WL questions

[lfeikert]

I'm driving myself crazy trying to choose a resort!! We really want to stay MK deluxe, but are trying to do it without breaking the bank!

I'm now leaning toward WL instead of Poly because of money. Tell me if I'm making the right choice.

I would like to hear about WL club level. Is it worth the extra $1000 (roughly) that it looks like it will cost?

Also, have all the rooms at WL gone through refurb? The pictures on the allears website don't look like refurbished rooms to me. I thought the new rooms had the flat screen tvs.

How about transportation to other resorts for meals? Easy or not worth it?

TIA--I know there are many WL fans out there who will be able to help!

 

[Elmo888]

All of the rooms are renovated. If you look here at allears.net, it lists pics of a room that states that it was fully renovated (Room 7106 - Standard View
Renovated February 2007). Further down the WL pic list are pics of the old rooms.

http://www.allears.net/acc/g_wl.htm

The transportation to monorail resorts is easy. There is a boat to the Contemorary, and you could easily eat there or catch the monorail to GF or Poly for a meal. Epcot resorts (BC, YC, BW) are convenient from Epcot, but, unless you go back through Epcot to catch the bus to WL, it can take some time to get back to WL (take a bus from YC to DTD and then catch a bus from DTD to WL).

WL is a great choice if you don't want to spend the extra $$ and you want to stay in a MK area resort. The resort is beautiful - make sure that you spend some time enjoying the resort - and I loved the boat to MK.

 

[pepe of ohio]

though we like the Poly, can't justify the price anymore. More bang for our bucks is standard WL. Transportation is great, the boat to the MK is a relaxing ride, alot of scenery, the boat to FW, some of the best buffet on property is a great way to spend some leisure time and a boat to CR, gains access to the monorail and EPCOT trnasfer. Club level ? We've stayed conceirge a few years ago and it was fantastic but conceirge has gone downhill lately and for us, just not worth the extra money. We either get groceries and liabation delivered, gardengrocer or hit a store off property ourselves and have exactly what we want when we want. Conceirge has got to be slim picked over pickings. We do not need any ADR's or have any special requests so that part of conceirge is a waste. Turn down service is available at any level so other than the food appertizers you don't get much for an extra 100 some bucks a night.

 

[DznyLvr2005]

I like the WL better than the poly.. .It's definately worth spending less money that you would have spent at the poly.. IMO

 

[lfeikert]

Thanks for all the info! Keep it ***ing!

I think we're going to do it--book WL! It will be such a relief to me to finally choose a resort because then I can begin all the planning!

Will we be OK booking a standard view room or should we do the more expensive view? What are the chances of getting a MK view where we can see Wishes? Can you see Wishes from the beach at WL?

Thanks!

 

[Jasminetigger]

We just returned from the Wilderness Lodge this morning. We stayed club level. We had the most wonderful vacation ever. The staff was amazing. They were very attentive. I plan on writing a condensed trip report tomorrow. But if there is anything in particular you would like to know right now, I'll be happy to try and answer. All the rooms have been refurbished. I loved the new rooms. We had absolutely no problems with transportation. In my opinion, our trip was worth every penny we spent on it.

 

[chrismb22]

I've got to tell you, I was in almost the same boat as you. I have stayed in the WL and LOOOVED it but I wanted to try something new. I really wanted to stay at the Beach or Yacht club. I weighed my options and I just can't justify spending the extra $100 a night right now. Someday I'll get there -- heXX -- someday I'll stay at the GF!! But trust me, it's a DELUXE and fabulous.

 

[lfeikert]

We just returned from the Wilderness Lodge this morning. We stayed club level. We had the most wonderful vacation ever. The staff was amazing. They were very attentive. I plan on writing a condensed trip report tomorrow. But if there is anything in particular you would like to know right now, I'll be happy to try and answer. All the rooms have been refurbished. I loved the new rooms. We had absolutely no problems with transportation. In my opinion, our trip was worth every penny we spent on it.

What a great source of information you will be! Tell me everything about club level. Why is it worth the extra money? What was the food like and when was it available? DH is also interested in knowing about what type of alcohol was there and when. Is it available any time or can you only get a beer at a certain time?

TIA--and feel free to share any information about your stay that you want--I'm all ears!!!! LOL!

 

[Elmo888]

Thanks for all the info! Keep it ***ing!

I think we're going to do it--book WL! It will be such a relief to me to finally choose a resort because then I can begin all the planning!

Will we be OK booking a standard view room or should we do the more expensive view? What are the chances of getting a MK view where we can see Wishes? Can you see Wishes from the beach at WL?

Thanks!

