(For the first page of this review of the Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, see this.)
THEMING AND ACCOMMODATIONS AT THE BOULDER RIDGE VILLAS AT THE WILDERNESS LODGE
Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is one of many Disney Vacation Club options at Walt Disney World. These resorts are available not only to DVC members, but also to everyone else, just like any other Disney World offering, through the regular Walt Disney World website or resort reservations phone number at 407-939-7675.
Kelly, the long-time travel agent partner of this site, can also book them for you. See the form near the bottom of this page for how to contact her.
They also are sometimes available to the general public at a discount through renting points from a Disney Vacation Club member or point broker.
Because the two sets of options at the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge and Saratoga Springs are so different, for review purposes I count thirteen options among the Disney Vacation Club resorts at Walt Disney World.
The overall ranking among them for first time family visitors is as follows:
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows (studios only)
- Copper Creek Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Jambo House
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Kidani Village
- Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s Boardwalk Villas
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, main resort
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, Treehouse Villas
The next DVC offering to open will be Reflections, located on grounds that were formerly part of Fort Wilderness.
According to Walt Disney World’s website,
“Recalling the 1860’s railroad hotels of the American West, the [Boulder Ridge] Villas offer the comforts of home amid the rustic beauty of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge … Just a breezy boat ride to Magic Kingdom park, the [Boulder Ridge] Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge celebrate American craftsmanship and the majesty of the great outdoors.”
While the Boulder Ridge Villas have tons of railroad memorabilia, including from Walt Disney’s own model Carolwood Pacific, the old railroad hotels–such as the Harvey Houses–weren’t nearly as lovely as the Villas.
Moreover, the lobby of the villas is themed as a roundhouse or turntable-served car shop with a covered turntable–a rare amenity in a hotel.
Think of the Villas as being themed around the old west, adventure, exploration, and railroads, and you’ll get it!
While not as stunning as the Wilderness Lodge itself, because the Boulder Ridge Villas share the check-in, services, restaurants, and lobby of the Wilderness Lodge, as a package including the Lodge, the Boulder Ridge Villas are overall amazingly kid-appealing.
The Boulder Ridge Villas principal negatives are the small size of the shared space of its Two-Bedroom villas.
Returning visitors will likely find the Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge to be a favorite. The Wilderness Lodge itself is spectacular, but has small rooms. The Villas give your family a little more room to spread out!
ROOMS AT THE BOULDER RIDGE VILLAS AT DISNEY’S WILDERNESS LODGE
Like all Disney Vacation Club resorts except the Polynesian Villas and Bungalows, the Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge have studio rooms, One-Bedroom Villas, and Two-Bedroom Villas.
Unlike most, it has no Grand Villas, although you can find Grand Villas in sister resort Copper Creek.
At the Boulder Ridge Villas, Studios sleep five, on a queen, fold-out couch, and fold-down 75″ x 33″ bed that sleeps smaller than that.
They also come equipped with a coffee-maker, mini-fridge, toaster and microwave. These rooms are slightly larger than the main lodge’s 340 square feet, and have a slight additional feeling of spaciousness because of the couch rather than a second queen.
There aren’t any standard rooms in the main lodge that sleep 5, so the small number of studios here–about 65–is in high demand.
One-Bedroom Villas sleep 4 in a master bedroom with a king bed and a fold-out couch.
The couch is in a shared space that also includes a full kitchen/ dining/ living space and a washer/ dryer.
The bath is accessible from both the master bedroom and the shared living space, and is designed so that the kids can use one side without intruding into the master bedroom.
The master bedroom includes a king bed.
Two-Bedroom Villas add a second bedroom to a One Bedroom Villa.
“Lockoff” Two Bedrooms simply combine the spaces and capacity of a Studio and One Bedroom. A floor plan for one of these is above.
“Dedicated” Two Bedroom Villas (floor plan below) replace the Studio with a two-queen room, change the closet location, lose the mini-kitchen, lose the separate entry, and add space to the bath. A floor plan for one of these is below.
As noted on the first page of this review, I don’t recommend Two-Bedroom villas at the Boulder Ridge Villas at the Wilderness Lodge for families that can’t entirely fit into the two bedrooms themselves.
There isn’t enough living or dining capacity, and the placement of the connecting door to the second bedroom is awkward when the couch is folded out and being used as a bed.
So if you have to use the fold out couch, avoid a Two Bedroom here, and stay in a Two Bedroom at Copper Creek or Kidani Village instead.
(To each of the capacity figures above, you can add one more kid under 3 at time of check in who sleeps in a crib.)
PHOTO TOUR OF A STUDIO AT BOULDER RIDGE VILLAS AT THE WILDERNESS LODGE
This review continues here!
The long-time travel agent partner of this site, Kelly, can book you at Boulder Ridge or anywhere else at Disney World. Contact her using the form below!
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