ehagerty
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2001
- Messages
- 2,099
This is, for a variety of reasons, my favorite all around resort. Our goal this year was to book a studio for ME49, DH46 and DS16 from 6/20 until DS14 and DSF13 arrived on 6/22. At that point, I had a second, nearby studio for the three boys.
Room requests were non-smoking, near elevator, near laundry, near second studio, high-up. Rooms were very satisfactory 2505 and 2509. Around the corner from the elevator, upstairs from the laundry, as close to second studio as physically possible but not very high up. Oh, well. More than I was expecting, given the number of requests. View was slightly into the trees, but the trees are not so dense here as to block out a view. We could see the west edge of the quiet pool (on the right) and the balconies of the WL (on the left).
I made a point to check in early in the morning (8:30) to avoid the Sunday DVC / and airport rush. No wait. If you are checking in to a hotel from somewhere geographically nearby, it is worth checking in before 11:00 am.
We have been staying here as DVC members since it opened, so all of the accolades about theming, proximity to MK and MK resorts have been stated and photographed. It might seem odd to have spent so many words on POFQ and so few on WLV, but I am most relaxed at this resort.
To know me is to know that that is saying a lot.
*** WLV Studio Master Bed ***
What I like about the Wilderness Lodge, in general:
1. Theming beautiful lobby, even a beautiful gift shop, prairie style (Wright inspired Artist Point) restaurant (not that Ive eaten there), buffalo topiary, creeks, geysers, lincoln logs. I subscribe to a few travel magazines (Frommers, National Geographic Smithsonian). Anytime there is a picture of a National Park hotel lobby, I hold it up to my family and say What does this remind you of? and they all say Wilderness Lodge. It really synthesizes the essense of a park lodge perfectly.
2. Atmosphere relaxed, family, peaceful (except for occasional cowboy-like bursts from Whispering Canyon)
3. Music love the sound track. I have the list (from allearsnet) and have even borrowed them all from the library with the intention of making a custom soundtrack but I need consistent access to my PC and some orientation from my son on music software before I can pull that off. Nonetheless, I listen to the Dances with Wolves soundtrack every day at work and am transported to the WL
4. WLV I like the theming of all the DVC locations. But I have to believe that WLV lobby has the most detailed theme of any DVC lobby. Its has stone and inlaid wood floors, stone fireplaces, trains, rocking chairs and Adirondack chairs. Perhaps the theme (national parks) has the most to work with, but the BCV rest spaces (solarium) seems lovely, but kind of barren in comparison (to me).
5. Magic - One minute youre standing in the heat, cement and crowds of MK and a 5-10 pleasant, transition, boatride later, youre in a completely different world of trees, greenery, without another building in site. A different trip reporter had a scale to evaluate experiences. He called it the magic scale and graded by how much the experience transported you from (made you forget about) the real world. For me, WL not only transports you out of the real world, you dont even realize you are at Disney (except the complete absence of anything ugly or dirty).
Room requests were non-smoking, near elevator, near laundry, near second studio, high-up. Rooms were very satisfactory 2505 and 2509. Around the corner from the elevator, upstairs from the laundry, as close to second studio as physically possible but not very high up. Oh, well. More than I was expecting, given the number of requests. View was slightly into the trees, but the trees are not so dense here as to block out a view. We could see the west edge of the quiet pool (on the right) and the balconies of the WL (on the left).
I made a point to check in early in the morning (8:30) to avoid the Sunday DVC / and airport rush. No wait. If you are checking in to a hotel from somewhere geographically nearby, it is worth checking in before 11:00 am.
We have been staying here as DVC members since it opened, so all of the accolades about theming, proximity to MK and MK resorts have been stated and photographed. It might seem odd to have spent so many words on POFQ and so few on WLV, but I am most relaxed at this resort.
To know me is to know that that is saying a lot.
*** WLV Studio Master Bed ***
What I like about the Wilderness Lodge, in general:
1. Theming beautiful lobby, even a beautiful gift shop, prairie style (Wright inspired Artist Point) restaurant (not that Ive eaten there), buffalo topiary, creeks, geysers, lincoln logs. I subscribe to a few travel magazines (Frommers, National Geographic Smithsonian). Anytime there is a picture of a National Park hotel lobby, I hold it up to my family and say What does this remind you of? and they all say Wilderness Lodge. It really synthesizes the essense of a park lodge perfectly.
2. Atmosphere relaxed, family, peaceful (except for occasional cowboy-like bursts from Whispering Canyon)
3. Music love the sound track. I have the list (from allearsnet) and have even borrowed them all from the library with the intention of making a custom soundtrack but I need consistent access to my PC and some orientation from my son on music software before I can pull that off. Nonetheless, I listen to the Dances with Wolves soundtrack every day at work and am transported to the WL
4. WLV I like the theming of all the DVC locations. But I have to believe that WLV lobby has the most detailed theme of any DVC lobby. Its has stone and inlaid wood floors, stone fireplaces, trains, rocking chairs and Adirondack chairs. Perhaps the theme (national parks) has the most to work with, but the BCV rest spaces (solarium) seems lovely, but kind of barren in comparison (to me).
5. Magic - One minute youre standing in the heat, cement and crowds of MK and a 5-10 pleasant, transition, boatride later, youre in a completely different world of trees, greenery, without another building in site. A different trip reporter had a scale to evaluate experiences. He called it the magic scale and graded by how much the experience transported you from (made you forget about) the real world. For me, WL not only transports you out of the real world, you dont even realize you are at Disney (except the complete absence of anything ugly or dirty).
