Wilderness Lodge

[thejens]

We will be at Wilderness Lodge in September!
This seems to be a favorite with so many. Just wondered what the excitement is about and what we should be sure not to miss while we are there?

[faline]

Wander the pool area and be sure to see the geyser spout.

Pick up a hidden Mickey sheet at the front desk and go on a Hidden Mickey hunt around the resort and the grounds.

Pull a rocking chair up to the fireplace and hang out for a while.

Explore some of the upstairs floors - look for hidden nooks, additional fireplaces and views of the lobby below.

Enjoy the boat ride to the Magic Kingdom.

[MrPeetrie]

Faline pretty much nailed it. This is a beautiful resort, great for exploration.

The boat ride to the Magic Kngdom (especially in the early morning) is my favorite mode of transportation. The rock work on the fireplace mirrors the striata of the Grand Canyon. Explore the paths and try to identify the animal footprints In the concrete. The more you look the more you find.

Great resort, highlighted by Samantha Brown on her Great Hotels series. You'll love it. Enjoy.

[retiredfigment]

We love this resort. We have stayed at quite a few, and love all that Faline mentioned. One other nice thing is that if it is rainy and you just need a break, you can still have fun. Also, love to walk around the grounds.

[c&d]

Walk the jogging path early morning or around dusk and watch the deer eating.

Rent a bike and pedal down to the campgrounds.

[DisneyDINK]

Walk the jogging path early morning or around dusk and watch the deer eating.

Rent a bike and pedal down to the campgrounds.

Agreed! I'm a runner, so I tend to run on the jogging trail, but it is nice no matter what speed you go.

Some of the higher Woods View rooms on the west side have an OK view of Wishes too. Of course, the view from the beach/boat launch is better.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

I enjoyed just hanging out in the lobby especially over where the bridge is, its so relaxing

[ginger19]

I highly recommend being Flag Family if they still offer that. We did that back in 2007 and the kids still talk about it :mickey:

[waymickey]

Flag Family is great definately ask when you check in. You get to raise the flags on the top of the lodge!

Go over to the villas and check out the train room. Swim in the villa pool it has "springs" that blow water up to the surface and its is fun to swim through.

Watch the light parade at night from the boat dock.

Rent bikes and explore the camp grounds.

Do the hidden Mickey hunt in the lodge.

Eat at whispering canyon cafe. It has some unique entertainment.

Walk around the upper levels to see fossils and artifacts.

It is our favorite resort! :mickey:

[BhamWriter]

Artist Point is a must-do restaurant for us. I highly recommend it.

[Davy Crockett]

As you can tell we DON'T like the WL at ALL :number1:

- Movies on the beach at night
- Critters all over the place so always be on the look out for bunnies, deer, armadillos.
- Always have at least one dinner at Whispering Canyons and make sure the kids ask for Ketchup and drinking straws.
- For the true Walt Disney (the man) die hard fan, go over to the villas and look at the train collections their from his personal collection.
- Rent surrey bikes and ride over to FWC or do a Segway tour.
- Just take a little parent time and roam the different floors around the lobby area and see the working fireplaces, nooks, reading tables and such that you can disappear into to read a book if you need a "quite" moment.
- Ask the concierge about the walking tour of the resort as it is very informative
- and all the other items listed prior.
It truly is a wonderful resort if you like the National parks, the West and it is VERY kid friendly.

[VWL Mom]

- Movies on the beach at night



Don't forget the pre-movie marshmallow roast :blush:

[Davy Crockett]

Don't forget the pre-movie marshmallow roast :blush:

Excellent point as that's the MOST important part!!! At least the kids think that :prince:, Okay - Dad agrees too!

[thejens]

"quiet time" at WDW
????

:)

Can't wait!!!

[BrerGnat]

Honestly, the WL is a beautiful, relaxing, well themed resort. While all these lists of things "to do" are great, I can say that I've honestly never done most of them, but I still LOVE the WL. There is just something about it that I feel the other resorts lack, and I can't put my finger on it.

Just being there, hearing the music, is enough for me.

