I need ASAP advice re: Changing Resorts!!!

[dreynolds1982]

Just touching on the AKL Kidani question, my personal opinion, the rooms are still awesome (all AKL rooms are) and the savannah view is a real treat. However, I am sort of Jambo House or nothing w/ AKL. Kidani is nice but just doesn't have the same feel to me, plus the bar, restaurants, etc. at Jambo are among my favorites in all of WDW. Like others have said, I'd go CCV so you have main building at WL.

 

[JM23457]

But I loved the WL main building rooms better!

Do you know that the Wilderness Lodge rooms have recently been renovated and look nothing like they used to?

 

[Dave006]

Not all of the WL rooms have been renovated.

They were in the middle of the process when the WL shutdown in March. They have not restarted. They were done on the 7th floor and maybe the 6th but for floors 1-5, those rooms have not been completed and the renovation work has not restarted.

Here is what the new 2020 renovated hotel rooms look like in the WL:

Dave

 

[DisneyJColeMom]

Do you know that the Wilderness Lodge rooms have recently been renovated and look nothing like they used to?

Yup I had a whole other thread going on this one! Im actually fine with either room, the older one or the renovated one (have things I like & dislike about each version). But I loved either option, the decor of the villa rooms didnt have me quite as excited even though i do think theyre nice!

 

[DisneyJColeMom]

Not all of the WL rooms have been renovated.

They were in the middle of the process when the WL shutdown in March. They have not restarted. They were done on the 7th floor and maybe the 6th but for floors 1-5, those rooms have not been completed and the renovation work has not restarted.

Here is what the new 2020 renovated hotel rooms look like in the WL:

Dave

Im torn between loving the wood-carved older headboards, but also really love the new woodsy backdrop with the hidden Chip & Dale.

 

[Bostonbeans99]

I'm taking everything month by month. WDW doesn't even know what is going to happen.

 

[JM23457]

Im torn between loving the wood-carved older headboards, but also really love the new woodsy backdrop with the hidden Chip & Dale.

I loved those carved wooden headboards. Classic Disney. The new look is more Disney-lite. Meh. I do like the art lighting in the wall, though.

 

[DisneyJColeMom]

Wait, why isn't WL lodge available for 2021?

The CM I spoke to on the phone the day before yesterday was ADAMANT in telling me Wilderness Lodge will not be bookable for all of 2021. Didnt give a reason why but she kept telling me i should change my resort or it would get changed for me. The CM i spoke to right before her that I was disconnected from, didnt say that. He just said “everything is permanent until its not”. Im booked at WL for April 2021 & she was offering me Kidani Villa deluxe studio instead with Savanna view. I felt like I had to grab it but now am unsure!

 

[DisneyJColeMom]

I loved those carved wooden headboards. Classic Disney. The new look is more Disney-lite. Meh. I do like the art lighting in the wall, though.

I was just having this discussion with a friend. I really love the “old” headboards & that whole look. One of the main reasons I chose Wilderness lodge was the theming, and I agree the new rooms look “Disney-lite”. But after hearing some feedback about how the rooms were very outdated & “shabby” I was ok with getting an updated room. I just wish they were just a little more “Disney”. I dont mind getting slapped in the face with Disney theming lol! I had a thread about this and apparently a lot of people were way happier with the refurbed rooms bc they looked cleaner. I was a little sad I might not get to stay in the old room. But regardless, I just love the whole Wilderness Lodge theme.

 

[JM23457]

One of the main reasons I chose Wilderness lodge was the theming, and I agree the new rooms look “Disney-lite”. But after hearing some feedback about how the rooms were very outdated & “shabby” I was ok with getting an updated room... I had a thread about this and apparently a lot of people were way happier with the refurbed rooms bc they looked cleaner.

We stayed at Wilderness Lodge in December (non-renovated) and the room was clean and attractive. We also stayed at the Contemporary during the ssme trip, and WL's room quality & cleanliness were equal. Some people just strongly prefer a more bright & plain look, and tend to put down other types of decor.

 

[DisneyJColeMom]

We stayed at Wilderness Lodge in December (non-renovated) and the room was clean and attractive. We also stayed at the Contemporary during the ssme trip, and WL's room quality & cleanliness was equal. Some people just strongly prefer a more bright & plain look, and tend to put down other types of decor.

I noticed that when we were discussing in that thread. Seemed a common opinion that people who wouldn’t have stayed before, would stay there now because of the look of the refurbed room. My initial reaction was that it looked sterile. The look did grow on me however! I like the feature wall. I just loved the old headboards better. They went in a completely different direction with the refurb look, super clean & simple, with smaller Disney touches.

 

[JM23457]

I noticed that when we were discussing in that thread. Seemed a common opinion that people who wouldn’t have stayed before, would stay there now because of the look of the refurbed room. My initial reaction was that it looked sterile. The look did grow on me however! I like the feature wall. I just loved the old headboards better. They went in a completely different direction with the refurb look, super clean & simple, with smaller Disney touches.

I agree, it's cute. Liked the old room much better, but the new one has some nice features. We'll stay there again and like it, I'm sure. Just making the factual point that the old version was not run down.

