The Train Room - © Copyright 2010 by William Beem
You can probably tell from the fireplace grate that this was shot at Walt Disney World. It’s a good example of how wandering around and being accessible can help you find things you may have otherwise missed. The path to this location was very round-about, so please excuse me if I lose you for a moment along the way.
In 2003 (or was it 2004?), I spent my Christmas vacation at Walt Disney World’s Wilderness Lodge. That was a break in my usual tradition of staying in Las Vegas for Christmas. My logic was pretty simple; there must be resorts in Orlando that are just as nice as the ones I visit in Las Vegas. With that concept in mind, I booked a week at the Wilderness Lodge at somewhere around $350/night. Disney gets very busy at Christmas, so the rates were up there.
Suffice it to say the room at the Wilderness Lodge, while almost three times more expensive than I pay in Las Vegas at the same time (e.g., $109/night at Encore), was nowhere close to being as nice or comfortable. It wasn’t a bad room. The quality of the furnishings and room fixtures just felt much cheaper than the places I stay at in Las Vegas. Compared with the exorbitant room rate, I’ve never stayed there since. However, I really loved the lobby of the Wilderness Lodge. The center opens up in a large atrium and the Christmas tree was enormous. I really enjoyed the rustic nature of the lobby, if not the cheap room furniture and decor.
Last week, I cam across a photo on Flickr of the Animal Kingdom Lodge and it had a similar high-ceiling lobby. I decided that I wanted to shoot it. Once there, I recalled the Wilderness Lodge and drove over to shoot that lobby. Of the two, I think I like the Animal Kingdom Lodge better, but they’re both very nice.
While I was at the Wilderness Lodge looking for angles, I shared an elevator with a bellhop who suggested that I check out the Villas. Hey, I didn’t know they had villas. He told me it was a bit more ornate with more wood carvings, etc. I thanked him and went on my way. Although smaller, it also had a central atrium lobby that I really liked. There was a fireplace there with a couple of wooden rocking chairs, a large birdcage on the center table, and more. Even better, it was empty. I took my shots in the large lobby handheld because I was concerned my tripod would trip the guests. Here, however, I had room to shoot without causing problems for anyone else.
As I was wrapping up, another Disney employee came in and struck up a conversation. He pointed out a lot of interesting features, the location of several “hidden Mickey’s“, explained how this building was a replica of an old resort in Colorado, and showed me some other rooms. That’s where I found this room off to the side. It was full of tables for games (chess, checkers, etc.) and lined with photos of trains, including several models of the old trains in Walt Disney World. He explained how Walt got the idea for using the trains in the first place at Disneyland, and then how it changed to fit here in Orlando. This area in front of the fireplace is part of that room. I don’t know if they call it “the train room” or not, but it certainly has that theme.
Of course, now I’m wondering if the rooms in the Wilderness Lodge Villas are in line with my expectations. At the very least, it has a quiet place to get away from the crowds and just relax. I’m finding that I value those spots more in a vacation than constantly running around to see and do it all.
