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

[tubachick]

Kimmar067 -- that is a great AKL link, When we were resort hopping I thought if I couldn't get a room at WL, we would try AKL. Thanks. -- DH and I (since our Disneymoon) LOVE THE WL.

 

[caroline]

So there were definately a combination of factors that affected the overall outcome of your trip. I feel bad that you had these experiences as vacation time should be smooth and painless.

Sounds like Bell Services blew it with your rice cooker and from what you said, they made nice on it.

Sounds like Magical Gatherings pooched your reservation requests and the lodge did whatever they could to accomodate you.

As for the wet carpet, I know that they also shampoo the rugs in the rooms. Could that be why the floor was wet? In this case, we like to walk around bare foot so I would simply have mentioned the dampness to the desk crew or housekeeping.

What bothers me most is that the front desk said you could not see the MK. We all know that is untrue. In this case, without being nasty, I would have asked for the desk manager.

If we can help make your return trip to WL any better, just let us know! We're here to help!! (Just like the Koala Brothers...heheheh)

Fred

Hi,
We are coming to WL for the 1st time in July.
I'm trying to do all my homework, and the place sounds great!
We are in a junior suite..........can you see the fireworks in MK from any of the junior suites? It would make our stay even more magical if we were able to!
Can't wait to go!

 

[susy]

Help!!!! I jusst booked BWI concierge for Thanskgiving. when I called I wanted WL concierge and was told that all they had was the honeymoon suite. What is the bed configuration here? It is DH, myself, and our DS (7).....

 

[caroline]

Hi Fred,

We have stayed at the WL twice in the last few years, both times in a Jr.Suite. No one ever mentioned that we had access to the seventh floor.

Both times we ended up with the same suite too, #4123. Great room and view. I wonder if we'll luck out again this time

How can I find out for sure if we can do concierge from a Jr. Suite on a lower floor?

Thanks,
Gary

Your message was just what I am looking for!
Someone who has been in a junior suite!
What are they like, could you see MK/ castle/ fireworks/ elecrical parade????
We are in a junior suite end of July, and can't wait!
Any rooms best avoided or any to request?
And yes..........can we 'do' Concierge from a junior suite?
So many questions!
Caroline

 

[tubachick]

Help!!!! I jusst booked BWI concierge for Thanskgiving. when I called I wanted WL concierge and was told that all they had was the honeymoon suite. What is the bed configuration here? It is DH, myself, and our DS (7).....

Its a King bed-- Large Jacuzzi tub in that bathroom, So unless all of you are in the same bed, it might be a tight squeeze.

 

[dkrause716]

I just got back from WL on May 13th, and reserved woods-view. When we checked in, the CM says, "Congratulations, you've been upgraded to Courtyard!" We were VERY excited. We were very let down when we got to the room only to find that the "courtyard" view was of the bike path and some trees, with a glimpse of the VWL pool. Neither of us said a word, but I could tell DD was disappointed. We went out and explored a bit, then went back to the room and sat on the balcony for a while, only to discover that nearly EVERYONE who walked by looked up at us! We were on the second floor. We enjoy our quiet and privacy quite a bit so...we called the front desk and asked if we could please have a woods-view room as we had originally booked. They were very nice about it and moved us to woods view room 4001, which was FABULOUS!!! It was at the very end of the building, and the balcony faced Bay Lake and the boat dock. We could see Wishes at night (had to lean a bit) and the Electrical Water Parade, and the boats coming and going. It was very convenient to the boat dock and Roaring Fork; we LOVED it!!!!

We are going to WL in one month, July 6-13!! Last year we had standard booked and got a lovely courtyard view room of the falls and pool. (Sorry yours didn't turn out that way.) This time I have woods view rooms booked (2). Your room sounds perfect, best of both worlds!! Do you remember the room number?

Thanks so much!

 

[Majestic]

The junior suites are at the end of the wings facing Bay Lake so you won't be able to see the castle or fireworks but you "will" have the best view of the electric water pagent and Bay Lake.

You'll enjoy your stay at WL. I'm sure of it.

Fred

Hi,
We are coming to WL for the 1st time in July.
I'm trying to do all my homework, and the place sounds great!
We are in a junior suite..........can you see the fireworks in MK from any of the junior suites? It would make our stay even more magical if we were able to!
Can't wait to go!

 

[TooBoyz4us]

Hey there fellow lodgers !!

Can anyone tell me about the WL Villas?
On our last trip we stayed at WL,Courtyard view AND IT WAS AWESOME !!

