Worst view at a WDW resort-think I had it

[MaryD73]

When I checked into WL last December I got a courtyard view complete with scaffolding as they were repainting at the time. I am with the "Just happy to be at Disney" crowd, so every morning I would wake, put on my robe, go out to the balcony, and wish the painters good morning. By the end of the trips we were great friends!

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

Not to thread jack, but we also have our first trip coming up at VWL and after seeing this thread and hearing about the infamous dumpster view, I will happily (and politely) contact the manager if we should get a similar view and request to change. With it being our first trip "home", I want it to be as special as possible for DW & I

I feel the same way. Although I too am always happy to be at WDW, for our first trip home I'd really like a decent view. Happily I don't think that many rooms have the dumpster view so chances are we won't get it. You might ask about the view at the front desk though, I think I've read you can get charged a small fee for changing rooms when it's DVC.

WL and VWL is a beautiful resort though, and I can't wait to go "home"!

Hope your trip is wonderful!

 

[huntconn]

It was the summer of 04 the first vacation in 8 years for hubby and I and the first for our two girls at WDW. The Poly was in our dreams for months, we were so excited. I've seen pics, read reviews, words can't express the excitement, 10 nights!!!!!!!!!In paradise.

We booked a garden view room, I would have no problem looking across the lawn at the landscape or another longhouse, it was all beautiful to me from the pics.

Then...................we got ROOM 1002! The patio doors were completely blocked off from seeing anything other than 6ft bushes. Yes, bushes at the end of the patio from one end to the other. You had to walk out to the right onto the neighbors patio to see anything. Now, I was sent nasty pms about this years ago when I reported about this room on how ungrateful I was, that just being at the Poly should have been enough to make me happy. Well, I'm over that now Anyway...over 3K to look at bushes just didn't make me happy, I'm sorry We got moved the next day to Fiji and we have loved it there ever since when we stay. I now put it on my ressie, even the room number and I have been lucky enough to get the first floor cove side every time I have asked for it.

What longhouse were you in? Bad views at the Poly are few and far between but they certainly exist! Thank God they were able to move you. Funny thing is, the next person may have raved about the "seclusion" they had in that very same room

 

[lovmy2girls]

What longhouse were you in? Bad views at the Poly are few and far between but they certainly exist! Thank God they were able to move you. Funny thing is, the next person may have raved about the "seclusion" they had in that very same room

OMG! Maybe you were one of the flamers on my thread back in 04 who posted about how great the seclusion would be for someone. Yes I guess for someone who wanted "seclusion" it would have been great. If you were not afraid of what seemed like scary man eating like plants outside your door that seemed to get closer and closer to you while you sat and had your morning coffee and read the paper by flashlight due to the lack of light the plants let in!

That room is in the Tahiti building. Tikiman wrote me shortly afterward and let me know that they had trimmed the bushes a little, but we laugh every time we go back, because we go back and walk by the room on the way to the TTC and just laugh, and say how "THANKFUL" we are not to be in that room again!

 

[KodakFigment]

It's not just WL with the "lovely" views. We were finally able to stay at GF for a weekend and we got the most awful room in Big Pine Key. Our room was directly over the main laundry service area for the resort pool. Our planned pool view was instead a sea of laundry 24/7. Bet you didn't know that Disney goes through about a semi-truck load of pool towels every day Requested a move, but the resort was full. It didn't ruin the trip, but we were disappointed.

 

[Tink6666]

When I checked into WL last December I got a courtyard view complete with scaffolding as they were repainting at the time. I am with the "Just happy to be at Disney" crowd, so every morning I would wake, put on my robe, go out to the balcony, and wish the painters good morning. By the end of the trips we were great friends!

So happy to hear that you made a positive out of what could be a bad situation. We had a woodsview in 2004 at Wl and really all we saw were the tops of trees...no big deal since the amount of time we actually spent in the room was minimal. I just enjoyed the people and the look of the resort and the fact that we could get bunk beds for our two girls...very little fighting over who is touching who if they had shared a queen bed.

We will be returning again in August for a week stay at WL. We chose a courtyard view this year with bunk beds again. I'm hoping for a inner courtyard, but have not called to request this...don't know how or who to call to make the request.

Hope evryone remembers that you are in a magical place and though you may not have the most spectacular view from your room...try looking at the little things outside the room and take a moment and smile...Your at DISNEY!!!!!

