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

[kimmar067]

...do ya think Ratpack noticed his tag yet??

 

[FloridaCat]

SSSHHHHH!, I want to hear him Yelp

 

[Ratpack]

Swampkatz, I also tooted the horn as we went through Tega Cay.

And yes I noticed my tag. Thanks folks for thinking of us while we were gone. The lodge was as great as ever. Had room 6060 and could see the fireworks over the castle at night and also saw the otters playing in the morning. I will try to get trip reports done soon. Right now I am just getting back into the swing of normal life. Wait a minute, Disney is normal life, so this must be the abnormal life.

 

[JBurke]

Ratpakc-when you have a second please post about the crowds and weather.
Since we are leaving shortly I am trying to get a heads up!!
Hope your trip was terrific

 

[kimmar067]

 

[Ratpack]

The crowds were what I would consider average. Early morning and things were walk ons, but afternoon and evening, there were lines. The weather, now that is a different story. It rained every day we were there. Usually in the evening but also, quite heavily. Thunder and lightning were also present. They shut the pool down almost every evening for lightning and some attractions in the parks were closed. Never got to ride Test Track because of the rain, but I did do Mission Space twice. My advice is to plan on FastPass in the afternoon and evening and count on rain at some point during the day.

 

[NJFabFour]

Oh, geez, I've been so obsessed on tourguidemike.com planning our itinerary for each park that I had nearly 20 pages to catch up on! Guess that'll teach me to check in regularly! FloridaCat - thanks for the cornbread recipe! DH loves cornbread and we're already planning to dine there so really looking forward to it now! Good to get the tips too about making a PS! Wasn't going to but now will follow the advice of the DISers! Those links to the pictures were so cool - really gave a more personable feel! Kimmar - was looking forward to your report on the campfire at FW - so sorry! Ratpack had a great post about it on the Family boards, though! Thanks! You all are great!

 

[Majestic]

Welcome back Ratpack and family. I know you must be going through withdrawl at the moment. We are here to support you in your time of need.

Can't wait to hear all of the juicy details about the trip!

Sorry you got so much rain.

Fred

Originally posted by Ratpack
The crowds were what I would consider average.

 

[BlueFairy]

NJFabFour - can you give us a review of TourGuide Mike's services? Is it worth the $$? And to put it in context, are you an experienced WDW guest or a first-timer? Just trying to decide if we should make itineraries for each park in such an organized way.

Also, Ratpack - can you give us a link to your campfire review? We're planning to try it but haven't found much in the way of opinions.

And finally, to everyone who has greater than 60 days on the countdown clock . . . be sure to read up on the new PS policy. It seems that as of Aug. 4 you can do almost all PS at 90 days (including Cindy's and the like). I know that will be important for someone.

 

[copper0426]

Ratpack, welcome back. Did they stop the boats because of the bad weather?

NJFabFour we did the campfire movie last July and DS wants to know if we could do it again. The night we went, we saw 102 Dalamations. It was a good time.

Diane

 

[FloridaCat]

That sounds like a cool thing to do. Where is the campfire from Trails End?

Thanks

 

[copper0426]

Originally posted by FloridaCat
That sounds like a cool thing to do. Where is the campfire from Trails End?

Thanks

The only thing I can tell you is it is close to the Meadow Trading Post. Sorry I can't be of much help there. I've been to these places going so many different ways I couldn't give complete directions. You know one day it was by boat from WL the next by bus or by bus then back by boat. I basically just go by the signage.

Now if it were something on WL property or DXL I mean POR property, I would have no problem giving directions.

Have a great one.

Diane

 

[eeyore1226]

First off...I want to apologize if this question is repetative. I have searched through several threads trying to find information about the bus transportation to and from the WL and I can't find it. Me, my 13 year old daughter and hubby are heading to Disney on my hubby's 40th birthday - surprise trip!! We are leaving on August 16 and I booked the Farytale package that was advertised on this site back in June. We are HUGE fans of the Mouse Anyhow, I was wondering if there are busses directly to Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and MGM as well as the water parks and Downtown Disney? I know there is a boat directly to MK - we could catch the Epcot Monorail over there as well right? Just wondering; we have never gone to any of the water parks and can't recall seeing busses for them at any of the resorts we have stayed at before. Any information will be greatly appreciated.

 

[FloridaCat]

There is a bus station on the right side of the Lodge as you face it. From the lobby you take the hall at the end of the checkin counter. There are sgns informing you where each bus will stop. We found the bus service to be very good. We went to all parks and downtown.

It is a nice area to wait, benches and undercover areas.

The buses do make additonal stops at other resorts some times, but we never mined it. The longest bus ride, it seemed to us, was to and from AK.

Hope this helps you and you can PM me if you have other questions.

wellcome to WL

 

[FloridaCat]

Talk to DD about doing this in Sep; said she picked up a Campground map when we were at Trails Endto eat, so I guess we are all set.
Thanks for making me awear of this.
Have a special day

 

[NJFabFour]

Originally posted by BlueFairy
NJFabFour - can you give us a review of TourGuide Mike's services? Is it worth the $$? And to put it in context, are you an experienced WDW guest or a first-timer? Just trying to decide if we should make itineraries for each park in such an organized way.

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!

 

[copper0426]

FloridaCat: Glad to help. There is also a place called the chuck wagon right behind the bleachers where you can purchase a stick and marshmellows to roast at the campfire. You can also bring them from home if you want. They sell some snacks there as well like sodas and hot dogs etc. If you want, I can get the list of items for you. Oh yeah the also sell the ingredients so you can make s'mores.

I hope you get to do it. Like I said, DS asked us if we can do it again this trip.


Take Care.

Diane

 

[NJFabFour]

BlueFairy - Oops, forgot to mention, I am a first timer (not counting 15 years ago as a teenager! ). While I'm not planning a minute-by-minute itinerary, it's helpful to have a general idea of which rides are best to get to first before their lines get really long and which ones are good to do at anytime of day. Hope that helps!

 

[FloridaCat]

Thanks, but I can find it. Just glad you pointed me in the right direction. DD said she picked up a packet of information when we were over there in July.

Have a nice eveiing

 

[BlueFairy]

NJFabFour - Thanks for your comments. I've been to Disney numerous times, so I'm very familiar with all the rides. But this will bet he first time with two little ones in tow. Our strategy will be completely different than before. So I may look into it.