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

[AlexWyattMommy]

 

[goofy4prez]

Oh honey, let me tell you!!! I am just PLEADING to be found by fellow DISers! I mean every single thing I own, carry, wear, married, or gave birth to has been tagged with a Lime Green Mickey Head (with camsmomE on them) and honestly, when I tell you my daughter is the real life Stitch, I am so totally not kidding- we are hard to miss! I may have asked you this already, but will you be at the DIS meet on the 7th?

Now I'm going to be looking at every person in the WL while we are there to see if they have a lime green Mickey head.

Looks like we are down there the same time you are and a few others. We're there from the 1st-8th. I'm sure I'll be wearing some kind of Ohio State T, or a team cap from one of our illustrious sports teams from Cleveland.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Anyone going to be there Aug 21-28?

Or will I be the only DISer at WL that week?

 

[BlueFairy]

Hi! I'm new to all this and still learning everything. What is a bounceback and how do you get pin information?

Through Dream Unlimited I have a quote for CSR w/free dining plan that I am seriously considering. I just emailed back to see what bumping up to WL would be for the same plan.

Is it better to get a room rate w/discount, no dining plan? I understand you can get good discounts on the room this way, but wouldn't paying for food eat up that savings??

I am still trying to figure out discounts, rates, dining plans, etc. We would be staying 9 days/8 nights with a 4 year old and 9 month baby. I LOVE the way this resort looks from pictures. Being our first stay, I want it to be special. We are going Nov 27-Dec. 5th. I am trying to figure out how to go about getting the best deal!

Would love some suggestions!

Laura

Bounceback is an enticement to rebook that gives you a discount for some period during the following year. But you must book while you are still checked in at your resort. Look for it during your stay if you plan to come back.
PINs are e-mail or snail mail offers that are nontransferrable. Sign up for everything on Disney's website, use their site a lot, and pray for some mail.
Our children are similar in age to yours. Since you only pay for 3 people for the dining plan, and you 4 year old probably doesn't eat as much, you may find that getting free dining does not give you the same value that a room-only discount does. That is what we've decided. We would have had a lot of wasted food and lost credits that didn't get used. The only way to know is to study the menus and do the math. There is lots of info on this on the DDP board.
We used the gift card with full price room promo that was offered for the spring. The gift card paid for our dining and souvenirs. I had a spreadsheet to compare free dining, buying a dining package, 25% off, 35% off, my PIN, and the gift card offer. Everytime there was a new offer, I did the math again. DU will help you. Just e-mail your agent when you have questions. If you are eligible for a current offer and it will save you money, they will make sure you know about it.
We changed from full-price at CSR to the discount at WL. It was fantastic. WL is so accessible for kids that age. We love the boats and short ride to MK.
Good luck with your decision! PM me if you have questions. I can dig out my spreadsheet if I need to.

 

[WLSILVERCREEKSPRINGS]

Hi All! My husband and I will be staying at the Wilderness Lodge August 7 - 14. We have reserved "woods view". I believe this is a notch above standard. What will this view over look? I know it will probably over look the woods, but does it overlook the monorail or castle? Also, what is the very best view you can get at the lodge? We are willing to pay for an upgrade.

Thanks so much! Brunette

One year we were upgraded to a woods view that overlooked the WLV building it was bad but there weren't many trees; our favorite view is the inner court yard pool view because you can see all of the beautiful courtyard and Bay Lake!

 

[mep319]

Anyone going to be there Aug 21-28?

Or will I be the only DISer at WL that week?

I'll be there August 18-24.

 

[grumpysmrs]

YAY...travel docs got here yesterday..... 28 days and we r at WL for the first time.......

 

[roydavid7771]

Anyone going to be there Aug 21-28?

Or will I be the only DISer at WL that week?

I'm there from Aug. 16-22. This is my first time staying in a Disney resort, so needless to say, I'm looking forward to this very much!

 

[roydavid7771]

Forgot to ask....I need a no-nonsense answer....how good is the bus transportation now at the WL? I stayed at the Swan last year and enjoyed using the boats to get to EPCOT and DHS. Buses are fine, but if I'm waiting in line for 20-30 minutes to get back with multiple stops before getting home, then I am seriously considering renting a car. Thoughts?

 

[sorahl]

Forgot to ask....I need a no-nonsense answer....how good is the bus transportation now at the WL? I stayed at the Swan last year and enjoyed using the boats to get to EPCOT and DHS. Buses are fine, but if I'm waiting in line for 20-30 minutes to get back with multiple stops before getting home, then I am seriously considering renting a car. Thoughts?