 

[crazywig]

I feel the same way. Although I too am always happy to be at WDW, for our first trip home I'd really like a decent view. Happily I don't think that many rooms have the dumpster view so chances are we won't get it. You might ask about the view at the front desk though, I think I've read you can get charged a small fee for changing rooms when it's DVC.

There is a charge for DVC members if you accept a room, then request a change. It's helpful when going to the VWL to know which are the 'dumpster view' rooms and have those room numbers handy when checking in

here is a map of the VWL rooms by a member

http://members.aol.com/InstImpres/wildernessmap.pdf

Note: Room 4533 has no balcony! It is the only one without a balcony (it's a studio).

from 'another site':

Dumpster view (as reported):

Studio-2560, 2562, 3560, 3562, 4560, 4562

1 bedroom-4556

 

[Tink415]

Crazywig, your comment 'There is a charge for DVC members if you accept a room, then request a change' is very interesting to me. When I checked in to OKW for our first visit home this summer we were assigned to Bld 38, nowhere near the area I had requested, and I could tell our balcony would have a view of trees and Bonnet Creek Parkway with all the noise. I was bummed and asked if anything else was available, was told a request is only a request, nothing else was available and we could possibly change rooms the next day for a charge. I didn't want to change rooms the next day! But I also didn't realize I could ask to wait for another available room. Good to know Our stay included a 1st floor balcony view of many air conditioner units, jungle, traffic, a few snakes! and lots of road noise. But we loved the inside of the villa and there was no road noise inside.

A bad view is disappointing to me, no getting around it, but it doesn't ruin a trip. If saying at a deluxe a nice view is important because we'll spend time on the balcony. I pay for what I want and hope for the best! Never switched rooms but we've had some bad views, mostly too many big shrubs that make me want to avoid the balcony! At moderates some of the water views are beautiful, but a few are so bad I can't believe extra is charged for them and don't book water view any longer. Agree with others, never had a bad standard view at a moderate

 

[dclfun]

We've called those rooms at OKW that face the traffic ( and have a view of the woods below, one time complete with someone's empty gallon milk container, and other "items" ) the "trash and traffic view". It was our second trip as members many years ago and over the holidays ...we trekked up to the third floor at 4pm when the room finally became available only to open the curtains and have such a huge disappointment. At the time I hadn't made any room requests and figured since we didn't, we got the worst room in the entire resort. One other time I had put on our request "any area EXCEPT Old Turtle Pond" ( to avoid this view) and guess where they put us? They had read the request wrong and thought this was where I wanted to stay....sigh.---Kathy

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

crazywig - Thanks for that info, just want I need to know I agree that there really should be a way to hide the dumpsters - c'mon, Disney!

 

[HugsForEeyore]

Was your room the one that is wheelchair accessible? We had that room. The room wasn't bad, but the noise in the hallway...Oi. We will never stay near an elevator again.

Gosh, I think I had that room, too! I had a wheelchair-assesible king bed room at WL right near the elevators/Roaring Forks. It was right off the main hallway near a stairwell. I hated that room, it had such a claustrophobic feel to it! I felt like I was in the "dungeon" of Wilderness Lodge, which is what I referred to that room on my trip. I asked to switch but nope, they refused, all booked. My ground-floor view was of the little otter pond, with a large fence on my left which surrounded the loading dock area. So whenever I am on the patio, all I hear are workmen's voices, feet shuffling, trucks beeping, doors slaming, all very close to me. And yes, I mentioned here on the DIS that I hated that room, and yes, I had someone flame me for it. I will not stay at WL again unless I book a courtyard, I cannot risk ever getting that awful room again!

I am actually happy reading this thread - it seems that most people on the DIS say they get free upgrades, they always get their requests, etc.- and I always wonder why I get the lousy rooms over and over! Least I am not alone!

 

[usewickhouse]

So, how many of you, that got a "bad" view, put in special room requests on your ressies? Just curious if those of us that ask for no special requests are the ones getting the "bad" views/rooms? I use to never ask for anything other than non-smoking, DD has Asthma, but then found the DIS board. I have been a little more vocal about what "view" or room location that we would like and so far so good. We have a ressie for this December for the WL which I requested a lobby room and if that was not avail then upper north wing, as we have standard view booked. Also would like to know how so many people get upgraded? We have been going to Disney for the last 9 years, every year and go several times a year due to living 2 hours away. We have never once gotten upgraded and been there on our anniversary and numerous birthdays. No big deal!! Just curious how some people get so lucky? Are they asking for upgrades when they check in? I feel like there will always be rooms that have less than desirable views and we all have to take our turn in getting those rooms. There is no way we can ALL have the "best" view/room every time. I will agree that it really can start your trip off bad when you walk into a room that you paid EXTRA for a specific view and then you get a DUD! It has happened to us many times and I have never once asked to be moved. However, I am getting a little more assertive with age and one thing I will not ever sleep in is a "dirty" room. Usually when making our ressies I say to the CM or rep "as long as the room is clean". We had a very awful experience in a room that was so dirty that we actually took towels and layed them all over the carpet so no one had to touch the floor. It looked like someone had puked all over the carpet, YUK!! Good luck to us all in getting the rooms/views of our dreams!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[AngieInOH]

