When I drive around the bend and the gentleman at the little guardhouse says, "Welcome Home", I begin to cry with happiness! Then I see the Lodge and then a big grin gets plastered on my face for the duration of our stay.
I originally chose the WL because I don't like palm trees and didn't want to stay anyplace that looked like "Florida", and it sure doesn't. There are towering pines everywhere and the scncet in the air makes you think that if you look in the distance, your're sure to see a heard of buffalo grazing in the distance! The bell desk staff starts things off on the right foot with their smiles and courteous service and when you walk through the huge front doors, be sure to keep walking, as your tendancy is to stop and stare and pile ups have been known to occur!
The only complaint that I have is that the front desk staff is slow, no matter when you visit or who you get. I have never taken under 90 minutes to check in and one day it was 3 hours
. And then there are the mistakes, which have ranged from the key cards not working properly-such as the time I had to leave my daughter, then 11 at the front gate of the MK since her card wasn't set up to allow her into the parks!!
. They've messed up our reservations,not being able to find them despite my confirmation slips and I always seem to get someone "in training"! I am not one to be crabby to employees, but they really need to work on that one area of this resort.
We always ask for a room in the North Wing so that we can watch the otters in the pond and see some of the MK fierworks too, and it is so handy to the lobby, snack bar, pool and boat dock. The rooms are smaller than the other deluxe resorts, but the price is a bit lower too, so they balance out. Each time I see something new and make it a point to just spend sometime sitting in the lobby, looking at the carvings and the fireplace. Yes, Whispering Canyon is missnamed-it should be LOUD Canyon,as the place is neer quiet, but the food is plentiful and served in a unique fashion in tin pails. Be sure to tell your server if you really don't want any more food as they will just keep it coming and coming until you have to roll out of there! I love going to the Ladies Room just to listen to the wonderful music, which really sets the mood for the Lodge.Then there is Artist Point, a truly magnificent restaurant, which despite it's 4 star rating will even please your children.
I've felt comfortable letting my kids go to the gift shop or to pick up packages since they were 10 or so, as the size of the resort makes it much safer and easier to navigate. The pool slide isn't huge, but the kids love it and the way that the brook begins in the lobby and runs down to the pool is so clever (hint,the water is warmer where it runs into the pool!). There are two sides to the pool, with one being busier than the other, and a large "kiddie" wading pool for the toddlers. TWO hot tubs sit off to the side, one is a bit cooler than the other and there is almost always a hair-braiding stand near the pool where you can drop an easy $50 on your daughter's new hairdo! If the pool becomes too noisy and crowded, you can use the other pool at the Villas and their hot tub is even larger and never crowded. You can sit on a lounge on the beach and let your kids rent bikes to peddle over to Fort Wilderness. I did this the last time, holding the phone down to the water to bug my friends up north while they were suffering through an ice storm while I was "chilling" by the lake! On a rainy afternoon, you can visit the Villas via the covered walkway and sit and play a game from the ample stock of board games they keep on hand over there.
I am trying to plan another trip and despite my passing desire to stay at OKW(for it's relaxing atmosphere) I KNOW that we'll end up back at "home"-the Wilderness Lodge!