Reviews of Wilderness Lodge (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by nkwyatt Review Date: 09/27/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
Without a doubt, this is my most favorite of all the Disney resorts I've stayed in during my 16 visits over the last 19 years. I love that it's near Magic Kingdom but still has a secluded feel about it. I love the architecture and the Adirondack-style furnishings. The restaurants and food court are among the best and we often go to this resort to eat even if we're staying somewhere else. I love taking the boat to/from Magic Kingdom, especially at night. If you're looking for a romantic place to stay at Disney, this one ranks the highest in my opinion. There are lots of activities for kids and families here. I hope to one day be able to afford to stay here for at least 2 weeks so that I can experience everything this resort has to offer.
Pros:
Secluded yet conveniently located to all parks except Animal Kingdom. Fabulous dining experiences. Beautiful architecture. Romantic.Cons:
Cost. Also, busses that service Wilderness Lodge also service other Deluxe resorts so allow plenty of time for the extra stops when traveling to/from theme parks.Reviewed by Joel0917 Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (8) Recommended
My wife and I came here on our anniversary. We loved the northwest feel of this resort. The pool and geyser are awesome. there are some very good food choices here as well. We loved taking the boat to the magic kingdom. We were also fortunate to be here one day when a rocket launched and we saw it leave cape canaveral.
Pros:
The norhtwest feel of it. It really is unique.Cons:
a little isolated.Reviewed by Colleen Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
This was our first stay at Wilderness Lodge, and we loved it. We stayed in a two bedroom villa at Copper Creek, and the room and resort were even more beautiful than we had imagined. We had a view of the main pool and could see the fireworks from Magic Kingdom over the top of the resort across the way. The main pool is wonderful, but we mainly used the DVC pool because of it's zero entry for my granddaughter and proximity to Geyser Point which we enjoyed very much. We had a vehicle and only used the bus service once, but we did like the boat to Magic Kingdom. We had a fun dinner at Whispering Canyon and felt the choices at Roaring Fork were quite good. I would definitely stay at this resort again!
Pros:
beautiful, secluded resort close to Magic Kingdom great pools and food choicesCons:
noneReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (9) Recommended
Loved staying here, so much so we have stayed two different times! Love being able to hop on the elevator and going to a TS in the lobby or turning the corner and going to QS or the pool! Not to mention the theme of the entire resort, BEAUTIFUL!
Pros:
everything is under one roofCons:
noneReviewed by liberrygal Review Date: 02/05/2018
Rating: (9) Recommended
Husband and I stayed at WL from 1/29/18-2/3/18. We had a courtyard view room 6037. This resort is peaceful and beautiful. The pool was clean and water was heated. We used Roaring Forks for quick breakfast and late night snacks. Artist Point was top notch, one of the best meals we have ever had at Disney. Water Taxi to MK was perfect and Security at MK at the dock was super easy. Bus service to other parks was fine always nice when it comes quickly and you timed it right, only waited 15 minutes twice at EPCOT. We biked over the Fort Wilderness and it was fun and a must do. We will return to this resort.
Pros:
Absolutely Beautiful ResortCons:
Some noise from other rooms, walls might be a little thinReviewed by GNesty Review Date: 09/07/2017
Rating: (10) Recommended
My family and I just got back last Saturday (Sept. 2, 2017) and we were at the lodge for a week. Our standard view was upgraded to a garden view and we were able to view the Magic Kingdom fireworks from our room. The addition of new DVC cabins did not make the resort feel over crowded as the ones at the GF made us feel.
With new topiary and lounge added plus a new zero entry pool the lodge still has a very relaxed feel. Spotlessly clean and each and every CM we encountered was fantastic.
The Roaring Forks rehab was done and though we enjoyed it I would have loved to see a veggie burger on the menu LOL. The rooms are smaller than other deluxes as we did miss the pull out couch however we still absolutely loved the Lodge and would happily return.
Pros:
Love the changesCons:
—Reviewed by Cheesetony Review Date: 11/21/2016
Rating: (7) Recommended
The Wilderness Lodge has been on my bucket list for a long time, so perhaps my lower rating should be taken with a grain of salt. I'd built up expectations for years. The resort is beautiful. The theme is great, and you really feel like you're in the Pacific Northwest from the moment you enter the lobby. We especially loved the pool, and the splash area was perfect for my 3 yr old DD and 8 month old DS.
