Just back from Wilderness Lodge

Jasminetigger

DIS Veteran
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
1,017
Just got back from a wonderful 8 night stay at Wilderness Lodge. It was a magical vacation from beginning to end. We had the most amazing time and can't wait to go back.

The Rooms: This was the first time we stayed in one of the renovated rooms. We loved the changes. We loved the flat screen TV. The shelf in the bathroom is great as well as the shelves underneath the sink. Lots of space for your toiletries.

Our room was ready when we arrived at 11:00 a.m. We were in room 7046 with a wonderful view of the castle and the fireworks.

HOUSEKEEPING: Our room was super clean when we arrived. Housekeeping did a wonderful job our entire stay. Our room was vacuumed daily and the sheets were changed several times while we were there. When we first got there, I called housekeeping and asked if our room could be cleaned by 1:30 everyday. She was so nice and accomadating. She said I will put down clean by 12:00 everyday, that way if they're running behind we know it will be cleaned by 1:30. We received towel animals four out of the eight days. My kids thought they were neat. Their stuffed animals were always arranged so cute. One day we came back and they were playing tic-tac-toe.

The POOL: I was surprised the pool was never very crowded. We were able to get a couple of chairs very easily no matter what time we went to the pool. The water was very refreshing. Last year it was very warm and usually not refreshing. The lifeguard said they fixed that problem during the pool refurbishment. The pool bar served very tasty drinks.

RESTAURANTS: We ate at WCC one morning for breakfast. The food was very good. I got the skillet and the others got waffles, pancakes and french toast. Everyone enjoyed their meal. Our waitress was fantastic. She was very much in character for the restaurant. I was afraid the antics would not be as good for the breakfast crowd. I was wrong, we had a blast. My daughter couldn't wait to ask for ketchup. They did not disappoint her. We ended up with about 20 bottles on our table. Roaring Forks was good for counter service. We tried their chicken strips, french fries and pizza. All were very good. The breakfast was good and plentiful. The adult pancake platter has 4 huge pancakes and about 6 strips of bacon. My girls were able to split one and had plenty to eat.

TRANSPORTATION: We used both the boats and the busses. We never had a problem with either. Our longest wait was 20 minutes, but usually we only waited 5-10 minutes for anything. We took a cab to DTD once. Very easy and convenient. We had an appointment at BBB and didn't want to be late.

We were able to be Flag Family this trip. This was a 1st for us. What an amazing experience. The view from up there is unbelievable. My girls thought it was super neat. Every time we saw the flags that day they would tell everyone we raised those flags. I recommend anyone staying here try to do this. We were actually told it was all booked up when we asked. But somebody cancelled and they called us and asked us if we wanted to do it. We jumped at the chance.

We stayed club level this trip. The staff on the 7th floor is unbelievable. They were super attentive and took care of all our needs. I will definitely be sending an e-mail to their supervisor and letting them know how great they are.

All in all our trip was fantastic. I heard Christmas at the lodge is spectacular. That's what we will be planning for next.

Hope everyone heading to the Lodge in the near future has as wonderful a time as we had.:)
 
So excited to hear about your stay! I kind of liked the fact that last time we were there the pool was always very warm....hope it is not too refreshing now??? I have tried several times to change our reservation to club level, but keep getting told no (not sure if it is sold out or just sold out for our current discount). Anyway, loved your post and it made me even more excited for our August trip! I plan on inquiring about being a flag family, hopefully it is available. Did you receive any "dreams" while in the parks?
 
So excited to hear about your stay! I kind of liked the fact that last time we were there the pool was always very warm....hope it is not too refreshing now??? I have tried several times to change our reservation to club level, but keep getting told no (not sure if it is sold out or just sold out for our current discount). Anyway, loved your post and it made me even more excited for our August trip! I plan on inquiring about being a flag family, hopefully it is available. Did you receive any "dreams" while in the parks?

The pool was refreshing, but not too cold. There was just enough of a difference from before to make it nice. Inquire about Flag Family as soon as you check in. We waited until the third day before I thought about it. At first we were told no. We just got lucky there was a cancellation.