I don't know about seeing Wishes from the standard view. I only know about the woods view. We had a woods view, and I requested upper floor in the north wing. We were on the 3rd floor in the north wing, and we could see the fireworks through the trees. A higher floor would be better, like the 5th or 6th, in the north wing. Woods views on the other side of the resort face the VWL. Courtyard views are of the pool area. If you have a room on the far end of the u-shaped building, either view, you could see the lake.

Enjoy!

 

[Jasminetigger]

What a great source of information you will be! Tell me everything about club level. Why is it worth the extra money? What was the food like and when was it available? DH is also interested in knowing about what type of alcohol was there and when. Is it available any time or can you only get a beer at a certain time?

TIA--and feel free to share any information about your stay that you want--I'm all ears!!!! LOL!

O.K. Let's start with the food. Breakfast type food was served between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. There was o.j., apple juice and cranberry juice. Chocolate milk and whole milk. There was a machine that served all types of coffees, lattes, cappucino, hot chocolate, etc. I know there was at least nine different options, because my DD9 got lots of hot chocolate and that was button #9. There was cereals, yogurt, wonderful fresh fruit, muffins, danish, bagels. We ate there several mornings. It was the perfect way to start the day and get an early start. From 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. they had snacks available. Cookies, goldfish, pretzels, assorted nuts, gummie bears, apples, oranges, bannanas, soft drinks (which consisted of coke, diet coke and sprite), lemonade, iced tea and water. Then from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. hot and cold appetizer type food was served. There was always a soup. The tomato basil and clam chowder were excellent. Then there was a hot entree. When we were there, they served chili, beef tips and rice, grilled chicken and mashed potatoes, chicken and mac and cheese, just to name a few. There was also pbj for the kids. They had raw veggies and dips, bread, cheese platteres, etc. There was also soft drinks and beer. In the evening from 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. they served cookies, brownies, magic cookie bars, a hot fruit cobbler. There was beer, several wines, Bailey's, Kahlua, and a few others. I believe you can get beer anytime. You just have to ask.

The service was excellent. It was very personable. We were greeted downstairs by Betsy when we arrived. The check in line at the lobby was huge. We were taken upstairs to our room and able to check in at our leisure. The staff was super friendly. Called us by name and seemed genuinely interested in how we were doing. Whenever we need to change our ADR's or make new ones they were super helpful. One time they were not able to accomodate us on one of our changes. About an hour later we get a call in our room. They said they kept checking for us and had a cancellation and were able to get us into our restaurant.

The night before we left we got a complimentary order of chocolate tuxedo strawberries from the staff. The note said thanks for staying with us. Hope you had a great time. This morning when we left the staff slid an autographed picture of Mickey and Minnie under our door for my daughters. It said come back real soon. The staff really goes out of their way to make you feel welcome.

Any other questions, I'll be glad to try and answer.

 

[ccigliano]

I love the WL - it is my favorite resort and I have stayed at CBR, OKW, SSR and WL. I have been to the other deluxes but I must say that I would pay more for WL than the POLY if I had to because that is where I want to stay when I am at Disney. The resort has a certain appeal and if you like cozy, rustic elegance than I think you will like the lodge. The lobby is breathtaking and the fireplace is awesome. I love being by the lake and walking on the nature trail from the lodge to the campground and taking in all sights (rabbits, deer, turkey, and braison squirrel). I like the option of relaxing by the big pool with the slide or the quiet pool by the villas. In addition, nothing beats the hot tub after a long day at the parks, great on the feet. I don't think the Poly has a hot tub and WL has 3 if you count the one at the villas. Good Luck and know that you can't go wrong with the WL.

 

[disneyholic family]

we've stayed both concierge and standard at the WL and both are great.
It's a question of whether you're going to eat or not.

The time it was just my daughter and I staying there, we knew it wouldn't be worthwhile, so we went standard (and it was at a slow time of year so we only paid $125/night for standard -- unbelievable).

But when it's all 4 of us (husband, daughter, son, me) then we stay concierge level as it works out quite well.
All 4 of us eat breakfast in concierge every morning, plus i take a few drinks for the room for later. Probably the best part of breakfast is that it's very quick and convenient. Perfect for getting out easily and to the parks for rope drop.

We always come back at midday and have a snack and a drink (and take a few drinks for later - remember this is HOT orlando we're talking about, where you have to drink drink drink..)

then we come back for the cocktails in the evening and then again for the deserts at night.

So we definitely get our money's worth in food through the day. And that's even with us all being vegetarians. Of course it only actually replaces breakfast. We eat lunch and dinner elsewhere. But we definitely enjoy it.

And the concierge staff at the WL are very accomodating.

But even if you go standard, you'll enjoy the WL. It's absolutely lovely.
It's my second favorite resort in WDW (GF is #1 for me).

As for wishes, even if you can see the fireworks, it's not really the kind of view that you should have. It's not like the view from the GF or Poly.

