Disney's WILDERNESS LODGE Information & Questions

[mastermind307]

We'll be arriving in just 59 days! I made my FP selections yesterday and got most of what I wanted at the times I wanted. I'm going to do online check in, but before I do I have a quick question. We have rented points to stay in 2 studios and the member I rented from has added woods view, high floor with a balcony as a request on our reservation. I notices on online check in I can choose high floor and woods view, should I check those boxes or leave them blank since those request should already be noted on our reservation?

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We'll be arriving in just 59 days! I made my FP selections yesterday and got most of what I wanted at the times I wanted. I'm going to do online check in, but before I do I have a quick question. We have rented points to stay in 2 studios and the member I rented from has added woods view, high floor with a balcony as a request on our reservation. I notices on online check in I can choose high floor and woods view, should I check those boxes or leave them blank since those request should already be noted on our reservation?

We have never stayed in the Villas, but we have done fine making requests both by calling and having them on the reservation and by selecting what we could in the online check in. The room assignor should have access to requests that you made from both methods, and as long as they aren't conflicting you should be good. Congratulations and have a great trip!

 

[Shamsky100]

My DGF and I arrive 31 days from today. We can't wait, this is going to be her first stay on property and my first time staying at the Lodge.

 

[DisFam95]

We've been here 5 days now and today is the really the only day we've spent all day at the hotel.

We're on the 5th floor north wing closer to the lobby and have heard drilling or something constantly for at least an hour. BUT honestly it's low and just sounds like a vacuum running upstairs. I don't think it would stop a child from napping. Now could be a lot louder on 6!

 

[suse66]

We are thinking of a split stay with Yacht Club and Wilderness Lodge in March of 2016. Do you think the construction will negatively impact our stay? We would be looking at a deluxe room as we are a party of five. Thanks for any advice/opinions!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We are thinking of a split stay with Yacht Club and Wilderness Lodge in March of 2016. Do you think the construction will negatively impact our stay? We would be looking at a deluxe room as we are a party of five. Thanks for any advice/opinions!

We are looking at September 2016, and while there is going to be construction in the areas surrounding the main WL building, our opinion is that it won't be terrible. It should have less impact than last year's main pool refurbishment, although the Hidden Springs pool, the beach, and boat rental dock area will be closed. Others have decided the risks outweigh the benefits and have moved, but I am hoping that reduces crowds and increases discounts for the rest of us.

There is a fairly comprehensive thread on the construction project here. Good luck with your decision.

 

[bluecastle]

We are thinking of a split stay with Yacht Club and Wilderness Lodge in March of 2016. Do you think the construction will negatively impact our stay? We would be looking at a deluxe room as we are a party of five. Thanks for any advice/opinions!

I would check out the BC YC resort thread. The BC refurb is due to be finished soon and then they will begin the YC. This is a big refurb and they are going floor by floor. ( BC was top down) When it gets closer, I would make a room request based on what you read on the DIS.
Woodnymph probably knows more about this!

 

[wifey]

We are here! Lovely location but we are still on UK time in our heads. Got in at 9:30pm shattered after being awake since 1am USA time. Our magic bands were not waiting for us the staff think they may have been sent to Riverside!! Not good when they are active and linked to our reservations including Memory Maker. We had them issue temporary ones which we are having a little issue with our PIN numbers with. We have snagged a room on the 6th floor South wing woods view close to the Villas building and Cubs Den where they still have scaffolding up. Been wide awake since 5 am. Having a leisurely breakfast with some tasty treats from last nights late Roaring Forks btw their bbq pulled pork and slaw sandwiches are awesome! Ethan enjoyed the flatbread and you must try the home made chips there (they are as good as the ones at yacht club) so good and crispy and crunchy mmmm. The staff asked if we still want our original bands locating and they will get them to us so we will see if the turn up later this morning. We of course said yes to that since they are linked and named to each of us in our family. Off to AK later after exploring the resort a bit more. The smell in the lobby is wonderful smokey and woodsy and relaxing just feel like such an amazing place.

 

[wifey]

We have heard workmen outside this morning only from the balcony ( yes it's an open one) but not from inside the room. Btw the photos don't do the place justice the headboards are works of art alone.

 

[Wood Nymph]

The smell in the lobby is wonderful smokey and woodsy and relaxing just feel like such an amazing place.

Thanks for posting your trip update. We find the WL very relaxing. I hope they find your MagicBands.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We are thinking of a split stay with Yacht Club and Wilderness Lodge in March of 2016. Do you think the construction will negatively impact our stay? We would be looking at a deluxe room as we are a party of five. Thanks for any advice/opinions!

