We just got back from WDW!

Hi all!

We just got back yesterday from WDW. We had a great time as usual. We stayed 6 nights at the Wilderness Lodge and 4 nights and the Yacht Club and the weather was beautiful. No rain except the morning of the day we left! We even got to see our friends at the F&G festival (in the flesh) - the "Nature on the Rocks" guy and his wife! Hee, hee. They looked bitchy and miserable just like in the pics on here. The parades were great, everest was a lot of fun and it was just a wonderful trip. We are so depressed to be back home in Chicago (crap weather) after enjoying the pools and waterparks and waking up to blue skies every day.

We're already jealous of whomever is leaving for Disney right now...missing it already.

I'll leave a more in-depth report after we have a full day to recover! :wave:

 

[SallyShine]

Which did you like better, WL or YC? We love WL but would like to try something different. What are your thoughts?

PS - We've been back a month and I'm still depressed

 

[justducky78]

Hi -

By far, we prefer the Yacht Club. It just feels more deluxe and is more spread out so it doesn't feel so crowded. As much as I love the lodge, it can get really loud in the restaurants, lobby, by the pool, etc. We had a fridge in our room at the YC at no request, which was nice. The rooms are bigger, the pool is better and there's a quiet pool that is always empty (although the wilderness does have the villa pool). It just feels more laid back and upscale. The transportation is so much better/faster at the YC and you can walk to Epcot, Boardwalk and MGM. Personally, we feel the service is just better at the YC. Also - more options in terms of restaurants that are really close by...eat at the YC/BC or walk over to the Boardwalk, swan/dolphin or World Showcase.

The WL is still wonderful and I love the lake, but the boats take forever it seems! We always rent a car but decided to take the boats one evening to the Contemporary for dinner. Good luck getting back. We and a bunch of others were stuck waiting on the dock and ended up taking a taxi back to the WL (next door!) Either that or walk along the roadside in the dark or take a bus to Downtown Disney and then a bus to WL - no thanks. It was ridiculous. I love the WL but wasn't it called a "moderate" at one time? I feel it would be better billed as a moderate in terms of service and amenities.

If you can afford it, I say choose the yacht club or beach club. You won't regret it!

 

[Teddy1]

Glad you had a nice trip. I have a quesiton about WL. My niece is staying there for her honeymoon in August. Would you have a recommendation about a room request. I would like to pass some info on to her if I could to keep her away from the noise. Any info would be helpful, Thanks.

 

[Davidsplanet]

No i'm jealous of you!

The Wilderness Lodge is like the greatest hotel ever. I'm going to Disney World Saturday. I only live 2 hours away. I hope you had a great time. You must have refinanced your home to pay for that. I know I sell my soul to the devil just to go! Lol

 

[justducky78]

Teddy1 -

Hmm...room recommendations at the WL? I would definitely get something overlooking the courtyard and lake. It's so fun to look down and see all the action and at night you can even view the water parade from your balcony. I believe the 6th floor has a enclosed balcony which can be annoying because you can't sit in a chair and see out, so I would avoid that floor if at all possible. We were on the 5th floor in room 5011 which had a clear view of the pool and a great view of the lake (although the big trees do block the view a bit). It's quite a walk from the elevators but was pretty quiet and you could use the stairs to go down to the pool. I've heard that any rooms near the restaurants can get pretty loud at night. Or, she can request a room overlooking the villa's pool. It seemed VERY quiet over on that side. A lot of people have requested the honeymoon suite, but from what I've read, it's not that great, overlooks the parking lot and gets a lot of noise from the restaurant? Correct me if I'm wrong! Regardless, your niece will have a great time - it is a gorgeous resort and the lake is beautiful. I can still hear the pool music in my head...very relaxing!

 

[justducky78]

It was an incredible trip...all I can say is...thank goodness for a hefty tax refund! We just got back and we're in a haze. It's hard to get back to reality. We sure didn't miss the dishes, the laundry, or the crap Chicago weather!!

Oh and for those of you staying at the WL, I highly recommend the vegetarian salad at Roaring Forks! I had it for lunch twice and it was so good. But, people PLEASE...stop feeding the ducks. They were literally begging for food and it was so sad and kinda gross. Artist Point was also wonderful, again. Our waitress, Darlene, was so nice and accomodating. She was always smiling! We didn't eat at Whispering Canyon this time, so we missed the jalapeno cornbread.

Oh and something weird...a guy a the pool brought his own boombox (a bose) by the pool and was blaring country music. Ahhhh - it was horrible and nobody said anything. Luckily we were by the villas pool that day but we heard it when passing by on our way back to our room. I'm sure some people like country music but I can't stand it :hurl: and found it odd that he would think that was ok...no matter what kind of music he was playing. I mean, it's not the beach!! I felt bad for the people sitting near him because it was really loud and IMO pretty rude. :lookaroun

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

More of a "Trip Report" thread rather than a "Planning" thread - but thanks for posting