Review: Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Continued 3
By Dave Shute
This is third page of this review. For the first page of this review, click here.
POOLS, DINING, SHOPS AND SUCH AT DISNEY’S WILDERNESS LODGE
You enter the Lodge into the stunning main lobby.
Check in and guest services are to the right.
Further on the right is the gift shop, and around the corner to the right is a pathway to the Disney Vacation Club villas and the bus stops.
To the left is Whispering Canyon Cafe, one of two table service dining options at the resort, and a terrific place for kids.
Further down on the left is the second table service restaurant, Artist Point, a much more sophisticated space that specializes in the food and wine of the Pacific Northwest. (There’s also a great little bar, Territory Lounge, between these two.)
The third dining option is further down on the left. Called Roaring Forks, it provides counter service options, and gets remarkably crowded around meal times.
In the center of the two wings (click here for the first page of this review, which has a map) is a wonderful stylized mountain landscape, and after it the main pool, Silver Creek Springs pool.
Beyond the pool is Fire Rock Geyser, an imitation of Old Faithful which goes off every hour on the hour.
To the left of the geyser are the boat docks where boat transportation to the Magic Kingdom, Fort Wilderness, and the Contemporary resort can be found.
To the right of the geyser you’ll find a beach (no swimming), boat and bike rentals, and a walking/jogging nature trail that leads to Disney’s Fort Wilderness resort.
A second, simpler pool can be found by the villas. Both pools have hot tubs. The workout and spa facility is within the villas, but is open to all Wilderness Lodge guests.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON DISNEY’S WILDERNESS LODGE
The Wilderness Lodge inspires devotion among its fans–of which I am one.
Families who have stayed at it once will have difficulty understanding why they should ever go to a different Walt Disney World resort hotel.
The Wilderness Lodge’s strengths for first time visitors are its unsurpassed kid appeal and its reasonable prices.
The Wilderness Lodge’s principal negatives compared to other deluxes are its small rooms and relative inconvenience.
EXTERNAL LINKS FOR DISNEY’S WILDERNESS LODGE:
- Official Disney Wilderness Lodge page
- Disboards Wilderness Lodge FAQ
- Great unofficial Wilderness Lodge fan site
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MORE ON WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD
- For where to stay, see this
- For your next best choices, in order, see this
- For picking your resort based on appeal to kids, see this
- For picking your resort based on convenience, see this
- For where not to stay, see this
- For what you get in each resort price category, see this
- For Walt Disney World resort price seasons, see this
- For resort reviews, see this
- For the value resorts, see this
- For the moderate resorts, see this
- For the deluxe resorts, see this
- For suites at the deluxe resorts, see this
- For the Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) Resorts, see this
- For a (geeky) overview of comparative room size, see this
- Military/DOD families should look at this
- Families seeking the most comfortable place to stay should see this
9 comments
We’ve stayed at the Wilderness Lodge twice and just love it! It”s one of our favorites. The last time we stayed there we got a free upgrade to a pool view room without asking. The kids loved watching the geyser.
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is my personal favorite resort in Walt Disney World. The lodge is simply beautiful and the lobby will take your breath away. Make sure if you are traveling with the little ones that you stop to eat at Whispering Canyon Cafe. Kids get a kick out of the restaurant as is it is one of the more fun places to eat. If you want a date night then I highly recommend Artist Point, the food is amazing.
Thanks Dana! It’s our family favorite as well…see this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/10/31/personal-favorites-the-deluxe-resorts/
I have a chance to take my family to stay at WL the first week of June for what I think is a reasonable price. We are traveling with a 4 year old and 9 month old. It’s important to be able to get back to our room in a timely manner for baby’s nap time. How often does the boat run from WL to MK, and do you think WL is the best choice for us?
Hi IllinoisGal! WL is a great choice. The boats will run about every 10 minutes, and take about ten minutes.
If you are really worried, the absolute best choice is the Contemporary or its sister Bay Lake Tower–as you can walk/push a stroller to each to and from MK. They are more expensive, though…
For the Contemporary see this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2011/06/06/review-disneys-contemporary-resort/ and for BLT see this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/09/13/review-bay-lake-tower-at-disneys-contemporary-resort/
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Hello,
I am staying at the Wilderness lodge from May 11-18 – it is my first trip to DisneyWorld. My question is about jogging/running in this area. I am an avid runner – generally , I will go 5-8 miles on a run, five-to-six days a week (and I loathe jogging on treadmills). I read about some of the jogging paths in the DisneyWorld complex but most seem to be 1 mile -1.5 mile. Are there any longer routes to run, even something that is around 2.5 miles -3 miles that I can do twice? And is it safe to jog on the roads connecting the parks/hotels – I would be running either early in the morning or later at night after my family is back in our room. Any information you can give would be greatly appreciated.
See the image (click it to enlarge it)–WL is at the top left, and FW at the right. The two are connected by a no-vehicle “nature path” trail right below the lake shore, and FW sees some, but little traffic. Eyeballing this, it’s about 3 miles out and back, maybe longer, so you could do it twice.
Hope this helps!
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I am trying to decide between the WL and Polynesian for our trip 11/11- 11/13. I read on another site that the monorail may be closed?! If this is the case, I think I would go for the WL. Also wondering- will WL (or any Disney property) be decorated for Christmas during those dates? One last thing- 11/11 is Veterans Day- is that a crowded date?
Stephanie, Veterans Day should be fine. I’ll be there then too! The monorail closure was temporary, related to construction. I don;t know the exact dates for the completion of the Xmas decoration in the resorts, but it will be near your dates–possibly right after. Xmas decorations will be complete by your visit at the Magic Kingdom, and will be well in hand in the other parks…
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