Wilderness Lodge

[catbertdave99]

You will LOVE WL -- it is beautiful, and the staff is wonderful. We had a great time there 4 years ago, when my sons were just 10 and 7 -- they loved it -- the pool is great, the restaurants are good (your kids will really enjoy the main restaurant off the lobby) and the bus service to the parks was great.

As for the post about bunk bed rooms, we stayed at AKL a year ago and my two sons had bunks then -- it was great! They really enjoyed being able to have them, and the staff arranged for us to have that room when we requested it at check-in -- CM's everywhere are very accomodating -- you'll have a great time there!

 

[wdwfanva]

My DW and I have stayed at WL 4 times and will be returning March 18 for her birthday trip!!!!!!!!!!! Then again in December we'll be back at WL !!!!!!!!!!!! I have a feeling you and your DH and DS's will love it !!!! It is simply breath taking when you walk into the lobby that first day of your stay and it doesn't go away!!!!!!!
Have a great trip !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MissMouse21]

Good choice!
The WL is beautiful, the location is great (you can take the boat to MK), and make sure to see the Electric Water Pageant at 9:35 each night on Bay Lake from the boat dock.
My BF and I will be there in May; I know he'll love it!

 

[Nik's Mom]

Welcome to the DIS! I have to say that WL is our favorite resort! The grounds are beautiful!

 

[ktink]

This year will also be our first trip to WL. We are soooo excited. It's great to see all the great reviews!

 

[mickeyluv]

May will be our first time staying at the WL also. I can't wait!! I've heard so many great things about it. One question though...when you ask for a room upgrade, do the CM's look at you like, "Oh another person wanting something for nothing", or are they really nice about it? And also, are the room upgrades free or do you actually have to pay for the nicer room? Just wondering. I've heard some people say that some of the CM's are just plain rude and not willing to help anyone with an upgrade. Any room will be fine with me though. I'm just looking so forward to staying at this resort!!!

 

[swatts1]

I stayed there in October, 2003. We usually stay at SOG or Contemporary. WL was lovely, but seemed very remote to us. Our room was small compared to other Deluxe rooms that we've stayed in. The lobby was noisy, though our room was in the wings (thank goodness). We found the boat transportation to be unwieldy. Returning from Magic Kingdom on a Saturday night was a nightmare and it wasn't even the busy season. Thankfully we had a rental car and drove from then on. It was a very nice resort, and it you are looking for peaceful and remote then this will be a great choice. I like the convenience of other resorts and would not stay there again.

 

[MICKEEP]

We have stayed at many of the WDW resorts, including WL, POFQ, GF, BC, CBR and have chosen WL as our favorite. Even over the GF.

Make sure you get a room on the sixth floor facing the MK so you can see the fireworks from your balcony. A wonderful experience we enjoyed almost every evening.

 

[abby&emmasmom]

We are also going in Dec. Although I was pretty confident we chose the right resort, all of these post have made me feel better about our decision. We are going Dec. 11-17. With our 2 DD ages 5 & 2 I think we have definately made the right choice for our magical vacation!! Maybe we'll see you there!!

 

[pattyT]

been there once - dh won't stay anywhere else now!

 

[Nik's Mom]

Yes, the rooms are smaller than other deluxe resorts (at least smaller than Poly), but it wasn't too bad. And ther remoteness of the resort was the thing that we enjoyed the most. I think it's a matter of preference. If you like the quiet, tranquil atmosphere, this is the resort for you. If you are more of a fan of the city and hustle and bustle, you might prefer maybe Contemporary. You can't go wrong with any of the hotels at WDW though!

 

[diathoney]

Most of the standard view rooms have a view of the parking lot and roof of lower buildings. Like a previous poster, I have stayed in a standard room in the main building over the lobby. I put a towel along the bottom of the door ( like a breeze blocker). That helped. I did not the food smells from the Whispering Canyon - especially when I was hungry. It wasn't my favorite location, but we still had a great time. We liked to watch the lobby below over the railing (especially since our view from the balcony was the parking lot). Several of the floors in the main building have small seating areas that are cozy for people watching or reading.

