Why is WL so popular?

[bleeps]

(4) once you understand how to "work" the transportation system to & from WL it's not as bad as it's made out to be. Boats to MK could be much better coordinated. Bus to T&TC is excellent & once you use that it's much easier to move around WDW.

I know this is an old post (relatively speaking!), but I'm curious if anyone can follow up on this comment? We're booked at WL this Dec. 2005 and I'm curious about understanding how to "work the system" -- did the poster mean that you're better off getting yourself to the TTC and then making connections to everywhere else from there? Or is it a seasonal issue (and perhaps, she said wishfully, not so bad in early Dec.?).

We've stayed at CR and Poly, and neither one had very good bus service, IMHO. Monorail was great, but busses still meant waiting and waiting and waiting (worse AT the resort, waiting to go to DTD or another park -- a little better at the parks, waiting to get back to the resort). And I could never figure that out -- why do you have to wait so long in the a.m. when they are just getting out for the day? But, I'm off topic now!

 

[caribear]

We have had reservations for the WL twice and both times wound up changing to other resorts. Both were reserved at AP rates that I was very fortunate to receive. We went to WL to eat at WCC one day and the WL was packed full of people. The lobby looked like Fantasyland during a busy day at MK! It was lunch time though and I think a lot of people were checking in while others were coming back to the resort for lunch or relaxation. The whole resort was packed....mostly families with young children...from the lobby to the pool area.

The location is great though...with the boat service and then a quick hop to FW for the bonfire/movies/petting zoo, so I think this is part of the reason it is so popular. Maybe one day we will give it a try, but we love AKL as a deluxe resort, so it's hard to give that up!

 

[John Dobbertin]

Hello Bleeps: Hope this helps on WL transportation:

Boats: Go to the boat dock & you have (1) Big Boat serving WL & the WL Campground. In the morning Big Boat picks up first at Campground, then WL then to MK. At 3:00 p.m. Big Boat goes from MK FIRST to WL & then Campground & back to MK & stays on that route until it stops running in the evening. Problem with Big Boat is service becomes sporadic. Big Boat service after Wishes can take a long-long time. Everyone is leaving MK at the same time. You would think good management could help, but it does not happen. We have been in the "first wave" to the Big Boat dock after Wishes & there has been no boat there for up to a half-hour. The line builds & builds. (2) Second you have the Steamboat Willy boats which are cute as a button and fun to ride. There are two of them -- one runs clockwise WL-Campground-CT & the other counter-clockwise. They do not go to MK. If you take the clockwise from WL boat dock you go directly to CT where you can catch the Monorail!

Buses: Bus stop is out the "side-door" (past the Mercantile & enroute to the Villas, but hang a right about half way to the Villas). WL bus stop has service to: Epcot, MGM, AK, DDT, WL Campground, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, & the Ticket & Transportation Center. WL to TTC bus service is frequent. At TTC you can catch Monorail to MK & Epcot. You can also take the Ferryboat from TTC to MK. At TTC you can also catch buses to AK. MGM, DDT.

If one system does not seem to be working for you, try something else!

When you check in at WL ask CM where in the literature you can find starting times for boat & bus service for WL.

WDW provides a lot of transportation service. It helps if you can begin to understand some of this before you arrive!

 

[skiwee1]

You've obviously been on these boards a long time. And if you didn't know that by calling a resort that is a favorite to many "cheap" was going to ruffle some feathers, maybe you should be ignored.

Can you not comprehend? I said for the second time that I was referring to the cost, not the style. I think the WL is the prettiest resort out there. I just can't stand the other stuff about it.

 

[rapunzal]

Stayed at Wl last October. I have AKL booked with AP code of 154 with tax. Just wondering if I should try a mod and save some money. What can you recommend with a pool that doesn't seem crowded when there are alot of people there. And good bus transportation to Mk...that will be our major park...then hop from there. I was also thinking about seeing if I could get the WL too. Also offsite has the Cypress Pointe for 79 /night. I just don't know! Thanks I will be staying the end of APril for 4 or 5 nights with Grandma,8 and 5 year old...Thanks

 

[DebIreland]

Buses: Bus stop is out the "side-door" (past the Mercantile & enroute to the Villas, but hang a right about half way to the Villas). WL bus stop has service to: Epcot, MGM, AK, DDT, WL Campground, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, & the Ticket & Transportation Center. WL to TTC bus service is frequent. At TTC you can catch Monorail to MK & Epcot. You can also take the Ferryboat from TTC to MK. At TTC you can also catch buses to AK. MGM, DDT.

