SorcererDonald16
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2005
- Messages
- 3,396
I'm still trying to justify spending that extra $1,000.00 and so far, I just can't do it. Anybody out there stayed at both the CBR and Wilderness Lodge who can offer their thoughts?
I've stayed at CBR 3 times (2001, 2006, & 2007) and WL one time (2005). I'll be returning (God willing) to WL next May. I love both places, and I definitely love the "feel" of CBR, but I don't know if anything could compare to WL. It is just in another realm for me. I'm not really a woodsy-type of gal, but I loved the themeing and decor there; the music, the teepee chandeliers, all of it. It was so nice to return there after a nutty day in the theme parks and feel like I was in another world entirely (a much more peaceful, less crowded world!

As for your specific questions/concerns:
While I do think we would like the convenience of the boat to and from the Magic Kingdom and we would probably rent a boat one day, I still don't know if it's worth it.
The boat to and from MK is a feature I liked a lot. It was always fairly quick and efficient, and that was in June with a ton of people everywhere. There's also another boat you can take to the Contemporary and Fort Wilderness. At FW, you can take in the campfire sing-a-long, I believe it is with Chip and Dale; didn't get to try this, but hopefully will next time. Plus there's trails, a petting zoo, and all of that fun stuff there.
1) Buses: How efficient are they? How many bus stops are there? Time to the parks? Etc.
Cannot comment on this as I've never taken a Disney bus (we drive our car everywhere usually), but there is one bus stop that's at the main entrance area of the lodge (aka right by the building).
2) Does the WL have a food court? We will probably not eat but a few meals there but I sometimes like to pick up a quick breakfast and take it back to the room before heading to the parks. Is this easy to do?
This has been answered, but Roaring Forks is a nice, convenient place. Not big, but there are some tables and the food was good. We usually brought our food back to our room since we were on that side of the building anyway. You could also always get food to go and sit outside at the pool or on the beach and chow down. I might do that myself next time.
3) If I book a standard view room, will I be very far away from the restaurants/store/main pool, etc.?
If I have my facts correct, WL is one of the resorts where you're more likely to get a free upgrade from a standard room. Now there's obviously no guarantees, but there is a chance. We booked a standard and wound up with a pool view where we could also see the edge of the courtyard (we didn't ask for an upgrade, nor were we told we received one; we went to our room and found that out

4) How many pools does the WL have?
Already answered by others, so no need to repeat.
5) Other than the marina, what other activities are there?
Flag family as mentioned, Lodge tours, Electrical Water parade most nights, Fort Wilderness activities, Whispering Canyon Cafe is an activity in itself sometimes, or so I've heard.

I have some pictures of WL on my computer. I need to upload them to a hosting site and then I'll post them here for you. I know $1,000 is a lot of money, but to me it's worth it. It may not be to you though, it's hard to say. Check out All Ears and search here for threads on WL is the best advice I can give you. Read as much as you can and look at as many pictures as you can and then go from there. Either way, I don't think you can go wrong. I'll post my pictures later today, hopefully.
