WL Villas?

[JenM475]

Just booked a week at the WLV in August, and I realized that the villas are not actually connected to the main lodge. Is the walk from the villas to Roaring Forks for the boat dock bad? Do you lose some of the magic by not staying in the actual lodge? Now I am a little nervous. Thanks!

 

[Lynne M]

The villas building is right next to the main building, about a 2-3 minute walk down the covered walkway that connects the buildings. I've never felt like I was missing any magic, since the main building is so close. The walk to RF and the dock takes a few minutes more, but really it's not bad at all.

 

[dchronister]

These are our favorite Villas, would stay here in a minute. You do so much walking at disney that this little bit should not be a problem, by the time you could leave a room and get the elevator and walk to the boat dock from the mail building, you would probably arrive and the same time as someone walking from the villas. A plus for us was that it is a lot less noise at the villas, actually, very quite. IMO, the villas are the way to go, here, because of the closeness of the two buildings. But, have fun.

 

[jollygreengirl]

At VWL, you are very convenient to bus loading. There's a "shortcut" walkway around the back of the lodge down to the feature pool and boat dock beyond. So, unless it's raining, you don't need to walk through the Lodge to get everywhere. VWL and WL are pretty compact (unlike some of the other resorts that are rather sprawling), so I wouldn't worry about the distances. It's really a non-issue. You'll love VWL. It's so quiet and homey. We even had deer come visit us most evenings right outside our balcony. So magical!

 

[JenM475]

Thanks so much for the replies. I feel much better!

We've stayed in the lodge a few times, but never the villas. I love WL, so it will be nice to try something new.

 

[DopeyDonald]

We just booked our 3rd trip to the villas. I posted the same worry as you did before our first trip....obviously the worries were for naught! Like previous posters said: you get all the magic, but it's much quieter and cozy. In all of our past trips, we maybe shared an elevator twice - otherwise we hardly saw anyone in the halls.

As far as the walk goes, I think the villas are actually closer to the bus stop! And the short cut around back to the boat is not bad at all - rest easy. If you like the lodge, you will love the villas.

 

[Annal606]

These are our favorite Villas, would stay here in a minute.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We're regular WL fans, alot of stays there and had the chance to try a villa studio....before I start, there's nothing wrong with the villas but but me, I rather prefer the main lodge north wing.....

The villa studio wasn't all that different than a regular room except for the one queen bed and sleeper sofa....kitchenette....no big deal...but we found ourselves using the buses more since they were the closest over the boat....and after you're back from a park and in your villa, the walk to the Roaring Fork is a bummer...I know we walk all day, not that far but we are so used to down the hall, onto the elevator and around the corner and we;re there.....we also enjoy the antics at the main pool over the villas.....

Bottom line, if I'm in the villa and walking alot to the QS, boat dock and main pool, why not just stay in the main lodge....yeah, more room in a villa (probably better if not in a studio) but how much time do you spend inside? We spend all our resort time outside so we're back to the main lodge like I said, close to the boat dock, QS and pool (main).....but it's just the 2 of us, if you're a larger group and need the 1 or 2 bedroom villa, it's your only choice other than 2 rooms....we just got too used to the main building over alot of trips....not to shun the villas but the main lodge works better for us....It is different...it's all in the eyes of the beholder...just our views..

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) WALKING: If located in furthest room in building block
. . . walk to main lodge could be long
. . . walk to boat dock could be fine (if walking outside)
. . . walk to boat dock could be REALLY long (if walking inside)
. . . walk to bus stop is pretty convenient
2) AMBIANCE:
. . . not much difference from Lodge, once in the hallway or room
. . . of course, 1-2 bedroom units are larger than Lodge
. . . lounging area really nice, including REAL Walt Disney train cars
3) DISNEY-fied
. . . it doesn't feel as "Disney" as the Lodge
. . . in the Lodge, it is easy to step form the room "into Disney touches"
. . . it feels like a nice, rustic Inn, as opposed to a Disney hotel
. . . we prefer the Lodge to the Villas

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I stayed at WL Villas last year with my family. This is definitely one of the more 'compact' resorts with not a lot of walking (compared to many other Disney resorts). The villas are right next to the main lodge. It's not even 2 minutes to walk to the lobby but more like 20 seconds. There is a cover over the walkway so you won't get wet if it is raining. You are also right next to the bus stop. And of course there is the Villas pool that has springs in them (pretty neat) with a hot tub too.

The boat dock is a bit further away and so is roaring forks but this really isn't much of a walk at all. I actually didn't like that the resort was so compact because it felt smaller to me than other resorts.

The villas themselves have a simpler design and theme but nothing could beat the bathtub!!! My kids loved to take a bubble bath with the jets and watch TV. It was like their own little pool. I liked it too!

I never felt like I was away from the magic in the villas. In fact, I loved the common area of the villas with the games and Walt's train on display. There is also a fitness area in the villas along with a masseuse if you want to book a massage (my DH did and he enjoyed it).

To sum it up - it is not a long walk or far away from the main lobby AT ALL! And it does not take away from the magic.

 

[joshua74133]

what room has the best view for a 2 bedroom villa??? i want to stay on the 5th floor

 

[fla4fun]

Most of the villa views are woodsy.

I like the villas and I like the lodge. It depends on what experience I'm going for which one I will select. When I'm in the villas, I don't go to the restaurants as often because I have groceries for light meals and snacks in the villa. When I'm in the lodge, I eat in the restaurants a lot. When I'm on the south side of the lodge or in the villas, I use the bus to MK more than the boat. The lodge feels more like a hotel experience and the villas (even the studios) feel more like a home experience.

I don't think you can really go wrong with either, so long as you make your selection based on the type of resort experience you are looking for. As another poster said, the layout of WL/VWL is very compact, especially when you compare it to, say, BWI/BWV, BC/BCV, or AKL/Kidani.

 

[spiceycat]

what room has the best view for a 2 bedroom villa??? i want to stay on the 5th floor

ask for a dedicated - not lock off - most of them are on the 5th floor.

ask for near the elevators on the lake side of the resort. even if you can't see the lake. the few bad views this place has are on the other side - facing road/bus area & service area.

 

[spiceycat]

Just booked a week at the WLV in August, and I realized that the villas are not actually connected to the main lodge. Is the walk from the villas to Roaring Forks for the boat dock bad? Do you lose some of the magic by not staying in the actual lodge? Now I am a little nervous. Thanks!

well you can go visit the lodge when ever you want. It is a very short walk.

find vwl more homey. it has less guests than WL. so it feels more like a home than a hotel room.

It has the gym that is shares with WL. it own swimming pool and hot tub. get a list of activities when you arrive and be sure to check them before you go running off to the parks.

for groceries would order from wegoshop or garden grocer - unless you are getting the dinning plan.

even the studio has a refrigerator/microwave/toaster