Put On Your Sunday Clothes, There's Disney World Out There! - Wilderness Lodge

[Terra Nova guy]

We totally missed the memo that there was now a camera on Pirates, and we ended up with this gem!

OK, note to self: stop reading Katie's trip report during breaks at work. There is now tea on my keyboard after I looked at that Pirates picture and did a spit take when I laughed. My cubicle neighbours are also now suspicious if I'm accomplishing much at work this morning.

We exited the Hall of Presidents and came across a brand new Muppets show!
“Great moments in history, but just the American parts!”

I love the Muppets so I'm really looking forward to seeing that show in August.

 

[cajunfan]

The pictures are awesome! Loved the sunrise pictures. And the pirates picture had me giggling so hard at my desk that people were staring at me. Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

 

[Sailormoon2]

OMG!! Your report is making WL seem so incredible! Like, obviously it is beautiful, but the food options seem solid too, and I know DH would lov ethe bus to MK!!!

We have had to completely change our August trip plans (dates) and are now wondering if maybe we should switch from Poly to WL??

 

[LISAMWDW]

You two are too darn cute! Love the update and can't wait for more. That pic at Pirates just cracks me up!!!!

You are making me miss the WL, its one of my faves but I haven't stayed there in a long time. I like the MK loop resorts the best and am staying at the Epcot area for the first time in November. So excited!

I really like the moderates too because I love love walking the grounds. Which is what I like about the Poly but the Poly feels more crowded and I tend to like the spread out space of the moderates. But, the transportation and location of the deluxes can't be beat either.

 

[ALEXandFAB]

THIS IS FANTASTIC

We sat on the back row, and we looked out back the whole time which made for a very wild ride.

Going to have to try this trick next time! We're used to Disneyland's BTMRR (we live 15 mins away) and the one at WDW just did not have the zip and zoom we're used to

It was only our first full day, and Disney had given us $453 for our room, $100 to tour DVC, PLUS the $200 Disney gift card we got as part of our booking!

CHA-CHING!!

Magical Cookie Bar!
I love these things.

It's only 8am here in California, but I would eat this entire thing without hesitation.

 

[pixiemama91]

YAY! Another report. I almost never comment but always follow along. Really excited you are staying at the Wilderness Lodge. It’s so beautiful. I’m taking my oldest daughter who is 8 on a mother/daughter trip this August and we are staying here. We can’t wait!! Can’t wait to read more

 

[Steppesister]

HI Katie, loved your massive mega update. Really enjoyable to read about all of your hilarious escapades, yummy foods and general shenanigans.

 

[DVC StephanieH]

Love your trip report. WL is on my bucket list!

~Stephanie H

#dvcrentals

 

[paradesintherain]

Joining in! Yay, I love your TRs (though I might never have posted before... sometimes I lurk!)

On the train I listed to Where You Are from Moana on repeat for a while

The Moana soundtrack is golden, this is perfectly acceptable and encouraged!

Cute AND comfy

I had the hot flaked salmon pizza

I was going to ask if this was a British thing but then you said that you'd never had it before. Such a strange combination...

“Katie? I love you! I like your hair!”
Omg she was fantastic and adorable.

Heart melting!

So the cast member apologetically offered us a ‘woods view’ room, and a refund of the difference.
Errrm YES PLEASE.

That's some Disney magic!

Our view was incredible!
I’ve just BEEN PAID $453 for a BETTER view!!
We could see the lagoon, the boat dock, and the boats going back and forth between the Magic Kingdom, The Contemporary, and Fort Wilderness.

Wowowow, I love the view!!

It looks like he's some skeevy man hitting on you and you're politely ignoring him

On the way over Jamie said “I’m going to feed you to the snakes!”

Fun fact: I almost stepped on a snake at Wilderness Lodge. My brother yelled at me just in time, which actually scared me more than the snake!

Afterwards we went into Roaring Fork and I got a Magical Cookie Bar!

Must try this soon!

 

[Smilelea]

Are you staying there in September or visiting for dinner or something? Either way, I'm happy for you that you get to go there

We are staying there.

SPLASH MOUNTAIN WAS CLOSED.
FOR OUR ENTIRE TRIP.

It's my favorite too!!! How dare it be closed!

So where better than the newly updated Hall of Presidents!