Unfortunately, I was really surprised by how thin the walls were, especially for a deluxe resort. Our neighbors were night owls, and they woke us up every night when they returned from the parks and the cranky kids argued about going to bed. One morning, I had to call down to the desk because we could hear their alarm going off for about 15 minutes.
I loved having the option of taking a boat to the Magic Kingdom, which we did several times. They also had boats to Ft. Wilderness and The Contemporary. We took advantage of this one night to eat dinner at Chef Mickey's.
If we decide to stay at a Deluxe Resort again, I will probably save a little longer and try to choose something on the monorail loop.
Pros:
Location, Transportation, BeautifulCons:
Construction, Thin wallsReviewed by tsteckert Review Date: 11/13/2016
Rating: (8) Recommended
I've lost track of how many times we've stayed at Wilderness Lodge, but this was at least our seventh visit. While it suffers from not being on a monorail (I will say that bus service has improved immensely), we enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. Our room has always been in excellent condition (note that refurbishment is going on as I write this), Artist Point is among my very favorite Disney restaurants, and even the Roaring Fork quick-service restaurant has scrumptious sweet rolls at breakfast. (Hey, I burn off calories at Disney World!)
However, during our past stay, management changed the opening time of Roaring Fork to 8:00. With parks opening no later than 9:00, and sometimes earlier, that just doesn't leave enough time to eat breakfast, take bus/boat/monorail transportation, and arrive in time for that early FastPass+ you requested months earlier. This shows a disregard for customer service that is rare for Disney, especially in a "deluxe" resort with a price tag to match, and seems to me to reflect a penny-pinching attitude. (Our room also didn't have a clock radio this time around. Coincidence?) Granted that half the resort was closed for renovations, but how much money does the late opening save at the cost of customer service? Compounding that, Whispering Canyon, the full-service family restaurant, opens at 7:30 but of course takes longer, and reservations appear to be limited.
Although seemingly a small thing, that late restaurant opening left a bad taste in my mouth, and next time we may check out other resort options.
Also, my wife, in particular, and I objected to the volume of a loudspeaker used for pool-area activities. This made it very difficult to take a nap, and parents with young children needing naps should take notice.
Pros:
Pleasant atmosphere; improved transportationCons:
Food service availability; noisy pool area (loudspeaker)Reviewed by DePasquale Review Date: 07/06/2016
Rating: (10) Recommended
The delicious food choices and interior space are consistent with the relaxing mood of the Wilderness Lodge environment.
Pros:
A total experienceCons:
The couple of tables near the entryReviewed by IowaSammy Review Date: 01/10/2016
Rating: (10) Recommended
This was our first stay at a Deluxe resort. We stayed for 10 days, club level, with our family of 4. (Kids were 13 and 10). We fell in love with the lodge! We had a courtyard room and I loved listening to the water at night. We stayed in room 7117, and we could even see the tops of Wishes on the opposite side of the resort! We'd never stayed anywhere with a balcony before and we loved it!
The mattresses were new and the room was very clean. I loved the double sink and vanity area with the convenient shelf above. The shower was large and had cute tiles. The fan automatically came on with the light and was quite loud.
The room had a ceiling fan, which was nice. We had plenty of closet space. We used the light above the mirror by the table as a night light, as it is on a dimmer switch.
Mouse keeping was excellent, the staff was helpful and friendly, and the resort is stunning. We loved the lobby and often found a cozy spot to sit for a few minutes and take it all in.
Transportation was fantastic. A+. Busses were so fast! We loved the covered walkway to/from the busses. We took the boat a few times to the Contemporary and it was a nice, short ride. Overall, the busses are much faster. This was a huge difference from our value resort stays and even better than POFQ!
If I had to pick the most important difference from a value or moderate it's that our room was in a main building. Yes, it's very large, but the convenience was amazing. The rooms themselves aren't huge, the restaurants aren't awesome, but the resort itself was wonderful. The kids loved the arcade, adults loved Territory Lounge. The main building really sold us on the value of the price. (We had a pin code, too!) We are unlikely to stay at another resort with only outer buildings.
Our only complaint was the very loud afternoon pool parties with a microphone. This is so not in keeping with the peaceful and relaxing vibe the rest of the time. Microphone was used from 2-5pm DAILY. Ugh. Hated it.
We were extremely happy at WL and highly recommend it. I am curious to see what it is like after the construction.
