(CLOSED) Disney's WILDERNESS LODGE and VILLAS INFORMATION THREAD ~2014~

[bookgirl]

I'm on the Jan 2015 thread (planning a 'one last trip while I have an AP' solo trip) and one of the Travel Agents on there said that while booking for a client the CM told her to keep an eye out in Jan as there is discussion of FD.

We all know how accurate those call center CM's can be and personally I can't see it happening as I think they will probably offer S/P/D again, but I thought I'd pass the info along.

 

[ttkc]

Great info. I was going to say that for time use the buses but for experience the boats. We plan to use buses to and boats from. I didn't even realize how fast the buses were till they had to shut down the boats due to high winds and we were forced to the buses. That is very easy, as long as you aren't lugging a stroller along.

Thanks for all the responses! I am a little confused, though. I swear I read some people complaining about how long the busses took and they were shared with other resorts? I admit I have read so much about this trip that my brain is spinning, so maybe I am mixing stuff up. Is it a dedicated bus to MK, only for WL? Or does it drive to the other resorts before getting to MK?

 

[nogreenworld]

i'm on the jan 2015 thread (planning a 'one last trip while i have an ap' solo trip) and one of the travel agents on there said that while booking for a client the cm told her to keep an eye out in jan as there is discussion of fd.

We all know how accurate those call center cm's can be and personally i can't see it happening as i think they will probably offer s/p/d again, but i thought i'd pass the info along.

?? S/p/d ??

 

[Wood Nymph]

Thanks for all the responses! I am a little confused, though. I swear I read some people complaining about how long the busses took and they were shared with other resorts? I admit I have read so much about this trip that my brain is spinning, so maybe I am mixing stuff up. Is it a dedicated bus to MK, only for WL? Or does it drive to the other resorts before getting to MK?

There is a dedicated bus from WL to MK and back. The only time we shared was when the monorail was down and the bus stopped at the Contemporary.

But the other park buses share with one other resort. The Epcot bus shares with FW. The DHS bus shares with GF. And I've seen the AK bus share with either GF or FW.

 

[bookgirl]

?? S/p/d ??

Stay Play and Dine promotion.

You pay rack rate for the room and then you get a discount on tickets and dining plan. One year is was basically an adult getting their tickets and dining plan at child prices. I think last year it was a percentage off but still ended up around the same prices.

 

[nogreenworld]

Stay Play and Dine promotion.

You pay rack rate for the room and then you get a discount on tickets and dining plan. One year is was basically an adult getting their tickets and dining plan at child prices. I think last year it was a percentage off but still ended up around the same prices.

gotcha. thanks!

 

[AngiTN]

I'm on the Jan 2015 thread (planning a 'one last trip while I have an AP' solo trip) and one of the Travel Agents on there said that while booking for a client the CM told her to keep an eye out in Jan as there is discussion of FD.

We all know how accurate those call center CM's can be and personally I can't see it happening as I think they will probably offer S/P/D again, but I thought I'd pass the info along.

?? S/p/d ??

Stay Play and Dine promotion.

You pay rack rate for the room and then you get a discount on tickets and dining plan. One year is was basically an adult getting their tickets and dining plan at child prices. I think last year it was a percentage off but still ended up around the same prices.

Yeah, they've tried varying things. This year (I think it was this year) they did a flat $$ off the package. I think it was $600 off for Deluxe and $400 off for Mod/Value, or something like that. It wasn't awful but it wasn't a big incentive for those on the fence either. It would be great to see them offer up FD more often again but I'm sure not holding my breath for it

 

[bellerino]

Is there a hair dryer in the Wilderness Lodge rooms?

Thank you so much!
Stacie

 

[CuteAsMinnie]

Is there a hair dryer in the Wilderness Lodge rooms?

Thank you so much!
Stacie

1800 Watts (maybe even 1850) of drying power! No need to bring your own!

 

[Dumbo Mad]

We had a great day at the lodge today.

Really honoured to be the flag family for the day, and had a beautiful birds eye view of the stunning area around the lodge. We could also see how the pool refurb was coming along. The pool is completely drained and they were working on the children's splash area. Not too much noise today either.