You'll have a great time - the theming is wonderful. The pool area and hot tubs are great. Good food too! Enjoy!

We'll be at the WL next month! Yeah!

 

[jarestel]

You'll have a great time at the WL. In a poll run by Disney magazine last year, WL was voted the number one favorite WDW resort, followed by Poly and AKL.

Of course, you can't go wrong with any of those resorts, but I'm pretty sure you'll be happy at the WL. Have a fun trip!

 

[DoomBuggyBabe]

We're going back for our second WL stay this December, the first having been on our honeymoon this past November. We now consider ourselves spoiled, and don't want to stay anywhere else.
The CMs we encountered were always friendly, courteous and helpful. Our room was magnificent -- we were upgraded from our standard reservation to Room 5075, a king bed room overlooking the pool/geyser/lake. Yes, it opened to the lobby, and yes, we could occasionally hear the goings-on at Whispering Canyon. But it wasn't LOUD!!!! --though I could see how it could be so were we to get a room that was, say, in the restaurant's corner of the building. Sound does tend to carry.
But I digress. The hotel's theming is wonderful. DH (SkipperBubba )and I both find it to be a very relaxing space. He's particularly fond of the lobby's majestic fireplace. And Artist Point's his favorite Disney restuarant. I like the boat ride to MK. Convenient and pleasant at the same time.
I'm sure there's always going to be a chance that your stay would turn out to be less than suitable. But there's a chance of that happening anywhere you stay. So give the WL a try! 8.643 out of 10 DISers can't be wrong!
Good luck,
Q

 

[tubachick]

WE LOVE THE WL!!! DH loves the convience and how everything is in ONE building, not laid out over 10000000 miles. We love the decorations, the cast members, and yes, we love the whispering canyon. This is a GR8 Choice.

 

[Nik's Mom]

I totally agree with the convenience of being in one building, especially on rainy days! That's one of the many great things about WL. We enjoyed the Courtyard view. Our room was on the 6th floor and could see MK fireworks and the electrical water pageant! It truly was a magical vacation!

 

[ducklite]

The WL was very nice. Not my favorite WDW resort, but far from my least favorite. For the price it's a good deal. Enjoy!

Anne

 

[Skroops]

We have yet to stay there, but we stayed at the Fort Wilderness Cabins and had dinner at the W.L. and both resorts use the same water ferry to the M.K..

IMO, I think it is funny how people worry about the view from the hotel room. I wouldn't expect luck with an upgrade, as it seems that everyone wants something for nothing these days and the CM's are probably sick of people asking. Don't be suprised if the CM isn't that freindly about it! Even if you have your morning coffee on the balcony overlooking the parking lot, it will be an awesome vacation! Enjoy!!!

 

[chucknjulie]

I was scared after I made my res at the WL for our stay last month - because I read scary reviews off of "trip advisor". Thanks to all of the wonderful folks on this board, I was able to relax and expect the best. I'm glad I did, because we were so happy with what we found.

I was not in any way expecting an upgrade. We were given one. It's kind of like any other wonderful thing that might "fall in your lap" though, you can't expect it. Expect that you won't - and then, if you do, you can be really excited about it. And, if it doesn't happen this trip, maybe it will happen the next time.

I don't know if other industries are like this but my best friend works for a big airline, and if a passenger asks for an upgrade, they can not be given one. Even if they might have just "gifted" that person with a free upgrade, if the person asks, they can't get one. That way, people who "expect" to be in first class, will need to pay for it. I have no idea if hotels ever do that.

 

[WDWBetsy]

I don't know if other industries are like this but my best friend works for a big airline, and if a passenger asks for an upgrade, they can not be given one. Even if they might have just "gifted" that person with a free upgrade, if the person asks, they can't get one. That way, people who "expect" to be in first class, will need to pay for it. I have no idea if hotels ever do that.

As someone who used to be a front desk clerk: if someone was snotty to me and asked, I probably wouldn't upgrade them - I'd just say I didn't have anything available. But I loved upgrading people who were celebrating their honeymoon or a special occasion. Or if we were not that busy, I'd try to do it to nice people, especially those not expecting it.