4 Tips when Staying at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
We recently stayed at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge on a day that was unseasonably cold for Orlando. (Really, it was in the high 30s, which is almost unheard of there!). We happened to be wrapping up a stay at The Polynesian and when we heard that Wilderness Lodge had fireplaces, we decided to extended our Disney stay by a day to experience a little cozy warmth. Here are our tips and takeaways and feel don’t forget to watch the video below for some additional photos and videos!
Walking down the street of our rental.
The Chateau Frontenac
1. Find the fireplaces!
Not only does the main lobby have a massive fireplace with rocking chairs surrounding it, but there are other fireplaces around the resort as well. On the fourth floor, you’ll find a pretty large area to lounge around the fire and on the fifth floor, you’ll find a smaller area to sit around the fireplace on that level.
2. Make your dining reservations early.
Character dining with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is offered on property at Artist Point (a restaurant that is right there in the lobby), but it fills up FAST! Make sure you make your reservation as soon as your advanced dining reservation window opens up, which 60 days before your trip for those staying at a Disney resort.
3. Reconsider club level.
Full disclosure, we did not stay club level. And if you are wanting access to snacks and drinks all day long, then it might be a good fit for you. But for us, it didn’t seem worth it for the cost. Here’s why. We are big on experiences, as you might already know. When you stay club level here, you don’t get a fireworks like you do at some of the other resorts (The Polynesian comes to mind here). Not only that, I was kind of surprised to discover that there was no fireplace in the club lounge. I would’ve expected there to be one so you didn’t have to compete for space around the other fireplaces. They were never super-crowded when we were there, but it was tricky to get a seat sometimes and it felt a little invasive if another family was already in the space using it.
4. Skip the fireworks view rooms.
Disney is upfront about the fact that the “fireworks view” rooms are obstructed. Depending on where you are staying will determine how obstructed your view is. Our view wasn’t too bad, but the castle was a little blocked by trees. We were disappointed that the music wasn’t piped in around the fireworks view rooms. We could hear it from a distance, so they do pipe it in, but it just wasn’t directed toward the fireworks view rooms, which would’ve been nice. Not only that, but the view that you see below your room is less than glamorous. There was even a hazardous waste symbol on one of the bins, which was interesting to say the least. I think you would be better of heading down to the beach area and watching the fireworks from there where they do pipe the music in.
Bonus Tip!
Take a day to relax and enjoy the resort.There is great dining here, an arcade for the kids, a beautiful pool, and a gift shop. There’s lots to keep you busy! When we are staying at a Disney deluxe resort, I always try to pencil in a day for us just to sit around and enjoy it.
We would definitely return to Wilderness Lodge. The service was great, our server at Artist Point was amazing, and the fireplaces are a special part of this resort. I would’ve like to have seen some more upscale dining options that were a la carte instead of pre fixe. I did like the option to place a carryout order on the phone at Whispering Canyon Cafe, which we did for breakfast one day.
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