Trip Report Our Almost One-Year Ago Fantastic Wilderness Lodge Disney Trip! (November 16-23, 2013)

Hi Everyone,

I'm fairly new to these boards but I love reading all the trip reports! I thought it may have been a bit late to post about our trip - it was almost a year ago! But I'm still going to post it because it was awesome.

Here are the cast of characters - Myself, DH, DS (10), DD (8)

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

Let me try this again so the picture attaches in the post... OK that's a little better! Here's my sweet family! Myself, DH, DS (10) and DD (8). This was taken on our last day - but I'll get to that in a while! Got lots to report! Hope you decide to follow along on our adventure!

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

A little background on us - this was my 4th trip to Disney. I went as a child when they were designing Epcot. I stayed in the Contemporary Hotel and I remember seeing the model of Epcot. I remember riding Space Mountain over and over again. I was only 11. I loved that trip and have great memories! I went back almost 20 years later with DH - no kids yet. He was on a business trip and we stayed at the Dolphin. We only went for a few days and did Epcot and Hollywood Studios. I couldn't wait to go back when we had kids!

We went back over Thanksgiving week, 2010. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and I absolutely fell in love with that hotel! We were there Saturday to Saturday of Thanksgiving week. It was super crowded - lots of long waits in line! I had said it would be our ONLY trip to Disney because that's what I thought people did when they went to Disney - I thought you just went once. Um, little did I know how much I would end up loving it! We said we'd go back in 3 years and that's exactly what we did.

So because it was crowded Thanksgiving week we decided to go the week BEFORE Thanksgiving which is actually the BEST week (in my opinion) to go - there were no crowds. We had booked Fastpasses online but most of the time did not even need them.

So here's Part One: The Fun of getting up for a 6 a.m. flight!

We got up at 3 a.m. to get to Bradley Airport. We were so excited! Getting up in the middle of the night is only fun when you’re going to Disney! We ate breakfast at McDonalds at the airport. Our flight left at 6 a.m. and arrived in Orlando at 8:35 a.m. Here is a picture of DD on the plane - she is as crazy about Disney as I am!

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

We got onto the Magical Express bus right away and headed to Wilderness Lodge. Our bus was greeted by a woman with an ipad who led us right to the check-in counter. Walking into WL I noticed the Christmas tree was not yet up. I was figuring it would not yet be up, but that they would be putting it up sometime during our stay. I love seeing the tree up at WL! That is what makes it my very favorite resort! I have a magical story about the tree going up during this trip - more on that later.

Isn't this the most gorgeous hotel you have ever seen? It was actually raining a bit when we got there so I'm cheating and posting a pic from later in the trip, but here ya go!

We checked in very quickly and went to get our refillable mugs at Roaring Fork – we had gotten the free dining this trip, so it was a lot of fun getting our free mugs!

Our room was ready right away! I was surprised since it wasn’t even 10 a.m.! We went up to our room, 5112. It was a Woods View overlooking the Villas and the Cubs Den, as well as the walkway to the buses. It was really a beautiful room and view. We had to upgrade to a Woods view to get the free dining. The rooms had been updated since our last stay and they were really nice. I especially loved the bathroom floor which was a “fake” wood.

We dropped off some of our things in the room, changed, and headed to the boat for Magic Kingdom! It was raining a little on the way over and we put on our ponchos.

Here is DH with the kids on the boat going over to MK on the boat!

Honestly, I didn’t even care that it was raining! I was so excited to be there! The first thing I noticed straight off was that it wasn’t very crowded! Noticeable difference from last time we went which was over Thanksgiving in 2010 – it was mobbed that week! I was wondering if this was because it was raining or just the week we picked? We would discover throughout the week that it was indeed NOT CROWDED and probably the best week all year to be at Disney! The week before Thanksgiving – woo hoo! Christmas decorations were going up and I was in Heaven!

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

Part 2: Magic Kingdom!

We have arrived! OH how happy we were! Who cares about the rain! Not us!

We did Splash Mountain twice and Thunder Mountain twice! Didn’t even need our fastpasses! Walked right on – awesome! They were both posted as a 10 minute wait but there was really no waiting at all.

