Disney's WILDERNESS LODGE Information & Questions

[SeattleJen]

Put your requests in the order of importance. The enclosed balconies are on the 6th floor. I always ask for an open balcony. You could ask for inner courtyard, upper springs and you should be clear of the scaffolding. If you ask for south wing you have a chance of getting the villas pool courtyard instead of the inner courtyard, so I'm not sure if you want to add south wing, unless it is really important to be on that side.

What is upper springs?

 

[Wood Nymph]

What is upper springs?

The upper springs is the section of the courtyard that is closest to the lobby. There is a little creek that flows from the lobby and then falls over the waterfall to the lower courtyard where the pool is located.

 

[k&Jsmom]

Does anyone know the bus and boat schedule? I have a 8 a.m. adr at Magic Kingdom. The park does not open until 9 a.m. I thought I read the boats don't start until a half an hour before the park is due to open. Thanks in advance

 

[johnsonet]

Does anyone know the bus and boat schedule? I have a 8 a.m. adr at Magic Kingdom. The park does not open until 9 a.m. I thought I read the boats don't start until a half an hour before the park is due to open. Thanks in advance

check out post #14 of this thread for all the Transportation info but
"Buses for the Magic Kingdom and Magic Kingdom Resort Area will start running at 6:30am DAILY."

 

[cakebaker]

I assume the suggested transportation for an early ADR in the MK is bus then? We have an 8:05 BOG. We much prefer boat vs bus, but if they only run 1/2 hour before opening, boat transportation won't work.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I assume the suggested transportation for an early ADR in the MK is bus then? We have an 8:05 BOG. We much prefer boat vs bus, but if they only run 1/2 hour before opening, boat transportation won't work.

The boats in the morning get crowded with the park opening rush. We tried to get to the opening show one time and failed miserably. The bus will get you there in five minutes and you can grab a boat for all your other trips to MK.

 

[cakebaker]

The boats in the morning get crowded with the park opening rush. We tried to get to the opening show one time and failed miserably. The bus will get you there in five minutes and you can grab a boat for all your other trips to MK.

Sounds good, thanks!

 

[jagfanjosh3252]

When do the Christmas decorations usually go up? I will be there 11/15 and would like to know

 

[MissMet]

Anyone have any idea when the campfire would start in October and how long it would go for?

 

[WDWKOOK]

This is the current BB. It's hidden in the middle of the Be Our Guest Guide which is hidden in a folder. The folder will either be in your room or given to you at check-in.






It's cut-off, but DVC is -35%:

Well now I'm scared, KOOK! What could this construction mean for our October/November trip??

If they do in fact convert the first two floors of the south wing, then perhaps you'd want to request a north wing room. However, they usually never put guests above a floor being rehabbed so if they are working on the 2nd floor, the 3rd floor would likely be closed. Again, this is speculation. Nothing official has come from Disney/WL yet.

We are driving home after 9 wonderful nights at the lodge! Our 3 boys loved the bunk beds, the pool/splash pad, and we even caught a movie on the beach.

The maintenance was a lot more widespread than I was expecting. And they were putting up a lot more scaffolding in a new area yesterday.

Overall we enjoyed our stay, but our family of five won't fit in a regular room here after this trip!

So where might you stay your next visit? Is additional scaffolding going up or did they move the scaffolding that was near the Bear Face/north wing last week?

Would you guys say the scaffolding and work along with it will be going on at the end of June into early July? After seeing the crowded conditions at the one pool at the Poly ( and knowing it'll be just as bad if not worse around July 4) my sister and I were excited to give WL a try instead but we see construction of some kind is going on here too and we're running out of MK resort options for our first trip without our parents! We know things can't be perfect, but we're hoping to get in a resort without construction going on.

Yes, the scaffolding is projected to be up for the remainder of the year.

For your dates, I believe that of the Deluxes, CR, GF, BWI and possibly YC are not experiencing construction that I'm aware of, other than possible minor maintenance. During your dates, WL will have scaffolding and possibly south wing room work; Poly's quiet pool will be closed and under construction, Beach Club rooms are being rehabbed through the end of August and BWV is being rehabbed.

Just booked our very first Disney trip and will be staying in the VWL 12/13 thru 12/20 this year. It's my 40th birthday (agh!) and I'm bringing my husband, my sister, and our two wee ones who will be 4 and 2 at the time.

