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

[JadenLayne]

Oooo I would love to see that list too.

 

[sewer]

I've read some stories on the web about how bad the transportation is between WL, and the other areas of the park. Are these true?

 

[tiggrbaby]

I don't think that it is just WL, I think all of the transportation is inconsistant. We had times last week where the bus came promptly, and one glaring time when EMH was at MGM and we had 3 AK, 2MK, and 1 Epcot bus pass in the 30 minutes we were there before our MGM bus came! We joked that it was Disney's way of keeping down the numbers for EMH.

We did not have a problem with stopping at other resorts before going to the parks. I think we had one bus the entire time where we stopped at FW before our resort; all the other times it was WL first.

I remember in 2003 we stayed at BWV and the buses made many stops and were very crowded. And don't get me started on the time we stayed at Doubletree! Disney's worst bus day is heaven compared to that route!

I would just suggest that you leave extra time if you have a reservation or a certain time you need to be somewhere.

 

[Jesussavedme]

Room Upgrades - Are they ever complimentary? We're staying there for a week in June and have concierge for the last 2 nights. The first part of our stay is standard courtyard view. Do they ever upgrade you just to be nice, or if you ask?

I read somehwere that a person faxed the WL the week before she got there, asking to make their Anniversary special and it worked. They gave them an upgrade.
We'll be celebrating our 5 year Anniv, should I fax them too?

Thanks for any input!

 

[Jesussavedme]

Oh yeah, another question!
CONCIERGE - Is there a particular room that you would recommend?
We reserved the honeymoon suite for 2 nights, are they nice?

Thanks!!!!!!!

 

[Luvamouse]

I am having such a planning dilemma . I haven't been to WDW since I was 19 and DH and DD's have never been. We are going Thanksgiving 2007 and I want it to be great . After debating split stays and other various atrocities, we are staying WL all the way, DDP for all options... I think... After looking, reading, agonizing... I am not sure if we should stay ...

1) Regular room--I mean, what else do we really need with the DDP, Park Hoppers and Water Park option? We can sit downstairs in the lobby to admire it and relax--right?

2) Concierge--If we are doing a real all out trip, that would be the way to go, wouldn't it?

3) Deluxe Room- Skip the concierge and give ourselves some room to spread out when we come back to the room. (I don't need help with ADR's and all the preplanning. I will probably use a TA anyway.) We plan to be there for 9 nights-- we certainly won't be militant park hoppers. For T-Day, I figured we'd try to take it easy and maybe skip the parks altogether, doing the Hoop Dee Doo for T-Day dinner--ahhh, just like home! Lots of room to crash in our room when we need downtime.

So, money isn't really the object, but getting a bang for my buck is. I'd finally talked myself (and DH by yammering on about it so much ) into concierge, and to spend another $600 bucks to go deluxe has me wondering. But boy, the space looks invaluable . I keep going back to the floorplan on this thread. Wow.

So all of you wonderful WL regulars-- I bet you've been in my place-- what have you done, wish you'd done, ?

Thanks for all the incredible stuff on this thread!

Heidi

 

[LisaRN]

So all of you wonderful WL regulars-- I bet you've been in my place-- what have you done, wish you'd done, ?

Thanks for all the incredible stuff on this thread!

Heidi

I really like the Concierge..and especially at Thanksgiving..the quietness of that floor will be nice. It will probably be quite crowded at WL..and with limited access to the 7th floor, there will be more space to relax and alot less traffic. Also, it might be easier for the Concierge to get that HDD ressie for you on Thanksgiving, as I am sure it might fill up fast. But as I said, we totally enjoyed the whole ambience up there. We spent a majority of our time, while at the hotel, on the sofas up there, taking it all in. If sitting out in the lounge area isn't for you, and you like to sit in your room, go for the deluxe. Never stayed deluxe...but would like to try it someday If you're on a budget and really need to watch what you spend, go for a regular room.

 

[LisaRN]

Oh yeah, another question!
CONCIERGE - Is there a particular room that you would recommend?
We reserved the honeymoon suite for 2 nights, are they nice?