 

[DisneyJColeMom]

Thanks thats good to know!! I feel like Im in love with the place & havnt even been there yet lol! The pictures Ive seen of the whole Lodge look amazing

 

[DisneyJColeMom]

Wanted to update this one because I feel like something exciting happened. (At least for me lol!) So I decided to wait bc I felt unsure about what to do, and didnt call the CM back to get the Kidani room. So one random day I thought to myself, let me call & see if they still offer this type of room to me. So I called, held forever, and this time the CM said, We’re sorry, we should have never offered you the Deluxe Studio at Kidani bc we’re not allowed to change room types for price protection. (I was being price protected as long as I didnt change dates bc WL doesnt have an opening date). They said they could ONLY offer me Boardwalk Inn standard & thats it, no other option. They said after Boardwalk gets fully booked, they could start offering Beach Club standard. I really wasn’t interested in Boardwalk so I chose to wait & see again. A few days later, I see an announcement that Beach Club now does not have an opening date either. I decided to call again to see if there were any changes to what CM had to say. This time I explained again to the CM that I had been offered Kidani Savanna view. She was like Sure! Let me try to get that for you. But, It wasn’t available!!! I was like Oh no!! Thats a bummer. She said do you want me to try anywhere else? I said I know this is a long shot but can I get a Polynesian room? I think its similarly priced to what I was being offered in a Kidani Deluxe Studio Savanna view. She disappears & comes back & says I can do a Poly standard view room. I said can you do a Deluxe Studio Villa room? Since thats what Kidani was & she said No. I asked if there was a supervisor I could speak to, bc I had my hopes up for the Kidani deluxe studio, and was hoping I could still be offered another Deluxe studio. So she leaves me again for like a half hour, had me worrying/wondering if she wasnt gonna get back on the line. Well she did and says, OK youre all set! You have a Polynesian Deluxe studio standard view room, price protected.
I was ecstatic!! This feels like an upgrade to me!! From a Nature View WL room, no?? Ive never stayed at Poly but I hear great things, and the price of that room is definitely higher than what I was going to pay at WL! Im quite excited about this and HOPING SO MUCH April is far enough away for things to be more normal!!

 

[robinb]

Wanted to update this one because I feel like something exciting happened. (At least for me lol!) So I decided to wait bc I felt unsure about what to do, and didnt call the CM back to get the Kidani room. So one random day I thought to myself, let me call & see if they still offer this type of room to me. So I called, held forever, and this time the CM said, We’re sorry, we should have never offered you the Deluxe Studio at Kidani bc we’re not allowed to change room types for price protection. (I was being price protected as long as I didnt change dates bc WL doesnt have an opening date). They said they could ONLY offer me Boardwalk Inn standard & thats it, no other option. They said after Boardwalk gets fully booked, they could start offering Beach Club standard. I really wasn’t interested in Boardwalk so I chose to wait & see again. A few days later, I see an announcement that Beach Club now does not have an opening date either. I decided to call again to see if there were any changes to what CM had to say. This time I explained again to the CM that I had been offered Kidani Savanna view. She was like Sure! Let me try to get that for you. But, It wasn’t available!!! I was like Oh no!! Thats a bummer. She said do you want me to try anywhere else? I said I know this is a long shot but can I get a Polynesian room? I think its similarly priced to what I was being offered in a Kidani Deluxe Studio Savanna view. She disappears & comes back & says I can do a Poly standard view room. I said can you do a Deluxe Studio Villa room? Since thats what Kidani was & she said No. I asked if there was a supervisor I could speak to, bc I had my hopes up for the Kidani deluxe studio, and was hoping I could still be offered another Deluxe studio. So she leaves me again for like a half hour, had me worrying/wondering if she wasnt gonna get back on the line. Well she did and says, OK youre all set! You have a Polynesian Deluxe studio standard view room, price protected.
I was ecstatic!! This feels like an upgrade to me!! From a Nature View WL room, no?? Ive never stayed at Poly but I hear great things, and the price of that room is definitely higher than what I was going to pay at WL! Im quite excited about this and HOPING SO MUCH April is far enough away for things to be more normal!!

I think you got a great deal! I love the Polynesian studios. They are ginormous! Plus, it's a quick walk over to the TTC to hop on the Epcot monorail and a quick walk to the main building to catch the monorail to the MK.

 

[brockash]

Ill try to keep this easy but a lot of thoughts right now lol!
1. I have Sept 2020 booked at Wilderness Lodge. Wilderness Lodge is now not available for 2020 (or 2021!)
2. Back in April, I decided to book backup 2021 date for Wilderness Lodge for April 2021 just in case coronavirus messed up September 2020.
3. Coronavirus has messed up September 2020.
4. I thought Wilderness Lodge might still reopen in 2021. Was on the phone over FOUR HOURS today with 2 different people from Disney Reservations. The first person (who seemed awesome) ended up putting me on hold then never coming back on the line (i held on til my phone said i was on for 2 & 1/2 hours) then I disconnected & called again & got person #2 after an hour wait.
5. Person #1 said WL MAY reopen in 2021. Person #2 said WL WILL NOT reopen in 2021.
6. Person #2 recommended I switch my resort now, or if not it would be done for me eventually. Seemingly no hope for stay at WL. I offhandedly mentioned my runner up resort was Animal Kingdom Lodge. Offered me Savannah View room in Deluxe studio at AKL Villas- Kidani Village. Told me it was an upgrade. (My WL room was Nature View) I didnt feel ready to make decision on the spot! What should I do???!! I had my heart set on WL! She also suggested looking at Boulder Ridge & Copper Creek Villas. But I loved the WL main building rooms better!
She made me feel sense of urgency bc she said rooms are filling up fast.
What do you guys think of all this?? Should I do Savannah view Room? Should I holdout for WL? What if she’s wrong? ADVICE APPRECIATED!!!

For 2021, I'd hold off.