I highly recommend the lodge tour. It was great to meet Ranger Jack and learn about the history of the lodge. He also shows you all the little details that make the lodge so special that you might not notice yourself. The geyser still erupts on the hour, but the walkway has been closed due to the refurb, so we watched it from the 6th floor. Can't wait to stay here again.

 

[Lsdolphin]

I don't remember a 2nd bridge to the boats....how do you get to boat if bridge is closed? I remember coming out of door across from RF and going down a path to the bridge or was that path directly to the dock?

 

[GrandCalifornian]

I don't remember a 2nd bridge to the boats....how do you get to boat if bridge is closed? I remember coming out of door across from RF and going down a path to the bridge or was that path directly to the dock?

The path that is closed is the fork that heads South by the geyser and hot tubs. The main path towards the North wing is open, and leads you along the courtyard construction wall to the patio outside Roarin Fork.

 

[chicagogrl]

We didn't use the buses but we took the boat to MK and it worked out fine for us. Maybe it depends on how many people are waiting for the boat?
It left early and we got there for the welcome show. We also took it back from MK after the fireworks to Wilderness Lodge. We had to wait for another boat but for us it was fine.

 

[jjjellybean]

Fantastic offering info for us Disney newbies!

 

[JnKinVA]

*sigh* I feel like a jumping bean right now.

We have decided to save money and drive down in January and use some of our DVC points for the BC part of our stay. Still staying CL at WL for the second half.

Since we are driving, we decided to cancel our Christmas trip and re-instate our cruise which we were going to,cancel.
So, we need one line of the log removed for Christmas.

Now that it is all settled, I feel better, even though I had to cancel.

 

[cmstpierre]

Is Whispering Canyon Cafe ever "walk up" for lunch or dinner, or do I need an ADR at all times? Was hoping to not "plan" one night of our trip so we didn't have to rush back at the end of the day for an ADR. Would be nice to just stroll back to our hotel and dine, even if it means a minimal wait. The nights I am thinking of are mid-week next week, if that makes a difference.

 

[elaw]

Is Whispering Canyon Cafe ever "walk up" for lunch or dinner, or do I need an ADR at all times? Was hoping to not "plan" one night of our trip so we didn't have to rush back at the end of the day for an ADR. Would be nice to just stroll back to our hotel and dine, even if it means a minimal wait. The nights I am thinking of are mid-week next week, if that makes a difference.

We've eaten there several times and never have made ADR's for it.

 

[pixarmom]

Hello WL Fans! We have a split stay coming up in January and we're waiting for room-only discounts. Looks like Marathon Weekend is sold out for our reservation dates at BWI and, therefore, a discount there is unlikely. So we started shopping for an alternative and are thinking of a return to WL! That means a deluxe CL room, since we're a family of five, and that extra space would work out well for our different running schedules over marathon weekend.

Couple questions:

1) KOOK, your deluxe room review was really helpful. I know it wasn't your favorite, but it may be a good fit for our family and your review helped me know what to expect. Anyone else have recent experience in a deluxe CL room to report?

2) Anyone participated in Marathon Weekend events while staying at WL? Reports regarding bus service, etc?

Thanks so much!

 

[cmstpierre]

We've eaten there several times and never have made ADR's for it.

Thanks! We have a breakfast ADR at WCC for our last day because I know we're not doing anything except flying home that day, but it will be nice to have the option to have dinner or lunch there too without planning so far ahead.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hello WL Fans! We have a split stay coming up in January and we're waiting for room-only discounts. Looks like Marathon Weekend is sold out for our reservation dates at BWI and, therefore, a discount there is unlikely. So we started shopping for an alternative and are thinking of a return to WL! That means a deluxe CL room, since we're a family of five, and that extra space would work out well for our different running schedules over marathon weekend.

Couple questions:

1) KOOK, your deluxe room review was really helpful. I know it wasn't your favorite, but it may be a good fit for our family and your review helped me know what to expect. Anyone else have recent experience in a deluxe CL room to report?

2) Anyone participated in Marathon Weekend events while staying at WL? Reports regarding bus service, etc?

Thanks so much!

Make sure you catch the bus as early as possible. Two years ago we were at VWL and my husband, our son and their friend almost missed the start of the race because the bus was late. If they had gone with me in the car, I would have gotten them there in plenty of time. But at the time, we weren't sure I would get there first.