Please post the Good regarding VWL

[Forever a Princess]

Hi All!

We are currently going through resale for VWL.

I had some time last night and went through several pages of posts.

Post that stood out in my mind were
-the dumpster view
-the studio room without the balconey
-the cleanliness of the rooms
-receiving a handicapped room on check in when told the room was non handicapped.

We've stayed in a handicapped room at the AKiL-that did not bother us. We adjusted.

View is somewhat important to us. Our plan is that if we get the dumptster view we'll make sure that we don't look down-LOL and turn our chairs "more towards the woods."

No balconey would be ineteresting but if I really think about it we probalby spend less than 1/16 of our trip out there (Been planning to camp on the deck for a long time now but just haven't gotten around to it. LOL) Seems like when we get to the room at night we're so tired we fall into bed.

I need some pixie dust. We love the WL- the boatlauch, the smell of the lodge, Whispering Canyon. I could go on and on.

Please post your good comments about the VWL.

TIA
Renee

 

[Luv2Dream]

Let's see.....the serenity of the resort after a long hard day at the parks...the nice walk to Fort Wilderness campground for the night time family movie....the Geyser gushing while you are sipping a cool cocktail at the outdoor bar....the great food at Artist Point....the white sandy beach for relaxing....the fun of renting a water sprite and zipping around your lake....any better now?

 

[Forever a Princess]

Now that you have me going- sipping coacoa in the hot and hotter hottubs, the EWP, the mercantile, sitting in the rocking chairs by the fireplace, mouse boats, Roaring Forks.

I feel much better now.

Thank you Luv 2 Dream!

Renee

 

[spiceycat]

watching EWP from the beach - relaxing - knowing that tomorrow is gonna get even better.... (I know the Polyn - but it works great for VWL too)

watching people come in the lobby - always fun!

do you like to exercise - VWL has one of the best gym at WDW. and it is free to DVC members...

do you like to read - there are places all over the lodge and villa to do that.

animals watching - yes AKL is know for it - but VWL has more than its share.

if you have children tell them to be careful - these are not tame animals - just because they will eat from your hand does not mean they won't bite you if they are teased.

even the birds here will do this. just go out on the docks to the feed the birds - so the other members won't give you dirty looks....

walking around the resort - apreciating the landscapping and the flowers - this stuff chances often - surprise!!!!

 

[Cmadsen]

Just last year at this time we bought into VWL through resale, too. And like you, I read a lot of negative posts about our new "home". We used our points for a week at VWL in a one bedroom villa this past Thanksgiving week. We didn't request anything special, and decided we'd take the 'luck of the draw". Well, Brian check us in and while he was a bit shy at first, when we told him it was our first time "home", he broke into a big smile and said he was SURE we'd like our assigned villa. It was wonderful...even better than we could imagine. And it was so clean, we even talked to the head of housekeeping to compliment the staff. I'm sure in the future we may have the "dumpster view" or a rundown room, but we're soooooooo happy to have made "home" VWL that we'll deal with it. As you said, little time is actually spent inside. I sure hope your first trip is great, too. Let us know what you think and let us know when we can officially wish you "welcome home"!

 

[jimmytammy]

We own at WLV and have stayed there twice. We have no regrets about it at all(other than we wish we had more pts there).

I went through some concerns as well AFTER our purchase, but Granny and a lot of other WLVers set me straight on these things. Mainly to set my worries aside, and they were right.

WLV is perfect if your looking for relaxation after a day in the parks, or a peaceful place to be on a day when not doing the parks. The Iron Spike Room with those big comfy leather chairs by the fireplace on a cool nite with something warm to drink with the one you love by your side is one of the things that come to mind when thinking about WLV. The peacefulness of the lake close by. The crickets chirping at nite.

IMO youve already sold yourself on WLV. Dont let the minor things you mentioned deter you from purchasing where you really want to be. Chances arent that good that you will get put into any or all of these situations.

Hope to see yall back here soon to say Howdy Neighbor!

 

[The VWL Five]

Stories can be told about any resort, anywhere. The VWL is one of the best Disney resorts I've seen. Of course that's one of my homes and we have been many times. Going back this year.

