W L villas

[Pghdrumr]

staying in a deluxe studio at the WL Villas. Not as a Vacation Club member . It was offered as a regular stay so I thought I would try it since the price was good with Spring Discount. I love the lodge , but what should I expect with the WL Villa stay? Thanks for any feedback you may have!

 

[sxeensweet]

It really will not be any different being you are a cash guest and not a DVC member. You will get normal daily mousekeeping etc. DVC point stays do not get that everyday but being you booked a cash stay you will still get that service every day.
Your deluxe studio will have a kitchenette unlike the standard rooms at Wilderness Lodge. The kitchenette has a sink, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, refrigerator, and some small cabinets, and a small countertop. The room has a queen bed and a sleeper sofa. You will love it I'm sure! Hope you have a wonderful trip!!

 

[LizC]

I am leaning towards staying there as well, in December. Looking forward to reading everyone's responses.

 

[ABQ]

I am leaning towards staying there as well, in December. Looking forward to reading everyone's responses.

It's wonderful in December. Nice Christmas tree in the villa lobby with the fireplace and all. Just feels extra cozy in during the holiday season.
As to the OP, just expect a longer walk to the boat and possibly a shorter walk to the bus when compared to the main building.

 

[LizC]

It's wonderful in December. Nice Christmas tree in the villa lobby with the fireplace and all. Just feels extra cozy in during the holiday season.
As to the OP, just expect a longer walk to the boat and possibly a shorter walk to the bus when compared to the main building.

I have heard WL is beautiful at Christmas.

Is the walk to the food court/restaurants long? (We are bringing the grandparents along.)

 

[epcotisbest]

staying in a deluxe studio at the WL Villas. Not as a Vacation Club member . It was offered as a regular stay so I thought I would try it since the price was good with Spring Discount. I love the lodge , but what should I expect with the WL Villa stay? Thanks for any feedback you may have!

The villas are terrific, as is the quiet pool, Hidden Springs.

 

[epcotisbest]

I have heard WL is beautiful at Christmas.

Is the walk to the food court/restaurants long? (We are bringing the grandparents along.)

Compared to all the walking you are going to be doing anyway, no I would not call it a long walk. And there is not a food court. There are two quick serves (Roaring Fork and Trout Pass pool bar), a theme restaurant,Whispering Canyon Cafe, and a signature restaurant, Artist Point, and a lounge as well. You can also get some basic grocery items at Disney prices, in the gift shop.

 

[ABQ]

I have heard WL is beautiful at Christmas.

Is the walk to the food court/restaurants long? (We are bringing the grandparents along.)

Compared to all the walking you are going to be doing anyway, no I would not call it a long walk. And there is not a food court. There are two quick serves (Roaring Fork and Trout Pass pool bar), a theme restaurant,Whispering Canyon Cafe, and a signature restaurant, Artist Point, and a lounge as well. You can also get some basic grocery items at Disney prices, in the gift shop.

@epcotisbest is spot on. It can seem a long walk if you end up at the far east end of the villas. I've been in the 2nd to last room, with some near elderly folks. We just made sure to not attempt to walk all the way from the room to the Roaring Fork without at least one stop along the way to let them rest up, or we just walked very slowly. The one and only drawback could be if the weather was uncooperative, you must walk outdoors at some point, either under cover on the bus (front) side or with no cover around the back by the pool. Early morning in December can be brisk. But the distance when going out the front door of the villas to the side of the main building, near the mercantile is not terribly far.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

It's really no different than a standard room. The kitchenette is a stretch of the definition of the word at best and you'll have less sleeping space than a standard room. But really it's the same thing.

 

[George]

It's really no different than a standard room. The kitchenette is a stretch of the definition of the word at best and you'll have less sleeping space than a standard room. But really it's the same thing.

