Wilderness Lodge

[gurleym]

Hi everyone just joined today. I am going back to WDW in December with my husband and 2 sons who will be 11 and 2 then. We have decided to stay on property at the Wilderness Lodge this time. Was this a good choice or should we possibly stay at a different resort? We have not stayed on property since our honeymoon 12 years ago so we want this to be the best visit of the 8 times we have been to WDW.

I have heard some mixed reviews on some of the other sights so any info would help.

 

[pozey]

From one newbie to another....Welcome.

You will love the Wilderness Lodge. We stayed there in 2001 and 2002 and loved it.

We are staying at the Polynesian this year, but we will miss the WL.

Have fun.

 

[safetymom]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=658804

You might want to check out this thread all about the WL.

 

[stacy6552]

excellent choice!

 

[Lou-Ann]

Welcome..... We have stayed at the Lodge many times and never had a bad experience. You should love it.

 

[Clare]

We love the WL! It is beautiful & the boat ride to the MK is the best! I don't think you will regret your choice. IMO, it has the feel of a deluxe resort at a much more reasonable price than the monorail resorts!

Have Fun!

 

[vhoffman]

Ok, you asked for opinions, so here's mine. I got flamed so bad for my opinions on another thread that the mods had to close it. We stayed at WL last Dec and it was one of the worst hotel experiences of my life. The main problem was the location of the room. We were in the main building, which opens to the lobby below. Even though we were on the sixth floor, we could hear a constant din from the lobby and especially the restaurant, Whispering Canyon, from early morning till about 11 pm. Yes, it went right through our door! Many challenged me on this, but I have no reason to post it if it weren't true. Just be forwarned--if you get a room in the wings, I don't think you'll have a noise problem, at least not like what we had. Also, for a deluxe, the rooms were disappointingly small. I felt like I was in a mod or value. The attitude of the staff was indifferent and rude. We were constantly awakened by maid service pounding on our door at 8 am or earlier despite the DND sign. Check in took over 50 minutes, even though we were the ony ones in line. And last but not least we found the transportation to be very slow and akward to use. We ended up taking taxis just to save time. If you're looking for a magical experience, I would NOT recommend this place. That's just my opinion, take it or leave it, and I won't be on this thread so I really don't care if others waste their time flaming me.

 

[Pink Flamingo]

I've never stayed there myself, but last spring I went with my DH to WDW for a conference. While he was in the conference, I went & checked out all the resorts that I could & took lots of pictures. When I showed the pictures to my DS's (7 & 10) at home they really wanted to stay at WL. If they had a room that could sleep 5 we would probably stay there for at least part of our next trip. I think it would be a great choice for 2 boys!

 

[rileyroosmom]

I think you will really enjoy the Wilderness Lodge. We did in 2004 and I have an 11 year old and a 7 year old son. (My daughter turned 3 on the trip). We had a room with bunk beds which the kids went crazy over. I didn't find the room to be too small and we had 5 in there. There was even enough room to keep the stroller opened in the room. We were upgraded to a courtyard room from a woods room without even asking. We had towel animals everyday. The kids loved the pool, I will admit it was difficult finding a free chair, most had towels laying on them with no one ever coming over to them, very annoying!!! Whispering Canyon Cafe is a fun place to eat, my kids are asking to go again on our upcoming trip. We rented mouseboats from the marina. Never had a transportation problem with either the bus or boat, both were efficent. Only neg. thing to say was leaving MK at night waiting for the boat seemed long but I think that is because we were very tired.
The staff was very friendly. Our daughter got lost at the resort and everyone, from the towel boy to the manager were out looking for her. They were very concerned and really went out of their way.
The one bad thing I can say about the resort is, now that my daughter is 3 we can't stay in a standard room anymore (only allow 4 and 1 under 3). We now will be staying at the Poly.
Have a great time, I know you will love it!

 

[boston1029]

I think that it's an awesome choice, especially for December. I was there 2 years ago in December and the decorations are beautiful. I've always had a great experience there. It's my family's favorite hotel on property. You'll never want to stay anywhere else. Have a great time!!

 

[IStoleMyKidsPins]

