Wilderness Lodge Stay Report: Almost Normal!
It’s no secret that Wilderness Lodge is my favorite hotel at Walt Disney World, so it should come as no surprise that its reopening provided the perfect excuse for a return stay. This Walt Disney World resort report covers the latest changes, random observations, food picks, and more.
We won’t fixate on health safety protocol or anything else unique to Walt Disney World’s phased reopening. In part because we’ve already done it several times (here and here). There are only so many photos one person can take of plexiglass barriers or health safety signs and still have it be interesting. We are well past that point.
The other reason is because our stay at Wilderness Lodge was mostly a normal one. Sure, there are still some closed restaurants, scaled-back menus, common area signage, plus “table unavailable” and “please wait here” markers. However, there’s less and less of all that with each passing day and more is steadily and quietly returning to normal.
Moreover, anyone reading this is going to encounter even fewer face masks than we did. Those becoming optional indoors is another big milestone, probably the final significant step in Walt Disney World’s rule relaxation.
We had a great stay at Wilderness Lodge, but I’ll admit I’m slightly jealous of those mask-less guests who will be relaxing in rocking chairs by the fireplace this week. Guess we’ll have to book another stay so I can research how the improved facial aerodynamics change rocking efficiency!
Of course, I’m kidding.
Not about the booking another stay at Wilderness Lodge part. We’ll definitely do that. About the rocking chair part; everyone knows the superior fireplace is up in the alcove overlooking the lobby. Those chairs don’t rock, but they are much more comfortable.
We also won’t book a return stay immediately given the cost and the lack of DVC availability. As discussed recently in What’s Up with Sold Out Hotels at Walt Disney World? options are limited later this year, and many might end up being full rack rate. (Hopefully our Boulder Ridge or Copper Creek studio wait lists for late November/early December come through!)
No matter how often I look at Walt Disney World’s rate charts, I’m nevertheless surprised when I see total costs on the booking page. As much as we’d love to splurge on an Old Faithful Club Level room for Christmas-time, that probably won’t be happening without an AP or Florida resident discount. My estimate of how much that would cost was off by several hundred dollars! Yikes.
Turning back to the many chairs of Wilderness Lodge, these high back options in the lobby are another gem.
The patterns are beautiful, the chairs are comfortable, and have a feeling of grandiosity to them. The location is also perfect, equidistant from the babbling brook and crackling fireplace for some “natural” surround sound. Between those two things and the background music, this is a great spot for decompressing late at night.
Take a moment to look at this work station. Really look at it. Note the variety of light fixtures, the artwork, the posts and beams, furniture, and flooring. Simple as it may seem, there is so much going on here, and the design is exquisite.
One “activity” I would strongly recommend to anyone staying at Wilderness is a late night lap around every single floor of the lobby. Start at 10 pm and allocate about two hours to this (if you’re more of a morning person, the same can be accomplished from around 5 to 7 am). Sit down in every alcove and simply soak it all in. You’ll finish the exercise feeling unburdened, revitalized, and with a greater appreciation of Wilderness Lodge.
I’ll be completely transparent: this is pro-Wilderness Lodge propaganda. The good kind of propaganda.
I want more Walt Disney World fans to fall in love with Wilderness Lodge’s rich theme, attention to detail, and authentic designs. The more people who love Wilderness Lodge, the less likely it is that Disney tries to transform it into a woodsy Hilton.
We watched Electrical Water Pageant from the seating area behind Geyser Point, and this area was once again packed. If you’re planning on viewing it from there, arrive at least 15 minutes early. (Above Electrical Water Pageant is moving to its next resort of the night.)
Absolutely love to see so much love for that charming Vacation Kingdom of the World-era show. I hope the enduring popularity of this little light parade demonstrates to Disney that not everything needs to cost hundreds of millions of dollars and spend a decade in development. Electrical Water Pageant probably does not have a measurable impact on bookings, but the cumulative impact of the “little things” is absolutely what brings people back. To frequently, it seems that’s overlooked by Disney’s decision-makers.
We didn’t do any swimming, but I never noticed any of the pools using the virtual waitlist. It seemed like they had ample unused seating whenever we passed.
It probably helps that physical distancing and capacity limits have essentially been dropped at the pools. I’d be surprised if this remains an issue anywhere aside from maybe Coronado Springs. If anyone has recently done a stay at any resort (in June 2021) and has pool experience, please share in the comments!
Fire Rock Geyser was being refurbished during our stay. Given that the project appeared very close to complete, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s already erupting again.
While I’m always apprehensive about Disney clearing more trees at Wilderness Lodge, this was necessary. The geyser and hot springs were overly obscured and many guests didn’t even notice them. There’s still ample seclusion here, but now the view of the manmade features and lake in the distance is better. Nice to see Disney paying attention to stuff like this, keeping the Wilderness at the Lodge, but not letting it become overgrown.
Wilderness Lodge continues to receive new resort-specific merchandise, and a lot of it is really good. (It was rough there for a year or so when many of the items had stupid sayings on them.)
