Wilderness lodge pros and cons?

[Jdg7141]

I am planning our trip for December and I am having trouble deciding which resort to stay at. I am looking at the Wilderness Lodge and Caribbean Beach. We stayed at POR on our last trip and wanted to try something new. I really want to stay at the wilderness lodge because I heard it is beautifully decorated at Christmas, but from everything I've seen so far I'm not sure if the price is worth it. It is not on the monorail like the other deluxe resorts and it seems like the room are about the same size as the Caribbean beach. I guess I am looking for pros and cons of the resort to help me make my decision. Can you talk me into it?

 

[cynditech]

I am planning our trip for December and I am having trouble deciding which resort to stay at. I am looking at the Wilderness Lodge and Caribbean Beach. We stayed at POR on our last trip and wanted to try something new. I really want to stay at the wilderness lodge because I heard it is beautifully decorated at Christmas, but from everything I've seen so far I'm not sure if the price is worth it. It is not on the monorail like the other deluxe resorts and it seems like the room are about the same size as the Caribbean beach. I guess I am looking for pros and cons of the resort to help me make my decision. Can you talk me into it?

We just booked our rooms for WL for this October 15. I think one of the advantages will be having the boat transportation to MK. Plus the grounds did look nice and I've heard from so many people that they loved it there.

We've stayed at CBR a couple years ago and I wasn't a huge fan of it. The room size didn't bother me - but the long walk to get food or go to the main pool was a pain. But the main pool was really nice.

 

[RookieLady]

Convenience and beauty are at WL.

It does not share a bus to the Magic Kingdom. I decided not to rope drop one morning and rolled out of bed at 8:10 on a day MK opened at 9. Kids wanted to go to rope drop. We showered and made rope drop--5 minute bus ride. The boat back is lovely, but it takes longer. We bussed every morning we went to MK and road the boat back.

LOVE the bunk beds. Kids don't have to sleep together, and it gives you a little more floor space. Lobby is beautiful and restaurants are great. Love the trail to FW.

First stay at CBR is next March so I cannot comment on that resort.

I am working my way through all the Disney resorts and am loathe to stay at one twice. However, I have stayed at WL twice (and the BC).

 

[melvin1970]

My family loves the WL. We have stayed at Poly, Beach Club and POR Royal Room and WL is still the favorite. It has a nice food court and easy to get around. We love taking the boat to MK. The pool is very nice also.

 

[jd65]

My family loves the WL. We have stayed at Poly, Beach Club and POR Royal Room and WL is still the favorite. It has a nice food court and easy to get around. We love taking the boat to MK. The pool is very nice also.

It's not a food court. It's a QS restaurant. A food court is much bigger and has more choices.

WL is the winner hands down never stayed at CBR, but I can assure you at christmas time WL is worth the money. That huge tree in WDW's most breath taking lobby. The boat ride to MK. The quick bus service. WL has everything going for it. CBR is far and a hassle from what I've heard.

 

[breezy99]

We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge for a family reunion. It was really convenient to everything and we loved the boat to the magic kingdom. The young kids LOVED the pool. My daughter's liked all the pool games and contests! Everyone had a blast.

 

[maxiesmom]

One con of CBR is the fact that it has so many bus stops. There are 7 within the resort itself. For that reason alone I think the Wilderness Lodge is a better pick.

 

[disneynut150]

We love wilderness lodge its our favorite resort. Its so relaxing and really close to the Magic Kingdom and we love taking the boat over to Magic Kingdom. The lobby is gorgeous.

 

[jewels1916]

I've been dying to get back to the Wilderness Lodge ever since the first time I stayed there. Finally found the right time in April! It's lovely, and I adore being able to ride the boat to Magic Kingdom. Being that close to Magic Kingdom is definitely worth it to me, not to mention the serenity of the resort itself!

 

[sallytigger]

We loved our stay there and if it were Christmas with all of the decorations, that would be a plus! The pros for us were having the entire resort under one roof, the boats to Magic Kingdom, Contemporary, and Fort Wilderness, reliable bus service, and the idea that you were on a totally different vacation than when in the parks. The pool area was great, there are two restaurants and a quick serve (though it is small and often crowded). We were able to boat to the Contemporary and then take the monorail to Epcot just for fun. Also, at the parks, the bus stop for WL is one of the closer stops and that really mattered at the end of a looooong day of walking.

 

[kaoden39]

This thread has made me more excited than I was already for our trip. This is our first trip to WDW and I was trying hard to pick a resort. There are so many choices each offering their own special thing. We love Disneyland and we're really excited to visit WDW.

 

[HairyChest]

Im a deluxe resort snob. I stayed port orleans and art of animation last trip. I wont do less then a deluxe from now on. Dont get me wrong, riverside and art of animation were great and fun BUT it wasnt a disney vacation to me. It wasnt an extension of the parks. It didnt feel like i was staying in a room on mainstreet (grand floridian) or in adventureland (polynesian). It was just a place to sleep. WILDERNESS LODGE WILL MAKE YOUR TRIP MAGICAL. You will look forward to coming back at night and indulging in the lodge's atmosphere. You are going to have an amazing trip

 

[wifey]

Just be aware there will be construction work at the WL beginning this September until 2017 and there will be some big changes to the resort with cabins and a new restaurant where the current beach area and marina are situated. Many trees will be removed and staging areas set up before they start with the water power and access roads. The changes will be similar to the bungalows at the Poly and the VWL will get an improved pool area too. If this will impact on your choice then look at other resorts. The plans have already been filed with the relevant departments , there's more to read on the main thread for this resort and upcoming plans.

 

[jen7233]

I love the pros listed in this post!

