The NEW WL FAQ (Part 5) Simbas and Tiggers and Humphreys OH MY! Part 2

[diarmuid]

Hi,

glad you had a good time. We will be there in 3 more days!

What does TGM stand for?

thanks

 

[Servants of Evan]

TGM = TourGuide Mike or more specifically, Tourguidemike.com

 

[maleficent_man]

WOW! We just got back last night. We absolutely the WL. We went to CR, Poly, GF and POFQ and nothing came close. I can't imagine staying anywhere else. The only drawback....no monorail service here. Maybe one day.... It doesn't hurt to hope. We were totally prepared for this trip (our 1st). The DISboards and TGM are all you need for a successful WDW vacation. I have the UG and PP but only consulted them for brief descriptions/info. For planning, stick with the DISboards and TGM and you won't be disappointed.

For those of you who have stayed on the (7th floor) Club Level, what was your experience? Do you recommend it to others or not? We're considering it for our next trip in October. What appeals to us is the food/liquor. The planning department wouldn't be utilized much I don't think. I kinda liked doing it myself for the trip we just took. So, what's your opinion of CL and what was the view from your room? I just cancelled a reservation for POFQ for October. I need to decide between CL, Courtyard or Woods View. Heck, I don't even know if all of these options are still available for October. I need to get a move on!

OH! We got Dream Fastpasses at the Jungle Cruise last Friday (12-01-06)! I even took a picture of it!

Glad you enjoyed it - I first stayed at WL in the summer and it was wonderful. I must admit I'm kinda glad it's not on the monorail loop as I think it would spoil the feel of it.

As for Concierge level I was lucky enough to get upgraded to it during my stay in the summer. It was such an unexpected surprise. I am like you and enjoy the planning element but having the breakfast and snacks and drinks was wonderful. You also get such a great view of the whole lobby. The CM's were wonderful - I can't recommend them highlt enough.

 

[snogger]

2 MORE SLEEPS!!

Thought I'd make it REAL easy for anyone to recognize our family of 3..

If you see this on a shirt at Wilderness Lodge on Saturday feel free to say HI SNOGGER!

 

[tiggeerrific]

I have one more sleep will be there tommorrow!!!

 

[StanH]

No matter how many times I add it, we always seem to get bumped off the list.

We'll be there from 12/27 - 1/3.


Beckie

DIS-Members that will be visiting the Lodge in December 2006

Wilderness Gal-November 25-December 2 2006
RRmouse-November 25-December 2, 2006
DLBDS-November 25-December 5, 2006
Hugpug-November 26-December 2, 2006
RyansMommy-November 26-December 4, 2006
AshleyMWC-November 28-December 4, 2006 Concierge
MickeyNicki-November 30-December 4, 2006
Desperate Housewife-December 1-4, 2006
Rw_hadley-December 1-9, 2006
TiggerAllie-December 2-7, 2006
Chipmunkfan-December 2-9, 2006
Mom2taylorandemily-December 2-9, 2006
Deltachi8-December 3-4, 2006
GatorEye-December 3-9, 2006 Concierge
Brooke1-December 4-10, 2006
Leash-December 5-13, 2006 (Honeymoon Suite)
DisneyParkFan-December 6-10, 2006
Gabby&Liv's Mommy-December 6-13, 2006
Majestic-December 6-17, 2006
Stauncie-December 7-11, 2006 Concierge
Denisekayt-December 7-16, 2006 Concierge
Tiggeerrific-December 8-10, 2006
Ltl Mermaid-December 8-13, 2006
Ransom-December 8-16, 2006
Gosoxb-December 9-14, 2006
Nascia-December 9-14, 2006
Snogger-December 9-14, 2006
Julieh22-December 10-15, 2006
Stewart-December 10-16, 2006
Julieh22-December 11-16, 2006
Aesalsa-December 12-16, 2006 (Honeymoon Suite)
MimiofOlivia-December 13-16 2006
Brauergirls-December 13-19, 2006
STITCHes in TX-December 13-19, 2006
Dizneykid-December 14-17, 2006 Concierge
MAGICinMYHEART-Decemebr 14-20, 2006
NanaDarling-December 14-18, 2006
Striker3636-December 16-21, 2006
Blessedby3-December 16-23, 2006
Chelliet-December 16-23, 2006
Katnevsmom-December 17-21, 2006
AprilLizbeth-December 18-20, 2006
Marvin12-December 18-25, 2006
Missy4414-December 18-27, 2006 Concierge
Jessd -December 19-29, 2006
Got2lovedisney-December 22-25, 2006
Fun & fancy free-December 23-30, 2006
TwilightOwl-December 24-30, 2006
CTFamilyCruisers-December 26-January 1, 2007
StanH - December 27 - January 3, 2007

DIS-Members that will be visiting the Lodge in December 2007
Tracy Savage-November 25-December 2, 2007
Ekball-November 30-December 9, 2007
GatorEye-December 2-8, 2007
Dogsmom-December 6-11, 2007[/QUOTE]

 

[tiggeerrific]

my dates changed we added a night we will be there dec8-11 :

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

StanH

So sorry you have been adding your name to the list after quoting my list. When I update the list I have been using my list...anyway you are added and will not be bumped off again.