I would not worry one bit. Disney is Disney and everything is magic. Sometimes things don't go exactly as planned but have a good attitude and it will all work out.

Enjoy!!!!!

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

Thus far VWL is my favorite...

Of all the DVC resorts it gives me the greatest feeling of getting away from it all. The smell of the pines, the sounds of the frogs (in fact I had a frog or toad on my sliding glass doors during a rainstorm and I was on the...third floor? fourth floor?

Going down to the beach and not seeing other buildings in my view...wonderful... I actually SPENT TIME in my room because it was so enjoyable.

The peaceful music, the garden leading down to the beach from the hotel.

The water taxi!!! Feeding fish at the dock.

I've only stayed there once but the trip was absolutely serene.

 

[floridafam]

Good things about VWL.

The feel of the place when you first walk in the door.

The tables, rocking chairs and fireplace.

The pool.

The surroundings. The trees and landscaping are beautiful.

They are peaceful.

I became pretty annoyed by all the negative posts regarding housekeeping only to experience bad housekeeping myself but they did their best to correct the situation.

Your chances are probably not real great on ever getting the one room without a balcony.

You'll love it.

Have you found a contract? Let us know how things go.

 

[Granny]

I suppose it's not a shock that I'd like to chime in on this thread.

Renee...from your original post it is apparent that you already love WL, and that your concerns are about VWL itself. First, let me say that you're making the absolute correct decision in buying the DVC resort where you have the strongest emotional attachment.

Now, as for VWL. While we have not experienced any of the housekeeping issues that have been documented on this board, I am sure that there have been those instances where a really bad cleaning job or mold or mildew or worse was found in a room. Frankly, I appreciate hearing about those since I don't feel like just hearing the good about our vacation investment.

But the reason those negative posts stand out is because, considering the number of trips that the DVCers here take, they are relatively few and far between. And of course, the negative posts tend to hang around longer just from human nature (how many times can you tell someone "glad everything was great" when they post a glowing report?).

You mention that view is important. When we stayed at WL, we always had the "Woods View" on the outside of the western wing (facing MK). We loved that view, which is exactly as described....woods!

I'd say that 80% or more of the VWL views are "woods views", both on the lake side of VWL and the "bus side". To me, these are great views. To others, they might be boring.

A handful of rooms have a "quiet pool view" with a glimpse of Bay Lake. These are also very nice, though the quiet pool is often anything but quiet late at night.

And then there are the "Bad View Rooms"....the dumpster (a small number of rooms) and the "One Studio Without A Balcony". I must admit, I'd be disappointed to get a room without a balcony, but we always get at least a 1BR so we don't have to worry about that.

One thing that is great about VWL, better than WL, is that the WL music is piped throughout the outdoor landscaping, so if you are on your balcony or have the door open, you can hear that wonderful music that instantly tells you that you are "home".

As many here know...I could go on and on...but I wanted to address your "view" concern.

 

[MiaSRN62]

This isn't my "home" resort but I wish it was. I love the ambiance and peacfulness of the resort and for all the other positive things mentioned above.

the sounds of the frogs

I was going to mention the frogs......we hear them at OKW too, but I think there must be quadruple the amount of these critters at the WL. I love falling asleep to the croaking......

When we're ready for an add-on, my husband and I are unanimous that this is the resort. We love OKW, but had the VWL existed when we bought into the DVC, this would have been our home resort hand's down.
All the best with your resale---you won't regret it I'm sure.

 

[Muushka]

I really can't add anything to this thread that has not already been said. But the first time we stayed at VWL we stayed in the famous 'no balcony' studio. To be honest, it really didn't bother us. But as for your statement "Seems like when we get to the room at night we're so tired we fall into bed. " Be warned. You may find yourself hanging around the lodge a lot more than the parks!

I don't know if you saw our pictures of VWL and WL, but just in case you want some more reasons to buy there:




VWL pictures

 

[goofy4dvc]

CHRISTMAS!!!! It's my favorite place during the holiday season.

 

[Mickey]

Speaking of the famous no balcony room. It turns out good in the end.

