Hi all.
Well what can I say about our first trip to WL? It was a mixed bag, but I can't say enough good things about the lodge itself.
DME was SLOW waiting for a bus on 12/2 to get us to WL. Shared a stop with Poly, GF, WL and CR (in that order). Once on the bus it was smooth sailing. About 30 min. Luggage was in our room by 5pm (12pm arrival at airport). Our departure was seemless with 1/2 full bus on Friday afternoon. They picked up in reverse order. CR, WL, Poly, and then GF.
Checkin - No problems, no line. Smooth and easy. Room request not met, but the CM tried and she was very nice. Even offered to move us the following day if we weren't happy with our room.
Room 5147 - South wing, inner ctyd over pool (7 rooms from the elevators closest to the end/pool). It was a walk, but not as long as I expected. With those elevators nearby, it was very easy to access the pool and RF, as well as walkway to the boats. Our view was perfect. Could see all of ctyd, part of the EWP. Could even see tops of Wishes fireworks.
MVMCP fireworks were even better, as they were bigger and higher so we got a great show at 9:30 on 3 nights. I'd say 6th and 7th floor guests would do even better with fireworks views from the south wing.
Noise - This was a downer. I think the deluxe hotels must have more of a problem due to the long indoor hallways. People in the halls were noisy. The room adjacent to our headboards was silent most always. But the connecting door next to the TV allowed all sound through. Pair that with noisy kids who weren't going to be til midnight and it was an issue. Next time I'll request a non-connecting room, as I think that would have helped a lot. I can't fault WL for noisy guests. Tried to use the clock radio for static white noise, but it would go off automatically after about an hour.
Mousekeeping - Well, good and bad I guess. Our room was always clean early in the day (as requested). Requests were responded to promptly (like extra towels). All staff (housekeepers and custodial) were super polite and friendly. DD got 2 towel animals, and some of the H20 stuff was replenished when I stowed it in my suitcase. My complaint would come from the MAJOR fact that we encountered many families in the lodge (including my DD) with kids who got sick after arrival. DD was feverish and throwing up about 24hrs after we got there. I heard the aforementioned neighbors up that night with the same problem. And later saw laundry outside a door down the hall which unfortunately looked like ours. Mousekeeping said they don't do any extra cleaning or provide things like mattress covers to help prevent the spread or ease cleanup. We were given extra towels, and trash bags, and they did come by to offer help with cleanup one evening. We could have picked up the bug elsewhere or brought it with us. But even so, it was spreading like wildfire down the hall, and I can't help but think that some clorox would have made a difference. I did even spray our room with Lysol when we first arrived.
Bell services - Overwhelmed Sunday afternoon, so we had trouble getting our grocery delivery (WeGoShop) out of storage. DH was irritated with the lack of concern from the staff. Checkout day was without problems.
Other - beds were super soft, so we were a little uncomfortable. No problems with AC. DH loved the ethernet setup with a port on the dining table.
Concierge - Always well staffed with a short line. They even reimbursed us for our taxi ride from EPCOT when DD was sick, since they weren't able to provide transport for us.
The lodge itself - Christmas decorations made the trip for me. I loved the atmosphere, music, and sitting by the fireplaces with my morning cofffee. In fact, with the illness issues, I think this saved the trip for me. Pool was never crowded.
Mercantile - The WL Lincoln Logs sold out while we were there. No more on property and they won't get more, according to the CMs. Sad for DD who fell in love with the ones at WCC on our checkout day.
Buses/Boats - Seamless. Monday was standing room only on bus to Epcot with a stop at FW, but the trip went quickly. Thursday trip to AK about 9:30, the buses seemed mobbed. Perhaps it was a temporary bottleneck. We walked up and immediately got on the AK bus, but he had to leave people behind. 2 other buses at the stop were also filling quickly. Our return from AK at 6pm was about 10 min wait and the bus didn't fill. Shared bus with GF, but we were dropped first.
That's all for now. We loved our experience, but I'd like a chance at a do-over without the illness. Hopefully one day . . .
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Enjoy the rest of your trip!!
OMG today is the day...we leave for WL in 5 hours