DIS-Members that will be visiting the Lodge in December 2006

Wilderness Gal-November 25-December 2 2006
RRmouse-November 25-December 2, 2006
DLBDS-November 25-December 5, 2006
Hugpug-November 26-December 2, 2006
RyansMommy-November 26-December 4, 2006
AshleyMWC-November 28-December 4, 2006 Concierge
MickeyNicki-November 30-December 4, 2006
Desperate Housewife-December 1-4, 2006
Rw_hadley-December 1-9, 2006
TiggerAllie-December 2-7, 2006
Chipmunkfan-December 2-9, 2006
Mom2taylorandemily-December 2-9, 2006
Deltachi8-December 3-4, 2006
GatorEye-December 3-9, 2006 Concierge
Brooke1-December 4-10, 2006
Leash-December 5-13, 2006 (Honeymoon Suite)
DisneyParkFan-December 6-10, 2006
Gabby&Liv's Mommy-December 6-13, 2006
Majestic-December 6-17, 2006
Stauncie-December 7-11, 2006 Concierge
Denisekayt-December 7-16, 2006 Concierge
Tiggeerrific-December 8-11, 2006
Ltl Mermaid-December 8-13, 2006
Ransom-December 8-16, 2006
Gosoxb-December 9-14, 2006
Nascia-December 9-14, 2006
Snogger-December 9-14, 2006
Julieh22-December 10-15, 2006
Stewart-December 10-16, 2006
Julieh22-December 11-16, 2006
Aesalsa-December 12-16, 2006 (Honeymoon Suite)
MimiofOlivia-December 13-16 2006
Brauergirls-December 13-19, 2006
STITCHes in TX-December 13-19, 2006
Dizneykid-December 14-17, 2006 Concierge
MAGICinMYHEART-Decemebr 14-20, 2006
NanaDarling-December 14-18, 2006
Striker3636-December 16-21, 2006
Blessedby3-December 16-23, 2006
Chelliet-December 16-23, 2006
Katnevsmom-December 17-21, 2006
AprilLizbeth-December 18-20, 2006
Marvin12-December 18-25, 2006
Missy4414-December 18-27, 2006 Concierge
Jessd -December 19-29, 2006
Got2lovedisney-December 22-25, 2006
Fun & fancy free-December 23-30, 2006
TwilightOwl-December 24-30, 2006
CTFamilyCruisers-December 26-January 1, 2007
StanH-December 27-January 3. 2007

DIS-Members that will be visiting the Lodge in December 2007

Tracy Savage-November 25-December 2, 2007
Ekball-November 30-December 9, 2007
GatorEye-December 2-8, 2007
Dogsmom-December 6-11, 2007

 

[ransom]

We'll be at the wonderful Wilderness Lodge tomorrow, our first time at the Lodge and our first time at WDW! Thank you to everyone who provided all the advice and tips to make our stay at Wilderness Lodge even better!

 

[GatorEye]

Just got back from a week at the WL. It was our first time on the 7th floor (Club level) and it was definitely worth it. Last year we stayed on the 4th floor in a bear face room so my comparisons are to last year's trip as to the question "Is the Club Level worth it?" It is definitely worth it IMHO. Here is why.

Note - the scaffolding is still up on the north wing as of today. All of the bear face rooms and a good chunk of the north wing inner courtyard rooms are obstructed. Fortunately, our room wasn't. They are replacing and repainting the wood and outer surface.

Dining. There were 4 of us - myself, DW, DS3 and DS 8 months. We had the Dining Plan like we did last year. Since my DS is now 3, he is included in the plan. He's a picky eater and it was tough finding food for him. Every restaurant should be required to provide the 3 main food groups for kids - pizza, chicken nuggets, and hot dogs. Also, our 8 month old didn't want to cooperate at our sit down meals. He is cutting a tooth so he was really cranky by the end of the trip.

Anyway, thanks to all the great food the Club level had combined with the kid crankyness, I had 7 snacks, 2 counter services, and a table service left on the last day. I ended up converting them all into snacks and cleaned out RF. Note: if you need to convert, 3 snacks will equal one counter service, but there is no conversion of counter service to table service.

The continual food and beverages available in the lounge were awesome. You basically don't need breakfast and could probably get away without needing dinner depending how big an eater you are (and how much food you want to take, but we tried not to take advantage of this). This is really a bonus, especially if you ever try to hit RF during the breakfast rush and you want to get a quick headstart to the parks. It was crazy this morning when I cashed in all of my unused meals. The line was outside into the main hallway.

