Wilderness Lodge (Did it really have to be that fun?) About This Page:

[gymnuts]

Wow! You've made me that more excited about my trip to the WL! I'll be there in 15 days!! Can't wait for the rest of your trip report.

[lynch610]

What a great trip report. I am enjoying every bit of it. Waiting for more.

[All Ears]

Great report! It sure makes DH & I remember our stay at WL in '97. You are right -- the CM's there are some of the best! Although I have never met a CM that wasn't friendly or helpful. Are CM's ever allowed to have bad day?! Then again, if I worked for WDW, my days probably would never be bad to begin with! LOL! :P
Can't wait to read some more!
All Ears

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It's never too early to start planning your next WDW journey!

[Wondcat]

We're looking for a place to stay in November, maybe...WL.....

[disneynut]

Great report, can't wait to read more!

[mattjs]

Wilderness Lodge
9/27-10/02

Adventurers: Fiance and I

Part 1: The Lodge Review (or The Wilderness Lodge and how WDW crushed my wordly travel plans

Writting a trip report at the same time as Nate and Spencer is something I wouldn't wish on the worst of enemies. In fact, I just printed the latest NASTEE and can't wait to read it when I'm done here. But we had such a great time and writting helps the bummer of being home so here goes.

What an unbelievably fun time my fiance and I had at WDW. It was 10 years since I'd been and I have to admit that while I was excited to go, a little bit of me wondered if it would be as fun as I remembered. It was everything and more. We were ear to ear smiles from start to finish. And to be staying at the Wilderness Lodge was almost too good to be true. The place is amazing. The lobby alone is worth staying there a week. And no picture will do it justice (though I think www.ourlaughingplace.com comes closest). I can't imagine a better way to start a WDW vacation than walking through those front doors into that beautiful place. We loved it to say the least.

It was breathtaking, romantic, relaxing and lots and lots of fun all at once. And we found the CMs there to be the friendliest and most helpful we met the entire trip. That's not to say we had any bad experiences with CMs because we didn't. But we think the CMs at the Lodge are above and beyond even Disney's impossibly high standards.

We had a courtyard room and decided not to fax in a room request. I don't know if it was because it's the slow season, or because we arrived early (12:40), or we just got a great front desk CM (which we did) but we ended up with an incredible room. Room 6127 which is at the end of the inner courtyard and faces the lake directly. We had an enclosed balcony which we actually liked for the privacy. Technically it wasn't totally enclosed like some of the dormer courtyard style rooms but it's a little hard to describe. I'll just say this is a GREAT room and leave it at that. I had read different opinions on the balcony thing and before we left I actually thought we would want the open balcony. As it turned out though, we did decide we prefered the enclosed style (6th and 7th floor) and we'll ask for that again.

AGAIN?!? Yes I said AGAIN. And not just again like maybe in a few years. Again as in tomorrow wouldn't be soon enough. One quick trip and I'm ADDICTED. I had no idea it'd be this bad or I don't know if I ever woulda gone I really think if I let myself I coulda broken down in tears the day we left. I mean, does it really have to that fun? Couldn't they maybe force one bad experience on you so you won't have to go back immediately. We've gone so far as to work this into our honeymoon plans (which we had previously decided we would NOT do). Knowing we'd be back soon was the only way I could drag myself onto the plane so we're gonna split the honeymoon a week in the Brittish Virgin Islands and a week at WDW (at WL of course). All I can say is thank goodness my fiance felt the same way about WDW as I did or I don't what we'd do. And what a problem this is for the other places on the planet we'd like to visit. One vacation a year is now officially assigned to WDW.

Anyway, back to Part 1 the Lodge review...

The room was great and we thought plenty large for the 2 of us. We had 2 queen beds which was fine as the 2nd doubled as a staging area for all our park treking gear and a showcase for all our purchases. And were there ever plenty of purchases. Nice balcony with table and chairs.

