Wilderness Lodge Tips

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

With our first trip only 31 days out, I wanted to ask again for tips on the Wilderness Lodge. This will be our first visit there and we are booked standard view.

I remember being told about Walt's train, the family of the day flag raising, the boat to MK etc....I know of at least one free evening we will have to enjoy the lodge and I have visions of sitting in front of the fire place in the rockers drinking hot chocolate. Anything else neat to do or see?

Thanks.:)

[goofy-4-disney]

The geyser that they have on the pathway to the boat dock is pretty neat. The water parade on the lake that they do at night is something thats pretty cool to check out if you haven't seen it before. Also, just enjoy the lobby in general. Whether it be the fireplace, the architecture, the sights, the sounds...it's one of my favorite places in all of Disney World.

[vicster]

There are some hidden mickeys in interesting places that are fun to find.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Oh yeah, forgot about the night parade. I wonder if there's a list of the hidden mickeys I can pick up there....

[vicster]

We picked up a list at the front desk

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Sounds like that will be fun. Thanks:thumbsup:

[Chic-a-pin]

If you're out on the water at night, say coming from MK and you go to Fort Wilderness first, be sure to look back at Wilderness Lodge and see the "bear" in the lights, thats really cool! The dormer windows and lobby window lights make a face of a bear! Territory Lounge is a nice relaxing time for a drink. Also, you can walk the path from WL to FW, we saw Bambi on that path one year :D

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

That sounds neat. Where is the bar in relation to the laundry mat? I like to grab a drink on laundry night if its not far....

[Chic-a-pin]

I'm not sure...I refuse to do laundry on vacation so I don't know where the laundry is, LOL!! But, Territory Lounge is right outside of Artist Point, off the lobby :thumbsup:

[BrerGnat]

That sounds neat. Where is the bar in relation to the laundry mat? I like to grab a drink on laundry night if its not far....

The laundry is VERY close to the bar, so you're in luck! If you are in the lobby, and head towards the bar, the laundry room is sort of tucked into that corner before the hallway branches of towards Territory Lounge. Great bar, by the way! :marg:

[Jennifer_and_Chris]

If you get the opportunity, Artist Point is EXCELLENT!!!!!!

Loved my birthday dinner there in 2007... jeez, that was long ago. :D

[Janmac]

The lobby is awesome from the main floor but do take time to go up - maybe all the way up - and look at the carvings. I wish we had not waited to do this until our last day at WL. :(

Regarding the laundry, we tend to do that during afternoon pool time. The pool and the laundry are not far from each other either. And there is that pool bar . . .

Jan

[buzznwoodysmom]

We'll be at WL from Dec. 20th till the 26th!!! Love, love, love WL. Its our favorite resort on property (with the Poly a very close second), and it is absolutely at it's best around the holidays. We love Whispering Canyon Cafe. We always try to spend an evening just enjoying the lobby and grounds. Make sure you take the time to check out the lobby at the villas, lots of cool stuff to look at and cozy little corners. We love the gift shop there, and my kids enjoy the arcade. We try to watch the water parade at least once while there, and in the past when we've been in a courtyard room we've watched the water parade from our balcony anytime we are in the room at that time. You can get a hidden Mickey sheet from the front desk. Enjoy the holiday decorations, they are really pretty!

[gaffz70]

Love swimming at night there...so pretty!
On a rainy day they brought out board games for the kids to play in the lobby in front of the fireplace, it was awesome!

[buzznwoodysmom]

Oh one more thing that my kids enjoyed several years ago, not even sure if they still do this. We were there Valentine's week and every day in the kids club they had crafts for free from 2 to 4, I think. My kids did a Valentine craft while I had laundry washing on a rainy day. If they still do this I'm sure they'll have cute crafts for Christmas. Not sure of your kids ages, but mine were around 7 and 5 at the time, and they really enjoyed the quiet time in there.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

The laundry is VERY close to the bar, so you're in luck! If you are in the lobby, and head towards the bar, the laundry room is sort of tucked into that corner before the hallway branches of towards Territory Lounge. Great bar, by the way! :marg:

Sounds great! Any specialty drinks I need to try?

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

The lobby is awesome from the main floor but do take time to go up - maybe all the way up - and look at the carvings. I wish we had not waited to do this until our last day at WL. :(

Regarding the laundry, we tend to do that during afternoon pool time. The pool and the laundry are not far from each other either. And there is that pool bar . . .

Jan

Yep, my son usually swims on laundry night...sometimes I take my drinks out to the pool area while he swims...too cold for me in December even with the heated pool:mickey:

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

We'll be at WL from Dec. 20th till the 26th!!! Love, love, love WL. Its our favorite resort on property (with the Poly a very close second), and it is absolutely at it's best around the holidays. We love Whispering Canyon Cafe. We always try to spend an evening just enjoying the lobby and grounds. Make sure you take the time to check out the lobby at the villas, lots of cool stuff to look at and cozy little corners. We love the gift shop there, and my kids enjoy the arcade. We try to watch the water parade at least once while there, and in the past when we've been in a courtyard room we've watched the water parade from our balcony anytime we are in the room at that time. You can get a hidden Mickey sheet from the front desk. Enjoy the holiday decorations, they are really pretty!