Knowing boston1029 very well{she is my DW ya know}, I can only echo her sentiments. I absolutely LOVE Wilderness Lodge. The ambience in the lobby is the best. That feeling you get when you arrive & walk through the front doors with that awe-inspiring view & the great music playing always stops us in our tracks. We literally just stand there & stare & soak it all in. It's tremendous. We love going down to Roaring Forks for some coffee or hot chocolate at night in our slippers. The rocking chairs in front of the fireplace are a must, if they're available. It seems there's always someone in them.{My timing is the worst.} Our kids love the pool, even if they do get yelled at for milling around the bottom of the slide with all the new friends they meet. Sitting at pool side with a cocktail, with the beautiful lodge to your left, the gorgeous Bay Lake to your right, and the occasional spouting of Fire Rock Geyser in the background is such a relaxing experience. I do foresee one problem for you, so you may want to brace yourself & prepare yourself for this. Being as though you're going to WL at Christmas time, I guarantee you will encounter a major problem. You'll be at the best resort at the best time of the year, and no trip you'll ever take again will be able to live up to this one! You've started at the top. You've got nowhere to go but down after this trip, so you better enjoy it while you can. In all seriousness, you will have the best time of your life when you go. Wow, I almost forgot. When you check in, don't forget to ask about being a Flag Family. It was unbelievable! If there are openings, you get to go up on the roof with Ranger Stan & raise the flags. My DW & 2 DS's did it last time. There was an opening on our last day. Normally the last day of our trip is a real bummer since we have that long 17 hour drive home ahead of us, but this time was different. We loved our last day. It was the best weather day of our entire trip. Perfect, clear blue sky. You can see everything from up there. We got to take as many pictures as we wanted{they're all part of our screen saver now}. Ranger Stan was the best. Answered any & all questions we & the boys had. Totally serene experience. Anyway, you will have a great time. I guarantee it. H ave fun!

 

[IStoleMyKidsPins]

Heck! I got so excited thinking about the Lodge, I inserted my bouncing happy faces a little early.

 

[crazyboutWDW]

I think you made the best choice. This will be our 5th year in a row to WDW and every year we stay at the WL. Our first trip to WDW we stayed at WL and fell in love with the atmosphere and the lobby. We have checked out other resorts (except AKL, wife will not let me look at it ), and we dont think any of them compare to the feel you get at WL. Have fun and enjoy your trip

 

[gurleym]

we have reserved a standard room due to no discounts and are hoping to get an upgrade when we arrive. I have seen several responses saying they have gotten an upgrade for free. we usually tend not to spend much time in the room so we thought this was the way to go. Also which are the better rooms to maybe ask for even with the standard view?

 

[Gary M]

DW and I have stayed at WL 19 times and won't stay anyplace else. We have also stayed at GF, BWI, AKL, Poly and DL. We hope to be back at the WL this December.

Keep an eye on these boards and www.mousesavers.com for room discounts that may be available for your stay. The Dec. discounts probably won't come out for a few more months.

 

[genetic jackhammer]

Just like Gurleym, we are staying at WL for the 1st time this May. All these wonderful responses (except one) really have us thrilled about going. Quick question..we have reserved a woods view in the north wing. Any good room suggestions?? We have also asked for a bunk room, so for those of you experts with bunk bed experience please let us know your room recommendations!!

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Valera]

Don't be concerned in the slightest you made a wonderful choice!!!

Our 1st stay on property was the WL and we felt spoiled, pampered, and relaxed the entire time. Take the time to enjoy your private balcony, the walking trails, and the relaxing pool and hot tubs. If the pool area is busy at all head on over to the quiet pool for a nice quiet place to swim.

You are going at the perfect time to enojy the decorations - the best on property IMO. Oh, and FW is a quick boat/bus ride away for great meals and fun activities.

BTW - We went in July to WL and then to POFQ in Dec and had to make a trip over to the WL to visit. We walked into the lobby and the stress of a busy day simply melted away. It truly is that type of place.

As for upgrades we were there in July 2004 and received a doulb upgrade to inner courtyard bear face room. You are going during Dec which is when it is hard to get any room at the WL - when we went everything was booked except the presidential suite - so you made not get an upgrade. Watch for discounts though and call the day they become available.

 

[rkrivas]

Just like Gurleym, we are staying at WL for the 1st time this May. All these wonderful responses (except one) really have us thrilled about going. Quick question..we have reserved a woods view in the north wing. Any good room suggestions?? We have also asked for a bunk room, so for those of you experts with bunk bed experience please let us know your room recommendations!!

Thanks in advance!!

We just got back from WL and loved it. We had a woods view with a bunk bed and had room 4032. We had a view of the castle and monorail. I had requested the bunk beds at the time of reservation. When we checked in, I asked if they had anything available on one of the upper floors on the north side and we ended up with a great room. Hopefully, we'll be as lucky on future trips!

 

[wirki]

I think that you have made a wonderful choice. We have stayed at WL twice in the last 3 months. We also have a 2 year old (DD) and she just loved it. We stayed at CBR also and she was so upset. She kept saying she wanted to go home. It turns out she was calling WL home. (every one of us call it that also. I guess she picked it up from us) Anyway the place it beautiful in December. I missed the decorations in February, but still had a great time. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have, even though I am not one of the experts on here.

Debbie

 

[figment95]

I'll add my 2 cents. DH and I have stayed at WL many times and it is our favorite resort. I still get goosebumps every time I walk in the door. Please take the time to look around the resort while you are there, it really is beautiful. The only problem I have ever had is with the food. It's fine for a couple of days, but if you are taking a long trip, it gets old. There aren't too many choices.