Tell me about Wilderness Lodge!

[garthbarth1]

We have booked WL for our upcoming trip in the end of the Sept! We wanted to stay at the Poly, but decided against it due to all the construction going on...so we will be at WL now.The Woods View was sold out, so we have a courtyard view. Is this a decent view? Anything special we need to know about? Thanks for any info!! Cant wait! It will be our 12 year Anniversary trip :mickey:

[PirateLover]

Wilderness Lodge is AWESOME! DH and I stayed there on our honeymoon and loved it. I believe courtyard view will give you a view of one of the pools or Bay Lake. They upgraded us to the second biggest suite in the place and we had a view of the main pool/geyser area and we could see the electrical water pageant go by at night. I hope you get a good view and enjoy your stay at Wilderness Lodge! One tip I'd recommend is taking the bus to MK over the boat. Seems like everyone gravitates towards the boat, and it can sometimes be a bit of wait. Meanwhile, we always walked right on the buses.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

We haven't stayed since the refurb but I think most of the courtyard views overlook the pool area which is beautiful. We thought the rooms size wise to be on par with Coronado Springs, although you do get a small balcony. I love the lobby it's my favorite thing about the resort, have a sit on a rocker and enjoy the atmosphere

[Mitzie]

We really enjoyed WL when we stayed there. Our room was on the top floor all the way to the end of the wing overlooking the courtyard. You could easily see wishes over the other wing. We liked that there was easy access to both pools/hot tubs. My DS and I played ping pong out by the lake and it is one of my favorite memories from that trip.

[Figment104]

This is our favorite resort, and courtyard view is our favorite view! Usually with a courtyard view you're either facing the inner "U" courtyard where the main feature pool and geyser are, or I believe they also have rooms that over look the quiet pool towards the villas as courtyard view as well. We love taking the boat to the MK, but if there looks to be a really long wait, the buses are a great alternative. Definitely try and catch the Electric Water Parade one night as it floats by. One of our favorite things to do is get a yummy drink in the evening and take it back to our room and just relax on the balcony and watch everything going on below us. The lobby is amazing, and you should also check out the beach.

Can't wait to get back there in Oct! :cloud9:

[Crow]

my fav too:thumbsup: eat at Artist Pt, drink at Territory Lounge, chill on the balconys on the higher floors or in your room. courtyard is fine

[CynBeth]

We stayed there for the first time in December and loved it. We had breakfast at WCC a few times and took the boat to FW to have breakfast at Trail's End. I liked the size of our room and the staff could not have been nicer.

[marlyn]

I'm staying there in August for the first time. I'm very excited about it!! Such a beautiful resort!

[RBrooksC]

My family and I love the WL. We have only had the Courtyard View and it is very nice.

The theming is very extensive. The lobby is cavernous but comfortable at the same time. It is very noisy due to Whispering Canyon.

Speaking of Whispering Canyon, make it a point to eat there at least once and PLAY ALONG.

The store is on the smaller side but it has everything you need. The totem outside is fun and we have plenty of photos with the kids in front of it. We actually purchased one and it is on our "Disney Shelf."

The pool is huge and it is a part of the "river" that starts in the lobby and "flows" to Bay Lake.

The boat ride to the MK is very enjoyable. Also, there is a boat that goes between WL, CR, and FL.

The only downside is the distance between the rooms and the facilities like the quick service food and lobby.

It just seemed like a long way to walk from the room, to the elevator, to the service, and then back. Especially after being at the parks all day. However, that is a minor gripe.

One of the best parts is how close you actually are to the CR and the MK but the orientation of the resort makes you feel like you are a long way away from everything.

All in all, one of WDW best efforts in hotels.

[garthbarth1]

Thanks for all of the great info! We are super excited to try this resort out! :mickey:
We live the "Lodge" type feel of things..so different than the norm for us. We plan on utilizing the pool as well. Is there any specific room or sections I should request :cloud9:
Oh and what does FL stand for...other than Florida LOL!

[RBrooksC]

Sorry, FL should be FW. Not sure why I messed up that one. FW = Fort Wilderness.

We never requested anything except for Courtyard View.

Also, if you have a fear of heights, I would avoid the room that overlook the lobby. My kids wanted to go for a walk the last time we were there.

We went to the area overlooking the lobby and I froze. On the level we were on, it looked a mighty long way down.

Also, the parking lot is a mighty long way away, too.

[VacationDisney]

We enjoyed our stay here very much. Artist Point is great for a romantic dinner. Whispering Canyon is really tons of fun.

The pool is not that large. That was the only thing that we did not like about this resort. Everything else about the resort is wonderful:thumbsup:

[2Epcot]

I have only stayed there once, but had the courtyard view and loved it. One of my favorite resorts.

[BrerGnat]

I really love the resort itself. It's an old favorite. I really DO NOT love the transportation at the WL. We have always had bad luck on that front.

[TheRustyScupper]

Wilderness Lodge Neat Things:
. . . fantastic 8-floor grand lobby
. . . outside geyser every hour on-the-hour
. . . train cars from Walt's back yard at Villas
. . . marina for boat rentals *
. . . bike and surrey bike rentals *
. . . walkway to Fort Wilderness
. . . boats to FW and MK
. . . hunt for Hidden Mickey's
. . . tours of the Lodge, Wed-thru-Sat
. . . daily Flag Family gets to raise the flags
. . . walking/jogging trails
. . . fishing using your own gear
. . . fishing excursions *
. . . fitness room
. . . fireplace mimics Yellowstone rock strata
. . . totem poles in lobby

* fee based

[MushuGrl]

My first stay at WL is coming up next month as well...this thread has me PSYCHED! We originally had forest view, but when I called about a pin, they didn't have any available so they moved us to courtyard!

It's been a long, stressful year at work and WL sounds like JUST what the doctor ordered!

[garthbarth1]

Yay! I cannot wait at all!! Thanks everyone for the great info!! Im curious about the tour of the lodge wed-sat...sounds like so much fun!!! I cannot wait to go and relax...

[mydisneygirls]

We love, love, love WL. We've stayed there 3 times already and this August will be our 4th. BUT......never heard about the tour of the lodge. Is there someplace I can look up info on it?