Wilderness Club Level during Construction

[aw14]

Afternoon everyone.

We have a potential trip in April at WL Club Level. My only concern has been the recent renovations. Does anyone here have any experience with the impact of the construction on the stay at the resort?
The DW (@awheartsdw ) have wanted to stay there for a while.

Thanks all

 

[Tuvalu]

Hey @aw14 ~

We stayed at WL in mid-December, though not club level. We were not bothered by any construction noise. The entire south wing is being converted to DVC units and no date has been released for the project completion. Old Faithful Club was located on the top floor of the south wing and has been relocated to the other side.

This is how the south side currently looks:

Compared to the north side:

Unfortunately the main lobby elevators are located on the south side and are currently closed. They are located behind this temporary wall.

What this means is that there is only one pair of elevators for the whole lodge now, located adjacent to Roaring Fork (quick service). And during our stay, this was the case.....

....so there was only one working elevator, which was really an inconvenience.

The good news was that with half the lodge shut down, transportation, quick service dining and pool were not crowded. And we had no issues with housekeeping.

Note that Roaring Fork is closing for a lengthy refurbishment later this month so you will need to walk outside the lodge to the new Geyser Point Bar and Grill for your quick-service needs. Not sure if the new pool will be open by April or not.

Hope this helps!

 

[aw14]

Thank you Tuvalu. Our TA said the club lounge is back where it's supposed to be. I like that the layout is so similar to AKL.

 

[ekutchey]

We stayed Club Level at WL this past August. The lounge was in its temporary location but it did not bother us a all. Also I agree the construction may seem like a problem but it really isn't and allows for the resort to be far less busy, which is quite nice.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

If the whole south wing is indeed being converted to dvc I wonder what that will do to availability and pricing in the non dvc rooms...sigh.

 

[aw14]

If the whole south wing is indeed being converted to dvc I wonder what that will do to availability and pricing in the non dvc rooms...sigh.

Thats a good question.

We stayed Club Level at WL this past August. The lounge was in its temporary location but it did not bother us a all. Also I agree the construction may seem like a problem but it really isn't and allows for the resort to be far less busy, which is quite nice.

good point. I am on the fence about this trip. The deal is excellent, but I am concerned overall about the resort. I have been itching to stay there, but want to be sure I am getting what i want

 

[CWDfense]

If the whole south wing is indeed being converted to dvc I wonder what that will do to availability and pricing in the non dvc rooms...sigh.

Great question indeed. I was just looking at the Wilderness Lodge in early October (3rd - 10th) on both Disney and other travel websites and no one has any availability. Error, or fact, any thoughts?

 

[awheartsdw]

Hi @Tuvalu thanks for letting us know about the construction at the resort! Do you think we would enjoy it knowing how much we (@aw14) too love Poly? We do have a great deal but concerned about construction, disruption, etc. I know WL and Poly are 2 completely different hotels, but if we had to vote on our all time favorite, it would be Poly.

 

[21stamps]

Hi @Tuvalu thanks for letting us know about the construction at the resort! Do you think we would enjoy it knowing how much we (@aw14) too love Poly? We do have a great deal but concerned about construction, disruption, etc. I know WL and Poly are 2 completely different hotels, but if we had to vote on our all time favorite, it would be Poly.

I'm not @Tuvalu , but Poly is my all time favorite as well. We were at WL in December and I was pleasently surprised. We loved it, and honestly I wasn't expecting to.

 

[awheartsdw]

Thanks @21stamps! The construction didn't bother you? What I personally love about Poly is that I feel like I'm on vacation within my vacation-if that makes sense. I have wanted to try WL, but concerned about the construction and not having accessibility to some of the things that are closed-the pools, the trails, renting bikes. Do you mind if I ask what you enjoyed about it? The resort reminds me of AKL, which is another of our favorites, just minus the animals of course, I just don't want to feel like we are staying at Great Wolf Lodge in Disney World.

 

[21stamps]

Thanks @21stamps! The construction didn't bother you? What I personally love about Poly is that I feel like I'm on vacation within my vacation-if that makes sense. I have wanted to try WL, but concerned about the construction and not having accessibility to some of the things that are closed-the pools, the trails, renting bikes. Do you mind if I ask what you enjoyed about it? The resort reminds me of AKL, which is another of our favorites, just minus the animals of course, I just don't want to feel like we are staying at Great Wolf Lodge in Disney World.

I felt the same. Not to sound too dramatic, but I actually almost cried when my TA told me WL was the only resort left (unless I wanted an insanely priced club level suite at the Boardwalk). I have never had a desire to stay there, we live in the Midwest and go to Cabins, Lodges, etc a few times per year.. I want Disney to be completely different..and I love Poly for the same reasons you mentioned.

Anyway, my son and I both fell in love with WL. Here's a few examples of the "why"-
Lobby.
Restaurants, and especially Territory Lounge.
Hidden Mickey Hunt.
Kiddo's favorite- renting bikes and riding to FW.
The fireplaces scattered around.
And the room (I forget the name) with another fireplace, checkers/chess board, etc.
The boat to MK was convenient and faster than I thought it would be.

The only thing I didn't like was the rooms, but that's personal preference. They felt small and dark to me. We did have a bunk bed room though, so that may have contributed.

I don't love WL more than Poly, or even GF, it's not going to become our go-to spot. But, it was a great stay and I do not regret it at all. I'm actually quite glad that I was "forced" into it, and I wouldn't be opposed to staying there again. It definitely felt like a "vacation within a vacation".

Here's a photo from my room. I purposely included the construction..we didn't see it when just sitting on he balcony looking forward, and it really didn't bother me.