When we checked in they had assigned us a room overlooking the wooded area. But, at the same time the cast member indicated that they had a room closer to the elevator and overlooking the woods and some of the water. She indicated the room was not ready yet, but would be within the hour. She asked if I would like that room, of course my answer was yes.

The room ended up not be ready at the time she specified, nor when I called to check on our room could they tell me when it could be ready. After several phone calls and going down to talk to the manager, the room was finally ready at 6pm. When we got to our room were we shocked, NO BALCONY! I was very upset, as the Disney cast member who had suggested this room made no mention of there being no balcony. If she did, we would have stayed in our originally assigned room.

I immediate got the manager who I spoke to and she stated that it was one of three rooms in the resort that did not have a balcony. I indicated I was not aware of any rooms not having a balcony, nor was I told by the cast member that this room did not have a balcony. She stated there was nothing available at this time, but she would check. She got back to me and stated that they would be able to move us the next day. She would take care of everything and waive the fee. I said that would be fine.

The next day they came in the morning to take our bags and store them while we went to the parks. We came back at noon to take a break and our room was ready. Our room was on the fifth floor overlooking the pool, water and some of the woods. It ended up being a great room.

Because of everything that happen, the manager gave us a dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe, which was very nice. Also, I did not find this out till the next day when they changed our towels and trash. They gave us courtesy trash and towel for our whole stay. This worked out great. In the end, we had a great time at Wilderness Lodge Villas. We enjoyed everything about resort. We took bikes to Ft. Wilderness and saw some deer’s on our ride. We took the boats out on the water. We walked around the resort and enjoyed the scenery. We of course enjoyed sitting on the balcony at night and were able to see some of the fireworks at Magic Kingdom and the water parade. My daughter played on the beach. We were there for 10 nights and enjoyed ourselves all but one. We can’t wait to go again. We plan on staying at Wilderness Lodge, but now we know about the no balcony rooms.

 

[Forever a Princess]

Thank you all so much for all your posts.

We've stayed at all of the views at the WL standard, woods and courtyard. We love all of them. Our standard view room was above the service area (only saw it when we looked down, otherwise had a great view of the trees and monorail. This did not affect our stay a bit.

The VWL decision is a no brainer for us. DH kids me because I have the address to the lodge memorized "901 timberline drive...."

I get goose pimples just thinking about the place. On each trip when we turn onto Timberline Drive I get sooo excited. "Honey look at the bear crossing sign!! It's as if I've never seen it before.

The Bear Crossing then going under the "log entrance." Hard to stay still in the car at this point. When we arrive at the lodge we have bell services unload the luggage and then we go park the car ourselves.

Then comes what I think is the main attraction. It's even free. The attraction is walking up to the lodge. With every step it gets bigger and bigger. Finally when we get to the steps we break into an even faster trott and head towards the lobby doors. We're home I always want to yell (but I don't for the sake of the other guests). Going inside that lobby is amazing!!!

We love the ducks in the pool, the bunnies that live by the pool and the woods.

VWL is a natural next step for us.

Many thanks for all your posts!
Renee

 

[WDWguruDH]

This was our first DVC purchase over 2 years ago - ironically, we just returned from a stay during the holidays that was our first stay there as DVC(have stayed at the other 3 on-site). Prior to DVC, the Wilderness Lodge was one of our, if not the, favorite resorts. The theming can't be beat. When we just went back, we realized what we loved about it:

1) Theming - absolutely beautiful, especially during the holidays.

2) Atmosphere - relaxed and secluded.

3) Location to MK - just a short walk through peaceful woods and a 7 minute boat ride.

4) The DVC decorations - kept very much with the resort, really nice. Room was clean, mousekeeping great, everything looked darn near new.

 

[Wislodgers]

The VWL are the only DVC points that we own. We have not ventured out to the other DVC resorts yet, but maybe in the future. We just love the atmosphere.

We were listening to the radio in the car and a "western" song came on, everyone laughed, and said it sounded like the Lodge!

We love eating at the Wispering Canyon, our kids love the "bottomless" shakes!