Wilderness Lodge

[dwbakerjr]

We usually stay at our home resort (BWV), but were thinking about a summer trip at WL (is it VWL or WLV.?). We always enjoy dropping by there at Xmas, and thot we'd try the summer atmosphere. Anyhow, it is REAL convenient walking to MGM and Epcot from BWV.... How difficult is the daily transportation to/from or in/out of the Lodge? Any comments or advice are welcome, as we are not 'locked into' WL just yet. thanx.

 

[DVCDAVE]

We own at both BWV and VWL, 275 points each. We did our first stay at VWL in March. It is a completely laid back atmosphere. Much different than BWV, but that is why we split our purchases, we wanted both atmospheres. If you like the hussle and bussle of the BW, then VWL is NOT for you. If you like quiet, woodsy atmosphere, VWL is a bullseye.

We had absolutly no problem with the transportation via bus. There was frequently a transport rep at the stop with a handheld device keeping track of things too.

Hope I helped.

 

[dwbakerjr]

Quite a lot in fact. Thanks. If memory serves me right, you aren't really 'walking' distance from anything at WL, but the bus service is above average for both frequency and drive/ride time. Right now we're leaning toward a 'woodsy' summer trip this year..

later...

 

[DVCDAVE]

Right, buses were good, about a 5 minute wait, boats to MK and FW were a longer wait at certain times of the day.

 

[dwbakerjr]

??? Boat to MK?.. Sorry to be a pest, but please tell me more...

 

[spiceycat]

one of the advantages at VWL - there is a boat to the MK (also to the Contemporary and fw). the boat ride is around 10 minutes - so you can expect to wait for the boat for 20 minutes if you just miss it and they only have one running (sometimes they have two).

this is a nice walking path to the FW area - where the petting zoo and places to eat are at. If you like to walk or run this is a great area.

 

[DVCDAVE]

Coming from the VWL and walking along the waterfront, you will walk past the WL marina and bike barn. Continue walking to the pool area, step up on the wooden 'boardwalk, and follow the signs to the MK, FW boat. From there you can catch either a ferry or a launch to goes to the FW campground, Contemporary Resort, or the Magic Kingdom.

 

[DisneyKidds]

WL transportation to the MK is pretty good and is fun. There are boats that drop you off right in front of the MK. The boat ride is pleasant. Wait time depends on when the last boat left and whether the boat you are on stops at FW. Generally it is between 15 and 30 minutes to get from the WL to the MK, depending on how you hit the boats. Another option is the boat to the CR. If you happen to just miss the boat for the MK, you could hop the boat to the CR if it comes along sooner. From the CR you can walk to the MK or take the monorail. We have done the boat to CR and walk to MK several times - again, about a 15 to 30 minute total trip depending on how you hit the boat.

We always rent a car so I can't comment on bus transportation.

As for walking from the WL - you can't get to any parks. There is a pleasant walk (either on the paved path or on the nature trail) that you can take to FW. We did it last time down. The walk is a little less than 20 minutes. The path leads right to the petting farm/pony ride area. That was a lot of fun for our 3 you DD.

 

[Granny]

We just got back from a trip to VWL, and we were happy with the transportation system.

The boat to MK is a very nice ride....go in the back which is open and just bask in the sun and nice breeze. Everywhere else is a bus ride.

I will say that the bus to Animal Kingdom was a fairly lengthy experience. We got picked up and it stopped at Fort Wilderness and Blizzard Beach before getting to the AK. All told, it was a good 35 minutes from pick up to arrival at AK. And then, coming back was done in exact reverse! I had hoped that it was a loop but evidently it was more like moving from one end of a path and back along the same path. But still no big deal.

I must say that if someone is the type to pat their foot impatiently and thinks a 15-20 minute wait for buses is a real pain, then they should prepared for a little anxiety. Most of our bus waits were less than 10 minutes, the longest was about 20 minutes. We found that to be very acceptable but if you're used to walking out the door and being in a park in 10 minutes, this may be more laid back than you want.

Just don't want to sugarcoat the transportation system. We love it and use it all the time, but some folks hate waiting at all.

 

[Hilary]

I have to agree with Granny's observation that people's opinions of the WDW transportation system vary according to how much they expect to get out of it, just as much as how good / bad it actually is!

We enjoy being able to forget about the car in WDW - we're on vacation! - and we don't mind if we have a bit of a wait for the bus now and again, but I can understand that some guests expect the bus to turn up like a taxi and then get frustrated when it doesn't work out that way.

I'm looking forward to checking out the VWL transport for myself in October . It will be our first trip to our Home Resort, and we last stayed in the Lodge in 1997.