Thoughts on Wilderness Lodge Villas?

[DisneyJunkie]

Last year, 8 of my family (including my wife and myself) stayed together in a 2-bedroom Boardwalk Villa. It was a beautiful place, but too far out from the Magic Kingdom for us. We're now discussing staying in the Wilderness Lodge Villas in Sept 2008. Has anyone stayed there, and if so, what are your thoughts on it? Most of us have already stayed in the Wilderness Lodge itself, but now we'd try the Villas.

 

[SnowFire]

Last trip, we stayed in a 1 bedroom at WL Villas. For us it was perfect. It was very quiet while we were there. The walk from the main building really isn't far.

Keep in mind that, while WL is not very far from MK, it isn't a monorail resort. The boat ride, while relaxing, can seem long at times.

We would absolutely stay there again.

 

[disneydudette]

I personally love the WL/WLV area: It's so peaceful, quiet, and truly makes you feel as if your in the Northwest...

With that being said though, the villas aren't my favorate. The room decor is what really turns me off. The decor mimics my grandma's old cabin in NH, old and outdated. Which, don't get me wrong, is very fitting for that resort, but not nearly what I would expect from a "resort" timeshare... especially now comparing it to the WL renovated rooms. To me personally, it's very distasteful and un-deluxe like. I did not get this feeling with any of those other DVCs (with exception to the "worn" look over at OKW, but those 2bedrooms are HUGE!)

Factoring out the decor, the rest of the resort rates top notch! The grounds are fantastic, area is nice and quiet, and you can get a decent view from every room. The villa pool is nice, but your a few steps away from the WL resort and there amentities. I like having roaring folks, WWC and AP on property as well as the Marina and ability to watch the water pagent. The boat dock is a little bit of a walk from the Villas, but the surrounding grounds makes it an enjoyable one.

I do consider a move from the BWV to the WLV to be a bit of a "downgrade"... but it really depends on what you prefer.

 

[dteed]

We love the WL villas. If going to the MK we take the first boat to the dock, either the boat to MK or the boat to CR and take the monorail. It is a short walt to the main building which is a plus for us since we just love the WL. It is my fav DVC property. I own SSR but stay there only if necessary.

 

[happymom52003]

We have stayed at the WL villas in a one bedroom and once in a two bedroom on our last three trips and are staying there again in January. We LOVE them. We never want to stay anywhere else. We love the WL as a whole, but we really like how the villas are more quiet....especially the pool. It is very peacful compared to the main pool area. We always request a villa overlooking the villa pool....you can sit on your balcony and hear the peacful music that is played outside. And we do not mind walking an extra minute to get to the amenities in the WL....the walkways are beautiful and there are bunnies everywhere....I have never seen so many bunnies! And unlike another poster, we really love the decor......it fits in perfectly with the "story" of the Villas. In fact, we are copying the look of the decor in the WL villas for our lake cabin that we are in the process of buliding! But everyone has different tastes. If you are wondering what I mean by the "story" of the Villas, here is a quote from allears describing the story of the theming of WL and the Villas:

"Adjacent to Disney's Wilderness Lodge a team of railroad workers discovers a spectacular property -- complete with lakes, trees and majestic mountains rising in the distance (Splash Mountain and Space Mountain, that is!).

These intrepid explorers decide this is the spot -- the perfect spot to set up camp as they build the transcontinental railway. They build themselves a new homestead and when it's time to move on, they leave it behind to be "re-discovered'' by Disney Vacation Club... and so the story goes! Like Disney's Wilderness Lodge, the new resort is inspired by the tall timber and grandeur of the Rocky Mountain national park geyser country. In keeping with Disney's legendary entertainment heritage, the DVC resort will build on the storyline "imagineered'' for Disney's Wilderness Lodge property, which describes the new structure as actually "pre-dating'' Disney's Wilderness Lodge through a design reminiscent of turn-of-the century hotels built by early railroad workers in the old West national park region."