Ready for flames -- we hated the WL!

[Kuzco]

No flames here, either. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your stay! Everyone will always have a different experience at any of the resorts depending on the circumstances surrounding their visit (location of room, neighbors, etc.)

For example, I stayed at Pop in March of 2004 and 2005 (just last week). I loved it in 2004. It was quiet and enjoyable. Last week it was very very loud and I really didn't enjoy my stay. I really think it had to do with the location of my room and the folks that were staying at the resort at the same time.

I hope your next stay at WDW is more enjoyable!

 

[missypie]

I'm so sorry! It would have floored me to have it be so noisy...the pictures make it look so quiet and secluded.

 

[EthansMom]

I'm so sorry you didn't enjoy your stay. I too would have asked to be moved to different rooms regardless of whether they would be separated or not.

Personally, I always request a room in a quiet area of any hotel -- I'm a very light sleeper. I don't want any hotel room over or near a pool, by an elevator, ice machine, etc.... Had a long and exhausting delivery with my DS3 but only stayed at the hospital 1 night because my hospital room was near the nurses station and I didn't get ANY sleep.

I hope your next vacation is more restful.

EthansMom (and Molly's too)

 

[sanibelover]

We too were underwhelmed with WL. We were not near the lobby and had no real noise, but it was a LONG walk to the car and the food court.

Our room wasn't ready until well after 6:30 pm and was dirty when we got to it.

I am becoming disillusioned with Disney as a whole. The prices keep going up, up. up and the service down, down, down. We had a most unmagical trip in Nov. Nothing in particular - guess that was the problem. It was just sort of nothing..........

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Your post just reminded me why I'll never go back during Spring Break season again. From mid February through late April it's just soooo crowded I don't think the CMs can even keep up with the chaos. Give WL another try when it's not so crazy. I guarantee you'll love it.

 

[Stitch Inside]

Your post just reminded me why I'll never go back during Spring Break season again. From mid February through late April it's just soooo crowded I don't think the CMs can even keep up with the chaos. Give WL another try when it's not so crazy. I guarantee you'll love it.

We love WL in January. Still want to see it decked out for Christmas. Maybe this year.

 

[tobias sampson]

Me and my hubby always, always stay at the WL!! We have never ever had a bad experience. We used to stay at POFQ Riverside, or CS, but one stay at WL and we were hooked!

I do have a few opinions on your stay. First of all, Im sorry you had a terrible stay! But in defense to the WL...I will say this...

First of all, If that were me, I would of moved NO MATTER WHAT if it was that terrible..the smoking, the noise, etc. And the woods view is excatly what it is..WOODS. Skinny trees and if you ever read any of the FAQ's on the WL...yes, they have views of delivery roads etc.

Also, as soon as you walk in the WL lobby, you automatically can hear the roaring of the noise that comes from it, and you know your rooms are right up there overlooking the noise! So that should give you a tip right there! You also hear the WCC and you also automatically know what kind of racket comes from there!!

As far as the MEMO of the noise from the MK...well, at least the WL was kind enough to let all the guests know! They didnt have to do that!

As far as the kids and "tweens" playing ball in the lobby and kids running rampid.....THAT IS THE PARENT'S FAULT not the WL fault. Same thing with wet towels everywhere...GUESTS FAULT! Not the WL fault!!! And with the little girls in costumes at 11 at night---uh..its WDW...that's what kids do!

Everywhere you go there is always something that won't be just right, the coffee, the restaurants, the views, etc...but maybe other posters are right, maybe you went at a bad time when you couldnt reallly enjoy it, and dont give up on the WL...it is a GREAT resort and what you see is what you get.
Once again, Im sorry you had a terrible time, but if you were that miserable, maybe you should of complained or moved and then you would of had a much better time. Im not flaming you at all, just giving my opinion. I know if I was that miserable, I would of brought it to WL staff opinion just to see what they could do.

All in all, the WL is a great great resort to stay at. Just make sure and do your research on it!

You know, you so don't sound sorry they had a wretched time there. Can you make more excuses for the place? Why not just say "here is a big old lecture about why you should have loved the place instead of hating it?"

 

[BamaTigger]

You know, you so don't sound sorry they had a wretched time there. Can you make more excuses for the place? Why not just say "here is a big old lecture about why you should have loved the place instead of hating it?"

Im not making excuses for WL...Im defending the place because it all wasn't all the WL fault.

And if I wasnt sorry, I wouldn't of said it. The WL IS a great place and to each his own!! Everyone is entitled to an opinion!

 

[missypie]

As far as the kids and "tweens" playing ball in the lobby and kids running rampid.....THAT IS THE PARENT'S FAULT not the WL fault. Same thing with wet towels everywhere...GUESTS FAULT! Not the WL fault!!! And with the little girls in costumes at 11 at night---uh..its WDW...that's what kids do!


All in all, the WL is a great great resort to stay at. Just make sure and do your research on it!

It is the responsiblity of the management to make sure that the hotel is picked up properly. Yes, people are messy, noisy...some act like pigs. That happens in hotels and other places every day. The test of good management is if they motivate/cause the staff to keep it picked up no matter what.

If I go to my local Walmart at the end of a Saturday, it will be a total mess...esp. the toy aisle. If I go to my local Target on the same evening, it will be neat and tidy. I know that both stores have been filled all day with people who don't put things back, unsupervised kids, etc.... but somehow, our Target doesn't look like it and Walmart looks like a tornado went through. Our local Target team works hard to make it a pleasant environment; the Walmart team doesn't.

