Isn't Wilderness Lodge a knockoff of Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn complete with a faux Old Faithful?
I'm amused at the Disney colored glasses folk see thru around here sometimes.
When it opened, Disney's Wilderness Lodge was said to be fashioned after the great wilderness lodges of the National Parks, and particularly reminiscent of the Northwest and Yosemite. So, although I do not think that they mentioned a specific lodge, it would seem appropriate that one in Yosemite at Old Faithful might serve as a design reference point.
If you know my posts, including the last sentence jab in the one you quote at Disney's ridiculous prices for its deluxe hotels, you will note that my view of Disney is not always rose-colored. I am usually one wanting them to go back to the detail that they used to put into everything to mix an authentic feel and look with modern needs, which I do feel that they did well at WL. I usually lament their more modern cost-cutting. What I was saying above was simply that the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg looks like it took its design cues from Disney (as an oversized family wilderness lodge) except that some of the characteristics of it were a little more "cheesy" (by which I meant something perhaps more kid-friendly or cheaply made -- sort of like how Chuck E. Cheese compares to the Country Bear Jamboree or scenes in Splash Mountain) than Disney's Wilderness Lodge, which, while in the family-friendly resort of WDW, was designed with a great deal of period and local detail, including planting of specific trees not native to Florida, and with a grand lobby and fine restaurants designed for and serving specialties of the Pacific Northwest (along with the more family-friendly ones, including Whispering Canyon, itself serving food appropriate for the lodge atmosphere). It was simply the attention to detail, even in mimicking the National Parks lodges, for which I was comparing the more kid-friendly GWL.
I did, however, note that the GWL out-did Disney on activities for kids and families at the resort itself, although, as others have mentioned it might be interesting to see how this goes in the Orlando market, where people tend to have tickets for a park that take them away from their room and less likely to need activities at the resort. On the other hand, I kind of feel like Orlando is such a broad tourist market that even places like the GWL with find people coming that are not necessarily out to a theme park all day every day. Even the Disney resorts have people who stay back at the room at any given time. And, of course, some families who might prefer the pool for some fun rather than standing in long lines at the theme parks every day. So, in that respect it might have some competition for Disney's water parks, which require more driving, parking, and money -- as opposed to having the water park in your hotel -- where kids can go while, say grandma, relaxes in her room and dad does some shopping. The only way I could see it done better is to tie the GWL with a Bass Pro Shop!