Thanks!!!!!!!

The honeymoon suites are in the "lobby" area...so they are not "Courtyard". I think they would have either a "north" view or "south" view. I am not 100% positive on that..but I think that's the way it is. You will love the Concierge level..it's wonderful

 

[LisaRN]

Room Upgrades - Are they ever complimentary? We're staying there for a week in June and have concierge for the last 2 nights. The first part of our stay is standard courtyard view. Do they ever upgrade you just to be nice, or if you ask?

I read somehwere that a person faxed the WL the week before she got there, asking to make their Anniversary special and it worked. They gave them an upgrade.
We'll be celebrating our 5 year Anniv, should I fax them too?

Thanks for any input!

I know people have gotten complimentary upgrades. You can let them know it's your anniversary..and maybe you will get pixie dusted. If you really have your heart set on a room view/category though, I would request it specifically, as you don't want to be dissappointed in not getting the complimentary upgrade. I guess I would feel funny about faxing them and asking them specifically to make my anniversary special I would just have them note on my reservation, I was celebrating my wedding anniversary

 

[denisekayt]

Hi Luvamouse!

I can't tell you what might be right for your family, but I can tell you the thought process I used to decide our families next trip, where I'm doing a little more "all out" then we did last time....

Last trip we had a woods view room. Did we enjoy it? YES! BUT...based on the way we vacation, there are a few things that I know concierge will make easier and more enjoyable for the whole family.

- My DH likes breakfast, my DS needs breakfast, and I'm not much of a breakfast person. Couple all that with the fact that I'm much more ready to be up and out and going in the morning than the other two, and it makes "let's just GET to the parks" sort of a nightmare

Having breakfast in the concierge lounge for us in the mornings will help me keep my sanity...the boys will get breakfast, it will be fast, and most of all it will be convenient to our room! (oh, and it will also help chill me out a bit on the whole "we should get up early" thing...really, I mean it...well, I promise to try )

- DH doesn't like crowds, and he likes to hang out at the hotel more than DS and I. Having some quiet space up in concierge will help him have a great vacation!

- Ok, let's be honest...for me concierge is all about laziness and convenience, and for me that beats extra space!

How nice will it be if we want a snack or a soda to walk down the hall and get one with no elevators to wait for, probably only a short hallway to walk, and an excellent view of the main lobby to boot? (compared to our long trek from the far end of one hallway, down 6 flights, around the corner, and another hallway trek we had last time to get to Roaring Forks?)

Want a night-time dessert? Head to the lounge. DS wants something to snack on when we come back to the hotel for an afternoon break? Guess what, lounge has something for him! DH's hot chocolate fix that he seemed to need 5 times a day on our last trip? Lounge even has that!

OK, now that I've totally given a biased viewpoint I'll let someone else talk up the deluxe rooms

 

[Anna114]

Here's a concern that I have had for the last few weeks. We don't land until 4:10pm. I have requested bunk beds. Because we will be checking in later than most will we be skunked? It's a first come first serve basis? I'm thinking It's better to stand on a VERY long line to get what you want then take everyone else's leavings. I'm begging anyone to discount this allusion )

Have a magical day,
Anna

 

[Luvamouse]

I really like the Concierge..and especially at Thanksgiving..the quietness of that floor will be nice. It will probably be quite crowded at WL..and with limited access to the 7th floor, there will be more space to relax and alot less traffic. Also, it might be easier for the Concierge to get that HDD ressie for you on Thanksgiving, as I am sure it might fill up fast. But as I said, we totally enjoyed the whole ambience up there. We spent a majority of our time, while at the hotel, on the sofas up there, taking it all in. If sitting out in the lounge area isn't for you, and you like to sit in your room, go for the deluxe. Never stayed deluxe...but would like to try it someday If you're on a budget and really need to watch what you spend, go for a regular room.

Thanks, Lisa! Those are a couple of thoughts I've had. We really want the peace and quiet when we are there...some of the posts I read make concierge sound kind of hectic at times. How many concierge rooms at WL? Anyone know? I couldn't find the number yet...

