Disney's WILDERNESS LODGE Information & Questions

[Wood Nymph]

I may have missed this several pages ago, but have the alarm clocks been removed from the resort. If so, have they been replaced with charging hubs?

We stayed there in January and they clocks were gone from the room. I can't remember if there were charging hubs or not.

Have not seen this posted yet.....

OFC has been relocated to VP Suite

http://www.orlandoparksnews.com/2016/03/old-faithful-club-relocation-at-disneys.html

Thanks for the update about OFC. I would love to see what the inside of the VP looks like with the club lounge set up in it.

 

[rteetz]

Heads up

http://www.orlandoparksnews.com/2016/03/walt-disney-world-airline-check-in.html

 

[WDWKOOK]

Have not seen this posted yet.....

OFC has been relocated to VP Suite

http://www.orlandoparksnews.com/2016/03/old-faithful-club-relocation-at-disneys.html

Thank you for the breaking news, @CuteAsMinnie. I will crosspost this to the WL DVC Expansion thread since some were recently asking about the OFC relocating. It looks like they were a few weeks late with relocating. I think the original estimate was end of February?

Heads up

http://www.orlandoparksnews.com/2016/03/walt-disney-world-airline-check-in.html

Thank you, @rteetz for posting the link to the change in hours. Hours seem to have been reduced by one hour, they are now 0500 - 1200, instead of 1300 (1:00).

 

[WDWKOOK]

According to Humphrey's Wilderness Lodge page, the scaffolding on the south wing has been removed.

Thank you for letting us know

Just returned from our yearly trip to WDW and our first stay at WL. It was our first time at a Deluxe; honestly, the construction was not an issue at all for us. We were on the fifth floor courtyard view, so we had a direct view of the scaffolding. DH commented that he never really noticed the construction unless he was out on the balcony. We hardly heard anything at all, even when we spent time at the pool in the afternoon hours.

I loved the boat launch to MK, and we utilized it every day of our stay. We went with my in-laws, and they stayed at Shades of Green. One night, we left right after the fireworks (around 10:15), and they told us later that they did not get back to their rooms until 12:30am. We only waited 5-10 minutes for a boat back to WL. I am definitely a fan of the transportation for deluxes!

I could tell the resort was at half capacity. Buses were never full, and the boats always had room for everyone in the queue. If WL was normally like that, I'd probably choose to stay there every time! It was a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of the parks. You can definitely tell it is spring break season. I would not normally go during this time, but FIL is a teacher and he wanted to go! I was worried about him as he does not like crowds and I thought he'd get bored, but my worries were all for naught. He had a great time, and he insisted on ending every evening at MK.

Finally got to try Whispering Canyon Cafe, and I think it was the family favorite of the week!

Thank you, @fernfritters for posting your TR. There's a lot to love about a half empty resort! Or should I be the optimist and say half full?

 

[disneylovinfamilyof6]

With the construction going on, would you guys recommend WL standard view rooms for Memorial Day weekend? Or staying put with our business class rooms at Coronado Springs?

 

[GrandCalifornian]

With the construction going on, would you guys recommend WL standard view rooms for Memorial Day weekend? Or staying put with our business class rooms at Coronado Springs?

It really depends on your sensitivity to seeing (and potentially hearing) construction around the resort. If it would bother you, staying elsewhere makes sense. In our case if the costs were similar we wouldn't hesitate to switch to a Standard view room at WL to enjoy the great location on Bay Lake with nice transportation options to MK. In exchange for putting up with the construction (which has closed the villas pool, boat rentals, some elevators, the beach, spa, kids club, and workout facilities) you will get a resort that is at half capacity and still has the great main pool and boat transportation. People's opinions will vary greatly on this, so go with what feels best for you.

 

[Grand Admiral]

In exchange for putting up with the construction (which has closed the villas pool, boat rentals, some elevators, the beach, spa, kids club, and workout facilities) you will get a resort that is at half capacity and still has the great main pool and boat transportation. People's opinions will vary greatly on this, so go with what feels best for you.

I did the math on this and decided that the pros outweighed the cons for us. We're staying in a DVC standard view room, which will face away from the construction. The main pool is mostly shielded from it by the south wing. With the resort at half capacity, it should be nice and uncrowded.

 

[bhardy]

For those that have been there recently... How was the noise level in the afternoon? I can switch to WL for $800 more but we will have 1.5 yr old (and 42 DH) who will need to nap but wanted to make sure it's not too loud. Currently booked at POR but thought the ease to MK would be a plus. Thoughts?