Hiya!
Just thought I'd add in here that I read WL/FW have made some changes to their transportation system. Here is a link to an information thread by 'Chip 'n Dale Express' on the Transportation board...
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=758243&page=1&pp=15

His post reads (hope it's ok to paste it here) .....

"Wilderness Lodge/Fort Wilderness Transportation Update (It's finally happening)

So, the test route is finally happening. As of Tuesday March 8th, 2005, the following changes will be made to the Fort Wilderness & Wilderness Lodge transportation lineup:

1.) There will no longer be service to/from the Transportation & Ticket Center to the Wilderness Lodge/Fort Wilderness. The bus will still go from Fort Wilderness to Wilderness Lodge and back, but it will not be going to the TTC anymore.
2.) From Wilderness Lodge only, there will be a DIRECT bus to the Magic Kingdom. This bus will run about every 15 minutes during normal MK bus service hours.
Boat service will not change."

 

[Ladyhawke10]

I think if you can get a good rate for WL, go for that, given the time saved going to MK from there. If you go for POFQ or POR, you are going to be spending a lot of time on the bus. I liked both Port Orleans resorts in terms of decor, particularly FQ, but they don't compare to the WL in terms of the ambience and transportation options. It's great just to be across the lake from the MK at the WL.

 

[John Dobbertin]

DebIreland: This same post hit back in November-December '04 re. bus direct from WL to MK. Was to start in January when we were there. Never happened. I'll check other places before I believe this one 100% & will repost anything learned.

 

[Stitch Inside]

Can you not comprehend? I said for the second time that I was referring to the cost, not the style. I think the WL is the prettiest resort out there. I just can't stand the other stuff about it.

Oh, OK. So you're saying that the WL is popular not just because it's more affordable than the Monorail/Epcot Deluxes, but also because it "is the prettiest resort out there." You just don't like anything else about it. Got it.

 

[DebIreland]

DebIreland: This same post hit back in November-December '04 re. bus direct from WL to MK. Was to start in January when we were there. Never happened. I'll check other places before I believe this one 100% & will repost anything learned.

I hadn't realised this was something that had been promised before now but it looks like it's happening since March 8th. I went back and edited my other post to include Chip n' Dale Express's entire post with date etc.

 

[John Dobbertin]

Regarding the WL-MK bus, so far everything I find leads to the same source -- Tyler. Same source who had this starting in January. Very late Monday, so maybe someone will clarify this Tuesday.

 

[John Dobbertin]

Very late Monday but so far all roads re WL-MK bus service lead to Tyler.

 

[Michael623]

I love WL and even bought at VWL but keep in mind that I always (except once) have a rental car and use it for every park. The first, and only, time I ever stayed at WDW without a car was at WL and it drove me up a wall. However this isn't a slam against WL it is a slam against the bus transportation. I think the busses are crap at every resort. I'd stay home before I'd go without a rental car at any resort.

 

[jarestel]

DebIreland: This same post hit back in November-December '04 re. bus direct from WL to MK. Was to start in January when we were there. Never happened. I'll check other places before I believe this one 100% & will repost anything learned.

We were at the WL 2 weeks ago and the MK bus was running then. Don't know if it's permanent or not, but it was in operation then.

 

[BamaTigger]

I too have seen alot of negativity about the WL here, BUT I LOVE THE WL!!!

My first choice resort is the GF, but too pricey, so we choose the WL. The inside is so outdoorsy and just a great atmosphere! We love the courtyard/pool area and the waterfall that goes from inside to the outside.

We are from Alabama, and we see pine trees all day long, so the trees dont bother us at all and it just feels like HOME. The hustle and bustle of the big lobby is fast paced, and quiet at times. The wood and the animal carvings and animal chandiliers are quaint.

The rooms are quite small, but if you are lucky enough to get a view of the courtyard and Bay Lake, it is well worth it. Especially when you get to sit on your balcony and watch the EWP. Very nice.

But if you dont like alot of noise and commotion, STAY AWAY FROM WHISPERING CANYON!!! I dont particularly like that restaurant cause I dont wanna be holered at when Im in a sit down restaurant, but for kids it is great I assume. really kid friendly. (i dont have kids, so I dont really know).

I just think the WL is romantic, charming, rustic and just all around a great resort. Yes, you may have a bad CM or a problem, but you will have them ANYWHERE. No one is perfect.

 

[bleeps]

Hello Bleeps: Hope this helps on WL transportation:

Wow -- thank you so much for your detailed response! I'm certainly feeling better about our WL choice and appreciate all the insights.

Not to enter the fray here too much, but after having tried Poly and CR (both of which we enjoyed for their own, individual merits) we are trying WL (1) for the atmosphere (2) because we're interested in experiencing a variety of the on-site options and (3) because it's priced lower than the other MK resorts!

