The Wilderness Lodge and Villas FAQ (Part 7) Simbas and Tiggers and Humphreys OH MY!

[Dani&TJsMom]

I've been trying to decide which resort to stay at this August. We've always stayed at Mods, our last 2 trips at CSR. I really want to upgrade this time, but am still on a tight budget. I just read through this entire thread and think I'm hooked! My first deluxe hotel stay will be at WL. My dh and I talked about staying there after eating at WCC last year. Thanks so much for all the info. I'm sure I'll be visiting often between now and August!

 

[Cinbride]

Taken from the first posting of the first page:
TRANSPORTATION:
You can take a direct Boat or Bus to the Magic Kingdom. Boats also ferry you to Ft Wilderness and the Contemporary. Buses take you EPCOT, Disney Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney, and the water parks.* To reach other resorts, go to the Magic Kingdom (daytime) or Downtown Disney (evening), and then transfer to a resort bus. Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge share many of their bus routes, so travel to and from Fort Wilderness is quite convenient.*

There is a boat that goes from the WL to FT to CR. That is your best bet for Chef Mickey. Where is the Pirate cruise at?

thanks.. the cruise is also at CR. how long should I allow for a boat ride to MK or the one the does WL FT and then CR? Are they also marked? We will mostly be doing MK. With a few things at CR. Then a half day at Epcot, DHS, and maybe AK. We will also be going to the campfire thing at FT. wilderness.

We have an early morning breakfast at LTT and then the next day at Chef Mickey with the cruise at night. I can not wait!!!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

That look divine! Thank you for posting this ^^^, CR_Resort_Fan4Life. (Recently reloated to TN from BFLO - seen the Leafs play many times against my Sabres )

You're welcome.

 

[dawnedwards]

Might be a silly question, but what soap/shampoo items are in the rooms at WL. In pictures I have seen both the red and black Mickey stuff and the teal H2O products? We stayed at AKL in 2007 and got soap shampoo and conditioner in the room all H20 products and I love them. If that is what you get at WL I may not bring stuff from home.

 

[PrncessA]

Might be a silly question, but what soap/shampoo items are in the rooms at WL. In pictures I have seen both the red and black Mickey stuff and the teal H2O products? We stayed at AKL in 2007 and got soap shampoo and conditioner in the room all H20 products and I love them. If that is what you get at WL I may not bring stuff from home.

We got all H2O products when were at WL in September.

 

[dawnedwards]

Thanks now I will have more room in my suitcase.

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

thanks.. the cruise is also at CR. how long should I allow for a boat ride to MK or the one the does WL FT and then CR? Are they also marked? We will mostly be doing MK. With a few things at CR. Then a half day at Epcot, DHS, and maybe AK. We will also be going to the campfire thing at FT. wilderness.

We have an early morning breakfast at LTT and then the next day at Chef Mickey with the cruise at night. I can not wait!!!

The Blue Flag Resort Boats Run continuously between the three resorts (Wilderness Lodge, Contemporary Resort and Ft. Wilderness Campground) there are at lest two of these smaller boats that run during the day. Always check with the boat Capitan as to which resort the boat will be headed for next, in the am they travel clockwise WL, CR, Ft Wilderness at 3:00pm they reverse the route to counter clockwise WL, Ft. Wilderness, CR. The operating hours are 6:45am-11:30pm (Times & Schedules are subject to change)

I would give myself at least 45 minutes to an hour, depending upon time of day, an extra 15 if it was going the opposite I need to be.

 

[satilik]

The Blue Flag Resort Boats Run continuously between the three resorts (Wilderness Lodge, Contemporary Resort and Ft. Wilderness Campground) there are at lest two of these smaller boats that run during the day. Always check with the boat Capitan as to which resort the boat will be headed for next, in the am they travel clockwise WL, CR, Ft Wilderness at 3:00pm they reverse the route to counter clockwise WL, Ft. Wilderness, CR. The operating hours are 6:45am-11:30pm (Times & Schedules are subject to change)

I would give myself at least 45 minutes to an hour, depending upon time of day, an extra 15 if it was going the opposite I need to be.

This is how they were running last week.

We have an early morning breakfast at LTT and then the next day at Chef Mickey with the cruise at night. I can not wait!!!

The red flag boats go to the Magic Kingdom and last week they started running 30 minutes prior to park opening. If you have an early ADR at the MK I would suggest you take the resort boat to the Contemporary and either walk to the MK or take the monorail. I would probably walk due to the fact that the resort monorail from the Contemporary will make 3 stops before you get to the MK. Plus you have to get up to the monorail platform and then wait for it to arrive.

I'm not sure if there are early buses to the MK.

Also the boat to the MK took about 8 minutes once you were underway.

 

[LlamaMamaof2]

We had breakfast this week at the castle at 8:10 AM. As the park didn't open until 9 AM, there were no boats running. The front desk informed me that you have to take the bus in the morning for early breakfast reservations. They recommended we catch the bus an hour early as the bus went to multiple stops. Also, we weren't allowed in the park until ten minutes till 8.

