Wilderness Lodge

[hbear]

Has anyone stayed there recently? Pros/cons?

Thinking of booking there. We like the ability to take to boat to MK. And I think it's priced much lower than the monorail resorts. Did you find that to be true?

Kids will be 5 1/2 and 2 1/2 at the time of the trip.

Thanks!

[Deleted]

There is construction there into 2017. I have heard it's not noticeable in most areas of the resort though.

[hbear]

I have heard it is due to be completed Jan 2017. We are planning for April or May of 2017, so my hope is that is well after the expected completion. :-)

I've done a lot more reading, most things are saying "through 2017." Maybe done in April. But by most accounts it is still a nice place to stay. Ugh, decisions!

[ilikedonuts]

Honestly I would expect the construction to last longer than they say. That's basically always the case with Disney. I wouldn't book it unless I was ok with the chance that there would still be construction.

Since so much of it is being turned into DVC rooms/areas, it's hard to really know how it will be to a non DVC guest.

[friendz4eva]

We stayed there in May of 2015 (kinda recent, right?). There was construction, but it was no big deal. IIRC, it was slightly lower than the monorail resorts.
We loved it. Very quick bus ride to MK. Also, since it isn't a resort, everything is close by (dining, pool, etc).

[Cowbells]

We stayed at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge last September. We loved the option to take the boat to the Magic Kingdom and found the buses to be quick and not very crowded. My girls (8 and almost 4 when we went) really enjoyed the pool and the atmosphere. For us, it was a much cheaper option to the other resorts we considered (we wanted a 1 bedroom villa near the Magic Kingdom). I would defiantly stay there again.

[lala]

I think it's a great choice - I'd like to try it but have't yet. We've eaten there & liked the atmosphere.

[miss1180]

we stayed there last August/september. LOVED it!!! its not a huge resort-- so it was great to have everything close, especially since our DS was 4. its awesome to have the option of either the bus or boat to MK.... so fun getting to the MK from the ferry :-) we really liked eating at Whispering Canyon, and their quick service was good, too... pool was a lot of fun, and they just recently added a water play area that will be great for your kid's ages.
This was all before the construction, though-- so not sure what all is going on with that.... but i would think that a lot of it will be done when you're looking at going...

[Deleted]

Jul 26, 2016 12:15:34 GMT -5 ilikedonuts said:

Honestly I would expect the construction to last longer than they say. That's basically always the case with Disney. I wouldn't book it unless I was ok with the chance that there would still be construction.

Since so much of it is being turned into DVC rooms/areas, it's hard to really know how it will be to a non DVC guest.

When we were at The Poly in January we had a direct view of the construction on the quiet pool. The only construction happening at that time there. DS was so flipping excited. He was convinced I paid extra for a " construction view" room & kept saying we were so lucky. Lol!

[krystee]

We love Wilderness Lodge. We tend to stay there because it's the nicest hotel in our budget range and we like that everything is housed in one building, so no long walks to get breakfast. We have stayed there during the construction and it wasn't bad.

[katrinabennett]

What would be the possibility of booking one resort and then changing to this one a few weeks out when you know the extent of construction? Can you do that?

[ilikedonuts]

Jul 31, 2016 20:25:29 GMT -5 katrinabennett said:

What would be the possibility of booking one resort and then changing to this one a few weeks out when you know the extent of construction? Can you do that?

If there is availability somewhere else, you aren't booked with a special discount (the discount wont carry over), and your new room is more money (you can't downgrade your trip once you are withing 45 days).