Disney's WILDERNESS LODGE Information & Questions

[BrittyRo]

If I make a reservation for my parents and put their two names on the reservation and then I decide to take their room instead. Can we change the names on the reservation or would we have to cancel and rebook?

 

[WDWKOOK]

This section is also facing the cast member parking lot. Right now this is a very wooded view, mostly the same view that you see from Whispering Canyon Cafe, since it is above the restaurant. But I wonder what will happen if they put little cabins on that side of the resort.

The entire northern shoreline will have 12 cabins total, of which, 8 will extend down to the current CM parking lot which fronts the area we were discussing. The other 4 cabins will front the Otter Pond area. I suspect the impact will be much like it is for Poly's Hawaii bldg. The formerly unobstructed views from the Hawaii building (TPV/water view), now have bungalows which partially obstruct MK/CR views.

The WL rooms have the advantage of going higher up than the longhouses and the partial Wishes view those rooms currently have wouldn't be affected by the cabins. I wonder if the clearing of some of the woods to make way for the cabins will actually make these Woods View rooms have a slight water/shoreline view or if they will keep a line of woods behind the cabins and in front of the North Wing?

Hi Everyone! First off, HUGE kudos to WDWKook for putting this amazing thread together. I cannot tell you how handy it came in deciding which resort was right for us this go round. My family and I will be staying at WL for the first time this September! Considering we only booked the room just last week, I was amazed that I was able to snag a CL room! Last trip in '09 was at BC and we were comped to CL due to it being military appreciation week, so we quickly became spoiled by all CL rooms have to offer in the ease department. We didn't plan on going for the more expensive room when we started looking at what was out there, but couldn't say no when we saw the military price.

My main question here is for those that have stayed CL at WL before. The only room left was a Standard View, and I was wondering what that entailed? Is that a "Woods" equivalent view for none CL rooms? Or will we be staring out over the parking lot? I know I could probably call and ask but was wondering if anyone had pictures to share. My apologies if this has been asked before, 115 pages is a lot of posts to read through!

I was hoping we would be in the North Wing just for the chance to see the Castle, Wishes, and the CR. I need to submit a request!

Thank you in advance for any additional info!

- Annalisk19

Thank you, @Annalisk19 for your kind comments. The military 40% off makes those WL CL rooms a relative "bargain" by WDW Resort standards. Congratulations on booking it!

Views aren't bookable with a CL room at WL, they are classified as Standard ROOMS not views. There aren't any SV rooms on the CL floor, only Woods and Courtyard, in both wings. If you want the North Wing, just request that. You can add that to your reservation at any time after booking by simply emailing the IPO. Just include your last name and reservation number in the subject line.

We stayed at WL this summer and fell in love with the place. We vacation with my mother who hates walking around a huge resort after walking the parks all day. I'm looking around for next summer and I can only hope that the WL construction won't be as bad as I fear. I will be watching to see what happens in the next few months. We love being so close to MK as DD is 4 so we consider MK "home." Poly and GF can be a lot of walking and I can't get past the price of CR even though DM would love to stay there. so WL is our best choice. Oh how I miss the place...

I'm sure we'll get many reports starting toward the end of October both here and on the WL DVC expansion thread

Hi KOOK! We're all doing great. Allie will start Kindergarten for real this year, although she did Kindercare preschool kindergarten three days a week last year. We are missing planning for a Disney trip this year, but we have lots to keep us busy. We are hoping for a possible September 2016 trip, ideally to WL. It is early but we can't wait to go back to WDW.

Can't believe Allie is starting kindergarten and my DD is going to be a senior. I thought of you when they extended the room-only discount through September, and then I realized you can't go in September anymore, unless you take Allie out of school. We did that with our DD (now 16) in kindergarten. We took her out for a week in January to stay for our first time at Poly, but only during kindergarten. What time of the year do you think you'll try to go in 2016? We'd sure love a first day of kindergarten photo. Has DW made a special outfit?

Wahoo! Checking in tomorrow -- the wait is finally over!

Hope you're having a wonderful vacation

Today is Disney Day! We check in at WL in a few hours and I'll try to take some pics! I'm so excited

How exciting! Our first full-day is 3 weeks from today. I know how excited you must be and I hope your travels go smoothly.

 

[WDWKOOK]

If I make a reservation for my parents and put their two names on the reservation and then I decide to take their room instead. Can we change the names on the reservation or would we have to cancel and rebook?

I don't know what the protocol for this is, but I don't think you would have to re-book and change the reservation number. I would think just the details would change, but I've never actually done this.

 

[mwmom]

Hoping someone can clear up my confusion! Why is there scaffolding on the lodge if the construction is to add the bungalows and update the pool at the Villas?

 

[tiger4me2]

Hoping someone can clear up my confusion! Why is there scaffolding on the lodge if the construction is to add the bungalows and update the pool at the Villas?

