Wonders of the Wilderness Lodge Tour

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, which opened in 1994, is one of Walt Disney World’s most popular and heavily-themed resorts.  During the Wonders of the Wilderness Lodge tour, guests learn about the historical influences on the architecture and design of this magnificent resort.  Heavily inspired by the National Park Lodges of the United States Northwest region, the Wilderness Lodge is full of tributes to Western American life.

The Wonders of the Wilderness Lodge tour is a free, 1 hour walking tour of the Wilderness Lodge lobby and common areas as well as the Carolwood Pacific Room over at the Wilderness Lodge Villas.

Time & Location : 9am W-Sa in the Wilderness Lodge lobby, by the set of pillars near the indoor springs.  The resort activity calendar is updated every month, so it is worth calling the resort at (407) 824-3200 to confirm the tour schedule.

Duration: 1 hour

Cost: Free (you read that right)

Sample Tour Content:

• Wilderness Lodge Lobby
• Carolwood Pacific Room in the Wilderness Lodge Villas
• Territory Lounge
• Artist Point Restaurant

Maximum Group Size: N/A – This is a free tour, everyone who shows up is welcome to join.

Listening Devices Available: No

Hearing Disabilities: No

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Requirements:

• N/A – This is a free tour, everyone who shows up is welcome to join.
• As this tour is an hour long narration of the details in the lobbies of both the Wilderness Lodge and the Wilderness Lodge Villas, young children may be bored.

Photography Restrictions: Photography is permitted throughout the tour.  Limited indoor lighting makes good photography difficult in some areas.

Bag Storage: Guests carry bags with them, just leave your bags in your room if you don’t want to hold it for an hour.

Additional Notes:

• This tour is part of the various free activities provided to guests of the Wilderness Lodge and Wilderness Lodge Villas.  However, we just showed up for the tour as non-resort guests and no one asked for any proof that we were staying at the resort.  The guide was just happy someone showed up (we were the only ones at the start of the tour).  As the tour progressed, other people saw us and joined up mid-tour.
• Try combining the tour with breakfast at the Whispering Canyon for a nice resort-hopping experience.  (Be sure to order me some Barbecue Eggs Benedict.)  You also can’t go wrong with a cupcake from the Roaring Fork – I hear the carrot cake one is fantastic.

Book: N/A – just show up.  If you want to confirm the tour is being offered during your stay, you can call the resort directly at (407) 824-3200.

Check out our full DTR Review of the Wonders of the Wilderness Lodge tour here.

You can also find other DTR posts about the Wonders of the Wilderness Lodge tour here.

• Tour Video from August 2010.  Unofficial Vacation Magic Podcast posted a 4-part video of the tour here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 & Part 4.

• Secrets and History of the Wilderness Lodge page from WildernessLodgeSite.com shares some of the information learned on the Wonders of the Wilderness Lodge tour.  The tour is a very full hour of resort details, so this page only skims the surface.  Includes spoilers.

• Know of any reviews of the Wonders of the Wilderness Lodge tour?  Let us know at DisneyTourReviews@gmail.com

• None yet!  Know of any podcasts that discuss the Wonders of the Wilderness Lodge tour?  Let us know at DisneyTourReviews@gmail.com