distinctly remember getting photopass pics at many resorts

Ha, I asked before I saw this and they said they expected them by mid-week, but felt sure they'd be here Tging day. If you see a family down there taking their own pics with a timer, that'll be us!! LOL

PS, I swear we took all the same pics of the decorations!! Too funny.

 

[alliecat523]

What was your view of? From what I've read on here I thought a lot of the standard view rooms were facing the contemporary and magic kingdom where they are building cabins?

Whodatdisney - Thanks for sharing your pictures

Yes, it's been the contemporary and MK. If I looked straight down it was the employee parking and the smokehouse and trees.

 

[Cluelyss]

Spoke to CM this PM, no plans for photopass photographers at WL until 2 weeks prior to Christmas

They may have one there on TG day however

This is different from prior years IIRC as I distinctly remember getting photopass pics at many resorts

We were in Disney the week after thanksgiving last year and there were PP photogs at both GF and WL for sure, as we took pictures in front of both trees during our trip.

 

[Wallflower]

Yes, it's been the contemporary and MK. If I looked straight down it was the employee parking and the smokehouse and trees.

I'd read on here somebody had a really bad view of the smokehouse. Would it be best to get the highest floor? Maybe I should stop worrying and just grab a room...
Am I still right there is a path open to use between Fort Wilderness and the lodge?

 

[cgattis]

I'd read on here somebody had a really bad view of the smokehouse. Would it be best to get the highest floor? Maybe I should stop worrying and just grab a room...
Am I still right there is a path open to use between Fort Wilderness and the lodge?

Well if you had a low room you'd definitely be looking at the smokehouse. It blocks most of the low water view except over the geyser.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

I'd read on here somebody had a really bad view of the smokehouse. Would it be best to get the highest floor? Maybe I should stop worrying and just grab a room...
Am I still right there is a path open to use between Fort Wilderness and the lodge?

Yes, in general the higher the floor the better the view. You also get further from the trucks that use the loading dock. We absolutely loved our 6th floor Standard View room that was above the smokehouse and looked towards MK.

Also the walking trail to Fort Wilderness is open, you just have to go around by the bus stops rather than down by the water's edge.

 

[Wallflower]

Yes, in general the higher the floor the better the view. You also get further from the trucks that use the loading dock. We absolutely loved our 6th floor Standard View room that was above the smokehouse and looked towards MK.

Also the walking trail to Fort Wilderness is open, you just have to go around by the bus stops rather than down by the water's edge.

Thanks everybody your thoughts/info.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Spoke to CM this PM, no plans for photopass photographers at WL until 2 weeks prior to Christmas

They may have one there on TG day however

This is different from prior years IIRC as I distinctly remember getting photopass pics at many resorts

They had Photopass photographers at WL, GF and AKL when we were there Nov 30 to Dec 4, 2013.

The photographers were so busy at WL that they had two of them at certain times.

 

[crazy4wdw]

According to Disney Parks Blog, the construction at WL should be ending summer 2017:

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...ties-coming-soon-to-disneys-wilderness-lodge/

 

[EveClark]

Hi all!
I was hoping to hit up the monorail resorts after our AK day. I thought I would take the bus from AK to Poly, then monorail to GF, then monorail to CR... then I could take the boat back home to WL.
I'm trying to remember if the monorail runs in that order. I know the MK monorail runs in one direction, and the resort monorail runs in another. Will my plan work or will I need to start at a different resort other than the Poly? And how late will the boat run between CR and WL?

Thanks!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Hi all!
I was hoping to hit up the monorail resorts after our AK day. I thought I would take the bus from AK to Poly, then monorail to GF, then monorail to CR... then I could take the boat back home to WL.
I'm trying to remember if the monorail runs in that order. I know the MK monorail runs in one direction, and the resort monorail runs in another. Will my plan work or will I need to start at a different resort other than the Poly? And how late will the boat run between CR and WL?

Thanks!

The resort monorail goes from Poly to GF to MK to CR to TTC then Poly again.

The boat to CR and FW runs from 6:45am until 11:30 pm.

 

[EveClark]

The resort monorail goes from Poly to GF to MK to CR to TTC then Poly again.

