Yes Mike was there last trip, he's a keeper. I miss Jack, think he got promoted to doing the lodge tours?
Jack moved downstairs years ago and is still doing the Lodge tour and greeting arriving guests in the port cochere.
I've just spent a good portion of the morning reading all about the WL changes! I knew this thread would have every bit of info I needed (
@WDWKOOK 
).
We had a WL CL stay a few years ago and didn't think we'd be back mainly because we didn't love the room and balcony very much. However, now I'm thinking of booking a deluxe room which will suit our family much better, and we'll also have an "open" panel balcony which will also suit our family better. I'm super excited to hear the lounge will be "new" and I can't wait to see it. Do we think the lounge will have a view or will be enclosed? Any chance of a deluxe room being near a staircase that we can take up to the 7th floor? I think we'll be fine having our room on floors 1-6 -- we all have fitbits and love the stairs! If we were to take the stairs, will the end result place us near the new lounge?
Welcome,
@TJA!
The advantage of the Deluxe room is the size and balconies, however, they're located on floors 1-6 so you will have to take the elevator every time you want to go up to the lounge. As
@GrandCalifornian confirmed, stair access is now restricted. Another OFC advantage now is that there are half as many guests in the lounge.
The views from the Deluxe Rooms would not include any of the MK since they are located on the end of the North Wing and end of the mid-wing, (photos are in the DELUXE ROOM chapter). They all face toward Bay Lake, and those views have become quite obstructed, especially from the Deluxe Rooms closest to the dock. The mid-Lodge DRs currently have a less obstructed view.
The new lounge is supposed to have a view of MK. They are the two honeymoon suites.
That's correct, the new lounge will have a MKV, but unlike CR's Atrium and Tower Clubs and BWI, I don't believe guests will be allowed out on the balcony. They may even remove the existing balconies.
Thank you for sharing! It's all very surreal here at WL. All smiles, Country Bear Jamboree and Brer Bear meet and greets, coloring sheets, games (also on cart for purchase), and bagged candy from
MNSSHP. The only thing we've been told is to bring in the table and chairs from outside and to expect communication primarily by phone -- nothing yet. The arcade is still open, as are the restaurants. We had dinner at WC and they're offering the all-you-care-to-eat skillets, and plan to serve breakfast skillets in the morning. Everyone here is on the ride it out crew and our CM says they brought their sleeping bags for the basement and that they'll help sandbag once food runs out. I asked about flashlights and what to do worst case with the slider and was told we'd hear at some point.
Loved your LIVE updates and thanks much for sharing this unique information with everyone,
@hbr03. Today looks to be a very normal day, hope you have fun in the parks and low crowds.
View attachment 199541 You gotta love the FB on this day reminders! This was our very first sunrise at WL four years ago today.
Very neat!
Now that I am under 3 months until travel time I am finally letting myself obsess over my upcoming WL stay! We arrive on December 28, staying VWL studio for one night before we move to the main lodge for our platinum package - we may be some of the last guests ever to experience this offering as it goes away for 2017. We will be taking lots of tours and eating lots of yummy signatures to ease the pain of the New Year crowds
Kook, if you log me in I will be lodging Dec 28-January 1. It'll have been a full two years by that point since our last stay at Wilderness Lodge and I am really looking forward to our return!
Welcome! Do you know what they're replacing the Plat. Package with? They've had that package for a long time. I know they adjusted it a while back so there was a minimum stay requirement. I hope you plan on totally maxing it out!
What fun - thank you. Even the Daily Mail had some similar photos from someone's Twitter feed. WL is famous!
The tarps were pulled down to stop hurricane winds taking the fences down, so here are some construction pictures.
You can see the steps formed in the concrete for the new quiet pool.
Also they have just finished getting the pool furniture back in place from it being stacked and tied down for the hurricane.
Thanks so much for taking these unique photos,
@jon18uk. You captured the big reveal
I am just not sure if I can make the swap. I love the fact that the location is closer to the Magic Kingdom and the monorail, which would be awesome with such a short trip time wise and the savings of $115, but not sure I would be happy with the view, the lobby and surroundings.
I don't see the monorail proximity as an advantage to staying at WL. The fact that the buses and WL is at about half-capacity is an advantage though. You also need to take into consideration the amenities that are closed and factor whether that would impact your stay. If not, then the potential MKV for the price of a SV is a great perk. As with all TPV rooms, those WL rooms will be very expensive once they are re-categorized.
The tree doesn't go up until the week before Thanksgiving? I thought that once Halloween was over, they put up the decorations for Christmas. Does this not include the resorts?
There is a lottery and each resort is decorated according to its lottery standing, which varies every year.
I just came back to add that I am also looking at the deluxe room as an option if I bring mom in the spring. Some floors have enclosed balconies so maybe we(I want an open balcony too) should make that our first request?
DISfriends: my mom is a smoker. She loved poly CL because she could access the lounge for coffee at 6:30 and then out for her morning smoke. Is WL CL convenient ? Would a deluxe room be better or worse?
I would love gf RPC with that nice smoking balcony on the 3rd floor but those prices are insane for next year.
None of the Deluxe rooms' living room balconies are enclosed, but the bedroom balcony is a very small standing-only balcony with some structural obstructions, (photos in the DELUXE ROOM chapter).
The Hawaii building is smaller than the 6 floors of Deluxe rooms in the North Wing so it would probably take DM a bit longer to get to the lounge since she would have to wait for the elevator, whereas Hawaii, you can use the stairs and it's only 3 floors.
The views from the lounge are obviously also quite different. Overall, I would say the KKC has the best lounge view, and from two floors. CR is also great, but it's much higher up and has less of an expansive view from indoors, unless you go out onto the balcony.
The only DSA I know of at WL is right next to the arcade/bus stop area. Every morning when I would head over to VWL's gym, guests would be smoking there, in the dark. If you're looking for a good view for DM, I don't think those DSA benches would be considered a good view. They face some low-lying plants and a sidewalk to the bus stop with the parking lot over to the right and walkway into WL to the left.
I think I read that they removed some DSAs from Poly, like the one by the Pineapple Lanai-GCH entrance? That DSA was in a bad spot since everyone had to go past the DSA when coming and going from the GCH.
.
We were sweating it out that they'd get to it before we left the day before Thanksgiving. We arrived back from DS Sunday...or Monday...around 11 PM and this greeted us...
Considering upgrading to OFC, will it be back up and running regularly by then?