I agree with the PP that the deluxe rooms that are located at the end of the north and south wings, closest to Bay Lake, would be close to the construction site IF THEY BEGIN the DVC cabin construction. The deluxe rooms that are located midpoint and facing the inner courtyard wouldn't be affected too much at all. It is really hard to give advice when we don't know what things will be like in May.

I would check out the BC YC resort thread. The BC refurb is due to be finished soon and then they will begin the YC. This is a big refurb and they are going floor by floor. ( BC was top down) When it gets closer, I would make a room request based on what you read on the DIS.
Woodnymph probably knows more about this!

The BC refurbishment should be completely finished by the end of this month. As far as the YC goes, there hasn't been any kind of announcement yet. When they started the BC refurbishment last fall they took rooms out of inventory and notified guests about the upcoming construction. There hasn't been any sign of this happening for the YC. So who knows what the situation will be in May. But I do want to add that we stayed at the BC this past April during the BC room refurb and it was fine. They had completed the floors above our room and were working on rooms just down the hall from our room. We heard some construction noise, but it didn't affect our trip. If you do decide to stay at the YC and it does turn out to be under refurbishment, then chances are it won't have much of an impact on your trip. If it does then you can ask to be moved.

 

[DevonsDisneyMom]

Ok so for about the millionth time I may have to change our trip dates due to work. I am looking at 9/19-9/26 now at the WL. I know this is probably already answered and I apologize. What type of construction can I anticipate during that time period? Appreciate any feedback that you can provide.

 

[cart-mom]

I almost jumped ship. I was calm when the talk of refurb/construction was small. As it seems to have grown recently I had to fill in DH with the info. Of course I made a call first to GS and they checked out what was available trying to stay close to my package price and all she could come up with was YC, Contemporary and AKL pool view. We've stayed AKL and DH wasn't crazy about it because of location and such(had an incident on a bus) so I knew that was out. CR just isn't us. We are more country/comfortable living kind of folks but being that close to MK I could suffer (haha) a stay there. We stayed BC before and loved it but I noticed they are doing a refurb as well and by the end of summer would be moving on to YC. So after all this turmoil we decided to just stay pout and take our chances. DH hates the thought of changing rooms unless there is something horribly wrong (like the a/c not working on our last stay at the Poly) so we will probably stay put no matter what. GS noted on our ressie to keep us as far away from the construction as possible so fingers crossed. I know we will have a wonderful stay no matter what.

Now on to figure out how we will get to the airport since our regular ride person will be on a cruise in Alaska and gets home the day after we leave. I'm worried about leaving DH's truck at one of those parking lots the whole time we are away but we have a 6:30am flight so we are afraid of trusting anyone else to get us to the airport in time.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Ok so for about the millionth time I may have to change our trip dates due to work. I am looking at 9/19-9/26 now at the WL. I know this is probably already answered and I apologize. What type of construction can I anticipate during that time period? Appreciate any feedback that you can provide.

The only construction that might be going on would be the work on the exterior that they are doing from the scaffolding. If you go back a few posts you will read some reports from people who are currently at the WL or recently stayed there. They will confirm that the noise was minimal and basically not a problem. I wouldn't worry about it. I've been there several times when the scaffolding was up and it never interferred with our trip.

I almost jumped ship. I was calm when the talk of refurb/construction was small. As it seems to have grown recently I had to fill in DH with the info. Of course I made a call first to GS and they checked out what was available trying to stay close to my package price and all she could come up with was YC, Contemporary and AKL pool view. We've stayed AKL and DH wasn't crazy about it because of location and such(had an incident on a bus) so I knew that was out. CR just isn't us. We are more country/comfortable living kind of folks but being that close to MK I could suffer (haha) a stay there. We stayed BC before and loved it but I noticed they are doing a refurb as well and by the end of summer would be moving on to YC. So after all this turmoil we decided to just stay pout and take our chances. DH hates the thought of changing rooms unless there is something horribly wrong (like the a/c not working on our last stay at the Poly) so we will probably stay put no matter what. GS noted on our ressie to keep us as far away from the construction as possible so fingers crossed. I know we will have a wonderful stay no matter what.

Now on to figure out how we will get to the airport since our regular ride person will be on a cruise in Alaska and gets home the day after we leave. I'm worried about leaving DH's truck at one of those parking lots the whole time we are away but we have a 6:30am flight so we are afraid of trusting anyone else to get us to the airport in time.

If your ticker is correct and you will be at the WL in two weeks, then you won't see any real construction, just the building exterior work they are doing from the scaffolding, which is minimal. So far there haven't been any recent reports of any noise problems from it.

 

[cart-mom]

We've been here 5 days now and today is the really the only day we've spent all day at the hotel.

