Disney's WILDERNESS LODGE Information & Questions

[ArielSRL]

I believe Art Of Animation is the ONLY hotel that has the music underwater...

This is what I’ve found in my research.

 

[ArielSRL]

I would recommend considering trying Copper Creek. It feels very new, and the rooms have a more modern feel than the standard WL rooms. But you still get all the loveliness of WL! Unfortunately towel animals are largely a thing of the past, we havent had one of the "take-home" kind in at least two years.

I have never noticed music playing under water at any of the deluxe resorts?? And I have stayed at all of them over the past three years! Maybe I'm not going under enough... ha ha!

I’ve also heard they are a thing of the past.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Here's my "Just Back" report for our recent stay at Wilderness Lodge. Just got back home last night for our stay in a bunkbed courtyard view from 1/20 to 1/27:

This was our first time at Wilderness Lodge. While it did feel like an upgrade from AoA (where we stayed last year), and the property overall is amazing and very visually appealing, I have to say the room didn't exactly feel like a "deluxe" hotel. The finishes were noticeably dated all over the resort. Old elevators, old wall and ceiling finishes, old everything that had a coat of paint slapped on everything. I will say the bed was much more comfortable than AoA and the towels were much better than the washcloth-sized towels there but other than that, I expected quite a bit more for the price we paid. Other complaints: not enough trash cans in the room (only one), not having a bedside table (with plenty of plugs) for both sides of the bed and no alarm clock in the room (to quickly check what hour it is in the middle of the night) seemed cheapskate.

Also found ourselves a bit disappointed at the mousekeeping. It was fine, but maybe I have too high of expecatations, but no extra finishes like towel animals (in 14 total nights of staying at Disney resort hotels, we've still yet to get an animal towel) or stuffed animals being cutely arranged with the kids' blankets on the beds. And yes, we did tip the mousekeeping each day. Again, the kinds of things I went in sort of expecting out of a deluxe resort.

The pool was great, although I would say that the size of the pool for it being a deluxe resort surprised me, it never felt overcrowded (we went on Saturday afternoon with temps hovering in the low 70s and on Tuesday, with temps in the mid- to high-70s). A bit disappointed that, as at AoA, there was no music playing underwater. That was a huge "wow" moment last year that we not only weren't expecting, but were really excited about. Made the pool experience that much more fun.

Dining options: have to say the food selection at Roaring Fork was a letdown. None of the dinner options sounded appealing, which meant at the end of a couple long nights, we opted to go all the way to Disney Springs for a late dinner instead of eating at our resort. Breakfast options were good, but again for a deluxe resort I would have expected a much bigger QS menu.

Another random in-room complaint. The bunkbed ladder is dangerously close to the ceiling fan. Several times, I had to stop my son from getting his head taken out by it while climbing in and out of the bed. We tried to move the whole bunkbed over a foot or two, as it seems strange that it's so far from the wall, but it seems it is bolted to the floor.

All this being said, I was very pleased at how much less crowded WL felt compared to our stay at AoA last year. Found myself feeling very claustrophobic with how many people were always around in the common areas of AoA. Never felt that way at WL. And the rugged mountain feeling of the resort I just can't get enough of. Always came back to the resort not feeling like we were in Florida.

Going into it, I thought I would leave WL feeling like I'd never be able to stay anywhere else, but next time at WDW I'll be doing some more research on upper-level moderate resorts with more updated rooms.

What you call old I call character in this instance. It does sound like your more in tune with the modern rustic and you can get that with Copper Creek. Between the two I'd pick The character of WL as that is in line with my idea of rustic vs modern "rustic" but they are both available at that location.

Towel animals went away at all WDW resorts a few years ago so don't tip with that expectation.

 

[Sue M]

You might be thinking of extra magic hours, that all resort guests can attend. Extra magic mornings are a paid event, so not as many people, hence probably no boat. But there will be a bus and it's quick.

You’re right, I was thinking it was extra magic hours!

 

[Sue M]

Here's my "Just Back" report for our recent stay at Wilderness Lodge. Just got back home last night for our stay in a bunkbed courtyard view from 1/20 to 1/27:

This was our first time at Wilderness Lodge. While it did feel like an upgrade from AoA (where we stayed last year), and the property overall is amazing and very visually appealing, I have to say the room didn't exactly feel like a "deluxe" hotel. The finishes were noticeably dated all over the resort. Old elevators, old wall and ceiling finishes, old everything that had a coat of paint slapped on everything. I will say the bed was much more comfortable than AoA and the towels were much better than the washcloth-sized towels there but other than that, I expected quite a bit more for the price we paid. Other complaints: not enough trash cans in the room (only one), not having a bedside table (with plenty of plugs) for both sides of the bed and no alarm clock in the room (to quickly check what hour it is in the middle of the night) seemed cheapskate.

