Disney's WILDERNESS LODGE Information & Questions

[kamcole]

Awesome! DS will be almost 4 so I figure a little too big to put in a child seat on a bike BUT if they have small ones he could pedal his own! Might be fun to bike to FW and do breakfast and wander around.

What a great idea! We may have to check that out as well (I have a 4, 6, and 7 yr old travelling with us). We have left a bit of time to spend just at the resort so this might be a fun option.

 

[MrsSkellington]

Has anyone taken any recent pictures (maybe last few months)? I'm itching right now for some new ones! I don't know how I'll make it to October!

 

[eeyore45]

Has anyone taken any recent pictures (maybe last few months)? I'm itching right now for some new ones! I don't know how I'll make it to October!

I hear you - and we're going in June! When I called to get the summer discount applied, she said our vacation begins in 85 days! woohoo, double digits!!

 

[disneydoll87]

Booked the Wilderness Lodge for 5 nights in September! Our first time at a deluxe resort for my little family of three (me, my husband and daughter who is turning 7 there!) 186 days to go! We booked the queen bed with the bunk bed. Anyone have any room request tips for when the time comes?

 

[WDWKOOK]

Hi All! I'm so excited to be here. I just switched to WL from CBR with the Visa Cardholder room discount. I'm a CBR "semi-pro" but a newbie to WL. DH and I were originally going to stay WL for our honeymoon but for budget reasons we didn't.

We booked a Courtyard view room and I was hoping to get some input on room requests (I know it's not guaranteed). We are hoping to be far enough from the lobby to not have a ton of noise to deal with but not way off in Neverland either.

Thanks!

Edited to add our dates! 7/28-8/7

Welcome to the thread! Make sure to request a "WL or INNER" CYV room as some of the CYV rooms actually face toward VWL. Only the "Bear Face" CYV rooms open up to the lobby. Most of the CYV rooms are in the North and South wings. The CYV rooms in the South Wing have partial views of Wishes from the balcony.

We can do our online checkin now. We are at the Villas in a studio. Any thoughts on what I should request?

Just want to mention that if your particular request doesn't show up in the OCI options, just call the WDTC/CRO to have your request added, unless you booked using points or through a TA.

DH and I are staying at WL April 14-16 for a quick trip for F&G. Haven't stayed at WL for over a year. Anything new I should be aware of besides the pool?

Congratulations on booking and I'll add your dates to the Lodgers' Log.

Just added the discount to my reservation and have been upgraded to a WoodsView room. We have mostly stayed North Wing in the past. Either over the service area/smokehouse or the Otter Pond. Really want to switch it up this time around. What are the best Woods View rooms closest to the Bus Stop in the South Wing? What floor?

If you want to be as close as possible to the bus stop then I would request "South Wing, close to bus stop." Wood Nymph offers great advice, but sometimes it's hard for the Room Assignor to fulfill a specific room number request, but you can still add it along with "close to bus stop" so the RA knows why you requested it.

We are going to switch our reservation from AoA to WL on Monday. Party of 6 - 3 adults and 3 kids (4,6,7). Would you do two rooms or Deluxe Club level? We are intrigued by the Club Level amenities and it would be slightly cheaper than 2 woodsview rooms. We've never stayed at WL or club level so are having a tough time deciding.

Also - would you change your reservation now to ensure that you have the right room type - then just apply the summer discount on Monday or do you think we'd be ok waiting until Monday to update the entire reservation from AoA? Basically, I'm worried about whether or not the room type will be available on Monday.

Did you get switched? The Deluxe rooms are not located on the CL floor, they are on floors 1-6 only. They do have CL access/amenities though. I would choose the Deluxe room if you were a party of 5 since it's so nice having CL access at WL. However, with a party of 6, I think that's too many for just one bathroom and one bedroom. Have you priced out a Two-Bedroom villa Vs. Deluxe Room?

Couple of other questions ....