The kitchenette is a huge perk if you're eating quick breakfasts and the like in the room. Microwave, toaster, sink, bowls, plates, little bottle of dishwashing detergent, utensils, kitchenette trash can, coffee mugs are all amenities in addition to the refrigerator and coffee pot (both of which I think are in the regular rooms) are all things my family has made great use of during our studio stays.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

The kitchenette is a huge perk if you're eating quick breakfasts and the like in the room. Microwave, toaster, sink, bowls, plates, little bottle of dishwashing detergent, utensils, kitchenette trash can, coffee mugs are all amenities in addition to the refrigerator and coffee pot (both of which I think are in the regular rooms) are all things my family has made great use of during our studio stays.

They might be useful but I still think calling it a kitchenette is a stretch. To me a kitchenette has some way to COOK food other than a microwave. At least a single burner to boil water.

Besides, you can get a microwave, toaster, etc. in the QS location at any resort so you're only gaining convenience, not function. The real kitchen in the 1 and 2 bedroom villas is where the real value comes in, as I am unable to fry my own eggs at The Mara.

 

[George]

They might be useful but I still think calling it a kitchenette is a stretch. To me a kitchenette has some way to COOK food other than a microwave. At least a single burner to boil water.

Besides, you can get a microwave, toaster, etc. in the QS location at any resort so you're only gaining convenience, not function. The real kitchen in the 1 and 2 bedroom villas is where the real value comes in, as I am unable to fry my own eggs at The Mara.

I like the one bedroom unit too. However, when at a giant WDW resort (at one end of the VWL's hallway for example) walking to the QS location for use of a microwave or toaster isn't a reasonable option. But, I will admit I don't have a pre-conceived kitchenette notion like you do. I still think it is a very nice perk over a regular room.

I will note that the general use QS crock pots are completely useless. I know last time I got stuck behind that guy with a leg of lamb and waited 8 hours before getting to work on my brisket.

 

[216bruce]

The Villas have a great sitting/chilling area off of the main entry lobby. Filled with train stuff (including two cars from Walt's Carolwood Pacific), a fireplace, rocking chairs and QUIET. It's our home resort and we love it.

 

[btriple]

We stayed in the two bedroom unit about 3/4 the way down the hall. The buses are close but every things is a bit of a walk, maybe because it is all up hill back to the resort. We were there when the were fixing the pool so they had the path to the boat closed off so it was a long trip to the boat. Definitely very quiet. We had groceries delivered to the resort, that worked out well since we did not have a car.

 

[George]

We stayed in the two bedroom unit about 3/4 the way down the hall. The buses are close but every things is a bit of a walk, maybe because it is all up hill back to the resort. We were there when the were fixing the pool so they had the path to the boat closed off so it was a long trip to the boat. Definitely very quiet. We had groceries delivered to the resort, that worked out well since we did not have a car.

The extra cost of a one or two bedroom unit can more than pay for itself if you prepare meals in the room. Or just some meals. We tend to do a nice Disney dinner about 1 in every 3 nights. Now that my 9 year old daughter is considered an adult on the dining plan I don't really consider that a viable option any more.

 

[zeebs758]

I stayed in a studio with my girlfriend on my last visit and it worked out great even though we didn't spend a lot of time in it. We were on DVC points so we only had room service once while we were there but that shouldn't be the case for you since it's a regular room.

Our experience with a studio is as follows. When we first got there, we were given the very last room at the end of the villas which is a pretty far walk from beginning to end. It doesn't look like it but it surely felt like it. We entered the room and it had a foul odor lingering around. We had debated switching rooms but we were hungry so we went to Roaring Fork to grab food. Roaring Fork is great! I loved all their food there and they have a bunch of unique items to eat. When we got back to the room, we decided we couldn't take the smell and asked to change rooms. Thankfully, Disney helped us out and gave us a different room. We got excited lucky and it ended up being one of first rooms closest to the lobby and buses!

It was just the two of us, so it was the perfect size for us. We used the refrigerator mostly but not so much the microwave. You can certainly buy some groceries for the week and store them. The Merchantile has some groceries that you can buy. I was always up first in the morning so I went and bought breakfast for my girlfriend and I. I made coffee every morning for us which was convenient.

The Villas are the furthest part of the WL from the boat docks. There is an easy pathway outside that leads you on the side on the WL, behind the pool to get to the docks. Luckily, the buses are right next to the Villas. Sorry for the long post but I love talking about the Wilderness Lodge!