I have never done this attraction. Maybe one day...

I finally got Jamie agree to visit the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor again!

Haven't done this one either. We've had it on our to-do list a couple of times and it always gets replaced with something else.

The second surprise was an envelope containing three postcards, and an invitation to tour the Copper Creek DVC rooms!

Now that you mention it, this is actually where we will be staying in September (for part of our visit anyways). I can't wait to read your thoughts about the tour!

Afterwards we went into Roaring Fork and I got a Magical Cookie Bar!

Oh my! I keep reading about these and I so want to try one!!!!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Here’s my cosy, January outfit of the day!
(Honestly I had no idea what to pack for this trip.)

Disney in the winter? No idea what to pack? Yep. Sounds about right. We've had winters where we were sweltering in t-shirts, and winters were I wore three layers of shirts and two pairs of pants and couldn't stop shivering. It's a toss-up.

We had coffee, and shared a bagel with cream cheese.
Now we only have 55 snack credits left people!
SOS.

Oh no! I hope you started conserving them more strategically after that!

We spotted the empty trolley and wondered where the performers were, but THEY JUST APPEARED AS IF FROM NOWHERE from all directions.
It was like magic

Oh my goodness! So magical!

RIP auction scene!
As part of the redhead minority, you made me feel wanted.

Jamie thinks I look like the pirate on the right in the dog/key scene with the giant cheeks.

Oh my gosh, hilarious!! Perhaps you also look like the birthday ghost in the Haunted Mansion blowing out the candles then? I've been told they're twins.

Oh. My. Gawd.

Oh no! I'm so sorry!! I'm glad it did at least come back online before the end of your trip.

And since he’s such a great Disney buddy and an all-round good egg, that is pretty much what we do

This is true love.

We both ordered the turkey sandwich, and shared the fries and green beans.

Naturally.

We were surprised to be given our lunch on foam plates rather than real plates…
This was very odd because it looked so cheap in such a beautiful restaurant.

(I think this was just a test though because we returned later in the trip and the real plates were back )

Hmmm. Weird. Maybe the dish washer was broken?

I’m a Christmas elf so I enjoyed this very much.

Haha I'm with you there!!

PLEASE HIRE ME AND SPONSOR MY WORK VISA I HAVE LOTS OF GREAT SKILLS.

Also, this! I feel like so hard.

OH MY LANTA.
This was absolutely incredible!!
It made me tear up!

Glad to hear you enjoyed HEA. I'm stubborn and miss Wishes, but I have to agree that HEA is a pretty incredible show.

And then we absolutely cracked up because the people nearby who weren’t looking at us probably thought my super dramatic “NOOO!” was a reaction to being fed to the snakes

We got some food from the to-go counter at Geyser Point, but were told we couldn’t eat it in the bar area

This is so silly. I don't know why this is a thing. We had the same problem when we went. They used to let you sit there, and now they don't. And I get not letting people who haven't bought any food/drinks sit there, but if you've bought something from the to-go counter, it seems pretty silly to me.

 

[Catvondita]

Following!

 

[PadfootnProngs]

Medium-time lurker, first time poster!
Love your other TRs Katie, can't wait to read more!

 

[beckyx3]

Yay! New trip report!

I promise I had good reasons for neglecting it.
I got a new job, which is quite demanding and involves some travel around the country.

And, some exciting news, Jamie and I bought our first house!

Yay!! Congrats! We did too! So stressful but so worth it!!

I miss the Disney vans I have a Little Mermaid pair and I wanted the purple Jasmine ones but I got to them too late.

I had the hot flaked salmon pizza and Jamie had the Philly cheese steak pizza, and we also shared some onion rings!

As a native of the Delaware Valley I need more pics of his pizza! What was on it? What'd he think??

Breakfast in England is the best!!

It’s never too early for free champagne!

So pretty!!

I know most of us have very strong nostalgic feelings towards Wishes.
But in my opinion, Happily Ever After is objectively better.
(Can an opinion be objective? I don’t know.)

 

[TheLittleKatie]

I've only seen Wishes once so I guess I never had really strong feelings towards it, but I agree! I've seen HEA a couple times since it debuted and I always try to see it. The show itself is better, and even emotionally I feel more of a connection and I love the song We were there the night it debuted and I loved it right away.

