The Disney Wilderness Lodge Resort - A Great Hotel in Disneyworld

My husband, my daughter and her husband, and my two wonderful grandsons, aged 1 and 5 ,and myself recently spent three nights at the Disney Wilderness Lodge Resort . It was a fabulous hotel, although we had some problems upon arrival. We found the directions to the property somewhat confusing and we had a difficult time finding the property. They could definitely use better directions and one or two more signs pointing in the direction of the property, which is nestled in a beautiful wooded setting.

The hotel is designed to look like one of the grand parks lodges built at the turn of the nineteenth century. With its impressive timber architecture, the style of the building which houses seven hundred and twenty seven rooms in two wings with the lobby in the middle, is quite impressive upon arrival. It reminded me of places we have visited in the Pacific Northwest, or more recently, of the Lodge at Torrey Pines that we just visited in La Jolla. The lobby is very striking with its eight story atrium, wood and stone interior, and beautiful and imposing eighty foot high wood burning fireplace in the main lobby. There were very beautiful carved totem poles throughout the lobby, repeating the Pacific Northwest theme. They looked authentic, except for one small cute one ,which was a totem pole with Mickey Mouse and his pals, providing a sweet photo-op for pictures of the grandkids.

The pool area was very pretty with its waterfalls and rock formations. As this is Disney, of course there was a nearby game room. We had dinner our first night at the Whispering Canyons Cafe, a casual and fun place for the family to eat and enjoy the homey and entertaining wait staff who really look like they are having fun. They have running gags going on all through dinner. If someone at your table asks for ketchup, suddenly several people come over carrying maybe thirty or more bottles to your table after the server yells across the entire restaurant "someone wants ketchup". There the ketchup sits until the next patron asks for ketchup, when we all had to get up and bring the ketchup to them. I know this sounds silly and it is, but it was fun as all through the evening you hear the various servers announcing someone else "wants ketchup". Maybe you just had to be there...... The staff really seemed to be having fun and were extremely friendly, courteous and efficient. The food was good and some of the dishes were served family style with hearty portions and good quality. We had two breakfasts at the same restaurant, when again, the staff was very friendly and humorous. Breakfasts were very tasty and they had really delicious orange juice! We didn't try the other two hotel restaurants. One was quieter and more expensive. It looked very nice. There was also a very casual spot for a quick bite to eat like sandwiches or pizza.

The rooms were an average size, not large, but comfortable enough. We had a queen bed , a standard dresser and nightstands, table and small writing desk and chair . It was comfortable , clean, and functional. It was decorated in a Mission-Style that coordinated nicely with the architecture of the hotel. There was a nice amount of closet space. My favorite part of the room was a nice sized balcony overlooking the pool, its waterfall, and the woods in the distance. The pine forest was just lovely to admire from the balcony. The bathroom was tiny, with just enough room for the tub and toilet, with an adjoining vanity and sink just outside the bathroom.

The room had a small refrigerator, hair dryer, and coffee maker, which was convenient in the morning when we were rushing to get to the parks. The hotel has an adjacent dock where boats arrive every few minutes to shuttle guests to and from the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. This was a very nice convenience. Overall, I would highly recommend this hotel on a visit to Disney World. With its price of about $250, it was a good value. This was considered off-season, so I am sure these rates are higher during peak times, such as during school vacations. The location in its pristine woodland setting , along with the lovely architecture, balconies, and convenience to the park makes this a perfect hotel for a visit to this area.