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

[Grammie3]

I believe most of them stay up through New Years. I'll be there a week and a half later, so I expect everything to be gone. :-( But the crowds will be a lot lighter! Guess that is a good trade off!!!

Brian "Look at my ticker! Look at my ticker!"

Wish this were my year, but I have a full year to plan
I just read about the Sleigh Rides that are still being done through Dec. 30th this year over in the Ft. Wilderness, that sounds like a definite thing for us to do next year!

I am thinking that for NYE we will have dinner at the Flying Fish Cafe or possibly in Epcot and stay for Illuminations there. It is a toss up, with going to DHS for Osbourne Lights, but I think Illuminations, and maybe after going to Jellyrolls would be fun.

I am want to get ADR's for Cali, Artist Point and on our Anniversary night V&A's guess those are the ones that I want to do the most. So, like I said have a whole yeat to look at how to work this.

Cindy

 

[SantaRay]

We've been to the Yellowstone NP lodges, and we've been to the Grand Californian hotel, so I'm thinking WL is somewhere in-between?

I've heard great things about WL, so I can't wait!

I've never been to the Grand Californian, but my first visit to WL brought back childhood memories of the Old Faithful Inn. We stayed at WL the third week it was open and fell in love with the place. We immediately bought into DVC when the Villas were announced and have stayed there many times. Our favorite time of year to go home has to be early December. The decorations are beautiful. Take the resort tour if you get the chance and have a wonderful trip.

 

[grumpy's fan]

WL was one of the few resorts we didn't get to visit on our December trip (sad that we missed out on the Xmas decor), so this will be our first time seeing it. We've been to the Yellowstone NP lodges, and we've been to the Grand Californian hotel, so I'm thinking WL is somewhere in-between?

I've heard great things about WL, so I can't wait!

IMO, WL is grander and more beautiful than the Grand California as the grounds at WL are wonderful and add to the ambiance of the entire experience. The Grand Calif is sitting next to Calif Disney and just doesn't offer the same wooded atmosphere. I love to stay at WL - it is on of our family favorites!

 

[nathanyell]

IMO, WL is grander and more beautiful than the Grand California as the grounds at WL are wonderful and add to the ambiance of the entire experience. The Grand Calif is sitting next to Calif Disney and just doesn't offer the same wooded atmosphere. I love to stay at WL - it is on of our family favorites!

I agree with this one. The woods by the lake really makes WL seem like it is nowhere near any park. Though with just a short boat ride you are in the MK.

BTW... 3 weeks from today I'll be there!!!!

Brian

 

[sophie832]

I hope it is a grand surprise ;-). From what I have seen it does look a lot like the Grand Californian, but I have never been there personally.

Brian

Well, it would've been a surprise...until I found out DH is a lurker on the DIS. Then I got a txt from him about how happy he is and what a pleasant surprise it is. I guess it was a surprise, but not exactly how I intended it

I've never been to the Grand Californian, but my first visit to WL brought back childhood memories of the Old Faithful Inn. We stayed at WL the third week it was open and fell in love with the place. We immediately bought into DVC when the Villas were announced and have stayed there many times. Our favorite time of year to go home has to be early December. The decorations are beautiful. Take the resort tour if you get the chance and have a wonderful trip.

I heard about the resort tour, and it sounds like a lot of fun. We love little details all over the Disney resorts, so we'll be sure and check it out.

IMO, WL is grander and more beautiful than the Grand California as the grounds at WL are wonderful and add to the ambiance of the entire experience. The Grand Calif is sitting next to Calif Disney and just doesn't offer the same wooded atmosphere. I love to stay at WL - it is on of our family favorites!

I'm really looking forward to the woods surrounding the resort...most of our vacations together have been to National Parks. We love the outdoors.

I agree with this one. The woods by the lake really makes WL seem like it is nowhere near any park. Though with just a short boat ride you are in the MK.

BTW... 3 weeks from today I'll be there!!!!

