Review: Copper Creek’s Cascade Cabins at Wilderness Lodge
Now, the complaints. My first is the backstory. It’s unnecessarily convoluted, to the point that it gets in the way of itself. Since Wilderness Lodge opened, it has had a railroad motif. Perfectly fine, as that fits perfectly with the history of many U.S. National Park lodges.
Now, that motif has been expanded, with a whole timeline built around the Transcontinental Railroad. On this timeline, Boulder Ridge is set in the late 1800s, Wilderness Lodge the early 1900s, and Copper Creek in present-day.
With regard to Copper Creek in particular, the story is that a former mining town and quarry has been repurposed as a resort. Wow, what a shock to see this ‘repurposed space’ trope rear its ugly head once again. Therein lies the rub…
A hotel themed to a National Park lodge can have railroad motifs without some garbage about being set in present day or repurposed. Many National Park lodges were built by…wait for it…railroad barons!
They were constructed to lure affluent East Coasters west, with an extensive “See America First” advertising campaign to attract those who would otherwise visit Europe to see the great mountains and other sights of the American West and Pacific.
So many grandiose National Park lodges that were built over a century ago still exist today, and that’s in large part thanks to railroads! These lodges have been maintained, not repurposed, and continue to attract guests. Given that Wilderness Lodge was inspired by turn-of-the-century National Park lodges, why is all of this other nonsense necessary? (It’s not.)
This is an issue to me for a couple of reasons. First, the best of Walt Disney World is idealized. Repurposed spaces have their place, namely where Imagineering has been boxed into a corner, and needs to quickly convert an area into something else–Downtown Disney to Disney Springs is a good example of this. For the most part, though, it’s better to romanticize something than make it a run-down place that was fixed up.
This segues into my other concern…what’s the theme here? I get the conceit: repurposed resort that was previously a blighted mining operation after the railroad dried up. However, that makes resort area the “theme.” So, it’s themed to itself? How on earth is that better or more transportive than the much more straightforward choice of making this themed to the heyday of National Park lodges? (Again, it’s not.)
This might seem like a minor complaint. Most guests only glean a more impressionistic sense of theme, and that’s still that Wilderness Lodge represents a National Park lodge. However, more astute fans will notice the repurposed elements, and Imagineers have already done their publicity circuit patting themselves on the back over what is, frankly, a backstory that’s misguided and pointless at best. (End that rant.)
In a thematic sense, I’m not at all bothered by the presence of the Cascade Cabins at Wilderness Lodge. For me, this is more logical than putting bungalows over the murky water of the Seven Seas Lagoon (at a resort that is not really themed to Bora Bora). I’ve been to numerous National Park lodges that have satellite buildings and cabins outside of the main hall.
The scenario there often mirrors that at Wilderness Lodge: the main building’s popularity outgrew capacity, and they needed a solution to sell more rooms. The expansion at Wilderness Lodge reminds me a lot of Lake MacDonald Lodge in Glacier National Park, which is one of my favorite National Park lodges. The difference there is that it’s usually more prestigious to stay in the main lodge, with the price reflecting that. Here…not so much.
My biggest criticism of this whole waterfront cabin project at Wilderness Lodge, and one that I’ve seen echoed by many other Disney Vacation Club members, is that it ravaged the secluded atmosphere that made Wilderness Lodge so attractive. A ton of old growth trees were removed during construction, and there’s a lot of open space now that was once old growth vegetation.
Arguably, this was a defining characteristic of Wilderness Lodge, and the Copper Creek construction really hurt it. This was a big concern going in, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much has already been replanted. There are numerous saplings around the cabins, and effort has clearly been made to restore at least some of the character and charm that this area used to enjoy.
A couple of problems still remain in this regard. As noted, the trees that have been planted are saplings, and it’ll be a good 5+ years before they even start to fill in the shore and other areas that were part of the construction zone.
That’s a long time to wait, and in the meantime, there’s a sense of ‘newness’ to this area between the young trees and freshly-built walkways that feels very incongruous with Wilderness Lodge. Still, not a huge complaint as that’s something time will fix.
My other complaint is one I view to be more significant, and that’s the gigantic walkways around the pool area and Geyser Point. I don’t know whose idea this was, or why they are so wide, but these are really bad.