We will be returning in August. We spent our honeymoon there and are bringing our kids for the first time.

It might be worth noting, I generally HATE the "outdoors", don't get the draw of national parks, think camping is the worst way to spend leisure time, etc. But, I still LOVE the Wilderness Lodge. It's so strange, and to me, that's Disney magic at its best. :thumbsup:

[Aurora]

It might be worth noting, I generally HATE the "outdoors", don't get the draw of national parks, think camping is the worst way to spend leisure time, etc. But, I still LOVE the Wilderness Lodge. It's so strange, and to me, that's Disney magic at its best. :thumbsup:

Natalie, didn't want to hijack the thread so I sent you a PM about this. ;)

[Kwesty]

We were just there last September and really loved it. We rarely do anything non-park related but decided to rent a boat at the docks. We had the BEST time! We couldn't believe they actually let you drive the boat out into the lagoon by yourself. We still laugh about DH trying to dock the boat! :laughing: It is also surprisingly inexpensive. I think it was $20 for an hour.

[thejens]

Thanks everyone! I am getting SO excited! :mickey:
I have to say, I wish you hijacked the thread, because it made me laugh to read:

It might be worth noting, I generally HATE the "outdoors", don't get the draw of national parks, think camping is the worst way to spend leisure time, etc. But, I still LOVE the Wilderness Lodge. It's so strange, and to me, that's Disney magic at its best.

I think I fall into that camp as well. :blush:

[Jforrest2]

Ducks in the pool! :blush:
We will also be there in September.

[LudwigVonDrake]

WL is my favorite resort. The lobby is magnificent, it seems remote and far away from reality and the boat ride to the Magic Kingdom is one of my favorite things to do (especially at night) :boat:

[WDW&MK]

When you check in they will give you a newsletter or itinerary for the week. We noticed on there that there was an informative *free* talk given by a train engineer CM at the Villas in the train room. My DH loves trains. It was very nice. The CM spent about 30-45 minutes going around the room talking about the train items in the room and Walt's love of his trains. Really was a very nice experience.

Also enjoyed the pub (can't remember the name) for an adult beverage :beer: and an appetizer.

[Imag1neer]

We just returned from a stay at the Wilderness Lodge. It completely exceeded my expectations. The amount of detail is astonishing and it truly is a relaxing resort. All of the waterfalls, streams, rocks, and pine trees make it a great resort for relaxing by the pool or on your balcony.

I would definitely recommend Whispering Canyon Cafe for breakfast.The All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Breakfast Platter is great if you just want to destroy some eggs and waffles.

Artist Point was amazing as well. Sitting by the windows gives you a great view of the rock-work and waterfall, and the food is top-notch.

We would definitely stay there again!

[vamaggie]

and views of the lobby below.


THis was DH's favorite thing to do. Last time we stayed at WL, our kids were 7 & 1.5 so both went to sleep rather early. DH would take a book and find a "hiding spot" as he called them and read, enjoyed the beautiful designs and relaxed.


Ducks in the pool! :blush:


Not just at WL though-last stay at the Poly, DS spent many an evening swimming in the quiet pool all alone except for a few fowl friends! :blush:

[bruin1344]

Honestly, the WL is a beautiful, relaxing, well themed resort. While all these lists of things "to do" are great, I can say that I've honestly never done most of them, but I still LOVE the WL. There is just something about it that I feel the other resorts lack, and I can't put my finger on it.

Just being there, hearing the music, is enough for me.

We will be returning in August. We spent our honeymoon there and are bringing our kids for the first time.

It might be worth noting, I generally HATE the "outdoors", don't get the draw of national parks, think camping is the worst way to spend leisure time, etc. But, I still LOVE the Wilderness Lodge. It's so strange, and to me, that's Disney magic at its best. :thumbsup:

I agree with most of this. I didnt do most of the must dos and I am not an outdoors person either but I loved this resort. I love the decor, the music, and tranquil sounds of the waterfalls.

[KylesMom]

My favorite as well . . . VERRRRY difficult to stay anywhere else for me once I found this resort. Since I could not stay there last October, I just went and visited!!!!

