Last week a new DVC Members Lounge opened in Magic Kingdom, right in the heart of Frontierland! McKim’s Mile House DVC Lounge is located where the shooting arcade used to be, next to Country Bear Jamboree. This is where Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Members and their guests can go to escape the crowds and relax in the AC. I got to go visit this new lounge with a friend and it has a lot of fun features and stories inside, let’s dive in!
What’s In A Name?
So why is this new lounge called McKim’s Mile House?? Sam McKim is a Disney Legend and the Imagineer who drew the original concept art for Frontierland in Disneyland! So it was only fitting for this new lounge to pay homage to the original artwork for Frontierland. So what is a Mile House anyway? Well it was like a hotel back in the frontier days, a place to stop and get some rest while you were traveling. So again, makes since to have a place where weary DVC travelers can rest and relax during their travels of Magic Kingdom.
You will see some other important names inside McKim’s as well. If you take a look at the names of the “boarders” staying in the upstairs rooms, you might recognize them. The first door to the left is home to none other than the owner and founder of Big Thunder Mining Company, Barnabas T. Bullion! Seems fitting for him to need a place to stay while he’s here working on the mine and controlling the wildest ride in the wilderness. Next to his room you will find M. Davis for Disney Legend, Marc Davis! Marc was instrumental in bringing Frontierland to life, he worked on Country Bear Jamboree and an attraction that never came to be but inspired Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Marc Davis originally wanted to do a Western River Expedition attraction but it would never come to life. Instead it influenced the creation of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. BUT, you can still get a little peek into this long gone, never happened attraction on the third room door. I had to do some research on this one but the third door says HOOT and I just wracked my brain trying to come up with the connection and couldn’t find it. It turns out, HOOT was going to be an animatronic Owl inside the originally designed Western River Expedition! A deep cut for sure but I am such a nerd for stuff like that so I love it!
All In The Details
Just like everything else in Disney World, the attention to detail is phenomenal in this DVC lounge! You can see some of Sam McKims original artwork, lots of frontier photographs and, to go along with the McKim family backstory, you can even see drawings that the McKim children made on their journeys. There are comfy chairs, loungers and tables throughout the lounge. It’s always nice to sit in a comfy chair when your walking 20,000 Disney steps in a day!
What’s This Place Got To Offer?
They don’t call this the Frontiers best kept secret for nothing!! Besides the AC and the comfy chairs there is also WiFi and charging stations at the tables. You can also grab a drink from one of the two Coke Freestyle machines, coffee or hot chocolate and you can also grab some chips, pretzels or cookies. All of the drinks and snacks are complimentary which would be a huge money saver for any DVC member visiting the parks! The lounge in open from 11am-6pm each day.
How Do You Get In?
Well, first and foremost you must be a DVC member or be with a DVC member in order to get into the lounge. They will scan your credentials and ask for ID when you go inside. Since this lounge is new, there have been long waits to get in. I suggest going to check in about 45 minutes before it opens at 11 so you can be one of the first to get in. When we went the line was shorter but when we cam out it was probably at least an hour wait. I had heard there have been days that people waited for 2 hours! I have no doubt this will die down once the new wears off but for now, plan to wait in line or get there early and you should be good.
Conclusion
This was my first time inside of a DVC lounge, we are not members but have good friends that are and they were gracious enough to let us tag along for their maiden voyage to McKim’s Mile House. They gave out the coolest commemorative pins to the DVC Members when they checked in, I was 100% jealous!!! I did ask my friend how this lounge compared to the one in EPCOT and she said this one was smaller but better in her opinion. She described the one in EPCOT as very sterile or sanitary feeling and super hot in the summer with all the windows. McKim’s felt very cozy and homey and it was themed perfectly for being in Frontierland. If you get the chance to check it out, do it! I could have sat in there all day! Thank you all for reading along and have a magical day!