NEW (and IMPROVED, if THAT's possible!)Wilderness Lodge FAQ

[Majestic]

It looks like it is some automated program. Did you actually get to speak to someone when you did it?

Also, how much did it cost to do? How much time did you have to put into it?

We may want to give it a shot just for the heck of it.

Fred

Originally posted by NJFabFour
I have found TourGuideMike to be well worth the $, especially now that I am looking closely at what we want to do at each park. He gives specific advice for "Guests with children" for EACH attraction which is really helpful and the advice on what to see when to avoid the lines and waits is really invaluable. I also specifically like that he has reviews posted from members for each attraction (which you can also get here on the DIS boards, of course! ) but is nice to have 3 - 5 views in one place to review for each attraction of interest. In addition, his descriptions of what to do at the resorts is really thorough - lots of info about EVERY activity available at EACH resort and costs, locations, etc! Definately worth the small investment! Good luck!

 

[kimmar067]

...could ya post a link to your report? I wanna hear all about Mission Space ('specially since I'M not goin' to Mars anytime in the near future! )

[color=sky blue][size=medium]HAPPY MONDAY, WL VETS!![/color][/size]

 

[NJFabFour]

Fred,
I believe the cost is around $20 - $25, though mousesavers.com has a discount code for $2 - $3 off. It's a one time charge and you can keep your subscription for up to 1 - 3 months after your trip (can't remember exactly). Yes, it's automated, though personalized according to a questionaire you fill out. The questionaire is pretty thorough and specific so the planning guide will recommend specific choices based on your input (ex. small children vs. teens, short trip vs. long vacation, etc). You can also customize it as you use it to include what you want for your situation and delete what you don't need. (ex. Every article has an "Add to my attractions" or "Remove from . . . " feature) It IS time consuming to go through all the articles and features (of course, being a "newbie" I have to read about EVERYTHING!) but he has recently updated it to include an "Express Planning" feature w/ "7 Simple Steps" for those who just need some quick and easy advice. Of course, I can't say it's any more time-consuming than reading 50+ pages on the DIS boards!

 

[crazy4themouse]

Fred~

I paid $16.95 with mousesavers.com coupon and it lasts up to 60 days after your trip. It's a real good deal especially if you have many days on your countdown. Not a bad price - though at times I feel I'm learning a lot more info on the DisBoards. I think I just need to spend more time with it.

 

[Wyndale]

for our upcoming trip, and the cose was about $16 or $17 I think. I've emailed questions, and got a response quite soon. He must have been online at one time, because we kept writing back and forth.

I haven't been in a few years, and haven't seen MGM or AK yet. I'm not interested in standing in a lot of lines, so I thought I'd give his plan a try.

I've read every tour book I could get my hands on to plan my trip, but I've relied on his site for the most current info to put our small itinerary together, and thought it was worth the price!

 

[Ratpack]

Originally posted by kimmar067
...could ya post a link to your report? I wanna hear all about Mission Space ('specially since I'M not goin' to Mars anytime in the near future! )

Will do just as soon as I get it written.

BTW, just realized that in just over two months, we are one third of the way to locking this thread and starting part 3!!!

 

[Wyndale]

Anyone know of a site that has photos of refillable mug used at WL?

My Niece went this spring and wants me to bring her back one, I guess she's collecting one from each resort.

Is there a link that might show the different mugs from the different resorts?

 

[Dad]

GO! CLOCK GO!

 

[MLbooks]

Yeah - I called WDTC today and made my final payment on our Wilderness Lodge September vacation!!

Can't wait!!

Mary

 

[loubelou]

I subscribed to TourGuideMike a couple of weeks ago with the discount code for $16.95. I've been pleased with the info I've received from him. I thought it was going to be more personalized than what it is. However, if you have alot of time to read and sift thru all the info he has on his sight I feel it is a good value. I feel his touring plans are much more manageable for people with young children. We are looking forward to trying out some of his tips in Sept. and finding out for ourselves whether we got our money's worth. The first day I joined his sight I spent almost every spare minute of my day trying to sift thru all the articles. His sight can be overwhelming, but if you take it slow and are willing to read alot you can get some great tips. I think it is especially good for first timers.