• We will have a morning free on our departure day. MDE will likely pick us up at 12PM. Would you:
  • Eat breakfast at Whispering Canyons Café and hang out at the resort - swim or what have you.
  • or
  • Go to MK for a few hours before we leave (likely rope drop to 11ish)

• Deluxe -
  • what floors are these on - I can't tell? It says club level in the room category but I think they are on multiple floors, right?
  • would you be able to see the fireworks or the electrical parade from one of these rooms?

Thanks for all of the input - it is really helpful. My family is very go with the flow and has left all the planning to me. It's fun but sometimes hard when you are planning for everyone else.

I would forgo the parks and relax at the resort. Just getting to/from the MK will be a bit stressful/time consuming, I think, on a fairly early departure day.

Deluxe rooms are on floors 1-6 only. You can see the EWP from all of them, but Wishes from none of them as they all front Bay Lake.

We rented two Studio rooms at VWL and I was wondering if there were any studios that were together or if there were anyway to request through Disney to at least be on the same floor ? We have rented DVC points from Davids any suggestions on who to call ? Disney or Davids to even start the request

If you are renting points and not on a cash reservation then you must go through your TA who "owns" the reservation, in this case David's, to add any requests to your reservation. You can ask them to "link" your reservations and request adjoining/connecting/same floor. The Room Assignor will see the linked reservations and try to accommodate your request.

Please add us! We are FINALLY going to check-in to the WL on Dec. 26th and stay until Jan.2nd! We got a great "magical" deal and can't wait to spend it at the WL!!! Super excited! We have a SV room booked so we aren't expecting much in the way of a "view" - we just are super excited to see the WL in all of its holiday glory!! woohoo!

So many have gotten that "magical" deal - congrats! The upper SV rooms in the North Wing have a partial Wishes view

Do you have to be staying at the villas to have access to the train room? I thought it would be neat to see.

Nope.

last I knew anyone could access the room.

Anyone can walk into VWL. You only need to be a WL or VWL guest to access Sturdy Branches.

So excited I just switched my 2BR villa from BLT to VWL!! We stayed at the lodge in February and just knew we needed to stay again in October. Right now my dates are Oct. 17 thru the 22 but I am hoping a room becomes available and I can switch the last two days over as well. Don't mind the split stay if that's what we have to do but it would be nice to just be set for the week. I really hope my waitlist comes through!!!

I hope you get your waitlist request, but I'll log your current dates.

 

[Leeba]

Quick question re: room requests. I booked through a TA (yes, that "magical deal"). Can I call to make a specific request, or would my TA have to do it? Or would I use the online check in process & request there? I read somewhere else not to use online check in if you are making a request, for some reason ... ?

 

[SeattleJen]

So we switched over to a courtyard view at WL! (we were at VWL) and I need some tips!

#1 is there actually such a thing as a non handicapped accessible king room? (we want a bathtub)

#2 if not what should I request so that we aren't in room that's overlooking beeping trucks (pool noise is ok), has a good view of something (pref fireworks or Electrical boat parade) and isn't five million miles from everything?

Thanks!

 

[WDWKOOK]

We can't wait; we will be there Friday!

I have a sub to Touring Plans and am using their room fax request. I'm requesting one of the bunk bed rooms (I reserved/paid for a bunk room) on the 5th floor North Wing farthest from the lobby as our first preference. I will post again when we get there to share how it turned out in case anyone has interest in the Touring Plans fax service.

Thanks to the incredible tips on the DIS - among a zillion other things - I booked this wonderful resort, I have breakfast stuff, a few snack things and drinks arriving from Garden Grocer, all my FPs booked (including A&E that came up at the 45 day mark (whew)), a few great ADRs, Pirates and Pals reserved one night, ponchos and sandals for when it rains, blister stuff for our toes, taking a day "off" from the parks - and afternoons at the resorts as needed. I also got a slamming deal on a Sony action cam, which I've found is a highly divisive topic on the DIS (I will be very cognizant of not bopping people on the head with it or blocking anyone's view).

