Wilderness Lodge Villas -- tell me!

[pentex]

I've been a member since 1993 and have stayed at all the DVC's now except WLV. I had heard a negative comment from a friend at work and took that as truth so I never booked there.

Should I have not listened to him? I would love to hear the good and the bad about WLV from my DIS DVC'ers...please let us know what you think!

 

[Shontell_Crawford]

Pentax,

I haven't stayed at the Villas, but I toured the models when it opened (gorgeous) and stayed on the resort side prior to the Villas. The resort itself is wonderful!! It is the epitome of "rustic, log cabin, woodsy" atmosphere....with a touch of Disney magic and class added.

I don't know what your friend's comment was in reference to....but I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to stay there.

Kind regards,
Shontell

 

[littlestar]

We absolutely LOVE the Wilderness Lodge. In my opinion, Disney could charge admission to look at the lobby. It's breathtaking. I like to watch people come in the front door at the Lodge for the first time. They stop, look up and stare in amazement! It reminds me of the pictures I've seen of Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone. The villas are right beside the main lodge. We joined DVC with the majority of our points at the Wilderness Lodge Villas.

The lobby at the villas side has rocking chairs, beautiful hardwood floors, and part of Walt Disney's train that he had in his back yard is on display in the lobby at the villas. It's under glass.

I guess the Wilderness Lodge is my favorite resort at Disney, but every DVC resort we've stayed at we've enjoyed. I thought Old Key West had the most beautiful landscaping out of any resort I've stayed at. I liked the Beach Club Villas (we own points there also) for the location and Storm A Long Bay pool. We are supposed to stay at Hilton Head for a few days in November, and Boardwalk Villas in February - I want to try them all!

 

[DaveH]

I don't know what could be said bad about WL/VWL. I was lucky enough to get a great package years ago and stay at WL and now I own at VWL. I found the Villas to feel more peaceful than the lodeg and have had great vacations there. The busses are what they always are when you share them with other resorts. Ask anything specific and I am sure someone will answer it.

 

[gracelrm]

We also have VWL as our home resort and love it. We stayed at the WL when we decided to go to the DVC presentation and the only thing my husband was interested in purchasing was VWL. It is truly a beautiful resort and is so peaceful. The only complaint I have is with transportation, and I try not to let that bother me too much. We have stayed at VB and will stay at HH in Dec/Jan., but I'm not sure my husband will ever let us make reservations anywhere else on site! We really like VWL and so do our three children. I would encourage you to give it a try, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

[PamMulan]

We stayed at VWL last year. We love all the resorts, and they all have their own "special" qualities, but I like the Wilderness Villas for their homey atmosphere. If you want a quiet and calm relaxing vacation, it is definitely THE place. Not to say there isn't plenty of action around the pool and in the lobby of the hotel, there is plenty of fun!! We liked having three places to eat right there, in case we didn't feel like busing-it to another resort. Have fun and ring the bells outside of the mercantile for me!!

 

[Regina]

VWL is our second "home." It's a beautiful resort. It's smaller than the other resorts, which lends itself to a more intimate, cozy feeling.

We stayed there during the holiday season last year, and it was breathtaking.

The theming is outstanding. I'm determined to convert our family room into our very own "lodge."

 

[DisneyWorld fanatic]

Our home resort is VWL and we love it. We had stayed at the Lodge many times before joining DVC and always had a wonderful time. Every trip to WDW we would consider joining DVC but it always seemed like so much money. Boy, am I sorry now. We joined in 2001 and we are thrilled that VWL were available at that time. It is such a beautiful, peaceful atmosphere, out of all the hustle and bustle of the parks and some of the other resorts. I think that all people have at least one thing that they dont like about all the resorts, but it is usually so minor that its not even worth mentioning!!!

Book at VWL - you'll love it!!!!!!

Jim

 

[twinglefam]

WE also own at VWL and love it. We've tried BW, OKW and will try VB and BCV this fall, but each time I make a ressie I secretly wish it was for VWL.....we've yet to take the kids there and I know they will love the pools. and, did you take a peek at the concierge level...I got a glimpse one day. We'll have to give that a try ... one day.

 

[crisi]

We haven't stayed at the Villas, but stayed at the WL in Feb of 02 and loved it! The most common complaint seems to be the transportation - we didn't have any problems (or maybe were more patient waiting for the buses - there were waits, we just didn't find them unreasonable) and found the launch to the MK perfect for traveling with 2 toddlers.

 

[Granny]

pentex....it would sure be helpful to know what negative comment was made about VWL. That way we could be a lot more specific in our responses.