I absolutely love the towel on the far right. That exact design should be put on many other items. As much as I love the more subtle and adult resort merchandise, I’m also a sucker for over-the-top designs that meld the resort’s theme with Disney characters. This does that perfectly.
Same general idea here. Absolutely fantastic design.
The only thing that gives me pause about this is that the graphic is basically just a piece of paper inside the Tervis tumbler. That’s pretty common with these cups, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it’s still less than ideal.
Then there’s this mug, which is just absolutely fantastic in every conceivable way.
This is not new–we shared photos of it back around Christmas–but it’s so great that I’ve gotta repost to bring it to the attention of new readers or anyone that might’ve forgotten.
Now that we’ve offered some effusive praise, let’s take a moment to point out one of the few negatives we observed during this stay. This new carpet, which inexplicably was swapped out on ‘restaurant row.’
This is the same style that has been added to hallways in the guest room wings. I’m not a fan of it there, but mostly give it a pass since I can understand the desire to use it to ‘transition’ from the highly-themed lobby to the more sparse guest rooms. I dislike this design and don’t think it’s as modern and/or stylish as Disney’s designers think it is, but whatever.
For comparison, here’s the old carpeting.
I understand that compromises are “necessary” to some degree when it comes to actual accommodations. As such, I’m not particularly tough on the reimagined reviews in our review (see Photos & Video: Reimagined Rooms at Wilderness Lodge). That’s in part because I’m a realist and in part because the lobby remains thematically intact. Please, Disney, do not screw up the lobby. It’s literally perfect, incapable of enhancement or plussing. All changes to it are downgrades.
We have several dining updates from Wilderness Lodge.
First, Territory Lounge is now open nightly. I’m not sure when this change occurred–it was also open during our Christmas stay, but that was for a limited time during the holidays. Regardless, it’s operating nightly from 4 pm to 10 pm.
For dinner one night, we ate at Roaring Fork and I ordered the new-to-me Lumberjack Platter: Pulled Pork, Macaroni & Cheese, Corn Bread, and Coleslaw. I was initially underwhelmed by the portion size, but it ended up being deceptively large and filling. (Still think the cornbread should be about double that size.)
On a related note, I’m ready for counter service restaurants to operate normally, and serve dishes on regular plates. The option for takeout is great, but restore the option for dining in. It’s obviously a little thing, but counter service restaurants all around Walt Disney World feel uninviting.
Above is the iconic Bison Bacon Cheeseburger from Geyser Point Bar & Grill.
This is already getting long, so I’ll update our review of that restaurant soon. (In the meantime, we have totally overhauled our list of the Best Burgers at Walt Disney World!)
We also did breakfast at Whispering Canyon Cafe.
Full review coming soon!
Here’s a photo of a bus. Same deal here–lots of thoughts on transportation from our stay at Wilderness Lodge and recent visits to the parks, but those are worthy of a separate post.
Totally unrelated to the topic of this post, but if anyone has stayed at a Skyliner resort and used the gondolas at or before park opening or at or after park closing, please leave a comment and share your experience! We haven’t had a chance to stay at any of these resorts since Memorial Day, but are wondering how wait times and efficiency has improved with the relaxation of physical distancing. Thanks!
Characters appear at the resorts sporadically as the “Caravanning ‘Round The World” RV continues to roll around. This is a nice touch, and we’re totally on board with the ways Walt Disney World has found to infuse characters into the experience, despite the lack of meet & greets and regular character meals.
However, this particular one felt a tad dystopian. Kids would go up to the door and pose directly in front of the characters. Technically, that makes it the closest Disney has gotten to traditional meet & greets, but it’s just weird. The encounters with less-intrusive barriers, and no posed photos but distanced interactions feel more natural to me. Maybe parents disagree and want photos like this, though.
Ultimately, another awful experience at Wilderness Lodge. Just abysmal. If you have a stay booked in a standard Old Faithful Club Level room or in a studio at Boulder Ridge or Copper Creek between November 28 and December 2, stop reading this post right now and go cancel. 😆😂
For those of you still with us, Wilderness Lodge remains fantastic and a resort that we highly recommend. I know it’s not to everyone’s tastes, but it still boggles my mind that this isn’t in the top 3 of every Walt Disney World fan. As much as I want to “sell” everyone on the greatness of Wilderness Lodge, it’s also becoming more expensive and difficult to book, so perhaps it doesn’t need any new fans!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts on transportation, dining, merchandise, renovations, or anything else covered in this Walt Disney World resort stay report? Are you a Wilderness Lodge fan? If so, is it because of the theme or something else? Have you taken the time to explore the quiet corners of the lobby? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Other thoughts or concerns? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
The carpet you comment on looks like an earth tones version of the new lobby carpet at Yacht Club. I think it works a bit better there because in a blue palette it looks kind of wavy and ocean like. But it’s not great in either locale. There’s a designer out there somewhere that loves that pattern, I guess, and is perplexed as to why we all don’t love it too.