I was told they were painting or staining the wood. This was confirm by the IPO office to me.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Hoping someone can clear up my confusion! Why is there scaffolding on the lodge if the construction is to add the bungalows and update the pool at the Villas?

The scaffolding has been up around WL since around the end of last year - the beginning of this year. It might be up through part of next year. They have been doing repairs and painting.

All resorts have resort upkeep projects pretty much all the time. This particular project is routine maintenance, but is taking a very long time. They are blocking these rooms from booking, so guests are not being placed behind the scaffolding. Most guests have reported that it wasn't an issue for them during their stay.

I was told they were painting or staining the wood. This was confirm by the IPO office to me.

 

[mwmom]

The scaffolding has been up around WL since around the end of last year - the beginning of this year. It might be up through part of next year. They have been doing repairs and painting.

All resorts have resort upkeep projects pretty much all the time. This particular project is routine maintenance, but is taking a very long time. They are blocking these rooms from booking, so guests are not being placed behind the scaffolding. Most guests have reported that it wasn't an issue for them during their stay.

Ahh, that makes more sense. I kept trying to find the answer, so thank you for that!

 

[tinamariec]

Hey, WDW KOOK, you can remove me from the trip dates. I've moved over to The Grand Floridian because of the construction. Thanks for all the great info! One of these days I'll make it to The Wilderness Lodge.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Hey, WDW KOOK, you can remove me from the trip dates. I've moved over to The Grand Floridian because of the construction. Thanks for all the great info! One of these days I'll make it to The Wilderness Lodge.

You can still visit. I think the GF rooms are very nice after the rehab. Enjoy!

 

[grkmbee]

We're looking forward to staying at WL again this year. This time DH is coming for longer than just one night! I'll be with my mom and the kiddos at the Poly for a few nights before our WL stay. We were planning on heading to Epcot after checking out of the Poly but before checking into WL. Does anyone know how it works with charging privileges? We like to pay off our balance with gift cards every few days, but I don't know how that would happen if we aren't technically checked into a room at the time we are at Epcot that morning. I guess we could somehow try to go over to WL that AM, but that would really be a pain so early in the morning with 3 kids in tow (we'd both need to go due to there being 2 rooms at WL). Does doing OCI allow you to charge back to your room (in this case WL) without physically having gone there first?

 

[mastermind307]

We'll be staying in 2 studios Oct. 10-17. We've been to Disney before but have never been to the WL. Staying here is the only thing DH is excited about, so hoping all goes well. I've enjoyed reading this thread to learn all I can before we arrive.

 

[goopysolelady]

DD received a phone call today about the construction around the Villas. The lady seemed quite surprised when she told her, "Yes Ma'am, we're aware of it; we're good...okay with it...won't bother us". She asked again if she had any concerns about noise and views...she again said "No, we're fine. We love the Villas and our vacation is for the parks...will only be sleeping at the Villas so construction noise was no big deal". The lady could only say...WOW...thank you! Bless their hearts...they must be dealing with a lot from others. She and DGD's will be in the Villas; other DD and I will be in the main lodge and we're ALL extremely excited to be at WL during the Holidays.

 

[DisFam95]

If we arrive in 5 days where should I call to check on room requests? My online requests are gone I'm guessing since I called in something not on the online request form. Is it in a different system at this point? Thanks!

 

[gschon]

It's my understanding, from reading this thread, that the Scaffolding has already been to both sides of the North and South wing, and the Inner Courtyard, and the front side(south of main entrance)?

 

[merdie]

I'm loving WL! DH and I are so pleased with the resort and are having a great time! It is really is very nice, lovely and just has a very relaxing vibe to me. After my girls went to bed last night, I left DH in the room with them and snuck out and explored and enjoyed a S'mores cupcake alone, heaven!! I'm pretty sure we've found our home away from home

Our room is on the North Wing and I did see some scaffolding if I lean out of my balcony, but it's not obtrusive at all. It's definitely not going to bother us. We're in a SV room and even have a good view of wishes! There's also a free dining bounce back that's really tempting me, DH needs some convincing, but I can talk him into most anything!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Can't believe Allie is starting kindergarten and my DD is going to be a senior. I thought of you when they extended the room-only discount through September, and then I realized you can't go in September anymore, unless you take Allie out of school. We did that with our DD (now 16) in kindergarten. We took her out for a week in January to stay for our first time at Poly, but only during kindergarten. What time of the year do you think you'll try to go in 2016? We'd sure love a first day of kindergarten photo. Has DW made a special outfit?

It is amazing how time flies, and they grow up so fast. The first day of Kindergarten won't be as huge of a milestone for Allie because she is going to do private Kindergarten at Kindercare, where she has already been going three days a week. That way she can be closer to where Melissa works. For first grade she'll go to regular school close to our house, and that will be a big day.
Speaking of big kid news, Allie is going to be a big sister as we are expecting a boy in December. Allie is super excited about the concept of being a big sister, and was excited to find out it would be a boy. (So she can still be the princess, and can pick out lots of cute clothes for him, at first at least...) For our next WDW trip we will be a family of four, which fortunately still works out well at WL. We really would like to try for a WDW trip before the baby turns one, and the location of WL would be a big plus for that.

