Tell me the truth about prices at the WL?

[Trish Bessette]

I know with anything Disney not to expect anything but pray for the best....

Here is my question. I am trying really hard to return to WDW for our 2nd family trip and I want to stay at WL so bad!!!

I am thinking of going the end of March for 8 nights. I got a quote for a room only reservation from the WDW site as well as Dreams Unlimited and they both came in the same $2667.20 for room only. A standard view room it was for.

Does anyone know what the chances are for a code to be released to get a better rate? Or do you know what is my best way to go about getting a better rate? Do codes come out for this time of year, if so when?

Since I have only gone to Disney once before I don't really know what to expect but I would LOVE to be able to get a "deal" on my room.

I know you may be thinking "why not stay at a moderate to save the money" well, the unlike some the resort is very important to my family and I. We do spend quite a bit of time there. Last time we went we stayed at the Poly.

Thanks to all you experts

 

[grimley1968]

Since that is Spring Break time, the rates will be at least regular season rates, if not peak season. If you can adjust your dates of travel, you could really save major money by going in value season. Also, since they still have trouble booking all the resorts in value season, you're more likely to get discounts for a room then, on top of the lower value season rack rate. I would say Disney is least likely to put out discount codes for the times of year it fills its resorts most easily, and mid-March is one of those times of year.

 

[disneyholic family]

is that for a regular room or a concierge room?

i don't know anything about codes (but there's Dis board that is dedicated to codes), but i do know that i love the WL.....
it's a lovely resort...and i like it better than the poly...

 

[littlestar]

Trish,

Have you thought about renting points from a DVC member for a stay in the VWL (the vacation club) at the Wilderness Lodge? I think the end of March would be about 134 points to stay in the villas in a studio for a week (as long as that's not Easter week). I don't have my Disney Vacation Point chart in front of me right now. We own points at the Villas of Wilderness Lodge and love the units. The studios have a small kitchenette, toaster, microwave, half size refrigerator (with a small freezer), coffee pot, and small sink. The villas are a short walk through a covered walkway to the main lodge. We love staying in them. They are quiet and they have their own mini lobby with rocking chairs and the health club for the lodge is housed in the villas lobby.

If you would like to take a studio room tour, here is a good site: www.tagrel.com

The DVC rent boards on the DIS have members that rent out their points. They usually rent for about $10 to $11 a point. So you could probably stay for around $1340 for a week (7 nights) in a studio at the VWL. I've rented extra points before when we ran short (as we are vacation club members) and had good experiences here on the DIS. I always look for DIS people that have plenty of posts as there is trust involved on both parts.

Oh, I thought of one other way you might get a discount on a regular WL room. Are you a AAA member? Sometimes room only discounts can be obtained with a AAA card discount.

Good luck!

 

[Amyrlin]

If you are going for 8 days, would it be worth getting an AP and then trying for AP rates, or if you have you do not have AAA membership, on that cost it may be cost effective to get it.

 

[FARMGIRL]

We're staying at WL in Jan. our first trip to WDW, wanted it to be special. We got a rate of $176 a night, that is a AAA discount, we got room only, we just got a standard view, can't get bunk beds, but still this is where we want to stay. Maybe you could check out joining AAA, they had a special last month and I joined to $50, I thought it might be worth it. I've already used it for other hotel reservations just in our area for short summer trips. If you could change your dates to value, it would save you money also. Good luck!

 

[Tinkerbelles]

well, now I went thru the on-line "Best Rate Program" ...I do have an AP.
but I am going for 9 nights in Dec...16th-25th and I got the woods view ...total for 9 nights...at Christmas- $1600 bucks...(and a few dollars)
so you might want to cvheck that!

 

[Provincial Belle]

we've stayed at the WL a couple of times and we love it there too. In our stays it seems like a standard view room is really tough to get a discount on. They may have woods or courtyard but not standard. Those rooms sell out too easily for them to bother discounting them.

Are you a AAA member? if not, how much would it cost to join vs. how much would you save? It may be worth joining!

an AP might be worth considering but I would wait to see what happens for this fall, do they release rates like they used to or is going to be AP Best Rate program only?

Good luck! Hope you are able to get in another trip!

 

[poohkinandpiglet]

I agree with the other posters! If you want to stay at the WL then rent points and stay in the Villas. It's worth it! You can get a studio room for a REALLY great rate but will need to book it early (7 months out) because the studios go quickly.

