NEW Wilderness Lodge FAQ!!

[domiii]

The last load of laundry is in, the bags are almost packed as we arrive at WL tomorrow! I have gotten so much out of this thread. I have found it interesting to find, some had problems with the transportation where others did not. Roaring forks has been listed as good, bad and indifferent. Whatever the case, we will arrive with a cherry disposition, positive outlook and a whole lot of information thanks to the DIS boards. Whatever we encounter, wherever our room turns out to be located, I take comfort in the knowledge that we will be at the "happiest place on earth".

Thank you all for your advise, support and well wishes. I especially thank 999ghts for not only working for Disney, but spending her spare time sharing Disney! Wish I could thank you all in person!

To anyone who will be there June 23-27, may our paths cross and may we trade pins with each other! Looking forward to a truly magical and 'wonder'ful trip!

PS: DMIL (mother in law) teaches 2nd grade!

 

[Pluto14]

Wow, Kimmar...with 12+ people in your party, you are very smart to have meetings and pound out every last detail! I can only imagine chaos and arguments galore if you DIDN'T have meetings!A+ in organizational skills, is right!

You said 12 of you are driving down.....all in one vehicle or separate cars? 12 in one vehicle would make for an interesting trip! Lots of pit stops with 12 people!

Going to the "Jersey Shore" for a few days, so I can't wait come back and read all of the WL lodge trip reports...

Keep up the good work, planners!

 

[duck_adoo]

Chance's Mom & Melomouse-
They can be a handful,but usually are very well behaved.
If you hear any shouts of joy early afternoon of the Aug. 12,It'll be the girls. This trip is a surprise for them! That'll make them easy to spot!lol!
Duck

 

[jwfla422]

Just wondering:
Does anyone know if all of the rooms at WL have connecting doors or if all of the rooms with bunk beds have them??

 

[GlennandAnn]

Our family (DH and 3 y/o DS) just recently returned from the WL concierge. Upon check in, we asked to be upgraded to concierge level, and were told that we could for $35 extra per night!!! (We originally had a courtyard view) Of course, we jumped on it. Our room was #7118, with a queen bed and bunk beds, double sinks, bathtub/shower combo, ironing board and iron, robes, and a mini-fridge. Our balcony had a beautiful view of the new WL villas. We enjoyed the turn down service every night, and every day our room was cleaned early and our son's stuffed animals were arranged for him. We were also treated to towels shaped like Mickey on the beds. Each weekday we received a USA Today (complimentary). For breakfast each morning the buffet served muffins, croissants, bagels & cream cheese, fresh fruit, cold cereals, coffee cakes, tea, coffee, milk and orange juice. The afternoon snacks were more fresh fruit, gummy worms, pretzels or cookies, mixed nuts, iced tea, bottled water, and lemonade. There was also afternoon tea with an assortment of teas. For the dinnertime buffet, we were served cheeses, fresh veggies and dip, crackers, an entree and soup from Artist Point restaurant, and more beverages. At night, there was a selection of desserts from Artist Point served with Baileys Irish Cream, Kahlua, Godiva, and a nice selection of wines. There was coffee and milk, too. We ate breakfast there each day, and snacked there all day, too. We saved a lot of money on food. All of the members of the concierge staff were extremely nice and helpful with making dinner reservations or just answering questions. We received messages every night from a member of the concierge staff telling us about the next day's forecast and park hours and any special events. We swam every day in the pool, and my advice is GO EARLY!! The pool gets really full in the afternoons. We ate at Roaring Fork, the sandwiches were quite good, and the pizzas were also good. We also had lunch at the Whispering Canyon Cafe, and it was just OK. Be advised that if you want your kids to participate in pony races and other antics during your meal, go during a regular meal time- don't eat early or late. We ate a late lunch at about 2:00 and there were no pony races or anything like that. We also rented a surrey bike and rode over to Fort Wilderness (3/4 of a mile ride on a nice, shady trail). Our DS had a great time at the FREE petting zoo, and also really enjoyed the pony ride. The rides cost $3, and parents lead their children's ponies around a trail at the petting zoo. We had a wonderful time!