This has been my favorite thread on the DIS, love every time it comes up on my Alerts. Thanks to Kook and everyone who's posted here!

I'm looking forward to hearing about your stay and how your fax requests worked. Did you make the same request in any other way?

Our trips overlap so if I see a very courteous person with a Sony, I'll be sure to do some photo bombing

Am starting to think about what I'd like to do at WL this time round and one thing I want to do is to walk over to FW and see the animals/horses - is there a best time of day to do this in order to see the horses? Thanks

I run over there in the early morning, just after sunrise and I find that the best time. It's cooler out and the horses are let out of their stables so they can be cleaned. They usually let out a couple at a time and there's plenty of horsin' around and equine antics. They have a fenced-in exercise area right next to the trail where I stand and watch them play. They kick balls around and canter back and forth and really have a fun time. I'm staying at CR next week and plan on taking the Blue Flag boat over in the morning just so I can see them.

Very excited for our first stay at WL this 7/20-7/24! We normally stay at Bay Lake or Poly but my kids fell in love with the WL pics so we thought we'd give it a try this summer! This thread has been an amazing resource! Thank you!! I did have an important question: coffee!! Our other resorts had a cafe area to grab a specialty coffee on the way out. Does WL have something like this as well? Love taking a cup on the way to the Parks so we can hit the ground running once we get there.

Yippee! I'll add your dates to the Lodgers' Log. Unless you stay Club Level, Roaring Fork is your only "fresh" coffee option at WL. However, if you boat over to CR, they have a very nice coffee place, Contemporary Grounds, on the lobby level which is the same level you would enter from the marina. And, it's located right next to the door that you can go out of to walk right to the MK. This might be a fun option for you on your MK day or Epcot day if you're taking the monorail instead of WL bus.

Does anyone know what the room #s are for the handicap rooms with roll-in showers?

I don't, but have you tried the Touring Plans' ROOM FINDER?

HAPPY DANCE!




Was able to apply the summer discount to our existing WL reservation! Saved $675! LOVE that I can apply it to an existing reservation!

That's terrific

Wooo HOOO!! We are officially confirmed for a Deluxe Room at WL from August 11 - 18th. Thank you to everyone for all the input this weekend. We are so excited.

Congratulations! Hope you found the Deluxe Room photos and ignore my Deluxe Room remarks above. I'll add your dates to the LL

Does anyone know if they have kids bikes available for rent (like for preschooler with training wheels), or is it just adult bikes? Thinking it would be fun to bike on the trails but of course DS would need a small bike!

Smallest ones are near the garbage:

Has anyone taken any recent pictures (maybe last few months)? I'm itching right now for some new ones! I don't know how I'll make it to October!

I shall post some fresh photos next week after I take the boat over from CR

Booked the Wilderness Lodge for 5 nights in September! Our first time at a deluxe resort for my little family of three (me, my husband and daughter who is turning 7 there!) 186 days to go! We booked the queen bed with the bunk bed. Anyone have any room request tips for when the time comes?

Welcome to the thread! Did you book a Woods or Courtyard Bunk?

 

[WDWKOOK]

Quick question re: room requests. I booked through a TA (yes, that "magical deal"). Can I call to make a specific request, or would my TA have to do it? Or would I use the online check in process & request there? I read somewhere else not to use online check in if you are making a request, for some reason ... ?

The TA "owns" the reservation and all requests must be done directly with your TA and not the WDTC/CRO. OCI room requests are posted in the ROOM chapter of the thread, but are very limited. If one of the choices does apply to you, you can still do both OCI room requests and have your TA make another request on your behalf. The Room Assignor sees all requests attached to your reservation, just make sure they don't conflict.

So we switched over to a courtyard view at WL! (we were at VWL) and I need some tips!

#1 is there actually such a thing as a non handicapped accessible king room? (we want a bathtub)

#2 if not what should I request so that we aren't in room that's overlooking beeping trucks (pool noise is ok), has a good view of something (pref fireworks or Electrical boat parade) and isn't five million miles from everything?

