Wilderness Lodge - No Negative Reviews?

[litlpixie]

take the chair!!! I have seen people come to the pool area to just throw down towels, and then go to breakfast!! I just couldn't do that, I can be snarky at times, but that's just plain selfish and rude

 

[AshleyMWC]

While I have nothing really negative to say about WL, I have to say it was just not my cup of tea.I know that the rooms had just been refurbed, but I was just not impressed with the decor. Again, our room was in perfect condition, just not my taste. I think it felt a little too country to me. I love the feel of the lobby and the outside landscaping, but the room just weren't my thing. The only real complaint we had was transportation once in a while. Some days our bus went straight from WL to the parks, and other days we stopped at the campgrounds first, which for some reason took forever each time!! When we made other resort stops, we were always the first picked up and the last dropped off, meaning we spent way more time on the busses than people at the other resorts. Again, not a huge deal, but we were annoyed a few times. I'm sure you will love your stay there....DBF LOVED it and would stay there ANYTIME

 

[klinlin]

We loved the Lodge and are going back! As the other posters have said, Roaring Forks doesn't have a huge variety for meals, but was fine for a qucik snack. The transportation to MK and CR was great, and made it convenient to get to the other MK resorts. While we never waited an excessive amount of time for a bus, I have to agree that when the buses stopped at Ft Wilderness, it took forever to get in and out of there!

 

[Pirate at Heart]

Hey,

We stayed last year because of all the hype on the DIS and were very disappointed with the WL.

The rooms are small and dark. The pool is tiny and always very crowded. My kids love to swim ALOT so the pool thing was a major downer. We got a crumby room that overlooked the pathway to the buses. A red, sticky drink was spilt on the table and chairs outside so we couldn't use them and my DD found a child's blanket under her sheets; I quess they don't change them before new guests get the room We contacted mousekeeping, the sheets were changed but, day after day the sticky stuff remained.

The transportation was spotty at best. We waited 90 mins one night to get the bus back from DTD. Thankfully we go often enough that time wasn't a major issue.

On the plus side we did get towel animals, the food at RF was good and the lobby beautiful. We also enjoyed the boat to CR and MK. Sometimes it was a long wait but we enjoyed it anyway.

Next time we will visit WL to have dinner at WCC but we will not stay there again.

Have a great trip!

 

[duckfan78]

There were some negatives when we stayed:

On check in, our room was dirty, There was a used bandaid. I believe there was hair in the bed. also there was tons of dust on the vents in the bathroom.

to make it worse, when we told them about it, they came and cleaned..but never did the air vents which we did on our own. normally on vents i wouldnt mind..but it was hanging down over the toilet.

also I thought the rooms were very small for a Delux. and you have to take a bus to pretty much anywhere except MK. and the boat ride to and from MK was very long.

 

[DznyLvr2005]

I've stayed there 6 times and love every minute of it!
WL is my favorite resort!

 

[Troy08]

All of the great WL reviews from this board have convinced me to stay there during my upcoming trip in February. This is the one resort that there's virtually no negative feedback on. It's sounds almost too good to be true. To all of you that have stayed at WL, what are the things that you DON'T like about it. Thanks.

>>>The negatives are so minor, they are hardly worth mentioning. Yes, Roaring Forks is a little small, but we liked it and never had an issue with the food there.

Yes, the pool can be crowded but so can the pool at any Disney reosrt.

Yes, occasionally the transportation can be slow but again, the same at any non-monorail Dis resort.

If I had the chanc e to go again, I would jump at it. Love this resort. The postives outweigh the negatives at the WL by about 100 to 1!

 

[kapoof]

i liked wl but i didn't care for the way the room was decorated, yes they are a bit small and not very comfortable, but i do like the lodge itself. the buses are just o.k. the one to epcot does take forever. i don't think we will stay there again but will eat at artist point next trip!

 

[eliza61]

One of the reasons for our WL choice was the transportation. Now it seems it is a factor for NOT staying.

WL's transportation is no better or worse than any other non monorail resort IMO. Some times I really think it's peoples expectations.
1) boat to MK. It is very convenient but it is not supposed to be a speed boat. It takes ~ 10-15 mins to get there and it is a great ride past all the other mk resorts. Some times on the way back we had to stop at fort wilderness campground but that took what an extra 7 minutes.
2)The buses run pretty regularly every time I've been there. Sure if you just miss one you will have to wait about 20 minutes for the next one. Usually in the middle of the day they may slow down but this is true for all the resorts.
3) I'm sure there have been times when problems have happen and there is a meltdown on transportation. Once again I don't think it's any more than any other resort.
4) If you leave the resorts at closing time with 10,000 other resort guest, you will have to wait in a line. This complaint makes me laugh. At the end of the night, with every one leaving at relatively the same time, do we honestly think there won't be a crowd.

WL is a great resort. go for it.

 

[cara loves the poly]

Some friends of ours stayed there, family of four, and said the rooms are very small.