MLBrooks: I just made my final payment on Friday. So, we are now just waiting out our time until we are at the Lodge again. My boys are getting more and more excited and my dh even seems a little excited as well. Dh did not really want to go on this vacation. I booked it and told him it was booked 24 hours later. I've learned not to discuss travel plans with him. He doesn't like to travel. However, once you get him somewhere he has a blast and makes comments wondering why we don't do this more often. So, I make all the travel plans and then tell him where we are going and to get ready.

 

[Majestic]

MLBooks, Dad, Wyndale, and Loubelou, BlueFairy,

Looks like we will all be at the lodge about the same time! If you're anything like me, you're bouncing off the walls in anticipation! Oh yeah, we also went back to home depot and they had the Alien Green mickey heads back so we got about 10 of them!

Too everyone who replied about tourguidemike, thanks for the info. We are going to give it a shot. What the heck!

Fred

 

[FloridaCat]

Looks like we will be checking on the same day.

 

[Majestic]

Don't worry! He will have fun. It's unavoidable. There is NO WAY that you can't at The Lodge!

Like many others have said, there is NO hotel like The Lodge. I find my stays there are a vacation in itself! Some days we don't even want to go to the parks and hang out in the lobby or at the pool. Top off the day with dinner at Whispering Canyon. Ahh......

Uh oh...

Must.....get.....my.......DISNEY.........FIX!!!! HHHHHHEEEEEELLLLLLPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!

<(click!)>

Originally posted by loubelou
My boys are getting more and more excited and my dh even seems a little excited as well. Dh did not really want to go on this vacation. I booked it and told him it was booked 24 hours later. I've learned not to discuss travel plans with him. He doesn't like to travel. However, once you get him somewhere he has a blast and makes comments wondering why we don't do this more often. So, I make all the travel plans and then tell him where we are going and to get ready.

 

[Majestic]

Oh yeah! I forgot! Your DD is trating you to a fun filled weekend at The Lodge! You know, there will be soo many of us down there, we MUST make it a point to get together and say hi. I guess we need to find a common day between all of us and take a few minutes to meet in the glorious lobby or have a drink at the bar??

Any interest? You people are MY kind of people. I'd be honored to meet you. Of course, my friends tend to say I am a bit outgoing. I just like meeting new people.

Fred

Originally posted by FloridaCat
Looks like we will be checking on the same day.

 

[dizneykid]

majestic,

i think meeting would be fun. if you are able to get the "meet" on a saturday, my dh and i can take time and drive to wl. i would love to meet you all.

 

[Wyndale]

I just got my vouchers for trip! Incuded the voucher for the room, and because of the silver package, we got the vouchers for special viewing of the parade, and firework shows, as well as our luggage tages! All in an expandable folder, as well as a tri-fold postcard from the Goofy, er...a...the Lodge!

Look our Disney, here we come!

 

[FloridaCat]

DGD and I are checking in on Friday afternooon, and we will get the room set up. DD is coming when she gets off work. We are just hanging out at the pool all day Sat. We will hit acouple of parks on Sunday. We are there for a short weekend getaway. DD said she needed a WL fix. Me too!, Me too!

It woulld be great if we could at least say Howdy.

 

[Tig-girl]

I'm so jealous! Seems like everybody is going to be there in September except for me!

Have you SEEN my countdown clock? It's sooooo far away. Oh I know, time flies, and it will be here and gone before I blink, just like always. But I would truly like to be independently wealthy and just go any old time I felt like it instead of having to save up and save up for the trip!
Anybody else feel this way?

 

[FloridaCat]

Welcome to the club. I think that would cover a great many on here. The saving part was not so bad, but the unexpected expense that would crop up and put a kink in the plans. I would agree it would be sooooo nice to be able to come as often as you like.

 

[Majestic]

Well, we will actually be there for two saturdays but the first one (13th) we are going to be celebrating our little DD's 3rd birthday! Lots of Magic Kingdom in the plans as well as breakfast at Chef Mickey's in the AM!

Best saturday that I can do will be the 20th. I know that won't work for some people though.

This is going to be tough! Dates people! I need dates!

More than likely, before we leave, I will offer out my cell phone number in PMs for those that want to hook up. This way, you can call before you come!