Considering Wilderness Lodge

[Mskay1216]

Hello!
Trying to finalize our family trip in July
We have a 5yo and 7yo and plan on spending most of our time at MK and Hollywood studios
We are considering the wilderness lodge due to the location to MK and price point

So far all the reviews I hava read are great

From what I see the decor is not in your face Disney like AOA (which we love by the way) but simple and nice

Has anyone stayed here with younger children? How were the crowds at the pools? We are getting the dining plan- how are the food options?

Thanks in advance

 

[KenHutch]

The pools are nice and the food is really nice. I love the place but my girls tell me its not Disney enough and am forbidden to schedule future trips there. Have fun

 

[Brett Wyman]

Boat ride to MK is always a plus. We always take to the boat to MK when staying at WL. Hollywood studios will just be your standard bus ride.

WL is an amazing resort for kids. My kids could play for hours just in the lobby if we let them. The Geyser pool is great but on the smaller side. If it's too crowded hit the Boulder Ridge cove pool. We've always stayed here in colder month so I can't comment on how crowded they'll be.

Decor is very "cabin in the woods" but its well done and themed in a way I wish the newer properties still were.

Food is okay to good I guess. Its nice that you have two true QS options we Roaring Fork and Geyser Point(I guess this is still QS, they won't stop changing it?). Both offer the standard faire and some unique options. The standard TS is Whispering Canyon Cafe where there staff interacts with you in comical ways. And of course Artist Point was recently refurbed into Snow White's Storybook dining character meal.

If its a couple hundred cheaper a night than the other three MK resorts definitely stay here. If it in the less than hundred dollar range difference then I start thinking about the Big 3 just to be on the monorail.

 

[FSU Girl]

Haven't stayed there with kids, but stayed there as a kid long ago. I love the hotel. It's really beautiful, especially at Christmas. I didn't go in the pool since it was in the 40s, but it looks really nice. The boat ride is really convenient to get to Magic Kingdom. Taking a bus everywhere else is a little annoying. I'm staying there with a friend this weekend so it's definitely one I like going back to.

 

[Mskay1216]

The pools are nice and the food is really nice. I love the place but my girls tell me its not Disney enough and am forbidden to schedule future trips there. Have fun

Lol
Thanks
If you don't mind me asking how old are your girls?

 

[Mskay1216]

Boat ride to MK is always a plus. We always take to the boat to MK when staying at WL. Hollywood studios will just be your standard bus ride.

WL is an amazing resort for kids. My kids could play for hours just in the lobby if we let them. The Geyser pool is great but on the smaller side. If it's too crowded hit the Boulder Ridge cove pool. We've always stayed here in colder month so I can't comment on how crowded they'll be.

Decor is very "cabin in the woods" but its well done and themed in a way I wish the newer properties still were.

Food is okay to good I guess. Its nice that you have two true QS options we Roaring Fork and Geyser Point(I guess this is still QS, they won't stop changing it?). Both offer the standard faire and some unique options. The standard TS is Whispering Canyon Cafe where there staff interacts with you in comical ways. And of course Artist Point was recently refurbed into Snow White's Storybook dining character meal.

If its a couple hundred cheaper a night than the other three MK resorts definitely stay here. If it in the less than hundred dollar range difference then I start thinking about the Big 3 just to be on the monorail.

Thanks Brett!

 

[Sparty1833]

Boat ride to MK is always a plus. We always take to the boat to MK when staying at WL. Hollywood studios will just be your standard bus ride.

WL is an amazing resort for kids. My kids could play for hours just in the lobby if we let them. The Geyser pool is great but on the smaller side. If it's too crowded hit the Boulder Ridge cove pool. We've always stayed here in colder month so I can't comment on how crowded they'll be.

Decor is very "cabin in the woods" but its well done and themed in a way I wish the newer properties still were.

Food is okay to good I guess. Its nice that you have two true QS options we Roaring Fork and Geyser Point(I guess this is still QS, they won't stop changing it?). Both offer the standard faire and some unique options. The standard TS is Whispering Canyon Cafe where there staff interacts with you in comical ways. And of course Artist Point was recently refurbed into Snow White's Storybook dining character meal.

