The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge is a full-service Disney Deluxe Villa Resort housed in a 5-story tower adjacent to the main lobby at Disney's Wilderness Lodge. Villas feature home-like amenities, such as a full kitchen or a kitchenette. The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge is a Disney Vacation Club Timeshare resort at the Walt Disney World Resort. Announced in 1998, the property first accepted guests in November 2000. The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge are adjacent to Disney's Wilderness Lodge, whose design is based on the National Park lodges of America's Pacific Northwest. The Vacation Club Villas are themed to the antecedent lodgings built by workers on the transcontinental railroad in the late 19th century, and contain an array of railroad memorabilia and artwork. The accommodations include Studio units with a kitchenette, as well as one and two-bedroom villas with a larger kitchen and living space.
The design of the Villas honors American craftsmanship and artistry found in the Great American Northwest National Park lodges from the turn of the 20th century. This architecturally grand Resort celebrates the majesty of the unspoiled wilderness with features that include a stunning 7-story lobby—built from 85 loads of Lodgepole Pine—and an 82-foot-tall lobby fireplace. On the Resort grounds, look for the bubbling spring that flows into a creek, tumbles over a sparkling waterfall and empties into the swimming pool. Catch the eruption of Fire Rock Geyser, fashioned after Yellowstone National Park's Old Faithful, with its plume of water jetting 120 feet into the air.
Relax by one of our 2 pools or on a white-sand beach. Treat yourself to a whole lot of fun and all-you-can-eat at Whispering Canyon Café, a family-style barbeque restaurant. Enjoy specialties from the Pacific Northwest and an award-winning wine list at the rustically elegant Artist Point. And for Guests who want to keep up their fitness routine, the latest in exercise equipment is available at the Sturdy Branches Health Club.
The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge offers many secluded nooks and quiet sitting rooms where you can relax or gather the family together for a game of checkers or chess. One of these rooms is designed as a romanticized replica of a hotel built for the railroad workers who constructed the first Transcontinental Railroad. This room is dedicated to Walt Disney's passion for trains, which began when he was a teenager and held a summer job selling newspapers and refreshments to customers on the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Walt Disney loved trains so much, he built a one-eighth scale railroad on 2,615 feet of track in his backyard on Carolwood Drive in Holmby Hills, CA; he named it the Carolwood Pacific Railroad. The actual cattle car and gondola from Walt's backyard railroad, and a miniature model of the No. 173 engine are on display in the Carolwood Pacific Railroad Room. Walt Disney's one-eighth scale backyard railroad became the inspiration for the much larger trains in the Disney Parks—specifically the Lilly Belle parlor car in Disneyland Resort. The train theme in the Carolwood Pacific Railroad Room extends to the fireplace—where a whimsical steam engine puffing smoke while chugging up hill is sculpted into the fireplace's iron grill.
Fire Rock Geyser at Disney's Wilderness Lodge is located between the Silver Creek Springs pool and Bay Lake. Fashioned after Yellowstone National Park's famous Old Faithful geyser, Fire Rock Geyser shoots a water plume 120-feet in the air every hour on the hour from early morning to 10:00 p.m.
While looking up towards the ceiling in the lobby at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, notice 4 massive teepee-shaped chandeliers suspended from solid Lodgepole Pine beams. Authentic rawhide, hand painted with geometric designs, stretches over the lights' structural framework. Each teepee chandelier, with its bronze and steel ring of silhouetted buffaloes and riders on horseback, weighs 600 pounds. Exquisite details in Disney's Wilderness Lodge lobby can be seen beneath your shoes, too. The floor's inlaid pattern is made from 4 different types of wood: Brazilian Cherry, White Oak, Bird's-Eye Maple, and Burl Walnut. The floor's central design depicts the symbol of unity among wildlife, man, the cosmos and the 4 seasons. Artifacts from a variety of Native American tribes, including the Cheyenne, Crow, Sioux and Blackfoot, have been collected and re-created, and are displayed throughout Disney's Wilderness Lodge. Authentic reproductions of headdresses, painted robes and drums, as well as work from artists noted for their reverence for nature, can be seen in the lobby's secluded alcoves and throughout the Resort's restaurants and sitting rooms.
Dining
- Whispering Canyon Cafe - Whispering Canyon Cafe in Disney's Wilderness Lodge smokes up pulled pork, ribs, chicken, baked beans, corn bread and more that will satisfy any cowboy or cowgirl in the family. In this rowdy, family-style restaurant right out of the Old West, start your morning with a bang-up breakfast of favorites such as buttermilk pancakes, omelets or an all-you-care-to-enjoy Canyon Skillet. Later in the day, bring your posse by for lunch when we're serving up burgers, salads and sandwiches, or stop in for dinner and be tempted by steak, fish or salads. And we can wrangle the heartiest appetites, 'cause we've got lunch and dinner Canyon Skillets, too.