No "dreams," but it didn't matter. We had the most amazing time and made our own dreams. Flag family was one of them. Riding in the front car of the monorail at night was another one. Seeing the looks on my DD's faces when they first looked in the mirror at Bibbiddy Bobiddy Boutique after their makeover was priceless. We did see the "dream team" several times but never saw them giving out any dreams.

Hope you have a great time.:)
 
What a great review of WL. We have stayed there in the past and I think it is a magical place. I noticed in your signature that you have also stayed AKL. We are going to WDW in Sept. for free dining and are staying at AKL. Can you compare the two? Which do you like better and why? This is a big deal for us not to do WL since last year we really missed it and said that the next time we go back would be at WL. :confused3 We want to try something new, but........

We are booked at AKL in 2 pool view bunk bed rooms now. I am excited to try AKL but am worried that the "magic" may not be there. However, AKL looks amazing. Do you really feel far away from things? The location of WL from MK is great, we loved the boat to MK, will we really miss that?
 

What a great review of WL. We have stayed there in the past and I think it is a magical place. I noticed in your signature that you have also stayed AKL. We are going to WDW in Sept. for free dining and are staying at AKL. Can you compare the two? Which do you like better and why? This is a big deal for us not to do WL since last year we really missed it and said that the next time we go back would be at WL. :confused3 We want to try something new, but........

We are booked at AKL in 2 pool view bunk bed rooms now. I am excited to try AKL but am worried that the "magic" may not be there. However, AKL looks amazing. Do you really feel far away from things? The location of WL from MK is great, we loved the boat to MK, will we really miss that?

We absolutely adore the Wilderness Lodge. If I had to choose between the two, I would always choose WL. However, I am glad we have stayed at AKL a couple of times. It was really a great experience.

I really like the pool at AKL. The zero depth entry is nice.

I like the lobby at AKL, but in my opinion, it can't compare to the amazing lobby at WL. But it is still a great lobby. Take the time and explore everything.

O.K. on to the transportation. I really did not feel far away from things for the most part. The bus system there was pretty good. However, I did miss the boat as a transportation option. Depending on where you plan on having dinner, that could be a factor. I missed being able to take a boat to the CR or FW. I think this is the biggest difference between the two.

All in all AKL is an amazing place. Just don't spend the whole time there trying to compare the two. We really had great times at AKL. I hope you do to.:)
 
Glad you had a great time. I'm very glad to hear some nice reviews about mousekeeping. they've been getting hammered here on the resort boards lately and it's great to see that some of them are still doing a great job.
 
How wonderful! We're taking our first trip to WL in April 2008, you've made me even more excited now!!!
 
Thanks for the great review.....

I love the WL....at holiday time it is AMAZING:cloud9:

Loved it so much.....It convinced me to buy DVC at WL....
just to guarantee a holiday stay....
Kerri
 
For some reason, your post made me smile. I feel so happy for you and your family that you had a wonderful vacation. :)
 
For some reason, your post made me smile. I feel so happy for you and your family that you had a wonderful vacation. :)

Thanks so much. Me and my family were just talking and saying how this was our best vacation yet. It is really going to be hard to top. But believe me, it will be fun trying!:)
 
I am so glad to hear you had a great stay at WL!! :cool1: We too absolutely LOVE the WL!! :love: We just got back a few weeks ago and we already have our reservations for CL there in December!! The lobby is even more amazing at Christmastime!!!:santa:
 
Thanks for your great review. We will be staying at WL/Club Level in July. This will be our first stay at WL. Do you have any helpful hints about how to best utilize the concierge services? Also, can you tell me a bit about the daily refreshments available at the 7th floor lounge? I have two children (10 and 5) and I'd like to have an idea of what to expect for them, as well as the adults. Also, did you have expedited check in available when you arrived? When we stayed at the GF/Concierge level a few years ago, we were met by a staff member as our car dropped us off, and then we were escorted to check in and given info regarding concierge services. This was a nice touch. Did you have a similar experience at WL?