One thing I didn't see about the "I love"? Well, I love a nightcap at Territory Lounge, hanging with the gang, snacking on nachos and wings :)

As many have said, take your time, enjoy, relax and find every little place The Lodge has to explore. We have done Flag Family on several different occasions, so be sure to inquire at checkin if a date you're there is open. The roof of WL is absolutely spectacular in the morning! :mickey:

[CuteAsMinnie]

Everyone's posts here have been spot on! But our #1 reason why we LOVE WL is that upon entering the majestic lobby you truly are transported to a world of peace, calm and tranquility. Definitely a very important part of the vacation.





We will be returning in August. We spent our honeymoon there and are bringing our kids for the first time.

: [/I]

How sweet. This will be our LAST trip to WDW with the kids as kids. They are 17 and 20. :mickey: WL is the only resort DS has known.

[wildernesslady]

[QUOTE=CuteAsMinnie;2351447]Everyone's posts here have been spot on! But our #1 reason why we LOVE WL is that upon entering the majestic lobby you truly are transported to a world of peace, calm and tranquility. Definitely a very important part of the vacation.




Completely agree!!!!!!!!

[Princess'Mom]

WL is my favorite resort. The lobby is magnificent, it seems remote and far away from reality and the boat ride to the Magic Kingdom is one of my favorite things to do (especially at night) :boat:

I concur!:number1: Disney somehow is able to magically teleport you out of Florida and to the west. It is amazing! WL is our favorite resort. Each time we plan a trip to WDW, we talk about trying out another resort and each time we end up at WL. :cloud9:

[ANG]

My favorite things are the boat to MK and the Smores cupcakes at Roaring Fork!

[Melanie]

I'm anxious to stay at WL again now that it's been refurbed.

We stayed at WL when it was new for our honeymoon. We stayed on the top floor in the main building long before it was club level. Our room was huge and beautiful, with a view of the MK. We had a magical stay. Through the years, we've gone back and visited, eating at Whispering Canyon and just enjoyed the resort. It's so beautiful.

All that said, we stayed there last year (2012) for marathon weekend for the first time since our honeymoon (and first time with our kids) and were really let down. I was sad. Everything was very worn and felt so dated. :( The rooms were sorely in need of redo. My boys do love the bunk beds though. I've seen pics of the new rooms and they look great. :thumbsup:

[IMADisneyFreak]

Now I am all excited as well, we will be staying at the WL for the first time in early June. It will be a surprise for the kids, we told them we are staying at Pop Century again so to see the look on their faces when we walk up to the lodge will be priceless!! :mickey:

[CuteAsMinnie]

Now I am all excited as well, we will be staying at the WL for the first time in early June. It will be a surprise for the kids, we told them we are staying at Pop Century again so to see the look on their faces when we walk up to the lodge will be priceless!! :mickey:

:thumbsup:

[matthew1926]

Wilderness Lodge is our favorite also. There is just something magical about the boat ride to the Magic Kingdom and the woods view of the castle. 1st resort we ever stayed at and just feel in love. I do need to warn you about the bus service however. When we were there this past September the bus service was extremely slow not sure if there was something going on at that time because the bus service has never been bad before but I can say that it was the worst service of any resort I have ever stayed in. So just plan for this it took an hour and a half to get to the Animal kingdom one day. The bus stopped at the Poly and the Grand Floridian every time we went somewhere. It got so bad we rented a car from the care car center for the last 3 days of our trip.

[MCeee]

I must agree with all of the above, but to add:
We were there three weeks ago, and one night on the boat ride back (from MK we took the monorail to Contemporary to visit gift shop, then a boat on to WL). The captain accidently went to Fort Wilderness first (he admitted), but this allowed us to see something we would not have seen otherwise. I read somewhere before our trip that, as you approach WL at night by boat, the upper/center of the resort has the appearance of a bear... and sure enough we saw it that night. The roof line kind of forms the head and a couple of small lighted rooms near the top appear to be eyes. It was very cool. If our boat hadn't accidently gone that way, we wouldn't have seen it because the boat normally comes in from the side of the resort.