 

[LlamaMamaof2]

Also- WL shared a bus with the GF going to and from the AK. We shared a bus with the campground for the studios. Don't know if WL always shares with GF or if this is new.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

We had breakfast this week at the castle at 8:10 AM. As the park didn't open until 9 AM, there were no boats running. The front desk informed me that you have to take the bus in the morning for early breakfast reservations. They recommended we catch the bus an hour early as the bus went to multiple stops. Also, we weren't allowed in the park until ten minutes till 8.

The character breakfast bus was our only bad transportation issue we had while at the Lodge in Dec. We had an 8:15 ressie at Crystal Palace, and were told to be at the MK bus stop at 7. We got there, and waited while bus after bus came for other parks (3 AK busses came while we were waiting) We asked one of the drivers about the MK bus, and he told us to call on the phone over behind a bence. We did, and were told the bus was "on the way" 20 min later, another woman called, and was told the same thing. The bus finally arrived at 7:45, and by then, there wasn't enough room on the bus for everyone who was waiting. It wound up not being a big deal, as we got to MK, and they still weren't letting anyone in for early breakfasts (waited till 5 of 8), but it sure would have been nice to get a little more sleep, instead of waiting in the cold for a bus for 45 min.

 

[Carrie772]

The character breakfast bus was our only bad transportation issue we had while at the Lodge in Dec. We had an 8:15 ressie at Crystal Palace, and were told to be at the MK bus stop at 7. We got there, and waited while bus after bus came for other parks (3 AK busses came while we were waiting) We asked one of the drivers about the MK bus, and he told us to call on the phone over behind a bence. We did, and were told the bus was "on the way" 20 min later, another woman called, and was told the same thing. The bus finally arrived at 7:45, and by then, there wasn't enough room on the bus for everyone who was waiting. It wound up not being a big deal, as we got to MK, and they still weren't letting anyone in for early breakfasts (waited till 5 of 8), but it sure would have been nice to get a little more sleep, instead of waiting in the cold for a bus for 45 min.

Eww! I would hate to wait that long and then experience all the antsy-ness that goes along with it. Ick.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

The character breakfast bus was our only bad transportation issue we had while at the Lodge in Dec. We had an 8:15 ressie at Crystal Palace, and were told to be at the MK bus stop at 7. We got there, and waited while bus after bus came for other parks (3 AK busses came while we were waiting) We asked one of the drivers about the MK bus, and he told us to call on the phone over behind a bence. We did, and were told the bus was "on the way" 20 min later, another woman called, and was told the same thing. The bus finally arrived at 7:45, and by then, there wasn't enough room on the bus for everyone who was waiting. It wound up not being a big deal, as we got to MK, and they still weren't letting anyone in for early breakfasts (waited till 5 of 8), but it sure would have been nice to get a little more sleep, instead of waiting in the cold for a bus for 45 min.

This is the exact reason why we take a cab to MK for our early ADR at CP. Taking it from the WL is the cheapest too.

You just tell the cabbie that you want to go to CR, but before he makes his right turn to go into the CR driveway, just have him drop you off. Its a five minute walk to the gates of MK. It steps aways from the furthest bus stop.

That $5 cab rides buys us that extra 45minutes of sleep...PRICELESS!

 

[leane]

We booked a stay at the WL for November and I have a couple of questions.

We will be trying to upgrade to a 2BR villa if they ever become available (scored a 2 BR at BCV for a split ) -- For now we have 1 standard room courtyard view with bunks and 1 1 BR villa.

I am looking for a veteran of WL to help me out.... could it be possible for us to be in the same building, same floor, close to eachother if we keep the rooms we have ?

TIA if you can help.

 

[Schmoodle]

We just got back yesterday from Disney World and had a great time. We stayed for 6 nights at Wilderness Lodge in a woods view bunk bed room. Our room, 4032 was right off the elevator and was a great location for us. I only heard noise from the elevator area a few times during our stay. We could see the castle and the Contemporary Resort through the trees and had a half decent view of the fireworks.

We loved the look and feel of the resort, the lobby is incredible. Also being able to walk down to the dock and catch a boat to the Magic Kingdom was great. The kids loved the pool area and we also had fun searching for the hidden Mickeys.

I would have to agree that the rooms are getting worn. Our room had some issues. The sinks dripped and the shower curtain rings were rusted. While I know these are minor issues but for what Disney charges for a room there shouldn't be these type of problems. There was also a couple of issues with mousekeeping on 2 days.

satilik, so funny, we had your room this past weekend! We were at WDW for 9 days and spent the first 7 at CBR, but treated ourselves to the last two nights at the Wilderness. Also funny that I only live about 10 - 15 miles from you! It is indeed a small world. Anyway, thanks for sharing the room, we enjoyed it very much. We also bumped into a family from Middletown while we were there. January must be the month to visit from Mid-MD!

 

[WLSILVERCREEKSPRINGS]

We booked a stay at the WL for November and I have a couple of questions.