Thanks!

Yes, there are some non-HA Kings, however, I don't believe there are many. You could request a non-HA King.

None of the CYV rooms overlook a service area or parking lot, only the North Wing Standard View rooms do. The WL CYV rooms overlook the WL CY with the pool, geyser and Bay Lake beyond. You would be able to see the EWP from the upper floors. The upper CYV rooms in the South Wing have a partial Wishes view. The only CYV rooms that don't overlook the WL pool are a few CYV rooms that face toward VWL. If you don't want that view, specify a "WL" or INNER" CYV.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

So we switched over to a courtyard view at WL! (we were at VWL) and I need some tips!

#1 is there actually such a thing as a non handicapped accessible king room? (we want a bathtub)

#2 if not what should I request so that we aren't in room that's overlooking beeping trucks (pool noise is ok), has a good view of something (pref fireworks or Electrical boat parade) and isn't five million miles from everything?

Thanks!

Congratulations. There are some King bed non Handicapped rooms, but many people who request King rooms wind up with handicapped rooms, so if a tub is a necessity I would make it one of your requests, even if you wind up with two Queens instead.

Since you are Courtyard View you don't have to worry about being over a loading area. You will either face the main pool courtyard or the villas pool courtyard from the South side of the South wing. I'd request the inner courtyard, especially if you aren't worried about pool noise.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Yes, there are some non-HA Kings, however, I don't believe there are many. You could request a non-HA King.

None of the CYV rooms overlook a service area or parking lot, only the North Wing Standard View rooms do. The WL CYV rooms overlook the WL CY with the pool, geyser and Bay Lake beyond. You would be able to see the EWP from the upper floors. The upper CYV rooms in the South Wing have a partial Wishes view. The only CYV rooms that don't overlook the WL pool are a few CYV rooms that face toward VWL. If you don't want that view, specify a "WL" or INNER" CYV.

Great minds, Kook, although you just beat me to the reply

 

[disneydoll87]

WDWKook, thanks for the warm welcome! I love reading all the posts! This will be our first time at the WL and this board is so helpful. We actually switched from AoA Little Mermaid room to the WL for convenient transportation to the MK, the awesome theming and beautiful rooms. I figured the splurge would definitely be worth it!

I actually don't know whether or not it is a woods/courtyard bunk. When I called to book I just asked for a standard room with a bunk bed. We would prefer somewhere quiet and convenient. I figure I'll just call closer to my arrival date with a room request and cross my fingers I get something nice and peaceful! Which do you recommend?

Could you add us to the log for 9/24-9/27?

Thank you so much! Love and Pixie Dust!

 

[WDWKOOK]

Great minds, Kook, although you just beat me to the reply

I'm so glad our replies matched. I'm always grateful to have back-up around here, especially with my upcoming trip, I won't be able to post as often.

WDWKook, thanks for the warm welcome! I love reading all the posts! This will be our first time at the WL and this board is so helpful. We actually switched from AoA Little Mermaid room to the WL for convenient transportation to the MK, the awesome theming and beautiful rooms. I figured the splurge would definitely be worth it!

I actually don't know whether or not it is a woods/courtyard bunk. When I called to book I just asked for a standard room with a bunk bed. We would prefer somewhere quiet and convenient. I figure I'll just call closer to my arrival date with a room request and cross my fingers I get something nice and peaceful! Which do you recommend?

Could you add us to the log for 9/24-9/27?

Thank you so much! Love and Pixie Dust!

I'd be happy to add you, but what does it say in your reservation in your MDX account? It will make a difference in what you request whether you're WOODS or COURTYARD. All the rooms are "Standard" rooms, but there are only two views with bunks that are bookable. The CYV is the most expensive and the Woods is slightly less. There are some Standard View rooms with bunks, but the bunks are by-request only and not guaranteed/bookable. Happy planning!