In some places, the walkway is literally wider than parts of World Showcase during Food & Wine Festival. This is about the antithesis of a secluded place in the wilderness, feeling instead more like something that was deforested to make way for a railroad. (So, perhaps it is on theme?)
Having already ranted about the backstory (that probably doesn’t even matter to most people), I hesitate to even bring up this issue, as it’s the type of thing some people latch onto as being nit-picky. The reality is that most guests won’t care, and “the walkways are too wide to be on-theme” is a meme-worthy type of critique. However, from my perspective, it’s also an accurate one.
When it comes to theme, the devil is in the details, and this is exactly the type of thing that makes a difference to guests, even if subconsciously. These gigantic walkways create a very different type of mood in this area of Wilderness Lodge. So, laugh if you will, but I maintain that this was a glaring mistake.
The biggest upside to Copper Creek is that it adds more to enjoy at Walt Disney World’s best (or second-best) resort. This might seem like an odd comparison, but it strikes me as the Star Wars: The Force Awakens of resort expansions.
Both gives fans a chance for new experiences within an old favorite, and even if they don’t really bring a ton that’s new to the table, they’re also pretty harmless. (Note that your opinion of Star Wars sequels won’t necessary parallel your opinion of this Wilderness Lodge ‘sequel.’ 😉 )
The new Boulder Ridge Cove Pool area is nicely done, much like the Oasis Pool at the Polynesian.
It’s spacious, features cabana-like spaces (on a first-come basis), and has some nice features.
Basically, Copper Creek’s strengths are that it adds a new waterfront bar, an improved pool, facilitates the refurbishment of facilities elsewhere, and adds a new style of accommodations that are surprisingly appealing. It’s unfortunate that we’ll have to wait a decade for the area to ‘recover’ from the construction, but it’s better than irreparable harm.
Some ham-fisted decisions were made with regard to the backstory, but those (thankfully) are not overtly reflected in the design all that much. The expansion of Wilderness Lodge could’ve been done better, but if recent Disney Vacation Club expansion is any indication, it also could’ve been far worse. Wilderness Lodge still ranks as one of our top resorts at Walt Disney World (DVC or otherwise), and Copper Creek will only get better with age.
If you’re thinking about joining DVC, be sure to read our Ultimate Guide to Disney Vacation Club. This covers the pros & cons, resale v. direct, how much money you’ll save, and other important things to know before taking the plunge. If you still can’t decide whether membership is right for you, “try before you buy” with the recommendations in How to Save BIG on Deluxe Disney Accommodations Renting DVC Points.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What are your thoughts about the Cascade Cabins at Wilderness Lodge? If you’re a member, would you consider staying in these cabins, or do you think they’re overpriced? Have any additional thoughts about the Boulder Ridge/Copper Creek expansion? Any questions about DVC? Hearing your feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts or questions below in the comments!
After buying into DVC three years ago, we are finally staying at our home resort of Boulder Ridge Villas. We don’t have a before Copper Canyons vs post Copper Canyons perspective that will lead some to be disappointed to an extent. All I can say is that we were very impressed with the resort in total, and the Western lodge theme rings loud and true to us, giant sidewalks notwithstanding. Of particular significance was the boat transportation to Magic Kingdom. At the end of the day catching a boat to Wilderness Lodge appeared to be much less problematic than catching buses or the Monorail. For me personally, it is my favorite resort that we have stayed at so far – in comparison to Bay Lake Tower, Saratoga Springs, Boardwalk, Grand Californian and Animal Kingdom.
We finally got back to WDW, with a stay at Copper Creek split between the villas and cabins. I felt the cabins were gorgeous (read all about it above), if a bit inefficiently designed from a sleeping standpoint. The master bedroom has an overly-large California king bed, while the second (and too small ) bedroom doesn’t even have a queen or two double beds. And while Disney says the unit can sleep eight people, have fun moving the way too heavy coffee table every night/morning to set up and put away the sleeper sofa. If the kitchen area was just a few feet smaller (there is a ton of wasted space that of course looks amazing!), then perhaps the second bedroom could accommodate a queen bed. The Cascade Cabins just aren’t optimized for couples travelling together, as one will get the short straw and a bed that doesn’t work so well for two adults who are used to a little more mattress space. The pull-out couch works well for kids, as does the pull-down bed (just make sure they watch their heads at night to avoid a nasty bump!). The cabins are ultimately optimized for families of 4, with the (small) kids comfortably situated in the second bedroom and the parents in the amazing master.
