Ready for flames -- we hated the WL!

[katallo]

I agree. We are going in a few weeks and I was really looking forward to our first visit to WL Now, I'm concerned. Is there a "quiet" area to request? It's so disheartening to read about poor customer service. Disney never used to have this problem. I think this will be the trip that decides if we continue to visit once or twice a year. If my family goes and has to deal with noise, rudeness and a lack of sleep, I think we will start looking for other spots.

 

[Avalanche]

We love to visit the resorts to decide where to stay on our next trip. Every year we go over to WL, and when we leave we all agree not to stay there because everytime we've visited the lobby and pool areas have been a madhouse. Very crowded and noisy.

One of the reasons we like the moderates is because you don't have to go through the lobby area to get to your room and not everyone has to pass by your room to get to theirs.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Sorry your stay was less than magical but thanks for the report.

The more you read these boards the more you realize stays like these can and do happen everywhere from time to time, unfortunately. If you were to go there again - at a different time and a different location - you might have a totally different experience. Hope you might give it another try sometime!

Here's some pixie dust to those of you with upcoming stays (anywhere)!

 

[txgirl]

I was curious where you have stayed in the past. We will be making our first trip in August and staying at POR. I have debated splitting my stay at WL, but will probably not because of extra person in our party. I have heard soooo much about WL that is positive, but I have heard more than once about the noise issue. Your report confirms this and I appreciate all the info!

 

[MinnieM3]

I'm sorry you had a bad stay at WL. We have loved every trip there and have encountered nothing of what you have. Will be there in 2 weeks and we can't wait!

 

[wilderness01]

I too was underimpressed the last time we stayed at WL. The right hand did not know what the left hand was doing at the front desk. The front desk made promises they couldn't keep. We liked the burgers at Roaring Forks but I would agree that the service was very slow, even in the off season. The boat captains were indeed rude and very undisney like. We also found the Epcot Resort boat drivers much more pleasant. The bus transportation was terrible as well. I know the "woodsview" isn't a guarantee of seeing alot of woods but we also got stuck with a view of the parking lot with very few trees to be seen. It really should have been called a standard view. I did try to go to the frontdesk to switch and the cm said he knew exactly what view we had and he agreed it should be a standard view or parking lot view.

Sorry you were disappointed. We were able to have a nice time but we switched to a villa room and had a much nicer stay. I doubt we will ever stay there again either. Good think there are so many resorts to choose from.

 

[maxiesmom]

I wanted to add my 2 cents worth about the boat captains. Now I am not excusing them for being rude, but I wonder if they have them doing too many jobs. On our ride from Fort Wilderness to the Contemporary our captain was instructed on his radio to watch for some poachers the police were in the process of catching. I'm all for being civic-minded, but I really did not want to enact some sort of Dukes of Hazzard water movie!

 

[mouse1928]

Oh no! I just booked 5 nights at WL for June. Somebody please say some really wonderful things about it. On the upside though, our first 3 days is at the BC .

 

[swilphil]

We visited WL, as well as Boardwalk and Contemporary, on our last trip to WDW (stayed at the Swan). I was expecting to LOVE WL after the reviews I read here, but it just didn't seem deluxe enough for what you are paying. We were impressed with the other deluxe resorts we visited and are staying at CR this trip. We have PS's at both Poly restaurants and so are going to check the resort out for a possible future stay. I'm also going to try to visit Port Orleans. There's nothing like seeing for yourself, so go check a resort out if you've never been there.

 

[pigby]

We are staying at WL in July and I would hate to get a noisy room. We have a standard room booked but I hoped to upgrade to woods view when AP rates come out, as I thought these room types were more peaceful - but maybe not. How can we make sure we get a quiet room?

 

[SuBeat]

Just a few random thoughts.....

Woods in Florida tend to involve tall, skinny pine trees. If you have a woods view that is probably what you are going to see. In our 2 visits to WL, we could also see the service road and parking lot if we looked to the left, the woods were to the right. Of course, we could also see the CR and the monorail whizzing by every so often, and the fireworks from the MK at night. Not a bad deal IMO.

