Disney's Wilderness Lodge, Orlando

I consider myself lucky in relation to a lot of things in my life, but especially so when it comes to holidays. When I was six my parents took my to Disneyworld in Florida for the first time. Such was the impression that was left on us from that fantastic holiday, that my parents have taken me back there too many times to count since. In 1998, when I was fourteen years old, we stayed at Disneys Wilderness Lodge for the first time. Even by the standards ...
...of site, and since then we haven't even contemplated staying anywhere else. Read on to find out why.

===FIRST IMPRESSIONS ===

From the moment you arrive at Wilderness Lodge you get hit with this feeling that you've arrived somewhere special. The hotel design is based on the Pacific Northwest, and is certainly the best themed of all of the Disney hotels. It is set on a vast lake, and the road to the front door takes ... more

I consider myself lucky in relation to a lot of things in my life, but especially so when it comes to holidays. When I was six my parents took my to Disneyworld in Florida for the first time. Such was the impression that was left on us from that fantastic holiday, that my parents have taken me back there too many times to count since. In 1998, when I was fourteen years old, we stayed at Disneys Wilderness Lodge for the first time. Even by the standards of Disneyworld this phenomenal hotel raised the bar clean out of site, and since then we haven't even contemplated staying anywhere else. Read on to find out why.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

From the moment you arrive at Wilderness Lodge you get hit with this feeling that you've arrived somewhere special. The hotel design is based on the Pacific Northwest, and is certainly the best themed of all of the Disney hotels. It is set on a vast lake, and the road to the front door takes you through an expansive and impressive forest. The timber style of the hotel lets it blend it its surroundings whilst at the same time standing out as an impressive site.

Yet the view of the hotel from the outside is not close to the highlight. The sight when you walk in through the doors into reception is absolutely guaranteed to take your breath away and leave you speechless. It still does it to me now. The reception is a vast room supported by large timber supports, and within each of these supports are immaculately carved animals. Sofas and rocking chairs sit in front of a roaring fire, whilst one of the open plan restaurants to the left offers sites of smiling families wearing scarves round their heads, drinking out of glasses shaped like jam jars and tucking into classic family meals. To the right of reception a small den has a television playing cartoons surrounded by cushions that children can sit on to pass the time. Look through the windows at the back and you'll catch sight of a working geyser. And over all of these sights is a constantly playing ambience soundtrack, making this entire experience of staying at Wilderness Lodge feel every bit as special and epic as you know it is. The whole decoration and feel to the hotel is enough to put a smile on your face that will not be wiped until you leave.

This fantastic ambience is backed up by friendly staff who will always go beyond the call of duty. From the valet who opens the car door and says "Welcome home!", to the reception staff willing to go out of their way to make the difference to your stay, every member of staff in the hotel seems to have been touched by that famous Disney attitude. Nothing is too much trouble for them, and I cannot give them enough praise. The hotel oozes that unique mix of fun, imagination and sophistication that can only be found in a Disney hotel.

THE ROOMS

The facts will tell you that Wilderness Lodge has 728 rooms in total, including a separate building built in 2002 called the Wilderness Lodge Villas, offering studios and one and two bedroom apartments as part of the Disney Vacation Club Scheme. There is a good variety of different types of rooms depending on your individual needs (e.g. travelling as a couple or with a family), all decorated in the same charming Pacific Northwest theme as the rest of the hotel. All rooms offer the amenities that you would expect (television, hairdryer, safe, and so on) delivered to more than adequate standards. The Villas also offer some additional benefits, such as a small kitchen with related appliances. It is fair to say that the rooms will not blow you away to the extent that the hotel itself does, but then again it is unrealistic to expect them to do so considering the almost surreal standards that the rest of the hotel hits.

One issue that I did find on a recent visit was that they now only give you a limited supply of shampoo/condition/soap and towels, with a surcharge being put in place if you need extra. However, in reality the cleaning staff gladly handed over top ups of these things when required (and clean towels are available from the poolside at any time of day in any event), so it never became an issue. In fact this is a continuing theme throughout the hotel and Disney property, namely that the staff are always incredibly friendly and will always go out of their way to help you. It is an outstanding quality that only ever contributes to the quality of the holiday.

Realistically you won't be spending an awful lot of time in your room. Chances are that you'll use it to sleep in and get dressed in, but that will be more or less it. You will already be gripped by the Disney magic from walking through reception, and as soon as you've put your bag down you'll be eager to experience more of what the hotel, and Disneyworld, has to offer. So whilst I will only give room quality 4/5 on the slider scale for this review, two aspects should be stressed. One, it is only 4/5 compared to the rest of the hotel, which is world class to begin with. And two, you won't be spending a lot of time in your room anyway.

RESTAURANTS

In terms of places to eat, Wilderness Lodge offers three primary options. Artist Point is the more formal option and is a classic restaurant dining experience. It is expensive, as Disneyworld generally is, but it offers excellent food in a welcoming setting. It is also the scene of the Character Breakfasts. In all honesty Artist Point is somewhat devoid of personality compared to the rest of the hotel, and if you are looking for a more traditional sit down dining experience I think Disneyworld as a whole offers far superior options, both in other hotels and in the parks themselves.

