Just Booked WL for 12/2-9, 2006- ???'s

[VernRDH]

Hi all-

We did our "tease" weekend at MK a few weeks ago and DH decided he wants to spend a week at WDW for next years vacation. We originally planned to do CSR, but DH decided to spend the few extra $$ and do WL, which we understand is just fabulous. We are doing 7 night stay, 5 days of passes and Dining your way. Standard view room. Total was $2785 through my TA. Travelling are DH, myself and DD who will be 7. This will be trip #6 for DH and I, #3 for DD.

So here are my questions:

Is there a standard view room or rooms that are better than others? ie location, convenience, views etc.

Do all the rooms have outside balconies? Or are some inside the lodge looking at the lobby?

We plan to do a few character meals so we thought the cost of the Dining plan would work for us. We usually eat a big breakfast, snack in the middle of the day and eat an early (4-5 pm) dinner. Will the dining plan work well for us or are we better off just winging it?

We will be renting a car at MCO but plan to primarily use WDW transportation. We don't want to take the car to the parks as we plan to go back to WL in the afternoon for swim/nap/snack time and return around 4 or so. Will we regret that?

I appreciate any insights anyone can offer. We have only stayed at CBR and POFQ and offsite. We are really excited about WL. In our advancing youth, we find that we like the finer things and while I am not ready to shell out for GF, this will be a step up from our usual digs.

Again, TIA for all your help.

 

[lucincia]

There is a huge WL thread in this forum. Lot's of good info, links to maps, room locations by room numbers, etc. in there

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=658804

Nice afternoon of reading

 

[VernRDH]

Thanks lucincia. I will check it out tomorrow as we are expecting another rainy day here in NY.

 

[Gary M]

All rooms at WL have either balconies or ground level rooms have patios.

 

[LovintheLodge]

My family recently stayed at the WL (for the first time) and had the dining plan. You're going at a great time. I understand it is beautifully decorated at Christmas time.

I think the dining plan will work out well for your family, especially if you plan on doing some of the character meals. Yes you can eat cheaper, but the character meals count as TS and I think you'll benefit with the plan. We ate at some great places which we probably wouldn't have done so otherwise.

We also rented a car. But never used it for transportation to MK. If you drive, you have to park at the TTC and catch the monorail or boat to the entrance. Better to take the bus or boat from WL directly to MK. Also, we preferred using our car to come and go. We also ate at some of the other resorts, and since we had our car, didn't have to leave much time for transportation. As far as the parks, parking is free and even though you may have to catch a tram (hardly a wait) at the parks when parking, we still felt it was faster.

You mentioned you had 5 day passes to use during the week. If there's the slightest chance in your plans that you may want to hit the parks past the 5 days, the incremental cost of adding 1 or 2 days is minimal...but I don't know your plans or if you have the plus pack, etc.

You will love WL! Happy planning!

 

[ChristyJ]

Hey, VernRDH, we're from Ballston Spa, NY-AND my DH, DDs (ages 7 & 9 when we go ) and I are headed to the WL 12/1-12/10/06!! How cool is that?!

We were at the WL last year around the same time and LOVED it!! The decorations are beautiful! We only used WDW transportation and are doing the same for the next trip. We are also getting the dining plan (but 8 days worth). It's worth it to us as we were spending anywhere from $70-$110 on some dinners (Ohanas, Coral Reef, etc.), so the cost per day is equal to what we paid for one meal.
We also made our passes hoppers as we like to come and go to various parks (Animal Kingdom closes early so we head over to EPCOT...).

 

[ChristyJ]

One more crazy thing...I just noticed in your signature that it says "sharing the same birthday with my baby girl and Walt..." Well my DH's and oldest DD's birthdays are 12/5!!! We celebrated their birthdays on during our trip last year!! What a treat to be in Disney on for your birthday!!

 

[VernRDH]

One more crazy thing...I just noticed in your signature that it says "sharing the same birthday with my baby girl and Walt..." Well my DH's and oldest DD's birthdays are 12/5!!! We celebrated their birthdays on during our trip last year!! What a treat to be in Disney on for your birthday!!

Actually our birthday is in November, the 18th which is Mickeys birthday!!

Maybe we can meet up in WL and the DD's can play/swim.

 

[Lulu's Mom]

We are looking to book WL for next Dec as well..... should we book soon???? My only concern about booking early is that if Disney sees that I am already booked, then I might not get a PIN code.... I know that sounds silly.

Also does WL usually book up that early for early Dec?

 

[Disneyhappy]

We always rent a car and use Disney's transporation for the parks. However, we use our car to go to Downtown Disney, the waterparks and resort restaurants depending on their location. You will love the WL. It was the first resort we stayed at on site in 1998. We've tried most of the other deluxes and also loved them but the WL holds a special place in our hearts and we will be returning there in January. Try to take notice of the subtle details while there. Examples: Sound of crickets as you enter the resort, the animal prints in the walkways. Enjoy!

 

[ChristyJ]

I know that for early Dec. of 2004, the standard & woodsview rooms books up pretty quickly, even though that time of year is supposed to be one of the slower times.
We booked it & still ended up with a PIN code last Aug. that we were able to apply.

VernRDH-Mickey... I think this rain and blah weather has gone to my brain!!

We should keep in touch and meet up at the pool-that would be fun for our DDs!

 

[KIRSTIN'S MOMMY]

We're headed back for our third stay at the Lodge in just 54 days! We were there last year for the holidays and are headed back the same time this year. My dd's birthday is Dec. 11, so we've made it an annual birthday trip for her. Keep in mind when booking that the WL is one of the smaller resorts so it books quickly, especially during Christmas time. We booked back in June, and the only thing available was courtyard view. We switched over to the villas to try something different this trip and actually saved a little over the courtyard view by using the AAA discount.