NEW Wilderness Lodge FAQ!!

[kimmar067]

...maybe I will see you at WL in July!!!!

 

[beb]

Originally posted by 999ghsts
Pluto14 There are King bed rooms that over look the otter pond area, however they are all on the ground floor and they are handicap accessible (they do not have a bath tub, they only have a shower) The rooms themselves are the same, just the bathroom is set up different, but it would be your preference whether or not you want ground floor or not

Beb and Pluto14 The "Best" location really depends on what you are looking for. When I answer questions and give the "best" location it is based on the requests. For instance, Corvair wants to be overlooking the pool, farther away from the front desk, but still be able to see the Electric Water pageant, the "best" location for this (in my opinion) is the 4th floor, Villas side, facing the inner courtyard Pool. Someone else wants to see MK, the "best" location for this is 4032, 4034, 5032, 5034, 6032, 6034, 6012, 6022 (and a few other rooms depending on the time of year and how the trees are) There are so many GREAT rooms in the hotel depending on what you are specifically looking for in your location, bedding options, etc.

BEB To answer your question specifically, yes if you have a lobby room you still have a balcony, It just means that the door into your room opens out to the main lobby. In my Opinion, the "best" woods view rooms are those that look out at the otter pond, they are the north wing rooms, they are very accessible to the pool, restaurants and the boat launch for MK, there are some of them that can see MK (the castle, space mountian or the Contemporary resort) just depends on what time of year you go and the growth of the trees. The lobby rooms are great and many people love them (I personally have stayed in them with family) so it all depends on your preferences. The lobby rooms are very convienent, the rooms are unique in that they open to the lobby (and there is a little sitting area on floors 4 and 5 that has a fireplace and is kinds secluded), but I love the otters

 

[beb]

999ghts I gues I am confused as to what the actual lobby is if only some rooms open to the lobby what do the other open to if this is a u shaped building doesnt the us go around the lobby on three side?? I have not been able to locate a picture showing this.

soI should request the north wing because I want a mk view and be close to the pool non smoking open balcony now do I request the 4 5 or 6th floor which is better?

Do any of the wood s view have any sight of the pool area

THANK YOU THANK YOU in advance

will I see you on check in??

 

[woody5]

999Ghosts
I have two standard rooms requested. One with bunk beds. Also both are nonsmoking due to health reasons. What would you suggest for my request. Also thanks for great info. Can't wait to come.

 

[Pluto14]

Hi beb- we're going in July, too (7-13). I'm so excited, I can't stand it. I find myself wishing I didn't have to go to work...I could stay here and read helpful hints all day! Won't be long now for both of us!

999ghsts- thanks so much for helping us out! I love otters and would love to overlook the otter pond! I have a feeling that my DH would rather not be on the ground floor. I guess I need to call or fax that we'd like to switch the reservation from a king to 2 queens? Thanks for mentioning the room #s that might have a view of the MK. I suppose, though, that it is too much to request an actual room #! I have one more question about requesting something special for birthdays....My Dh turns the big 4-0 and I'm sure he would love a surprise that I would most likely have to arrange (like a card and picture of the Mickey and the gang) do I just mention the birthday on my fax, or do I need to be specific? Thanks again for all of your advice!

 

[Cora's Mom]

Originally posted by plutospup
[sand toys at the beach that you can buy/rent. [/B]

I read in one of my many WDW guide books, that the CBR food court kid's meals come in a sand pail complete with shovel.

 

[skiwee1]

I just came back yesterday after a 9 day stay at the WL. The place is absolutely beautiful! I really did not want to stay there but the Contemporary was booked and this was my second choice. I stay in lodges during our winter ski trips and wasn't looking forward to doing it on my summer vacations too. Anyway I was really surprised about liking it so much. The detail put into that resort is incredible. I had room 4089 which was woodview, two beds, lobby room. I was right over the Whispering Canyon, and there was very little noise. I heard something that sounded like the wind whistling once at around 10 am and opened my door to investigate. It turned out to be the cheering at the Whispering Canyon. Not a problem at all as far as disturbing anyone. The Roaring Forks had very tasty food, especially the Krispy Kremes and those Dream Bars. Yummy!! The only problem I had with the resort and it will keep me from returning was the transportation. I was there 9 days and every time I boarded a boat or bus, we were always ferried over to FW before getting to the destination. I know 999ghsts said it was supposed to be different but we never encountered being picked up last and going straight to the destination. This was more inconvenient than any bus we had at the CBR in prior trips. It added another 10 minutes by bus and at least 20 minutes by boat to every trip we had. A major turn off and one that makes me never want to go there again. I thought it very unfair that the WL guests, a deluxe, had to sit on the boat or bus so much longer then the FW guests just to get to the FW guests. Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against the FW guests! LOL! I just feel that staying at and paying for a deluxe resort entitles you to perks or conveniences. Sharing the transportation wasn't the bad part as much as being the resort that had to be shuttled around twice as long as the other resort. Grossly unfair. I really think pairing the two up was a huge mistake with management and one that will cost them future visits by some. On a happier note, I thought the pool was great too. We couldn't get enough of spending our afternoons relaxing there. Overall a beautiful place that would be perfect if not for the horrible transportation issues. I am in the process of booking my trip for October and will be going with the CR if available or the GF as my runner up. Thanks for all the help here and if anyone has any quesions please ask away!

