Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the bikes are not available to rent for the next little while. . .perhaps as long as three years or more. Disney, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to build yet another
DVC resort in between Fort Wilderness and our beloved Lodge. It will be called
(cough, cough) Reflections, so there are a lot of humorous posts dotting the DIS about it being a retirement home, rehabilitation center, or a treatment facility. At any rate, the paved path between FW and the Lodge is now "closed for refurbishment." Given the long lead time to starting construction and then the actual build itself, chances are that path won't reopen until perhaps 2022. So much for the wilderness aspect, eh? Now, none of that should particularly impact the Lodge or its overall ambiance except there is no longer a way to get to FW unless you boat, take the bus, or drive. Anyway, I didn't want you to show up and be surprised about the bikes.
Have you stayed at VGF? We did once a few years ago and liked it overall, but I'll be curious as to your thoughts. Have fun!
, I didn't know about the Lodge tour, we'll definitely ask about that (at reception I assume). My DS (16) is studying for his GCSEs in May (I don't know the US equivalent, sorry!) so wants some time to chill at the resort and study so we can leave him doing that for a while & take the tour without impacting on his theme park time.
I loved and miss Ranger Stan. He will always be a part of the lodge for me.
That would bring in money. Heck, Luv and I alone would just about be able to pay for their existence! I loved the coffee bar they had in Territory Lounge a couple of times over the past two years. What a smart idea! I'm definitely emailing the manager. It can't hurt!
The kids are so ready for spring break, and I'm ready for them to have it! Throw in a field trip this week, and I'm ready to have some peace this weekend. I just made a VWL reservation on the fly. It's one of those, I might use it reservations. I was not thinking that I would run the Princess Half Marathon again next year, but I realized that next year's race is actually the start of our Mardi Gras holiday from school. I wouldn't have to take much time off to go at all. Then, I just happened to check to see if a studio was still available and it was. I figured that if I had any prayer of having a DVC room on Princess Half Marathon/Mardi Gras break week, I might as well go ahead and book it just in case. Registration is not until June for the race, so I have a little time to decide. Not sure I'll bother to tell anybody in the family that I actually made a reservation. It was with 2020 points (so not borrowed), and I guess I'll just cancel if we change our mind about registering. I'd like to try the Wine and Dine race someday (I like the race course), but being in the middle of high school football season would make it so difficult. I guess I'll have to save that one for when I get DD16 graduated and I'm "retired." 
Mariabelle! Are you thinking of purchasing VWL (what they now call BRV) or Copper Creek? Though at the same resort (Wilderness Lodge), they're two separate entities. The primary differences are that the new Copper Creek contracts don't run out for another 50 years or so while VWL expires in 2042, and CC rooms are found in the main Lodge with VWL suites in the adjunct building. The following comments are about the Lodge, in general, unless noted otherwise. 
