WL or CR garden wing??

[KSQmom]

Another one of these posts! My family (husband, sons then 3 and 8, me) are headed back next may. I have always loved the wilderness lodge but never stayed there. Based on price (about $75 rack rate less than CR) I booked us here. The rooms look dark and small, and we will need to rent a toddler bed since our youngest will just be 3. We live in woodsy suburbs so this theme does not appeal to my husband. The contemporary fascinated my oldest son last trip, and you really can't beat the size of the rooms or the proximity to MK. We would put the youngest in the daybed, but the lack of theme is underwhelming. I will eventually stay at both, but for next May, what do you think?

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I would do CR. We've stayed in both and, yes, you will get a much bigger room at CR, plus walking to MK and the monorail. I actually love the garden wing. It does feel a little removed from the Tower, but you are right next to the pool and you won't need to deal with the always, ever-crowded elevators to get to the amenities you'll need (path to MK and buses, escalator to restaurants and monorail, etc.). The rooms are spacious and quiet. I would suggest requesting a first floor room which will have a patio.

The WL rooms are smaller and darker feeling. You also lose the ease of transportation. My DS9 and I will actually be staying at WL in August, but it will just be the two of us. If DH were going as well, we wouldn't be staying there. It's just not enough room for us. Plus, we use uber to get around WDW at this point and won't be relying on the WL buses (only the boat to MK). If taxi/uber transport weren't easily available, we wouldn't stay here. We stayed at WL back in 2011 when cabs weren't an option (my DS needed car seat) and the transportation was awful.

In terms of lack of theme at CR, if you can focus on the nostalgia, history, the big mural and the monorail going through the resort, it does, IMHO, have some "retro" charm! And the rooms are really nicely done.

 

[Shanti]

The Contemporary is really nice, right off Bay Lake and within walking distance of the Magic Kingdom. Its contemporary theming works & the resort rooms are spacious and appealing. With a family of 4, I'd choose it in a heartbeat over Wilderness Lodge's smaller rooms.

We stayed in the garden wing last year and loved it. No complaints. Try to get the ground floor, as you'll have a nice patio & a shorter walk to the tower.

 

[AllieBoo]

We just got back and stayed in CR garden wing. We LOVED it! It is my new favorite resort. The rooms are big, and so nicely decorated. We were on the first floor with a patio and loved being able to walk right out to the pool. We also were able to walk right out and watch the Electrical Water pageant parade. You cannot beat walking to MK!

 

[Babsy]

Another one of these posts! My family (husband, sons then 3 and 8, me) are headed back next may. I have always loved the wilderness lodge but never stayed there. Based on price (about $75 rack rate less than CR) I booked us here. The rooms look dark and small, and we will need to rent a toddler bed since our youngest will just be 3. We live in woodsy suburbs so this theme does not appeal to my husband. The contemporary fascinated my oldest son last trip, and you really can't beat the size of the rooms or the proximity to MK. We would put the youngest in the daybed, but the lack of theme is underwhelming. I will eventually stay at both, but for next May, what do you think?

With young children and one just turned three, i would absolutely stay at the CR GW. As a PP said, request the ground floor for ease of access and the patio. The convenience of walking to and from the MK is wonderful! The rooms are huge, bright and comfortable, you will get a daybed as well as two queen beds so you can get bed rails for the toddler from housekeeping.

The WL does have a beautiful theme but the rooms are smaller and darker. The boat is very nice and there is a bus to the MK that only takes about 5 minutes, but I would wait to stay at this resort when the two boys are a little older.

We now love the theme at the CR, but it wasn't always my favourite. The first time that we stayed at the CR I expected to dislike the theming, but we loved our stay there so much that, for us, it is tied with the GF and Poly for the best place to stay in WDW. We have stayed in both the GW and the tower and
enjoy each in different ways. Many of the views from the GW are lovely and would be considered a preferred view at many resorts. The GW is only steps away from the main tower so even the furthest rooms are really not that far away. The transportation from the CR is the best on property - especially if you are using Disney transportation. You have direct access to every resort via the MK bus stop (just a 5-10 minute walk from the CR) or a boat or the monorail! The only place that you have to transfer to get to is Epcot and that is via the monorail which is an easy switch. The monorails seem to run frequently (when working) which means that the transfer time seems much less than when two buses are involved. The other way that we have used is to bus to the BWI or the BC and walk into Epcot via the International gateway. This world well for ADR's in WS, especially for the UK or Canada or France.

Don't forget that Chef Mickey's is at the CR, plus you have a boat to FW for the Hoop dee Doo Revue! The Contempo Cafe is a great quick service in our experience as well. A meal at the California Grille will get you the opportunity to watch HEA fireworks from the top of the tower, which is awesome. Alternatively, there is a viewing platform on the 4th floor for watching the fireworks, if you are interested. Stepping outside or watching the EWP from your room is also very nice in the evening.

