Planning trip/Wilderness lodge

[2BWEDDNDIS]

we are planning our planning trip to WDW. we are thinking about staying at the wilderness lodge close to francs yet cheapest rate we can find of the deluxe resorts. Has anyone stayed here before or give me any information I should know about the resort. I believe you can take a boat to magic kingdom, is there a stop at the GF. We are wondering about transportion for the planning session. Any advice or suggestions please!!

 

[Mary626]

You will absolutely LOVE the Wilderness Lodge, it is soooo romantic and relaxing!!! You are so close to the magic kindgom but it is so "secluded" that you feel like you are a million miles away from WDW. The boat ride is really quick and efficient, and much more fun then taking the bus!!

If you're worried ab out getting to the grand floridian, I think the easiest thing to do is take the boat to the Magic Kingdom and then the monorail to the Grand Floridian. If there is an easier way, I'm not sure. If you're worried about time though, dont' forget you can always take a cab, it would probabbly be less then ten dollars. It's a good alternative if you're in a real hurry.

One suggestion I have when you are at the wilderness lodge is to take some time out one night for a romantic stroll around the wooded trails outside. Or just sit in the rocking chairs by the grand fireplace in the lobby. It is such a beautiful resort! The Artist point restaurant is also a good place for a romantic dinner Have fun!!!

 

[JonetteA]

I LOVE Wildnerness Lodge. It is my favorite of the Deluxe resorts. I have some pictures I can share if I can find them from the move. It is the neatest place. When we were there in December, the river was not running, and I did not hear the geyser. Also, try and be the flag family. The view from the top of the resort is amazing. You can see all 4 parks. (Not great, but you can make them out!!!) I give this resort 5 stars!

The best way to get to the GF is to take the boat and get off either at the Contemporary or the MK, and take the monorail. Also, if you didn't want to do that, you can take a taxi. Rumor is, it is like $5 but I am not sure.

 

[tubachick]

I was going to suggest the same thing JonetteA said, take the boat to the contep and get on the monorail to the GF. Its a nice trip, and the boat/monorail combo takes about 15-25 minutes so give yourself a little time.

good luck and let us know how you like the WL. Dh and I loved it there.

 

[Codie]

I have a suggestion for saving on costs...stay at the DVC Villas...you can rent points from a DVC member and you end up staying for less than staying in a regular room and you get some of the kitchen amenities

 

[ead79]

We just got back from a trip at the Wilderness Lodge. It's really a wonderful resort with an incredible theme. There is a nice little sitting area on the 4th floor (I think it's actually Sunrise Terrace where they hold Intimate Weddings) where you can sit to watch the Electrical Water Pageant at night. With a cup of hot cocoa, it's so relaxing. They do offer a tour of the WL on certain mornings, but we didn't do that so I don't know if it's interesting or not. I agree with the other posters about taking a boat to the Contemporary or the Magic Kingdom then going to the GF by monorail--just don't run yourself short on time since it might take a while. No sense stressing yourself!

 

[lpizzuro123]

Went there last November for 3 nights. Loved the boat ride. We took it to Contemporary one night to watch Wishes on a night that we were not in the park. One morning we walked over to Fort Wilderness and took the boat back. We also took the boat over to Fort Wilderness one night to eat at Trails End. We stayed on the fifth floor - right in the center facing the pool and the lake. There was nothing better than sitting out on the balcony (day or night) and just looking around or enjoying your morning coffee or evening drink. Since it was November and it was cool, we even slept one night with the doors to the balcony open. Only problem we had was that on our last night someone new must have checked in next door because they were always smoking on the balcony. This really put a damper on our enjoyment of keeping our door open and enjoying the cool air. I am not sure if you are allowed to smoke on the balcony and I would have said something at Guest Relations if it had not been our last night.

We also took the morning tour of the Wilderness Lodge. I believe it lasted about an hour and took you through different sections of the Lodge and gave you some history on the making of the Lodge.

This is our favorite place to stay and I hope you have a wonderful time.

Linda