Thanks in advance.
 
Thanks for your great review. We will be staying at WL/Club Level in July. This will be our first stay at WL. Do you have any helpful hints about how to best utilize the concierge services? Also, can you tell me a bit about the daily refreshments available at the 7th floor lounge? I have two children (10 and 5) and I'd like to have an idea of what to expect for them, as well as the adults. Also, did you have expedited check in available when you arrived? When we stayed at the GF/Concierge level a few years ago, we were met by a staff member as our car dropped us off, and then we were escorted to check in and given info regarding concierge services. This was a nice touch. Did you have a similar experience at WL?

Thanks in advance.

There is a thread only a couple threads down from this one called WL Questions started by Ifeikert. I listed all the refreshments in that thread. Please go read that and if you still have any questions about refreshments, I will be glad to answer them.

When we arrived, the guard gave us a slip reminding us to tell the valet we are staying on the club level. The valet called up when we arrived and the nicest CM was down within minutes to greet us. They weren't even done unloading our car. She took us up to the 7th floor and our room was ready. They took us to our room, told us to take a moment and relax and then we could go back to the concierge desk and check in. Everything was done at a leisurely pace.

My advice. Take a few minutes to get to know the staff. They are very nice and helpful and have some wonderful stories to tell about the Lodge and WDW. Don't try to plan your days around the food offerings. We didn't and still ended up being there several times when they were offered. Breakfast is easy. It is also very convenient to help get an early start. We would always come back midday for a rest and the girls would grab cookies and lemonade.

My most important piece of advice. Just relax and have a great time. Go with the flow. We had somewhat of a schedule, but if we got off track we didn't let it bother us. Because of that, this was one of our best vacations yet.

Hope you have a magical time.:)
 
Oh, your post makes me so homesick for Wilderness Lodge (as if I needed any help)!
 
Our room was ready when we arrived at 11:00 a.m. We were in room 7046 with a wonderful view of the castle and the fireworks.

Glad you enjoyed "my room" I have stayed in that room several times we always ask for it : )
Dianne the Mousekeeper is WONDERFUL she found out my DH was a firefighter a few years back and made all kinds of dalmations for him and then placed them all around the room doing different things during our stay . She made some cats one day and had then "chase" them LOL
 
What a nice review. We will be staying at WL for the first time Aug. 30 - Sept. 8. I can't wait. Just wondering which resorts you shared busses with for epcot, MGM and AK. Also, would you recommend AP for dinner? Did you eat there? Thanks for your help. You're making us all very excited about our upcoming trip!
 
Glad you enjoyed "my room" I have stayed in that room several times we always ask for it : )
Dianne the Mousekeeper is WONDERFUL she found out my DH was a firefighter a few years back and made all kinds of dalmations for him and then placed them all around the room doing different things during our stay . She made some cats one day and had then "chase" them LOL

It was a wonderful room. We have stayed in many rooms along that hallway, but this was a first for that room. And yes Dianne was a wonderful Mousekeeper. We had her as our Mousekeeper for most of our stay. We always came back to an immaculate room and it always smelled of cinammon. I hope we can stay in "your room" again sometime.:)
 
What a nice review. We will be staying at WL for the first time Aug. 30 - Sept. 8. I can't wait. Just wondering which resorts you shared busses with for epcot, MGM and AK. Also, would you recommend AP for dinner? Did you eat there? Thanks for your help. You're making us all very excited about our upcoming trip!

We did not get to eat at AP. I would like to try it someday with just me and DH.

MK we did not share busses. It was a five minute drive straight to the MK.

DTD bus, I believe we stopped at GF. On the way back we stopped at TL before heading back to WL.

MGM and Epcot bus we stopped at FW.

We didn't go to AK this trip, since we were just there in March.

Hope you have a wonderful trip.:)
 
Thanks for the information. It sounds like you all had a ball. So....where are the pictures? :goodvibes
 












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