It’s On The Mouse! (Disney's Wilderness Lodge)

Member Name: Gromit

Product:	Disney's Wilderness Lodge
Date:	16/02/01 (561 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The best themed Disney hotel anywhere

Disadvantages: We have to leave :(

When is a hotel more than a hotel? When it’s the Wilderness Lodge would be my answer. I mean, what is it you want out of a hotel when you want a special occasion? I guess everybody will have something different that they are looking for but I would like to share with you our choice of this hotel as ‘somewhere special’ to stay.

But first – some background information on the hotel. The hotel opened to the public in 1994 and it has 728 rooms. It has 7 floors and it is modelled on an early 1900s place called Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone National Park. It is claimed that this is the best themed of all Disney’s hotels. And I certainly would agree with that.

We decided to stay here during our first visit to Orlando during Easter in 1998 and it was just fabulous. In fact, the whole holiday was fabulous and this just put the cherry on top of a very delicious cake.

The hotel we had been staying in had a rule that checking-out time was at 10 AM. We had had a very nice stay here but we were really llooking forward to going to our next hotel so leaving before 10 was not a problem for us. Of course, arriving at a hotel at this time of the morning could have caused problems.

However, from the moment we arrived, everybody, but everybody, was extremely nice and helpful. We explained we had to check out early from the last hotel and “would it be okay to check-in early?”. No problem was the reply. We can’t put you in a room yet but we can complete all the formalities and store your bags. You are then free to enjoy all the amenities.

But let me backtrack just a little. I want to cover our arrival. If you have not been to Disney then it is difficult to describe the scale. It really does take quite a while to drive from point A to point B. And it took quite a while to get to our hotel. In fact, we began to wonder if we would ever get there.

However, we began to sense when we were
getting close (apart from the signs telling us) because the area was getting more dense with trees. The hotel is set amongst some lovely woods and right alongside a lake. You get to the hotel after a pleasant drive through the woods and as the hotel comes in to view, you get some idea of the scale. But really Disney are just teasing you because the real shock comes when you walk inside.

As with all Disney things – the real glory is in the detail. They really spare no expense in creating a look or feel and as you enter the hotel you just look around in astonishment. There is a HUGE fireplace and some really tall totem poles. Did I just say the fireplace was big – it’s 80 feet tall! In fact, there is just too much detail to take in. It really is one of the most inspired of hotels.

The Wilderness Lodge is actually quite close to The Magic Kingdom. Being a Disney resident, all transportation is free. You can get to any Disney theme park by bus but this hotel also has a ferryboat that would take guests direct to The Magic Kingdom.

# Rooms

Here you are offered the choice of a standard view (where you can be looking out anywhere but it probably won’t be too special!), lodge view (a room with a view of the woodlands), courtyard view (a room with a view of the pool), or deluxe lodge view (a far more spacious room). These rooms are listed by price. We actually wanted the standard room but all that was left when we booked was a courtyard view. I think it cost about $20 per night more than the standard room.

The rooms are definitely good but for the price I would have to say they are not exceptional. For sure, they a well appointed and reasonably spacious. You get a decent TV with, naturally, the Disney Channel. Our room had 2 Queen beds and a very good sized bathroom but there were a few things we felt could have been included, such as a refridgerator and a coffee maker. The safe provided was too small for
many things. You could store little more than a watch or camera but nothing like a camcorder. Guests could, of course, store important items in the hotel safe but it would have been nice to lock away things that you may or may not take with, like a camcorder. You could also hire a fridge if you wished.

# Restaurants

There are three restaurants to choose from at the Lodge and these range from an inexpensive fast food type of outlet through to a more formal dinner.

Artist Point: This is the more “exclusive” of the restaurants. There are no real restrictions, it is just a bit more formal – not that the Americans are that formal anyway. It is also the place where you can enjoy a character breakfast. When we were there, they had Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger. You have to book your breakfast time because there is always a big demand for these breakfasts. Should you wish to meet other characters you can always arrange to have breakfast at one of the other hotels. During our stay, the breakfast, which is served at the table, was a set menu which we found a bit disappointing. However, the food was very good quality and you could eat as much as you like.

Whispering Canyon Café: This was our favourite restaurant. We liked it from the moment we got there. After checking in and completing all the formalities we thought we’d grab a coffee and soft drink for our daughter – just to top up our reserves. When we had finished we asked for the bill. The staff just smiled and said: “It’s on the Mouse”. This restaurant specialises in having a bit of fun so as a word of warning – don’t ask for ketchup at breakfast! Already I can hear you saying – why? Well, one family asked for ketchup during breakfast. The waiter shouted back to the kitchen that a guest wanted ketchup. The staff came out with their trays full of ketchup bottles and started adding them to the family’s table.
Pretty soon every available space on the table had a ketchup bottle standing there!

Roaring Forks: This is where we bought most of our breakfast and snack food. It is self-service and you can pick up most things like coffee, muffins, cereal, and other snack-like things. Later in the day you can get hot sandwiches, burgers and other similar things. The food is simple, fresh and pretty good value and, as I will explain below, all the drinks are FREE!

The Free Refills: Yes, it’s true! You can buy Disney Wilderness Lodge mugs (they are plastic and very suitable for when you are constantly moving about). They were not too expensive - about $8 – but once purchased, all (non-alcoholic) drinks are free at the hotel. BUT this is not just for this vist. This is free – FOREVER. Of course, you will have to remember to take your mug back. We still have ours and they are still useful for car journeys. So if we ever return – and we do intend to at some point – we won’t have to pay for any soft drinks!

# What are the benefits to staying at Disney?

Well, I guess the main one will be the ability to enter the theme parks an hour before the general public. Moreover, during a long, hot day you can just go back to the hotel and relax by the pool. The afternoons at the theme parks can be VERY busy. To be able to go back and relax during the busy periods is a great and very beneficial luxury. We loved our pool so much that my daughter insisted on going back to the pool for the afternoon.

# The Pool

In keeping with the wilderness feel, the pool actually starts as a bubbling brook in the hotel lobby. It goes outside and heads on down to a waterfall and from there into the actual bathing pool. It is quite large and plenty of room and lots of interesting features for children to play with, including a small slide. The water is heated (naturally) and there are also two hot tubs to relax in. There is also
a poolside bar to get simple refreshments.

# And finally . .

I think my reviews are getting longer you know – so I do apologise. The problem I have is how do I fit all of this information into a review of such a great hotel. The hotel has lots of other amenities as well – too many to go into further detail. There is a gift shop and you can also hire bikes or boats. There are facilities for children if you need them to be looked after. The cost of a room here is quite expensive (about $250 - $350 per night) but many people who stay there say they would be happy never leaving the hotel – it is that nice. We still have wonderful memories of this hotel and, whilst it is expensive, I thought it was worth it and would go back anytime. And I’ve still got my mug!

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