We're on the 5th floor north wing closer to the lobby and have heard drilling or something constantly for at least an hour. BUT honestly it's low and just sounds like a vacuum running upstairs. I don't think it would stop a child from napping. Now could be a lot louder on 6!

Dh is a light sleeper and this would be enough to drive him crazy. Me, I can sleep through anything except a baby crying. Hoping that most of the noise is minimal in two weeks. Maybe I'll just get him earplugs. Lol.

 

[WDWKOOK]

KOOK, thanks for the clarification. I mistakenly thought the HS was a whiz-bang honey of a Deluxe. Glad I checked with you first. I was able to book the Deluxe at a good rate.
I see your trip is upcoming, enjoy! We'll just miss each other but maybe I will cross paths with pas130.
Take care.

That sounds great and let us know if you have any other questions about the Deluxe.

Trundle bed
The pull down in the villa

Could a 5' 2" 110 pound girl sleep on it ?

Is there bedding in the room for both the pull out couch bed and the trundle bed ?

Yes, from what I've seen/read, that size would fit comfortably. The bedding should already be on the beds when you arrive

2nd full day here! We're in room 5053 5th floor. I agree location is good being centered between elevators and away from the pool so I can faintly hear the loud afternoon pool DJ right now. There is a big tree out our window but looking left we could see plenty of the light parade go by before the tree blocked it. Well try for the beach view another time to get the full effect.

Weather is mixed but typical August weather. Yesterday was fairly overcast all day. Storms split and went right around us. Today started sunny and hot. Rained while we're on a ride apparently but it became extremely humid the rest of the day.

If you have bunk room ask for an extra blanket and you now have an AWESOME fort!!!

Artist Point was amazing. Bus service has been fine to Studios and animal kingdom. We've gotten to the parks at opening each day which helps tremendously get stuff done. We tend to wake early so not an issue. Getting to the bus stop by 7:45/50 was very different than arriving at 8:10. It was very crowded starting after 8. I think that's everyones goal

Great update! Hope you're still having a wonderful time.

Has anybody used the kids' club in WL? Did your kids love it? I'm having fantasies of dropping the kids off for a couple hours. I'm not sure it'll fit into out schedule, but a girl can dream.

It's been many years since we used it with DD who's now 16, but I wouldn't hesitate to use them. How your child likes it really depends more on the personality of the child than on the club and if there are other kids there to socialize with. They all have plenty for the kids to do or they can just watch Disney shows. They all provide dinner and arts and crafts. It's great to be able to drop the kids off and have some adult-time and I'm sure the kids appreciate some time away from their parents, too

Returned from The Lodge on Saturday after a six day visit. Our first time there after stays at CBR, Poly, Dixie Landings (Now Port Orleans Riverside) and I must say, Wilderness Lodge was the best! I loved the homey feeling we got there, and loved being able to relax away from the hubbub of the parks. We especially liked the quiet pool area. It truly felt as if we were coming home!

Some have asked about construction. It is there now (maybe not the refurb coming up, but construction, nonetheless) and it was an inconvenience to us our first two days there. We were in a woods view room on the on the south side. Scaffolding was being built and there was a lot of yelling and loud talking amongst the construction workers. Plus, even though they weren't right outside our room, we were in full view of them (and they of us) if we went outside on our deck, or even had the curtains open. It was impossible to rest or nap in the afternoons when they were working, due to the noise. That being said, we told the concierge at the front desk about it and he quickly and gladly suggested a move to a quieter spot. He facilitated the move for us and it was painless! Plus, we had a quiet room (north wing, woods view) and could even see the castle, monorail, and fireworks! We are so grateful that we mentioned the noise. We were just hoping to know when the noise would stop, and didn't even suggest the move! Disney does its best to please, and this was certainly our experience.

We will definitely stay at WL on our next visit to WDW. I didn't even mention the wonderful dinner we had at Artist's Point! But that's another thread for another time...

Thank you for posting about your stay. Great work on the concierge's part getting you to where you'd be happier.

Two weeks from now we will be on a plane headed back to WDW for our first stay at WL. We haven't told the kids yet, and are going to tell them on the day we start our journey (the day before as we will be spending one night in Buffalo before our flight). Can't wait to finally get the chance to stay at the Lodge and see first hand how much fun it seems. Thanks for keeping this thread going, as it has helped considerably.

You're welcome and what a surprise for the kids

Just completed our online check-in for WL and I'm insanely excited.

just want to see my counter...I'm so excited!!

Stitch is looking ready for vacation

We're getting close! Just three weeks to go! I'm pretty much as ready as I can be until the day before we leave! I packed everything I could and now I just need to sit and wait. It's going to be a long 3 weeks. I can't wait to finally get to WL though! I know it's going to be wonderful!