If you have a courtyard room and want to fax a request I would recommend the wing that's further from MK bceause these rooms actually face MK. You can't see MK of course but you will be able to see the higher fireworks. Especially if you're on a higher floor. If you have a woods view you want the wing closer to MK cause, again these rooms will face MK. If you have a lodge view though that faces the new villas, you'll be very happy with this too. The villas are almost done and look great. As you would expect from Disney, they fit right in. Though it wasn't water filled yet, I could see the new villas pool through a hole oin the fencing (It's temporary fencing that will come down when the work is done). The pool looks great and will be conveniently located for both villas and hotel guests. It's about as close to the hotel as they could possibly have put it. It looks similar to the lodge pool (irregularly shaped) without the water slide.

We arrived at MCO in the afternoon and were met by Transtar Towncar. I posted about this before I left so I won't go into detail here, but WDW Travel Co. booked us with Transtar and they're A LOT more expensive than Tiffany. The service was excellent and on the ride back we actually were met by a stretch limo which was unnecessary but always fun in a goofy sorta way. The tip is supposedly included but then the guy was standing there with the hurt puppy dog face so of course I ended up tipping him anyway. What are ya gonna do? Let's just say other than the price Transtar was great but next time we'll use Tiffany.

The first day we we're tired out and had dinner plans at Artist Point. So, we just hung out by the pool which we loved.

Very well themed with a big rock at one end. It has the stream that starts in the lobby as a hot spring and appears to run down through the courtyard into the pool. Very cool. Where it hits the pool there's a current that's fun to swim/play around in and there's a fun looking waterslide that all the kids were comepletely addicted to. The lifeguards were great with the kids organizing games from time to time. The guards are only on duty till 10:00 or 10:30PM but you can swim through the night at your own risk. Later at night you'll have the company of the family of ducks that've made the Lodge their home. Their are also 2 hot tubs and a large kiddie pool. Can't say enough about the value of the hot tub. I got a big kick out of the geyser which erupts every 30 or 40 minutes I think. Depending on which way the wind is blowing it sends a nice cooling spray over the pool area. Roaring Forks is conveniently located near the pool so it's just a few steps to refill your refillable mug. An endless supply of towels are available at the pool as well.

We liked Roaring Forks. This is where you buy your refillable mug which is a nobrainer. The thing pays for itself the first 10 minutes after you buy it. I had read some opinions about a lack of food options there but it was just right for us. The nights we had food from there we had just gotten back (exhausted) from the parks and wanted something quick to take back to the room. For lunch/dinner they have sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers, mini pizzas, chilli, soups and peanut butter and jelly on multi colored bread. For breakfast they had cereal, egg sandwhiches, bagels, muffins, pastries, oatmeal, those great tatertot McDonalds hashbrowns (I love those things) and probly other things I was too tired to notice. For drinks they have soda, water, juice, milk, beer. Roaring Forks is open before you're (or at least we're) up and closes at midnight so you can get that last chesseburger before bed. And I did ... every night.

After a nice relaxing afternoon by the pool and an evening nap we had dinner our first night at Artist Point which was fantastic. Not the absolute best meal we had on this trip but it was right up there. When I say not the best though I'm REALLY splitting hairs here because it wass a great meal. And it was actually a little less expensive than some of the other top tier restaurants. The Salmon was every bit as fresh as advertised. They claim it's no more than 18 hours out of the water to your table and it tasted like it. We had a good piece of beef as well. If I have one bit of eating advice at WDW it would be this. Get the AP Berry Cobler. I've been saying this is "possibly" the best dessert I've ever had but this morning I decided it was "deffinitely" the best dessert I've ever had. They also have it on the room service menu so even if you don't eat at AP you don't have to miss this masterpeice. If you like berries, or cobler, or shortcake, or vanila ice cream do yourself a favor. Don't miss this. AP also has a character breakfast which we didn't do but the characters (pooh, tigger, eyeore) roam the Lodge all morning and were great with kids and adults alike.