Family pic waiting for Splash:

We did the Jungle Cruise which was a bit of a wait – not terrible – but we wanted to do it since we missed it last time. The cruise guide was a bit hokey with his jokes but we enjoyed it. The ride and scenery was pretty nice – not something we were dying to do twice, though.
We went on Pirates of the Caribbean which had been updated and we love that ride!

We were pretty hungry having not eaten since before our flight, so headed over to Pinocchio Haus - I had a caprese pizza which was really good! I would say the service was not too great, but I think that may have had to do with so many people escaping the rain! Mind you, we did not mind the rain - I would say it was a light steady rain, but still warm (we live in New England so it felt VERY warm to us!).

We then went in Haunted Mansion which was new to us this trip – we all loved it except for DD who spent the entire ride hiding her head in my lap.

We then went on Space Mountain twice – it was DD's first time on it and she LOVED it! I am totally loving the lack of crowds!!! Only a 5 minute wait! Awesome!
We then did Tomorrowland Speedway which is a very special ride because this was our very first ride the first time we all went to Disney as a family in 2010.

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

We did one last attraction - Monsters Inc, then we needed to head back to WL. My parents and my sister were arriving in a little bit and we had a reservation for our first Disney dinner together at Whispering Canyon Café that evening! Here are a few pictures as we were leaving the park:

We got back to WL, changed and met up with my parents and sister at Whispering Canyon! Here were all are (minus me, I was taking the pic):

This was a special trip - we were celebrating my mom's 70th birthday, DS's 10th birthday, and our 15th Anniversary! We were so happy to be together!

I got the Buffalo Meatloaf which was incredible! I love the food at Whispering Canyon - last trip, we had Thanksgiving dinner there. It is always a great meal and a fun time. I did not take any food pictures because I didn't realize that was something you did lol - next trip, I'll document all the food, ok?

Lots of fun eating at Whispering Canyon - WE NEED KETCHUP!!!!!

So that's it for Day 1 - we finished dinner and headed up for an early night's rest! Up next is our Day at Epcot! Stay tuned!

 

[CheersBigEars]

Following along and looking forward to reading more.

 

[mrdrift]

Awesome start to the report. I have read the Whispering Canyons is a great and fun place to eat. Some thing that I plan on doing on my next trip. Following along.

 

[Allym146]

Never too late for a TR!

 

[slowjoe170]

My wife and I have our yearly trip to WL in December. Can't wait. Free dining and Woods view also. We've stayed there every year for the last 10 years or so. Really drawn to any trip report that includes the Wilderness Lodge. Our favorite. Keep it going, waiting to read more about your trip.

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

I am SO JEALOUS you go every year and that you stay at WL - it really is THE BEST resort at Christmastime. I have a WL mug that I drink my coffee out of every morning. It is just such an amazing place!

My wife and I have our yearly trip to WL in December. Can't wait. Free dining and Woods view also. We've stayed there every year for the last 10 years or so. Really drawn to any trip report that includes the Wilderness Lodge. Our favorite. Keep it going, waiting to read more about your trip.

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

Awesome start to the report. I have read the Whispering Canyons is a great and fun place to eat. Some thing that I plan on doing on my next trip. Following along.

Not only is it a fun place but the food is really top notch!

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

I will update more tomorrow evening... stay tuned!

 

[Tinkerbella16]

Great TR so far! My parents were actually staying at WL during the same week last year! They said it was awesome how the xmas tree in the lobby just magically appeared one morning when they woke up and headed out for the day!

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

Great TR so far! My parents were actually staying at WL during the same week last year! They said it was awesome how the xmas tree in the lobby just magically appeared one morning when they woke up and headed out for the day!

I have a great story to tell about the tree going up during that trip... It is so magical seeing it in the lobby! Looks like you're going next month? I envy you! Hope you have an awesome trip!!

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

SUNDAY – 11/17 – EPCOT!
We slept in a little bit today which felt great. We used our snack credits to get muffins, Danishes, and croissants at Roaring Fork before meeting my parents and sister and heading out to Epcot together.