The boat to CR and FW runs from 6:45am until 11:30 pm.

Perfect! Thank you so much!
And for such a quick reply!

 

[cgattis]

Still no info on Photopass photographers in the lobby....I'm guessing if they were coming tomorrow, the desk would know by now. MAJOR bummer after buying MemoryMaker and planning Christmas card pics

 

[dansdad]

Still no info on Photopass photographers in the lobby....I'm guessing if they were coming tomorrow, the desk would know by now. MAJOR bummer after buying MemoryMaker and planning Christmas card pics

Not necessarily. Since the Photopass Photographers are a separate entity, the resort truly may not know when/if they are going to be there. I have been burned by this in the past. We were doing a monorail tour to see the Christmas decorations one night and were hoping to get somewhat dressed up the next day for a Christmas Card picture. Asked the Concierge at Poly, GF and Contemporary if a Photopass Photographer was going to be there the next day. Each one said no. We had an ADR at GF the next day and didn't bother dressing up, we came right from MK. Well lo and behold there were 2 Photopass Photographers there. We got our picture taken and the card turned out very nice, but we were hoping for a different look. Out of curiosity we hit the other 2 resorts on the monorail and they too had Photopass Photographers.

Don't loose hope.

 

[cgattis]

Not necessarily. Since the Photopass Photographers are a separate entity, the resort truly may not know when/if they are going to be there. I have been burned by this in the past. We were doing a monorail tour to see the Christmas decorations one night and were hoping to get somewhat dressed up the next day for a Christmas Card picture. Asked the Concierge at Poly, GF and Contemporary if a Photopass Photographer was going to be there the next day. Each one said no. We had an ADR at GF the next day and didn't bother dressing up, we came right from MK. Well lo and behold there were 2 Photopass Photographers there. We got our picture taken and the card turned out very nice, but we were hoping for a different look. Out of curiosity we hit the other 2 resorts on the monorail and they too had Photopass Photographers.

Don't loose hope.

Thanks I've still got our nice outfits laid out for tomorrow just in case, and plan to go down and do something either way. And like you said, I did get a decent pic at MK; was just hoping for a more rustic look. Either way, I guess I'm just thankful to be with my little family tomorrow.

 

[dansdad]

Thanks I've still got our nice outfits laid out for tomorrow just in case, and plan to go down and do something either way. And like you said, I did get a decent pic at MK; was just hoping for a more rustic look. Either way, I guess I'm just thankful to be with my little family tomorrow.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Thanks I've still got our nice outfits laid out for tomorrow just in case, and plan to go down and do something either way. And like you said, I did get a decent pic at MK; was just hoping for a more rustic look. Either way, I guess I'm just thankful to be with my little family tomorrow.

You can dress up and ask someone to take your picture in the lobby. When we stayed at the WL in Dec 2013 there was a really cute Christmas display with bears. People were constantly asking strangers to take their pictures with the bears. The little bridge is another good spot for a cute picture. And I liked the little Christmas trees. None of those places have PhotoPass photographers but all of them make a nice picture. And don't forget the villas building. That resort has several fireplaces which are trimmed with Christmas decorations.

We'll be stopping by the WL in the next two weeks and can't wait to see it all decorated for Christmas.

And Kook, when you get a chance, we moved our March trip up a day. Our new dates are March 24 to 29th, 2017. Thanks.

 

[bluecastle]

Happy Thanksgiving to KOOK and all my lodger friends!

 

[WDWKOOK]

WISHING EVERYONE A BLESSED THANKSGIVING​

Hi all! Contemplating a deluxe room stay for 5 of us. Question, how is the queen pullout sofa? It would be for an adult in our crew. Staying at AofA a couple years ago, the sofa bed was crazy comfortable with memory foam. Hoping there's a chance that other resorts sofa beds were upgraded? Thank you in advance!

My teen DD declared the queen sofa bed comfortable, but she doesn't recall it being memory foam.

