Now my Parents think they are going to the Wilderness Lodge!

cloudboy

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I am taking my parents for a quick weekend to Florida. I was originally trying to get us two rooms in the Wilderness Lodge, but all I could get when I first called was one room at over $300 a night. so I said no thanks, tried calling back a few times and couldn't find anything. So I ended up booking off site.

Last night my Parents got a package in the mail welcoming them on their trip to the wilderness Lodge! At first I was wondering if somehow someone else made3 a ressie for them to surprise them, but I called to be sure anyways. Turns out the person on the phone the first time started entering a reservation but closed it out. Only it still generated a welcome package, apparently.

So now, my parents think they are staying someplace nice, and I have to tell them no they aren't. I wish I could find the person who took that first call and have HER tell them that!
 

tigsmom

Well-Known Member
Tell them now. Say you wanted to stay there, but when they tried to book 2 rooms there weren't any for your time frame (you can leave out the money part :lookaroun ) and that the papers were sent by accident. Promise to take them there for dinner at either Artist Point or for a more relaxed, informal dinner to the Whispering Canyon Cafe. Take sometime afterward to look around the beautiful lodge and maybe do the hidden mickey search in the lobby (get the paper from the front desk). As a parent let me just say that It's the thought that counts and you are taking them so ((HUGS)) for that. :king:
 

WDWmazprty

Well-Known Member
Tell them now. Say you wanted to stay there, but when they tried to book 2 rooms there weren't any for your time frame (you can leave out the money part :lookaroun ) and that the papers were sent by accident. Promise to take them there for dinner at either Artist Point or for a more relaxed, informal dinner to the Whispering Canyon Cafe. Take sometime afterward to look around the beautiful lodge and maybe do the hidden mickey search in the lobby (get the paper from the front desk). As a parent let me just say that It's the thought that counts and you are taking them so ((HUGS)) for that. :king:


I second that. Tell them now and get it over with, they'll understand it was a mistake. And you never know, a nic deal may come in the mail for 40% off or something and you still may be able to book later. :D
 

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
Unless you have some history of always taking your parents to a Disney Property, I think I would just tell them that you were looking into the Wilderness Lodge but decided against it because of the price. They will appreciate that you made the effort and will probably be thrilled your taking them to florida regardless, I mean what parent would not be happy that you were thoughtful enough to do this.
As for the packet, just laugh it off as a marketing ploy.
 
Firstly, sorry to hear that!

Secondly, contact Disney and explain what has happened (they can't deny it as you now have the proof). Explain you're not after anyone's job, but let them know what an awkward position they've put you in and what disappointment they've caused your parents. Ask them if it's a known fault in their system or just human error. With some luck you'll probably find you receive a nice treat to 'pass on' to your parents to make up for the embarrassement caused.

Good luck :wave:
 

Nemo14

Well-Known Member
As a parent who received a similar gift for Christmas, I can tell you that they will be thrilled no matter what. Tell them what happened and tell them where they'll really be staying - they'll still love you for it!
 

cloudboy

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Well, we had our little trip. I was looking forward to showing my Dad especially the Lodge, thinking that would probably be the thing he most liked. But as luck had it, we never got the chance as we were too busy spending time doing everything else.

We stayed at Vistana Villages, though to be honest we spent little time there. Found a great little park called Tibet butler preserve, my parents saw an armadillo and were thrilled. I had honestly expected my parents to hate the trip - parks are not my parents thing. But they loved it! We spent most of our time at Animal Kingdom which my father loved, and some time at the Magic Kingdom. I was relying on a friend to get us into the parks, he originally was only going to be able to join us one day but ended up joining us for two - my parents hadn't seen him for 10 years! So it was a great trip.

While we did not manage to do the Wilderness Lodge, we did manage to take the boat over to Fort Wilderness. That was another highlight of the trip. Not just the boat, but seeing a cedar swamp (the swamps at Tibet butler are more natural hammocks). We tried to find the old swamp trail but the boardwalk seems to have gone away completely at this point - from the looks of it there is some draining going on.

In the long run, I am kinda happy things turned out the way they did. While they really enjoyed the parks, by the end of the day they really wanted room to stretch out, and I don't think they would have enjoyed the smaller rooms at the lodge. Having a condo-style place (we ended up with a two bedroom unit) was nice.

Now that I know they like Florida, maybe at some future point when I have a little time to spend and prepare, I might try finding something at the villas for them.
 

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