There's a comfortable bar next to AP (Territory Lounge) and we had drinks there a couple of nights. Quiet but fun and relaxing. Great mural on the ceiling. One general note here. A visit to the phsyical plant isn't on the morning Lodge tour. But if it was, I have no doubt you'd discover the Lodge has the biggest air conditioner on the planet. Cause it's COLD in there. Just make sure you pack sweatsirts etc. and you'll be fine. Don't forget to bring em to dinner and or the lounge. This goes for the parks as well. Especially if you're the "always cold" type.

We didn't eat at Whispering Canyon but we absolutely would have if we had kids with us. Sounds corny to say but there was always a lot of hootin, hollerin, napkin waving and running around going on in there. It was fun just to see on the way by.

We also had room service twice. Sandwiches and sodas but that was before I discovered the fun of the late night trip to Roaring Forks. I grabbed at every chance, day or night, to walk through that lobby.

There's a nice gift shop on the lobby floor and that's were you pick up any purchases you have sent from the parks to the Lodge. This purchase delivery thing has to go down as one of Disney's best moves ever. We used this service A LOT. As in for every single item we bought except the hat which I wore immediately). Buy a pencil? ... ship it back to the room. If you haven't experienced this yet you'll love it. We wouldn't have bought half the stuff we did if delivery wasn't available so I'd guess Disney makes out great even though there's a little extra work involved. Gift shop also has toiletries, over the counter medicines, milk, juice, water, beer.

We found the transportation to be great. The boat to MK is only about 3 minutes longer than the monorail to MK from Contemporary. There's also a boat to the Contemporary which we used to catch the monorail to Epcot. This is probly a little longer than the bus to Epcot but we thought it was a little nicer trip so it was worth it to us. I'm a sucker for the monorail. It still think of it as a ride unto itself. The only thing to remeber about the boat to Contemporary is that it stops runing at 10:00PM. We took the bus home from Epcot one night and took the bus to both MGM and Animal Kingdom and the service was excellent. Never waited more than 5-10 minutes for transportation anywhere. And never waited more than 15 minutes for any ride in any of the parks. And most rides had zero wait time. This is a great time of year to go.

I'll note that on another board I read some complaints about the lovebugs being in season down in Florida and I was a little worried. We had no problem with these bugs at all. They weren't nearly as bad as I was expecting. I had visions of swarming bugs so thick you spent your whole day swatting. Not so. And amazingly I never met a mosquito the entire trip. Coming from the Northeast the lovebugs are a breeze. There were no more than the number of horseflies you'd find on a typical beach day on the Cape. The love bug is a silly looking thing. They don't bite at all but just fly around more or less aimlessly as though drunk until they run into something (possibly you). Anybody whose ever been bit by a horsefly knows it's actually painful. So, my take on the lovebugs is this... without hesitation I'd take 2 lovebugs for every Black Fly in Maine and Horsefly on the Cape any day of the week.

Anyway back to the story... from the moment we breezed throung the WDW entrance slapping high fives in the back seat, we Felt like a couple kids again. And what an awesome feeling that is. We can't wait to get back.

Part 2 to follow: The Parks and all the rest...

[Aerobics]

"Writting a trip report at the same time as Nate and Spencer is something I wouldn't wish on the worst of enemies. In fact, I just printed the latest NASTEE and can't wait to read it when I'm done here. But we had such a great time and writting helps the bummer of being home so here goes."

Matt,

I'm really glad that you went ahead and posted your report, because it's obvious that you and your fiancee got to do a lot of exploring at the WL--and I really feel like the resort lends itself to that. If there were anything that we could've done differently about our trip, it would be that we would spend more time at the WL, just soaking up the atmosphere.

Keep up the great reports--I love reading about the WL and how wonderful you thought it was. It brings back very powerful memories.

Oh, and I will be writing my next installment after I get home...look for it sometime tomorrow, maybe?

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Somebody call I-X-I-I!!!

[DVC_Don]

This is great! Dueling WL trip reports. I love that place. We only stayed once in 97, but stop in to visit the WL every trip.