I've stayed at PO:RS (2x), AS:Mo, and WL. The busing at WL is the BEST of all those... less than 5 to Mk, quick to all the others (slightly longer to AK) and not NEARLY as crowded as the other resorts we've stayed at. Plus you have the option of the boat to MK as well.
Example. August 2007 we saw illuminations and it took us over 90 mins to get back to PO:RS and stood the whole way back...ARGH
in August 2008 we saw illuminations and it took us 35 minutes to get back to WL (monorail to TTC, Monorail to MK, Boat to WL).

Is busing perfect? no, has our experience at WL been the best of all the places we've stayed - absolutely....

 

[BlueFairy]

Forgot to ask....I need a no-nonsense answer....how good is the bus transportation now at the WL? I stayed at the Swan last year and enjoyed using the boats to get to EPCOT and DHS. Buses are fine, but if I'm waiting in line for 20-30 minutes to get back with multiple stops before getting home, then I am seriously considering renting a car. Thoughts?

I found the buses to be good with the ocassional long wait for a bus to Epcot. I do not like staying at an Epcot resort because they often share with at least 2 or more other resorts. I also avoid taking a bus to DTD at any time because there are so many stops.
I prefer WL buses to BW or Dolphin buses, if that helps.

 

[brunette8706]

Hey All!

Has anyone tried the CL at the Wilderness Lodge? If so, how did you like it? We are going August 7 - 14, anyone else going that time???

 

[brunette8706]

One year we were upgraded to a woods view that overlooked the WLV building it was bad but there weren't many trees; our favorite view is the inner court yard pool view because you can see all of the beautiful courtyard and Bay Lake!

*
Hi! Thanks so much! It looks just beautiful!

 

[LuvsBlueDiamonds]

Hey All!

Has anyone tried the CL at the Wilderness Lodge? If so, how did you like it? We are going August 7 - 14, anyone else going that time???

We'll be there the same week!! It will our second trip to WL staying CL. I die! LOVE IT!!!

 

[disnewbie108]

Hey All!

Has anyone tried the CL at the Wilderness Lodge? If so, how did you like it? We are going August 7 - 14, anyone else going that time???

Hi! We will be there 8/8-8/13...Looking forward to it. Sorry, cannot comment on WL CL as it will be our first time in CL there. Loved the AKCL, so hope this will be similar. But the wonderful people on the DIS had a lot of great things to say about it, and some had not so great things. Either way, to each his own, I am just excited to be going to the World. Maybe we will see each other and for sure some of the other DIS folks...Looking forward to running into any DIS folks!

Will be me, dh, ds7 & ds1!

 

[brunette8706]

This is so so cool!

There are about 4 of us that will be there the same week!

Brunette8706

LuvsBlueDiamonds

disnewbie108

AlexWyattMommy

Goof4Prez

Anyone else want to get added to the August 6 - 15th week at the wonderful Wilderness Lodge?

Brunette

 

[goofy4prez]

Hey All!

Has anyone tried the CL at the Wilderness Lodge? If so, how did you like it? We are going August 7 - 14, anyone else going that time???

We are going to be there from August 1-8, so we're only going to be there during your stay on the 7th. You will enjoy CL. We have always stayed CL at the WL and this upcoming trip is no exception. Perhaps we'll see you up there.

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

signing onto the thread! We're hoping to stay at WL again this Dec! My brother will be a WDW CP CM for the fall semester so we're hoping to get his great discount like what I got the past 2 years when I was a CP!! He checks-in in 3 weeks so we will be finalizing our days and hopefully booking asap as I know those rooms go fast in Dec!

 

[disnewbie108]

How cool! So many DISers will be there @ the same time. Hope to run into you fine folks!

I wanted to post a kudos to the WL CL IPO CM's. Our ADRs went from party of 6 to party of 7 unexpectedly when my BIL joined my MIL & FIL's reservation (they are staying @ POR). Brittany with the IPO was able to get all of my ADRs changed at some very popular places with very short notice. From what I understand, this can be quite a hard thing to do. I can tell you Bittany never gave up. She kept me updated. I rcv'd my updated itinerary today with all ADR's as party of 7. She totally exceeded my expectations and made me a fan! Thanks IPO!

Hope you guys are lucky enuf to have the pleasure of working with Brittany.

H

 

[brunette8706]

This is so so cool!

There are about 4 of us that will be there the same week!

Brunette8706

LuvsBlueDiamonds

disnewbie108

AlexWyattMommy

Goofy4Prez

Anyone else want to get added to the August 6 - 15th week at the wonderful Wilderness Lodge?

Brunette

**
I just added Goofy4Prez to the list!! Anyone else coming to the WL August 6-15?