Hi everyone....just back from The Wilderness Lodge. It is NOT decorated for Christmas at all and was told by a CM they would not be doing so until the week before Thanksgiving....so I suppose next week is fair game. We stayed on Club Level....my very favorite room is now the temporary concierge lounge, which was surreal to visualize. We could see directly through the south wing, and honestly they told us it would not be complete until 2018 and I believe them. From what we could see the Presidental Suite was stuffed with huge insulation rolls, and no walls were to be seen up, some wall supports but lots of lights on and men working. I also was told that the south 7th floor would no longer be Concierge but also DVC. So when one gets off the elevator on 7, there is to be another door to access the north wing club level and lounge. The walls were down mostly around the NEW Old Faithful and when we went up the back stairs we could about see the opening ....access from 7 still blocked off with a door/wall. Was told they were shooting for being open by Thanksgiving! And that it has a bathroom and is very large, I take it the tables will all be inside. It was ok in the Yellowstone Suite but the food offerings were lesser as I had read, but it was nice the lobby music was coming through in there. No longer USA today delivered to door but now Wall Street Journal, New York Times and other papers in the lounge. it was rather anti climatic to have to use back elevator but it wasn't busy ever so that was nice. There is noisy day construction across from the roaring fork.....they are ripping out cement with jackhammers to create a new seating area with an overhang so more people will be encouraged to eat outdoors even in the summer temps. We had excellent service from all Cast Members....and our room was the cleanest I have ever seen....I suspect the rooms got a new paint job in the past 3 years as it looked quite fresh. Mousekeeping was great. I speculate it will be harder to obtain a club level room in the future so advanced planning recommended. That and likely less rooms available for discounts..... We still love our lodge....

They were filming for the Christmas Special in the MK Weds, Thurs, and Friday. The parks were very busy so glad I went to a party and had a more relaxing evening crowd wise.....those Pandora fireworks viewing spots were wonderful to sit and see the fireworks!!! I even finally purchased my first Pandora Disney bracelet with my reward points leftover and the additional 10% off was nice when you use your Disney Visa or Rewards card.

Thank you for posting about your stay, @tinkwings

Hi WL folks! Just finalized plans for a last-minute short trip, Deluxe CL Room, 11/25-11/28. It's been a few years since we stayed at WL and we're really looking forward to staying there again (despite the construction) and checking out the holiday decor.

Thank you to everyone who keeps this thread updated with the latest, particularly the construction updates!

Happy travels tomorrow and I hope you and your family have a great stay.

Just back from WL club level and I specifically chose this bc of the boat transportation with small kids. It was awesome. Because the hotel is half empty, daytime boats were nearly empty and ran often. I did see the night boat more full and the bustle in the hotel was much different at night. I think the boat is the way to go. Also, anyone having reservations about WL during construction, I can verify what many others have said. No noise, no impact at all , just the bonus of the empty hotel, uncrowded pool (on Sunday more lifeguards than swimmers) and noone in the OFC most of the time.

Thanks, @danc18 for reporting about your OFC stay.

Hello. I'm considering booking the Wilderness Lodge for late March. It was be a Garden view room. How is the construction going these days?

WL doesn't have a Garden View. They offer Courtyard View or Standard View bookings. Many have reported that the construction hasn't negatively impacted their stay and the resort is at half capacity. But, keep in mind that many amenities are closed.

We are at Wilderness lodge now. Came back from dinner at the Bouthouse and the Magical Disney Faries are hard at work putting up the Christmas decorations!!!

Thank you for posting an update for everyone.

Woke up this AM to decorations everywhere and the tree is up

Will post pics this evening

Thank you for posting your photos, @WhoDatDisney

According to Disney Parks Blog, the construction at WL should be ending summer 2017:

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...ties-coming-soon-to-disneys-wilderness-lodge/

Thanks so much for posting the link, @crazy4wdw.

Cross-posting my comments from the WL DVC Expansion thread:

"Artist's renderings of post construction BRV pool, Boulder Ridge Cove, and quick service, Geyser Point Bar & Grill. Scheduled to open SUMMER 2017."


Photos Courtesy Disney Parks Blog

View attachment 207532 Happy Thanksgiving to KOOK and all my lodger friends!

Love it and thank you, Mickey!!

 

[cgattis]

Photopass photographer is in the lobby today! Yay!! Wishing happy holidays to all you Lodge travelers We had a wonderful stay!