Sleeping arrangements aside, my favorite part of the cabin was the back porch. Just an absolutely serene space to sit and look out on Bay Lake while listening to the Disney soundtrack.
I just stayed for two nights, the bed in the guest bedroom is a queen bed. My brother, his wife and 8 year old stayed in the guest bedroom. My parents stayed in the master and myself and a friend “roughed” it in the living room. My brother, who is 5’9″ and about 250 lbs ended up staying on the twin bed. in the guest room.
Spot on about that coffee table. It is heavy, but it was doable. Still, we opened both the queen sofa and the single sleeper, and with both beds open, it was tight. Still loved it though. Would do it again in a heart beat.
The photos inside are Gorgeous! The more I read articles like this the more I want to stay in Every resort! It looks so magical. #waltlife #disneylove #waltlifeboxes
I’m sure I’ll never stay in one of the cabins, but I appreciate getting the peek inside.
I was also concerned about the thinning of trees before my visit last month, but it really wasn’t an issue. I still feel the Lodge has kept it’s secluded feel, and the young trees they’ve planted extensively will take it to new levels in short time. Pines actually grow fairly fast.
My wife & I noted the larger walkways and assumed they were done that way for fire access. Either way, we didn’t see the extra space as a positive or a negative. But I understand your argument against the added size.
My biggest takeaway from our Boulder Ridge Villa stay was the unbelievably awesome addition of Geyser Point Bar & Grill as well as the very, very solid upgrade of the pool next door. Those combined areas now constitute my favorite area of real estate in all of Walt Disney World, and have vaulted the Wilderness Lodge into position as my favorite WDW Resort, hands down.
Amazing job by Disney!!
This post is definitely giving me vacation envy and a new hotel experience to add to my bucket list. Thanks!
I too really wish they just continued with the national park theme instead of the railroad theme. Given how overcrowded national parks have been in recent years, I’m not the only one who loves them :-).
You discuss theme in this post quite a bit. I would love to see a future post about attractions in the park fitting into the theme of their lands (for example, while I like Monsters Inc at Disney CA I don’t think it is thematically appropriate for Hollywood land -although with changes to hollywood tower I expect a re-theming of the entire land of some sort anyways).
Another thing to note. At night… There doesn’t seem to be any privacy in the living room areas. I don’t see any type of blinds to pull down. People on the boats can see everything going on in the cabins. There should at least be some blinds for the big windows.
There are huge, two-layer shades that you control with a switch next to the lights. We slept in the living room, and it was pitch black in there thanks to those. 🙂
I have to agree with the destruction of the trees to make all this happen. The seclusion of the lodge has been destroyed in the process. They seem to be moving away from a truly themed set of designs to make everything open and ‘airy’ to an extreme. I do agree that it may grow back but that will take 10+ years to return to the way it was. When they first built the lodge they didn’t cut down all the trees of old growth around the lake areas like they did this time. As a developer myself I can tell you that it makes the work much harder with the equipment when the large trees are still on the property. But it is a much better environment once you work around them and have them still there after.
I also agree on the totally unnecessary walkways. The over exaggeration of them also makes more reflection of the sun in the summer making the walk from building to building hotter where as before when the tree canopy there was a nice cool breeze.
“When they first built the lodge they didn’t cut down all the trees of old growth around the lake areas like they did this time.”
Sadly, it’s no surprise that they did things differently this time. While I think the quality of the construction is quite high, modern Disney looking for ways to cut corners and lower costs is still no shock.
I’m not sure have the backstory correct. As I understood it, it is a repurposed CAMP – the cabins were where management lived, the “rooms” were dorms for the workers. The pool was the quarry, and so on. As presented, they didn’t polish up a resort – they made one from the work camp.
Now – is it any less convoluted? Not really, and it certainly requires more than 10 seconds to explain.
The quarry would be the pool, and the other buildings part of the camp that worked it (so I guess, the cabins were barracks and Geyser Point was a mess hall?). They polished up that and turned it into a resort. Sorry if I wasn’t clear about that.
I know there’s a lot more to it than that, but that level of story is superfluous when it could’ve just continued to be themed to “National Park lodge.”
My wife and I got a private tour of the cabins. Like the poly bungalows they are nice but the price is out of whack. Of you could get a few families to chip in with their DVC points it would be more reasonable.
