Disney's WILDERNESS LODGE Information & Questions

[WDWKOOK]

We stayed on the 6th floor in rooms that open to the lobby across from WCC twice and could hear some noise from it with our door closed at peak dinner time. By the time we went to bed there was no noise, and even in the middle of the day it was fairly quiet. I haven't stayed at the CR, but from walking around there I would expect that the CR is louder. What we loved about these rooms is the beautiful view while walking to and from the room. We couldn't help but take pictures almost every time.

That is a great photo

You're right about CR being louder. The 4th floor Concourse is a much larger area than the WL lobby with lots of people, the monorail and Chef Mickey's all generating some noise and all Tower rooms on floors 12 and below open up to the 4th floor. I think Chef Mickey's Celebration Song, played every hour, is much louder than the occasional hootin' and hollerin' at WCC, even during the stick pony races. The CM's song is on a PA system, but nothing is amplified at WCC.

KOOK we will be in the villas. Never actually stayed in the lodge since we are DVC.

 

[Leeba]

hi all - first timer here (for WDW and Wilderness Lodge)! We're staying at the end of August.

I have a couple probably stupid questions. First, we booked a standard room, but would prefer bunk beds. I don't see standard view rooms with bunk beds, though I've seen in this thread a couple times implied that perhaps we could request one? When and how would we do that? Also, someone upthread said that not all the balconies are "open" ... what does that mean? Should I request something specific?

thanks all!!!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

hi all - first timer here (for WDW and Wilderness Lodge)! We're staying at the end of August.

I have a couple probably stupid questions. First, we booked a standard room, but would prefer bunk beds. I don't see standard view rooms with bunk beds, though I've seen in this thread a couple times implied that perhaps we could request one? When and how would we do that? Also, someone upthread said that not all the balconies are "open" ... what does that mean? Should I request something specific?

thanks all!!!

First off, welcome. You should have a great time, and WL is a wonderful resort. We stayed here our first tip and didn't want to stay anywhere else.

With a standard view room you can request Bunk beds and they will give you a bunk bed room if they have an extra available, but it probably isn't super likely. You can make the request by calling the central reservations number and have it added to your reservation, along with any other location requests like high floor or which wing you prefer. To guarantee bunk beds, you could pay extra and book a bunk bed room in one of the other view categories.
The top level in any section of the resort (and some other random locations) have balconies that are recessed into the roofline of the hotel, and therefore have enclosed railing. This means you can't see out while seated, so many people prefer open balconies. We have had both and it didn't matter much to us. Since the 7th floor (Club Level) doesn't extend all the way East down the wings, some 6th floor rooms have enclosed balconies while others have 7th floor rooms above them and have open balconies.

 

[Lillian Gracey]

I officially made the switch! WL here we come! 9/3-9/8!

 

[CuteAsMinnie]

A few pages back (of course now I cannot find it! ) some wonderful member of our amazing thread posted that:
the scafolding has moved from the south side of the innermost courtyard to the north side ( I thinkkkkk someone posted that it WAS outside the bear-faced rooms.)

Logic would state that this would mean once 'they' were finishing with this scafolding work in the inner most courtyard, they would move on to other parts of the resort so IF/WHEN we arrive in June into our most favorite inner most courtyard room, there should not be any scafolding??????

How far am I stretching here????

KOOK?

 

[mackaylc]

I am set to go to Wilderness Lodge April 19, 2015-April 28, 2015 (can you add me to the list please). This is our first time at a deluxe, we have stayed once at AoA and once off site. I have done my online checkin, and made a request to be close to the elevators and on an upper floor. What I would like to avoid is having a walk back to the room. I know it is all in one building but I have seen vlogs where there is long hallways to get through to get to the room. I have a woods view room booked. Any help would be appreciated

We are all so excited

 

[Wood Nymph]

I am set to go to Wilderness Lodge April 19, 2015-April 28, 2015 (can you add me to the list please). This is our first time at a deluxe, we have stayed once at AoA and once off site. I have done my online checkin, and made a request to be close to the elevators and on an upper floor. What I would like to avoid is having a walk back to the room. I know it is all in one building but I have seen vlogs where there is long hallways to get through to get to the room. I have a woods view room booked. Any help would be appreciated

We are all so excited

If they give you a room close to the elevator than you won't have any problems with a long walk. There are a lot of woods view rooms close to the lobby, including rooms with a lobby view and rooms in the south wing. Compared to AoA, there aren't any long walks at WL.

 

[Capang]

It is brutally cold where I am, temps below zero and wind chills that make me think I moved to the arctic. I taught one day this week and the rest of the week has been called off due to dangerous cold temps. I CANNOT WAIT to get to WL this spring!