Many regulars here know how much my family loves VWL/WL. After staying at WL, we were hooked! And when VWL was built, it was a natural for us. Like DaveH said, it's hard to think of negatives for VWL.

You've heard a lot of "the good". But since you also asked for "the bad", I'll try to think of some things.

The snack bar, Roaring Forks, IMHO is too small to service both the WL and VWL...they expanded it but it still gets quite crowded.

The quiet pool is really small...but I rarely see many people in it because the main pool is so nice.

Some find the decor to be too dark and woodsy....that's a personal taste....we love it.

The transportation seems to be the big knock on VWL/WL. We've found the transportation to be easy and timely, with the exception of to/from DAK which we think is poorly routed.

Other negatives? Can't really think of any. We love the theming, the location (away from the parks), the surroundings, Bay Lake, swimming pool, awesome lobby and the rooms.

 

[anniet]

Glad I found this thread since I purchased DVC with VWL as my home resort, but have yet to stay there, lodge or villas.

DBF and I visit this resort and have lunch there every year. We've even taken the tour of the lodge, so when we spoke to a DVC guide he was able to get us the tail end of points at VWL even though they had begun selling preconstruction on BCV.

Glad to hear so many good things, and the negatives listed here are things we can live with (and we happen to LOVE the decor!)

I have some specific questions though......hope that's okay!

1) Does anyone know how often the boat to the Magic Kingdom runs?

2)Is there a path between the resort and Fort Wilderness?
DBF and I walked over to Fort Wilderness fromt the lodge many years ago and there wasn't one so we hopped a fence and cut through River Country which was closed at the time. We were afraid of being caught by the Disney Police!

3) I seem to remember it being close to the Poly, is it within walking distance?

4) We'll have a car, but what route do people use most to get to EPCOT? I was thinking boat to Contemporary, then monorail, but that may be too time consuming....

5)Can you see the Electrical Water Pageant from the balconies at the Villas or do you need to go down to the beach?

6)What is the one thing that is a MUST DO, on your list while at this resort?

Thanks everyone!

 

[CK1]

..after 10 days at VWL, and we simply loved it. We had originally seen the property during Xmas 2000 just before the villas opened and thought, gee, maybe we should try here, it's so gorgeous! We are owners at BWV but tend to stay at OKW (for the space -- and we need those queen beds in the 2 br!) Anyway, the closer we got to our VWL stay, the more nervous I got... would I like the dark woodsy feel in the summer? Would the transportation be a nightmare? WOuld I feel cramped in the villa? WOuld my SIL/BIL be impressed with our DVC accommodations or privately think, "THIS is what they rave about?!?!" Well, in short, paranoia was totally for naught. We had a very spacious 2 br (only the kitchen area seemed small...but so what... and the 2nd bedroom area actually felt BIGGER than OKW!) Transportation averaged out at par for the course (we had some super quick connections -- like the boat to MK or to the Contemporary for Chef Mickey's; and we had some slow ones, like bus to AK or Downtown Disney... but the Downtown Disney ride was a fluke -- another bus had broken down and we had to "help out" some other resorts.) THe ambiance was wonderful... it didn't feel so much dark and dank as it did cool and woodsy. And when the summer afternoon rains hit, you felt really cozy! Our reltaives were in awe (so were we!) and the kids just loved the pools -- both of them! THe pools were super clean, too (much moreso than the Boardwalk pool, which realllly needs a scrub and leaves removal!) Whispering Canyon was a super dinner, too. DH has it on his "to do" list again for the next trip, even if we don't stay there!

My dh's one regret is that we didn't wait just a few more months with our DVC purchase back in '98 to get in as owners of the VWL, instead of BWV. But, since we have yet to stay at BWV, I don't think that's a qualified statement, so we'll have to check it out first! (But our next trip is actually to HH, and then , if possible, the BCV....so many places, so little time!!)

Cindy

 

[mb168]

That we be the only thing I would complain about is transportaion. Getting to MK is nic on the launch except it always seemed they came to us first in the morning and last in the evening so we went to Fort Wilderness was always on the route. Then the day we went to AK and we went to Fort Wilderness and Blizzard beah first so it was quite a long ride to AK. Other than that, the place is beautiful. Its so quiet (other than the resaurant )

 

[Granny]

anniet....glad to hear you got in on VWL before they sold out! I'll try to answer some of your questions.

1. Boat to MK runs about every 20 minutes. It is shared with Fort Wilderness and is a very pleasant trip. It has air conditioned interior or you can sit in the open on the fan tail.

2. Yes there is a path to Fort Wilderness. You can walk, jog or ride bikes on it. It's a bit of a hike but very nice as it goes through dense tropical forest area. We saw a deer one day just a few feet off the path!

