Opinions on Wilderness Lodge pls

[Hobbes]

I know this is probably going to get me lynched , which is partly why I posted here and not on the Resorts Page

DBf and I were idly chatting abour WDW-as we do on a daily basis-and laughingly he was discussing were we would go on our honeymoon-hypothetical as he hasn't popped the question-and we started discussing the deluxe resorts. I have always had a hankering for WL, but when we actually looked at the reviews and the stats for it, it didn't seem such a great plan.(Issues with transport mainly) Now I have been on Youtube and looked at a video of a room there and it looks smaller than the room we normally have at a Value.It was downright pokey!

So my question is, if on that glorious day when we do get down to planning a honeymoon, would I be better splashing a bit more cash for Boardwalk Inn (DBf's choice of deluxe). What would everyone's Deluxe of choice be?

BTW, I went to Orlando on honeymoon first time round so I nearly broke his little heart by saying I don't want to go there next time! I've always vowed as the last marriage was such a disaster I wouldn't do anything the same next time

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

I always feel that none of the hotels are anything but small on Disney for what you get.
We have stayed in Carribean beach, Yacht club, Grand floridian and Wilderness Lodge and all are really just a room with a bathroom either enclosed or tacked onto the edge of the room.
WL was fine, the only comnplaint I had was that the balcony was not clear glass, rather panelling so when sitting in a chair you could not see a lot.
However the theming of the public areas was fantastic, with the river running from inside the main concourse to the pool, the large fireplace and the totem poles, its a wonderful atmosphere.
the little sofa areas on each floor were a great place to chill out as well

 

[wayneg]

Never stayed at WL but been to look around. Loved the feel of the place. Also no idea about transport, we always have a car.
My fave resorts
1, AKL
2, Poly
3, WL

 

[gemmybear83]

Were planning a WDW honeymoon next year - we think its either going to be at the Boardwalk or Beach Club. Location is really important to us and WL and AKL are too far out unless you have a car for us (I know others will disagree). We spend more time at Epcot and DHS than the other parks, so it makes sense to be on the Boardwalk. Plus we like that you can walk around and there is lots to do in the evening

But if you want to do concierge level, I would do AKL or WL as its the same price a regular room at the other deluxes and just hire a car

 

[disneyholic family]

of the deluxes, our favorite is the Grand Floridian..
2nd favorite is Wilderness Lodge

after that the order is probably something like:

1. GF
2. WL
3. YC
4. Poly
5. BC
6. BWI
7. AKL
8. CR

i think that's all of them...we've stayed in all of them, both in regular and concierge..

as i said, our favorite is GF then WL...the others are far in the distance...with CR a very very very very very very distant last (and that was staying in the 14th floor concierge - in a 1 BR suite overlooking the MK - but the concierge service was sub-par)

size of the room is not the determining factor...for us it's quality of service, theming, swimming pool, boat rental, etc.....but mostly the service....

i actually love the fact that you take the boat from WL to the magic kingdom....i love riding that boat...so nice and relaxing...

for all the other parks we use a rental car - but not for the MK....

 

[heatherbelle]

The Beach and Yatch club would have to be my choice, as I love the theming and location.

I've been round them all, and here would be my order after the above.


Boardwalk
Grand Floridian
OKW
Saratoga springs. (we love the pool there)
AK
Poly
Contemp (I don't like that modern feel to the place).

 

[disneyholic family]

The Beach and Yatch club would have to be my choice, as I love the theming and location.

I've been round them all, and here would be my order after the above.


Boardwalk
Grand Floridian
OKW
Saratoga springs. (we love the pool there)
AK
Poly
Contemp (I don't like that modern feel to the place).

i didn't include the OKW, since it's not really a deluxe.
But if we're including the OKW in the rankings, it would be my 3rd favorite after GF and WL.

 

[Howellsy]

I would love to stay at the WL as I love the theming, but I think Yacht or Beach Club would be my choice, purely for location. We stayed at the Poly a few yeards ago but I wasn't too fussed on the rooms, though I think they've been updated since. In terms of room quality, CR has always seemed wayy better than the other deluxes, but that's just based on pictures of course

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

We stayed at WL & the theming is great. It's lovely going to and from the MK on the boat.

We did have a car so never used the bus service to get to the other parks.

 

[islandmum]

we loved the WL. Yes the room was small but we were hardly ever in it - normally I require a nice large room as you spend a reasonable amount of time lounging around in it - but in Disney we were never there!

It was all very nicely themed and decorated, nothing was looking tired or needing replacing and we loved the WCC and Artists Point.

Also loved the boat transport and the buses ran very quickly and efficently.

Only complaint - dont book concierge if you want a view ..... we should have just paid the courtyard view and we'd have a lovely view - concierge you could only see your own roof!

 

[Claire L]

Courtyard view is lovely at WL, plus the room size is good and the transport is fine. We love the Epcot resort hotels but find that the buses from AK/MK/DTD service all the Epcot resorts and take such a time, nearly an hour! Although location is wonderful there for Epcot and DHS I think I prefer AKL or SSR for deluxe DVC, but would also love to go back to WL for the DVC there.

