Reviews of Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge (Disney Vacation Club)
Reviewed by pcdisneylover Review Date: 12/18/2021
Rating: (10) Recommended
me and my family stayed here over spring break and we loved it. lots of room and loved the pool and it wasn’t to busy either. we took the busses to magic kingdom and it was 3 minutes
Pros:
lots of space, good pool, not busy, quick transportation to magic kingdomCons:
noneReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 10/22/2021
Rating: (10) Recommended
this is my families favorite resort. even before we became dvc members we would stay at wildness. having a sperate area for dvc is really nice and the rooms are so cozy. maybe it’s because it’s an older resort but the one-bedrooms feel so big which is really nice.
Pros:
the rooms are big and gorgeousCons:
might feel a little run down sometimesReviewed by kardon95 Review Date: 04/06/2021
Rating: (10) Recommended
Gorgeous and wonderfully themed and immersive resort. The addition of Geyser Point, walkway and seating by the lakefront and the update to the "bubble pool" (villa pool) have made this resort our clear favorite.
Pros:
From the spring starting IN the lobby to the geyser by the pool to the pine trees and log cabin accents you may think you are actually at a lodge in the west. Great food options from Roaring Fork (quick service) to Whispering Canyon (Fabulous BBQ) to Geyser Point (waterfront lounge and bites). Beautiful pools and lovely rooms. Even rooms at the far end of the resorts are still only a short walk from the amenities and the lobby. Water taxi to MK and the MK resorts and Fort Wilderness too.Cons:
Would love to have a convertible chair or pull down bed in the 1 bedroom.Reviewed by Suzy Review Date: 10/02/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
In 2010 we rented a Studio and loved it!! Loved the theming of the resort and the staff were friendly and helpful. Our room was comfortable and loved the common area to sit for some quiet time. On one rainy day, we ordered food and sat with the extended family to eat together. Fun! Very convenient to have the kitchenette in the room. We ordered water, breakfast items and snacks to have on hand. The pools were clean and a refreshing. Loved having the option of taking the bus or the boat for transportation. Heading back shortly and can’t wait to see the renovations that were completed.
Pros:
Theming, beautiful resort, boat or bus transportation, friendly staffCons:
Only complaint is that for a Deluxe, not on the MonorailReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/27/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
absolutly beautiful resort with an amazing Staff. Disney turned a bad experience into an awesome vacation. Bell boy turned our ice chest onto the cart by accident. Disney repaced all our food that was ruined plus some. than on day 4 had an accident . broke foot fell in showe. staff bent over backwards to made the remainder of our trip magical. gave us fast pases so we would not have to wait in the heat with a broken foot. I cant say enough about the place. Whispering canyon cafe was amazing. we will come back here in future. i rate it a 10
Pros:
good food friendly staff and amazing duty general managers as a hold. beautiful resortCons:
only issue if i have to pick one would be buses due to handicap scooters had to wait over an hour on some daysReviewed by spunkyfunk Review Date: 11/03/2017
Rating: (10) Recommended
We stayed at Boulder Creek in a dedicated 2 bedroom villa (room 5537) for 6 nights in August 2017 as a prelude to our cruise on the Disney Dream.
We were DVC members staying on points and this was our first time staying at BCV. We have stayed at other DVC resorts and typically make AKL - Kidani Village our choice but we decided to switch it up and give the Wilderness Lodge a try.
Our group consisted of my husband and I our two boys (14 and 12) and 75 yr old Mother.
I'm so glad we did. Here are the things we loved about it.
1. Atmosphere/Layout
Our villa faced the lake and the Boulder Creek pool and it was pretty quiet there. If you wanted to join in on pool activities you could go over to the CC pool which was a very short walk away. I felt like there were plenty of spaces to explore but none were too far away to be inconvenient.
