Wilderness Lodge feature pool rehab completed

[Rinx]

@MarkTwain I completely agree with you in all regards and am disappointed as well. This is how they keep they're profits rolling high. Spend low, charge high. They figure most people would not know the difference as to what a true deluxe resort should look like anyway so they can indeed get away with it.

 

[MinnieM123]

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.

Ugh. Disappointed to hear that they put that fence down the middle of that (once lovely . . .) boardwalk.

 

[alissafalco]

Ugh. Disappointed to hear that they put that fence down the middle of that (once lovely . . .) boardwalk.

This I don't understand as well. This is the only thing I can say I don't like about the refurb. What's the point of that fence in the middle of the boardwalk?

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

This I don't understand as well. This is the only thing I can say I don't like about the refurb. What's the point of that fence in the middle of the boardwalk?

Looks like it's to separate the pool area from the main Boardwalk. Because there is pool access from that walkway, the choice was either to close/dead end the geyser walk, eliminate pool access from that direction, or put a fence down the middle to restrict access to the pool.

If you look in the pic from @MarkTwain you can see the stairs that lead down to the pool deck. And, of course, because it's a pool fence, it's required to be a certain height which then makes it stick out because it's much higher than the walkway railings.

So there is a reason for its existence. But I agree it doesn't really mesh with the surroundings as well as it could.

 

[alissafalco]

Looks like it's to separate the pool area from the main Boardwalk. Because there is pool access from that walkway, the choice was either to close/dead end the geyser walk, eliminate pool access from that direction, or put a fence down the middle to restrict access to the pool.



If you look in the pic from @MarkTwain you can see the stairs that lead down to the pool deck. And, of course, because it's a pool fence, it's required to be a certain height which then makes it stick out because it's much higher than the walkway railings.

So there is a reason for its existence. But I agree it doesn't really mesh with the surroundings as well as it could.

Ok, makes sense now, but I cant help to think they could have come up with some other alternative. They could have just put a gate at that opening, not closing it off, and leaving the boardwalk alone.

 

[Horizons1]

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?

Oh, you can't keep us out. And this fence is hideous. It runs in the middle of the boardwalk. Absolutely horrid. Another terrible design choice by the tasteless at TDO.

 

[KCheatle]

I think it all looks very nice! I really do love the new children's area. I would consider this our "home" resort (even though we aren't DVC members), but we were going to give Beach Club a try next time because of it's pool. Now I might be a little more torn because I think my kiddos would really enjoy the new kids' section???

 

[Stryker]

Looks very nice to me, I like it all. Looking forward to checking it out on our October trip this year.

 

[Luvmydisney]

Does anyone know if one of the hot tubs is considered a "family" hot tub which has lower temperatures? We experienced one of these at another resort recently and thought it would be fantastic at all the Disney resorts!

 

[bethymouse]

Most hot tubs are family oriented. There must be parent supervision however. But, the new "play/splash" area was made for kids, not the hot tubs.

 

[Luvmydisney]

Most hot tubs are family oriented. There must be parent supervision however. But, the new "play/splash" area was made for kids, not the hot tubs.

Thanks for the info. I'm sure my kids would much prefer the splash/play area but since we are headed down the first week of December, I don't know if the weather would make that usable for us. However, sitting in a family hot tub for a few minutes with my kids at the end of a park day sounds heavenly!

 

[SnarkyMonkey]

As I said, I think it all looks fine. I agree with the above poster who says that it is a safety fence. It has to be quite large. So, no matter how they gussy it up, it will still be quite noticeable. But I think safety is important and have no idea how Disney got away with no fences around pools for this long.

I will say that the boardwalk fence looks strange. Perhaps if they just raise the rails on either side of the safety fence so that all three are the same height, it would look better. And perhaps get rid of the chicken wire. What the heck is that for?

 

[ToTBellHop]

As I said, I think it all looks fine. I agree with the above poster who says that it is a safety fence. It has to be quite large. So, no matter how they gussy it up, it will still be quite noticeable. But I think safety is important and have no idea how Disney got away with no fences around pools for this long.

I will say that the boardwalk fence looks strange. Perhaps if they just raise the rails on either side of the safety fence so that all three are the same height, it would look better. And perhaps get rid of the chicken wire. What the heck is that for?

So tiny toddlers can't sneak through?

 

[Horizons1]

As I said, I think it all looks fine. I agree with the above poster who says that it is a safety fence. It has to be quite large. So, no matter how they gussy it up, it will still be quite noticeable. But I think safety is important and have no idea how Disney got away with no fences around pools for this long.

Easy. At one time guests were intelligent enough that Disney didn't have to baby them to keep them safe. Common sense and brains were once a thing.

 

[SnarkyMonkey]

So tiny toddlers can't sneak through?

There are lots of ways to accomplish this without using chicken wire?

Easy. At one time guests were intelligent enough that Disney didn't have to baby them to keep them safe. Common sense and brains were once a thing.

I meant from a legal perceptive. There are many places where fences are legally required around a pool. Wasn't trying to enter into a philosophical conversation about our times.

 

[ToTBellHop]

There are lots of ways to accomplish this without using chicken wire?

They probably thought this was less distracting than building a fence with vertical wooden slats about 3 inches apart. The current fence, if you allow your eyes to fall out of focus, looks pretty similar to the fences on either side of the bridge, just a little taller. I would argue a completely different fence structure would be more distracting. Of course, the best move would have been to redo the whole area and its walkways, but that would have cost a lot more and likely would have led to a further loss of the charm of the area in favor of large paved walkways. Could've been better, could've been worse.

 

[gdrj]

I think your pictures and point of view do show some inconsistencies in the refurb. I like the animals that are on the fence gates but do agree that the fence clashes as pictured below. The walkway looks to be cramped near the hot tub and geyser as well.

Sometimes this created a very obvious disjointedness where two types of fencing clashed together:

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):

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.

[/takes off curmudgeon hat]

 

[Horizons1]

There are lots of ways to accomplish this without using chicken wire?



I meant from a legal perceptive. There are many places where fences are legally required around a pool. Wasn't trying to enter into a philosophical conversation about our times.

There is no philosophical conversation to be had. People at WDW today are dumber than they were in 1994. That's a fact.

 

[ToTBellHop]

There is no philosophical conversation to be had. People at WDW today are dumber than they were in 1994. That's a fact.

It's an opinion supported by extensive anecdotal evidence. Although I might argue the issue is more that guests today (people today, at large) feel more entitled and are therefore entitled to money in exchange for their stupidity. It used to be that common sense was more the law of the land and those without common sense got laughed at while they had egg on their faces. Now they get payouts and MSNBC interviews.

 

[SnarkyMonkey]

They probably thought this was less distracting than building a fence with vertical wooden slats about 3 inches apart. The current fence, if you allow your eyes to fall out of focus, looks pretty similar to the fences on either side of the bridge, just a little taller. I would argue a completely different fence structure would be more distracting. Of course, the best move would have been to redo the whole area and its walkways, but that would have cost a lot more and likely would have led to a further loss of the charm of the area in favor of large paved walkways. Could've been better, could've been worse.

I think they could have made it look like the fence on either side of it and still made it within the regulations of a pool fence.

There is no philosophical conversation to be had. People at WDW today are dumber than they were in 1994. That's a fact.

This really has nothing to do with the conversation I was having about finding it odd the pools everyone don't have fences around them for safety.