Just back from Wilderness Lodge!!!

[princessgirls]

Thanks Jarestel for the information......that is what I figured. I have stayed at most of the resorts there and honestly haven't had any problems with transportation.......good to hear from someone who has stayed at WL. Now I can't wait to book it!!!!!

 

[Troy08]

Glad you loved the Lodge!! It's my fav resort. Also loved that courtyard view.We were on fth floor and could see the Electrical Water Pageant every night from our balcony. Could also walk down to the front drive/parkinbg lot and see Wishes from the MK.

 

[aabinion]

Electric Water Parade came by at 9:30 at wilderness lodge!!

 

[aabinion]

Thanks for posting. We arrive at WL on 8/14!!! I am so excited!!

What were the pool conditions like? Was it possible to get a chair midday?

The pool was pretty crowded during the afternoon...we usually swam at night. So, I am thinking it would be hard to get a chair midday.

 

[aabinion]

I think I am going to book a studio there for 3 days in early November. My question is do you think it is a good choice for myself, my 6yr old DD and 2 yr old DD? I have always wanted to stay there, but it is always booked!!! My one concern is that people have said the transportation is very slow (long waits for buses). Any opinions?

thanks, pamela

We never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus at Wilderness Lodge. The boat was a little slower because it made stops at Ft. Wilderness Campground. The boat was really nice but after MK was letting out you had to wait a little longer for a boat. The busses were great though.

 

[Taylorbell]

Hey we just got back from the WL, too! We had a standard room booked with bunk beds and when we checked in CM Zane, said we had been upgraded to a Courtyard view with bunk beds! I was very excited - we were in 3152. The courtyard view we had was actually of the quiet pool at the Villas. But it was great we loved the lodge. Our room was quiet, clean and the service was great!! It was a ways away from everything, but we were so happy to be there we really didn't care

Transportation was great. We took the boat once to MK and decided after that the bus was the way to go. The bus trip is about 5 minutes and almost no one is on it. Even after watching Wishes at MK it was just us and one other family on the bus. I guess everyone else takes the boat. We did have trouble getting to AK on time for our 8:00 breakfast. We were at the bus stop by 7:00 to make sure we caught the first bus and it didn't arrive until about 7:40 and then we went to Fort Wilderness and the Grand Floridian. So we were late for our PS, which was fine they still sat us, but it made us a little anxious. We had the same problem with an early morning EPCOT bus. Our PS was for 8:20 and the park didn't open until 9:00. Once again, the bus came late....7:45 or so and then made several stops. Those were the only bad times we had (the early morning breakfast stop). Other than those, bus service was great, never more than a 10 minute wait.

We would gladly stay there again and recommend it to everyone!!

Amy

 

[Majestic]

The Electrical Water "Pageant" can be seen by all hotels that are either on Seven Seas Lagoon (GF,Poly, and CR) and on Bay Lake (WL and FW).

Regarding transportation, I just don't get the rush thing on vacation. We have never waited more than 10 to 15 minutes for a bus or boat and it's really only a small part of the day so it's not big deal if you plan accordingly. If you give yourself plenty of time (say 45 minutes) to get to your destination, you should be fine and will suffer from much less stress overall.

Remember, the goal is to relax and enjoy. We spend our entire lives punching a clock....sometimes you just have to let go.

I'm no expert but this is the way "we" vacation and I promise you that you'll see vacations differently if you try it.

Hope this helped!! To everyone heading down to Wilderness Lodge, don't forget to pat humphrey the bear's nose at the mercantile for good luck!! Most of all, enjoy your Wilderness Lodge vacation.

Fred

 

[Baby Girl]

Glad you had fun! We're thinking of stay there in December.

 

[tubachick]

Thanks for sharing. I always enjoy reading about the WL. We'll be back home in Feb '06. Thanks again

 

[ZIPBAGS]

All this talk of the WL is making me very excited for my trip in less than a month. And I was just able to add a day to our trip. So we are now staying 7 nights...the longest we have ever gone to Disney.

 

[momof2disprincesses]

Thank you so much for your post! We are leaving for WL one month from tomorrow!!!! I can hardly wait!