 

[Lucys dad]

Its probably a bit early for this question but ill ask anyway. our next visit will not be until october 2017 and would love to book WL again. Its by far our favourite resort but would only stay there if the renovations are complete. Even at this stage, would you say it looks favourable to be complete by October 2017 ?

Thanks folks

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Even at this stage, would you say it looks favourable to be complete by October 2017

Notices of commencement go through the end of 2017. The Polynesian construction suggests it will go past the initial planned dates.

 

[Goldilocks07]

I did the math on this and decided that the pros outweighed the cons for us. We're staying in a DVC standard view room, which will face away from the construction. The main pool is mostly shielded from it by the south wing. With the resort at half capacity, it should be nice and uncrowded.

Hi,
I am also DVC- and considering staying here. I've always wanted to try it, and with Bay Lake booked all the time, I may go with WL as a backup anyway.

What was 'the math' you did with your decision making? I'm just curious as to what your pros and cons were in deciding to stay here.
Thanks!

 

[LynJ]

We spent Christmas at the lodge and absolutely loved it. Now we're planning to come back in August. We've never stayed club level, but are debating it. As hot as August gets, we were thinking we might enjoy having more resort time and that this might make it more fun. My only concern is the relocated club level and if there's going to actually be a neat area as the lounge. We got a special trip up to the old club level when we were the Christmas flag family, and I loved the peaceful spot looking down over the lobby.

This trip is a combo 20th anniversary and kiddo 7th birthday trip. Would you do WL CL at this point? Any recommendations would be very helpful!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We spent Christmas at the lodge and absolutely loved it. Now we're planning to come back in August. We've never stayed club level, but are debating it. As hot as August gets, we were thinking we might enjoy having more resort time and that this might make it more fun. My only concern is the relocated club level and if there's going to actually be a neat area as the lounge. We got a special trip up to the old club level when we were the Christmas flag family, and I loved the peaceful spot looking down over the lobby.

This trip is a combo 20th anniversary and kiddo 7th birthday trip. Would you do WL CL at this point? Any recommendations would be very helpful!

We haven't heard any reports about club level recently, so we don't know what the new location in the VP suite is like. But when we stayed club level in January we were told that once they were relocated to the VP suite they were going to close off the 7th floor balcony so that they could work on transforming the two north honeymoon suites into one big club level lounge.

What this means for your August trip is that there is a possibility that the lounge construction would still be going on and you would not be able to access the balcony for those great lobby views. It is also possible that the new lounge would be open by August and the balcony viewing area might be open, too. It is hard to tell without some updated information. The CM's told us that once the new lounge is complete it would no longer look down on the lobby. It would have a view of MK. But they also told us that they weren't sure of exactly what the plans were.

We had booked club level in January because I had gotten a really good deal through Orbitz and I had heard so many good things about WL CL that I wanted to try it. Even though I hate the dormer balcony rooms on the club level floor I figured that the beautiful view of Bay Lake from the 7th floor would make up for the disadvantage of the dormer balconies. A few days before we arrived they closed off the Old Faithful Club, moved the club level location to the north half of the 7th floor corridor and, worst of all, they had blocked off the view of Bay Lake from the club level floor. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. The one bright spot in our first, and last, club level stay were the wonderful cast members. They were upset about the changes to their beloved club level, too. Some of them were seeing the new set up for the first time during our stay. One cast member in particular was totally understanding and instrumental in getting us a credit, something I did not ask for. We ended up spending a lot of time in the lounge, talking to the cast members. They were the nicest group and we enjoyed hearing about the lodge and the construction plans.

They have closed off half of the resort and the big window on the club level floor will stay blocked off until the south wing reconstruction is finished some time later in the year. So even if the new lounge is open by August the view from the 7th floor will be limited. If you want to stay club level for the food and the convenience, then go for it. The CM's are wonderful. But if you are really looking forward to that view of the lobby from the 7th floor, then you need to be prepared for it not to be there.

We love the Wilderness Lodge and we will be back again.

 

[Grand Admiral]

Hi,
I am also DVC- and considering staying here. I've always wanted to try it, and with Bay Lake booked all the time, I may go with WL as a backup anyway.

What was 'the math' you did with your decision making? I'm just curious as to what your pros and cons were in deciding to stay here.
Thanks!

No literal math, but just weighing the pros and cons. None of the things that are closed will bother us. My son will prefer the big pool anyway, because it has a slide and the splash area. Having half of the resort closed means it will be less crowded. Boat transportation is still open, which is something fun we will enjoy.