If we arrive in 5 days where should I call to check on room requests? My online requests are gone I'm guessing since I called in something not on the online request form. Is it in a different system at this point? Thanks!

At this point your requests (both online and called in) have likely been seen by the room assignor and your room has tentatively been assigned. There isn't much for you to do now but wait to check in and see where you wound up. It is hard to wait, I know those last days can seem the longest.

It's my understanding, from reading this thread, that the Scaffolding has already been to both sides of the North and South wing, and the Inner Courtyard, and the front side(south of main entrance)?

The scaffolding isn't directly tied to the upcoming resort expansion, and is a common recurring thing at WL. We have pictures from our honeymoon in 2007 with scaffolding in front of the South Wing, and there has been some scaffolding up for each of our visits. I guess it takes quite a bit of maintenance to keep up that big of a log building.

I'm loving WL! DH and I are so pleased with the resort and are having a great time! It is really is very nice, lovely and just has a very relaxing vibe to me. After my girls went to bed last night, I left DH in the room with them and snuck out and explored and enjoyed a S'mores cupcake alone, heaven!! I'm pretty sure we've found our home away from home

Our room is on the North Wing and I did see some scaffolding if I lean out of my balcony, but it's not obtrusive at all. It's definitely not going to bother us. We're in a SV room and even have a good view of wishes! There's also a free dining bounce back that's really tempting me, DH needs some convincing, but I can talk him into most anything!

I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying WL. It really is neat that the Standard View rooms can have such a neat view of Wishes, and there really isn't a "bad" location in WL.
Watch out for those FD bouncebacks, they can lead to multiple great vacations. We did WL two years in a row and then used the bounceback at POR last year. Free Dining works out very well for us, as does returning every year when we can... Enjoy your stay, and good luck with the bounceback.

 

[pixarmom]

We leave for a quick surprise trip to WDW in just 7 days! We previously booked a pool view room at AKL, but I've been checking the website to see what else pops up with an AP discount for our dates. Just this morning, AP rate for WL courtyard view became available for only $19 more/night than our AKL pool view. We made the switch!! So excited!

Two things:

1. We've either stayed CL at WL or woods view. I just called CRO to request "high floor, inner courtyard." Also requested "highest floor" through online check-in. Decided not to request "close to elevator" because the other two requests are more important to us. But if anyone had a villas view and loved it, I'd love to hear about it so that I know what to expect either way!

2. When I talked with CRO, the CM informed me that we could use our old AKL luggage tags because they scan the barcode at the airport and will know to send them to WL. Has anyone done this before? Thinking we might give it a try and just change AKL to WL and AK area to MK area with a sharpie as an extra precaution. I know we could pick up our luggage at the airport, but we don't really need it until late that night, will have all necessary items in carry on, etc.

 

[cart-mom]

Checking back in after losing my grandmother a week ago. So many updates. We I've the 27th and haven't gotten any email but we did get our first band shipment. Second one coming today. Getting ready to call in my request for room location. Have cyv booked. I'd like to see wishes if possible. Should I just say that our should I ask for a more specific location?
Also, my DBIL happened to be planning their next trip to dw and were considering wl but couldn't book a room for his dates next year. Asked me what was up. We just happened to pick wl for our trip this year and thanks to this thread I could fill him in on all that was going down.

Pixarmom - we changed resorts close to check in and had wrong me tags also. No problem getting our luggage but I did what you were planning also just in case. They scan the bar code and as long as your reservation is correct in the system, your stuff will get there too.

 

[pixarmom]

Checking back in after losing my grandmother a week ago. So many updates. We I've the 27th and haven't gotten any email but we did get our first band shipment. Second one coming today. Getting ready to call in my request for room location. Have cyv booked. I'd like to see wishes if possible. Should I just say that our should I ask for a more specific location?
Also, my DBIL happened to be planning their next trip to dw and were considering wl but couldn't book a room for his dates next year. Asked me what was up. We just happened to pick wl for our trip this year and thanks to this thread I could fill him in on all that was going down.

Pixarmom - we changed resorts close to check in and had wrong me tags also. No problem getting our luggage but I did what you were planning also just in case. They scan the bar code and as long as your reservation is correct in the system, your stuff will get there too.

So sorry to hear about your grandmother. Wish I could help more with the courtyard view, but this will be our first time in that category also! Thanks so much for the info regarding ME tags!

 

[nyy]

We will be checking in at WL CL this Friday! So excited!
This is our first time staying here and we can't wait!
Quick question: Can I order take out from Whispering Canyon for lunch/dinner?