 

[WDWKOOK]

The DIS Unplugged reviewed WL and VWL in their latest "7 in 7" series:

~More WL/VWL "7 in 7"




SPOILER ALERT:

Most disliked the WL rooms, (I don't think anyone knew/could tell they had been rehabbed just a couple of years ago), and, they disliked the Old Faithful Club. But, they really liked their villa and the resort.

 

[WDWKOOK]

I officially made the switch! WL here we come! 9/3-9/8!

It's great that it's official now and I'll put your dates in the Lodgers' Log. I think it's the perfect spot for your one year anniversary.

KOOK?

Sounds about right to me, but I really have no idea when/where that scaffolding will appear throughout the year - sorry.

I am set to go to Wilderness Lodge April 19, 2015-April 28, 2015 (can you add me to the list please). This is our first time at a deluxe, we have stayed once at AoA and once off site. I have done my online checkin, and made a request to be close to the elevators and on an upper floor. What I would like to avoid is having a walk back to the room. I know it is all in one building but I have seen vlogs where there is long hallways to get through to get to the room. I have a woods view room booked. Any help would be appreciated

We are all so excited

I have a feeling this won't be your last time staying Deluxe. I'll log your dates and happy planning.

It is brutally cold where I am, temps below zero and wind chills that make me think I moved to the arctic. I taught one day this week and the rest of the week has been called off due to dangerous cold temps. I CANNOT WAIT to get to WL this spring!

It won't be long now. We had a 5-day weekend in NoVA, but the kids are finally back today. I see it'll be below freezing at WDW tonight, but that's still warmer than your weather.

 

[pixarmom]

We've stayed CL at BC, BWI, GF (RPC), Poly and AKL. Having not stayed CL at WL, I can't say for sure, but I think the answer to "is it worth it" should always be maybe. For one guy, the answer is probably "no." If I run the PHM with a friend and we don't bring the kids, the answer is probably "no" because we can easily go to a bar in the evening or grab a cup of coffee for breakfast in the morning from a CS location. If I'm traveling with my three boys (including two hungry teens who snack all the time) and either my husband or my parents, the answer is usually "yes." If I'm with just our youngest, the answer might be yes - but only sometimes (it's not the value of the food, but the convenience and the lounge space in that case.) The actual additional cost of CL on a given night at a given resort is also relevant - we've paid as little as $75/night extra and as much as $150/night extra. The $244/night extra for CL on Easter Weekend would be a "no" for us, but could be a "maybe" for someone else. CL is not meal replacement for us, except for breakfast, which averages at least $40 for our family of five. But it certainly cuts down on the number of snacks we buy in the parks and the amount of food we order for dinner, so that adds to the value IF we're not using the dining plan and IF we don't have fixed price ADRs. (More "it depends!")

I agree regarding the arrival process. I think the only times a CL CM has actually greeted us at the entrance are once at BC and once at BWI. Every other time (including repeat stays at BC and BWI) we have to track someone down. Although we arrived at GF on foot, so that may be different if arriving by vehicle!

 

[ttkc]

Yet more last minute questions! You would think I hadn't had this booked for a year already...

I know official check in is at 4:00. What time is the earliest you can usually get into a room after you check in? We should be there by noon. We are staying in VWL, rather than the lodge, if that makes a difference.

How long does check in take? I know I read somewhere that it can take a long time. Is that still the case?

How long does check out take, if you're going to be dropping off luggage for ME, then also stowing luggage with the front desk until you depart?

 

[Wood Nymph]

How long does check out take, if you're going to be dropping off luggage for ME, then also stowing luggage with the front desk until you depart?

I would give yourself at least 20 minutes for the resort airline check in. We had to wait for some people ahead of us, who seemed to have problems, otherwise I think it would have taken five minutes.

 

[WDWKOOK]

We've stayed CL at BC, BWI, GF (RPC), Poly and AKL. Having not stayed CL at WL, I can't say for sure, but I think the answer to "is it worth it" should always be maybe. For one guy, the answer is probably "no." If I run the PHM with a friend and we don't bring the kids, the answer is probably "no" because we can easily go to a bar in the evening or grab a cup of coffee for breakfast in the morning from a CS location. If I'm traveling with my three boys (including two hungry teens who snack all the time) and either my husband or my parents, the answer is usually "yes." If I'm with just our youngest, the answer might be yes - but only sometimes (it's not the value of the food, but the convenience and the lounge space in that case.) The actual additional cost of CL on a given night at a given resort is also relevant - we've paid as little as $75/night extra and as much as $150/night extra. The $244/night extra for CL on Easter Weekend would be a "no" for us, but could be a "maybe" for someone else. CL is not meal replacement for us, except for breakfast, which averages at least $40 for our family of five. But it certainly cuts down on the number of snacks we buy in the parks and the amount of food we order for dinner, so that adds to the value IF we're not using the dining plan and IF we don't have fixed price ADRs. (More "it depends!")

