Working on my next vacation for September 2019. Going with just my DS6. My DS10 got to go alone with me when he was 7, and DS6 will be about a month shy of his 7th birthday. Been talking to MVT about discounts. I’ll spare you all the details about why I was looking at such a large range, but I’m trying to decide between Wilderness Lodge and Pop. Obviously, one is a Deluxe and one is a Value, so I get that. The reason I’m hesitating is location. I read in the Unofficial Guide that some people have complained about the length of rides from WL to DHS or EP. I stayed at the Polynesian in 2012 and don’t remember those rides being that long. Meanwhile, Pop is pretty centrally located.
I agree that WL will be nicer and I’m worried that Pop’s theming will be somewhat lost on my son, but the biggest concern is the relative isolation of WL from all parks except MK.
Can someone who has stayed there recently shed some light on any issues they may have had with the length of the rides (not necessarily the wait times for buses).
Although I have not stayed at WL (yet), I have stayed at enough of the other resorts to be able to say that you’re really not talking about more than a 5 maybe 10 difference from different resorts to different parks. And I’ve found MK yo be the worst bus ride from any resort. I wouldn’t worry about bus times and base your decision on what resort you think you will like better.
We stayed there last year and I don’t remember thinking that any of the rides were too long. I loved Boulder Ridge and so did my kids, but my DS7 would tell you that Pop is his favorite place to stay. I think if you are planning on spending a lot of time at the resort and the pool then I would go with WL. If you are spending most of your time in the park then Pop might be the place for you.
We stayed at WL 5 years ago and it was great! We only did 2 parks that trip MK and AK. The boat ride to MK was so much fun! The rides to AK and mini golf were fine and fun for my DD5…I was happy not to drive! We had great timing with the buses and never waited more than 5 minutes. We rented bikes our nonpark day and rode in the rain to see the horses at FW…it was a highlight of our trip! There were hidden Mickeys along the path. There was a crazy discount for 2 nights in June at that time so it was well worth it for us.
You guys bring up some good points. Even when we stayed at All-Star in 2017, we Uber’d in the mornings a few times to get to the parks. The new screens they have that show when buses arrive are helpful. I guess my concern is more the proximity (or lack thereof) of WL to some of the parks. The MK resorts are so far from everything other than MK. I really wanted to stay at Beach Club, but it’s another $400 for the trip, and since my wife is not going, she is watching what I spend a little more cautiously, even though that shouldn’t be a problem.
I just worried about the notes in the Unofficial Guide that talked about the length of the bus rides from here, not necessarily the waits. I guess I just build a little more time into my mornings. I’m going to sleep on it and not book anything until Monday.
Never thought that the bus ride times from WL were unreasonably long.
WL is a great resort (my personal favorite), but it is pricey. If, as @jlyn mentions, you are planning on spending time they to enjoy it then it is definitely worth it, but if it is merely going to be a place to sleep when you are not out hitting the parks then Pop may be your better choice. Also, you might want to save WL for a time that your wife is going, as she would probably enjoy it as well.
I pulled the trigger on Wilderness Lodge this morning. I think we will be there more with DS6 than when I went to the world with DS10. DS10 has both my energy and stamina, so we would often stay in the parks from open to close. DS6 has my energy but not my stamina, so I have a feeling a mid-day break may turn into extended time at the hotel.
Plan to drive down on Sept 21 for 6 nights, but only 5 park days. Should arrive around 4-5 on the 21st, but no park day. Relax and enjoy the pool, maybe head to DS. Hit the parks on Monday thru Thursday and then drive home on Friday. Could probably save a little money and do 5 park days with 5 nights, but this should be a little more relaxing. Again, I think with his stamina, 5 park days is perfect as it will give us plenty of time in each park. He is about 45-46" now, so he can ride everything but RNR, but even if he grows two inches in that time, not sure he will be that daring. He is already waffling on TOT and a few others. He’s done TT and 7DMT before. Space may be a challenge, as well as FOP. I’m crossing my fingers!