 

[bleeps]

... I always (except once) have a rental car and use it for every park. ... I'd stay home before I'd go without a rental car at any resort.

Would you be willing to say a little more about this? My husband's reason for NOT wanting to consider a rental car are that (1) he commutes by car between 2 and 3 hours every day for work, and to him "vacation" and "not driving a car" are synonymous! (2) although understanding that time is money (esp. at WDW), feeling that the extra expense and bother isn't worth it and (3) thinking that, while it's frustrating to have to wait and be under someone else's "control," that in the long run with the driving, parking, and sitting in traffic getting in and out at busy times anyway, you're ending up spending about the same amount of time. How off-base is this reasoning? (He's also not very good at remembering where he parks the car, so I think he may be fearful of wandering the big lots, LOL).

 

[band_man]

Regarding the WL-MK bus, so far everything I find leads to the same source -- Tyler. Same source who had this starting in January. Very late Monday, so maybe someone will clarify this Tuesday.

I was at WL on 3/21 and they did have a direct bus to MK, BUT and this is a big one, the bus to the TTC is no longer offered. There was a brown bag over the sign and the bus driver said they did not go to the TTC anymore. When I asked how i could get to the POLY for my Ohana dinner his response was that I now had to take a boat or bus to the MK and then Monorail to Poly. SUCKS. We really used that bus to the TTC a lot in the past.

 

[John Dobbertin]

Bleeps: Posts regarding change in bus service at WL are true. There is an "experiment" finally underway to run a bus directly from Wl to MK. Bus service to TTC has been stopped -- except (apparently) bus does run from TTC to WL after MK hours (check that one because I only have one source for it so far). This does change the landscape for bus service from WL. If the bus service WL to MK is on a good schedule (15 minutes or less) this will be terrific for going WL to MK as the boat service can be sporadic. Loss of service WL to TTC is going to hurt. What you can still do is take the WL-MK bus & then hop on the Monorail to the TTC (either Monorail line will take you to TTC -- one is MK-TTC direct, the other MK-CT-TTC-Poly-GF-MK. Then you can switch to the Epcot Monorail -- or other bus service. This could take longer than simply waiting for the direct bus service from WL to the Parks & DTD & water parks. Have fun. & always remember, The Mouse can change it all with a wave of the Magic Wand!

 

[WillCAD]

Would you be willing to say a little more about this? My husband's reason for NOT wanting to consider a rental car are that (1) he commutes by car between 2 and 3 hours every day for work, and to him "vacation" and "not driving a car" are synonymous! (2) although understanding that time is money (esp. at WDW), feeling that the extra expense and bother isn't worth it and (3) thinking that, while it's frustrating to have to wait and be under someone else's "control," that in the long run with the driving, parking, and sitting in traffic getting in and out at busy times anyway, you're ending up spending about the same amount of time. How off-base is this reasoning? (He's also not very good at remembering where he parks the car, so I think he may be fearful of wandering the big lots, LOL).

I'm a die-hard renter. To me, driving is like breathing; if I can't do it for myself, I turn blue and pass out.

(1) Driving around WDW is not like tooling around the freeways at home. The only time you find actual traffic jams at WDW are on US192 leaving WDW property after park closing. By staggering your drive times as little as 15 minutes, you can easily avoid these jams. My average time from room to park gate at Pop Century in December, the first time I had no rental car at WDW in many years, averaged 30-40 minutes, whereas my drive times from most Disney resorts average 15-25 minutes. There is never heavy traffic in the morning, and even when I stay for Illuminations or Fantasmic I have not gotten caught in a traffic jam since about 1990.

(2) The extra expense of a rental car is more than worth it to me to have my own personal, private, non-shared, instant transportation on hand during my whole trip. Over the course of an 8-day trip, I save about one hour per day by having my own car instead of waiting for busses, and to me, that's worth every penny of the cost of a rental car.

(3) Nope, you save lots and lots of time every day. You also save TONS of hassle, bother, and frustration that you would otherwise encounter by relying solely on the WDW busses.

I hate relying solely on the WDW busses. They are good busses overall, but after playing at a WDW theme park all day, the last thing I need is to be shoe-horned into a bus full of hot, sweaty, smelly, grumpy strangers, only to have to stand up the whole way to my resort, and oh, guess what? I have to wait through stops at two other resorts before I get to where I'm going!

That's not to say that I drive everywhere. I use the monorails, the boats, and the busses, but I only use them about 25% of the time. The other 75% of the time I go where I want, when I want, without having to sit at a sunny, hot bus stop for 15 or 20 minutes first.