Glenn

 

[grumpyandbashful]

Looks like I just found the right thread to answer all my WL questions!! My DH and DS will be staying at the WL the last week of July - we have never stayed there so I'm full of questions. I've reserved them a woods view room, and have requested an upper floor, non-smoking, room with 2 queens. After reading Glen's review, I'm sure DH will try to upgrade to concierge at checkin if the upgrade charge isn't too high!
As for the woods view, anything else I need to request to hope that they get a convenient room with a nice view??

 

[Chance's Mom]

Sounds like your trip was magical. It's great to hear so many positives about WL. I bet staying in concierge made things easier with your little one. It's hard to get up, get ready, and get breakfast in a timely manner when you have little ones, it would be great to have that breakfast on the same floor.

Thanks for the info about Fort Wilderness. My DS loves Chip and Dale, so we are planning on going to the campfire and petting zoo one evening. I don't know if going to a campfire in Florida in August is very smart, what we won't do for our children!

Thanks again for the great report!

 

[kimmar067]

...had trouble with our connection because of faulty phone line...

Pluto14 -
will you be heading to Seaside? LBI? The Wildwoods? I LOVE the Jersey shore!

Glenn-
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about concierge...I may take that offer too, if it is available @ $35!!

 

[GlennandAnn]

If you are planning on spending A LOT of time at the hotel, i would even pay more for the upgrade. There is always something to eat or drink. However, if you are going to be at the parks all day, then you may not want to pay too much for the upgrade.

Glenn

 

[kimmar067]

...we will be "hitting" the parks as early as possible and heading back to the WL by around noon, "do" the pool thing (the idea of the surrey to FW sounds really intriguing, too!!) relax for the afternoon, and get ready to head out for an early dinner and the parks once again in the evenings....

Countdown to WDW:
1 month - 1 day - 16 hours - WOOHOO!!

 

[lucki4]

Just curious if anyone is NOT going to fax a room request. We made our ressies with DU and requested a non-smoking, woodsview, bunkbed room. If we get that, I would be happy. I guess it really doens't matter to me which room exactly we will be getting. Curious why others fax requests?

 

[Mickey1]

I also booked through Dreams Unlimited in Sept and they always send in the request at time of booking for what type of room we want...we have always gotten what we wanted and then some! We have been upgraded everytime we go...without asking! We go at the "slow"time so I think that is why we don't need to follow up as the resort is not packed full.

I wish you all wonderful, safe trips back to see the Mouse!

 

[Houstonmouse]

I am not sure I get spending the extra money for concierge service at the deluxe resorts. Even at only $35 extra - cold cereal, pretzels? Am I missing something? Can Glenn, or anyone else who's been, tell me about their experiences with the concierge staff? Maybe it is in the service that the money seems well spent, because I just couldn't justify the money for continental breakfast and snacks.

 

[JerseyJanice]

A tip I learned from reading this thread and personal experience -- if you are going to request a smoking optional room, do NOT pay extra for woodsview or courtyard view.

Only a small section of the hotel is smoking optional, and you'll be put there regardless of which view you paid for.

 

[lucki4]

I believe there is a lot more to concierge than pretzels and cold cereal if you have read the previous posts. Looks like they serve enormous spreads throughout the day. However, we would not take that upgrade if offered. I don't see us spending much time there.

 

[aring75]

My husband and I have done "concierge" at the PR and have really enjoyed it. I found the following info on another site for anyone who is interested.

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Concierge . . .

Each hotel has its own interpretation of what exactly that means and how it is transformed into a guest experience. At Disney, you are pampered, to varying degrees, by Cast Member services and amenities. When you book concierge, you will be assigned a member of the concierge staff to assist in your vacation planning. The concierge can make priority seatings, obtain tickets for dinner shows and answer your vacation questions.