The concierge staff...some of them are great. Some of them try to be helpful, but aren't as knowledgeable as I think they should be. I think there should be some sort of requirement as to how long you work for Disney or the resort you are going to be a concierge for.

Two examples. First, I asked one of them if I could prepay for a stroller rental there for the entire week so I wouldn't have to wait in line at the parks to pay. I could just get my voucher stamped, pick up the stroller and go. She didn't think you could. To her credit she made several calls, and after about 20 minutes did figure out that you can prepay for the stroller for an entire length of stay (which gives you a discount), but it must be done at the park. I give her kudos for getting to the right answer, but it was time I could have been better served doing something else.

Second, I wanted to upgrade my park tickets from 3 day to 5 day. The concierge was going through all kinds of crazy calculations and initially told me a number that was about 3 times too much. Eventually another concierge came on duty and she was very good (I can't remember her name). She was trying to explain to him how to do it. After about half an hour, she told me to trust her that she would get it untangled and get the right amount billed to me. I did and left. She said I didn't need to be there and she was getting as frustrated as I was with the person trying to figure it out. I saw about a dozen different charges and credits on my bill when I checked out just relating to that so I'm not even sure if I was overcharged or undercharged, but I didn't care at that point. Another concierge member noted she had only been working at Disney for a year. That doesn't really seem long enough to give the good treatment you deserve.

Having said that - they ALWAYS eventually came through even on little things. Whether it was having things delivered to the room or whatever (and never having to wait). The personal attention when I needed it made it worthwhile. They always were willing to go the extra mile and were courteous and friendly.

IPO. I had several things planned beforehand with help from the IPO. Initially I wasn't getting a good response, but as the trip time got closer they really stepped up, Lissette in particular. I had personalized Mickey ears made for all of us and Christmas Mickeys with notes to the kids all waiting in the room when we checked in. She did a LOT of work to get that done. I also had cards from Mickey for the kids, and a card for the DW (it was our anniversay). She also got us sparkling cider and a dozen of the tuxedo strawberries (WORTH EVERY PENNY). She also was great at rearranging our dining reservations at the last minute before the trip. IPO gets 2 thumbs up.

Room view. This one is subjective. Most people here seem to want rooms that face the MK so they can see the fireworks. MY DW prefers the inner courtyard facing the pool so you can hear the waterfall at night, which I agree was nice. With the cold weather, the pool doesn't get much action so there isn't much noise coming from that area. We were in the North wing almost at the end of the wing. It has two advantages - first there is a set of windows in the hallway just around the corner that affords the perfect view of the fireworks, MK, monorail, CR, etc. Whenever I heard the fireworks it was easy to walk down there and see them. Granted, I guess you don't have the privacy of a balcony if you wanted to stay in your pj's, but it didn't matter much. Secondly, there is a second set of elevators by those windows that takes you right down the RF. Quick and easy access there and to the boat ramp. IMHO- it was a great location and I guess being that high up does give you the benefit of seeing over most of the trees.

Privacy. I definitely aslo like the quiet and seclusion with the option to get away from the bustle of everything if you want to, but you can still be in the middle of everything going on down below. Sometimes it's nice to be in the middle of all the hustle and bustle and sometimes it's not. It's nice to have the option.

So...give the Club Level a try! You'll love it.

Other miscellaneous ramblings...on the downside, it just seems to me the food at WC and RF aren't as good as other places on property. I get that feeling 2 years running now. I don't know why, but it just doesn't seem to be what you would expect from a Deluxe. As an aside, Liberty Tree Inn at MK and Coral Reef at Epcot are excellent if you are looking for great food in the parks.

I had a great experience in WC and a really bad one. I won't go into them here, but it's much like everything in life... there are good apples and bad apples and unfortunately it only takes one bad one to ruin the barrel, but I try not to let it affect the mood of the entire trip.

As for the buses and boats...both ran quick (and they were both quick last year as well), but I think we got some good luck of the draw as we always seemed to show up just as a boat or bus was arriving. If you don't have a lot of stuff to carry (big stroller full of stuff), take the bus to the MK. It did seem quicker. If you have a big stroller that you don't want to have to unload, take the boat. I took the bus to MK one morning and we were the only one on the bus. I was looking around to try to figure out if we were really on the right bus.

I was kind of bummed, 5 days in the parks and 7 days in the resorts and I didn't see one LGMH. Where was everybody? Wished I could have ran into some of you there, but maybe I did and didn't know it. Guess I'll leave HD alone next year.

You CAN'T beat Christmas at the WL. Period. Already booked for this same week in 2007 on Club Level. Hope to see you there!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

 

[Shoshana]

So excited!

