We just came back tonight from a four night stay at WL. It was one of the more miserable hotel stays of my life!!!!
I'll probably get run off this board, since there seems to be an almost cult-like following of WL. It was because of the many rave reviews I read here that I booked our Christmas trip at WL. I don't recall seeing one negative post about WL, so maybe I'll start a new trend. Perhaps the whole lodge is not as miserable as our particular location was, but this was our experience.
I forget our room number, but it was on the sixth flooor, in the main building, whatever its called. I read so much about the wonderful decorations and how it was the best decorated resort for Christmas. Well, it was quite nice, but nothing to plan a trip around. I mean, it was very nice (the decorations) but nothing spectacular. Our room was so small it was a joke. They are supposed to be about 340 sq ft. Baloney! There was barely enough room for two queen beds with about a foot of space between the bed and the wall and about 18 inches between the beds. You could sit on the bed and touch the TV cabinet. There were three small drawers in the TV cabinet, and another small chest of three drawers near the closet (a very small closet) and that was the total storage for four people. However, the true "misery factor" was not the rooms itself but location, location, location! The Whispering Canyon restuarant is located in the lobby, on the first floor. We were located on the sixth floor. Our floor opened to the lobby below. The noise from that resataurant went right through our door! It (the restaurant) was opened from about 8 am 'till 11 pm, so forget sleeping any time during its hours of operation. I mean, it was a constant din, screaming, clanging, etc. Yes, I realize, its all good fun for kids, etc., and I like to have fun as much as the next guy, however, I do need to sleep sometime. This is the place to be if you want to sleep only during the hours the restaurant is closed. Forget sleeping in, getting an afternoon nap, etc. The noise from that place is not to be believed! I noticed some rooms on the second floor right above that resataurant. I suppose they would be great for a convention from the state school for the deaf!
I suppose this place could be ok if you get a room away from the main lobby. Otherwise, be prepared to bring earplugs! We also had a problem with Housekeeping, who wanted to clean the rooms at the crack of dawn! The first morning we were awakened by a loud knocking from Housekeeping about 8 am. When we told them to come back later that afternoon, when the DND was not displayed, I heard one say to the other as they walked off "Does she think we have all day?" After that, we called Housekeeping the night before and requested late room cleaning. Well, that took care of our early morning "wake up call", however, we complained about the first day's housekeeping and never got an apology or a response back.
Even if you get a room away from the noise, the transportation from this place is, in my opinion, woefully inadequate. It seemed like no matter where we wanted to go it took at least an hour and two busses, or boat/bus combination. Coiming back was no picnic, either. One night it took over 45 minutes for a bus to make it from DTD to WL. The next night we just took a taxi.
Despite all the shortcomings of the WL, we still had a great time for our Christmas trip. However, virtually all the negatives of the trip were due to our choice of hotel. In my opinion, this place is not worth the hype! Next year (I'm already planning next year's Christmas trip) we're staying at the Grand Floridian. We visited it this trip, and the decorations are truly remarkable. Also, you can't beat the location. And I didn't hear a constant din of noise right past up to the guest rooms. I'll never go back to the WL, it was a miserable experience!