2. Activities
We rented bikes and rode to Fort Wilderness stables and around the camping loops. The ride was so nice and we had a good time exploring. We also rented searays (small boats) and that was highlight of the trip for my 12 yr old who was old enough to drive his own. The pool areas were very nice and well maintained. Several shady cabana type areas available. We also took advantage of roasting marshmallows at the fire pit on a few occasions as well as hung out waiting for the Geyser to erupt on the hour.
3. Geyser Point Grill and Territory Lounge
We made use of both the Geyser Point Grill and the Territory Lounge several times during our trip. Cast members were friendly and the menu was good. GPG had a very relaxing respite from the sun. I loved the décor of the Territory Lounge and they had good local beers to try. We also made our way to the raucously wonderful Whispering Canyon Café and our server did not disappoint.
4. Common area in the Boulder Ridge Section
There were fun little places to gather and play board games or wait for others to meet up.
We did not make a lot of use of the buses since we had a rental car that made travel to parks/Disney Springs or other resorts easy. We did take the bus to the Magic Kingdom and it was a quick short ride. WL is so close to the Magic Kingdom it made sense to use the bus.
My husband and I both agreed that we found a new favorite place to stay. Hope this helps anyone doing future planning. Boulder Creek was a big thumbs up for us.
Pros:
Geyser Point Grill / Quiet Atmosphere / Lots to doCons:
Buses to all theme parksReviewed by Fishfamily Review Date: 08/29/2017
Rating: (10) Recommended
We are DVC members, but renting the points was in the $1700 range. Boy is this place worth it! First you start with the theming, which is everything it's cracked up to be. The lobby is spectacular. Now it is true that being in Boulder Ridge you're a little disconnected from the main building, but it's a short walk over.
We ate breakfast at Whispering Canyon, that was a blast. We ate lunch at both Roaring Fork (good food, very pleasant dining area) and Geyser Point. Geyser Point is right on the water and it's spectacular, I wish I'd gone back for drinks at night but we were there in August and the heat was oppressive.
Having two pool options is great, the smaller pool was almost deserted and the showers are sparkling new.
The thing I underestimated about the Wilderness Lodge is proximity to the parks. I knew we would have the boat option to Magic Kingdom, and that was great, but they go to the Contemporary as well. And the bus rides to Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood studios were 15 minutes or less! That is a huge deal in the morning when you have excited kids or at night when everyone is tired. Pile on top of that that this is a deluxe hotel and there are fewer people at the bus stop (1st bus is yours and you get a seat) and the premium is easily justified.
One night we stayed outside for the movie and you could see the fireworks from MK and in true Disney style, they piped in the music. It was really special.
We've stayed at All Star movies, Port Orleans French Quarter, Animal Kingdom, Saratoga Springs and Boardwalk and the only one that comes close is AK. But the transport times for WL put it a cut above AK which has the long bus rides. This is a fantastic hotel. I can't wait to go again.
Pros:
Location, theming, poolsCons:
NoneReviewed by Michelle Norris 67 Review Date: 09/07/2016
Rating: (10) Recommended
Stayed in 2 deluxe studios first week of August. Absolutely loved it. Nice quiet place to get away from the bustle of the parks. The seating for the quick service has been expanded. Even though we were in close proximity to the construction, we were never bothered by the noise. Will definitely stay here again.
Pros:
Quiet, proximity to MKCons:
—Reviewed by John Review Date: 12/05/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
We love the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge. I always find the staff to be very courteous and helpful with any questions of problems that I might have. We have always found the rooms to be very clean and even though we normally arrive about 10:30AM we are able to get into our room right away. The only downside is that sometimes the bus service is a little slow.
Pros:
Great Ambiance and excellent StaffCons:
Bus serviceReviewed by slapps Review Date: 01/08/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
We stayed at a wilderness lodge studio on December 26th and 27th. We requested a room close to thenbus stop and first floor. We received both and we loved the decor. We are DVC members and our home resort is Old Key West, which has very large studios. We had a family of four and we had plenty of room. We loved it. We had great bus service and we did not ever have to wait long. I loved Wilderness and will stay there again. Beautiful resort and theme.
