We have loved our stays at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge so much that we’ve chosen it as our home away from home countless times over the years! I’ve been meaning to update this post with new pictures since April 2019. There’s no time like the present!
Wilderness Lodge is also home to two villa type resorts – Boulder Ridge and Copper Creek – featuring everything from studios up through 3-bedroom grand villas and lake front cabins.
Wilderness Lodge is an escape to the rustic majesty of America’s Great Northwest, and is inspired by turn-of-the-century National Park lodges. Like everything Disney, the attention to detail here is awe inspiring.
Inside the lobby, you will find soaring ceilings in the American craftsman style. There are totem poles, numerous sofas and rocking chairs, a stately fireplace and more!! You can even see the bubbling spring that flows all the way into the pool!!!
I highly recommend the complimentary architectural walking tour, as I learned so much about both the inspiration and construction of Wilderness Lodge.
Christmas at Wilderness Lodge
Christmas at Wilderness Lodge really cannot be beat. The resort just exudes Christmas spirit and is even more dazzling with twinkle lights, garlands and trees at every turn!
Be sure to look for the photographers around the lobby during the holidays!
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Rooms
Rooms at Wilderness Lodge are plenty spacious for a family of four. The rooms right now are a bit dark and outdated, but are up for refurbishment this year. I expect we will see the addition of the hardwood floors, brighter colors, and a lot more usb outlets. While the rooms are outdated, I do still feel that the overall resort amenities and location are wonderful and I still frequently book this resort for clients!
Old Faithful Club Level Rooms
Like at many of the other deluxe resorts, Wilderness Lodge also offers club level accommodations. The Old Faithful Club is well known for consistently having some of the best service in any lounge on property.
There are 5 dining offerings throughout the day, and Old Faithful Club is the only lounge with beer on tap, including Elysian IPA and Kona Big Wave.
6:30 – 7 AM Coffee
7 – 10:30 AM Breakfast
11:30 AM – 3 PM Snacks
5 – 7 PM Hors d’ourves
8 – 10 PM Dessert & Cordials
There two outdoor balconies at Old Faithful Club are also lovely. In the evenings you can watch the Happily Ever After fireworks over the tree tops.
Dining at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort
Geyser Point Bar & Grill
One of our favorite meals of our week long trip was the lazy afternoon we spent at the brand new Geyser Point! This location is on the quick serve dining plan and is a MUST if staying at Wilderness Lodge, or even Contemporary which is just a boat ride away.
There is both covered and open seating and we have done – and enjoyed – both! The hostess does now keep a wait list and seat accordingly, which I much prefer over trying to stalk tables.
The unique menu has everything from bison burgers with Tillamook cheddar and a house-smoked salmon BLT with lemon-caper mayonnaise to small plates, craft beers and signature cocktails. While everything we had was very good, I highly recommend just going for the delicious burger of the salad. :-) I also love their black cherry mule.
Storybook Dining at Artist Point with Snow White
The hidden gem of Disney Signature Dining, Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge, reopened as a price fixe character dining experience in late December after much anticipation. The restaurant has been transformed into the Enchanted Forest, and it was just that… enchanting! The meal was great, and you get to meet Snow White, Grumpy, Dopey and The Queen!
Read my full Storybook Dining Review Here
Territory Lounge
Territory Lounge has long been one of our favorite Disney lounges. We love the warmth of the rustic lodge decor and often make a meal of the flatbreads, fondue, poutine and charcuterie in the evening!
Whispering Canyon Cafe
Whispering Canyon Cafe is another favorite and a location we have frequented many times over the years. Whispering Canyon is known for their tasty beverages and bottomless platters, both being hearty and good. What really makes the meal memorable and so quintessentially Disney are the cast member antics!
Read my full Whispering Canyon Cafe review here
Roaring Fork
This updated quick-service restaurant serves Mickey waffles, specialty sandwiches and flatbreads, grilled chicken sandwiches, pulled pork and more. The dining area here is nothing special so we had our breakfast to go each morning and enjoyed it in our room!
Recreation at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort
Just like for dining, guests staying at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins are steps away from all of the recreational opportunities at the nearby Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.