I too requested bunk beds as my girls are 13 and 9 and don't sleep very well togehter. I hope we are able to get them, but I also wouldn't mind an upgrade if it meant giving up the bunk beds.

Just curious, what time did you check in? I assume they give out rooms in the order people arrive and we're planning to check in around 3pm on a Saturday. I hope that doesn't hurt our chances of getting the bunk beds.

I also wanted to know if you ate at Roaring Forks for breakfast or if you were on the meal plan? We'd love to know what you thought of Roaring Forks as we plan to eat breakfast there pretty much every day (sharing 2 meals among the 4 of us).

Also, did you ask to be a Flag Family? If so, were you able to?

Thanks again!!

 

[jugglinfish]

We're so exited about our upcoming stay at WL - we'll be there next week. Its so nice to hear positive reports about the lodge, especially the transportation.

 

[Majestic]

Sometimes transportation is just what you make of it. Enjoy your trip!

We're so exited about our upcoming stay at WL - we'll be there next week. Its so nice to hear positive reports about the lodge, especially the transportation.

 

[Majestic]

Roaring Forks is great for a quick breakfast. No complaints here. Good coffee. Lots of cereals and sandwiches as well as fresh fruit.

Yes I was Flag Family once. Make sure you ask for it immediately at checkin as the list fills up fast. If there is a slot open, you're in!

See my photo gallery for pics of our flag family day.

Fred

I also wanted to know if you ate at Roaring Forks for breakfast or if you were on the meal plan? We'd love to know what you thought of Roaring Forks as we plan to eat breakfast there pretty much every day (sharing 2 meals among the 4 of us).

Also, did you ask to be a Flag Family? If so, were you able to?

Thanks again!!

 

[Minnie]

We're so exited about our upcoming stay at WL - we'll be there next week. Its so nice to hear positive reports about the lodge, especially the transportation.

If you will have a rental car I highly suggest using it for any trips to DTD. The bus service to that location from the WL has definite problems. We had waits of 45-60 minutes more than once to/from that location. I also talked to others at the Lodge with the same problem. This was last week and all of WDW was busy though.

However I wouldn't let that stop me from staying at the Lodge as we absolutely love everything else about it.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Roaring Forks is great for a quick breakfast. No complaints here. Good coffee. Lots of cereals and sandwiches as well as fresh fruit.---------------------
Fred

I just want to add that at Roaring Forks we asked if they had soy milk and they were so nice and friendly about it! Some places make you feel like a pain in the butt for asking but they couldn't have been nicer to us!

 

[sanke]

Hi,
We're booked at WL in Dec, and I'm enjoying all the skinny I'm getting from ya'll. We'd like to be able to see the MK fireworks from our room, got some info out of the Unofficial Guide, they suggested even # rooms on the 6th floor. I don't have the #'s handy. Any help?
Thanks!

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

If you will have a rental car I highly suggest using it for any trips to DTD. The bus service to that location from the WL has definite problems. We had waits of 45-60 minutes more than once to/from that location. I also talked to others at the Lodge with the same problem. This was last week and all of WDW was busy though.

However I wouldn't let that stop me from staying at the Lodge as we absolutely love everything else about it.

Good tip! Now, how to get to DTD to rent the car?

 

[FromVatoDisney]

To us the boats were like another WDW ride!! That was one of the best things about WL and WDW!!! Especially in the summer, the boat rides are not only pleasant but you get a bit of a breeze! And let me tell you, there is nothing, NOTHING, like taking the boat back from the parks or dinner at night while Wishes is going on and you see the whole thing from the water. WL is like two vacations, one at WDW and a second at a gorgeous lodge on a nearly private lake. It absolutely rocks!

 

[cooldisneymom]

Just back from week at WL also!!! We arrived on 7/17 (Sun.) at about 9:00am. Rooms weren't ready. We left, went to MK for the day. Called back around 3:00 still not ready. Finally around 5:00!! we finally got in our UPGRADED connecting rooms 6153 & 6155.

Every time we've stayed at WL we have always been upgraded. Never had to wait this long though. We were very hot, very tired and ready to take a much needed shower after driving all night .

Had a great time, WL great as always!! Miss it already!!!