WL Deluxe or GF?

[lmhall2000]

We are a family of five and love MK...the kids are 9, 6, & 5...I had decided on GF for location and large rooms (already did Poly and CR doesn't appeal to me) but we've never stayed at WL and looking at their Deluxe room that fits 6 looks appealing to me...are they in the lodge or are they villas outside? Any transportation issues with WL...can't you ride the boat to MK? Would love to hear opinions from all who've had experiences at either one...we're trying to plan this as a surprise...going as soon as we sell our home. And we're not telling the kids...this will be our last Disney trip for a good while (gotta do some other vacations...Williamsburg, Yellowstone, Hawaii...ya know so we can get out a bit!) so I want to make it a blast for them.
Thanks!
Tara

 

[Lizardbeth61]

. . . Can't comment about the room style you're talking about . . . am not familiar. However, I can tell you that even though we'd love to go to another resort, with our kids so MK happy, we love WL. Yes, you can take a boat to the MK and it's great. It's a nice short little ride and if you time it right, you can see fireworks.

I loved your comment about doing other trips. Good luck. We've had the same thought and we can't help ourselves. We're headed back to WDW in March. We figure we'll move on when the kids want to move on. Hopefully that will be someday . . . I think.

 

[newholidayx2]

I just changed our 3night stay at Riverside to the Wilderness Lodge. (Aug 18-21) I have us reserved for 6nights at the VWL the day we check out of the Lodge. (Aug 21-27). I want to stay at the Beach Club in Aug but could not get myself away from WL totally. DS12.5 would have thrown a fit if I didnt get us back to the lodge.
There is a boat that goes to MK. Also a smaller boat making a loop btwn WL, FW and Contemp.
We first stayed at the Lodge in 01, while there extended our 6night stay another 3nights. That trip is what made us buy into the DVC. This past Oct we had our first trip "home".
We love the Lodge. I like Poly. DS likes Contemp for Chef Mickey's. The GF does nothing for us.

 

[daannzzz]

I stayed at the GF and in a Deulxe room at the WL. The room at the GF was great because we had a dormer room with a vaulted ceiling. The decore was nice (This was before the remodel) but a hair frilly for me. From what I can see the rooms are even more frilly now. I know lots of people like this.
The rooms at the GF are 400 or so Square Feet. Transport to the MK was easy via monorail or boat.
I love the Deluxe room at the WL. It is a bit bigger, at 500 square feet, than the GF room. They are all in the WL, not in the villas. The layout is great in that these rooms are on the corners of the resort building so has many windows on different walls which brightens the room. It is nice for it to not feel like a shoe box shaped room. The decore of the room was more to my liking as well but is not fancy. It is slightly rustic mission style. It definately has a national parks feel to it.
The boat ride over to the MK is pleasant and easy. The busses to the other parks have not been a problem for me though I have read that others think they are long routes.
I would like to try the GF one more time but really prefer the WL Deluxe for the same price.

 

[d96j97]

This will be our third visit to the WL and we just love it. However, we stay there because of the kids. We stayed at the GF for our honeymoon and ABSOLUTELY LOVED it!!!! The monorail is much more convenient from the GF yet the boat ride to MK from WL is really nice. If you have kids that like to run and be kids, the WL is more "kid friendly" IMO, and the GF is more for adults. If you have very well behaved kids, I wouldn't hesitate on the GF but if they are like 90% of our kids, choose the WL.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

We stayed at GF and WL with a 10, 8 and 2 year old. We enjoyed both resorts. I would pick GF hands down due to better transportation.

Lori

 

[lmhall2000]

I've convinced myself to not go to Disney again until they're grown..but dh declares, "I'll just take the kids and go without you!" He's harder to convince than I am! And I LOVE Disney...but we homeschool and a big part of our curricula is historically based learning...going to those landmarks and travelling abroad while we can still take advantage of youth rates is what's pulling me. Epcot can only do so much for hands on learning...I think once we take our first trip to the Tower of London and to Globe Theatre...he'll come a little more on my side of thinking. But I did tell him we could do Disneyland Paris...that perked him up!

Great news that the WL Deluxe's are in the main building..I think coming into that lobby every day would just be incredible. I love the frilly designs of GF...but my 9year old son may not! We're all big campers (well, we own a tent and have actually been in it more than 4x ) so I think the theming would really tickle the kids. Thanks for all your ideas...I'm leaning more towards WL...but that transportation with the monorail is so tempting....aagh! I can't imagine switching resorts but we may have to try it...we'll be there 7 nights...so 4 at WL and 3 at GF to end it may work out.

Oh and our children are just as silly and goofy as the next bunch..but something about GF brings out the civilized crew in them....we took the girls to the Alice in Wonderland Tea and they were just acting like little girls who had just completed charm school...even I was shocked! They would love the frilly decor and feeling pampered. Not to mention their mommy would, too!



Thanks!
Tara

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

If I were you I'd do the WL deluxe. The extra square footage will really make your trip more comfortable. We've stayed at the GF several times with our two kids, but if I had three I think I'd feel happier with the WL deluxe.

 

[dpic]

If I were you, I'd consider two connecting rooms at WL. It would be cheaper, and you would have much more space plus an extra bath (deluxe's only have a single bath). I've not done this, but we've stayed at WL. We've checked the deluxe prices, and they are outrageous. I heard of many who get the connecting rooms and love it.

 

[Ladyhawke10]

I completely vote for the Grand Floridian over a deluxe room at the WL for many reasons (aside of the fact that I would be incredibly disappointed if I had gone for the WL based on opinions, then had a follow up stay at GF and saw how much better it is...wow, really no comparison for me!)

First of all the transportation options at the GF are the best out of any resort (except equal with the Poly which has the same options). The motor launches are my favorite way to get to a resort (they only go to MK, they are so fun, especially at night) and they only service the Poly and GF. At GF you have this great white sand beach and you can walk back and forth from the Poly (or else take a motor launch) and its fun to visit there while being happy you are on the prettiest hotel on the lake (my opinion, of course, but GF is the flagship hotel, after all). The monorail is very convenient and I love the swing that overlooks seven seas lagoon. Both pools are great--one is in the middle of the resort and the other has this pretty waterfall flowing into it and has zero entry--it looks like the pool is going straight into the lagoon while you are swimming in it...very beautiful at sunset!

It is fantastic to watch the fireworks at night from the dock at GF. The GF has the most kids programs...a pirate cruise around the lagoon, an adventures in cooking program, an alice in wonderful party (which I highly recommend), a great character dinner with Cinderella. (there is a breakfast, too, that we've never tried). There are several wonderful restaurants there and gasparilla's grill has great grilled cheese sandwiches for only 2.75 (my son's staple meal while there). We love the water activities, the CMs, the decor of the resort (beautiful!) and the rooms (very large and decorated nicely in Alice in Wonderland theme). We've tried WL and while it was nice, too...I cannot say that I think it compares to a GF stay. We've stayed in nearly all of the deluxes onsite and think GF is the best of them all.