Don

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OS 4/90, BC 2/95, WL 1/97, Cont 1/98&1/99, Poly 12/99, DxL 2/00, CBR 12/00

[Cinderbrella]

Keep on typing, Matt!! You're doing a super job. Now I know that I want to stop and checkout the WL. Honeymoons at Disney are the best! Congratulations to you and your bride, too!

[mattjs]

Sorry bout the big break there. I’m gonna finish this week...

Part 2: The parks and all the rest and so forth and so on…

Thursday

Chapter 1: Who are you?!? And what have done with the mouse?!?

Now I know Mickey's a busy fella. And I can understand why he can't personally handle the wakeup calls to all 20,000 some odd on-site guests. But who’s this guy they got helping him out?!?! James Earl Jones could do a better Mickey than this guy. Seems to me it wouldn’t be that tough to find a top notch Mickey helper. I’ve been working on my impression day and night since.

Anyway, this is probly my only complaint the whole trip so other than that it was a pretty O.K. time But the running joke of the day was "Who are you?!? And what have you done with the Mouse?".

In our opinion, at WL Roaring Forks is perfect for breakfast. It’s quick, it’s good, options for everybody, you can eat in the café or take it out by the pool, and you’re off to the parks before you know it. Which is especially nice if you’re not the big breakfast type. We would’ve liked to have done a character breakfast but just never got to it. Next time we’ll go to either Artist Point or Chef Mickey’s at Contemporary where you could boat over from WL and then hop the monorail to Epcot or MK after. Actually, I’ll add to that list the Breakfastosauraus over at Animal Kingdom which looked (and sounded) fun too.

Today was MK and Epcot. MK 1st cause we couldn’t wait a half second longer to be on Main Street. We took the boat over which is a great way to go. I’m gonna go back to the transportation issue periodically cause I was a little worried about this pre-trip but we experienced no problems at all.

Maybe we were lucky, maybe it’s the slower time of year thing, or maybe living in a city we‘ve lost our minds and all sense of what’s reasonable traffic. But we had no problems whatsoever with the transportation system. The boat to MK is very relaxing. We waited no more than 10 minutes and then it took maybe 7 to 10 minutes to get over to MK. And here’s the waiting scene… we had coffees, we were sitting on a boat dock on a lake, on a beautiful morning outside a spectacular resort. For us that was just part of the fun. Now of course we didn’t have young kids with us so maybe it’s a little different. But we found the same to be true with the busses as you’ll see later on. Never a problem.

As you glide up to MK it really is incredible. The WDW railroad was just pulling in and the monorail was looping the lagoon in the distance. You can hardly believe you’re actually there. And the first time you run your pass through the machine? Awesome. It doesn’t actually do anything but it’s just so cool. You’re at Disney!!!

We rode the train right off. I couldn’t really remember doing this before and we thought we’d head over to Tomorrow Land and work our way back from there. At the time I think we thought the train was a little better trip than it was. I mean at that point, if somebody had handed me a broom and dustpan I would’ve been ecstatic just to be sweeping and emptying trash on Main Street. In retrospect though, there’s not much of a view and it’s really more transportation than anything else.

We jumped off in Toon Town and headed for tomorrow land. 5 Minute wait at Space Mountain. Kinda of a tough first ride but in we went. One of Disney’s amazing aspects is it’s ability to change without going overboard.

With that in mind Space Mountain was exactly as I vaguely remembered it The queue hasn’t changed a bit nor has that unforgettable, almost haunting music as you make your way up to the loading area. Brought back memories of the first time I rode it. Was I ever terrified. It’s still a great ride but it’s getting up there in age. I don’t do a whole lot of coaster riding but this one’s pretty rough. The cars shake and rattle and generally give the impression you may be leaving the track at a moments notice. Bottom line though… I love this ride but it’ll always scare me. It’s REAL dark in there. And the effect that gets me most is I feel like I have to keep my head down if I want it attached at the end of the ride. Which of course isn’t true but feels that way to me. I contort my neck and scrunch my head down the whole ride … every single time. They did a great job with that effect. One space mountain tip. The last seat in the second car (last car) really tosses you around. A lot more than the other seats. One thing I did miss were the exit displays that used to be up when it was sponsored by RCA. I remembered them as being different and better. But maybe that’s just the memory of a little boy.