Also found ourselves a bit disappointed at the mousekeeping. It was fine, but maybe I have too high of expecatations, but no extra finishes like towel animals (in 14 total nights of staying at Disney resort hotels, we've still yet to get an animal towel) or stuffed animals being cutely arranged with the kids' blankets on the beds. And yes, we did tip the mousekeeping each day. Again, the kinds of things I went in sort of expecting out of a deluxe resort.

The pool was great, although I would say that the size of the pool for it being a deluxe resort surprised me, it never felt overcrowded (we went on Saturday afternoon with temps hovering in the low 70s and on Tuesday, with temps in the mid- to high-70s). A bit disappointed that, as at AoA, there was no music playing underwater. That was a huge "wow" moment last year that we not only weren't expecting, but were really excited about. Made the pool experience that much more fun.

Dining options: have to say the food selection at Roaring Fork was a letdown. None of the dinner options sounded appealing, which meant at the end of a couple long nights, we opted to go all the way to Disney Springs for a late dinner instead of eating at our resort. Breakfast options were good, but again for a deluxe resort I would have expected a much bigger QS menu.

Another random in-room complaint. The bunkbed ladder is dangerously close to the ceiling fan. Several times, I had to stop my son from getting his head taken out by it while climbing in and out of the bed. We tried to move the whole bunkbed over a foot or two, as it seems strange that it's so far from the wall, but it seems it is bolted to the floor.

All this being said, I was very pleased at how much less crowded WL felt compared to our stay at AoA last year. Found myself feeling very claustrophobic with how many people were always around in the common areas of AoA. Never felt that way at WL. And the rugged mountain feeling of the resort I just can't get enough of. Always came back to the resort not feeling like we were in Florida.

Going into it, I thought I would leave WL feeling like I'd never be able to stay anywhere else, but next time at WDW I'll be doing some more research on upper-level moderate resorts with more updated rooms.

Glad you enjoyed WL. I believe they are starting on room refurbs now or soon. My last WL stay they were just going to begin the last refurb.
Roaring Forks used to be good. I’m sad to hear it’s gone downhill. Did you check the offerings in the new Grill? It sounds good. I’m looking forward to trying it in August. Most Deluxe don’t have large quick service menus because they also have 2 or more full service restaurants while the values only have the one quick service. CR seems to be the exception, they have a larger than normal food court by deluxe standards.

One of the things we like to do is check out the CS at the other MK resorts, so easy to do to hop on the boat to CR. They have a huge food court. Or you can take the boat to MK and then hop on the Poly/GF boat. Capt Cooks at Poly is another fav.
There’s also Trails End in Ft W, just a boat ride away too. If you just want QS they have a take out window. Sit at a picnic table outside or bring it back to WL.

WL is def less crowded than AoA at 2800 rooms vs WL’s 728 rooms. AoA is the only resort to have music underwater and towel animals are a thing of the past sadly. No longer done.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Other complaints: not enough trash cans in the room (only one), not having a bedside table (with plenty of plugs) for both sides of the bed and no alarm clock in the room (to quickly check what hour it is in the middle of the night) seemed cheapskate.
...
next time at WDW I'll be doing some more research on upper-level moderate resorts with more updated rooms.

Apparently all the WDW resorts got rid of their alarm clocks because they think most people now would rather use their own phone for checking the time. I wish they had kept the clocks, as anyone who didn't want to use them could just ignore them.

Regarding moderate resorts with more updated rooms, Coronado Springs is most recently refurbed, and French Quarter and Caribbean Beach are undergoing refurbs now. The recent trend is that as each resort is refurbed, they remove most of the theming from the rooms, so they look more generic, sort of like a Holiday Inn.

 

[Sue M]

So if we want to RD a 9am opening at MK we should aim to be at MK around 8:15? So when should i be at the bus stop at WL to get there? 7:50am? 8am? I believe that the bus ride to MK is short from WL, right?

If I decide to Uber to HS and AK how long is the Uber ride at 7:45am? About 20 minutes?

thanks

My friend just returned from GF. She said she took the Minnie Van from GF to HS, was there in 15 min. I think WL would be similar. AK, I’m not sure. 25 min would be my estimate to drive.
It it were me, I’d get to the bus stop for MK a bit before 8:00. 7:50 sounds about right. It is a short distance but- My trip last Month I found the busses resort wide to be the worst I’ve experienced. It was early Dec, I’d understand if it was at Christmas. 30 min waits were common. You’d have to see during your stay how the busses are running. Maybe our experience was a blip in the system and they’ve fixed it.

 

[danikoski]

Is there somewhere that I can grab a coffee and bagel really quickly in the morning on the way to the bus?
We hope to be at the bus stop by 8am most mornings and I don't want to waste a tonne of time grabbing a quick coffee and snack

thanks

Roaring Fork is the QS at WL. They are usually pretty quick, especially if you are just grabbing and going and not waiting for a meal to be cooked.

There's questions as to whether Geyser Point still serves breakfast, and there's wasn't grab and go.

