Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
We ended the first of our Disney Resort Christmas Tree Trails by visiting Disney’s Wilderness Lodge – a Disney Deluxe Resort, and a Disney Vacation Club Resort with Boulder Ridge Villas and Copper Creek Villas & Cabins.
Escape to the rustic majesty of America’s Great Northwest. Inspired by turn-of-the-century National Park lodges, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge celebrates American craftsmanship and honors the beauty of the untamed wilderness. Soak in the splendor of the great outdoors, from nature trails through pine forests to rocking chairs that overlook a murmuring creek. Inside, discover towering totem poles, headdresses and more, and enjoy the rustic elegance of the stone hearth and roaring fireplace. – Walt Disney World
I love, love, LOVE Wilderness Lodge. I remember the first time seeing the lobby and it took my breath away. We stayed here in 2015 – Halloween In The Wilderness – and it was awesome. We are going back to stay here for a few nights on our 2019 trip (at Boulder Ridge Villas since we are DVC Members) and I can not wait!
I have known that the Disney Christmas tree at Wilderness Lodge is huge. Whether it is the biggest one of all the Resorts, I don’t know, but it might well be! Photos do not do it justice at all, and seeing it in real life is something else. I would love to come back and stay here for Christmas and just sit in the lobby with a cup of hot chocolate and look at the tree!
We’ve established that the tree is huge – but so are some of the ornaments! It is themed perfectly for the lodge setting, with both Native American artefacts, and rustic natural elements nestled amongst the branches, alongside bright white lights, poinsettias and colourful shiny baubles. I adore the look of the style of the Wilderness Lodge Christmas tree!
As you can see in the photos, there are some garlands strung across the balconies, and a lovely wreath hangs above the grand fireplace (which, by the way, is 82 feet high and the layers mimic the rock structure and strata of the Grand Canyon from rim to river, representing 2,000 billion years of geologic history.) As someone who loves nature, this girl feels right at home in Wilderness Lodge.
I took a LOT of photos of this Disney Christmas tree – simply because there was so much to see on it (and because it was such a beautiful tree!)
So far we’ve seen lighted teepee ornaments, canoes, bags, wood cuttings and carvings, drums, arrows, and antlers. There are various animals and birds tucked into the branches too! I spotted a blue bird, a bear and an owl.
Over by the window at the back of the lobby was this Bear Country display that is made from CHOCOLATE! A plaque sitting on the table next to it reads:
Bear Country
The inspiration for this display was the Walt Disney True-Life Adventures series movie Bear Country, which won an Academy Award in 1954. The entire display is made out of 75 pounds of white chocolate and is completely edible. All the figures were sculptured and molded by hand. The scene was sprayed and hand-painted with colors made from cocoa butter mixed with edible candy and food coloring.
60 LBS WHITE CHOCOLATE
15 LBS MOLDING CHOCOLATE
5 LBS COCOA BUTTER
A TOUCH OF PIXIE DUST!
Brought to you for your enjoyment this Holiday Season by Walt Disney World Pastry Chefs Bridget Watkins and Erich Herbischceck
*Don’t tell Humphrey the Bear that the other bears are in his favorite fishing spot!*
There was also another [much] smaller tree next to the Bear Country display. This tree had a rustic and lumberjack theme to it with black and red checked ribbons, poinsettias, little oil lanterns, acorns, pinecones, and animal ornaments.
Nearby was this display of three bears – somewhere to sit for a photo op too! And I’ll also share a couple of other details from Wilderness Lodge itself because they are cool – like the big light features hanging from the ceiling!
We spotted another tree in one of the corners of the lobby, and above the entrance was a display of reindeer lights which looked awesome.
We didn’t bother with touring the Resort, other than the lobby since we’ve stayed here in the past… so here are the final photos for Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.
Oh, and as we left Disney’s Wilderness Lodge we saw our first Minnie Van! These red and white polka dot cars are Disney-owned, and Disney operated. The Minnie Van service works with the Lyft app. Simply open the app from anywhere within Walt Disney World Resort to access Minnie Van service, request a ride and pay for it through the app. Cars are usually minutes away.
- Prices vary based on distance traveled from pick-up location to requested destination within Walt Disney World Resort.
- You’ll see the total cost and pay for the service conveniently through the Lyft app.
I have heard that the Minnie Vans are pricey – compared with a regular Lyft (or Uber, or Mears Taxi) but you’re paying for that Disney Magic!