Boulder Ridge Cove Pool
This brand new, modern-day swimmin’ hole has a gorgeous backdrop and an excellent back story. Families with little ones will appreciate the zero entry pool. We loved the cabana type seating areas that are first come first serve.
Copper Creek Springs Pool
The feature pool is heated and surrounded by pine trees and boulders. My boys LOVE the waterslide built right into the rocks. There is also a splash area connected to the pool. My kids also always love the afternoon pool parties with trivia, games, bingo and other challenges.
The Water Playground
We are a bit past this age now, but I fondly remember many early evenings spent on Disney playgrounds and spraygrounds.
The Geyser
My kids LOVE the geyser the sounds off every hour!
Salon at the Springs
If you are familiar with Wilderness Lodge, the Trout Pass pool bar is now the Salon at the Springs! I treated myself to a manicure to check it out. For y’all, of course… :-) I must say that it was a lovely and luxurious experience and I highly recommend it. The salon is tiny and advance reservations are definitely needed. The salon does manis, pedis and hair. I did a manicure and then had them apply some festive Disney Jamberry nail wraps. I’ve really wanted to try them for a long time and had no confidence in my own ability to apply them. While they were super cute and I did enjoy having them, I wouldn’t do them again. I just use my fingers too much and they started snagging on everything after the first day.
Hidden Mickey Scavenger Hunt
Be sure to pick up the hidden Mickey scavenger hunt at the front desk. It is a great way to explore the resort!
Fireplace Nooks
Another favorite feature of Wilderness Lode are the fireplace nooks. You will find these overlooking the lobby. Some of them simply had a couple of rocking chairs, and others (like this one), had fireplaces, sofas and chairs. We chilled here one night during a big storm and brought pizza up to enjoy our dinner in front of the fireplace. It was just lovely!! This particular one was on the fourth floor just over the main front doors of the lodge.
Electric Water Pageant
Each night, the Electric Water Pageant stops right at the Wilderness Lodge beach. Check the times guide during your stay.
Teton Boat & Bike Rentals
Cruise around Bay Lake aboard a variety of watercraft, include family pontoon boats. Land-lovers can steer bicycles and surrey bikes around the resort or down the trail to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.
We rented Sea Raycers and had a fabulous 45 minutes tooling around Magic Kingdom, boating over the water bridge and checking out the monorail resorts. John is already quite the Disney buff and was so excited to get a few glimpses of the abandoned River Country and also take a peek of the shoe tree up close!
Cornhole, Ping Pong, Pool and More
In a covered pavilion off of Geyser Point you fill find ping pong, pool, giant connect four, corn hole and more. Simply ask for the balls at the recreation window. Honey and I had a lovely lunch overlooking Bay Lake while the boys popped over here for games between bites of food.
Campfire and S’mores
Each evening the resort shows a movie under the stars and lights up the fire pits for s’mores. They provide sticks and marshmallows and you can purchase kids for s’mores at the quick serve window next to Geyser Point. I believe they are $10 and have stuff for about 4 s’mores.
There is SO much to do at Wilderness Lodge that we still haven’t done it all in our three stays. Here are a few more on our list…
Jogging Trails – Take a quick jaunt down the .75-mile shaded trail that leads to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground or take your time wandering the 2.5-mile pathway throughout the resort’s grounds.
Buttons and Bells Arcade – Delight in both classic and contemporary arcade games.
Transportation to Parks
Before I go, I also want to share that one of our favorite things about Wilderness Lodge is taking the boat over to Magic Kingdom. It is such a peaceful way to arrive and depart. The other parks are accessible by bus, but Wilderness Lodge is a fabulous choice for families that will spend the majority of their time at Magic Kingdom and dining at the monorail resorts (Chef Mickey’s, Ohana, Park Fare, etc.).
We love Wilderness Lodge and will definitely stay here again!! I find that it is almost always one of the most affordable deluxe resorts and you can’t beat that along with the great theming, activities, dining and proximity to Magic Kingdom. It also has one of the more affordable club level room options as well.
Also at Wilderness Lodge: Boulder Ridge and Copper Creek Villas
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