 

[RobinEJ]

Geyser Point doesn't serve breakfast anymore?? I was looking forward to trying it

Roaring Fork is the QS at WL. They are usually pretty quick, especially if you are just grabbing and going and not waiting for a meal to be cooked.

There's questions as to whether Geyser Point still serves breakfast, and there's wasn't grab and go.

 

[sleepydog25]

Geyser Point doesn't serve breakfast anymore?? I was looking forward to trying it

They do, but if you read the Disney website's menu, it says for GP to "stop by to see today's selections." Ergo, there is no menu, just catch as catch can, apparently. Hmmph.

 

[RachelTori]

Apparently all the WDW resorts got rid of their alarm clocks because they think most people now would rather use their own phone for checking the time. I wish they had kept the clocks, as anyone who didn't want to use them could just ignore them.

Regarding moderate resorts with more updated rooms, Coronado Springs is most recently refurbed, and French Quarter and Caribbean Beach are undergoing refurbs now. The recent trend is that as each resort is refurbed, they remove most of the theming from the rooms, so they look more generic, sort of like a Holiday Inn.

The Values still have alarm clocks -- I think that's because of the sports groups that stay there and the schedules they must keep!

I have occasionally checked into a deluxe room that had an alarm clock, likely from a previous guest who had requested one. That is my understanding that you can "request" a clock. I suppose it's much like microwaves - if there's one available, you'll get it!

Also, Coronado Springs is currently undergoing a major renovation. I don't know when the existing rooms will be finished (they've refurbished approximately half the buildings as of today), but the new tower they're building (in place of Cabanas 9B) won't be complete until sometime in 2019.

 

[dansdad]

The Values still have alarm clocks -- I think that's because of the sports groups that stay there and the schedules they must keep!

Actually, the alarm clocks were removed from every WDW room on property .

I have occasionally checked into a deluxe room that had an alarm clock, likely from a previous guest who had requested one. That is my understanding that you can "request" a clock. I suppose it's much like microwaves - if there's one available, you'll get it!

This is the case everywhere .if you have an alarm clock it was from a previous guest requesting it. They do not go back and remove them again. If there's no alarm clock then nobody before you requested one.

 

[RachelTori]

Well, I come to WDW pretty much every month and usually stay at a Value my first night. I've always had an alarm clock so I made an assumption - sorry.

 

[RachelTori]

Roaring Fork is the QS at WL. They are usually pretty quick, especially if you are just grabbing and going and not waiting for a meal to be cooked.

There's questions as to whether Geyser Point still serves breakfast, and there's wasn't grab and go.

My DD works at WL so I do have first-hand knowledge. Geyser Point, unfortunately, stopped serving breakfast several weeks ago, EXCEPT for Muesli (granola, yogurt & toppings) and pastries at the bar. Whether that will change seasonally (for Spring Break crowds, etc), she doesn't know.

 

[Jackiemarie21]

We are planning our first stay at WL the week between Christmas and New Year year this year. Last year we spent that week at POFQ and on New Years Eve FQ had a party that was pretty fun. Does WL do something like this?
Thanks!

 

[Sue M]

My DD works at WL so I do have first-hand knowledge. Geyser Point, unfortunately, stopped serving breakfast several weeks ago, EXCEPT for Muesli (granola, yogurt & toppings) and pastries at the bar. Whether that will change seasonally (for Spring Break crowds, etc), she doesn't know.

That’s so disappointing. I guess they didn’t get enough business? I was just looking over the menu on allears and I was looking forward to eating there.

 

[pens4821]

A little disappointed in the menus for Roaring Fork and Geyser Point. Never really thought of looking at them until reading the last few posts. We will be eating there a couple times, and there isn't much of a dinner type selection. Just sandwiches.

 

[Dean Marino]

That’s so disappointing. I guess they didn’t get enough business? I was just looking over the menu on allears and I was looking forward to eating there.

Please - do not forget the tried, true, and EXCELLENT Real Restaurants at the WL....
Whispering Canyon and Artist Point.

Sort of looks like Geyser Point has pretty much become a Pool bar . A real shame, for such a lovely piece of architecture .

 

[sleepydog25]

Please - do not forget the tried, true, and EXCELLENT Real Restaurants at the WL....
Whispering Canyon and Artist Point.

Sort of looks like Geyser Point has pretty much become a Pool bar . A real shame, for such a lovely piece of architecture .

Good point about the other two restaurants. We're not huge fans of WCC but make a point of going to AP every time we go to Disney.

 

[Sue M]

Please - do not forget the tried, true, and EXCELLENT Real Restaurants at the WL....
Whispering Canyon and Artist Point.

Sort of looks like Geyser Point has pretty much become a Pool bar . A real shame, for such a lovely piece of architecture .

I haven’t tried Artist Point yet. We’re considering it. I’ve been to Whispering Canyon several times. We love Trails End and with the close prox we plan on a couple of meals there.