We have ressies for Whispering Canyon. Do the villas have their own gift shop? That's good to know. My son is 17 now, too old for crafts and such.

[jodijo]

They have craft activities every afternoon for the kids. It takes place in the kids club (Babysitting area). It is free and my kids loved it. They also have pool games at different times during the day. Some of the games are played inside the pool and some are games are on the pool deck (around the pool). They do have one game you have to pay for - Bingo by the pool. I think it was $1 a card. My daughter and I played. It was great fun. I won and let my daughter pick the prize. She picked out a Disney themed Sorry board game. (I was surprised how wonderful the prizes were. They were not cheep little toys. They were great toys and board games.) After Bingo it rained and we sat in the balcony playing Sorry for hours. It was a great time!

Have fun and enjoy the Wilderness Lodge!

[jodijo]

Sorry, I didn't see that your son is 17. He might still enjoy the games at the pool- Kids and adults all play. However, he might like renting a little boat and exploring the lagoon. My 16 year old did this and loved it. My son also enjoyed renting a bike and exploring. We even rented bikes as a family and rode over to Fort Wilderness (I am not a bike rider and it was a flat easy ride). We checked out the horses and everything Fort Wilderness had to offer. It was a great afternoon.

[Janmac]

Do the villas have their own gift shop?


Nope. No shop or eating venue. Villas have a relatively small lobby area, compared to Wilderness Lodge, but it is cool. As was said, interesting things to look at especially in a room off the lobby area. Train model, etc. The lobby area and rooms off it are not staffed.

There is an exercise room area with, I think?, a room key lock on the door.

Jan

[Chic-a-pin]

Yep, Sturdy Branches "gym" is to the left when walking through the little lobby area at the Villas.

The Territory Lounge doesn't really have any special drinks like they used to, pretty much the same as the others bars throughout WDW...however, if he still works there, Kenny is AWESOME! He's been there everytime we've been there and is so nice! Ask if they can make the chocolate covered cherry martini for you. He gave me the recipe a few years back...SO GOOD!!!

[darthmacho]

Don't neglect the upper floors, there are a lot of little alcoves, sitting areas, windows with views, and places to view the lobby from the second to sixth floors. Explore the outside too, and take a walk over to the Villas to check things out there.

Make WL your "home". Spend time there when you're not at the parks, especially at night. We stumbled upon the Water Pageant that way. We didn't even know it existed our first time.

Artist Point is our favorite restaurant in the entire world, not just WDW. Whispering Canyon is also somewhat of a tradition.

Enjoy! :mickey:

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Yep, we are eating at Whispering Canyon. Couldn't fit Artist Point in this time.

I had a chocolate martini at Boma last visit I wonder if its anything like that chocolate covered martini::)

Thanks for all the tips, I definitely will take a bit of time to explore.

[buzznwoodysmom]

No, there is not a gift shop at the villas. Afer rereading my post it does sound like that's what I was saying. The gift shop is in the main lobby, and we love it. There is even a fireplace in there with rocking chairs. Such a great place to sit and relax, but there are so many great places to sit and enjoy throughout the lodge. We plan to rent a boat one day if the weather is nice. We've rented the two seater boats from the Poly and GF in the past, but are thinking of renting a bigger boat for this trip, something new. Your son might really enjoy taking a two seater out to play. Its very reasonable, I think around $30 for 25-30 minutes. My boys loved it! You might also enjoy renting a surrey bike to take for a spin around the grounds. I agree with whoever said to make this your "home" while you are there. We love this place so much, especially in the colder months, and I sometimes feel like I don't get enough time there with all the parks and all. Make sure to build in enough time to actually get to enjoy it.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Thanks!

[c&d]

I have found walking around the outside of the lodge late at night is beautiful both inside and out. You can sit and relax by the waterfall. Another favorite is early morning on the exercise trail you can see all sorts of animals out and eating.