Claire

 

[cherjp]

Hi we have only ever stayed for 1 night at the Contemporary Resort, which was last year, we got a free upgrade to one of the rooms in the main part of the hotel , we were 4 floors down from the top and looking out of our balcony you could almost touch the castle at MK , it was absolutely fabulous and the beds were the most comfortable I have ever slept in, the room was beautifully decorated and the hotel was fantastic. I would recomend this one for you honeymoon!

 

[wifey]

We have not stayed at WL but have dined there it's really beautiful it's based on the inspiration of a US National Parks Lodge and the closeness to the MK is great it's only a short boat or bus ride and the onsite facilities are amazing you have to see the view of pool and the front of the hotel as you walk up from the jetty it's just stunning. Once you enter the lobby you see how much breathtaking detail is inside it's magnificent get a good look at those 55 ft tall totem poles. You can still get to the other parks by bus too it just means it will take a little longer than from somewhere more central but you'd be on vacation anyway and get more time to enjoy everything. BTW a room at a value is only 260 sq ft whereas the rooms at WL vary from between 340-1071 sq ft to put it into perspective. To get a better idea of average transport times MK by boat or bus 8-10 minutes, Epcot direct bus 10 minutes, DHS (a.k.a. MGM) direct bus 15 minutes, AK direct bus 15 minutes, and DTD direct bus 25 minutes. The lodge itself has 728 guest rooms and suites but there are villas there too136 studios with one and two bedroom suites plus all the kitchen facilities and all the rooms have a balcony or patio. So If you really want to go and can get your budget to fit I'd book it I know we would if we had the chance Hope you found this helpful. If you still are unsure take a look at the US Disney site and select resorts and see the photos.

 

[Pinky166]

We stayed at WL in December & loved it! I think the room sizes are pretty much the same for all deluxes, the WL was certainly no smaller than the rooms we had at AKL & Yacht Club. The themeing is great & the lobby is just breathtaking.

We thought the transport at WL was great, it was so nice to be able to jump on the boat over to MK, you can also get a boat to the Contemporary & Fort Wilderness. We never had any issues with the buses, they were pretty frequent.

WL is my favourite over the other two that I've stayed at (AKL & YC). I don't think you'd regret staying at WL.

 

[amystevekai&bump]

tough choice to rank all the deluxes!! I must say that although I think the WL lodge lobby looks gorgeous, I just really don't like the look of the rooms, they really don't excite me!! (Over on the resorts board, EVERYONE recommended WL to me for our Christmas trip, and for a while I was going to book it, but really couldn't get enthusiastic about it - so eventually changed to BC, which I think is more to my taste!!)

If I HAD to rank the deluxes, I guess I would say:

1) Poly
2) Boardwalk
3) Beach Club
4) Animal Kingdom Lodge
5) Grand Floridian
6) Contemporary
7) Yacht Club
8) Wilderness Lodge

I haven't included the DVC resorts of SSR & OKW, as I think then it becomes more a conversation about villa facilities and I was purely looking at the hotel side of things.

For me location is important - I love the monorail and Epcot resorts for this, but I also spend a lot of time at the resorts now and that is when the facilities/theming come into it too (thats why I rate AKL so highly!!)

Probably no help at all - but I had alot of fun playing your game!!

 

[torsie24]

We are planning our WDW honeymoon at the moment. My advice is to do the same as we're planning on our upcoming trip:

We are going to look at all of the deluxes and that way we'll be able to make an informed decision of where we want to stay. We'll be in the GF for the days around our wedding, but don't think we'll stay in one place. I really fancy the look of the WL but wouldn't be surprised if we end up back at AKL as I think we're really going to like it!

 

[Lizzybear]

I love the theming/look/ambience of AKL but the location does put me off, when we travelled there to eat at Boma and Jiko we did feel it was quite far out considering the deluxe pricetag (i'm aware that for many this is part of the attraction!) For this reason I doubt we'd ever stay there for a full trip, more likely just a few nights (would have done this time but with the free dining offer it's nigh on impossible to do a split stay) I love the Boardwalk theming and location aswell and if we were to choose a deluxe for a full stay it'd probably be there.

 

[torsie24]

I am a little nervous for the bus journey times, but I figure I'm on holiday, and I'm going to give myself plenty of time to get places if we need to be somewhere at a certain time. The hotel just looks so beautiful, and the remoteness of it does appeal to us for our afternoons/mornings off. I'm sure the buses wont cause us any bother.

 

[amystevekai&bump]

I am a little nervous for the bus journey times, but I figure I'm on holiday, and I'm going to give myself plenty of time to get places if we need to be somewhere at a certain time. The hotel just looks so beautiful, and the remoteness of it does appeal to us for our afternoons/mornings off. I'm sure the buses wont cause us any bother.

i've read quite a few comments recently from people saying how good the bus service from AKL is!! It sounds as though the waiting times aren't bad at all, perhaps the journey time is a little longer because of the location, but I have never found sitting on a moving bus to be a problem - it only ever seems to feel a long time when you are sat waiting at a bus stop.

Anyway, you've got a great attitude about it already which is often half the battle, so I'm sure it won't be a problem for you at all either way!!

 

[torsie24]

Thanks Amy - yeah all I've ever heard too is great reviews about the frequency of the AKL busses!