The pool at the CR is perhaps the weakest aspect of a stay here. The pool is very simple with a limited splash area for little ones. On the positive side, we never found it crowded and enjoyed our time at the pool more than we expected.

Good luck with whichever you choose!They really are both awesome resorts!

 

[wdwthanksgiving]

good thread --we love WL and have stayed there with our family of 12 in 3 rooms for the last 5 trips...always our favorite! i have, however, considered CR because of the ability to walk to MK and the monorail access but have been unsure of the theming - it feels so open and "cold" feeling to me when compared to the warmth and theming of WL. good to read the positive comments and will reconsider staying there for our next trip! thanks!

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

We have stayed at both. We love the WL - we stayed in a deluxe room and it was a great size with a great view. Although the CR resort is our second favorite to the Poly. We love the ability to walk to MK. I would definitely pick the CR if I had to choose.

 

[Sue M]

We love WL, but for the extra space and day bed I'd go with CR.

 

[uramr]

We gave stayed both but always go back to the Contemporary when we can! We love being able to wall to the Magic Kingdom. We also really like having the other monorail Resorts so easily accessible. That really increases the number of dining options that you have. You can always easily take a boat over to the Wilderness Lodge and visit and use their dining options!

 

[GraceyBelle]

I just stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and loved it. I keep looking and hoping someone cancels for my Dec dates. I would stay there again in a heartbeat. We loved taking the boat to the MK. The pool was nice but definitely seemed geared for a family with older kids or a couples trip.

 

[houstonmama]

While WL isn't my favorite of the deluxe resorts CR is the least favorite of ALL the resorts we've stayed at in WDW (we've stayed at all the deluxes, 2 moderates and 1 value). The walk is nice but the theming is meh at best. The pool is boring and bland. The lobby at CR is always crazy and the elevator to get up to the monorail is tiny so if you have a stroller it's a pita. The rooms are big at CR so thats a plus.

WL rooms are smaller and you can't walk to MK but the theming and the feel of the resort totally make up for it. The outdoor areas and the pool are lovely. The slide isn't the best on property but my kids enjoy it. The new splash pad area is so cute! I think maybe since we live in the city its so nice to be around all the greenery...my kids call it the camping hotel . We haven't been to Geyser point yet but it seems like a hit.

Good luck with your choice!

 

[beccasmom]

The CR garden wing rooms are very nice and certainly a great size. And the location is a huge asset IMHO. It is a bit of a walk to the main building, but you can walk to the MK very easily. Chef Mickey's is on the 4th floor of the main building as is Cafe Contempo, counter service with some tasty sandwiches and yummy cupcakes. WL is a water launch away.....we're looking forward to checking out Geyser Point too!

 

[allsaintsatx]

No way. Contemporary all the way. The rooms at WL are small to begin with, and to put a toddler bed in there? You will absolutely appreciate the extra space in the CR GW room.

We did that when we stayed at the Grand Californian - same architects as WL and AKL, same rough room square footage as those rooms - and when we had the air bed all set up on the floor of our room there was literally no place to walk at all. You had to slide over the beds to go to the bathroom. And, the bed they provided us (for a fee of course) barely fit. We had to kinda force it in there between the beds and the tv stand.

We love WL, but even with just 3 people we felt kinda cramped/stir crazy/why are you always near my face. And there's no couch at WL, so if you're relaxing in the middle of the day at your resort and everyone's feeling nappy and wants to lie down, there's not much spread out and chill room. Many people will disagree, but we would choose livable extra space over theming, and would be willing to spend more, much more, not to feel like we were on top of each other.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I've stayed at both and it's a tough call. They are both great resorts. If having more space is really important to you, go with the Contemporary. If your kids love to swim, the Wilderness Lodge is a better choice. Truthfully, unless you hit a bad stretch of weather, you won't be in the room that much.

 

[Aurora0427]

Another one of these posts! My family (husband, sons then 3 and 8, me) are headed back next may. I have always loved the wilderness lodge but never stayed there. Based on price (about $75 rack rate less than CR) I booked us here. The rooms look dark and small, and we will need to rent a toddler bed since our youngest will just be 3. We live in woodsy suburbs so this theme does not appeal to my husband. The contemporary fascinated my oldest son last trip, and you really can't beat the size of the rooms or the proximity to MK. We would put the youngest in the daybed, but the lack of theme is underwhelming. I will eventually stay at both, but for next May, what do you think?

We've stayed at both- the rooms at WL are dark and small. We'd probably never stay there again, because of the rooms. We fit a full size crib in between the two beds, and the space by the sliding glass door was tiny. My mom stayed there in 2015, and even without the crib the room was tiny.

The CR garden rooms are pretty big, and if you get a first floor room, the patio is so nice. We really liked those rooms, and walking to MK is fantastic. It does feel like a hotel vs. a resort, but we'd totally stay there over WL.