[The Dad]

December visits are the best! Be sure to check with guest services to see if any evening entertainment is scheduled for The Lodge during your stay. We've seen pianists, bell ringing and vocal choirs that really make the evening special! We usually drop by the "Mercantile" and pick up a bottle of wine (they will cork it for you right there) head over to the Territory Lounge for wine glasses and get comfortable by the Christmas tree at least a half hour ahead of time. The Territory Lounge has a much more extensive wine list if you're of a mind, but it's also much more expensive. After the entertainment, stroll upstairs and mosey on out to the observation deck at the front of the Lodge....it's never crowded out there and you may be able to catch a little of the fireworks over the MK.
If you are any early riser (I'm the only one in my family) get up before dawn, grab some coffee and stroll the grounds, walk out to the boat launch and enjoy the solitude.
Every morning is little different and fascinating in its own way....I'll never forget the morning a huge fog bank was moving in across the lake which was so still the water reflected the dawning sky like a mirror...it was "magic"!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

December visits are the best! Be sure to check with guest services to see if any evening entertainment is scheduled for The Lodge during your stay. We've seen pianists, bell ringing and vocal choirs that really make the evening special! We usually drop by the "Mercantile" and pick up a bottle of wine (they will cork it for you right there) head over to the Territory Lounge for wine glasses and get comfortable by the Christmas tree at least a half hour ahead of time. The Territory Lounge has a much more extensive wine list if you're of a mind, but it's also much more expensive. After the entertainment, stroll upstairs and mosey on out to the observation deck at the front of the Lodge....it's never crowded out there and you may be able to catch a little of the fireworks over the MK.
If you are any early riser (I'm the only one in my family) get up before dawn, grab some coffee and stroll the grounds, walk out to the boat launch and enjoy the solitude.
Every morning is little different and fascinating in its own way....I'll never forget the morning a huge fog bank was moving in across the lake which was so still the water reflected the dawning sky like a mirror...it was "magic"!

Thanks and welcome to Intercot:welcome:

[kemps@wdw]

The Wilderness Lodge is our fave resort (judging by my signature), but for us, it's not so much about what to do, as it is about what to see and experience. When we arrive, the very first thing I do, is stand at the entrance, and close my eyes as the doors quietly glide open and feel the cool breeze on my faceand inhale the wonderful scents of the Pacific Northwest. As I enter the cavernous lobby, I am awestruck (each time) by the sheer beauty of the arcitecture and the pleasantly easy-going pace of the resort itself. Pool and Trout Pass Bar are good hang-out spots (try the "Dirty Banana"). But the WL will ALWAYS find me each morning on the dock enjoying my AM coffee and the most incredible sumrise on WDW properrty! :cloud9:

[TexansInNY]

and get a sketch drawn by the mercantile..had kid done as Dash years ago..still looks great!

[brownie]

December visits are the best!

:welcome:

The Dad, welcome to INTERCOT!

[The Dad]

Thanks kindly for the welcome!

[gregf71]

We just spent a week at the WL last month and loved it, except for a few housekeeping hiccups. You are going at the absolute best time! WL during the Holidays is so beautiful! I could sit in that lobby and stare at the Christmas tree for hours on end.

Regarding the boat to MK, when we rode it back from MK one evening, the boat was infested with mosquitos. There were thousands of them. When we rode it again during the day, there were none to be seen. However, when my daughter and I went for a walk on the WL beach early one morning, we found them all over the sand. As we walked, we seemed to kick them up and get them all upset. Perhaps it was just a late October thing. :confused:

If this is an issue in December too or you just want another option, then a viable alternative for getting to the MK is by bus. Since the Poly, Grand Floridian, and Contemporary use the monorail to get there the WL to MK bus is direct there and back.

Hope you have a great time! :mickey:

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

The Wilderness Lodge is our fave resort (judging by my signature), but for us, it's not so much about what to do, as it is about what to see and experience. When we arrive, the very first thing I do, is stand at the entrance, and close my eyes as the doors quietly glide open and feel the cool breeze on my faceand inhale the wonderful scents of the Pacific Northwest. As I enter the cavernous lobby, I am awestruck (each time) by the sheer beauty of the arcitecture and the pleasantly easy-going pace of the resort itself. Pool and Trout Pass Bar are good hang-out spots (try the "Dirty Banana"). But the WL will ALWAYS find me each morning on the dock enjoying my AM coffee and the most incredible sumrise on WDW properrty! :cloud9:

sounds lovely:)

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

We just spent a week at the WL last month and loved it, except for a few housekeeping hiccups. You are going at the absolute best time! WL during the Holidays is so beautiful! I could sit in that lobby and stare at the Christmas tree for hours on end.

Regarding the boat to MK, when we rode it back from MK one evening, the boat was infested with mosquitos. There were thousands of them. When we rode it again during the day, there were none to be seen. However, when my daughter and I went for a walk on the WL beach early one morning, we found them all over the sand. As we walked, we seemed to kick them up and get them all upset. Perhaps it was just a late October thing. :confused:

If this is an issue in December too or you just want another option, then a viable alternative for getting to the MK is by bus. Since the Poly, Grand Floridian, and Contemporary use the monorail to get there the WL to MK bus is direct there and back.

Hope you have a great time! :mickey:

Thanks we'll try the boat once and if it is "buggy" we'll stick to the bus.

[LudwigVonDrake]

The Wilderness Lodge is perfection! My all-time favorite Disney resort :mickey: