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!
Impeccable timing. After multiple shifts in plans, we decided to Disney again, with Universal added on, and the Poly room we decided on vanishing by booking time, we’ll be heading to the WL as the last half of a split-stay, starting at the CBR, and already snagged a breakfast ADR at Whispering Canyon.
But wow! My wife just keeps repeating, “While we’re looking, people are booking.” And she’s so right. Both rooms. When I looked on either Friday or Sunday, park reservations were available for all of July except the 3rd and 4th. Now the 1st is unavailable for MK and AK. The 4th it was MK and Epcot. Now, the 4th only shows MK unavailable, but it’s also unavailable through the 20th of July.
But, thanks! Perfect timing! My kid will be checking out the Top Burger post as well, lol.
Thanks to your advice, we headed out to WL for the first time on our Christmas trip last year and tried the bison burger and pork chips at Geyser Point. They were delicious, as was the cocktail I had (I can’t remember what it was, but I think it was seasonal). After catching the water pageant, we went inside and rocked in the lobby for a few minutes so I could pretend we were lucky enough to be staying there. I was blown away by the decor and felt like I was on the set of a Hallmark movie as soon as I stepped inside.
Fast forward a couple months, and when we booked our Christmas trip for this year, we included a couple nights at WL. The thought that those sticker prices might be it is a little terrifying, but we’re sticking with it and are looking forward to our most magical Disney Christmas yet! We never would’ve known without this blog, and I’m glad to hear it’s still holding up to your infectious love for it!
I agree with you, ready for Disney to serve dishes on regular plates, not cardboard. We were there the end of May and first week of June. Food just didn’t taste very good due to the cardboard container taste.
We have reservations there the last week of October. Got our Boo Bash tickets, too. We usually attend MNSCHP but it was cancelled last year and this year. Last time we stayed at Wilderness Lodge was in 2006. We’ve stayed at most of the resorts. Wilderness Lodge is my wife’s favorite, though Port Orleans Riverside is our usual resort (less expensive & boats to Disney Springs). Looking forward to NO MASKS for our stay. Fireworks and may parades back by then, too.
Interested in Skyliner experiences
We took the Skyliner from Epcot to Pop Century on Friday night right after park close and then rope dropped Hollywood Studios on Saturday and returned at park close. The waits were exactly what I would’ve expected pre-Covid – about 5-10 minutes in a quick-moving line. We arrived a few minutes after the Skyliner opened on Saturday (around 7:50) and there wasn’t a line at Pop Century at all! I’d say everything is pretty much back to normal on the Skyliner front. They weren’t quite packing people in, but they were definitely combining parties when it made sense.
In regard to the characters – my family has a trip planned at Christmas and we have almost cancelled several times due to lack of character interactions. We have taken our young kids every year for the last 4 years. My kiddos are 8 & 6 (and now we have a newborn), and they LOVE character interactions; it’s the highlight of their trip. I know they will be disappointed if they aren’t able to talk to/hug/get autographs or pictures from some of their favorite characters when we go. While neither current scenario is ideal, having the option to interact in some way, even through a barrier, would make a big difference to them. But serialist though, what is a trip to WDW without the obligatory Mickey photo!
Not only is Wilderness Lodge perfectly in line with my tastes, it’s the first place I stayed with my own family as an adult, so it has a special place in my heart. Reading you wax rhapsodic about it just makes my day! And makes me start checking on availability ~ sorry! 😉
We stayed from 6/5 to 6/12 and never had any issues at the main pool, or the smaller quiet pools.
We’ve always visited WL every trip because we love the look and feel of the place. We have a week booked in December and can’t wait to get there and get the full experience of an actual stay. Contemporary has been our favorite but I get the feeling that WL will be moving up our list.
I have never visited Wilderness Lodge but have a huge soft spot for it, based on your atmospheric photos and descriptions, thank you! I hope to at least visit the resort one day.
I had an opportunity to book Yellowstone Park early for next spring, and there was abundant availability for Old Faithful Inn itself. When I was a young Cody resident, slipping over to the Park for Columbus Day weekend was fairly cheap and you might get a (bland, pretty unattractive) room facing Old Faithful. No more. Vastly in demand. Next year’s trip will feature a room in the original building. They’re rustic, unpainted wood, but bathrooms are down the hall somewhere. Disney’s Wilderness lobby is a great homage to Old Fairthul.
Wilderness Lodge has to be one of Disney’s best ideas, despite seeming out of place in Florida (Clearwater had a giant wooden hotel, the Biltmore, regrettably gone, but it was never an architectural marvel. Florida does have some very distinctive old hotels, but I can’t imagine a Disney replica of what’s now the Flagler College building in St. Augustine.
Agree with you about the carpet change- unnecessary and less attractive.
I’ve visited and eaten at WL, but never stayed there. But one of the places which inspired it, Old Faithful Inn, is my favorite US Park lodge. I suspect you can identify with my wife who once said, “We’ll be in trouble if they ever realize that we’d pay to stay in a cardboard box here.”
Absolutely love Wilderness Lodge, definitely in my top 3! We recently switched out of a 2 bed lock off at Boulder ridge in January though for Poly (one standard and one lake view) but had any other resort been an option or if we were at copper creek I’m not sure we’d have gone through with it. With being just round the corner though we’ll definitely be visiting!
It is an awesome resort no doubt. I just hope with the refurb to Boulder Ridge they add a fifth person pull down bed to the one bedroom units. We (family of 5) stayed in a studio and it was cramped, but I LOVE the resort, and I don’t have cabin level points!
I am staying at Copper Creek for Christmas and I cannot wait! It will be our first stay as DVC at our home resort and I am also celebrating my actual 50th birthday. We have a split stay in the cabins and a 2BR villa. Crossing my fingers that Storybook Dining returns too by Christmas!! That’s what I’ve been waiting to hear about soon!
WL is definitely the best.
We’ve booked 12 WDW nights next month, but my Wife & Niece will be leaving after 9 days following stays at the Poly Villas & Old Key West. I’ll move on to close the vacation with 3 more at Boulder Ridge.
For some reason, my Wife doesn’t fully appreciate the Wilderness Lodge.
I’ve thought seriously about dumping her over this, but she still allows me my time there. So I’ll hang in.
You sold me! I was able to get the WL for two nights the beginning of December. Due to unavailability, we have to move after that. But I scheduled those two days to not go in the parks but explore the Lodge, take transportation anywhere, use the pool if warm enough and maybe see Disney Springs. Looked over your past Xmas shots of lodge and can’t wait! This trip is the first for the other seniors with me and I will spend whatever to make special happen! Thanks Tom for your great writing and research, and of course Sarah too.
Best resort at WDW! We go there every trip whether we are staying or not,
We just returned from a week long stay at Coronado Springs. The main pool did turn away guests on Saturday )6/5/21)due to being at capacity. We were already inside before they started turning guests away.