 

[lucki4]

Krispy Kremes there Awesome!

I hope the transportation is resolved before we go in July or we might have to rent a car.

 

[beb]

ski wee did you complain to anyone about the transportation at the wl and if so was there any positive response

about how long did it take to get from wlto mk

also you said that you stayed in a lobby room any advantage or disadvantage to staying here vs a regular room I have seen layouts of the hotel from other posters

but without actual pictures it is really hard to visualize

any other tips you may have would be appreciated for our july trip

thanks

 

[corvair]

skiwee1...Hi, we are going in about 3 weeks.I also would be thankful for any tips. I have never been to WL. We will have a car. It sounds like we should use it. How did you like the pool? Did it get very crowded? Could you get a chair? Great to hear about the Krispy Kremes, nothing like a donut and coffee in the morning. We are paying for courtyard veiw. I am considering requesting either ground floor or forth floor for the veiw. Is the veiw really great overlooking the pool? thanks for any help..corvair

 

[skiwee1]

beb,
I did not complain about the transportation because I really didn't think it would change anything at least for this trip. I had read about the transportation being bad but then I read that it was good so I was hopeful! LOL! I did make a remark to one of the CMs that helped dock the boats but he said that at least the ride was a pleasant one. Not! At least not for me. The boat would pick us up and then go over the Fort Wilderness. It took about 10 minutes to get there. After FW boarded, which a lot of times there was no one there and the whole trip was a waste, then we proceded back past the WL and onto MK. That took another 10 minutes to just get to the point where we started and then it was another 10 minutes to get to the MK. So it took approx. 30 minutes to make what would be a 10 minute drive. About the location of the rooms, I would chose lobby rooms hands down. The wonderful atmosphere is there every time you open your door. There are balconies around the perimeter of the lobby floors that have rocking chairs too. On our floor, 4th, there was a nice fireplace with a sofa in an alcove of the hall next to us. Very romantic! At least if DH was there but he was home! LOL! We walked the halls in the wings and in my opinion they looked like any other hotel in the world. Drab hallways that were very long. I mean those hallways went on forever. If you are on the end of the wing then it is a long walk to the lobby. To me, if you want to enjoy the themeing then stay in a room that you have more access to it. I would not want to have to travel too far to enjoy the great views. Having a lobby room gave me the chance to enjoy it when ever I chose to open my door. I also had a great mousekeeper named Mei. She always gave us the best towel animals! One day she created a big canoe out of a towel and had my daughter's stuffed animals in it. She used pens for oars. She made a huge slide another day and had all the animals going down it into a pool also made of towels. By the time we left we had accumulated a canoe, slide, pool, 4 ducks, 1 fairy,a poodle, 2 unknown types of birds, a snake, and rabbit. She went over and above each and every day! We did tip her $5 a day for the 3 of us but she really outdid herself. We did eat at the Whispering Canyon and had the skillet all you can eat. We really liked it and thought everything tasted wonderful. I didn't try Artist Point because I don't care for that kind of food.


Lucki4,
I had my van as we drove there from Maryland but I didn't want to have to drive anywhere once we got there. The whole reason I chose a deluxe was to take advantage of the transportation and close proximaty of the parks. Hopefully the other deluxes aren't as bad as this one. I guess I'll find out in October!

 

[Pluto14]

Thanks for posting a report! I'm glad you enjoyed your room location. Sorry to hear about the slow transportation, though. You said you drived down from MD, how was the drive? We'll be driving down from NJ in July. This will be our 2nd drive down in 6 years. Any major areas on 95 backed up due to construction, or did you take a different route?