That's so cool that you were there for opening night, I bet the atmosphere was amazing I love it so much too, you're right it is definitely better, and I love the song too I listen to it all the time I'm so glad they did such a good job with it!

The sunrise pics from your balcony are great! And you could see the electric water pageant too - wow, what an awesome room location! I'm envious!

It was so good! The only thing people might not like is that it's quite a trek from the lobby/buses, but that honestly didn't bother us at all. Love it!

Your pic on Pirates is hilarious!!

HAHA they could've warned us that there was a photo there now

I still haven't seen Happily Ever After but will when I go this coming Labor Day week! Can't wait!

Eek I hope you enjoy! I'm so sure that you will!

My family is also going back in January. I'm a bit worried about the crowds. Also, were there a lot of those tour groups everywhere? Ugh...

I know, I heard January is generally fine but it was surprisingly busy for us. We might be going back in January too, so we'll see if it was just a one off or not! There were a few tour groups, but not an excessive amount I don't think? I've definitely seen more on past September trips

Loving your trip report as usual!!

Thanks so much! Thanks for being here

Hello! I just found your trip report and read it from start to here! You had me at the first post - I just love all of the cute cartoon snippets and videos you put in. You guys really lucked out with your room and view at WL. Thanks for sharing your trip. I got chills watching your video of the trolley show. I am so ready for our trip in July! Looking forward to more of your report...

Woo and thanks for joining!! So glad you're enjoying it so far! Eek have a great trip this month!! Come back and tell us all about it

Love your updates! Gosh, your sunrise pictures are so lovely!
I'm glad you liked Happily Ever After. I'm looking forward to seeing it this fall.

Thanks for reading! You will love Happily Ever After I'm sure! How exciting you're going so soon eeeek

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Following along

YAY

Looking forward to the rest of your trip report. We were there the same time as you and boy was it cold for 1/2 of our trip. We usually go in September so we were also surprised at how crowded it was, especially seeing that it was after the holidays.

Oh I know it was so strange being chilly at Disney! I quite liked it though because sometimes September can get toooo hot and humid for my liking. And yeah the crowds were very odd! There didn't seem to be anything going on that would attract people to the area but I don't know! we might be going back again in January so we'll see if it was just a one-off or if that's the new normal!

Following along!

Woooo

Nope. Too tiny to host all your DISfriends.

Cause that's what you were planning on doing, right?

Now there's an idea. If someone stays club level can we all just come visit their room and have them bring us snacks and goodies?!

I'm so used to seeing you dressed for scorchingly hot weather, so that took me by surprise a little.

Haha well this is what I normally look like being from a cold country! (although we're in a nightmare heatwave right now, GAH)

So.... big, burly men can't be sensitive? Is that what you're saying?

Haha it's just unexpected

Nice. Did they make a big difference.

A little but not too much!

Well, there goes my waterskiing plans.

Poop.

Haha, didn't they used to do stuff like that on the lake?!

Whaaa???

How???

He thinks I look like that pirate because we share the same chubby cheeks

Valid point.

I'm still bummed about the menu changing. Best burgers at MK. (because of the fixins bar)

Oh I know, we went to Pecos Bill later in the trip and I thought it was meh. I remember everyone raving about the burgers, hopefully they'll bring them back.

Sure tell it's winter. 6 o'clock and pitch dark already.

It's so strange! But I like being in the parks when it's dark

Interesting. I think you are the first person I've heard who prefers it.

REALLY. I've heard it from a few people. I really stand by it, I think it's amazing

Ugh. Just looking at all that coconut makes me feel queasy.

It's soooo yummy!! You must get over this and try one

Holy smokes that's loud! I hope there are no kids trying to sleep.
Nah.... why would there be kids at Disney?

Honestly it was SO loud and late at night! I thought the same thing.. at least we're not trying to get to sleep right now!

I just found your TR. Following along!

Yay thanks for reading!!

Our trips over lapped by a couple days... We got to Disney on January 30th!

That's cool! Look out for yourself in my later photos!

It was VERY busy! more than usual, for sure!

I really hope it was a one off! I can't think of what could have brought so many people to the area in late January?

I love that they give you afternoon tea!

Haha it's great! I guess it is an 8 hour flight so they have to keep us brits happy with some classic afternoon tea

We had the same room on our first trip but the other side. And with a stroller at the time, it was a long walk! But it is a GREAT location!!!