We've also been on the 5th floor on both of our stays and never found noise to be a problem. We could faintly hear the lobby music, and a bit of a hum of activity, but nothing that disturbed us at all. We were also on the WC side of the lobby. I don't think it is noisy enough here to bother most people, but if you are sensative to noise the wings might be a better location for you. We love being able to open our door and stare down at that lobby, but that may not be everyone's cup of tea.

I'm sorry the OP had a disappointing stay, but to those planning trips to WL in the future, please realize that for everyone that has been unhappy at the lodge, there is someone else that has had an amazing time. You can find bad reports on EVERY resort at WDW on these boards...you can find good ones too.

 

[Dis2times]

Did anyone who experienced rude boat captains report this to the management? They will not ever know there is a problem to solve if no one alerts them to the problem. As someone booked at VWL who has never stayed there, I would hope someone would report it so the problem is resolved by the time we get there.

Lisa

 

[cyndibelle]

thank you for posting your report...its good to hear all sides....i like to be able to hear the nitty gritty of the resorts...i mean if all you ever hear of a place is it is fab...totally wonderful....smiles and laughs all around...you will go in with the highest of expectations and boy wont you get a slap in the face if anything goes wrong.... so sorry you had a visit to WL like that...that is kinda how we felt about port orleans riverside ....

 

[DebbieB]

Oh no! I just booked 5 nights at WL for June. Somebody please say some really wonderful things about it. On the upside though, our first 3 days is at the BC .

I stayed at VWL 3/2 to 3/7. I was never really fond of WL when visiting it, I'm just not a "wilderness" person. I like the brightness of the Boardwalk, BC or GF. However, I must say I loved it! We rode the boats many times and did not encounter any problems. The front desk cm was very nice. Loved the main lobby, villas lobby, gift shop. We only went to Roaring Forks late one night after MK, it wasn't crowded. We were there on DVC points, so we only had a trash & towel one day for housekeeping, but it was fine. Room was clean. Hopefully you will have a great stay!

 

[Stressa]

Thanks for your post! We didn't care for the WL either, and we were hyped because we had heard such good things about it here. Even after check in my DS said, "Well, he wasn't really rude, but he wasn't very helpful either." The Woods view we paid extra for overlooked the roof of the walkway, and we mainly had a view of the Villas. We had rude service to try to rent a boat; it was noisy, and just plain wasn't relaxing or enjoyable for us (the pool was too small and crowded, wet towels everywhere in the hotel, etc.). We have stayed at AKL, CBR, CSR, POFQ and YC. The WL is our least favorite, and we won't go back. Glad to hear we weren't the only ones who weren't impressed.
Stressa

 

[MickeyMouth]

I have to say, I am amazed that anyone actually had such a bad exp at WL. We have stayed at WL 4 years in a row, 5 counting this May, and it has been an incredible exp everytime. Everyone is so nice and goes out of their way to make it a fun and exciting time, even the boat drives and staff.

Sure sorry for your bad time, it is a great resort.

I agree. It is surprising that one vacation could have that many problems. The WL is a great resort!

 

[slimplaw]

Too bad about your disappointing stay at WL. We've never had a lobby view and not real sure if I would want one. Our rooms have been quiet in the past. The woods view is not what it was before the hurricanes. In Dec., we were told that the Fort Wilderness area lost over 1,000 trees in the hurricanes. From WL at night, you could see lights from other areas which is not the way it was before the hurricanes. The woods views we've had before were dense with trees.

 

[bytheblood]

No flames here. Sorry to hear you had such a terrible experience.

 

[lovethattink]

I learned something new last time I was on the boat from POR to DTD. I noticed that the "captain" had a beard. I asked him if Disney changed their policy about being clean shavin'. He said that the boat captains are contracted out not Disney employees.

 

[TeresaNJ]

I'm sorry your stay wasn't everything you expected. I felt the same way about CBR. The grounds were lovely, but the resort just wasn't my style. On the other hand, I absolutely love WL and the VWL, as does my husband and my daughter. On the other hand, my sons love the BC and the BCV. We were all underwhelmed with the BW and BWV. Different strokes for different folks. Although this sounds terrible, I love when people say they don't like WL and will never go back, makes it easier for me to make a reservation.