 

[mrs moon]

Just be aware there will be construction work at the WL beginning this September until 2017 and there will be some big changes to the resort with cabins and a new restaurant where the current beach area and marina are situated. Many trees will be removed and staging areas set up before they start with the water power and access roads. The changes will be similar to the bungalows at the Poly and the VWL will get an improved pool area too. If this will impact on your choice then look at other resorts. The plans have already been filed with the relevant departments , there's more to read on the main thread for this resort and upcoming plans.

From what i gather there is NO construction work at WL resort ,no starting date has been announced .The planned changes look like WL will not be affected .There is a lot of building ground around that area ,which would be used.......

 

[Capang]

We have stayed at WL and POR. I can say that WL is compact and not sprawling like many of the moderates so much less walking after long days in the parks. There is only one bus stop at WL. The boat to MK is awesome and relaxing. The other boat that travels to ft wilderness and CR is also a lot of fun and makes getting to ADRs at those resorts very easy. The pool is nice and the splash pad for kids is great. The lobby is gorgeous. We were underwhelmed with the quick service dining. Not as many choices when we compared it with POR. WL also has the kids club. I hear it is a nice facility but we never used it. We loved our room as well. I've never been to CB. If your finances allow WL is a fantastic resort especially at Christmas.

 

[wifey]

Here is the Notice of Commencement for "Wilderness Rehab Project." NoCs usually indicate work that is imminent.

Highlights of the NoC:

~The NoC does not expire until 31 AUGUST 2018.

~The attachments speak for themselves: Multiple layers of contractors, including civil engineers and a site development contractor imply that this is a very involved project and not necessarily only a "rehab" or re-purposing of existing infrastructure. This could include new buildings.

~The address is listed as "109," but WL is actually "901." The word "Lodge" is omitted from the NoC and only "Wilderness" is used. Also, there isn't a survey attached to the NoC as there usually is for work done at WL. Another permit I found filed 3/25, lists an address of "996" which seems to be located just past the guard shack and to the right, before the concrete trail to FW. This could just be a staging area since that address was listed on the NoC for the "Wilderness rehab" trailers, etc...

~The description of work is misleading. I don't think it represents the actual scope of the project as it wouldn't require the attachments nor would it take 3+ years for "light fixture and flooring rehab."

Would love everyone's theories on this and if you think this fits with the speculation about more DVC, similar to Poly.

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This was posted a while back and gives a few details of WDW plans for the resort hope you find it interesting.

 

[My2Qtz0205]

We stayed at WL for the first time in April of this year. My reason for choosing it was that we had a short stay at WDW (4 nights) before we boarded the Dream. The proximity to MK and the decor (for my DH more so than me) is what sold us. We loved taking the boat to MK. So convenient! On our first night we made a last minute ADR at Fort Wilderness, went over there early to look around, then watched Wishes from their beach while we waited for the boat back. We then watched the Electric Water Parade from the WL beach. The mattresses had just been replaced before our visit. They were wonderful! We also liked having bunk beds in our room so the kids didn't have to share a bed. We did not try to make Rope Drop at Epcot due to it being Easter Sunday, so we took a boat to CR then hopped on the Monorail to Epcot. Easy-peasy.
I would love to stay at a different resort next time just so I can try them all out, but my DH would love to go back to WL.

 

[mrs moon]

This was posted a while back and gives a few details of WDW plans for the resort hope you find it interesting.

Thank you for info i am still baffled as to what to think! A cm assured me if this work was to carryout as speculated it would not affect the holiday makers in the lodge, she said the speculation was not on resort ground and would be to far out for noise to be a problem. She said the only time you would see any construction at all would be if your room was facing north towards FW she also went on to say this was still just speculation! I am starting to get really worried now with all this talk,i was really looking forward to my holiday in Oct ,but dont know what to believe.I am from the UK so the cost of this holiday is expensive!!..I wish Disney either end or acknowledge this matter

 

[wifey]

My family is in the UK too and I completely agree that the cost to is is significant in choosing this resort. We also selected this one for its quiet location and convenience to the MK and dining options.
The plans look as though there will be staging areas for the workmen/ women to use as a base of operations down from the main car park area. This will give them space to remove trees and shrubs currently thriving in the construction zones. After this groundwork will need to be put in place for water and power to the locations of the cabins north and south of the resort. One lot will be very close to the road into the MK from the resort. The others will be just down from the current bike and boat rental place. Drainage is important in these locations and they will need to put in new walkways too. The restaurant service area will need adapting to accommodate new parking zones close to these new cabins too. The Otter Pond will change and a lot of trees between the resort and Bay Lake facing towards CR will go. You can bet those cabins in that location will be preferred in the future as they will be closer to the fireworks. The other cabins will also be close to the DVC villas who are also having their pool worked on, so not much view left for them on the first two floors once they get built. I suspect they may be turning some of the rooms in the south wing into a lounge for these folks but that's just my thoughts on it. The trail down to FW will need adapting a little too and another parking lot down there will be handy for folks staying in the new cabins once finished. With all the extra guest capacity I can see why they want to move AP to the new location where the current beach is.it will be interesting to see if they keep a play area for the kids in the vicinity and I wonder if/ where they will do the Movies under the Stars or will it only be available with the campfire and sing along down at FW too.
Once it's all done you know it will be different from the way it is currently but Walt was always looking forward and embracing change since everything in life is in a constant state of flux.
I hope you think about what you really want from your location for your stay. If you find this project will significantly impact on your holiday then you have 2 options either leave it as is and hope for the best and see if Disney contact you closer to your holiday or ring them and see if you can change your booking to another resort.
They have been very secretive about the whole thing but people will check with the appropriate planning departments and find this stuff out and share it. It's better to be informed I think and then make a decision.