That's so cool! Yes they are GREAT, and a great location for getting the boat to MK! But I can imagine it being a long walk to the lobby with the stroller.. Hopefully the view was worth it for you though!

Seriously, an awsome view! You can't beat that!

I knowwww

Boo. I know! I was just glad that it opened up before we left. Glad it opened up for you as well.

SO SAD! At least we got to ride it a few times, that's better than nothing

That is strange, were there alot of people already in the bar area?

NO that's the thing, the Geyser Point bar area was really quiet!! I think they were still just trying to figure out what policy was best for them.. I wonder if they've got it all ironed out now

I love the EWP, but it is loud! So is that Geyseur!

Haha I know, both were insanely loud!! Hope you managed ok with kiddos!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

OK, note to self: stop reading Katie's trip report during breaks at work. There is now tea on my keyboard after I looked at that Pirates picture and did a spit take when I laughed. My cubicle neighbours are also now suspicious if I'm accomplishing much at work this morning.

HAHA that's so funny I'm glad you're enjoying it Well if they don't understand that reading trip reports is a morning well spent then they're not important

I love the Muppets so I'm really looking forward to seeing that show in August.

Who's your favourite Muppet?! Mine's Kermit

The pictures are awesome! Loved the sunrise pictures. And the pirates picture had me giggling so hard at my desk that people were staring at me. Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

Hahaha I'm glad you were amused by that! I had no idea they'd put a camera there, apparently I have "resting b**** face", as they say! Who knew!

OMG!! Your report is making WL seem so incredible! Like, obviously it is beautiful, but the food options seem solid too, and I know DH would lov ethe bus to MK!!!

Love it! The food was great, and transport, and just EVERYTHING! The only change I would maybe like to see would be modernising the rooms a bit? But I do like them. It's an all-round great place to be!

We have had to completely change our August trip plans (dates) and are now wondering if maybe we should switch from Poly to WL??

Oh boy, what a decision to make! I looove both so much! What are you thinking?

You two are too darn cute! Love the update and can't wait for more. That pic at Pirates just cracks me up!!!!

Aww haha thanks so much! Hahah oh gosh what a terrible photo

You are making me miss the WL, its one of my faves but I haven't stayed there in a long time. I like the MK loop resorts the best and am staying at the Epcot area for the first time in November. So excited!

I hope you get to stay at WL again sometime! I love the MK loop too, although I haven't stayed at the Contemporary yet. Which is your favourite? And which Epcot resort are you staying at?! Exciting!!

THIS IS FANTASTIC

HAHA If Disney were so concerned about creating lasting memories for people they could at least warn us when they're putting new cameras in rides

Going to have to try this trick next time! We're used to Disneyland's BTMRR (we live 15 mins away) and the one at WDW just did not have the zip and zoom we're used to

OK first of all, that is incredible that you live 15 minutes away from Disneyland how often do you go? My friend and I are in early talks of planning a trip, FINALLY I look forward to riding BTM if it's better than the WDW one!

CHA-CHING!!

I know! We really lucked out!

It's only 8am here in California, but I would eat this entire thing without hesitation.

I fully admit that I ate these for breakfast on this trip, and I have no regrets at all.

YAY! Another report. I almost never comment but always follow along. Really excited you are staying at the Wilderness Lodge. It’s so beautiful. I’m taking my oldest daughter who is 8 on a mother/daughter trip this August and we are staying here. We can’t wait!! Can’t wait to read more

Yay So glad you're here, even if you're just following along! That sounds sooo sweet going on a mother/daughter trip! And to the Wilderness Lodge no less! I hope you have a fantastic time!! Do you have lots of plans, or are you just going to go with the flow?! I bet it comes around so fast!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

HI Katie, loved your massive mega update. Really enjoyable to read about all of your hilarious escapades, yummy foods and general shenanigans.

Hey! So glad you're enjoying it! And there's a lot more to come Thanks for reading!

Love your trip report. WL is on my bucket list!

~Stephanie H

#dvcrentals

Thanks so much! I hope you can stay there some day it is fantastic!

Joining in! Yay, I love your TRs (though I might never have posted before... sometimes I lurk!)

