Disney's Wilderness Lodge

FIFTH LOCATION

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

What is this fancy place?

Want to enjoy the sounds and sights of geysers without leaving Disney? You can, at the fanciest lodge in the south! Disney’s Wilderness Lodge opened in 1994 and is located on Bay Lake, near the Contemporary. It is based on the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park. It offers the best of the west to guests who want to escape to the majesty of the mountains. With cowboy and Native American influences, and a wildlife touch, the Lodge is a rural beauty built to impress.

First Impression of the Fanciness

Mermaid I

It’s my first time at the Wilderness Lodge. I’ve wanted to visit for years, and now I finally get my chance to hop on a boat and dock at the resort of the great outdoors. When I first step off, there’s a rainbow in the sky, so I’m already feeling lucky. 

Rainbow fanciness

The wooden walkway is nestled in the forest and as I walk, I catch glimpses of what looks like a huge log cabin and then SWOOSH! A geyser erupts to my left and I run ahead, heart thumping, to see what magic Disney is going to surprise me with.

Wooden walkways

Wooden walkways and glimpses of what awaits

 Hot springs magic! Old Faithful (sorry, “Firerock Geyser”) steams to my left, and a pool and waterfall grace my right. And behind the pool and waterfall…a robust inn rises to the sky. My jaw is left dropping as I scramble up and down paths, eager to explore. The outdoors area is impressive: rocky outlooks, bike paths, gentle beaches, scrawny pines and plenty of inclines and declines. If I didn’t know I was in Florida, I might think I’ve been magically transported to the mountains.

 But the inside is the best. The first thing I try to fathom is the sheer height of the Christmas tree. I think I whisper “Oh my God!” about a dozen times as I stand in the center and spin around, loving the squeak of the wood under my shoes. I’ve been to the Old Faithful Lodge, Yellowstone and the Tetons before, so being here makes me feel like I’ve walked into a happy memory.

Hot spring!

Fire place!

I’ve lived in Florida for almost a decade, but I’m a mountain girl at heart, born and raised in the Rockies. This resort just hits all the right buttons for me. Fancily rustic and charming, the lodge brings the best of the mountains to Florida. There’s a hot spring bubbling in the lobby, there’s a large stylish fire place armed with a plethora of rocking chairs, and there are staircases that zigzag up and up and up and up, ascending into the sunlight streaming through the windows.

So I take my time and enjoy the pioneering spirit of the lobby, but soon my tummy grumbles and my fingers itch to type. In this fancy recreation of the Old West, can a writer find an outlet?

Fancy Writing Spaces?

Rushing Fork Snacks quickly catches my attention. It’s quick-service, so it carries my favorite flatbread pizzas, and seems to have lots of space with many tables. The quick-service itself resembles a skiing lodge, with plenty of nifty details to complete the look. I scrounge for a plug, and sure enough there’s one by the exit and also one in the outside hall (but I choose not to sit there because…well…it’s a busy hall near two doorways. No thanks!).

I sit there and type away. The quick-service is cute, but it can get pretty warm and crowded. Also, compared to the rest of the vast, spacious resort, the quick-service seems rather boxed-in. While this is a fantastic place to get a quick bite to eat, and maybe type for a bit, I’m not able to get really settled in. Maybe it’s because the chairs aren’t soft, or the table is too low? Either way, I’ll be coming back and exploring more of this resort to find fancier places to relax and write.

I thought I spotted an area here (see picture), but by the time I found it, I was already on my way out! Maybe next time I’ll claim that fancy space for myself, and spend an evening pouring out deep writer-y thoughts while overlooking the beautiful lobby (and there’s a lamp there….lamps mean outlets!).

Update: I  have now explored this mysterious floor, as well as the other levels and the Vacation Club Villas in this post here.

 Fancy Extras

This resort is massive, and everything seems larger-than-life at first, so it can be a bit difficult to appreciate all the little details when your neck is craned backwards trying to see everything.

Tall wooden beams stretch to the steeple roof, and guess who is peeking down at you? Carved animals decorate the wooden architecture. 

 

Also, the Christmas tree may look like it’s lit up with traditional glass lights and orb baubles, but a closer glance reveals that tepees and animal tokens hang from the branches.

Above are some lights in the resort.  The owl is one of many animal-themed lanterns. The magnificent tepee is one of the huge lights hanging from the ceiling. 


Totem poles! Several of them decorate the main lobby,  and a plaque even describes what each one is. 

You know that hot spring in the lobby? Well, people like to throw their shiny change into it and make a wish. This plaque states that all of these shiny wishes will be donated to Disney's Wildlife Conservation Fund. Now that's fancy :)