Need Advice On Accomodations

[chucknjulie]

My husband and I are 40 and 41. We are leaving all the kids at home and traveling with another couple. We will get off of a cruise ship in Ft Lauderdale and drive to Orlando on a Thursday (a month from tomorrow )

I currently have reservations for three nights at the Wilderness Lodge. The room was $159 per night, but we decided to share the room since we wouldn't be in it much and they added $25 each so the final price is $209 per night. We have been to Disneyland several times, but never Orlando, and we have never chosen to stay "on property" before.

Is it worth the money?? I've read reviews on trip advisor and they say the towel rods fall off and that the shower curtains are moldy and the rooms are so small that you can't turn around. Hopefully, some of this is exaggeration. None of us are very large people, but we are all grown ups )

I've looked at the Celebration Hotel, it looks really nice...does it count as a "Disney Hotel" for the extended hours? The Gaylord sounds nice, or the Hilton, and some of those are pretty reasonable, so for the same price (or close to it) we could get two rooms...

Any and all advice will be appreciated. Both couples have 4 kids and although theirs are grown now, none of us have traveled kid free till now, so we want to make the best of it...

Thanks again!

 

[KarenNY]

<b>Welcome to the Adult/Solo Board</b> I always stay on-site. I don't think the rooms at the Disney resorts are small. The Celebration Hotel is not a Disney resort. You'll have a great time at WDW, no matter where you stay.

 

[Aisleleven]

My husband and I are 40 and 41. We are leaving all the kids at home and traveling with another couple. We will get off of a cruise ship in Ft Lauderdale and drive to Orlando on a Thursday (a month from tomorrow )

I currently have reservations for three nights at the Wilderness Lodge. The room was $159 per night, but we decided to share the room since we wouldn't be in it much and they added $25 each so the final price is $209 per night. We have been to Disneyland several times, but never Orlando, and we have never chosen to stay "on property" before.

Is it worth the money?? I've read reviews on trip advisor and they say the towel rods fall off and that the shower curtains are moldy and the rooms are so small that you can't turn around. Hopefully, some of this is exaggeration. None of us are very large people, but we are all grown ups )

I've looked at the Celebration Hotel, it looks really nice...does it count as a "Disney Hotel" for the extended hours? The Gaylord sounds nice, or the Hilton, and some of those are pretty reasonable, so for the same price (or close to it) we could get two rooms...

Any and all advice will be appreciated. Both couples have 4 kids and although theirs are grown now, none of us have traveled kid free till now, so we want to make the best of it...

Thanks again!

The Wilderness Lodge is a LOVELY hotel...the towel racks are not falling off and I have NEVER encountered a moldy shower curtain (and I stay at WL every 4-6 weeks, for business). The room will be fine for 4 adults...I've stayed at the WL when there were 3 adults and it wasn't a problem for us at all...of course we weren't in the room all that much and we allowed each other a small amount of "personal time/space" in the room (ie: We'd give one person a "head start" to the room at the end of the night while the other 2 of us would go and sit at the bar for a few minutes, that kind of thing...) It worked out quite nicely.

But honestly, the reviews you read about WL are not accurate in my experience. The service is great and the hotel lobby is magnificent. The rooms are clean and kept up nicely.

I have also stayed at the Gaylord Palms and while it is a very lovely resort, it was did not provide a very "Disney" experience...if that is what you are looking for, then stay at WL...you will not be disappointed.

 

[spiceycat]

sometimes when the resort is full (and it happens at all WDW resorts) - you can get a room less than perfect.

but that doesn't mean that the resort is not GREAT!!!

if you have any of those problems - just call the housekeeping immediately - if they can't clean it to your satisfaction - call the front desk and see about getting another room.

some people forget that it is Florida - all Florida hotels have a problem with heat and humdity - if the air conditioner got turn off and not turned on and the room has been empty even a week - it can have a mold problem.

this is Florida.

 

[chucknjulie]

Thank you all very much. I was so excited when I made the reservations, and then I became concerned after reading those reviews - you've all put me at ease now.

Thanks again!

 

[chucknjulie]

Our stay was MAGICAL.

We LOVED the WL!

I am so glad we stayed there! We were treated like royalty (even given an amazing room upgrade) and all four of us adults were very comfortable in the room. The triple sheeted beds were very comfy and the view of the fireworks from our deck was unbelievable .

 

[Terk-1]

The Wilderness Lodge is my favorite resort on property!!! It's beautiful and have enjoyed every stay there. My last trip, I had room 5032 and had an AMAZING view of the castle. If you click on the link below, there is a section of pictures of the Wilderness Lodge, including the room. This was close to the elevators, but I found it very quite. It was a quick walk to the lobby, boat, pools and foodcourt and a slightly longer walk to the bus stops.

 

[webray]

There is nothing wrong with the WL, the rooms are average size..bigger than I had in New York, smaller than most other rooms. The resort lobby is lovely, and one of the best restaurants on disney property is right there...Artist Point. The pool area/pool bar are also very nice.

The celebration hotel is not a disney resort..however, there is a hotel in Celebration (disney little housing area), however, I have never hear that it was included at all in the disney perks. Pretty sure it isn't.

Gaylord Palms is absolutely beautiful, lots to see and do, and just minutes from disney property. I would stay there in a heartbeat, if I wasn't staying on disney propertyl.

 

[ibouncetoo]

So glad you enjoyed WL. I just got back a month ago from a stay in room #5034....PERFECT view of the castle...clear shot with trees 'framing' the view!