3. VWL is not close to the Polynesian Resort. It is closest to Contemporary, but you can't walk to any resort or park from VWL.

4. Easiest way to get to Epcot and MGM is the bus. We had no problem with bus service and the longest wait we have had is 20 minutes or so. Often, it is less than 10 minutes.

5. Electrical Water Pageant is not very visible from the balconies at VWL. There are a few rooms that have more of a view of Bay Lake, but even then you couldn't see the entire EWP...just the various floats as they come by. However, you can see the lights through the trees, and clearly listen to the music. EWP is best viewed by getting down to the beach about 20 minutes early, grabbing a chair and watching from there...it's a wonderful view of the lake and the EWP!

6. The one MUST DO, IMHO, is what I described in #5 with the EWP.

 

[anniet]

Thank you so much Granny!

Anybody else on the "must do" question???????

 

[CK1]

I would add the following to Granny's response:

* We actually COULD see the EWP from our villa (#4507, a dedicated 2 br). Every night as we got our smaller ones ready for bed, we opened our balcony door and listened and watched as the parade went by! If you take the sit on beach route, the only extra thing I would advise is a bit of repellent -- sometimes a pocket of mosquitos can find your area... on the whole, we found very few "bug" problems at VWL/WL -- better than our own backyards, probably! But at night on the dock or beach area, well, what can you say, it's a lake and they are mosquitos -- the two sorta coexist!

* We found busses very punctual. One funny thing, tho' -- there is usually a CM "bus stop greeter" at the WL bus stop. As we came up to the stop one day, we watched as the Epcot bus pulled away. SOon after, some folks came up and the CM asked where they were headed. "Epcot", they said proudly. "Oh," said the CM, "there should be a bus for that in just 15 minutes or so -- have a seat." I asked her quietly, "Uh, didn't the Epcot bus just go by?" "Yes,"she whispered back, "but I can't tell THEM that. It would ruin their whole day -- so we just tell them when the next bus is coming!!"

* We don't have one "gotta do"... we do have several! Among them are: eat at WC, sit in hot tub at WL pool at night (especially while geyser erupts or light parade is out on water playing music...), watch / feed ducks on the dock (they have duck food in dispensers...by luck, we also had the otters show up twice and they are just so darn cute!!) take the boat around in circles (it's a peaceful ride and the view of WL as you approach from Fort Wilderness is awesome!) and lastly, we did "flag family" which was, as my SIL said, "way cool". We were on top of the lodge overlooking the Walt's kingdom, so to speak. Best of all, the CMs give you their undivided attention and answer any and all sorts of questions, Disney trivia, rumors, etc. Up to 6 people can go, it's at 8:15 am, you raise the flags (US, Florida, Disney, WL), they give you a certificate and you can take all the pics you want... My one regret is that we did not take my two older sons up there, ages 6 and 7 (the CM who scheduled it for me made it sound like such a daunting climb -- must be of sound health, able to climb lots and lots of stairs, etc. In truth, it was a piece of cake.) They would have enjoyed the view, I think, and it seemed fairly safe up there (sturdy wall all the way around).

One thing I DIDN'T do (but wanted to -- must do next trip!) is drink a raspberry lemonade from the pool bar... the description sounded heavenly! Oh well... next time!

Cindy


Cindy

 

[Joeblack]

I am a BWV owner who just returned from a WLV trip. Love the Boardwalk Villas and area and think that it is the most convenient DVC resort. However after staying in the WLV, they have become my favorirte resort because of the "magic" they have. Don't know exactly how to describe it..... Cons about WLV? I can't really think of any....boat tranportation was fast and efficient every time, cleanliness and attention were top notch, accomodations were spacious enough, the pool and surrounding areas are beautiful, the restaurants were all good. I have a small add-on there and now wish I had more.

 

[Granny]

Cindy (CK1)....the "bus greeter" was there when we went in May as well. But she didn't say much...I thought she was doing more note taking than anything. I do hope they work on that DAK route, my only complaint about the VWL transportation.

And I didn't think you could see the entire EWP from a balcony at VWL. That's really cool. And you are absolutely right about the bugs....they didn't bother us but some others seemed to be getting pestered. Always a good idea to bring some repellent for something like sitting on the small beach there.

 

[jbthi]

We have stayed at all the resorts in DW plus the one at Vero Beach and loved them all. With that said, my least favorite is VWL and I think that is because of the unit we had. They put us in a handicap and I didn't want that. After much searching they put us on the 5th floor. (no view to the lobby from there). I don't think the room had been used for a long time. It wasn't very clean and it smelled so stale (especially the closet). I would probably try it again though.