For the first page of this review of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, click here.
AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S WILDERNESS LODGE
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is one of 8 official Disney-owned deluxe resorts at Walt Disney World.
In the order I recommend them for first time family visitors, they are
(Many of these also offer Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) studios and villas, all for rent to the general public–see this for more on the Disney Vacation Club resorts. There are two DVC offerings at the Wilderness Lodge: Copper Creek Villas and Cabins, and Boulder Ridge Villas.)
You enter the Wilderness Lodge into its glorious, jaw-dropping lobby–none of my photos do justice to it…
On the right you’ll find the check-in and concierge area. At Disney World, “concierge” means help with tickets, dining reservations and such.
Just down the side and extending around the corner is the gift shop.
More gift shop images:
Back into the lobby, and then outside you’ll find the main Copper Creek Springs pool at the Wilderness Lodge, which nestles between the two main wings of the building–see the map (on it the Lodge is the green-roofed shape at the top). More on the main pool and the great second pool, the Boulder Ridge Cove pool, down and around the corner, is later in this review.
Close to Bay Lake is a depiction of Yellowstone’s Old Faithful, whose local name is “Fire Rock Geyser,” and which goes off on the hour.
At this end of the complex, if you go left, or north, you’ll come to the boat dock.
One set of boats from here takes you to the Magic Kingdom, and another set loops among the three Bay Lake resorts–the Wilderness Lodge, Contemporary Resort, and Fort Wilderness. This makes getting to the kid-pleasing Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary, and Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue at Fort Wilderness, quite simple.
Boats to the Contemporary always start much earlier in the morning than the Magic Kingdom boats–at 6.45a the day I shot this–so if you are going to the Magic Kingdom early, get the Contemporary boat and walk from the Contemporary to the Magic Kingdom.
The bus stop–where you’ll find shared buses to all the parks–is at the other end of the resort, near the main entrance, between it and the nearby Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.
The bus timing board. Note at the bottom that it also indicates watercraft transport to the Magic Kingdom.
Inside the Boulder Ridge Villas is the gym, Sturdy Branches.
A new spa, Salon by the Springs, took over the old pool bar–Geyser Point is the new pool bar.
Further down towards Bay Lake is the bike and boat barn.
Some more bikes…
…the marina.
What used to be a beach and a kids playground has largely been replaced by the new Cascade Cabins. But there is still a trail to Fort Wilderness, and a pleasant walkway near the shore of Bay Lake outside of the new dining venue Geyser Point. (There’s more on dining at the Wilderness Lodge later in this review.)
The trail takes a different route than it used to (see the map)–the former trail is blocked off at the end of the eastern Cascade Cabins on this side.
But even so you can see plenty of deer behind the fences in this area at the right time of day–these were part of a group of nine deer who greeted us.
Also back here is a grill and sports court.
Back by Geyser Point is an outdoor fireplace for campfires.
And then there’s the main pool.
THE MAIN COPPER CREEK SPRINGS POOL AT DISNEY’S WILDERNESS LODGE
This review continues here!
MATERIAL IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S WILDERNESS LODGE
- Overview and summary of DIsney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Theming and accommodations at the Wilderness Lodge
- A photo tour of a standard room at the Wilderness Lodge
- Amenities at the Wilderness Lodge
- The main Copper Creek Springs pool at the Wilderness Lodge
- The new Boulder Ridge Cove pool at the Wilderness Lodge
- Dining at the Wilderness Lodge
OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD
- Where to stay–the Basics
- Where first-timers should stay
- Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 160+ stays in them
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Hi Dave,
Thanks for the review.
I booked the Wilderness Lodge for a stay this winter knowing that the kid’s club (Cub’s Den) was closed during renovations but hoping that it would re-open. I am now hearing that it will not reopen. Are you aware of any plans to replace it with a new kid’s club?
Also, you mention in this review that the kids playground was removed. Was it replaced by a new playground?
Many thanks.
Reply
Shannon, I have heard the same rumors about the Cub’s Den. It is physically still there, but I can’t vouch for it being available. I did not see another playground, and one is not marked on the map–that does not mean there won’t be one but I can’t say that there is one…
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