But next time we go, our boys will be 12 & 14. So that means bigger boys,taking up more space.
So, I was thinking that maybe the Villas would be a good choice.But I want to be reassured that we wouldn't feel to far removed from the main resort area.

 

[tubachick]

 

[kimmar067]

Hey there fellow lodgers !!

....so, I was thinking that maybe the Villas would be a good choice.But I want to be reassured that we wouldn't feel to far removed from the main resort area.

...not at all! It's just a little further away down (stay on your left) as you head towards the bus depot!

 

[sugarplumsmom]

Good Morning!!
Can anyone tell me if the room database that Fred was working on at the beginning of the thread is done and if so where would I find it. We are leaving for our first WL stay on the 17th and would like to try to get a MK view for my mom who will be celebrating her 63rd birthday, first visit to WL (where she has always wanted to stay), my daughter dancing in the Galaxy Theater with her dance group, and sadly her (my mom) last visit to WDW as she has multiple ailments that are getting progressively worse. I want to make this trip as special as possible for her. Thanks!!!

Thanks for all the great info- now if I can just find time to read it all!!!!

Laura

 

[Majestic]

Sadly, the database was never completed. I just haven't had the time needed to enter all of the info. It's lots of work. I wish I could say I will get to it but it's going to have to wait till at least August as I am busy working on the Northeast US Disney Fans Meet for July 9th.

FOr a MK view you can ask for a North Wing woods view high floor (5th or 6th) or you can do North Wing concierge woods view which is on the 7th floor. All should give you limited views of the castle and fireworks at night.

Hope this helps!

Fred

Good Morning!!
Can anyone tell me if the room database that Fred was working on at the beginning of the thread is done and if so where would I find it.
Thanks for all the great info- now if I can just find time to read it all!!!!

Laura

 

[sugarplumsmom]

Thank You Fred!!!

That was just the information I was looking for!!!

I appreciate your help!!!!

Laura

 

[kimmar067]

Good Morning!!


Thanks for all the great info- now if I can just find time to read it all!!!!

Laura

...Laura! Don't forget to read the OTHER 4 installments of the WL FAQ thread....it'll take ya right into the 17th ! Hey, and again, WELCOME to the WL FAQ thread, THE best place to be on the DIS!

 

[NHmomof2princesses]

38 days until we are at the Lodge!!!
Thank you to everyone for the information on this thread. I am still reading back through this one and the other 4 installments!
Myself, DH and DD's 6 & 8 are "first timers" and very glad for the help received here. We have paid for a woods view and hope request castle/fireworks views upon arrival! We will report back on our room number and experience upon return.
Thanks again!

 

[Samsma]

Only 23 more days for me. We are staying at the Villa's and I am so excited to be at the WL. We stayed at AKL in 2003 and absolutely loved it. In fact we are going back to Boma for dinner, because we want to show it off to the rest of the family! Anyway, if WL is similar, with a better location, boats, bikes, hikes, WCC, etc., we will have to love it even more.

Should I make PS's for WCC for breakfast also in case we decide we want to eat there in the mornings. What are the chances of a walk in breakfast or lunch if we decide last minute (4th of July week). Thanks!

 

[SeaSpray]

We'll be at the WL in 25 days! July 5th - 7th, then we move over to the Polynesian. All you DISers who are going the same time, LOOK FOR US and say "Hi!" I have a couple of those lime green Mickey heads that I'm going to put on my waist pack, and I'll write 'SeaSpray' on them, so if you see that, you know you've found a DISer. I just read a report where the person said it was hard for them to tell if a person was a DISer just because they had lime green on, and I agree; when I was there in 2002, EVERYONE had lime green on, but I think just because it's a summery color. Try and use lime green ribbon or some other item, so we can distinguish ourselves among the sea of regular limegreen wearers!

 

[Majestic]

I would make your advanced reservation for WCC breakfast the night before. Depending on the time you want to go you may have to wait as it is pretty busy for Breakfast. This way you are only making them when you know you want to go. Some of the time slots may already be taken up but I would guess you'll get in ok. We've done a busy morning with no advanced reservation and only had to wait 20 minutes.

Another suggestion to you would be take a walk around the hotel. Explore the different floors and the secrets they hold. Lots of cool things to look at. If you are interested, ask the front desk for a tour of the concierge area. It has some of the best views of Bay Lake and the lobby. Bring your camera. You may even get some delicious cookies out of the deal!! If you do go up there say hello from Fred!

There are lots of hidden mickeys too! Ask for a quest sheet at the front desk. It will keep you busy for hours.

Lastly, if you have time, take a walk down the nature trail to Fort Wilderness. Lots of wildlife out there. You may even see deer! It's not that far and there is lots to do at FW too.