Cons would be the risk of construction views and noise, but our room faces away from it, and I predict most of the big truck and noise sort of stuff will be finished by the end of October when we go. The scaffolding is already down from the outside of South Wing, so most of the work is going on inside where we won't see it.

Those are my thoughts anyway. We rented DVC points and got a very good price.

 

[Goldilocks07]

No literal math, but just weighing the pros and cons. None of the things that are closed will bother us. My son will prefer the big pool anyway, because it has a slide and the splash area. Having half of the resort closed means it will be less crowded. Boat transportation is still open, which is something fun we will enjoy.

Cons would be the risk of construction views and noise, but our room faces away from it, and I predict most of the big truck and noise sort of stuff will be finished by the end of October when we go. The scaffolding is already down from the outside of South Wing, so most of the work is going on inside where we won't see it.

Those are my thoughts anyway. We rented DVC points and got a very good price.

Thank you for the insight. I was thinking the same thing- except for one major bummer: the cub den. I've never used it, and thought this trip would be a good one for us to get away for some adult fun. I was told that we can reserve at any of the cub dens (like at the Poly) which at least is good- so I guess we will plan our bar activities around which resorts offer kids clubs. LOL

When are you going in October? I just booked 3 nights at WL, October 21, 22, and 23. We are excited!!! I've never stayed there but LOVE the resort.

 

[Grand Admiral]

Thank you for the insight. I was thinking the same thing- except for one major bummer: the cub den. I've never used it, and thought this trip would be a good one for us to get away for some adult fun. I was told that we can reserve at any of the cub dens (like at the Poly) which at least is good- so I guess we will plan our bar activities around which resorts offer kids clubs. LOL

When are you going in October? I just booked 3 nights at WL, October 21, 22, and 23. We are excited!!! I've never stayed there but LOVE the resort.

We are planning to make use of Lilo's Playhouse at Poly. We will be there October 23-29.

 

[DizzyDis]

For those that have been there recently... How was the noise level in the afternoon? I can switch to WL for $800 more but we will have 1.5 yr old (and 42 DH) who will need to nap but wanted to make sure it's not too loud. Currently booked at POR but thought the ease to MK would be a plus. Thoughts?

I am in the same situation (1.5 YO who will nap) and one of us will likely hang out on the balcony in the afternoon while the other takes 4yo adventuring. The feedback I have gotten is that you will hear noise on balcony, but could still read/have a conversation and that it isn't too noisy in the room for sleeping. If really concerned, can bring a white noise machine.

For us, we are confident that it shouldn't be too bad, have cell phones that can stream if needed and are going for it! Depending on when you are going, we will be there in April and will report back

 

[Goldilocks07]

We are planning to make use of Lilo's Playhouse at Poly. We will be there October 23-29.

Awesome-
We will see you there Sunday, that's going to be our pool day and MNSSHP evening. Then off to BLT on Monday.

 

[MelanieRI]

We spent Christmas at the lodge and absolutely loved it. Now we're planning to come back in August. We've never stayed club level, but are debating it. As hot as August gets, we were thinking we might enjoy having more resort time and that this might make it more fun. My only concern is the relocated club level and if there's going to actually be a neat area as the lounge. We got a special trip up to the old club level when we were the Christmas flag family, and I loved the peaceful spot looking down over the lobby.

This trip is a combo 20th anniversary and kiddo 7th birthday trip. Would you do WL CL at this point? Any recommendations would be very helpful!

We're going in April and will be staying CL. I am hoping that the lounge will be out of the hallway and in the suite. DD missed our stay at WL CL last April, as she was at Disney with her high school marching band. So, we are staying there this April and wouldn't you know, it'll be all different! I know from last April, the service was great and the snacks were good and plentiful. I'll be able to give a more updated report in April. You could always book your first choice and then a second choice and cancel one ressie when you know for sure what you want to do. Based on last year, I would totally recommend it but who knows with the construction this year!

 

[T_O]

We're going in April and will be staying CL. I am hoping that the lounge will be out of the hallway and in the suite. DD missed our stay at WL CL last April, as she was at Disney with her high school marching band. So, we are staying there this April and wouldn't you know, it'll be all different! I know from last April, the service was great and the snacks were good and plentiful. I'll be able to give a more updated report in April. You could always book your first choice and then a second choice and cancel one ressie when you know for sure what you want to do. Based on last year, I would totally recommend it but who knows with the construction this year!

If you get a chance to take pictures of the temporary lounge, please share them here. I'm dying to know what it looks like, lol.
Enjoy your trip!