I will arrive at WL next Saturday afternoon with my three-yr-old dd, a stroller, and four suitcases (which seem to contain nearly everything except an inflatable kitchen sink).

I've requested a queen size bed and a room that is close to transportation -- other than that, I guess I'll have to keep my fingers crossed!

Thanks for the pictures and the great info on this thread.

 

[kimmar067]

...gee, I sure hope that Fred and Ericka 'get-together' and take a pic with them at the WL.....

 

[kimmar067]

GatorEye ~

Ala-in-all, sounds like you had a great time! Hope to see pix real soon, 'specially of the XMas decorations!

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

Kim

Fred and family, Erika and DH, Jeanne and Marce, and myself are all having dinner at Artist Point this Friday. Between Fred and Marcel I'm sure we'll have some great photo's to post.

I need to start packing soon.

Beckie

 

[DLBDS]

I wanted to mention (in case no one else has already) that Bobby (AKA Bobby The Kid) is back at WCC. We dined there one night (11-30-06) and he was easy to spot. He wasn't our server but I wish he had been. We had Candi. She was nice and all but really s-l-o-w. I have a great pic of her with my daughter. Anyway, the last I heard, Bobby had left WCC. I asked Candi if the guy across the room was Bobby and she said yes and that he was trying to come back to WCC (after working Pleasure Island) and was only working a couple of nights (per week?) until he could get his full time status. She gave me a date for that but I can't remember it. I believe it was sometime this month though. One of the folks here on the WL thread has a great pic taken of Bobby with their family. It's how I was able to recognize him!

Thanks, GatorEye for the CL update. I hope my mother and I have a great time. I'm getting ready to email them and check on the status of a couple of requests I made a few months ago. We're going the 1st week of February!

 

[kimmar067]

Kim

Fred and family, Erika and DH, Jeanne and Marce, and myself are all having dinner at Artist Point this Friday. Between Fred and Marcel I'm sure we'll have some great photo's to post.

I need to start packing soon.

Beckie

...VE-E-E-E-RY cool! Have a great time - and, don't forget to rub that nose for me....!

 

[timandlesley]

So. . . the budget was tight this year for our trip in July and we almost had to change our ressie to another resort (sigh) but I did the math and a standard view room will fit the budget. So. . .how many of you have been upgraded from standard at check in? We've always stayed woodsview and LOVED it. I know I'll be happy anywhere just being back at my Lodge home but just thought I'd ask. Thanks.

Lesley

 

[kimmar067]

So. . . the budget was tight this year for our trip in July and we almost had to change our ressie to another resort (sigh) but I did the math and a standard view room will fit the budget. So. . .how many of you have been upgraded from standard at check in? We've always stayed woodsview and LOVED it. I know I'll be happy anywhere just being back at my Lodge home but just thought I'd ask. Thanks.

Lesley

Les ~

AspiringCindy and I BOTH were upgraded.....

 

[TiggerAllie]

So. . . the budget was tight this year for our trip in July and we almost had to change our ressie to another resort (sigh) but I did the math and a standard view room will fit the budget. So. . .how many of you have been upgraded from standard at check in? We've always stayed woodsview and LOVED it. I know I'll be happy anywhere just being back at my Lodge home but just thought I'd ask. Thanks.

Lesley

We just got back from WL and were upgraded from Standard view to an excellent courtyard view room (6119). I'm working on getting my trip report ready (gotta go through all those pictures!), so hopefully I'll post that soon. If you have any questions in the meantime, let me know!

 

[chipmunkfan]

I just got back from WL and had the best room in the place. It was the most magical thing that happened during the trip! My friends...room 5032 North side overlooking the otter pond is THE room Every night I laid in bed and watched the fireworks at MK. It was awesome. I could see the castle right from the balcony and fireworks every night! On the other hand you do hear some sounds from the elevator which is right outside the door. Just a low rumbling...nothing too crazy.

I will post the pictures I took of the fireworks shortly....

The new room decor is great, no more stubbing your toes on those awful beds that had previously.
The mattress....let me tell ya....was the bomb! It was sooooo comfortable, I really hated to come home to my lumpy mattress.

Roaring Forks is a mob scene anytime after 8:30am. Get there early to avoid the long lines. Food is okay, not too much variety.

Whispering Canyon....seemed a little bit quiet this time. Got the skillet and was never disappointed.

The boat service was great....the first boat to the Contemporary is 6:45am and arrived on time. Direct route at that time which only took 5 minutes

The boat to MK: ran like clock work and it only took about 10 minutes.

Also, for those interested in fishing: My DH and I did the fishing excursion. The bass boat picked us right up on the dock at 6:45am. It was awesome. We fished all around Bay Lake, caught a total of 10 bass...not too shabby.

I had tears in my eyes when I was leaving, I will miss this place. Bought DVC at SSR while we were there, so it is time to try other resorts. I will return to the VWL in the future.