Disney's WILDERNESS LODGE Information & Questions

[AnotherWDWtrip]

Is it possible to request a cot for a room with 2 queen beds? We only have 4 people in the room, but 2 won't want to share. thanks.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Yeah, Disney buses really bring home that rustic vibe.

Well, there is that Native American flute music played on the WL bus...

Is it possible to request a cot for a room with 2 queen beds? We only have 4 people in the room, but 2 won't want to share. thanks.

Cots aren't available at WL, however, there are Standard rooms with one queen and a set of bunk beds, might that work? The only other alternative at WL would be a Deluxe (CL) room. They have one queen sleeper sofa in the living room and two queen beds in the bedroom.

 

[WDWKOOK]

@preemiemama just reported on the BWI/BWV thread:

Just a heads-up if anyone is here now. We are on DME and there is an accident between Wilderness Lodge and the Contemporary. Traffic is backed up and busses are caught in it. Might be a wait for a MK bus.​

 

[xlsm]

DH and I booked this morning for our first stay at WL next month! We'll be there 8/27-8/31 for a short adults-only trip and I couldn't be more excited, I've wanted to try WL for quite a long time and DH is finally on board However I really don't know much about the resort, have been there once for dinner but that's it so I'll be reading this thread pretty thoroughly over the next couple days!

You rascal...sneaking off with your DH and visiting my favorite resort!! Once you stay, you'll be ruined for all other resorts, because it's amazing.

 

[uagirl]

We check in 26 days from now! I can't wait to be home again! For anyone who has been recently, how is transportation this summer? With lower crowds due to construction, I'm wondering if the buses are less crowded as well. It's been 7 years since we stayed at WL, and I also can't remember if we will share buses.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We check in 26 days from now! I can't wait to be home again! For anyone who has been recently, how is transportation this summer? With lower crowds due to construction, I'm wondering if the buses are less crowded as well. It's been 7 years since we stayed at WL, and I also can't remember if we will share buses.

The buses are less crowded with half the WL closed. The bus to Epcot will share with Fort Wilderness and the buses to DHS, AK and DS will share with the Contemporary. The bus to MK is direct.

 

[Lillian Gracey]

I took it as a sign! WL was available on Sunday under the CM discount, wasn't yesterday, but it was back again today. Today (was supposed to be yesterday) is the day I should be finding out if my mother gets to go with me in September. I really think it's a sign that my mother will be able to go with me. I promised her I'd treat her to a nice resort and WL is perfect! Can't wait to be back again! I booked a courtyard view bunk bed room since that was the only room available, but it's better than not being nothing!

 

[VillainFavs]

The buses are less crowded with half the WL closed. The bus to Epcot will share with Fort Wilderness and the buses to DHS, AK and DS will share with the Contemporary. The bus to MK is direct.

Last summer, we weren't staying at WL, but did go to have dinner at Whispering Canyon one evening and used the MK bus. We definitely made a stop at Fort Wilderness on our way back to MK. Was this just a fluke? Or has it changed since then? It was definitely not a direct bus to MK. Just curious....

 

[danc18]

We are staying club level in November. Lunch and dinner are planned and reservations in place. Is it reasonable to expect we can do breakfast without reservations (at the hotel) between the club level offerings, quick restaurant availability or just walk in if we want a full meal?

 

[Ellie Badge]

I'll add that last weekend on our Epcot bus my husband and I were the only two people on the bus both ways, and neither time did the driver stop at the Fort either way, even though the bus' sign indicated the two resorts were sharing. The WL bus stop also has the bus arrival time screens and every time I glanced at it each bus seemed to be at most five minutes away.

Not to go off topic, but it wasn't just WL that seemed half-empty. This was our first summer trip and we expected it to be pure madness crowd-wise and it really didn't feel that way at all in the parks. In fact it felt much less crowded than what we've experienced in the recent past in October and November. Is the heat just keeping people away? Is summer vacation not a thing anymore for families and spring break and fall break are now the big thing?

 

[WDWKOOK]

I took it as a sign! WL was available on Sunday under the CM discount, wasn't yesterday, but it was back again today. Today (was supposed to be yesterday) is the day I should be finding out if my mother gets to go with me in September. I really think it's a sign that my mother will be able to go with me. I promised her I'd treat her to a nice resort and WL is perfect! Can't wait to be back again! I booked a courtyard view bunk bed room since that was the only room available, but it's better than not being nothing!

I didn't know you were a CM. It's great that you were able to get the discounted rate and I hope it works out that your mom gets to join you. Keep checking for a non-bunk room

We are staying club level in November. Lunch and dinner are planned and reservations in place. Is it reasonable to expect we can do breakfast without reservations (at the hotel) between the club level offerings, quick restaurant availability or just walk in if we want a full meal?

You should have no problem at all, unless it's on or near a holiday. The OFC breakfast is adequate, so you shouldn't ever need a QS breakfast. However, there aren't any hot food items, but WCC offers a nice, hot breakfast and you shouldn't need an ADR. Our favorite hot breakfast in the area is at Trail's End, which I highly recommend. Another great Bay Lake buffet breakfast is at CR's The Wave.