- Artist Point - Artist Point restaurant in Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort draws inspiration from the sprawling dining rooms found in National Park lodges across the Pacific Northwest region that encompasses Washington State, Oregon and British Columbia. Artist Point serves specialties from the Pacific Northwest where the focus is on seafood, sirloins and game. Though menu options change seasonally, the kitchen's signature dish is a cedar plank-roasted salmon. For dessert, the chef's special creation is an Artist Point cobbler: seasonal berries and house-made black raspberry ice cream. The rustically elegant Artist Point offers a relaxed and warm atmosphere where the spirit and romance of the American frontier is captured in beautiful murals and paintings.
- Roaring Fork - Breakfasts, daily Chef's creations and snacks are served near the Silver Creek Springs pool.
- Territory Lounge - Northwest wines and light appetizers, like cheese and fruit plates and honey-sesame chicken wings, are served in the cozy atmosphere of this charming lounge.
Touring Tips
- The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge is located in the Magic Kingdom area and shares the white sandy shores of Bay Lake with Disney's Wilderness Lodge, Disney's Contemporary Resort, The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort, The Campsites at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort.
- Transportation off the property is available. Boats or buses can take visitors to the Magic Kingdom. Bus service takes visitors to Typhoon Lagoon, Downtown Disney, Hollywood Studios, Fort Wilderness, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and the transportation center linking to other destinations. A boat can also take visitors to the Contemporary Resort where the Monorail system is available for transport.
- The Wilderness Lodge is based on an outdoor theme and has many different outdoor activities in conjunction with the Villas. There are two pools, the Silver Creek Springs and the Hidden Springs. Both offer "geyser" jets. There are also two spas on the property. Erupting every half hour near the Silver Creek Springs is the Disney-created Fire Rock Geyser, based on the famous Old Faithful.
- A kid's play area called the Cub's Den is located on the property, which allows children from ages 4–12. A game room called the Buttons and Bell Arcade contains an assortment of video games and pinball machines. This arcade can be found by the Wilderness Lodge Mercantile. Other activities on site include the white sand beach, Bay Lake, Sturdy Branches Health Club, a children's playground, watercraft rentals, catch-and-release fishing, in-room video rentals, and a mile-around jogging and bike trail.
- One-bedroom villas, 2-bedroom villas and Grand Villas (where available) at The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge include full kitchens that feature a full-size refrigerator, microwave, oven, stove, sink, cabinets and coffeemaker. Studios include smaller kitchenettes that feature a mini-fridge, wet bar, microwave and coffeemaker.
- Sturdy Branches Health Club is located off the lobby area for The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge. The latest in fitness equipment is included in the cardiovascular room with treadmills, ellipticals, bicycles (regular and recumbent) and stair climbers. The weight room includes weight machines and free weights. End a workout in the sauna. Open 24 hours a day, the facility is available to Resort Guests 14 and older at no additional charge. Guests 14 to 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
- Gather 'round the campfire at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort with your nutty pals for songs and fun, then watch a classic Disney movie under the stars.
- Cub's Den, which serves The Villas at Disney's Wildreness Lodge, offers parents the chance to treat children ages 3 to 12 to an evening of supervised activities in an environment created just for them—while the parents treat themselves to a night out. At this delightfully themed play space, children are invited to create western arts and crafts, play videogames, enjoy dinner and snacks, watch Disney movies and interact with other kids their age. The Cub's Den is located outside the main lobby near Wilderness Lodge Mercantile, is open daily from 4:30 p.m. to midnight.
- The most impressive of Disney's Wilderness Lodge's fireplaces is in the Resort's lobby. The mammoth 3-sided fireplace—with rockwork layers in hues of green, magenta, buff, black, brown and more than 95 other colors—represents the nearly 2 billion years of the Earth's history that are exposed in the rock strata of the great chasm known as the Grand Canyon. At 82 feet tall, the stone fireplace in Disney's Wilderness Lodge lobby is as high as Chickapin Hill in the Splash Mountain attraction in Magic Kingdom theme park. Relax in one of the lobby's overstuffed leather armchairs for a closer look at the grand fireplace—you may notice fossilized plants and animals from prehistoric times.
- Lounge in one of the wooden rocking chairs on the back area of the lobby at Disney's Wilderness Lodge and lose yourself in the serene scene of mighty pines and delicate flowers. Water from a bubbling springs flows from inside the lobby. Follow it as it winds outside to the Silver Creek Springs. Junipers, wildflowers and natural grasses line meandering pathways. Stroll around Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort grounds and listen to the chirping of crickets beneath bridges. The Overlook Point offers views of the Silver Creek waterfall—a spectacular sight when lit at night.
- Step inside the 7-story lobby, the centerpiece of Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort, and be awed by 2 towering totems. Each reaching 55-feet tall, the hand-carved poles—one topped with a raven, the other an eagle—draw your eye up the 4 levels of corridors that surround the lobby and provide access to sitting nooks, terraces and nearly 730 Guest rooms. The various animals—from whales to raccoons to eagles—carved into these totems depict Native American myths and legends. A 10-foot totem near the Resort's Wilderness Lodge Mercantile features a few more famous animals. Disney Character Humphrey Bear stands at the base and supports Donald Duck; Goofy's perched on Donald's shoulders. Sitting above Goofy and capping the totem pole is a ruggedly-dressed Mickey Mouse.