Disney World Wilderness Lodge Resort Hotel

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You feel as though you are right in one of the great historic National Park Lodges as soon as you step into the Wilderness Lodge. This deluxe Disney hotel is located on Bay Lake a short distance from Magic Kingdom but it feels as though you have stepped into a different world going at a very different pace. A great place to retreat after a day at the Disney parks.

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The Wilderness Lodge has 864 rooms which are 340 square feet in size. The Lodge has the smallest sized deluxe rooms of all the Disney resorts. Expect a wonderfully themed room which will make you think that you are in a log cabin. The rooms have very detailed Native American themed bedspreads and carved animals on the furniture.

Most rooms have 2 Queen sized beds, but some of the rooms have 1 Queen and 1 bunk bed. These bunk bed rooms are great for those with small children. There are also a small number of rooms with King bed. Most of the rooms at the resort have balconies.

There are also some Junior Suites available. This is a great option for families and is an alternative to the Wilderness Lodge Villas. The Junior Suites have 2 rooms with approximately 500 square feet of space. The bedroom has 2 Queen beds. The living/kitchen are has a pull out sleeper sofa. Junior Suite guests also have access to the concierge lounge Old Faithful.

If you have a very flexible budget you may want to consider the resort suites. If money is no object then how about the Yellowstone Presidential Suite starting at $910 and upward per night.

The Villas at Wilderness Lodge offer larger accommodation which can be a great idea for families. Studios, one and two bedroom villas are available. The studios have kitchenettes and the villas have full kitchens. I am a big fan of villa accommodation as this offers families not only the chance to spread out, but also to prepare some of their own meals - a big money saver.

The address of the Disney Wilderness Lodge 901 Timberline Dr. Lake Buena Vista, FLA 32830. The phone number is 407-824-3200 and the fax is 407-824-3232.

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There are 3 view classifications at the Wildnerness Resort Lodge. Standard view, Wood View and Courtyard View.

As you would expect, the Standard View rooms as the least expensive. The rack rates start at around $225 to $400 per room per night plus tax depending on season. Standard view rooms generally have a view of the parking lot or over the roof of the building. But due to the excellent design of the Lodge there really aren't that many of these rooms and you are much more likely to get a reasonable to great view.

Woodland View rooms are a great option. If you can then try and get a room on the 6th floor. 6604 to 6030 have a great view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks.

Strangely the views from the 7th floor concierge rooms are not the best views. Although some do have a view of the Magic Kingdom some other non concierge rooms offer a better view. Room 7054 has an excellent view of the Magic Kingdom castle. If staying on the 7th floor then ask for a room with a Magic Kingdom view - the even numbered rooms are on this side.

Most of the rooms at the Wilderness Villas have woodland views. The odd numbered villas 2351 to 2563 and 3531 to 3563 have some of the best views. The rates for the Wilderness Villas start from $315 right up to over $1300 per villa per night depending on size of villa and season.

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Artist Point restaurant at the Wilderness Lodge is one of my favorite places to dine at Disney World. The food is consistently good and the atmosphere and decor are so relaxing it it just a very special place to eat. The design of the restaurant is inspired by the historic national park lodges. Tall windows at the end of the dining room look out to the beautiful landscape of the resort with a view of the lake and waterfall.

Enjoy Artist Point signature dish Cedar Plank Roasted Pacific King Salmon with roasted potatoes, brussels sprouts, smoked pork belly, and honey-truffle brown butter. Their entrees are exceptional and include buffalo steak,grilled pork chop and seared scallops. Entrees start at $20 up to $42. My favorite dessert is Artist Point Cobbler.

Whispering Canyon Cafe is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is located just off the lobby. It is a lot of fun. Tables have a lazy susan in the middle where your food is placed. You can order a la carte but the family style skillet meals are popular and a good value. Breakfast serves typical favorites like waffles,omelet and the good value Canyon Skillet. Lunch serves sandwiches and burgers. Dinner favorites are meatloaf,roast chicken and grilled rib eye.

The Whispering Canyon is a lively and often noisy place. Some of the guest rooms in the main building get some noise from the restaurant. In particular if you want to sleep past 8am then you need to request a room away from this area.

The Roaring Fork is counter service with a good selection of breakfast favorites, sandwiches,burgers and pizza.

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The Wilderness has 2 resort swimming pools. The main pool actually begins in the lobby! Right there in the hotel lobby there is a bubbling geyser which runs outside to Sliver Creek Falls and finally into the pool. There is a water slide and a children's pool. This pool does get pretty busy at times, but there is an alternative quieter pool where you can retreat from the noise if you need to.

There are plenty of ways to be active at the Wilderness Resort. Work out at the Sturdy Branches health club,enjoy a one mile run on the trail to Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, rent a bike or just chill out and relax on the beach at Bay Lake.

The Wilderness Lodge is of course situated right there on the shores of Bay Lake so you can enjoy some water pursuits too. You can rent water craft or take a fishing trip.

For the children to run off some energy there is a playground open 24 hours a day. If parents want a break then they can sign up their kids aged 4 to 12 for the supervised activities at Cub's Den.

You may also want to sign up for the free tour around the resort - Wonders of the Lodge. The tour gives an insight into the design, architecture, landscaping and art work in the hotel. The tour starts at 9am on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

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The main pool can get pretty crowded so if you are looking for some quite time you may be better to try this swimming pool instead.

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One of the advantages of staying at a Disney hotel is that if you are just visiting the theme parks then you do not need to rent a car but can use the free Disney transportation system.

The Wilderness Lodge is located on Bay Lake and a very pleasant way to get to Magic Kingdom is to take the boat from the hotel dock. You can also take a bus to Magic Kingdom.

Most of the time there is not that long of a wait for a bus. There are buses to take you to Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney's Hollywood Studios. The bus to Animal Kingdom also stops at Blizzard Beach. Buses to Downtown Disney start running at 4pm. The Wilderness Lodge buses also stop at the Polynesian and the Floridian resort hotels.

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Staying at a concierge level in a Disney World deluxe hotel can be a great option. As well as the services of the concierge to help you with anything you need during your stay, the concierge level offers a separate lounge serving drinks and snacks throughout the day.

The Old Faithful lounge is on the 7th floor. It is actually pretty small but most guests report that it doesn't seem to get too crowded. Food is served throughout the day. If you want you can use the concierge food to save on meals at the parks - some guests certainly do this. For breakfast there is a selection of cereal,pastries,yoghurt and fruit. The daytime snacks are cookies and small snacks like goldfish. In the evening there are 2 hot items, dips, crudites,bread, crackers and cheese. Soft drinks, beer and wine are also available.

One of my favorites is dessert time in the evening! They offer cookies, brownies and a hot dessert.

Is concierge level at the Wilderness Resort Lodge worth the extra money?

Room rates start at $385 per night so you are paying quite a lot more than just a standard room. The rooms are the same as the standard non concierge rooms and many have the same views over the courtyard or woods. Guests report varied experiences with concierge staff.

Personally I have stayed at Disney hotels both on concierge and non concierge. I tend to look at the price difference between the two at the time of my stay to see if it really is worth the difference. I have a family of 5 so it can be worth it for the concierge lounge food. But if you are expecting a better room or view from concierge then you may want to think twice about your choice.

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Do you dream of a Disney World wedding? You can get married at this lovely location in Disney's Wilderness Lodge. Sunrise Terrace at Wilderness Lodge gives a beautiful view of Disney's Bay Lake. Escape Weddings at Wilderness Lodge Sunrise Terrace start at $4500 with the amenity package.

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