Aww I'm so glad you enjoy them! Thanks for coming out of lurkdom to leave me a comment!

The Moana soundtrack is golden, this is perfectly acceptable and encouraged!

Most definitely

I was going to ask if this was a British thing but then you said that you'd never had it before. Such a strange combination...

Nope not a British thing! Just a Manchester Airport thing I guess!

Stop trying to make salmon pizza happen, it's not going to happen!

Wowowow, I love the view!!

I know! I can't believe we got so lucky!

It looks like he's some skeevy man hitting on you and you're politely ignoring him

HAHA that is amazing, it actually does

Fun fact: I almost stepped on a snake at Wilderness Lodge. My brother yelled at me just in time, which actually scared me more than the snake!

OH NO! That is terrifying! How big was it?! I've seen a couple of pictures before of snakes at the Disney resorts, it freaks me out a lot!

Must try this soon!

They are so delicious! I ate far too many of them on this trip

It's my favorite too!!! How dare it be closed!

So sad!! It makes me nervous to plan anything in January again in case it's closed the whole time!

Haven't done this one either. We've had it on our to-do list a couple of times and it always gets replaced with something else.

The Laugh Floor isn't my favourite but it is genuinely fun once in a while!

Now that you mention it, this is actually where we will be staying in September (for part of our visit anyways). I can't wait to read your thoughts about the tour!

Eek and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on Copper Creek after staying there! Come back and tell me how it was if you can! We loved the tour and the rooms and everything, I'm really keen to hear everyone's thoughts on DVC in general. It's very tempting, but obvious a huuuge investment...

Oh my! I keep reading about these and I so want to try one!!!!

It should be the first snack you buy when you stay at the Wilderness Lodge!!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Disney in the winter? No idea what to pack? Yep. Sounds about right. We've had winters where we were sweltering in t-shirts, and winters were I wore three layers of shirts and two pairs of pants and couldn't stop shivering. It's a toss-up.

Haha honestly I felt all of the above on this trip! It's so hard not to pack every single thing I own

Oh my gosh, hilarious!! Perhaps you also look like the birthday ghost in the Haunted Mansion blowing out the candles then? I've been told they're twins.

That's so interesting, did not know! And I've also just spotted the hidden Mickey in the plates in the bottom left!

Oh no! I'm so sorry!! I'm glad it did at least come back online before the end of your trip.

I was sad it was closed but just SO relieved that we would get to ride it at the end! And it was something to look forward to so that's a bonus I guess!

This is true love.

Life motto: Get yourself a man who's not "too cool" to go to Disney with you!!

Hmmm. Weird. Maybe the dish washer was broken?

Hopefully that was all it was!

Also, this! I feel like so hard.

Right!? I would love to move there but apparently as a Brit it's basically impossible unless you work for a huge company who transfer you there (this actually happened to Jamie's best friend!) When I see Americans complaining about wanting to leave the country I'm like "I'll happily trade places with you"

Glad to hear you enjoyed HEA. I'm stubborn and miss Wishes, but I have to agree that HEA is a pretty incredible show.

Ahh I love it so much!! I'm glad you're coming around to it! At least Wishes is still available in our memories/YouTube

This is so silly. I don't know why this is a thing. We had the same problem when we went. They used to let you sit there, and now they don't. And I get not letting people who haven't bought any food/drinks sit there, but if you've bought something from the to-go counter, it seems pretty silly to me.

So weird! Hopefully they've got it sorted now and have started letting people in?

Following!

Wooo

Medium-time lurker, first time poster!
Love your other TRs Katie, can't wait to read more!

YAY glad you're here, and thanks for posting! [/QUOTE]

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Yay! New trip report!

YAY! You're here!

Yay!! Congrats! We did too! So stressful but so worth it!!

CONGRATULATIONS to you too!! Definitely, it's suchhh a long process but definitely worth happy for us!!

I miss the Disney vans I have a Little Mermaid pair and I wanted the purple Jasmine ones but I got to them too late.

OMG do you have a photo of The Little Mermaid ones?!

As a native of the Delaware Valley I need more pics of his pizza! What was on it? What'd he think??

Haha I don't have any more photos but according to the menu it had "sliced rump steak, mozzarella, caramelised onions and basil"! And I know that he enjoyed it

Breakfast in England is the best!!

Breakfast is something we do well!!