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| Fast
Facts |
| Resort
Address: |
901 W. Timberline
Dr., Lake Buena Vista, 32830 |
| Resort
Phone: |
(407) 824-3200 |
| Resort
Fax: |
(407) 824-3232 |
| Number
of Rooms: |
728 |
| Resort
Category: |
Deluxe |
| Resort
Location: |
Magic Kingdom
Resort Area |
| Check
In Time: |
3:00pm |
| Check
Out Time: |
11:00am |
| Room Types
(maximum capacity): |
Standard
Room (4), Suite (4 to 6)
Note: some rooms up to 5.
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| Room Service: |
Yes |
| Valet
Parking: |
Yes |
| Laundry
Service: |
Yes |
| Fully
Handicapped Accessible: |
Yes |
| Semi-Handicapped
Accessible: |
n/a |
| Wheelchair
Roll-In Showers Available: |
Yes |
| Hearing
Impaired Conveniences: |
Yes |
| Non-Smoking
Rooms Available: |
Yes |
| Room Safes: |
Yes |
| VCR Available: |
Yes |
| Data Port
Available: |
Yes |
| Coffee
Maker Available: |
Yes |
| Microwave
Available: |
No |
| Refrigerator
Available: |
Yes, Fee |
| Full-Kitchen
Available: |
No |
| Concierge
Service: |
No |
| Monorail
Service: |
No |
| Table
Service Restaurant(s): |
Artist Point,
Lobby Coffee Bar, Whispering Canyon Cafe |
| Character
Meals: |
Breakfast
at Artist Point (Pooh and Friends) |
| Counter
Service Restaurant(s): |
Roaring
Fork |
| Lounge(s): |
Territory
Lounge, Trout Pass (pool side) |
| Services
(Salons, etc.): |
No |
| Shopping: |
The Mercantile
shop sells character merchandise, souvenirs, and sundries
and provides film developing service and is usually
open from 7:00am - 11:30pm. |
| Pool Description: |
Pool is
themed to look like a natural pool in one of the Western
national parks (complete with waterfall, hot and cold
spas, and a small slide). A smaller quite pool
is located closer to the Villas building. |
| Children's
Clubs, Programs: |
Cub's Den
(4-12, $5 per hour, dinner is $8 extra, includes Disney
movies and craft projects, 4:30pm - midnight, 4 hour
maximum.) |
| Fitness
Center: |
Sturdy Branches,
the new fitness center built in the Villas building,
features Cybex equipment, steppers, bikes, and a sauna. |
| Other
Recreational Facilities: |
Biking,
Water Mice, Canopy Boats, Pontoon Boats, Roaring Fork
Arcade, Children's Playground, Iron Spike Room (a combination
lounge and game room). |
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Overview
Wilderness Lodge, nestled in the woods Southeast
of the Contemporary Resort and West of Fort Wilderness campground
(with which it is sometimes confused) is a beautiful edifice. When
my wife and I first visited this hotel, we opened the van door and
were immediately struck by the smell of Michigan's upper peninsula
-- pine trees and smoke from a fireplace. The building itself is
a log lodge, reminiscent of those built by the national park service
in the early 1900's. The lobby is huge. A fireplace stands
in one corner and the check-in desk is services by park rangers...everything
looks, feels, and smells like the Western national parks!
The crowning touch of this resort is the mineral spring
that bubbles from the ground inside the lobby. The water trickles
outside, into a small brook that feeds a natural rock spring pool.
It looks like Yosemite here, but it's in the middle of Florida.
A geyser blows off steam regularly (even more faithfully than Old
Faithful) between the pool and Bay Lake, but of course, the Disney
magic keeps the geyser from blowing off steam during the night time
hours when guests are trying to sleep.
Room Description
The vast majority of the rooms at Wilderness Lodge
are standard (albeit lodge-themed) hotel rooms with a pair of queen-sized
beds, standard bathroom layout (with two sinks in the vanity area),
and a television, table and chairs, and desk. A small handful
of the rooms are equipped with a short bunk bed (equipped with safety
rails) that replaces one of the queens and an even smaller number
have a king-sized bed.
The lodge has seven floors. The first floor
is on ground level (actually one level below the lobby). Some
(but not all) rooms on the upper floors have balconies.
The lodge also has some suites ranging from the honeymoon
suites (which are equipped with a Jacuzzi with a waterfall faucet)
up to the junior suites which include a living room and small kitchen
area.
Preferred Room Locations
The
three room views available include the standard view which faces
the parking lot or other less-sightly parts of the building, the
woods view which faces out from the building, and the courtyard
view looks out toward Bay Lake.
If you have a room on an upper floor that faces the
Magic Kingdom (a woods view room on the North side of the building),
you may be able to see the fireworks display from your balcony.
If you have a courtyard view, you may be able to see the Water Pageant
as it passes by on it's winding voyage past the lake and lagoon
resorts.
The balconies of the sixth floor rooms have a solid
wall barricade, so if you're on the balcony you can't see out
unless you're standing.
Of course, except for the views, the rooms on the
first and second floor are closest to the main resort facilities.
Food and Drink
Wilderness Lodge boasts several nice restaurants.
Artist Point is the hotel's best. Barb and I have our best WDW steaks
ever at this restaurant. The buffalo sirloin is good too! Whispering
Canyon Cafe is a family-style service restaurant with lots of atmosphere.
Activities
Boat rentals allow the guest to traverse Bay Lake.
Swimming in the themed pool, hot tub, and cold spa are also popular.
A small arcade can keep your Nintendo nuts happy (although this
is a very small game room compared to the one at the Contemporary).
A small gift shop is available, too, to buy resort themed goods
as souvenirs.
Disney Transportation
Although a premium resort, Wilderness Lodge is rather
secluded, so it doesn't have monorail service. Boat and bus transportation,
though, provides transportation to all points in WDW.
Other Comments
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There are a pair of lodge tours offered each day.
The first is at 9:15am and the second at 3:15pm. The morning
tour describes the architecture, construction, and landscaping
of the lodge. The afternoon tour takes you to the resort's
restaurants to sample the goods. Both tours take 45 minutes
to an hour.
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Each night, generally at 8:30pm or so, there is
a storytelling time for children in the lobby.
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There is a Lincoln log table at the Whispering
Canyon Cafe entrance, to keep the smaller kids busy while waiting
for a table.
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Fireworks Cruises are available from the boat
dock (check with guest services for prices).
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