The first ride we did was Spaceship Earth, which we all love. Nothing like Spaceship Earth! I love hearing Judy Dench’s voice narrating that great ride! We all love getting our photos taken and seeing the final results at the end.

We then headed to Soarin’ – we had Fastpasses but didn’t need them. There was no wait. The last time we were at Disney there were 90 minute waits. This time there were 10 minute waits for Soarin’ and Test Track. Incredible!

We then did the Livin’ with Land boat ride through the greenhouses which is a nice relaxing ride.
Then we did Test Track a few times – loved the new, updated feature of getting to design our own cars and then “compete” them as well as making commercials. DH and the kids especially got into this and really loved it!

We did Mission Space 2 or 3 times – stayed on the Green ride because apparently someone died on the Orange? Not sure I understand why all the hype about this ride as it was fun but not at all dangerous seeming? That said, I have never done Orange. I think DS or maybe both kids probably would have been able to do Orange but we stayed with Green. Next trip. (Any thoughts on this?????)

We then ate lunch at La Cantina in Mexico (counter service) – the meal was just so-so – nachos with cheez whiz lol! Not authentic, but oh well. I’m thinking the table service Mexican restaurant would be better.

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

We then did Turtle Talk with Crush and the Nemo ride. Love both these attractions!!! Crush is hilarious and Nemo makes me feel like a little kid again.

We then rode Test Track again then headed over to World Showcase. We did the Canada movie which is always fun. We then headed to Rose and Crown for our 5:30 dinner reservation. The fish and chips were the best I’ve ever had – YUM! I also had a Snake Bite (half cider, half beer) – made me think of the year I spent in Wales! The Rose and Crown was really good and we all enjoyed our meals. Having been in many English pubs I will say it was all very authentic and the service was outstanding. Would definitely go back.

We left the pub and immediately saw Mary Poppins standing nearby! DD and I just HAD to meet her! DD got her autograph and she chatted a little bit. It was hard to understand what she was saying. She was lovely!

DS was tired and we agreed to just walk the loop around World Showcase and head back to the hotel before the fireworks. We stopped in Germany to look around the shops and DH bought each of us a Werther Original candy.

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

We then decided to visit the Character Spot because there was NO WAIT! Last trip we waited literally like 2 hours to meet the characters at Epcot so this was fantastic!!! DS had gotten a Goofy hat with his Disney giftcard and wanted to get the characters to sign it. So we met Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy and got the hat and DD's book signed. It was such a great day but we were all tired and left before the fireworks. I think it was a good time to do the Character Spot AND leave (if you’re not into the fireworks) because everyone was probably getting their viewing spots at this point so it was not hard to get onto a bus right away.

 

[MickeyMom Caren]

What a great day - we ended the day by taking a few pictures of the Epcot tree and Spaceship Earth. Such a special place! I will never forget this day. Goodnight Epcot. :-(

We went back to WL and DD wanted to get some hot chocolate in her refillable mug. We walked around the lobby a bit and sat down with our hot chocolate in front of the fire. This is what I love so much about Disney - we can walk around in November with shorts on, then relax in front of the fire at WL at night. I love the magic of this place! As we were getting into the elevator we saw our friends coming out of Roaring Fork - some very close friends of ours' were also at Disney the same week - they had just gotten there that evening! (We knew they would be there and planned to spend time with them after my parents left, at the end of the week). So more about them later! It was so awesome to run into them and made us even more excited about being in Disney!

Look forward to some magical WL pictures soon... I'm waiting until the tree goes up. Then I'll give you a picture tour of WL which is the BEST RESORT AT CHRISTMASTIME!!!

UP NEXT... Can you imagine the worst thing that could possibly ever happen on a Disney trip? Well it happened to us the next day. Stay tuned. Any guesses?

 

[Mom@disney]

Following along. Your kids are adorable! Sorry about the rain the first day, but happy to know that you still had a good time. It's horrible when something bad happens while on vacation. Did someone get sick? On our last trip my oldest daughter, who has cholinergic urticaria...allergy to heat, had one of her fainting spells. We had to spend a couple of days just staying at the resort in air conditioning.