We booked a 2br villa thru David's -- what a wonderful service and everyone there was so lovely.

So now I'm starting to obsess over what sort of room requests we might want to make if the owners are amenable to doing so. Are there benefits to a lockoff? I saw someone write about a "table bed". My 4 year old might really love that. But I also saw another person say that lockoffs might not be great with young kids. And I'm still trying to learn about the views. Any suggestions welcome!

I really can't wait. I've always wanted to go and am enjoying the planning as much as I'll probably enjoy the vacation!

Congratulations and welcome to the thread. I'll log your dates in POST 1.

Great photos WDWKOOK. 30 days and counting.

The online check in options for the Villas are different than what is posted in the info section. There is no longer a pool option.

May you please PM me so I can send you a screen shot of it.

It would be easiest if you just post the screenshot here yourself. Just drag it from your desktop right into your post - thanks!

I'm so excited we just booked our first stay at WL. I hear so many great things about this resort. I can't wait!! my son is more excited than me he picked the resort this time. Looking forward to the planning and most of all looking forward to a vacation.

That's sweet that you let your DS choose. This makes it extra special.

We check in TOMORROW!!!!

Are you there yet? Are you there yet?

When do the Christmas decorations usually go up? I will be there 11/15 and would like to know

From the CHRISTMASTIME chapter of the thread, POST 22:

Decorations begin going up the week prior to Thanksgiving Week. In 2014 the tree went up overnight on 11/24. In 2013, the tree went up on 11/19.

Anyone have any idea when the campfire would start in October and how long it would go for?

In December the campfire started at 5:45 and ended a bit before the movie started which was 7:00. You can count on it lasting at least one hour. I don't know the exact time for October.

 

[hmontgomry]

Thank you for all of this great information! We are staying at WL for the first time Aug. 5-12th..praying for not so hot and sticky weather, but we will have fun regardless!!

 

[skuttle]

So where might you stay your next visit? Is additional scaffolding going up or did they move the scaffolding that was near the Bear Face/north wing last week?

The scaffolding was still near the Bear Face/north wing, but they were also putting up new scaffolding on the north wing near the pool on our last full day (April 9th). And there was scaffolding up in the front of the resort. I was hoping to get some pics on our way out of the front, but with the scaffolding I didn't take any. It wasn't there when we checked in on April 1st.

I'm not sure where we'll stay next time. Probably one of the deluxes with bigger rooms, or a 1 bedroom DVC. We did Kidani 1 bedroom before this last trip, and we really liked having two bathrooms! It also depends on the time of year we go. If it's the winter, we may try to squeeze into a mod since we won't be at the resort much.

 

[Oswin]

Yes, the scaffolding is projected to be up for the remainder of the year.

For your dates, I believe that of the Deluxes, CR, GF, BWI and possibly YC are not experiencing construction that I'm aware of, other than possible minor maintenance. During your dates, WL will have scaffolding and possibly south wing room work; Poly's quiet pool will be closed and under construction, Beach Club rooms are being rehabbed through the end of August and BWV is being rehabbed.

We talked it over after seeing this and went ahead and changed to CR garden wing/garden view rooms. We're not as ecstatic about the theming there but have to admit the convenience of being able to walk to and from the MK has us excited!

 

[WDWKOOK]

Thank you for all of this great information! We are staying at WL for the first time Aug. 5-12th..praying for not so hot and sticky weather, but we will have fun regardless!!

You will have fun, but do plan on hot, sticky and wet. Every August that we've been it's always very hot and rainy. Expect some heavy downpours, especially in the afternoon. They usually pass quickly, but bring some small umbrellas or thin rain coats so you don't get soaked. It's really cold and uncomfortable going into the AC if you're soaked. We've even been during tropical storms and it's doable as long as you have umbrellas/raincoats and shoes that can get wet. The parks will be quite empty and enjoyable and the temp will go down a bit

The scaffolding was still near the Bear Face/north wing, but they were also putting up new scaffolding on the north wing near the pool on our last full day (April 9th). And there was scaffolding up in the front of the resort. I was hoping to get some pics on our way out of the front, but with the scaffolding I didn't take any. It wasn't there when we checked in on April 1st.

