Villas at Wilderness Lodge
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Reviewer's Name:
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Craig Culp |
Reviewer's Email Address:
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craigculp@hotmail.com |
Rate / Night (for your stay):
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DVC Points |
Date(s) of Stay:
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9/9/01 - 9/17/01 |
Accommodation Used:
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One Bedroom Vacation Home / Condo |
Accommodations Review:
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Fantastic! Spacious, homey, comfy, clean. I've heard many people
say that pictures of the rooms don't do them justice, and I agree!
Reds and greens are used liberally, but do not give out a "Christmas"
feel at all. |
Why Did you Select This Resort for your Stay?
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DVC Members. We stayed at the Boardwalk last January (home resort)
and on our last day, visited VWL to kill time before our plane departure.
We fell in love instantly and had planned to try and stay here on
our next trip. You really feel secluded without feeling isolated. |
Room # and Location Description:
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#4517 4th floor, first room to your left out of the elevators. Incredible
view of the Villas pool and Bay Lake. Could even see part of the Electrical
Pageant from our balcony. |
Room Location Pros & Cons:
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We could not have asked for a better room!!! (Actually we did request
an upper floor pool view. Just can't believe we got it!) Many people
don't care about the view at WDW resorts as they spend most of their
time at the parks. Personally, a good view is very important to me.
I love sitting on the balcony in the morning, drinking coffee, watching
the sun come up. That's where I truly feel that I'm on vacation!!! |
Check-In / Check-Out Comments:
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Check in was fine. We arrived around 8pm and had a relatively new
CM checking us in. We always leave a chunk of cash so we can use our
room key charging privileges without using our credit card. She didn't
have a clue how to do this, but immediately got someone who could.
We actually had a lot of fun checking in! This was a good thing as
the day had been stressed with the flight and a grocery run between
the airport and the resort. We needed to start laughing! Check out
was quick and uneventful. Only problem with the front desk was when
I had to return our e-night tickets (they were for September 11) and
went to the Guest Services side first only to see that they had just
put up a sign saying they were closed (even though there was a CM
still at that part of the desk) I went to the check in side and a
family with suitcases in tow raced in front of me. In the meantime,
I noticed people being served at the Customer Service side. I got
irritated and came back another day. Better delineation of Customer
Service / Check In would help (separate desks like Boardwalk) |
WDW Transportation Comments:
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Long wait for bus to Downtown Disney, but otherwise fine. On Friday
9/14, tropical storm Gabrielle passed over us. I decided to go to
the MK and waited for a boat for about 20 minutes with another family.
Since I saw no boats at all, I finally gave up and went to the bus
station (it was windy, but not terrible) Sure enough, busses were
running to the MK today. Later we heard that some folks at the Lodge
got phone calls saying that the boats were not operating due to the
storm. Obviously we were not the only ones who did not get the call!
They had a bus going directly to the MK entrance and I asked the driver
where we would be picked up as there is not a bus stop specifically
for the Lodge. She said I'd have to ask at Transportation Information.
Upon leaving I trudged all the way to the Info kiosk (by the bus station)
and they told me to catch the monorail to the TTC (all the way at
the other end of the entrance plaza) A simple sign at both boat docks
would have saved me a lot of time both ways! Otherwise, we used our
rental car a lot and the monorail. |
Restaurant / Lounge Review:
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Roaring Forks: It was just OK, it was late on our first night so
the selection was even more limited. We got fed, that's all that mattered
on our first night! Whispering Canyon: Better for families, wasn't
into all the shenanigans. Food was good, not great, but good. Territory
Lounge: Least friendly bartenders I've ever encountered at WDW. 3
for 3! Nice liquor selection though. Trout Pass Pool Bar: Talk about
day and night. We went here on the 11th (drinking our sorrows away)
and had Kendra who was one of the best Bartenders I've EVER had! She
kept us amused with games and puzzles while keeping our minds off
the days events (which was hard seeing as the TV's were tuned into
the news. Fun drink concoctions there too! Artist Point: Our "Big"
meal for the week before Cirque du Soleil. It was an incredible experience
mostly due to our wonderful server, Suzy and the rest of the AP CM's!
Venison appetizer was only OK and she had it taken off our bill just
because I wasn't thrilled with it! Now that's the mark of a great
restaurant! |
Pool Description / Comments:
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Villas pool was down for rehab after our second day :-( Since we
don't have kids, we were looking forward to a "quiet" pool experience.
We finally got in the main pool on Friday during Gabrielle. It was
pouring rain, but there was no lightning so the main pool was open
and we were the only ones there for a good hour or so! A huge beautiful
pool, nice hot tub and NO kids. Now THAT'S a vacation in my book! |
What Suggestions Would you Give Anyone that is Considering This
Resort?
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Give it a shot! The landscaping, decor, ambience and CM's are all
outstanding! I would be happy staying there on all our trips! |
Other Comments:
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We especially liked the background music played in the Lobby and
on the grounds. Unfortunately they do not have a CD for sale, but
I'm sure a lot of people would buy it! The arcade was pretty lame
for a 30-something adult. They had Ms. Pac Man, but the rest were
all big old complicated games designed for the younger set. No big
deal. |
