Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Club Level Concierge Review, February 2013 – Walt Disney World

February 10, 2013 Denise

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge has long been one of my favorite resorts, nestled between Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground and Disney’s Contemporary Resort. While the resort is just a quick boat ride to the Magic Kingdom, it feels like a world away.

My first overnight visit to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge was in the mid-1990’s, back when Ranger Stan took guests to the roof on a regular basis. I’ve been to the resort probably a couple of hundred times over the years to enjoy the atmosphere or to have a meal, but have stayed only a handful of times. We try to have a short “staycation” on Walt Disney World property at least a few times per year – I like to keep current with the resorts, and was delighted to finally stay at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge again! We chose one night on the concierge floor, named the Old Faithful Club. I have been up to the floor a few times, but have never stayed overnight in club level/concierge.

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge was not built with concierge in mind. I remember when the feature was added (I think it was around 2002/2003, though it could have been earlier). The rooms are the same size as standard rooms in the resort, and the balcony we received is a blocked/enclosed balcony, which means that guests have to stand up to see over it. I’ve always wished that these particular balconies would be modified, but at least we could see the courtyard from our balcony.

View From Our Balcony

We secured a very good discount on the room for one night, and our plan was to not leave the resort while there. We live locally and can go to the parks anytime – we really wanted to be able to talk about the club Level and enjoy the amenities, including the pools.

When we arrived to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, we were met by a Cast Member who brought us up to the 7th floor for check-in. To get to club level, a key needs to be tapped on the RFID pad with Mickey head in the elevator and the 7th floor button will illuminate (it’s just like the action to open an RFID resort door). We didn’t need itinerary planning services ahead of time, which is one of the benefits of staying in concierge. Concierge guests have a private check-in area, there are two desks on the 7th floor. Breakfast was still available when we arrived, so we dropped our bags at our room and went to check out what was available.

Old Faithful Club

Muffins and Pastries

Breakfast was the same each morning. There were muffins, small pastries, bagels, cereals, juices, yogurts, and both whole fruit and cut-up fruit. This is a continental breakfast – if guests would like a hot breakfast, there are options both in the resort (Whispering Canyon Cafe or Roaring Fork), as well as at the parks and other resorts. Breakfast in the Old Faithful Club is from 7:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Breakfast for Three

Enjoying Breakfast

Fruit is Always Available

After breakfast, we went to our room. I mentioned earlier that the room is the same size (340 square feet) as any other standard room in the resort, quite a bit smaller than a room at Disney’s Polynesian Resort (409 square feet) but larger than the rooms at the moderate resorts. I remember back when Disney’s Wilderness Lodge was being built, it was considered a lower-level deluxe resort – and the room prices reflected that. But the theming has always been top-notch, and the Sturdy Branches Fitness Center was added when Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Villas opened, adding another deluxe amenity. I recently read a review of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge that said it isn’t as luxurious as other deluxe resorts, but I don’t agree with that. The pool is on the small side for such a large resort, but there are so many other wonderful details! And don’t forget that the geyser near the pool erupts every hour.

The rooms at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge underwent a refurbishment last year and look great! The shower tiles now include Disney characters (Bambi, Meeko, Chip & Dale). The layout of our room was 2 queen beds. There were a few concierge bonuses – bathrobes to wear for the length of stay, upgraded H20 products (I think mostly the addition of the shower gel), and chocolates as a welcome gift. We love the chocolate that resembles the lobby character totem pole! I’m hoping we actually get to eat it – Jeff wanted to keep our Disney Dream Christening Cruise chocolate as a souvenir, and so it’s still on his desk after 2 years. You can see a detailed video of our Wilderness Lodge room here. The decorative pillows with Thumper are a nice touch. The character detail here reminds me of Alligator Bayou in Port Orleans Riverside – just enough to know I’m at a Disney resort, but not over-the-top. (You can see our Port Orleans Riverside video with our commentary here of all three room types).