Brian

So, do you find the boat service to MK to be fairly quick? Although we enjoyed the boat rides we took on our last trip, we always found the service to be the slowest of any transportation we took. We thought the monorail was great, but now I'm hearing reports of a lot of problems with it. I guess it depends on your luck. We have a ton of ADRs at the GF, CR, and Poly, so we just want easy transportation to those resorts.

Also, I've been reading a lot about requesting interior courtyard view. We put in a request for a king bed, but we didn't put any view requests yet (we booked courtyard). Should we definitely make that request, too?

 

[2girlsR2good]

Just back from a quick 2 night stay. What a great time! We found the boat transportation to MK perfect--relaxing, never crowded, friendly. We walked up to the dock once just to see the boat pulling away--10 minutes later we were boarding another. That was the longest wait we had. The boat doesn't stop anywhere else, so once you're on your way, you're set. Since nearly everyone on the boat is staying at WL, there's a great vibe--the holiday time might have something to do with that. One evening the group spent the ride to the MK singing Christmas songs My daughter LOVED that.

 

[yarlenna]

Just back from a quick 2 night stay. What a great time! We found the boat transportation to MK perfect--relaxing, never crowded, friendly. We walked up to the dock once just to see the boat pulling away--10 minutes later we were boarding another. That was the longest wait we had. The boat doesn't stop anywhere else, so once you're on your way, you're set. Since nearly everyone on the boat is staying at WL, there's a great vibe--the holiday time might have something to do with that. One evening the group spent the ride to the MK singing Christmas songs My daughter LOVED that.

That sounds great. I know that the kids in my family would love it too.

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Merry Christmas to all!

 

[WDWKOOK]

Merry Christmas to all!

We just opened presents and it looks like it will be a gorgeous day. We're going horseback riding later.

I have lots of OFC lounge photos and some lobby photos, too that I'll post soon.

​

 

[Minnie&Nana]

We just opened presents and it looks like it will be a gorgeous day. We're going horseback riding later.

I have lots of OFC lounge photos and some lobby photos, too that I'll post soon.

​

Sounds wonderful! Have a fabulous day!

 

[nathanyell]

So, do you find the boat service to MK to be fairly quick? Although we enjoyed the boat rides we took on our last trip, we always found the service to be the slowest of any transportation we took. We thought the monorail was great, but now I'm hearing reports of a lot of problems with it. I guess it depends on your luck. We have a ton of ADRs at the GF, CR, and Poly, so we just want easy transportation to those resorts.

Boat is the fastest way to the CR. I usually like taking it just for the relaxation factor. For the Poly/GF we did Boat to CR then took the Monorail.

You could also take the bus to MK, then monorail or boat to Poly/GF.

Also, I've been reading a lot about requesting interior courtyard view. We put in a request for a king bed, but we didn't put any view requests yet (we booked courtyard). Should we definitely make that request, too?

Yes put in a request for a king bed.

Brian

 

[nathanyell]

We just opened presents and it looks like it will be a gorgeous day. We're going horseback riding later.

I have lots of OFC lounge photos and some lobby photos, too that I'll post soon.

​

Can't wait to see you pics! Spread the WL Christmas Cheer!!!!

Brian

 

[WDWKOOK]

I'm still at the WL/OFC if anyone has any questions.

 

[WDWKOOK]

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Thank you for the pics! Love the view to the Lobby and from your room!

How are the parks this year?

 

[WDWKOOK]

Thank you for the pics! Love the view to the Lobby and from your room!

How are the parks this year?

You're welcome. Actually the last two photos are views from the lounge. We have a courtyard view from our room, however, it's not a "bear faced" room. We face the MK fireworks and the pool is below us.

We have been here since 12-20 and I have thus far been very surprised that we've been able to get on so many rides without even waiting. Today, for instance, we arrived at AK at about 11:00 and walked right onto the KS, Bug's Life and rode EE two times in 30 minutes, once w/o a FP and once with. We've had similar experiences at MK where we also walked right onto rides with little to no wait. Of course, we head to the rides when every else is queueing up for the parades and I know all the little short-cuts. Soarin' did run out of FPs the other day before 12:00, but that's fairly common.

