We have finally returned from a week at Wilderness Lodge. IT WAS GLORIOUS!!! That resort is incredible!
I wanted to thank all the people here who helped answer my questions beforehand (especially Beckie). Our trip went smooth as silk as a result of the planning I was able to do prior to our trip . . . all because of this thread.
We were able to get a 1 bedroom villa on the 3rd floor with a "pool view." We didn't have an unobstructed view of the pool (some trees in the way), but we had a pretty walkway to view off our balcony. It was fun to watch people on the walkway throughout the day as well as periodically find little bunnies and birds hop along the path.
We did A LOT of the activities mentioned in the first couple posts of this thread. We did the campfire/sing-a-long at Fort Wilderness. My kids were wild with excitement at seeing Chip and Dale, and they had fun participating in the songs.
We also took them to the Cub's Den one afternoon for the craft time. This was slightly dissappointing for them because they saw a lot of toys that were reserved for the "paid babysitting" kids that come in the evening. But they still found the atmosphere and available toys and crafts to be worth their time.
We rode the boats on Bay Lake A LOT. My kids loved riding over to the Contemporary just to experience the escalators and monorail over there. And one evening we rode to the Contemporary to watch High School Musical on the beach.
They found the Electrical Water Parade to be very amusing.
The main pool at the lodge with the slide was a HUGE hit too.
One thing that they did not enjoy much was the Hidden Mickey Search. That hunt is down-right hard. It was too hard for them to enjoy the challenge. I think that if we were given a list of the Hidden Mickeys (rather than clues) that we simply had to walk to and look at, they would have had more fun because they did enjoy seeing them. So . . . we didn't find all the Mickeys, but we did find most of them. If someone needs the answers, I don't mind passing them along. And if someone else knows ALL the answers, I would like to know the ones we didn't find for our next trip.
I took the Wilderness Lodge tour one morning. It was not as exciting as I hoped it would be. At some points I was giving our guide information about the lore of the lodge that I learned from this thread that he didn't know (such as rubbing Humphrey's nose). But this older man was so adorable to watch because you could tell that he LOVED his job. This made up for the lack of excitement.
The playground on the beach was appreciated by my two youngest until my 3 y.o. got sand in her eye.
Being DVC members, we got to borrow free movies from the merchandise store. That was nice so that on some evenings we had our own family movie in our room.
And then my kids simply loved being in the lobby. My 3 y.o. couldn't get enough of the bridge that crossed the bubbling geyser at the far end of the lobby.
Since we spent two days at MK, we missed out on pool games and duck races. And due to my children being on a medical diet for their health condition and lack of a babysitter (Cub's Den wouldn't take my 3 y.o.), we weren't able to eat at Artist's Point. But other than these regrets, we had such a FANTASTIC time.
For the villas, I highly recommend a "pool view" for those who like to observe a small amount of activity. Our view from the third floor seemed just right. Plus our room -- #3517 -- was very close to the elevators, right on the atrium, as close as you can get to the bus stop, a brief walk to the lobby, a stone's throw away from the gym and very close to the villa pool which had bubbling geysers throughout it. If my husband and I had to do things in the room and the kids got a little antsy, it was easy to send them down to the atrium and that small checkers/train museum/reading room while still supervising them. I just had to walk out my door and peek over my railing to see them or leave my door open to hear their giggles.
We did ride the bus to MK on the mornings we treked to the parks. The ride was VERY quick as someone on this thread told me, and the wait for the bus was not torturous.
My 8 y.o. said it best when, holding hands on a walk back to our room from a trip to the merchandise store, she said, "This lodge is so incredible. Every step in it just screams HOME!" Then as she walked with me she started saying with every step, "Home, home, home . . . just like that."
I melted in that moment and knew that we had made a great choice in picking VWL for our first vacation as DVC members. Thanks again for helping this be a vacation full of priceless memories for our family.
I just really never dreamed they weren't booking it for me. They took my CC# and everything back then and said on the phone it was no problem but they couldn't book it until the spring. (which I already knew)
I called and got all my ADR today. 
I know that this question has been asked many times, but I have a BBB appointment for 8:00AM in MK. What is the best way to get there from WL. My DD and I will be leaving at 7:00AM to get there on time. Thanks for your help!
If it wasn't Disney, I would find it hard to believe. Even the catfish are trying to pool hop. 
I laughed until I cried visualizing you and your family and the flying catfish. 