Crowd and messes and noise CAN be controlled.

 

[Melrosgirl]

Why are you "ready for flames?" You are entitled to not like a resort.

 

[Stiff]

if its any consolation, I thought the boat drivers were very "UNDISNEY" at POFQ too....we rode it to downtown one night and pretty much got a constant lecture on the rules of the boat and so on the entire ride...I felt like I should have gone and sat in a corner when he was done.

we took the bus back

 

[Ladyhawke10]

I wish you'd had a better experience! Doesn't sound too good at all.

We DID go during off-season (value, early December) and had a wonderful stay at the lodge. It wasn't too crowded, never noticed a noise issue, didn't even find the pools or jacuzzis crowded and from what I've read on the DIS, that's rare. So I guess it's good to go this time of year (we also had the Christmas decorations, which were beautiful). We stayed in concierge which may also make a diff, since the staff was truly incredible--the nicest concierge staff we've ever encountered at WDW. I loved our MK castle view and we got towel animals everyday. I wish your stay had been more comparable! We had a disappointing stay at AKL concierge once, so I know how it is to see all the positive posts and then not have the place measure up in any way. Hope your next WDW goes much better

 

[*Fantasia*]

No flames here! Sorry your stay was not great. We stayed at the courtyard 6th floor away from the restaurant. It was pretty noisy one time when we were just hanging out in the lobby. WC can be LOUD!! It was annoying! I don't know anyone who would want their room to be near it! We did enjoy WL a lot.

 

[crazyboutWDW]

boat ride to downtown disney from Wilderness Lodge?

 

[tinkerbee]

I'm sorry to hear you had a bad stay. I stayed in the villas (its my DVC home) one night last year to give it a try and truthfully I don't think I'll go back. I don't care for the room decor, room service dishes were left in the hall for a whole day, and the pool was always crowded and that was in January when it wasn't all that warm so I'd hate to see it when it is warm out. I have to say WL is one of the resorts that is on the bottom of my list. We walked over to Wilderness campgrounds and were waiting for a boat to come to take us back to the WL and ended up getting a free private boat ride back on one of the pontoon boats and I have to say that was our highlight of our stay there and it had nothing to do with the WL people it was from the castmembers at the campgrounds.....go figure!!

 

[Stiff]

boatride downtown from POFQ

 

[Lives4Disney]

"

It is the responsiblity of the management to make sure that the hotel is picked up properly. Yes, people are messy, noisy...some act like pigs. That happens in hotels and other places every day. The test of good management is if they motivate/cause the staff to keep it picked up no matter what.

If I go to my local Walmart at the end of a Saturday, it will be a total mess...esp. the toy aisle. If I go to my local Target on the same evening, it will be neat and tidy. I know that both stores have been filled all day with people who don't put things back, unsupervised kids, etc.... but somehow, our Target doesn't look like it and Walmart looks like a tornado went through. Our local Target team works hard to make it a pleasant environment; the Walmart team doesn't.

Crowd and messes and noise CAN be controlled."

SO TRUE!!! Target is great!!! I agree - good management makes the difference.


Lives4Disney

 

[agnes!]

Ok, I have written reports on our restaurants, car rental, Universal parks, and pool home, but I saved this for last because I knew it would be the most controversial.

We stayed at WL Saturday March 5 through Tuesday March 8, and we had a terrible stay. It was our first visit there and we were excited. We wanted to love it. I think a lot of the problem is our own tastes, but some of it lies with WL management.

***(words of experience edited for length)***

Roaring Forks -- it tooks 20 minutes to get hot food even when it was uncrowded, and cashiers would stand there, not offering to help people who were obviously confused, looking around, not sure where to order, etc. We bought the mugs but the instant coffee was worse than the coffee in our room (I know this is true everywhere at WDW) so we never used them. We saw tons of people with old mugs. Maybe this is allowed at WL?

Guests aren't supposed to re-use old mugs, but many do.

I know the WL is a real favorite on the DIS, for many precisely BECAUSE of all the hububb (or maybe you visit on the offseason? Or midweek?), but I hope this can help other families like us who prefer a calmer, quieter experience make the right decision for them.

No flames here - It is disappointing when a WDW resort stay doesn't measure up to expectations .

By the way, the Roaring Forks coffee is actually ground coffee, not the Nescrud.- it's even supposed to be 100% Colombian. I know at least that it is 'ground', I saw the ground coffee in the filters for myself (because I didn't believe it at first). Some WDW venues have apparently gone to actual ground coffee, supposedly because the sales of the Nescrud were so off. (At least that's what I was told by a CM.)

agnes!

 

[FromVatoDisney]

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience. We'll be at WL in July and I am taking your post to heart. I will do everything I can NOT to be overlooking the lobby!

Again, so sorry and I hope your next trip is much, much better.

 

[mickeyluv]

I am so sorry to hear about your experience. I agree with the other OP's about management!! I am really concerned now about our stay in May at the WL. It will be our first time staying there and I have looked so forward to this trip!! Do you or anyone else have any suggestions as to what room to ask for that may be far from the lobby and WCC? I know that I can't specifically ask for a particular room, but if I was to get assigned a room number, maybe if I knew which ones were close to the noisy places, I could ask them if they had a different room that wasn't so close to all of the noise!! It is really bad when you are trying to get kids to sleep!! Thanks for the post!! It is good to hear bad reports as well as good ones!!