On to the next ride. First though I gotta say those race cars over in Tomorrowland crack me up. I remember how cool I thought they were. And I distinctly remember beleiving I was driving them. We didn’t ride em this trip but I really hope they keep this ride. It’s great for kids. Maybe do a little upgrading but keep it.

Next we headed over to Buzz. 10 minute wait. Getting off the track for a second (no pun intended) I’ll say right here, right now, that by the middle of day one we decided value season is the only way to go. The resort rates are a little cheaper which is reason enough. But the low crowds and lines are just amazing. We actually found the trip to be … relaxing. And that’s a word you don’t always see on the boards in the same sentence with WDW and vacation. Back to Buzz though.

Another great ride. For a number of reasons I hesitate to say I won. Mostly because we both ended up rating incredibly low on the score ranking. At one point I sat back a second feeling like I was doing pretty well. Till I caught a glimpse of the score for the lady ahead of us who had like 500,000 points to my 45,000 or something outrageous like that. This ride is great fun. A nice addition.

O.K. next was Alien Encounter and was I nervous for this one. I know it’s Disney and it’s just a ride. But I know the same thing about scary movies and I’m still not a big fan. For me a ride (experience) like this is much more terrifying than any fast, twisting in the dark, upside down and turned around thing. But I had a big grin on for this one the whole way through. It was a terrified grin to be sure but a big grin nonetheless. The pre-show is great and the show, show is better. I won’t give any details cause with this ride, it’s all in the details. But it’s fun. Definitely scared me but in a fun way.

That was it for Tomorrowland that day. We thought we’d try to hit all the big rides that morning so we trekked off in search of Splash. Once again 10 minute wait. The little girl ahead of us was really nervous. Must have been her 1st time. All the way up the big hill she’s getting more and more nervous grabbing onto her mom. Then, just as we crested the top of the big drop she lets loose with a shriek like there’s no tomorrow. Unfortunately though, the ride kind of hangs there for a second and she ran out of air what seemed like a full second before we fell. It was priceless. For a split second it was silent and then she started laughing and we all plunged into the briar patch with huge smiles on our faces. Then it ends with zip a dee doo dah. Which aside from being from Song of the South, I remember as being the background for the WDW resort TV channel at Contemporary and Poly back in the late 70’s. Great memories.

We were really on a tear that morning so we thought we might as well hit Big Thunder next. Again, 10 minute wait. This is an everybody coaster cause really anyone can ride it. Later in the trip we rode the new Barnstormer kids coaster over in Toon Town. And maybe it’s us but the Barnstormer, while shorter than Big Thunder, is really no different. Lots of fun without any scare factor. Pretty good speed, great turns and no big drops. In fact no notable drops at all. Whether you’re a coaster lover or they scare you to death, you gotta ride this one. It’d make a great 1st “big” coaster for kids.

At this point the lack of crowds thing was starting to sink in. We’d been racing a little in the morning trying to hit the big rides early. But clearly the crowds were never coming so we slowed it way down and headed over to the Tikki Room (under new management). This show gets mixed reviews but it’s quick, the pre-show has some genuinely funny bits, and I like it for sentimental reasons. The animatronics are cool and you’re on your way out smiling before you know it.

Jungle Cruise was under rehab which was disappointing but we knew this before we left. I really didn’t think I’d miss it but I did. Oh well, next time. So off we went in search of Pirates. Unfortunately we got a little turned around and ended up back towards Main Street. It being the 1st day we didn’t bother going back looked back. We figured we’d catch it another day and kept walking.

Next we headed over to Haunted Mansion which could be one of Disney’s best. We stopped to read the headstones in the queue. There’re some funny ones. Pre-show iss funny too. Sure this ride’s old but I never get tired of that ballroom scene. And I still get a big kick out of the ghost riding in the car with us.