It is going to be wonderful and I hope you'll post some photos.

Just had my wait list for Boardwalk Villas comes through so we won't be staying at WL this trip.

Thanks, I'll remove you from the LL. See you over on the BW...

 

[Ladcassidy]

We just returned from a 5-day vacation at WL with our extended family. My immediate family (DH, DD7 and I) stayed in a 1BR at VWL. We did not see or hear any construction noise. My sister and her family (including 5 kids ages from 2 to 15) had a Deluxe suite in the main lodge (4th floor). My sister did not mention any construction noise, either. She did complain about the LONG walk from her room to the Club Level. Not sure that her crew was able to take full advantage of the offerings. My parents were originally assigned the room that connected with my sister's, but we moved them after one night to a ground floor room near the lobby. We had gotten my dad a scooter, and he had trouble negotiating the elevators by himself. Once he drove in, he could not twist around far enough to press the elevator buttons. Fortunately, the CMs were helpful and accommodating. We also had a great experience taking the scooter on the buses and boats. The one time that a boat came along that could not hold a scooter, they called for another to swing by just a few minutes later just for us.

 

[WDWKOOK]

My DGF and I arrive 31 days from today. We can't wait, this is going to be her first stay on property and my first time staying at the Lodge.

I bet you're both so excited. Have a magical vacation

We've been here 5 days now and today is the really the only day we've spent all day at the hotel.

We're on the 5th floor north wing closer to the lobby and have heard drilling or something constantly for at least an hour. BUT honestly it's low and just sounds like a vacuum running upstairs. I don't think it would stop a child from napping. Now could be a lot louder on 6!

Thanks for posting an update.

We are here! Lovely location but we are still on UK time in our heads. Got in at 9:30pm shattered after being awake since 1am USA time. Our magic bands were not waiting for us the staff think they may have been sent to Riverside!! Not good when they are active and linked to our reservations including Memory Maker. We had them issue temporary ones which we are having a little issue with our PIN numbers with. We have snagged a room on the 6th floor South wing woods view close to the Villas building and Cubs Den where they still have scaffolding up. Been wide awake since 5 am. Having a leisurely breakfast with some tasty treats from last nights late Roaring Forks btw their bbq pulled pork and slaw sandwiches are awesome! Ethan enjoyed the flatbread and you must try the home made chips there (they are as good as the ones at yacht club) so good and crispy and crunchy mmmm. The staff asked if we still want our original bands locating and they will get them to us so we will see if the turn up later this morning. We of course said yes to that since they are linked and named to each of us in our family. Off to AK later after exploring the resort a bit more. The smell in the lobby is wonderful smokey and woodsy and relaxing just feel like such an amazing place.

You're going to need a nice nap. Have you gotten YOUR MBs yet?

We have heard workmen outside this morning only from the balcony ( yes it's an open one) but not from inside the room. Btw the photos don't do the place justice the headboards are works of art alone.

All the details really make WL and VWL extra special. Take the free architectural tour with Ranger Jack and take some time to just explore both WL and VWL. Territory Lounge and the VWL lobby are particularly interesting and cozy

 

[WDWKOOK]

We just returned from a 5-day vacation at WL with our extended family. My immediate family (DH, DD7 and I) stayed in a 1BR at VWL. We did not see or hear any construction noise. My sister and her family (including 5 kids ages from 2 to 15) had a Deluxe suite in the main lodge (4th floor). My sister did not mention any construction noise, either. She did complain about the LONG walk from her room to the Club Level. Not sure that her crew was able to take full advantage of the offerings. My parents were originally assigned the room that connected with my sister's, but we moved them after one night to a ground floor room near the lobby. We had gotten my dad a scooter, and he had trouble negotiating the elevators by himself. Once he drove in, he could not twist around far enough to press the elevator buttons. Fortunately, the CMs were helpful and accommodating. We also had a great experience taking the scooter on the buses and boats. The one time that a boat came along that could not hold a scooter, they called for another to swing by just a few minutes later just for us.

You sure had a big family reunion. It must have been fun gathering in all the cozy seating areas with everyone.

It can be a bit of a walk from the Deluxe rooms to the lounge. Does your sister wish she had been at VWL instead or in two rooms on the CL floor? It's good that they were able to move your parents so that your dad could be in a better location for his scooter "practice." I bet he's a pro now. .

 

[Ladcassidy]

Does your sister wish she had been at VWL instead or in two rooms on the CL floor?

My sister loved her room, just not the location. She would have enjoyed having two rooms or a villa to avoid having seven people sharing a bathroom! But her little ones were enthralled by the boat parade right outside their window every evening, and pool access was a snap. And yes, my dad got the hang of the scooter after a couple of days. My mom's afraid he will want one at home now.