I'm not sure where we'll stay next time. Probably one of the deluxes with bigger rooms, or a 1 bedroom DVC. We did Kidani 1 bedroom before this last trip, and we really liked having two bathrooms! It also depends on the time of year we go. If it's the winter, we may try to squeeze into a mod since we won't be at the resort much.

Thank you for the clarification. I wonder if they're trying to expedite the process by working on multiple locations at once or are they adding additional work?

We talked it over after seeing this and went ahead and changed to CR garden wing/garden view rooms. We're not as ecstatic about the theming there but have to admit the convenience of being able to walk to and from the MK has us excited!

Walking to the MK is awesome and so is the monorail. You can still take the Blue Flag over to WL to eat or explore. See you on the CR thread!

 

[xlsm]

Thank you for all of this great information! We are staying at WL for the first time Aug. 5-12th..praying for not so hot and sticky weather, but we will have fun regardless!!

Those were our exact dates last summer!! Yes it was hot, but we did sooo much and had an awesome time. Rope drop, FP+, and afternoon breaks were our saving graces(The TR link is in my signature if you're interested!)

WL is a great place to be if you end up sticking around the resort because the evening has turned rainy...everything is under one roof!

But seriously, it will be hot and mercilessly humid, so just be prepared. Early mornings and just around sunset are the very best times of day in high summer. Take advantage of the pool and most importantly, have fun!

 

[hill6]

WDWKOOK here are the new options to check in for the Villas

 

[Lsdolphin]

Does anyone have any idea when they switch back and forth between the "Free Dining" and the "room only" bounce back offers?
We currently have a Reservation for WL CL arriving 8/12-8/19 and a reservation for POFQ 10/28-11/02. Also just got AP ahead of ticket price increases so trying to figure how to get the most out of special offers/discounts. Will activate AP on arrival in August with additional trips in oct and possibly Jan-Feb

 

[MelanieRI]

Just 6 days away from our stay at WL! I was wondering if anyone knows if since they have the new fence up around the pool are they scanning your magic band on entry like they do at the YC/BC? Just curious. I usually bring an extra MB for everyone just to use at the pool at the other resort.

 

[WDWKOOK]

WDWKOOK here are the new options to check in for the Villas

Thank you, hill6! I will post it soon to the VWL chapter of the thread

Does anyone have any idea when they switch back and forth between the "Free Dining" and the "room only" bounce back offers?

We currently have a Reservation for WL CL arriving 8/12-8/19 and a reservation for POFQ 10/28-11/02. Also just got AP ahead of ticket price increases so trying to figure how to get the most out of special offers/discounts. Will activate AP on arrival in August with additional trips in oct and possibly Jan-Feb

Make sure you input your AP number that is on your voucher into your MDX account. This will allow you to "see" your ticket and any AP rates.

I thought that the BB is continually offered and is usually a RO discount for Deluxes, but I may be wrong. THIS SITE lists historic discounts that may help you.

Just 6 days away from our stay at WL! I was wondering if anyone knows if since they have the new fence up around the pool are they scanning your magic band on entry like they do at the YC/BC? Just curious. I usually bring an extra MB for everyone just to use at the pool at the other resort.

WL is not yet requiring self-scanning of MB and KTTW cards in order to enter the pool. SAB actually bands you after a CM scans your MB/KTTW card, but that's the only resort I'm aware of that bands each guest. Resorts such as BLT have had the self-scanner at the gate for many years and Poly has just installed one, but I don't believe that Poly is banding like SAB. This is what the Poly self-scanner looks like:

 

[maryandtyson]

Here now! We arrived Saturday afternoon and our room was ready. Got the text while driving. We are fifth floor, overlooking the Villas pool. Scaffolding is on the North wing, courtyard and over the front/lobby of the resort. It has had zero impact on our enjoyment of the resort. We haven't stayed here in about 6 years, and I have to say, it's just as lovely as ever! We are enjoying all the details: the landscaping and flowers, little tame bunnies, Native American Art, the fireplace, etc.

We went to the pool on Saturday. Umbrellas are free standing, no tables. It does seem more crowded or a tighter fit with the fence. The fence does blend in nicely with the resort.

Anything that I can check on or answer for anyone, please let me know. We are off the AK to have breakfast with Donald!