If its a couple hundred cheaper a night than the other three MK resorts definitely stay here. If it in the less than hundred dollar range difference then I start thinking about the Big 3 just to be on the monorail.

How long is the boat ride between WL and MK?

 

[KenHutch]

Lol
Thanks
If you don't mind me asking how old are your girls?

18 and 10. The 18 year old starts college in the fal (electrical engineering) and she wants The Poly

 

[crvetter]

How long is the boat ride between WL and MK?

About 8-15 mins depending on Ferryboat traffic. I should also add that you can wait anywhere from 8 to 30 mins for a boat to show up (15 mins is typical). Typically two boats are running one is the Cruiser (which looks more like the Friendship boats) and can accommodate strollers without folding and ECVs and the other is a Launch which looks more like an old boat, kind of similar to the Jungle Cruise boats a bit.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Hello!
Trying to finalize our family trip in July
We have a 5yo and 7yo and plan on spending most of our time at MK and Hollywood studios
We are considering the wilderness lodge due to the location to MK and price point

So far all the reviews I hava read are great

From what I see the decor is not in your face Disney like AOA (which we love by the way) but simple and nice

Has anyone stayed here with younger children? How were the crowds at the pools? We are getting the dining plan- how are the food options?

Thanks in advance

My DS11 loves WL. We've stayed there 4 times since he was 3 years old. The pool is never crowded and is quite conducive to younger children as it's a smaller pool with a smaller slide and there is a splash area right next to the pool as well (for children 48" and under). We enjoy the food options - Roaring Forks has a good variety and Geyser Point has some nice QS options as well. You will also have WCC and Storybook Dining which are both only 1 TS on the dining plan. Ft. W and CR are also just a boat ride away, so you can easily access the restaurants at both of those resorts.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

Hello!
Trying to finalize our family trip in July
We have a 5yo and 7yo and plan on spending most of our time at MK and Hollywood studios
We are considering the wilderness lodge due to the location to MK and price point

So far all the reviews I hava read are great

From what I see the decor is not in your face Disney like AOA (which we love by the way) but simple and nice

Has anyone stayed here with younger children? How were the crowds at the pools? We are getting the dining plan- how are the food options?

Thanks in advance

We’re DVC Members & WL is our home resort so I’m a little biased. We love it there. As others mentioned, the boat to MK is a real plus. We’ve been going there since my daughter was 2 1/2 ( she’s now 13) & always enjoyed the pools. She’d rather stay at resort most days than go into park. Food is pretty good. Haven’t been to Whispering Canyon in a while because we’ve wanted to try other things but I heard they changed their menu & that’s its good. Never been to the new character meal. Daughter not into that. I do like Roaring Fork a lot for QS. Geyser Point is also very nice & very relaxing.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We have had three grandchildren stay at the WL when they were between the ages of 5 and 7 and they loved it. The main pool has a slide which they will love. The villas pool is zero entry. There is a kids splash pad which has a height limit but they might be able to enjoy.

The boat to MK is really nice and that is the way that the kids always wanted to take

 

[Ben E N]

My 6 year old girl and 4 year old boy liked it a ton over winter break. It is worth mentioning that we were in a 2 bedroom in the Copper Creek section, though, but my wife and I shared a hotel room sized section of it with the kids for sleeping and were all happy with the space.
The theming there was nice. Lots to look at without feeling like you are looking at Baloo's big butt all the time.
The kids loved the pool. The waterfall area is a cool feature. They liked the activities run by the kids club staff there, too. The geyser was a fun feature for a minute or two.
We loved eating at Artist Point, and Roaring Fork seemed ok as well.
We did not find the boat to be that useful ourselves. The wait was too long, as was the actual boat ride. It was easier to just bus over to MK.
The landscaping and secluded feeling of it was great.
I would be happy to stay there again, as would our kids, but they would also be happy to stay just about anywhere on property.