After escaping the Mansion we just walked around a bit. Browsing the shops in Liberty Square and then back along Main Street. Generally just taking in all the detail. There’s so much detail you could have a great day at any of the parks without ever getting on a single ride.

I don’t know what time it was but it must have been mid afternoonish. Finally we were back at the main gates and caught the boat back to WL for lunch and lounging by the pool before heading out to Epcot for Illuminations.


[This message has been edited by mattjs (edited 10-10-2000).]

[Fortissimo]

Your reports are wonderful!

Hurry and tell us more!

[tinkerose]

Matt, what a terrific report. Now I want to stay at WL too! Your descriptions make me feel like I'm at WDW again. Loved the part about the girl on Splash - she could have been me (but I'm old) Can't wait for the next installment.


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tinkerose

[mattjs]

I'm gonna break this into smaller bits cause half the reason it's taking me so long is I have AOL. And everytime I get about 3/4 through a peice it kicks me out. The frustration is unbearable, I usually have a few kind words for AOL and then I quit for the night. I've managed to cut and paste some from a word doc at the office but that doesn't always seem to go through. Anyhow, back to the Rose & Crown...

[mattjs]

Thursday

Chapter 2: Thanks again

...This trip was a birthday present for my fiance and, while she was just as excited as I was, the planning was left to me. A "surprise me" kind of thing. Yeah, I'll surprise you alright. Surprise!!! I'm obsesive compulsive WDW now! How do you like that?!?

Seriously though. I'm normally pretty into vacation planning. Who isn't? But WDW takes it to a whole new level. I'd be huddled up in the corner. Mumbling incoherently to my laptop about PSs day and night. DF still thinks I'm having a cyber affair. Bottm line: if you have and enjoy an obsesive compulsive disorder ... you're gonna LOVE planning this trip. Not the obsesive type? Not to worry. You will be when it's over.

2 months before we left I knew nothing. But now, thanks to Jennifer & Dave and everyone on the boards, planning for WDW is my life I'm puttin this on my resume.

However, the fact remains we were standing in front of Rose & Crown and all that planning came down to this one moment.

I was straining to hear how the people ahead of me were making out and was surprised to find that litterally NONE of them had PSs. One after the next they told 45 minutes to an hour wait. When I got to the front and told the girl I had a 7:20 PS it was a whole new show. We got a beeper and I ever so kindly asked if there was any chance for an outside table. Sure enough 5 minutes later we were seated on the railing on the upper level. A front row seat for Illuminations 2000 I couldn't believe it. And neither could DF who was a little perplexed at how I'd managed this one. It was my crownig achievement to say the least.

[mattjs]

Continued: The thanks go on..

We both had fish & chips and a couple beers which were great. Truth is, we were having so much fun they coulda served fish sticks and potato chips and we wouldn't of noticed. But we honestly liked the food. And I had read a couple so, so reviews so I was pleased. Also, all the CMs were great and our waiter was fun. I was a little worried about taking his table from 7:25 through Illuminations cause I was sure we'd be done long before then. But he settled that right away saying the table was ours for the night if we wanted it. Which we thought was awfully nice of him. Needless to say we tipped him really heavily. I think Dave (PassPorter Dave) posted something once to the effect that when you get a table at that time they know what the plan is. So no worries. Appologies Dave if I got that wrong.

We could actually see the street and Tapestry of Nations from our table as it came by and we liked it. We never got to see it by day but I can imagine where it might not be quite as good. At night, with the nations all lit up, the torches burning and the light splashing off the Puppets the music seemed very powerful. Or maybe we just had a few too many beers Anyway, we liked it. And Rose & Crown at night? Outside on tht patio is as spectacular a setting as we've ever found. Again, the torches lit all around the lagoon, the lights of the pavillions, the music of Tapestry of Nations, all with the party going on in the street is incredible. It doesn't get any better anywhere. I was sailing down in Trinidad & Tobago once and also Venezuela during Carnival (Mardis Gras). And this night with the puppets and the music and the fire reminded me a lot of the Carnival street scene. Only in true Disney fashion, Epcot was better (and a little safer too)