Thanks!

 

[LoveMickey]

skiwee1

I also experienced the dissapointment with the transportation from WL. I did not report this to management during my stay, but in thinking now, probably best that I write a letter. If we do not tell them of our disspointment, then the management system will not know.

This was my 3rd stay at WL and I just love it there. I too had read about the problems with transportation and did not experience any issues with my first 2 stays.

At the two earlier stays, the busses did share, but shared with the Poly and GF. These stops always seemed to be "on the way" to the parks. Of course there was no shared transportation with MK, or EPCOT due to the monorail. I do not mind the sharing of the busses, but sharing with FW is "out of the way".

I hope this situation changes because it will definitely figure into my planning for our trip this December. And I do love to stay at the Lodge in December. It's beautiful with alll the Christmas decorations.

 

[corvair]

Anybody know how the hot tubs are??? thanks,,,corvair

 

[rojoe]

Regarding transportation - Doesn't the boat run over to the Contemporary from the WL? Couldn't you then just hop on the monorail? Do you think that would be easier?

999ghsts-I don't remember if I requested a non-smoking room when I put in my requests with my Travel Agent. Does it make that much of a difference? My original request was upper floor courtyard, with a view of the lake. I would prefer non-smoking. Should I call the T/A and clarify? I hate the smell of smoke in any room. Thanks. Rojoe

 

[jmarie]

It seems that there are several people who would not return to WL due to the transportation issue. In deciding between the Poly and WL for our Feb/2003 trip, this may be the deciding factor. In a way, I had my heart set on WL for our 6-night stay. When we stayed at CBR last Feb/2001, we had rented a car and never used it, since the buses were so convenient.
Are there really that many of you out there who would not return because of this transportation issue???
Why doesn't Disney correct this situation, since it seems to be such an obvious problem?

 

[LoveMickey]

rojoe -

yes there is a boat to Contemporary, but I thought our boat would go directly to MK. Also, it does appear you have a distance to walk to get to the main building at Contemporary, then you have to get to the monorail floor. Then take the monorail which stops at Poly, and GF. I did not try it, but it seemed like it would not be efficient. All this with knowing that on previous trips, the boat went directly from WL to MK, it only took about 10 minutes, max.

Corvair -

Hot tubs were great. There are a total of 3. 2 at the Main Pool and one at the villas. The 2 at the main pool, one is hotter than the other. The smaller of the 2 (nearest to the pool itself) is the hotter. The largest is the one at the quiet pool. I particuarly liked this one, because it was quieter. Most of the youngsters like the main pool.

Smoking rooms are on the 5th floor, villas side.

I do hope that they change the bus routes!! I want to go back to WL, but.......

jmarie - I would find out if the transportation changes before I book.

 

[skiwee1]

Rojoe,
Yes there is a boat to the Contemporary and that one also went to Fort Wilderness! We found this out too late on one trip. So either way, you are stuck going out of your way before going to the MK or the Contemporary.

 

[Wenlitz]

This is our first trip to Wilderness Lodge. I managed to get a great rate using a disney code. We were given a woodedview and I did request the gueenbed/bunkbeds room. There is so much info on the rooms and locations that I am overwhelmed. Is there a certain floor and location I should request for this typ of room?? Thanks for any info.

 

[skiwee1]

I hate to disagree with you especially since you work there, but the boats worked the opposite of what you are saying. The entire time I was there, 9 days ending on the 22nd of May, WL guests were always taken to FW before proceeding to MK in the morning. In the evening, the boats dropped off at FW first and then went to WL. I never said it was quicker to take a car. I only chose a deluxe for the convenient transportation via boat. If I had known that I would be sharing with another resort that is in fact the complete opposite direction of where we are going every time then I would have never stayed there. It is not fair to be paying for a deluxe resort and have to be the one inconvenienced and the value resort get the better end of the stick, so to speak. That would be like leaving from the Poly and for some reason picking up All Stars guests before proceeding to the MK. Anyway, as I said before, the WL is breathtaking, but I will not stay there again until they revise the transportation problems. As some one else said here, maybe writing a letter may do some good. Until then, I just made ressies at the Contemporary for 9 days in October. Thanks again for all of everyones help at the WL. And one more thing.... 999ghsts, I had read some posts that had complained of the CMs at the WL in the past. Just had to say that the ones I encountered were without a doubt the nicest CMs I've met. They were all very helpful and friendly. They even tried to help me find some hidden Mickeys which I never could find but that's okay! LOL!