 

[Trish Bessette]

Thanks for your help everyone. I'm hesitant to rent points from a DVC member as I'm afraid to get burned I can't imagine getting there from Vermont to find out I don't have a place.

Some of your rates seem much better than what I was quoted. I can easily spend $176 a night like one of you did but the quote I got is about $340 a night????

I will look into becoming a AAA member and look at the "value" season dates.

Thanks again!

 

[littlestar]

Trish,

Renting DVC points takes trust for both individuals. A DVC member could get burned by a rental also. If a renter damaged the unit the member is responsible for the damages. There also was a thread recently where a DVC member was held accountable for charges to the room that a family member made when he used the points (there was some kind of mix-up on the charge card). So there is trust required on both sides if you go that route. I would look for someone that has been on the boards a while with plenty of posts. We have rented extra points many times from other members and never been burned. But I won't rent from someone that only has 1 or 2 posts on the DIS. That is too scary for me.

If you are interested in a AAA rate on the room, you can call Disney and have them check (room only rate with AAA). The AAA rates should be out already for 2006. I snagged a AAA rate at the All Star Movies for a few nights in January (before we switch over to our DVC points). If for some reason Disney asks for the AAA number to check and see if there is a AAA rate for your time period, just tell them you are planning on purchasing it soon. That way you could at least find out if you want to spend the money for AAA.

Good luck.

 

[FARMGIRL]

I am the one that got the $176 a night, standard room through Disney using AAA, they never asked my number or anything, just said be sure to bring card along. We are going when it's value season so that makes a differance with price.

 

[katallo]

I know with anything Disney not to expect anything but pray for the best....

Here is my question. I am trying really hard to return to WDW for our 2nd family trip and I want to stay at WL so bad!!!

I am thinking of going the end of March for 8 nights. I got a quote for a room only reservation from the WDW site as well as Dreams Unlimited and they both came in the same $2667.20 for room only. A standard view room it was for.

Does anyone know what the chances are for a code to be released to get a better rate? Or do you know what is my best way to go about getting a better rate? Do codes come out for this time of year, if so when?

Since I have only gone to Disney once before I don't really know what to expect but I would LOVE to be able to get a "deal" on my room.

I know you may be thinking "why not stay at a moderate to save the money" well, the unlike some the resort is very important to my family and I. We do spend quite a bit of time there. Last time we went we stayed at the Poly.

Thanks to all you experts

Hopefully you will be able to get a code. We stayed at the WL on Easter this year and paid 168.00 per night!

 

[pooh2001]

I am the one that got the $176 a night, standard room through Disney using AAA, they never asked my number or anything, just said be sure to bring card along. We are going when it's value season so that makes a differance with price.

WOW - we have an AAA rate for June of 2006 - courtyad view for $279/night - almost $100 more for courtyard vs standard ?
I guess I am regular rate vs value rate. But what a difference

I will hopr for an AP rate

 

[rcraw45425]

I just started reading this thread. Unfortunately Disney has now started making from like mid Feb. to late April Peak season so the rates are going to be atrocious. Having an AP will help, however. Our April trip to GF with AP was only $350 a night, seems like WL was going to be around $200 for that time. I do remember that the CR garden wing was somewhere around $200 and it traditionally runs higher than the WL. HTH

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Just a few points to consider...

I know you said that you wouldn't consider a moderate for this trip, but I strongly suggest a tour of one of the mods during your visit. I consider the resort to be very important too, but I was impressed by the moderates we have stayed at. I'd rather stay at CS over some of the deluxes (and some of the DVC's) any day. I liked the theming better! The pool at CS was great. I understand where your heart is for this trip, but if you are trying to plan future trips for less, it would be something to consider. Personally, we also like the idea of trying a new resort each visit...and there are only so many deluxes to try....

Compared to the Poly, you may be disappointed by WL's transportation options.

Another thing to consider is the length of your stay. Eight days is pretty long. To cut back on expenses, it might be worth it to shorten the trip by a day. Funny thing for my family was that last trip we cut expenses considerably by staying an extra night. The discount on our airfare was so huge that it more than covered the cost of the hotel and food for an extra night. (consider returning on a Monday instead of a Sunday) With the new pricing, adding an extra park day was only a few dollars (In truth, though we ended up converting five day/expiring tickets into ten day/no exp. tickets...so that did cost something...but now we have tikcets for next trip.)