 

[stepdisney]

WL's transportation is no better or worse than any other non monorail resort IMO. Some times I really think it's peoples expectations.
1) boat to MK. It is very convenient but it is not supposed to be a speed boat. It takes ~ 10-15 mins to get there and it is a great ride past all the other mk resorts. Some times on the way back we had to stop at fort wilderness campground but that took what an extra 7 minutes.
2)The buses run pretty regularly every time I've been there. Sure if you just miss one you will have to wait about 20 minutes for the next one. Usually in the middle of the day they may slow down but this is true for all the resorts.
3) I'm sure there have been times when problems have happen and there is a meltdown on transportation. Once again I don't think it's any more than any other resort.
4) If you leave the resorts at closing time with 10,000 other resort guest, you will have to wait in a line. This complaint makes me laugh. At the end of the night, with every one leaving at relatively the same time, do we honestly think there won't be a crowd.

WL is a great resort. go for it.

Thank you. Just seemed like quite a few people complaining about the slooow bus situation.

 

[NMAmy]

4) If you leave the resorts at closing time with 10,000 other resort guest, you will have to wait in a line. This complaint makes me laugh. At the end of the night, with every one leaving at relatively the same time, do we honestly think there won't be a crowd.

WL is a great resort. go for it.

Just wanted to clarify--the reason I pointed this out is because I prefer a resort where walking from the park to your resort is another option besides waiting 2 hours for the boat or bus. We usually stay at an Epcot resort and being able to skip the crowds after Illuminations and walk back "home" is one of my favorite things. The next time we try an MK resort, we'll try one where we can walk to the resort from the MK.

To the OP--WL just wasn't our dream resort. With so many choices, you should really give any resort you're interested in a try and see what you think.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

Well, we stayed there last year and our room was fine, mousekeeping did a great job on our room (except one day mousekeeping left a bottle of cleaner on the back of the toilet, I was uncomfortable with them leaving chemicals in the room so we called, but no one came to get it), but we were disappointed on our location of room. We did ask for another room but to no avail, we were not given one. We actually felt like we were just a number there. I know that there are a ton of visitors there, and this sounds silly but we just didn't have the wonderful glowing experience that I hear others having at the WL. The only place where we felt as if we were in a Deluxe resort was at the curb with the Valet service. They were wonderful, courteous and always acknowledged my DH and I, as well as our kids. We loved the theming of the WL, but our experience was just ok. We are trying a different resort this time.

 

[nolagirl]

It might be helpful if those who provide comments about their experience also note what month they were there. There may be some trends based on season.

 

[PamNC]

We've only stayed there once back in 2002 I believe. I have such mixed feelings because I think it is a lovely resort...the lobby, the grounds, the geyser, the walking trail to Fort Wilderness. I love Artist Pointe, in fact - it might be my favorite restaurant at Disney or at least in the top 3.

But, when we stayed there we were less than 100% impressed. My DH more so than me. The rooms are small and dark. I don't think they are any bigger than moderate rooms, or if they are, there is very little difference. The boat transporation to MK was slow as molasses. And, we didn't find the CM's to be "up to par" with our experience with the CM's at other deluxes...like YC, BC, Grand, Poly.

So, we haven't returned to stay. We do return to dine there and sometimes just to go. It's a beautiful resort. Who knows, one day we may try it again. But, if my DH gets his way - we won't.

PamNC

 

[Tabetha]

I love the Lodge. Love, love, love it.

The only downside I've ever experienced was our first time staying there, my DBF at the time (now fiance) suprised me with an upgrade to the concierge level - honeymoon suite. Well at around 3 or 4 in the morning, I woke up to the sound of, what could best be described as "very loud whales".

Weird, right?

Turns out, since our room overlooked the lobby, we were treated to the sound of the big ol' waxing machine echoing all the way up to the tippy top of that grand area.

So, I would say avoid a room that faces out to the lobby on nights where they wax!

 

[MEM]

I am another who adores WL! We will be staying there in August 2007 and again in December 2007 in order to see the Christmas decorations.

When we stayed there a few years ago, the transportation was just fine. I agree about the pool chairs but I have experienced that at every single Deluxe, Moderate and Value I ever stayed at. At most deluxes, there are staff who pick up "unaccompanied towels" and there are signs asking guests not to reserve chairs with towels and personal items.

 

[Tink10]

It's a beautiful resort.......

BUT (Bash me if ya want to....)

The rooms are way too small

Roaring Forks is too small

WCC is terrible (just our opinion, we tried it twice & thought the food was pretty bad & it was obnoxious...AP is great though)

Bad transportation

 

[Tam1067]

We liked it a lot when we stayed there, but we now prefer the Poly. Here's why:

Rooms are small at WL when compared to most other deluxes.
Dining choices are limited. Yes, there's a boat to the Contemporary, but there really is not the easy and quick direct access to numerous other dining spots like there is to someone staying at a Monorail or Epcot resort.
Pool lacks zero depth entry (a big deal for us).
Long hallways are not the nicest atmosphere.
WCC is obnoxious, and if you want to eat a regular meal at your resort, you're limited as a result. While it's fun to "play" with the servers, it's also nice to have a regular meal without the noise of that place.

Still, we liked WL and would probably stay there again if all 5 in my family could fit in a standard room there!

 

[FutureCinderella88]

I've been there twice and will be going back in August.... one great thing is that they newly referbished the rooms, which my mom inparticular loves. The only thing I would say is don't get a room on the ground level.