Day 2: In The Wilderness! / Four Resorts, Two Festivals 2019

Please Share This Post!

We were way too early to get into our room, but we were still able to check-in and get our Magic Bands. Mine was purple – of course – and Steve always picks a new color when we visit, so this time it was orange for him.

Our luggage was safely tucked away with Bell Services, so we headed over to grab some food from the resort’s Quick Service location – Roaring Fork.

Roaring Fork is located behind Artist’s Point restaurant. You head towards the back left of the lobby and down the ramp and you do a left – you can’t miss it.

They are open from 7 am to 11 pm daily. You can order breakfast from 7-11 am, and then lunch and dinner items from 11 am – 11 pm.

For breakfast, you can enjoy such foods as the Roaring Breakfast Platter which includes scrambled eggs, potato hash, sausage, bacon, and a biscuit. Or you can have Mickey-shaped waffles, French toast, pulled pork and grits, and oatmeal, as well as grab-and-go pastries, fruit, snacks. Kids’ options are available throughout the day.

Entrees include Disney staples like their Bacon Cheese Burger and various flatbreads, as well as other dishes such as Chicken and Waffles (and the waffles are Mickey-shaped!), Gourmet Grilled Cheese, Vegetarian Pita, and a selection of salads.

Desserts include cupcakes – Disney makes the BEST cupcakes! As well as other sweet treats – either grab-and-go from the refrigerators and freezers or from the service counter.

It is here that you can also purchase a refillable Disney Resort Mug – as well as one of the locations around the resort that you can fill up your mug with a beverage – including a range of Coca-Cola products, coffee, hot chocolate, and tea.

We decided to purchase a mug at $18.99 – which we were able to use for the duration of our vacation – not just at Wilderness Lodge. You can only use the refillable mug at resorts – not in the parks!

Roaring Fork » Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

Entrée…

Me: Wilderness Salad – Grilled Chicken Breast, Candied Walnuts, Sliced Apples, Croutons, Shredded Cheese, and Apple Vinaigrette ($10.99)

Steve: Chicken and Waffles – starring Mickey-Shaped Waffles with Pecan Butter and Maple Syrup ($10.99)

My salad tasted so good! The vinaigrette cut through the sweetness of the candied walnuts, and everything paired together deliciously. One to recommend that’s for sure!

Chicken and waffles is a Southern-US delicacy and one that we both love, and Steve couldn’t resist ordering the Disney version with Mickey waffles!

We shared a drink from our refillable mug – it saved us a lot of money on drinks throughout this trip!

There are tables inside Roaring Fork that you can sit at as well as an outdoor seating area – which is where we sat to enjoy our lunch.

If your food needs to be prepared, then you are given a tracker/buzzer which you place on the mat on the table and the Cast Members are then able to bring your food to you. I’m sure this is new because I don’t remember that back in 2015.

I need to also mention that I needed to use an ECV again on this trip and we hired again from Buena Vista Scooter Rentals whom we’ve rented from previously. They kindly provided a full complimentary rental to me for this trip.

At the time of visiting, they were a Disney Preferred Vendor and were able to drop and leave ECVs and other equipment with Bell Services at Disney Resorts. However, since our 2019 trip, things have changed and they are now a “Meet and Greet” provider. This means that you have to physically be at the Disney Resort to pick up your equipment in person.

This was not a Buena Vista Scooter Rentals choice, but one that Disney brought in. I’m not sure why they did this, but I suspect it was capacity at the various resorts. This is a shame for guests relying on being able to access ECVs (and other rental equipment such as wheelchairs and strollers) from Buena Vista Rentals easily on their vacation.

Sadly over the years, Disney has made certain changes which we as guests are not always happy about, and this is one of them.

Buena Vista Rentals say “[Buena Vista Rentals] has built our reputation on an extreme attention to detail, exceptional equipment quality and, above all, unmatched customer service. We intend to navigate this new process with those key components in mind and continue to serve and assist you all.”

We have always had impeccable service from them and I will continue to recommend them as a place to hire from when in Orlando.

Now, our original plan for today was to dump our luggage at the resort and head over the Epcot to catch the last couple of days at the Festival of the Arts (FotA).

However, with the issue with the car and having to phone them then wait for them to replace it we didn’t want to go very far.

With hindsight, we probably could have gone to Epcot using Disney Transport, but I’ll level with you – using an ECV on the buses is not an experience I particularly enjoy. And while we could have gone via boat from WL to Magic Kingdom, and then caught the Monorail to the Transport and Ticket Center (TTC) to catch another Monorail to Epcot it was just too much stress I didn’t need on top of an already stressful start to the vacation!

So instead we decided we would hang out at Wilderness Lodge because it’s a gorgeous resort, and visit FotA tomorrow instead.

That means I can take you on a little photo tour of the resort!

Let’s start with the back view of the main lodge building – I adore everything about this resort from the architecture to the flowers and plants to the little Disney touches here an there.

Has it always been called Copper Creek Falls here? I can’t recall, but it is a little waterfall that comes from a stream that starts inside Wilderness Lodge itself and flows down towards the main swimming pool (Disney Magic!)

The main swimming pool (now called Copper Creeks Springs Pool) is in front of the view above, but no photos of that I’m afraid. Behind the pool is a geyser that erupts every hour which is really cool.

There used to be a bar next to the main pool but that has been removed and instead, they have added Salon by the Springs – where you can get a range of treatments including manicures and pedicures and even get your hair done!

It feels weird to have it right there by the pool but it’s a nice addition as other Deluxe Disney Resorts have got spa services.

For food and drinks, you have to either go to Roaring Fork or to the new (at the time) Geyser Point Bar & Grill. We got our dinner from Geyser Point so will talk more about that later.

The buffalo topiaries that used to sit at the front of the building near the parking lot have been relocated inside the resort midway between the main pool and the new pool area.

The following bunch of photographs are of the new area that they developed for Copper Creek Villas and Cabins. They actually started that back in 2015 when they re-imagined the [old DVC] swimming pool. We were actually staying here when that was going on and got a nice refund of part of our trip for the inconvenience!

All the new parts of the resort look great, and with tons of great theming – which is something that Disney does very well indeed.

The new pool is called Boulder Ridge Cove Pool and is nearer to the DVC Boulder Ridge Villas. It is open to all guests staying at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, not just DVC Members – the same is said for Copper Creek Springs Pool.

This whole new area is themed like an old mining town with lots of interesting features! This is what takes Disney Resorts to the next level (in my humble opinion) the story behind everything that you see.

Reunion Station (which we didn’t venture into) is a creative space for Disney Vacation Club Members and their guests. An array of workshops are available here (for an extra fee) including wine tasting, phone photography, and cake decorating.

Wilderness Lodge sits by Bay Lake and there are several recreational activities you can partake in including boat rentals and fishing excursions! We had hoped to try out a spot of fishing on this trip but alas we didn’t get around to it.

We then took a wander to see the new Copper Creek Villas which looked very nice. Perhaps we’ll stay here on a future trip!

Please Share This Post!