Wilderness Lodge feature pool rehab completed

WDWtraveler

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
During the fall of 2014, the feature pool area at the Wilderness Lodge was closed for an extensive rehab. Following are photos of this completed work which now includes new wooden walkways to the geyser and the boat dock, two new hot tubs, and a children's water play area. The entire pool area is now fenced and gated also. Photos as of Thursday, Jan 29.

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FrankLapidus

Well-Known Member
Not a fan of the fences personally although I can understand the reasoning behind installing them. Just a minor quibble. That said, the work that's been done looks great. I was lucky enough to stay at the Lodge a few years ago and it really is an incredible hotel. Having seen the building site it was in October, the finished product looks absolutely terrific.
 

SnarkyMonkey

Well-Known Member
I think it looks great. I wouldn't have realized that the fences weren't always there if someone hadn't pointed it out...and I love staying here so I'm not stranger to WL.
 

The Visionary Soul

Well-Known Member
I'm gonna just point out that the two hot tubs are not new by any means, nor is the wooden walkway. They "enhanced" the wooden walkway by slicing it in half in a section near the bar, but the walkway has always been there.

I am not a huge fan of the new fences, however they aren't that horribly ugly, so to me, it's sort of a wash. It could have looked a ton worse. Expect the same fencing thing to happen to any pool that goes under a refurbishment in the future.
 

George

Liker of Things
Premium Member
During the fall of 2014, the feature pool area at the Wilderness Lodge was closed for an extensive rehab. Following are photos of this completed work which now includes new wooden walkways to the geyser and the boat dock, two new hot tubs, and a children's water play area. The entire pool area is now fenced and gated also. Photos as of Thursday, Jan 29.

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Thanks for posting. That looks awesome.
 

dstrawn9889

Well-Known Member
The fencing looks like its just to keep kids out of the pool areas unless they are accompanied. Any thoughts on how hard they would be to convert to Magic Band swipey to keep out pool crashers?
110v to the gate location and data. a std 'mouse' doorknob, and a magnetic catch, like the fire doors have
 

MarkTwain

Well-Known Member
I guess I'll be "that guy" and be first to give a curmudgeony response.

We stopped by the Wilderness Lodge in early January to see how the resort was doing for our upcoming visit this year, and were shocked to see what they'd done to it. Of course the hot tubs, geyser, and pool features pictured here are lovely, but those are mostly unaltered from how they've been since 1994.

The most recent changes, aside from the play area (and with no kids in our party we didn't see this as much of an upgrade), are almost entirely detrimental to the resort. The fence looked as if Disney had purchased the cheapest metal fencing they could find at Home Depot, and tacked it onto the existing theming in the easiest way possible. Sometimes this created a very obvious disjointedness where two types of fencing clashed together:

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Sometimes the fence was run right through existing landscaping, cutting flowerbeds in half with little regard for how the fence met the ground (and at a resort known principally for its landscaping, this is very disappointing):

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And the boardwalk that passed between the hot tubs and geyser, which used to be one of the most pleasant strolls in a Disney resort, is now cut down the middle by a tall fence which doesn't match the guardrail on either side. It was so cheap-looking I would have sworn it was only temporary, there for the duration of construction, but by the sounds of things it's here to stay.

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Perhaps I'm being overly-critical, but I love this resort the way many here seem to love the Poly, and find it equally (if not more-so) beautifully themed. It's a shame that the Wilderness Lodge is allowed to be modified with such cheap fixtures when the design work from over twenty years ago set such a high standard of theming. A resort designed so carefully around landscaping, and creating a beautiful, naturalistic environment, deserves much better in my opinion.

[/takes off curmudgeon hat]
 
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