 

[sparkle78]

Just a heads up for anyone reading this thread. Wilderness Lodge has been very hard to book a standard room or courtyard view lately due to copper creek rooms. We were told only CL available for dates over 11 months away in 2018 and in 2019 had two lagoon view rooms in the main lodge, but had to get third room in copper creek area ( cash) to book for family at 9 months out.
But love, love the atmosphere, boat rides,walk around the grounds in the morning

 

[Mskay1216]

Any issues with hearing your neighbors?
Any suggestions on which building to request ?

I'm looking at the rooms with the bunk beds my two little ones will love it !

 

[skorpie]

I took my two grandchildren (girl 7 and boy 5) two years ago. They loved it! We also are DVC members that own at WL. The pool activities were great as PP has mentioned. The kids enjoyed roasting marshmallows one evening. I am taking the entire family to WL, actually Boulder Ridge, back this June. It will be grand kids ages 4-9 and their parents. The two older kids are so excited to return!

My other daughter first went to WL when she was 4 1/2. Now 27, she requested Wilderness Lodge for our trip this October! i think your children will love it!

 

[FSU Girl]

Just a heads up for anyone reading this thread. Wilderness Lodge has been very hard to book a standard room or courtyard view lately due to copper creek rooms. We were told only CL available for dates over 11 months away in 2018 and in 2019 had two lagoon view rooms in the main lodge, but had to get third room in copper creek area ( cash) to book for family at 9 months out.
But love, love the atmosphere, boat rides,walk around the grounds in the morning

It's good to always check back to see if rooms become available. I booked a room there a few weeks out no issue for a last minute trip.

 

[MousetersInc]

Any issues with hearing your neighbors?
Any suggestions on which building to request ?

I'm looking at the rooms with the bunk beds my two little ones will love it !

We spent 5 nights there just a couple of weeks ago. We fell in love with the place to the extent that we changed our plans from a Disney Springs hotel where we would have had a suite to a bunk bed room at WL. This was our first trip so I have no personal experience with any other hotel to compare it to, but in my opinion WL has the most to "explore." It's so often compared to Animal Kingdom Lodge. Both have a lot of theming, whereas at other deluxes like Grand Floridian the theme is basically "this is a nice hotel." But, in both cases, this theming isn't "straight, uncut Disney" as it is at Art of Animation, meaning it doesn't involve cartoon cels. The theme is Africa or American West, so you get more things like hidden Mickeys among carved wooden ornaments rather than brightly colored cartoon characters. Both are almost in a sense Disney "attractions" of their own, a "Whole New World" that you can walk into and explore. Both make you feel close to nature and far from the madding crowd that is the parks. The difference is that at AKL you really are far from the parks and it takes a long time to get anywhere. At WL you are very physically close to MK and can see the fireworks (we got a 5th floor "nature view" room and could watch from our room). Don't be mistaken, it can still take a bit of time to get there by boat, especially to wait for the boat to come. Bus is faster.

But yes, our family loved it. If you love camping, mountains, or states like Wyoming and Colorado, this is the place for you. More importantly, if you like the idea of the great outdoors but want it recreated in a deluxe hotel, this is the place for you (there's a shirt in the store that says "I'm a glamper, not a camper").

By the way, that said, next time we're definitely staying in a non-Disney hotel with a suite or two rooms. It was our first trip and the most magical, and I don't regret being in the Disney bubble and experiencing the magic that is WL. But that was about the limit of how long you could put this family into one room.

 

[Corwin]

The Wilderness Lodge is our absolute favorite resort. We've stayed there multiple times since our first visit in 2007. There was a lot of construction there in 2017, so we stayed elsewhere, but switched plans to have dinner at Artist Point on our last night because we missed it so much. When we got there that night, we all relaxed visibly. It's so nice and peaceful there.

We like it there so much we purchased a DVC membership there for what is now Boulder Ridge Villas. On our next visit we are staying in the Copper Creek Villas, which is in the main lodge.

Anyway, I recommended to several co-workers that they stay there, and they have all loved it. Good luck!

 

[DisneyWorldbuff]

Any issues with hearing your neighbors?
Any suggestions on which building to request ?

I'm looking at the rooms with the bunk beds my two little ones will love it !

There is only one building in the WL. Bunkbed rooms are a bootable category. Wilderness Lodge is our all time favorite resort, hope you have a great trip!