WLR...all courtyard views basically the same?

[LilTinks]

Hi all...I just upgraded from a standard view to a courtyard view at WLR (only did this because the discount from my Disney Visa allowed me to upgrade and still save $$$ over the original package). Anyway, I was wondering if there were any special requests that I should include on my reservation...are there any courtyard view rooms that are less desirable than others due to noise levels, location in the hotel, or other reasons I'm not thinking of?

Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated...thanks!

 

[Renee1061]

Courtyard view will be either inner courtyard, where you will have a view of the pool, stream, waterfall, etc., or courtyard villas, where you will have a view of the villas and the villas pool. The second view would be quieter if that is what you are looking for. But if you want an incredible view, request inner courtyard.

 

[lpandorf]

I don't think they are all the same. We stayed at WL last year and I just paid for a standard room and that was all I expected. Upon check-in they told me I was upgraded to a courtyard view. I thought it would be facing the pool, but it was facing the villas. Very pretty and quiet but if you are expecting to face the pool you should request this.

 

[Disneyluvr81]

That's interesting about the courtyard view facing the villas.

We went this past January for the very first time to WDW and had booked a "woods view". They made no indication at check in that we had been upgraded or anything but our room looked directly out to the villas and the villas pool. If we peaked out from the balcony we could see the water. I quite enjoyed the view, it was so very quiet and peaceful.

Haha, now I feel special if we did indeed get a little upgrade!

 

[grimley1968]

I'll only speak to the courtyard views surrounding the feature pool, geyser, etc.

The views are generally about the same for any room in this area, with the exception that higher up rooms of course provide more scenery than lower rooms.

No courtyard view rooms would show any of MK, for example, because none of them face that direction. The ones that do sort of face MK's direction are blocked by the other wing of the resort. You'd have to have woods view rooms on the northwest side of WL to be able to see MK, and they'd need to be on the top 1 or 2 floors.

Now some things all courtyard view rooms (except for the villas rooms) should have in common are views of the feature pool, the stream running to it, the geyser, and probably Bay Lake (if you are 2nd story or above). You should also be able to tell (by sight or by hearing the boat whistle; more likely the latter) when a MK boat is coming to the dock, which is pretty handy if you wanted to get to MK quickly.

Editing to add: if you get in one of the long wings along the sides of the courtyard view area, try to get as close to an elevator as possible. Those elevators are quick at WL, but those hallways can be looooong. It's very nice to be able to walk along the pool to get to an elevator bank nearest your room, hop in an elevator and then walk no more than 50 feet or so to your room.

 

[LilTinks]

This is good, helpful information for me...thanks. A few more questions...

1. I'd love to have a view of the pool and geyser areas, but will it be too noisy (I have a little one that will probably nap in the afternoons). Would it make a difference if I requested inner courtyard a few floors up, or should I just request a villa view instead?

2. Is it more desirable to be closer to the ground floor for any reason (or doesn't make as much a difference as our room's proximity to an elevator)?

3. Do I need to worry about getting a room above the restaurants (not even sure if there are any, but I'd hate to be above all the ruckus at the Whispering Canyon!)?

I can only make 2 requests on my WLR reservation, so I want to to my best to make sure we're not disappointed with noise levels or "mileage" to and from the pool/front desk/QS restaurant.

 

[FlashScout]

This is good, helpful information for me...thanks. A few more questions...

1. I'd love to have a view of the pool and geyser areas, but will it be too noisy (I have a little one that will probably nap in the afternoons). Would it make a difference if I requested inner courtyard a few floors up, or should I just request a villa view instead?

2. Is it more desirable to be closer to the ground floor for any reason (or doesn't make as much a difference as our room's proximity to an elevator)?

3. Do I need to worry about getting a room above the restaurants (not even sure if there are any, but I'd hate to be above all the ruckus at the Whispering Canyon!)?

I can only make 2 requests on my WLR reservation, so I want to to my best to make sure we're not disappointed with noise levels or "mileage" to and from the pool/front desk/QS restaurant.

1. As long as your balcony door is closed, you shouldn't have a problem with noise. We've used the radio or tv at low volume to provide a little "white noise" when we're on trips.
2. I personally don't see an advantage to a lower floor.
3. The only courtyard view rooms in the lobby area are the "bear-face" and they're hard to get anyway. Roaring Forks and Artists Point don't have any impact on rooms above them.

Since you're interested in minimizing walk to the pool/lobby/Roaring Forks, I'd recommend requesting North Wing upper courtyard. That's what we got upgraded to last time. We were halfway between the lobby and the elevators to Roaring Forks. Check out the room lay-out here. http://users.hartwick.edu/heydukr/wlrooms.htm

Also visit the WL FAQ thread. Lots of folks hang out there and can answer questions even better than I can.