POR or Wilderness Lodge?

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

Wilderness Lodge is my favorite resort, so if you don't mind spending the extra $$$$ that would be my choice. Just love the whole theme of the resort inside and out. I think if your family is going to spend more time at the MK than going to DS than the boat to MK from WL will be more convenient than the boat from POR to DS. Also like the dining choices at WL more. That being said my DW and I will be going back to POR later this year, our second stay at this resort. But we will probably be spending more of our free time at DS.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We have stayed at both and find them to be very similar values. WL is worth a little more, and costs a little more. For our upcoming trip next week we chose WL for the proximity to MK and the boat transportation options. It is easier to hop back to the resort in the middle of the day than it was at POR. We are not concerned about the construction because the key amenities we want (main pool and boat transportation) will be open and many have reported that the resort is very nice with the reduced crowd levels as half of the main building is closed. Two advantages of POR are the larger QS restaurant with more options and seating space and the easy boat transportation to DS. We find it takes noticeably longer to get to DS from WL. At POR we particularly liked the Alligator Bayou section because it had a similar quiet rural feel to WL. The POR buses weren't bad for us, and for parks other than MK the total bus transportation time was very similar to what we experience at WL. WL has the advantage of all being under one roof (which is great in the rain) and the rooms have balconies, which we missed a little at POR. We wouldn't hesitate to do POR again, but are really looking forward to going back to WL. Either way you can't go wrong, enjoy!

 

[PPFDDisneyLover]

My DW and I just had this discussion tonight deciding on where we want to book our BB offer at for next year. We love POR, and we equally love WL, but after this week and the weather we have decided to book WL. Like a PP stated, with the rain, you can stay indoors to roam about the resort, also, if it is raining and you decide to stay in for a while, having a balcony to go stand on to kill some time would be nice. It just got very boring in our room with not being able to move about w/o getting soaked.....

 

[tmaxwell]

Thank you everyone for your input! We are doing the upgrade to WL since our TA convinced us that it was worth the $600 upgrade for sure.

We also drive down from CT so we are saving on airfare - that's how I got my husband to upgrade.

 

[tmaxwell]

We have stayed at both and find them to be very similar values. WL is worth a little more, and costs a little more. For our upcoming trip next week we chose WL for the proximity to MK and the boat transportation options. It is easier to hop back to the resort in the middle of the day than it was at POR. We are not concerned about the construction because the key amenities we want (main pool and boat transportation) will be open and many have reported that the resort is very nice with the reduced crowd levels as half of the main building is closed. Two advantages of POR are the larger QS restaurant with more options and seating space and the easy boat transportation to DS. We find it takes noticeably longer to get to DS from WL. At POR we particularly liked the Alligator Bayou section because it had a similar quiet rural feel to WL. The POR buses weren't bad for us, and for parks other than MK the total bus transportation time was very similar to what we experience at WL. WL has the advantage of all being under one roof (which is great in the rain) and the rooms have balconies, which we missed a little at POR. We wouldn't hesitate to do POR again, but are really looking forward to going back to WL. Either way you can't go wrong, enjoy!

Wait - the rooms have balconies? Do all the rooms have balconies at WL? If so that would be amazing!!

 

[ols386]

I'd go with POR. I've stayed at both. I liked Wilderness Lodge, but wouldn't stay there again.

Stayed at POR twice, and just prefer the theming of it, more than Wilderness Lodge.

I also think POR has the best food court of all the resorts (at least where I've stayed).

Plus, $600 is a big difference.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Wait - the rooms have balconies? Do all the rooms have balconies at WL? If so that would be amazing!!

Yes, all the rooms have balconies or patios.

 

[Tigger28]

I believe you will really love the Wilderness Lodge. We have stayed there many times and have never been disappointed. The lobby is a great place to spend time in the rocking chairs in front of the fire place and the restaurants are very good. We also enjoy taking the boat ride to Magic Kingdom. The pool area is always fun too!!

 

[mslhb]

Wait - the rooms have balconies? Do all the rooms have balconies at WL? If so that would be amazing!!

Yes all rooms have balconies. To me this is one of the big perks of WL over a moderate. LOVE sitting on the balcony in the morning with a cup of coffee. Rooms on the top floor have dormer balconies which I am not a hug fan of but they look really cool. The WL faq post has tons of good photos.

 

[BobC]

WL all the way.

These are my two 'goto resorts' when I go to Disney. I'm starting to stop going to POR and more WL lately. It's all about the experience and ambiance. Walking thru the beautiful lobby everyday on the way back from the parks....that itself is worth the $600.

I do like POR, but it cannot compete with WL's beauty and ambiance.

 

[BobC]

Yes all rooms have balconies. To me this is one of the big perks of WL over a moderate. LOVE sitting on the balcony in the morning with a cup of coffee. Rooms on the top floor have dormer balconies which I am not a hug fan of but they look really cool. The WL faq post has tons of good photos.

YESSSS!!!

I loved my balcony on the top floor of WL. Watched the pool and music the first day with a few beers. Watched fireworks at MK (room was facing MK), and was able to watch the water parade electrical thingie as well from there.