 

[SeattleJen]

Congratulations. There are some King bed non Handicapped rooms, but many people who request King rooms wind up with handicapped rooms, so if a tub is a necessity I would make it one of your requests, even if you wind up with two Queens instead.

Since you are Courtyard View you don't have to worry about being over a loading area. You will either face the main pool courtyard or the villas pool courtyard from the South side of the South wing. I'd request the inner courtyard, especially if you aren't worried about pool noise.

Thanks so much! Can you see fireworks from both or are you saying I should suggest south wing?

 

[Tntfras]

Hi WDWKOOK! Can you put us on your log? We are staying 6/16-23/2015... Our first time CL! Can't wait!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Thanks so much! Can you see fireworks from both or are you saying I should suggest south wing?

A South Wing, Inner courtyard view room would have the best chance of seeing MK fireworks. They will be in the distance and over the other wing, but they can be seen from higher floors.

No matter where you end up though you should be able to see the EWP from your room, and you can go walk somewhere or catch a boat to see them more clearly at least one night.

 

[kamcole]

"Did you get switched? The Deluxe rooms are not located on the CL floor, they are on floors 1-6 only. They do have CL access/amenities though. I would choose the Deluxe room if you were a party of 5 since it's so nice having CL access at WL. However, with a party of 6, I think that's too many for just one bathroom and one bedroom. Have you priced out a Two-Bedroom villa Vs. Deluxe Room?

I would forgo the parks and relax at the resort. Just getting to/from the MK will be a bit stressful/time consuming, I think, on a fairly early departure day.

Deluxe rooms are on floors 1-6 only. You can see the EWP from all of them, but Wishes from none of them as they all front Bay Lake."


Thanks for the input! We did move to WL and went with a Deluxe room. There was a big price difference with the 2 BDM villa and the kids are pretty small so the space shouldn't be an issue for us. We've all stayed in closer quarters before, lol. The CL access is nice (even't if it isn't on the same floor).

We did decide to drop one park day and just relax at the resort for the departure day. We booked breakfast at the café and will lounge around.

Good to know on the EWP - the kids are big fans of that one so it will be fun to watch from the balcony. Can you see wishes from the beach or just EWP?

Thanks!

 

[jekomo]

Hi! I'm so excited for June 5 that I can hardly stand it. Our original reservation at WL was for a WV standard room from 6/6-6/11, and we needed to change it to arrive a night earlier due to the plane arrival times. When I called to add a night, my only option was to downgrade the reservation to a SV standard room or switch resorts.

I really had my heart set on staying at WL, so I decided to do that, but now I'm worried about noise from beeping delivery trucks or the loud lobby, depending on which section the SV room I get is in. My husband and I have not had a vacation since we got married and are celebrating our five-year anniversary after some really tough times, so I'd like to make this vacation as nice as possible on our budget.

In your opinion, would I benefit me to keep calling/trying to see if a WV room becomes available? I booked at the spring rate price, and I'm not sure how the pricing works, if that's the reason they didn't have an extra night available or what? We probably can't afford a bigger upgrade than that, but it would be nice to have the WV I wanted from the beginning.

I'd really appreciate any advice or any helpful tips or ideas for a romantic vacation for two at the WL.

 

[dkrauss]

We have a Chef Mickey reservation at 8:45 am does the boat run that early to the Contemporary or should we take boat/bus to MK and walk. Other option is we drive. We are going to MK after breakfast

Absolutely! We were on the boat to CR at 6:50am for our 7am ADR at Chef Mickey's just this last September! In fact.................................... You can see our boat ride in the video below!

Doug

 

[cakebaker]

There are some Standard View rooms with bunks, but the bunks are by-request only and not guaranteed/bookable. Happy planning!

I've always understood that to be true, but when we got the latest summer discount applied, it was specifically for a woods view bunk- it even says it on my confirmation email. Doesn't that mean definitely a bunk? We really don't want them, but that's just all there was open on the discount.