Hey Tom! We are normally Disneyland people, but are attempting a Disney World trip for the Christmas season. We are staying in a value resort for the most part, but want to “splurge” for the last few nights. For a family of 4 (two kids under 10)- do you think a standard room at Wilderness Lodge or a cabin at Fort Wilderness is the better choice? They are (highly) priced similarly, but I can’t decide if the appeal of the cabin or the better overall resort wins out.
The electrical water pageant is a major draw for me… I think that’s what keeps me coming back to the MK resorts! We were diehard Poly fans but loved Boulder Ridge, I think it’s out new favorite!
We were at the Grand Floridian 06/02-06/05 and never had any issues getting chairs by the Beach Pool. We typically went during the early to mid-afternoon time frame as a break from the heat and even with the business of the water slide, we always managed to get front row chairs with an umbrella which was great so we could keep an eye on the kids while they swam.
Everything about this (except that awful carpet) makes me happy! Wilderness Lodge has been my favorite resort since my first stay in 1997. I don’t get to stay there as often as I like, because my family size calls for 2 separate rooms. We do better at AoA or Windsor Hills. We always visit and dine at DWL, and I enjoy living vicariously through your posts, Tom! Thank you, as usual, for all the beautiful photos.
We stayed at Coronado May 6- 15. Despite Mother’s Day weekend and the hug er group of cheerleaders towards the end of our stay, never once was there a waitlist at the dig site pool
We love this resort and will be returning in June 2022. We have always stayed in what is now the “nature view” room. Just wondering why the “fireworks nature view” is marked up by such a large margin when the room is the same and fireworks only last 15 minutes.
Tom: Your Lumberjack Platter would have looked and probably tasted so much better on a plate than in that cardboard box. I hate those. Even when we get Chinese carry out, we put the food on real plates at home rather than eating out of the container. It looks cheap and unsanitary.
Note: Someone else’s email and name showed up when I went to complete this message.
Our favorite resort at WDW! Our first family visit to WDW was at Wilderness Lodge at Christmastime, and really, how can you beat that? It’s the standard against which I judge all Disney hotel experiences. The only place that has come close to comparing is Grand Californian at Disneyland.
I love it too but only stay there on my solo trips as it’s not busy enough for my grands. I am staying 11/28-12/4 in a standard room. I didn’t know club level was going to be open then. Still considering doing a split stay with a Copper Creek studio since one pops up now and then for 3 nights. Hope you get your wish!
One of our favorites, we have it booked for August and also club level in February. As for pool and Skyliner updates – we are currently staying at the Riviera and enjoyed the small pool yesterday afternoon with maybe two other families. The larger main pool was more crowded but still had plenty of room. We caught the Skyliner to Hollywood studios yesterday (Sunday) for park opening and there was no wait. Today we also went to Hollywood, but maybe half an hour later and there was a short wait at the Caribbean Beach station, but not bad at all. We did the same back in February and ended up waiting about 45 minutes so it’s much improved. But, we have seen it shut down quite a bit because of storms and we needed to use the bus back from Epcot Saturday night.
Just returned back from 10 days at AoA. When going to Hollywood studios via the skyliner prior to opening there were no lines at the AoA/Pop station and minimal at Caribbean beach. The closer it got to park opening, the longer the line At the Caribbean Beach station. By 8:30am the line will snake through the Epcot line switchbacks, through switchbacks in the middle of the station and down the ramp towards Caribbean Beach resort. The line moves fairly quickly as they pack the cars so it was probably a 20 minute wait when backed up like that.
What time does the water parade reach the resort?
We stayed at Grand Floridian last week. Visited the pool on several different occasions – morning, noon and night. Never a problem with capacity and no distancing. Everything seemed normal!
I agree this is a great hotel. Stayed here on my honeymoon. The price just keeps rising so I am to the point mine as well do one that is actually on the monorail and walking distance to MK. Is there any word yet on Storybook dining opening yet?
I’m a huge WL fan. One of my best Disney meals and a favorite memory was last July. I reserved lunch at Whispering Canyon, but maintenance was being done in restaurant. So lunch was relocated to Artist Point. I always enjoy the skillets, but the whole experience was spectacular.
On a side note, Tom, when do you think DVC members will be allowed to borrow 100% of points again? I have a waitlist for December and hope to book sooner if 50% limit is lifted.
Love the new merchandise! I can’t wait to pick some up later this year. It will make for easy shopping that I can take right back to the room, especially if shipping to the resort and/or front of the parks doesn’t return by then. (I hope it does!)
We were at Wilderness Lodge last week too and had a pool day on Tuesday. It wasn’t busy when we there during the day. Plenty of seating open and the chairs seemed to be back to normal. We never used the pools in the late afternoon/early evening so I can’t speak to those times.
Love that resort too. Curious if your room was refurbished?
It’s my favorite too Tom! Disney really has a great theme with this resort. Thank you for sharing all of the great intricacies of WL! And I will do that evening exercise on each floor like you said. Never had! And….Hope that the big pin board comes back in lobby as my kids love it. Did you see it there? Thanks again