 

[Hugpug]

OK I travel solo so Club level is not worth it for me at all. The one draw back I see here is you are stuck in a time frame when meals are avaiable. To me that would not work. I have stayed at Poly and CR as well as Moderates and Value both. My home is either WL or FW cabins. I will never be able to stay at GF to rich for my blood. I love WL. In fact last year was my retirement trip and it was the most wonderful trip I have ever had. Had a courtyard view room for the first time otherwise I have always had a woods view but my TA was very good at getting me a better room for less then what the woods view would have been. I ate at so many different places it was a joy. Artist Point,Crystal Palace,Whispering Canyon,Brown Derby,Mama Melrose,Sci-Fi,Kona's,Ohana's,and many more. Everything was super and I did not have to pay hundred dollars more for this per night. You must take the time to explore this resort it is so gorgeous. The boat ride to CR to hope on monorail was so easy and the bus service was just fine. Only proble with the buses is when leaving a park at closing but I either would leave a little early or wait and leave later to avoid the crush. I won't stand on a bus and I had an issue with a CM one night about this at MGM but I stuck to my ground and would not board the bus untill I could be sure I have a seat. You see I have a bad knee so standing on a moving bus was out of the question. He was very rude I though. You will love the WL no matter what room you get.

 

[Jasminetigger]

While the food is a nice extra at the club level, that is all it is to me, an extra perk. We do not plan our days depending on when the food is going to be out. Club level for me is all about the service. The preplanning staff at WL is awesome. They were very quick to respond to all of my requests and had some great suggestions as well. While we were there, they took care of all of our needs. I will say, because of the way our days were planned, we were able to partake in all of the food offereings. We would grab breakfast in the lounge most mornings, then head out for park opening. We would head back early afternoon for a break and the girls would grab cookies and lemonades. Then on the way back out in the evening, we would grab a little something to hold us over until dinner. Everyone will have their own opinion about club level at WDW. This is just mine.

 

[pennyplanner]

One trick we used while staying our favorite WL resort is to use the quick bus service to MK to get to other resorts. For example, if we had dinner plans for the Boardwalk area, we could hop on a bus to the MK. And then catch a bus to the Boardwalk Resort from the MK bus area. That bus to MK is about 5 minutes! While we love the boat for a relaxing ride back AFTER the parks, we like to get there quick to get the day started!

We would ride the monorail (for fun) from Epcot to the TTC and get the monorail to the MK and catch the bus back to WL. Just a fun ride to mix it up a little.

We love the WL for its bunk beds, queen size beds, relatively reasonable price, the pool and most of all the overall theming. It is a beautiful, relaxing place.

The club level is not what we are looking for at WDW.

--pennyplanner

 

[lfeikert]

While the food is a nice extra at the club level, that is all it is to me, an extra perk. We do not plan our days depending on when the food is going to be out. Club level for me is all about the service. The preplanning staff at WL is awesome.

Tell me a little bit, if you don't mind, about the preplanning that they club level staff helped you with. Did you have them make your ADRs? Could they get you in "tough to get" restaurants?

Thanks--your information has been so helpful!

 

[Jasminetigger]

Tell me a little bit, if you don't mind, about the preplanning that they club level staff helped you with. Did you have them make your ADRs? Could they get you in "tough to get" restaurants?

Thanks--your information has been so helpful!

Within 24 hours of making our reservation, we were contacted by WL IPO. They got us all of our ADR's including Le Cellier and 'Ohana. They even got us an Illuminations cruise.

About 2 months before our trip, 6 additional family members decided to join us for 4 days. My bil and sil, their 2 dd's and my fil and mil decided to join in on the fun. Now all of our ADR's for a party of 4 had to be changed to a party of 10. I panicked. I contacted WL IPO and they were able to change everything for us. We had to change some of the times a little bit, but nothing major. They were wonderful to work with and stopped my panicking. We did end up cancelling the cruise because they could not accomodate my mil's and fil's scooters.

About five days before we arrived, I received an e-mail from them making sure everything was in order and wanting to know if we had a room preference or any other requests. I worked with the same planner throughout. He was extremely helpful. For the next five days, we chit chatted back and forth via e-mail and fine tweeking our plans. I was also able to reach them by phone whenever I needed to. I always had to leave a voice message, but I was always contacted back within the hour.

 

[Debby]

I don't know about seeing Wishes from the standard view. I only know about the woods view. We had a woods view, and I requested upper floor in the north wing. We were on the 3rd floor in the north wing, and we could see the fireworks through the trees. A higher floor would be better, like the 5th or 6th, in the north wing. Woods views on the other side of the resort face the VWL. Courtyard views are of the pool area. If you have a room on the far end of the u-shaped building, either view, you could see the lake.

Enjoy!

I was wondering if you could post any pictures of the woods view. We are staying in a woods view room in Aug and I cannot find any pictures. Thanks!