I agree regarding the arrival process. I think the only times a CL CM has actually greeted us at the entrance are once at BC and once at BWI. Every other time (including repeat stays at BC and BWI) we have to track someone down. Although we arrived at GF on foot, so that may be different if arriving by vehicle!

For us, we've only been consistently greeted outside and escorted to CL at WL. At other resorts it's been less consistent. I think this is one of those things that will remain inconsistent, especially if all the CL runners are busy, you can easily get missed or have to wait for a runner. Another inconsistency is whether you actually get contacted by the IPO after booking. They have some sort of trigger for this happening, and it never has been consistent. These aren't earth shattering inconsistencies, but if you are new to CL or staying only one night, like in the 7 in 7 series, it can be even more disappointing to the guest.

Regarding Pete and JeniLynn's CL comments, keep in mind that they only experienced one night. Those who have been working at WL the longest and are the most knowledgable CMs, generally only work M-F and arrive very early and leave very early in the afternoon. These might not have been the CMs that they experienced during their one night stay. Also, CL management at the OFC changed over our last stay in the summer, so some of what Pete and JeniLynn experienced may or may not be attributable to the change in management.

Your CL Vs. non-CL price difference is about what our experience has been. We never-ever pay rack rate and have only booked CL with 40% off so I was assuming the price difference they were quoting was for rack rack? I also agree with you that the answer to "Is it worth it?" really depends on many factors and what you value with CL. Some value the quick and easy access to food and drinks or the unlimited alcohol, an exclusive floor, help with reservations. Some love the lounge views and having a place outside their room to relax and some just love the CMs. I don't think you can truly answer the "Is it worth it?" question until after you've tried each CL.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Yet more last minute questions! You would think I hadn't had this booked for a year already...

I know official check in is at 4:00. What time is the earliest you can usually get into a room after you check in? We should be there by noon. We are staying in VWL, rather than the lodge, if that makes a difference.

It's the policy of WL to get guests into their rooms as fast as possible, so I assume it's the same for VWL guests. How early that is depends on when the room you've been assigned is ready for you. If you've made any requests, this may narrow the room options. If you indicated in Online Check-In that having your room ready upon arrival is more important than your requests, then the Room Assignor will take this into consideration. If your room isn't available upon arrival, you have the option of asking to see if there is any room in your booking category that is available now. However, for some reason, DVC rooms usually take a lot longer to get into than non-DVC. I don't know if this is because the villas are larger and take longer to clean?

 

[mackaylc]

If they give you a room close to the elevator than you won't have any problems with a long walk. There are a lot of woods view rooms close to the lobby, including rooms with a lobby view and rooms in the south wing. Compared to AoA, there aren't any long walks at WL.

Thanks so much for the info!

 

[mackaylc]

[QUOTE="WDWKOOK, post: 53101602, member: 230935"

I have a feeling this won't be your last time staying Deluxe. I'll log your dates and happy planning.
[/QUOTE]
Thanks, planning is half the fun

 

[Hockeyfan17]

Booked our flight this morning for our August 25 - September 2 trip to WL. Now time to start the ADR planning as our window opens on the 26th. Officially coming now and really excited for our first WL stay.

 

[mrsap]

I'm really surprised they didn't care for the OFC. I thought the staff up there was great, and although the room itself isn't huge, it served its purpose. I, for one, cannot wait to go back in November. We are officially hooked on CL thanks to WL!!

 

[JKSWonder]

Booked our flight this morning for our August 25 - September 2 trip to WL. Now time to start the ADR planning as our window opens on the 26th. Officially coming now and really excited for our first WL stay.

We booked our flight down for August 22nd, but the flights back up to New York on August 29th seem outrageously high, so we are waiting a bit on that. Southwest wasn't supposed to open up their schedule through August until next week, but it's already up and the nonstop flights that we would normally want are already sold out for the Wanna Get Away cheaper fares. Here is hoping the open more of those fares up or JetBlue's prices drop a bit. Our ADR window opens on 2/23 and I still have absolutely no idea about where we want to eat and when. I guess that's what I will be working on this weekend.

Can't wait for our first WL stay either....especially since I am positively freezing here in NYC today!