It would be magical to have an upgrade to these. Hehe 🙂
The too-wide walkways are also one of my complaints after the Poly refurb. The paths throughout the Poly were widened, though primarily on the DVC side. As you point out, this detracts from the ambiance and the theme of the area (whether tropical or western).
One reason for this, I believe, was to provide required access for fire and emergency equipment to the Bungalows. I’m guessing this may be the same case at the Wilderness Lodge? Either way, there has to be a better solution, because the pathways are incongruous with the rest of the resort.
Someone in our party suggested the same about vehicle access (be it emergency ones, or Disney’s own maintenance and other vehicles). Assuming it’s true (and I think that’s a big assumption), I think your point about a better solution is accurate.
In the case of Wilderness Lodge, there are access points from the parking lots adjacent to the cabins, meaning the widest portions of the walkways *could* be located there or from an out-of-the-way backstage area. Instead, the largest area of walkway is in the middle of the resort, near Geyser Point and it fans out from there. There’s also a lot Imagineering could’ve done to minimize the look of the walkways, be it with a tree canopy, or something (anything).
The cabins looks majestic. I don’t know if it was your photos or if the place is actually that majestic, but I kept scrolling back to look at them. They truly look like the perfect melding of modern styles with a rustic backstory, as you mentioned. Those beautiful woods used all over for different furniture give the cabins a wonderful, timeless quality. (I hope they used the good woods, rather than just painting over cheap woods).
This is one of the most beautiful hotel rooms I’ve ever seen. But I’m with you, the price tag is too high for me to stomach, even for special occasions. I feel like I could only justify it if it was my last day on Earth.
Thanks for the kind words, but if anything, I think my photos don’t do the cabins justice. In fact, the reason there are some night photos is because I was so displeased with my daytime ones. I packed my flash away in my luggage (which was being transferred from Pop Century), so some of the shots left a lot to be desired.
As for the actual quality, it’s incredibly high. The furniture is incredibly sturdy (downright HEAVY) at times, and this came as quite a surprise to us. It seems like DVC cheaped out with Bay Lake Tower when it was built, and has been paying the price sense (I feel like that resort has more problems with damage than any other). Since BLT, I’ve noticed a distinct improvement in quality across new DVC resorts.
Haven’t seen the new construction myself, but from those pictures, your critiques of Copper Creek’s thematic impact are spot on. I recognize that reaction because it’s come up regarding many recent DVC expansions:
-BLT (I’m surprisingly okay with the look of it, but it clearly detracts from CR’s signature A-frame and original symmetry)
-Kidani (Great on the inside, but why does a huge section of the exterior look like an unthemed military bunker? In the front when approaching it, no less?)
-GF (the new building looks awful compared to the original structures – it’s oversized, blocky, and missing some of architectural queues that give GF its charm)
-Poly (your criticism of the new walkways at WL is exactly how I felt outside the Great Ceremonial House. The beach is also ruined for those who aren’t in the bungalows)
This is an awful ratio, as Disney knew how to do better (Boulder Creek, BCV) but sacrificed thematic integrity for construction efficiencies and capacity. It’s too bad, because some of us have noticed, and it’s increasingly drained the magic and immersion from these resorts.
Agreed on most of those. I think that the good news here is that the biggest problem is one that’ll slowly heal over time. Conversely, Grand Floridian is not going to get windows on the sides of the building or additional lattice work, and Bay Lake Tower is never going to decrease in height so that it doesn’t take away from the A-frame.
So if anything, the silver lining is that this has been the least destructive DVC expansion since pre-Kidani–at least in the long term.
Curious if you could hear the horns from the boats at night when you were in the cabin. We stayed at WL in June, right before these opened, and the boat captains commented that they sounded their horns up until 11 pm or so (in the summer). I felt like that could be fairly disruptive to the cabins. Overall I thought they looked good, though.
I never heard the boats, but our room was the second from the last cabin on the far side away from the boats. We were actually farther away from the dock than many rooms would be in the main building.
We were at Boulder Ridge last week. Our room overlooked the new cabins. They looked very nice. But the horns from the boats are loud and long and every time we took the boat to/from MK we commented on how aggravating it would be if we spent the money to stay at those cabins only to hear those horns every 20 minutes or so. Especially if we had kids whose sleep was disturbed after busy park days. We could hear them in our room at Boulder Ridge.