Concierge rooms are usually located on a private floor or wing of the hotel and generally have keyed access. In other words, you wouldn't be able to just wander in on your own. Each concierge club at WDW offers a special lounge for guests. Coffee and continental breakfast is available in the mornings, snacks around the lunch hour, hors d'oeuvres and wine before dinner and dessert and cordials for early evening. The food offerings in the Concierge Lounge will not take the place of a regular lunch or dinner!

If you have special dietary requests, your concierge can sometimes assist in getting you the item(s) you might need during your stay. In fact, on my first visit to the concierge lounge, I was offered orange juice. I replied that I preferred grapefruit juice. No big deal, I thought. A few hours later there was a message on my phone informing me there was now fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice available during my stay. I felt pampered, to say the least!

The Disney hotels that offer concierge are now all the Deluxe Resorts (Beach and Yacht Club, Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge, Boardwalk and Animal Kingdom Lodge).

Some concierge clubs offer a special treat. For instance, at the Polynesian, the lounge has floor to ceiling windows facing the Magic Kingdom's Castle. From here you can watch the fireworks in the comfort of big soft chairs, sipping coffee or your favorite after-dinner cordial. At the Boardwalk, the balcony provides a view of IllumiNations at Epcot. The Animal Kingdom Lodge concierge offers special Sunrise Safaris into Animal Kingdom on selected days.

Regarding prices:

A garden view room during regular season at the Polynesian costs $324, while a garden view concierge room would cost $405. At the Yacht Club you can expect to pay $150 more per night, the difference in price at the Wilderness Lodge is about $140. On occasion, you can find a Disney Club or Annual Passholder discount on concierge rooms, but don't count on it. For the most part, you will be paying full price.

As you can see, concierge is definitely not for those traveling on a tight budget, but it makes a wonderful, special treat for those who want something extra, like a special romantic getaway at the WDW resort.

****

Hope this helps!

 

[Disneyolic]

Sounds wonderful. But alas, we will never get concierge on our family income. We are so happy to be able to get a deluxe the next time we go. We'll probably get spoiled at the WL and never want to go back to a moderate again. After staying in the moderates, I never even wanted to try the value resorts.

I love this thread. I've been storing info in my brain. I know I should probably write it down. We still have a long time to go (sigh).

 

[dtuleya]

Disneyolic -

Instead of writing down the information I want to remember, I have started a document in my word processing program called, "Wilderness Lodge FAQs". I then have headings titled, Room Information, Restraurant Information, Parking Info, Recreation and Miscellaneous. After reading through a new post on this thread, I then copy it and paste it under the appropriate heading in my document. That way, I have all the information I feel I need and I can print it out whenever I want to.

 

[rojoe]

Hey Kimmar-Remember me?? It has been a while since I posted on this thread but I have been reading-religiously. Anyway, just want to thank everyone for all the great info. We leave tomorrow (4AM), ugh! This entire board has been wonderful! After a 2 night stay at the Hard Rock it is off the WL. I can't believe it is finally here.

Kimmar-by the way, if you recall a while back I mentioned bathing suit shopping, remember?? First store, first suit. Lets hope the trip runs that smoothly. I also love the Jersey shore, I'm only 30 minutes outside of AC and we spend two weeks in Avalon every year. And as far as being a teacher - I changed majors in college and have a markting degree but now I work as an Instructional Assistant doing phonics for Kindergarten and Basic Skills Math for 1st and 2nd grade. Maybe some day I'll get certified. Thanks again. I've really enjoyed being a part of "The Dis" Rojoe

 

[GlennandAnn]

There is more to concierge than cold cereal and pretzels!! The staff is wonderful at the WL. They answered any questions we had, and if they didn't know the answers, they found them within 5 minutes. Anything we needed during our stay was provided for us. Each night, there was a message on our voicemail letting us know any special events for the next day, as well as a weather report and park hours for the following day. They made priority seating reservations for us and gave our son crayons and other things to play with. It was definitely worth $35, I'm not sure how much more we'd be willing to pay.

Ann of GlennandAnn fame!