Here's the bike trail-

 

[Tuvalu]

Hi @Tuvalu thanks for letting us know about the construction at the resort! Do you think we would enjoy it knowing how much we (@aw14) too love Poly? We do have a great deal but concerned about construction, disruption, etc. I know WL and Poly are 2 completely different hotels, but if we had to vote on our all time favorite, it would be Poly.

For this Poly gal, WL is my second favorite resort. I don't think you will be bothered at all by the construction. The only minor inconvenience will be the closure of Roaring Fork, but since you will be club level your breakfast/snack/evening app/dessert needs will already be taken care of.

And I agree with @21stamps about all the "pros" of a WL stay.

 

[awheartsdw]

I felt the same. Not to sound too dramatic, but I actually almost cried when my TA told me WL was the only resort left (unless I wanted an insanely priced club level suite at the Boardwalk). I have never had a desire to stay there, we live in the Midwest and go to Cabins, Lodges, etc a few times per year.. I want Disney to be completely different..and I love Poly for the same reasons you mentioned.

Anyway, my son and I both fell in love with WL. Here's a few examples of the "why"-
Lobby.
Restaurants, and especially Territory Lounge.
Hidden Mickey Hunt.
Kiddo's favorite- renting bikes and riding to FW.
The fireplaces scattered around.
And the room (I forget the name) with another fireplace, checkers/chess board, etc.
The boat to MK was convenient and faster than I thought it would be.

The only thing I didn't like was the rooms, but that's personal preference. They felt small and dark to me. We did have a bunk bed room though, so that may have contributed.

I don't love WL more than Poly, or even GF, it's not going to become our go-to spot. But, it was a great stay and I do not regret it at all. I'm actually quite glad that I was "forced" into it, and I wouldn't be opposed to staying there again. It definitely felt like a "vacation within a vacation".

Here's a photo from my room. I purposely included the construction..we didn't see it when just sitting on he balcony looking forward, and it really didn't bother me.
View attachment 188578

Here's the bike trail-
View attachment 188579

@21stamps THANK YOU for your honest opinion! I sooo appreciate it! I remember looking into WL years ago on a last minute, spur of the moment trip at Christmas, it was also the only option available, and we passed. We live in the Northeast so visiting lake houses and lodges for us is a novel vacation experience. We enjoy the "rustic" experience of a lake house and nature and feeling like we are disconnected from the outside world and "civilization" so WL may allow us to have that feeling even more so in Disney, which is a win-win in my book. I have a friend of mine who loves WL, especially the lobby and a glass of wine by the big fireplace-it looks very cozy and inviting. There's something about the bikes and taking the boat to MK that really appeal to me, and I love how the water is in the lobby and flows through right outside, but again, I didn't want that Great Wolf feel and I think that WL won't even compare-that it's SO many levels above Great Wolf. The pictures are great and very helpful. Thank you again for your opinion and sharing your experience! I'll keep you posted!

 

[awheartsdw]

For this Poly gal, WL is my second favorite resort. I don't think you will be bothered at all by the construction. The only minor inconvenience will be the closure of Roaring Fork, but since you will be club level your breakfast/snack/evening app/dessert needs will already be taken care of.

And I agree with @21stamps about all the "pros" of a WL stay.

@Tuvalu you're the go-to on all things Poly, so who better to ask than your feelings of the resort! I'm glad that the construction wasn't too impact-full on your trip, other than the elevators. Of course we are looking at going in April, when everyone else will be in Disney, so hopefully the construction deters some people from staying there. Like @aw14 said, it's a great deal and we've wanted to try it, so this may just push us to book it! I'll let you know!!

 

[Tuvalu]

I remember looking into WL years ago on a last minute, spur of the moment trip at Christmas, it was also the only option available, and we passed.

Rookie mistake! ;)

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But the lodge is still lovely when not decked out for the holidays. If you decide to go, I hope you have a wonderful stay!

 

[awheartsdw]

Rookie mistake! ;)

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But the lodge is still lovely when not decked out for the holidays. If you decide to go, I hope you have a wonderful stay!

@Tuvalu you're not kidding!! This is gorgeous! My friend that loves WL was there just before Thanksgiving, they were JUST putting up the decorations at the hotel and luckily she snapped a great shot of her 2 kids in front of the tree to use as her holiday card! These are great pictures, it looks so pretty! Rookie mistake is right!

 

[21stamps]

@21stamps THANK YOU for your honest opinion! I sooo appreciate it! I remember looking into WL years ago on a last minute, spur of the moment trip at Christmas, it was also the only option available, and we passed. We live in the Northeast so visiting lake houses and lodges for us is a novel vacation experience. We enjoy the "rustic" experience of a lake house and nature and feeling like we are disconnected from the outside world and "civilization" so WL may allow us to have that feeling even more so in Disney, which is a win-win in my book. I have a friend of mine who loves WL, especially the lobby and a glass of wine by the big fireplace-it looks very cozy and inviting. There's something about the bikes and taking the boat to MK that really appeal to me, and I love how the water is in the lobby and flows through right outside, but again, I didn't want that Great Wolf feel and I think that WL won't even compare-that it's SO many levels above Great Wolf. The pictures are great and very helpful. Thank you again for your opinion and sharing your experience! I'll keep you posted!

No problem! I think you'll be as pleasently surprised as I was.
One of the great things about WL is that the lobby is relaxing. I just said this on another WL thread.. the biggest frustrations I have with the monorail resorts are their overstuffed lobbies. So may people in them all of the time. Wilderness Lodge wasn't like that at all! It felt cozy. You'll love the trails and the grounds! Definitely keep us posted!

Rookie mistake! ;)

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But the lodge is still lovely when not decked out for the holidays. If you decide to go, I hope you have a wonderful stay!

I haven't seen it without the Christmas decorations, but it wouldn't be possible to not be stunning with or without the decorations.