We will be trying to upgrade to a 2BR villa if they ever become available (scored a 2 BR at BCV for a split ) -- For now we have 1 standard room courtyard view with bunks and 1 1 BR villa.

I am looking for a veteran of WL to help me out.... could it be possible for us to be in the same building, same floor, close to eachother if we keep the rooms we have ?

TIA if you can help.

WLV is a separate building

 

[Loopner]

Might be a silly question, but what soap/shampoo items are in the rooms at WL. In pictures I have seen both the red and black Mickey stuff and the teal H2O products? We stayed at AKL in 2007 and got soap shampoo and conditioner in the room all H20 products and I love them. If that is what you get at WL I may not bring stuff from home.

Just back and it was all H2O products!

 

[Loopner]

We just got back yesterday from Disney World and had a great time. We stayed for 6 nights at Wilderness Lodge in a woods view bunk bed room. Our room, 4032 was right off the elevator and was a great location for us. I only heard noise from the elevator area a few times during our stay. We could see the castle and the Contemporary Resort through the trees and had a half decent view of the fireworks.

We loved the look and feel of the resort, the lobby is incredible. Also being able to walk down to the dock and catch a boat to the Magic Kingdom was great. The kids loved the pool area and we also had fun searching for the hidden Mickeys.

I would have to agree that the rooms are getting worn. Our room had some issues. The sinks dripped and the shower curtain rings were rusted. While I know these are minor issues but for what Disney charges for a room there shouldn't be these type of problems. There was also a couple of issues with mousekeeping on 2 days.

How funny... we were there at the same time (1/16 - 1/23) and were right down the hall from you. We had room # 4028! I loved being closer to the elevators and we didn't hear much noise from it. We also loved being able to see the castle (thru the trees), the Contemporary and the monorails going by. My DH & I would eat our breakfast out on the balcony each morning (we'd get it down in Roaring Forks, then bring it back to our room). Our boys *loved* being able to see the Wishes Fireworks from our balcony, too!

My husband loves the boats to MK. I think it's always a highlight for us when we stay at WL.

I honestly didn't think our room looked worn, but you probably saw things that we didn't. I probably look past a lot of stuff because I'm on such a high the whole time we're there.

We only got towel animals twice (with a 7 night stay), but that was okay! I'm just mentioning it because we've gotten them a lot more in the past and I know that some people like to know more current info on this stuff.

My kids *loved* the activities by the pool one afternoon. We're going to schedule more pool time into our next WDW vacation. My boys both won board games at a Hula Hoop contest by the pool. They did the Cha Cha Slide & the Chicken dance, played with a huge beach ball and played Giant Jenga. They could've stayed there all day and bypassed touring a park.

I thought that the crowds were so/so on MLK weekend. We expected some lines and utilized FP when necessary. It was awesome on Tuesday (day after MLK) when the crowds lessened (a lot). We were walking on rides. Now don't get me wrong, the popular rides still need FPs. The Fast Passes for TSM were gone by 11:30 am on a moderately busy day in DHS. Peter Pan was 45 min + the whole time. BTMRR was busier than usual because Splash Mtn was closed.

We made the mistake of changing plans and going to DHS on a Fantasmic night (and we weren't seeing the show). It looked like every vacationer was thrown up into this park and I was sorry we changed our plans the second we got off the bus. Lesson learned!

We had to cancel a LeCellier ADR because my DH wasn't feeling well. I totally understood about not spending the $$$ when he wasn't up to par. We still put the kids into the Cub's Den (They love it there) and we went to The Territory Lounge. You can get a few food items there, so it worked out nicely for us.

We spent time in the arcade for the first time. The games are by "points" and not by amount of money. You load points onto a card and swipe it to play. I thought the games were pretty pricey. I laughed because with my package I got a voucher for 100 free points and the first game my son played was 75 points all by itself! LOL

I'll miss seeing my boys ring the bell outside of the arcade every time we're headed to the bus stop.

There *is* a photopass guy taking pictures from like 4:30 - 9:30. It's different than the pictures they take with the advanced bookings and it is "free" on your photopass like any other photopass picture. We, unfortunately, never did this because I waited to ask the guy what exactly he was doing until it was too late. He was situated in the lobby, towards the back window by the little bridge.

Hmm...what else? If you have questions, please ask! I could probably sit here and ramble on for another half hour.

 

[leane]

WLV is a separate building

Thanks .. and SHOOT!

So I guess I would be better off booking a stuido if we have to be close to eachother. Then there will be no real need to worry for a 2 BR villa because we are making our own or trying to

And there is still the points possibility but I am not counting on that one.

 

[nathanyell]

We had room # 4028!

It's hard coming back I know so HUGS!

We had room #7085 from 1/16-18 and then #5031 from 1/18-25. I totally agree that being close to the Roaring Fork elevator was real nice. I'm really surprised I never ran into you since we were on the same elevator all the time. I did run into another person (Hi Lili!) on the board who came up to me the second to last day. she recognized me from my pic.

It was great sharing stories with her. I am working on a trip report now, but I'm sure that work and school will have to take priority.

I have not even downloaded the pictures from the camera yet.

Brian