We did avoid all parks on Christmas and heard that the MK closed at 12:00, however, they still allowed resort guests in and later re-opened to all.

A CM told us that last year the MK closed to ALL guests at about 11:00. He thought the crowd levels seemed lighter this year. We thought the storms that they had up north/northwest a couple of weeks ago and the current round have caused more cancelations.

The lounge has not been crowded at all and there is always plenty of seating. Roarin Fork always seems to run out of seating even when it doesn't seem that busy, like tonight.

 

[larryz]

Roarin Fork always seems to run out of seating even when it doesn't seem that busy, like tonight.

We took a picture of an empty Roaring Fork dining room at 7:00 on Sunday, 19 Dec. Ten minutes later, it was full.

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

Wow! Those lounge pictures are making me want to stay Club Level...

I love the holiday decor at WL. We'll be there for marathon weekend, so I doubt they will still be up, but when we still lived in Celebration we went to every resort at Christmas once. WL is one of my favorites for decorations.

 

[sophie832]

DH and I are doing Deluxe Dining on our Jan 25-Feb 1 trip, and I'm starting to worry about transportation back to WL after our dinners. We're late-morning to late-night people, and although we were warned that we should get an early start, we found that schedule worked great for us on our last trip. A lot of our dinners are at the GF or the CR, but they are between 7 and 9pm. So, here's the dinner schedule, and the potential transportation:

1/25 - Cali Grill, 9:20pm ADR - We tried to get something a little earlier, but this was all they had left. I know the boats to WL stop running at 11:30, so I wonder if our dinner will be done by then. Since this is off-season, the parks will all be closed by 9pm. I assume this means if we're not done with dinner around 11 or so, we will be taking a taxi?

1/26 - Citrico's, 8:40pm ADR - MK closes at 8pm, so I'm not sure what our options are here. Let's say we're done by 11pm, can we get to the CR to take the boat? Or will we be doing the taxi yet again?

1/27 - Jiko, 7:10pm ADR - We might move this one earlier, but even so, we'll be done long after AK closes. In fact, we might not be done until all the parks are closed. MK closes at 8pm again. I'm thinking this will definitely be a taxi experience, or we could take a bus to DTD, then another bus from there to WL.

1/28 - Narcoosee's, 7:20pm ADR - Epcot is doing EMH tonight until midnight, so at least I know we'd have the option to take the bus there, then take one back to WL. Seems kind of silly, though, when we're right across the lake. Hoping to somehow make it to the CR and back to WL by boat.

1/29 - Yachtsman's Steakhouse, 7:30pm ADR - Epcot is open until 9pm, but I seriously doubt we'll be done by then. Plus, we'll be in the back near the International Gateway entrance. Again, the option seems to be taxi or DTD bus transfer.

1/30 - CRT, 8:35pm ADR - MK is open until 11pm tonight for EMH, so this seems to be no issue. We can just take the boat back to WL, or monorail to the CR and use that boat.

1/31 - R&C, 7:30pm ADR - Epcot closes at 9pm, so we might be able to catch a bus back. How late do the monorails run? Is it 1 hour after park closing? Either way, I think we should be able to get back to WL. DHS closes late tonight, at 10pm, so there's that option, too.

Am I wrong in my line of thinking? Is there a chance that the boat from WL to CR will stop running earlier than 11:30pm due since it's off-season?

 

[Anna114]

I may be wrong but I see a lot of downtown Disney trips in your future. We had Hoop-De-Doo res. for 9:30 and had to go to DTD to catch the bus back to our resort. Took us 1 and 1/2 hours to get back to Caribbean Beach. Late reservations during the slow times of the year do tend to become problematic. I hope I am wrong, in your case.