Whispering Canyon is the open plan restaurant I mentioned earlier on and sits to one side of the reception hall. It offers more classic meals in line with the theme of the hotel, and is brimming with personality. The drinking glasses are jam jars, the staff have endless energy and are a genuine joy to be served by, the kids are entertained not just by traditional colouring in but by other activities such races on toy horses. It's a fantastic place to laugh, smile, and enjoy fantastic food. The staff also have a few tricks up their sleeves to keep you entertained. To use one example, if you ask for the ketchup you will get every bottle of ketchup in the restaurant brought to your table by the last family who were unfortunate enough to request ketchup. You will then be stuck with thirty bottles of ketchup until somebody else wants some. It's all just done in great spirits and is a huge amount of fun.

The third and final food option is the Roaring Fork, which is a smaller self-service area for quick meals and snacks. If you eat in the hotel it is likely that you will be visiting it regularly, and as with everywhere else it fits in perfectly with the ambience and theme of the hotel. One of the best features here is that you can buy Wilderness Lodge mugs at the start of your holiday and get free refills for the rest of your time with them. Being Florida its important to drink plenty, and having one these mugs is a nice way to cut the costs of drinks. It also enables you to take the drinks to your room and be able to refill them at any time, which is a convenient bonus.

OTHER FACILITIES

Wilderness Lodge now has two pools; one behind the main hotel, and the other next to the Villas. The primary pool has a small slide as well as a couple of jacuzzis. In keeping with the theme of the hotel it actually starts as a babbling brook that flows from reception all the way down to the bottom of the hotel grounds. It is a decent size with plenty of room for kids to play in and such, and is heated as would be expected. It also backs on to Firerock Geyser, a fully working geyser that erupts on the hour during the day, further adding to the classic Disney ambience that drips from the hotel. The pool next to the Villas is smaller but realistically is plenty big enough as a secondary pool, and offers a quieter and more relaxing option with a further jacuzzi. You have a choice of either pool regardless of where you are staying.

There is also an extensive and high spec 24 hour gym in the villas, containing a large array of the most up to date gym machines. It is free to use for all resort guests, and a great place to work off those excess calories from the American food portions on occasions when it is too hot outside (which is a lot of the afternoon in the summer months).

It should also come as no surprise to anyone that there is a gift shop on site with all manner of fantastic souvenirs to take home, as well as an arcade to keep the kids (and men) happy. There are also plenty of other smaller features to discover, such as the caricaturist that often sets up shop in the main reception hall on most nights, or the cart close to Artist Point that sells all sorts of Disney pins to collect. For adults that want a break from the kids, there are also kids club and creche facilities (I have previously stayed in the former, and can vouch for the quality from experience) that run until midnight on certain nights. There are also nightly films put on on large projector screen that is set up on the beach that runs down the lake side of the hotel. All in all it would be impossible to list the extra facilities without making this review unbearably long. Suffice to say that there are plenty to keep your every whim satisfied whilst at the hotel.

Transport links are free and easy. From the back of the hotel you can take the boat across the lake to Fort Wilderness, The Contemporary Resort, or the Magic Kingdom. From the front of the hotel you can take Disney buses to any other location (i.e. all of the parks, water parks and Downtown Disney). Both the buses and the boats run regularly throughout the day, and you'll never have to wait longer than about fifteen minutes (at most) for either. It is a fantastic transport system, and one that allows you to navigate Disney property with a minimum of fuss.

All in all the range of facilities in Wilderness Lodge, combined with the undeniable charm of the hotel, make it a fantastic place to relax when you're away from the Disney parks (which, in fairness, do get extremely busy in the afternoons). You really couldn't ask for more out of it.

PRICE

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Wilderness Lodge is expensive. Prices range from roughly £140 a night for the most basic rooms of peak, to £300 for a higher standard room at peak times. I appreciate that this is likely to simply be outside the budget for a lot of people, especially when extras for park tickets and food are added on (not to mention flights to get over there). However, if this is within your budget Wilderness Lodge offers superb value for money. By way of an extra tip, if you are or become a regular visitor, the Disney Vacation Club offers better value for money by purchasing points that you can use to then buy rooms at any point in the year. It works a bit like timeshare, and is well worth looking in to if you are a regular visitor.

CONCLUSION

Wilderness Lodge is a hotel that you will never forget once you've stayed there. It is awash with personality and Disney magic, offering an experience that, frankly, is indescribable. I realise that from some parts of my description the hotel may come across as a child friendly hotel, and therefore not suitable for adult couples or groups of adults. The reality is that it ticks the boxes for all of those groups. Disney seems to be inherently skilled at catering for all audiences, and this hotel strikes a perfect balance between offering up the Disney imagination that keeps kids so enthralled, and retaining a strong air of sophistication that appeals to adults. It is expensive, but it is worth every penny. I will probably never stay in another Disney hotel apart from this one (finances notwithstanding). It really is that good. If you can afford it I cannot urge you strongly enough to stay at this hotel. It is something truly special that will add the juiciest cherry on top of the cake for your Disney holiday.

 

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