Reviews of Wilderness Lodge (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by CupcakePrincess Review Date: 02/03/2015
Rating: (8) Recommended
My husband and I stayed here on our Honeymoon from 1/4-1/9. When we arrived, the breathtaking Christmas tree and all the other wonderful Christmas decorations were still up. They remained up until our last night, which was such a treat! We explored the resort one night and found an area above the lobby with fireplaces! It was secluded and we ended up relaxing there listening to the mur murs of everyone below for a good solid hour.
I was worried that the beds would be too hard for us. We are tempur-pedic bed snobs so conventional mattresses really tweak our backs. This was probably the best conventional mattress I've laid on. Probably the best hotel mattress I've ever experienced.
We requested a room near the elevators, and they ended up putting us on the other side of the resort next to stairs. The stairs were convenient, but took a toll on our bad knees. We were situated on the 3rd floor, with a woods view facing the villas. On the left we could see some of bay lake and on the right we could see the villa's pool. It was a gorgeous view. Another positive was the chairs on the balcony. I was nervous that my large bum wouldn't fit, but we encountered all the chairs with armrests at that resort to be plenty big for my large bottom.
Be sure not to miss the electrical water pageant. It was adorable. The night we saw it, it was so cold and so windy. We went and got hot chocolate and plopped ourselves on the beach to enjoy it as much as we could. The music and the lights were cute and enjoyable!
We did have a negative experience with someone at the front desk, but another cast member ended up saving the day for us.
The boat to and from the Magic Kingdom is fantastic. The buses are the worst possible thing though. They are far and few in between and when they do show up, they take you to another resort to pick up more guests. The whole bus situation was frustrating that we took our car to the parks after that.
I hope to stay here again in the future!
Pros:
Confortable Beds, Comfortable chairsCons:
buses,Reviewed by Hamill04 Review Date: 09/23/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
We stayed here for the first time September 15th-20th. The resort itself is beautiful-everything is clean, plenty of lifeguards, pool activities, dining options. Our housekeeper did an amazing job keeping everything stocked. The boat to the Magic Kingdom takes about 5 minutes to get there and is a beautiful ride. We previously stayed at Pop Century and it seems that except for the buses, you really get what you pay for. Pop was literally a motel with bus service- food court was a mess, we constantly had to call for more towels/shampoo, no activities that I saw. Buses, however- I'm all for saving money where you can but I think a Deluxe resort should have Deluxe bus service. We never really had to wait for a bus(maybe 5-10 minutes tops) but the bus makes multiple stops before you reach your destination. Our trip to Animal Kingdom took 40 minutes!!! We had to stop at either the Floridian or the Campgrounds, then the water park and then on to the Kingdom. I might be a little biased because I have horrible car anxiety but if you can get a direct bus at a Value, you should be able to have it at a Deluxe.
Pros:
Beautiful ResortCons:
Bus routesReviewed by Gadawggirl Review Date: 02/17/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
Our first time at the Lodge and it's soooo nice! I hope to be able to stay there again. We have stayed in the value and the moderate resorts and this place blows them out of the water! Quite and relaxing place. Only disappointment was that the 6th floor balcony is a wall and not a rail so you have to stand up to see the view. We had a courtyard view.
We took our bikes this year and was able to ride them to Ft. Wilderness Campground where we ate breakfast one morning.(de-lish) We rode about 10 miles just looking around the campground.
You can see the light parade from the beach at night.
Buses were good and I enjoyed that you can take the boat to Magic Kingdom.
Roaring Fork was a great place to grab a quick bite.
Pros:
Room, decorations, lots to do.Cons:
6th floor balcony, boat hornReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 08/14/2023
Rating: (9) Recommended
We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge for our 50th anniversary in April of this year. It was our third stay at the WL, the first being the year after it opened, and the last being in 2014. The wilderness Lodges has maintained its excellent appearance and ambiance, and the service from check in to check out was outstanding. It is not a cheap to stay at the WL. In fact it is expensive. But value wise, I think it is a better value than the other WDW resorts we have stayed at, including the Polynesian, the Yacht club, and the Grand Floridian. We let the Disney reservation agent know that it would be our 50th anniversary when we booked the reservation, and asked for an upper floor room with a courtyard view angling towards the pool and Bay Lake. Every request was fulfilled. On check in we were given several Lightning Lane passes, and we entered our 5th floor room to find a personalized anniversary cake, two beautiful 50th anniversary soup mug, and all sort of appetizers, including a variety of non-alcoholic beverages. The night before we checked out, the Wilderness Lodge manager left us a personal note congratulating us, along with a tray of chocolate covered strawberries. We especially enjoyed the seclusion of the WL, especially after a long day at the parks. Also our short and scenic water taxi ride to the Magic Kingdom, as well as the relatively new Geyser Point bar and grill, from which we watched the Electrical Water Pageant on several evenings after returning to the parks. We are already looking forward to our fourth stay at the Wilderness Lodge in 2025. Thumbs up for the Wilderness Lodge for a third time.
Pros:
Secluded location. Beautiful theming. Excellent pool. Multiple restaurant and quick service options. Extremely friendly staff, from the front desk to housekeeping.Cons:
More frequent water taxi service to the Magic Kingdom. Walking/biking path to Fort Wilderness was closed due to new construction. We liked the Artist Point restaurant better when it was fine dining; it is now a character experience.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 05/02/2020
Rating: (9) Recommended
I've stayed with my family at Wilderness Lodge twice. The first time we went to the other hotels to see where we wanted to spend our next Disney vacation and Wilderness Lodge has it all. Great transportation to parks, wonderful choices for dining from inexpensive to gourmet. The grounds and pool are a destination in and of themselves. Then there are the added perks, sitting on the balcony with a drink and the newspaper, access to water activities, walking and bike paths. Just the length of the list declares it the best resort. And the list isn't everything...
Pros:
Dining, pool, activitiesCons:
Transportation to EPCOT,Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom can be awhile.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/02/2019
Rating: (9) Recommended
Loved it stayed years ago
Pros:
Food roomsCons:
Price live in floridaReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 04/23/2019
Rating: (9) Recommended
Wonderful stay, the beds were comfortable, very clean, super nice! Close to the Magic Kingdom but not too close. Not very noisy father area!
Pros:
Close to the Magic Kingdom but not too close. Felt like you were in your own area.Cons:
Our room was a good distance from the lobby. Also some must not have received room service and just set stuff outside their room. Although housekeeping was quick to clean it up if notified!Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 12/18/2018
Rating: (9) Recommended
October 29-November 1, 2018
Upon arrival, greeted at the front desk and told my room had been upgraded overlooking the pool area. Great view of the lodge from the balcony. Only drawback is the games and activities at the pool that started mid-day. Room was beautiful and housekeeping was on spot every day. Everyone was friendly and helpful. Boat and bus service was excellent with minimum wait and no standing at any time. Whispering Canyon was fun for breakfast.
Pros:
Great hotel nice rooms bus and water taxi service to Magic KingdomCons:
Expensive Small quick service dining area for ordering mealsReviewed 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.
