WL questions

[sleepyone]

We're NOW thinking of staying at WL and, think this will be THE one. I'd like to know what type view you've all had and was it worth it? We're thinking of a courtyard view or a deluxe room with a lodge view. Tell me what to expect to be staring at for a week . Are there any views of the geyser, and if so, what type of room should we book?

I'd also, like to know how your ride from WL to MK went? We usually drive to and from all the parks instead of taking the bus. Did you drive, take the bus, or a boat? Which was best? Does WL have it's own busses or are they shared with other resorts?

Also, what kind of activities are there at this resort? We plan on looking for hidden Mickeys. Can we go over to Fort Wildernes Resort & Campground for the hay rides, petting farm, etc...?

TIA!

 

[LUV4EEYORE]

We took the boat each time to MK and we loved it. We never had a wait more than 5 minutes except at closing and then they ran 2 boats. We loved WL and can not wait to stay there again.

 

[sleepyone]

Thanks, I'd like to take the boats instead of driving!I noticed this was your first post! Welcome to the DIS!

 

[ciera321]

We had a courtyard view and were just above the pool on the 5th floor. Great for morning coffee on the balcony and watching the duck's morning swim in the pool. We always took the boat to MK and loved it, even though it was chilly in the December evenings. Beautiful resort!!!

 

[sleepyone]

"...watching the duck's morning swim in the pool."

 

[ctrabada]

I LOVE the courtyard view... the waterfall, the pool, the geyser, the lake... it's all so beautiful. I always take the boat to MK and never had to wait too long, even during the holidays (peak season).

This time we're staying at the villas for the first time, so I'm not sure what kind of view we'll get.

Make sure you don't get the top floor... the balconies have a solid wall and you can't see anything unless you're standing up.

 

[sleepyone]

I LOVE the courtyard view... the waterfall, the pool, the geyser, the lake... it's all so beautiful. I always take the boat to MK and never had to wait too long, even during the holidays (peak season).

This time we're staying at the villas for the first time, so I'm not sure what kind of view we'll get.

Make sure you don't get the top floor... the balconies have a solid wall and you can't see anything unless you're standing up.

Okay, so if we pay for a courtyard view then we should be able to see the waterfall, pool, geyser and the lake??? That sounds great!

 

[Disney Doll]

Actually, the WL is one of our favorites. We've stayed there twice. The first time we stayed we got such a cheap price on a room...they called it a Manager's Special or something...it was like $125/night...that we had a view of the smokehouse. Now, the smokehouse isn't the best view in the world, but it was actually quite interesting.

The second time we stayed there we actually had a ground floor room on the side closest to the DVC Villas. It looked at the DVC pool and some lovely landscaping and shrubbery and was really quite a nice spot.

As far as getting to the MK, take the boat. It drops yuou off right at the gate. If you drive, you end up at the TTC, where you then have to get the boator monorail to the MK....adds time onto oyur "commute". Plus, I love the Disney boats.

 

[ChristyJ]

Planning our first trip, I changed our ressie several times before I settled on the WL and it was without a doubt THE choice for us!! We loved the hotel-the lobby is as amazing as everyone says it is! We enjoyed taking the boat to the MK-my 2 DDs (age 5 & 8) liked the ride and the wait was never too long. Our longest wait was one day for a bus to Animal Kingdom-we waited with a group of about 10 other people for the first bus of the day and it was exceptionally late. Not sure why... We had a woods view-it was nice, but we weren't in our room that often, so we probably would have even been happy with a standard view.

ENJOY!!!

 

[pooh2001]

We have an AAA rate of $279 at the WL for late June -> early July 2006 (14 nights) and a courtyard room booked. We requested the North side - away from the Villa's. We want the WL view not WL villa's.

No woods view for us. We are North-East not North-West, but trees are trees. I can look out my window and see the trees at home, and the rabbits, deer, squirrels, birds, even turkeys once in a while.
No standard for us - we do not want roofs or drivesways.

Still waiting for AP rates.

So many good reviews of the WL aw: (a few sour ones too - but hey, everyone has a right to their opinion)

We like clean hotels with some amenities, but the little things do not bug us - like a scratch on the desk or all white tile in the tub area.

There is a totem-pole in the lobby. There is a bear at the bottom of the totem-pole. From posts here, I am told the bear has been named Humphrey.
For an extra sprinkle of magic, rub Humphrey's nose and see what waits your wonderful vacation at WDW

From someone elses post - go the below web-site and see their video.
They show you Humphrey, the geyser, the lobby of WL, a bit of Artist Point and Whispering Canyon. The lady in the video (not me) is celebrating her birthday at WDW.
http://mio.discoremoto.virgilio.it/marcodinaro
Click on WL1 (the middle .wmv file)

 

[DadOf2Princesses]

Just got back from WL - had woodsview Rooms 4010 (2 Queens) and 4012 (1 Queen 1 Bunk). $195/nt with AAA. These rooms were great both very quiet and we could see the Wishes and MNSSHP fireworks nightly over and through the trees. Could also see the monorail and if we stuck our head over the balcony we could see the ELP at 9:45ish.

Took the boat once and it was too slow and no A/C, we took the Bus after that - Bus was a direct ~2 min ride to MK - no sharing with any other hotel.

Enjoy your stay!

 

[Marni]

On our first stay at WL in 2002, we had an inner courtyard view. We were able to see some of the fireworks from MK (we were on the 5th floor), plus the pool area and the floating electrical pageant on the lake at night. Our second visit in 2004, we had an outer courtyard view. We were on the 4th floor with a nice view of the "quiet pool" and the villas. It was fun eating breakfast on the balcony and watching the ducks swim in the pool. We are leaving in 67 days to stay there for our 3rd time and our first visit during the holidays!

 

[debbiedoo]

We stayed at the villas this past summer and loved it!!

It is breathtaking and will probably be back next summer

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Just got back from the WL. After spending a week at WDW and seeing every resort, I'm convinced we picked the right resort for us. We had a ground floor with bunks overlooking the pond on the MK side. Even on the first floor we saw (and heard) the fireworks if we were in the room. We were close to the pool and the snack bar, so sending my kids down the hall for coffee was a bonus for me. Don't get me started on the lack of quality coffee in WDW. The only decent coffee I had was at the Disney Quest counter service run by Cheesecake Factory.

We weren't nearly as lucky with boat transportation, especially when it came to the boat that ran to the Contemporary. Rented a car the next morning.

Have fun!