There is sooooo much more to WL than just a place to sleep at night. You'll see.

Have a magical vacation but most of all, enjoy your Wilderness Lodge stay. Don't forget to pat Humphrey the Bear's nose at the mercantile for good luck!

Fred

Only 23 more days for me. We are staying at the Villa's and I am so excited to be at the WL. We stayed at AKL in 2003 and absolutely loved it. In fact we are going back to Boma for dinner, because we want to show it off to the rest of the family! Anyway, if WL is similar, with a better location, boats, bikes, hikes, WCC, etc., we will have to love it even more.

Should I make PS's for WCC for breakfast also in case we decide we want to eat there in the mornings. What are the chances of a walk in breakfast or lunch if we decide last minute (4th of July week). Thanks!

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

I'm back...

What a wonderful trip, just too much rain, out of 12 days we had 5 days of rain. You know the kind that when you wake-up in the morning and look out the window you just want to go back to bed. We didn't let it keep us from the parks but after the third day it was just getting us down. We still managed to do everything we had scheduled. The weather caught us by surprise because the pattern was just not normal for Florida this time of year.

We checked in to the Lodge May 26th. I had reservations for a Woods View but we were upgraded to a beautiful Inner Courtyard View on the 6th floor next to the waterfall, just under the Presidential Suite so we had wooden slat's on the balcony...not an enclosed balcony.

I'll get to the information related to the news from the Lodge, I did meet-up with Mark Newman the manager of concierge on my second visit to the Lodge later in the trip.

#1 The New Concierge Lounge is well under way but not complete...New ECD is July...No Photos because the contractor had left for the day and had locked the area...Marco one of the great CM actually picked the lock on the construction area so we could peek in but the electrical box was also locked so Mark was unable to turn any lights on. We took our tour with a few flashlights.

The new lounge “The Old Faithful Club Room” (concierge as we have known in the pass is being changed to the industries new “Club Level”) Concierge services for the resort per say will be handled by Guest Services.

The new Club Lounge will have two entries one to the left of the main elevators, the other entry is located off the main lobby area. A new reception podium will be installed along with new hardwood flooring as you exit the elevators. This will give the guest more of a formal reception area. The new lounge is being construction in an area previously unused. (Dead Zone) NO rooms or suites have been removed or changed (The Honeymoon Suite located closest to the elevators on the Southside of the Lodge has been taken out of service as well as two rooms under the new lounge area on the sixth floor due to the noise concerns)

As you walk into the new lounge there will be a wall of cabinets on the west wall with built in coffee machines and beautiful granite countertops that will extend up the wall as a backsplash, the flooring will be a natural stone and cut timbers are being installed on the ceilings as I type…thus the delay with the opening of the lounge…the timbers can’t be cut on the 7th floor, they had a make-shift work area located out in the CM’s parking lot, then the rain started and it was been raining here in Florida for the last few weeks. Mark said they where trying to come up with a covered area so the work can continue without interruption, hopefully it has now been accomplished and the timber cutting and fitting is being completed.

On the south side of the lobby balcony there will be a new area for children, a mini lounge area with miniature furniture and a plasma flat screen TV. (Disney Channel) On the north side of the lobby will be the new adult area with an adult setting area with an additional larger Plasma Flat Screen TV. (news or weather channel) New tables and chairs will be placed around the balcony so guest will still have the beautiful view to over look the main lobby.. Every morning a few guest will now have the best view on property as Mark as ordered new tables to be placed where the buffet sideboard is now.

Mark is hoping for a completion of the renovations by July, but due to unforeseen delays he can’t give an exact date. It will be worth the wait. Think of natural elements used where ever possible timbers, granite, stone and hardwood flooring.

Now for other news… Starting in January 2006 the Lodge will start undergoing a complete renovation of all soft ware items. Mark said they would start on the 7th floor with new bedding, carpeting, and wallpaper. The Club Level rooms will have upgraded items similar to the style of the Lodge now but a little nicer then the other Lodge rooms.

Mark wasn’t sure if the new items will be a totally new design, as they want to keep the look and feel of the Lodge. We will have to wait and see.


Also by August, the Wilderness Lodge will be completely upgraded to high speed internet access. All Disney Resorts should receive this upgrade by the end of the year.

The next year will be a busy one at the Lodge can’t wait until my next visit, be sure that all of you keep us posted on your upcoming visits.

Remember.....

WHILE AT THE LODGE, PAT THE BEAR'S NOSE SO THE MAGIC CAN BEGIN.

 

[Majestic]

Welcome back and thanks for the great info! Great job!