Our first room at AKL was terrible. Not only was the view bad (you could see nothing but a roof, which almost hit your head when you went outside, there was no daylight at all.... we were somewhere near the entrance) but you could not even fit a chair on the balcony, there was just enough room for two people to stand. I called the front desk to complain.... they said they would bring us 2 chairs up right away for the balcony, at which time I replied you couldn't even fit one chair out there. A few minutes I got a call back letting us know we had been upgraded to a pool view. I can not even begin to describe how much better it was.

 

[dclfun]

For those of us who must have an accessible room, we're stuck with whatever location the resort has....so for me, anytime I book a room at WL, I'm in the noisy room, in the dungeon. There are also no accessible rooms with "water view" at YC or BC, no concierge level rooms with roll in shower at the Poly ( where we are relegated to ONLY the Rapa Nui building), and sometimes the resort we want isn't available because all the accessible rooms are already reserved. We are never, ever, upgraded as our room is blocked to accomodate the roll in shower ( which is a good thing, but also sad to read of upgrades you'll never get). Just an FYI since some people never consider those things. ---Kathy

 

[Doc CW]

I dont care what view I get I'm glad that I'm just in WDW. If I had to pick a worst view it would be at the POP hwen we woke up looking at the highway but thats definitely not the worst view on here.

 

[ducklite]

One of the rooms at the BC looks out at a wall. There's a single window that looks at the back of the facade that's about 6' from the window. The room is about 30% smaller than other BC rooms, only has one queen bed, and it's a total rip-off that they charge full price for it. (No blacony, just the window.)

I wish that we had complained, and had taken a photo of it. It was terrible. Fortuntaly we were only there for one night.

Anne

 

[NMAmy]

Let me preface this by saying I love the Dolphin. We've stayed many times and the only time I got a room like this was for a partial stay last March. Since it was only for 3 days, I didn't make an issue out of it. I'd paid for a standard room and the CM who checked me in told me in a whisper, "Good news. Because of your SPG card, you've been upgraded to an Epcot view." Imagine my shock (and the laughter of my entire family) when we got to the rooma and found this:

TECHNICALLY, there was an Epcot/Boardwalk view but you had to be standing right next to the window to see it!

We then spent two days at the WL with a nice courtyard view and when we checked back in to the Dolphin for the last 4 days of our trip, we were upgraded to a balcony room on one of the wings with a view of the ToT.

Next time, I know, though. Do not ever accept a room on that floor again.

 

[LilGMom]

Maybe I am just odd but when we had a room overlooking the service entrance (possibly also the dumpster) at WL I loved it and would request it again if I could. During the day we weren't in our room and at night we could sit on our balcony and watch the nightly fireworks. When we'd throw the curtains open in the morning we could see the Castle and I was usually smiling so big at that that my eyes failed to travel south to the service entrance below.

 

[grumpy.uncle]

WL is one of the most stunning of all the WDW resorts. However, it appears that Disney cheaped out when it came to landscaping and site planning. I think it is beautiful as you drive up to the lobby and it is beautiful around the pool area. The rest of the outdoor area is quite boring. We stayed for NYE in a 1-br at VWL. After arriving, I realized that I should have requested an upper story. We were on ground floor w/ a view of a service road. I wanted to open the sliding door but I think it was sealed shut. I could not figure how to get out on the patio, not that it was that inviting. The quiet pool next to the VWL is extremely boring and uninviting. It looks as if it were an afterthought. Unless you are booking thru Expedia or a similar website, the rooms at a WDW resorts are quite expensive. Every room should have a decent view and some rooms should have a spectacular view. It's not as if Disney is lacking for space. No room should have a view of a dumpster ever. They can camoflage their dumpster area. I think the whole problem boils down to inadequate landscaping and site planning before construction and/or Disney not choosing to spend the money to remedy these problems.