I'll add that last weekend on our Epcot bus my husband and I were the only two people on the bus both ways, and neither time did the driver stop at the Fort either way, even though the bus' sign indicated the two resorts were sharing. The WL bus stop also has the bus arrival time screens and every time I glanced at it each bus seemed to be at most five minutes away.

Not to go off topic, but it wasn't just WL that seemed half-empty. This was our first summer trip and we expected it to be pure madness crowd-wise and it really didn't feel that way at all in the parks. In fact it felt much less crowded than what we've experienced in the recent past in October and November. Is the heat just keeping people away? Is summer vacation not a thing anymore for families and spring break and fall break are now the big thing?

Another poster just reported on the BWI/BWV thread the same experience. I posted there that the free Undercover Tourist crowd calendar has all of July at their highest crowd rating. I asked if anyone has access to the "non-free" crowd calendar, I'd be curious to know if they have been off this month in their predictions. I'd love to know if this is a new trend and/or if just fewer people are booking this summer due to price increases, predictions of big crowds and longer lines due to new "security" screenings. I can't imagine the recent death near GF has anything to do with this?

 

[lennyd]

Can you see fireworks from your room at wilderness lodge if yes what area do I ask for thanks for your reponse

 

[WDWKOOK]

Can you see fireworks from your room at wilderness lodge if yes what area do I ask for thanks for your reponse

Currently, you can see some of Wishes now from upper Woods View and Standard View rooms. These are in the North Wing, the South Wing is closed. It is predicted that these categories will change to TPV at some point during/after the cabin construction.

 

[dansdad]

Can you see fireworks from your room at wilderness lodge if yes what area do I ask for thanks for your reponse

If you have a Woods View or Standard View as @WDWKOOK mentioned above, I would request "fireworks view". That way the room assigners will know exactly what you are looking for.

 

[VillainFavs]

Right now they don't even have Woods View as an option though. Are those all now considered Standard View?

 

[WDWKOOK]

Right now they don't even have Woods View as an option though. Are those all now considered Standard View?

There has been some speculation that they may have recently re-classified Woods View to Standard View, but I don't know this for sure. Originally, Standard View (in the North Wing), were rooms directly over the Smokehouse and delivery area.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Last summer, we weren't staying at WL, but did go to have dinner at Whispering Canyon one evening and used the MK bus. We definitely made a stop at Fort Wilderness on our way back to MK. Was this just a fluke? Or has it changed since then? It was definitely not a direct bus to MK. Just curious....

This happened to us when we were there in January. We ate dinner at WCC and were in a hurry to get to MK for the fireworks. We jumped on the MK bus and unexpectedly went to FW first. Two teenage boys got off at FW but no one got on there. I thought that the bus had been diverted so that these two teens could get back to the fort, but maybe the MK bus goes to FW for the Hoop Dee Doo crowd? Until you reported that the MK bus took you to FW, I thought our experience was an isolated incidence.

We are staying club level in November. Lunch and dinner are planned and reservations in place. Is it reasonable to expect we can do breakfast without reservations (at the hotel) between the club level offerings, quick restaurant availability or just walk in if we want a full meal?

I think that every morning except Sunday morning would be a walk in.

You should have no problem at all, unless it's on or near a holiday. The OFC breakfast is adequate, so you shouldn't ever need a QS breakfast. However, there aren't any hot food items, but WCC offers a nice, hot breakfast and you shouldn't need an ADR. Our favorite hot breakfast in the area is at Trail's End, which I highly recommend. Another great Bay Lake buffet breakfast is at CR's The Wave.

We like breakfast at Trail's End, too. We always eat there at least once every trip.

 

[VillainFavs]

There has been some speculation that they may have recently re-classified Woods View to Standard View, but I don't know this for sure. Originally, Standard View (in the North Wing), were rooms directly over the Smokehouse and delivery area.

I know if you go to the website to book a room, Woods View isn't a choice anymore. It's only Standard or Courtyard. At least for the time of our trip in August. Woods View doesn't show up at all--not even that it's just all booked and unavailable--it's just not listed as an option.

 

[Lillian Gracey]

I didn't know you were a CM. It's great that you were able to get the discounted rate and I hope it works out that your mom gets to join you. Keep checking for a non-bunk room

Yup! I am a Disney Store CM now! So far so good with my mother being able to go. She has two of the days off and if she can get someone to cover the other two days, she can have the time off! She works at a hospital so I'm sure it won't be a problem getting someone to cover two days. I'll keep checking for a non-bunk room! If nothing else shows up I'll gladly sleep on the top bunk like I did as a kid while my mother gets the queen bed.

 

[Wallflower]

Is there anybody here who might have an idea what the lodge will look like come mid November? Do you think there will still be windows and floors blocked off in the lobby? Will the cabins by the water be mostly up? Also, am I correct that you can still walk to Fort Wilderness using the nature trail now? Being somebody who loves nature and wilderness and went to WL because it reminded me of the lodges my dad took us to in the Rocky mountains Ive been feeling really down and negative about the changes Im reading about