DH doesn't like crowds, and he likes to hang out at the hotel more than DS and I. Having some quiet space up in concierge will help him have a great vacation!
-Ok, let's be honest...for me concierge is all about laziness and convenience, and for me that beats extra space!
-How nice will it be if we want a snack or a soda to walk down the hall and get one with no elevators to wait for, probably only a short hallway to walk, and an excellent view of the main lobby to boot?

And these are other reasons CL sounds so good! DH is a little nervous about the crowds and I was unsure how busy the concierge area gets. He isn't a real social butterfly. Couple that with my two skinny DD's who eat 22/7 (yeah, not all the hours of the day) and even with the DDP will need food when we get back to the room. It would be so nice NOT to have to run downstairs to buy something only to have them not want it or eat 3 bites. DH is also thinking how nice it will be to grab a beer ...gratis...

OK, and then I look at the Deluxe floorplan again...2 girls with lots of stuffed animals and accoutrements...

Thanks so much for the great advice already! Gotta be ready when July rolls around and I can BOOK!

Heidi

 

[denisekayt]

Here's a concern that I have had for the last few weeks. We don't land until 4:10pm. I have requested bunk beds. Because we will be checking in later than most will we be skunked? It's a first come first serve basis? I'm thinking It's better to stand on a VERY long line to get what you want then take everyone else's leavings. I'm begging anyone to discount this allusion )

Have a magical day,
Anna

On our last trip we arrived about 7:00pm, and still had no problem getting a room with bunk beds. Not sure if this would always be true.

Based on what I've heard around the boards most room assignments are done before you arrive...if you have bunk beds requested on your reservation you should have a pretty good chance of getting them no matter what time you arrive.

 

[Jesussavedme]

Does anyone know how I will go about switching from Courtyard View to Concierge? We will have Courtyard view for 5 nights then Concierge for 2 nights. So I'm wondering how we move all of our stuff and get the new room key? What time of day can we do this switch?


Thanks for any input!
Julie

 

[Anna114]

Well thanks for the feedback, you made me feel much better.

Have a magical day,
Anna

On our last trip we arrived about 7:00pm, and still had no problem getting a room with bunk beds. Not sure if this would always be true.

Based on what I've heard around the boards most room assignments are done before you arrive...if you have bunk beds requested on your reservation you should have a pretty good chance of getting them no matter what time you arrive.

 

[ameraumi]

Here I am already fretting about our 2008 trip!

Anyways, I know we will stay at WL with the IL (what SIL and her family does is up to her). I would love to have a MK facing room but I know that is not a sure thing. If I requested north side, woods view, 5th floor or higher would that give me a good shot? I would love to be able to sit on the balcony and see Wishes.

 

[LisaRN]

How many concierge rooms at WL? Anyone know? I couldn't find the number yet...

I believe there are 50. I've did not find it to be overly busy or high traffic up there..at least not when I went, which was the week before Christmas. The parks were crowded, but the CL at the WL was not.

 

[LisaRN]

I would love to have a MK facing room but I know that is not a sure thing. If I requested north side, woods view, 5th floor or higher would that give me a good shot? I would love to be able to sit on the balcony and see Wishes.

Yup..that would be what you would want to request for a view of the MK.

 

[Luvamouse]

I believe there are 50. I've did not find it to be overly busy or high traffic up there..at least not when I went, which was the week before Christmas. The parks were crowded, but the CL at the WL was not.

Thanks Lisa-- I think that would cover busy times of the year! The other thought I had is that my DD's want bunkbeds and the deluxe rooms don't appear to have them.

My big fear was to pay the extra for concierge and have it be mobbed. Can anyone say "free breakfast at Comfort Suites during sports weekends??" It is terrifying! What would I do without all of you who've gone before me

Heidi

 

[highlander]

Maybe not the place for this question, but does anyone know what type of coffee filters will work in the coffee pots in WL? My sister is staying with us and a big time coffee drinker. I usually use what the hotel provides in the room and I'm set for the day, but my sister needs her coffee fix in the morning and evening and I'm planning on bringing coffee this year. I know, the mug would be easier......