Disney's Wilderness Lodge

We stayed at Disney's Fort Wilderness Lodge from July 31 to August 2, coming to celebrate my son’s 9th birthday as a family. We had booked a dinner at Whispering Canyon Café inside the hotel. Our party consisted of 7 people – 4 adults and 3 children (ages 9, 8, and 7). It was late, the restaurant was closing, and while we waited for the check, the kids were playing quietly in the hotel lobby, within our sight. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, a man – approximately 40 years old – stormed toward us, furious, claiming that a small bubble stick the kids had been playing with had accidentally hit him. The children immediately apologized, repeatedly asking if he was okay. His response was shocking – he yelled that he would call the police, crushed the bubble stick into pieces on the floor aggressively, clearly trying to intimidate not only the children but us, the parents, as well. What followed was even more distressing. Our three children were crying uncontrollably, terrified that they might be taken away by the police. Yet instead of comforting us or ensuring our safety, hotel staff surrounded us as if our children were the threat, while this man – visibly unstable and possibly intoxicated (he later threw away his beer cup in a bathroom trash can, seemingly to hide evidence) – continued walking freely around the lobby, approaching us again with an intimidating demeanor. Shockingly, there was no security escorting him or keeping him away from our family despite his aggressive actions. We insisted the police be called, and eventually, an officer arrived. Unsurprisingly, it was reduced to a “conversation” where it was explained that this man should not have approached us the way he did. Yet the hotel’s “solution” was to relocate our family to a room on the 2nd floor, while this man remained comfortably on the 6th floor – the same floor we had originally been assigned – even though he was clearly the aggressor and a danger to our peace of mind. On what should have been my son’s magical birthday celebration, he is now scared that this man might knock on our door or come after us again. This is not the Disney experience I believed in for the last 15 years. My children have been coming to Disney since they were 2 months old, we are pass holders, and we have countless cherished memories here – but this experience has shaken that magic to the core. We were not protected, respected, or supported by the resort in a moment when a family – with three terrified children – desperately needed it. Instead, we were made to feel like the problem, while the real threat walked away unchecked. This is not the “Dreams Come True” that Walt Disney World once stood for. It breaks my heart that my son’s birthday ended this way, and after so many years of loyalty to Disney, today my family feels unsafe and deeply let down inside a place that should be all about joy, family, and unforgettable memories. Today, I feel this review will be just another one in a long list, whereas 10 years ago, we would not have been treated as just a number to this company. A truly indignant and heartbroken mother. Read less

We celebrated our 20th anniversary at Wilderness Lodge and couldn’t have picked a better way to celebrate. From the minute we arrived, every staff member we encountered was so nice and helpful. The woman who checked us in asked if we wanted anniversary buttons and I’m so glad we said yes. Every staff member we saw congratulated us throughout the night. The manager who was roaming even had a plate of delicious desserts delivered to us in the Territory Lounge. We arrived a bit early and had a few drinks at the Geyser Bar while waiting for our room to be ready. When we got to the room it was immaculate and the view was perfection. This resort is on a stunning piece of secluded land and we had a fireworks view. Totally worth the small extra charge. Watching the fireworks from our room was one of the highlights of our night! We decided to do the Snow White dinner and are so glad we did!! We had an absolute blast with the characters. Every single staff member was amazing, friendly and helpful. Special shout out to Beverley from Boston at Geyser Point Bar, Dan and Susan in Territory Lounge, our Artist Point waitress from MN (I think her name was Heather, but I can’t remember), Grumpy, Dopey, Snow and the Queen. They truly made our celebration extra magical. Read less

We’ve stayed at Wilderness Lodge several times (4 or 5) in the last 5 years and thoroughly enjoy every aspect of this hotel! There are great options regarding restaurants; roaring fork for a quick pickup and go snack or breakfast, whispering canyon for a longer sit-down breakfast, lunch or dinner or geyser point & territory lounge for an afternoon cocktail or evening bite. For us, Roaring Fork has spotty service and food quality, especially for the price. We’ve experienced good results, but also a lack of attention to detail such as order accuracy or inconsistent portion size. Whispering Canyon has been a solid choice for us every time. Geyser Point and Territory Lounge have been simply amazing! The staff is attentive, food options are solid and delicious and the cocktails are great. Our only negative comment regarding the Lounge is that it closes entirely too early (10pm). Geyser Point isn’t much better from this aspect (11pm). We haven’t dined at Story Book which is character dining, but haven’t heard anything negative. Transportation to the parks is usually very good. Buses to all of the parks, leaving from the bus stop between Wilderness Lodge and Boulder Ridge, plus the boat(s) to Magic Kingdom! There are two sizes of boats and only the large one accommodates wheel chairs and strollers that aren’t folded. This is the only negative point regarding the boats. Sometimes you have to wait longer for the larger boat. Morning boats fill up quickly, so don’t arrive late to the dock if you’re not willing to wait. Something we’ve learned recently; if you take the bus to Hollywood Studios, you can walk to Epcot’s International Gateway (France entrance). We found this very helpful for rope drop to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. International was very busy at security, unfortunately, so be forewarned. The rooms and theming are wonderful! We really love the feel of the Lodge, all of the attention to detail regarding the architecture and thoughtful details in the design such as the animal prints in the walkways. We would recommend the architecture tour and researching various books regarding entertainment architecture, 4240architecture…, and the design themed by the National Park hotels. Improvements; availability of the room at check-in can be spotty. We’ve waited until 6 pm for our room to be available. The waterpark passes help alleviate this issue, but it can still be challenging. It’s also time to update the pools in the next few year or so and add heaters. The water can be very cold in the Fall and Winter months. Another hot tub at the Boulder Ridge pool would be a great addition! Things we love that are overlooked; boat service from MK in the evening is wonderful!! The lines are short, it’s quiet and seamless. We secretly smile to ourselves as we look over at the skyliner line and the hordes of people heading to the transportation center. Wandering around the resort in the evening with a cocktail is so relaxing. A chair down by the lake with a cup of coffee makes all of your cares melt away. Read less

Traveling with Wife and 2 kids. We came to Disney Wilderness lodge for a 3 day trip to celebrate my sons birthday. We picked club level for the first time with Disney. We were less than impressed with bell services. They ignored us when we pulled up, instead decided to have personal conversations. We had to ask four people for a cart, each of the first three acted like we were bothering them and walked away without a word, we assumed they were getting us a cart, but never returned. We then had to ask a fourth person, who without hesitation and within seconds got us a cart, we load our own cart which i am ok with, and preceded inside to check in. We were greeted after a few minutes of waiting and which we stated that we were staying on club level. The person then told us that he would escort us up to club level to receive a tour with another party that was checking in at same time. Our tour was great and we were really impressed with the club level, we had very positive experiences the whole time on club level, great options for drinks and snacks, and staff was awsome. We had a great room with a perfect view of Magic Kingdom nightly fireworks. The lifeguards and pool area staff were friendly and did a great job. We encountered a problem in game room when we tried to buy game cards for both of our kids, and only one card came out with both amounts on card. I went to front desk to discuss this issue with staff, we seemed bothered by my problem, and called somewhere to ask about the issue. Whoever they talked to on phone, said they knew of issue for awhile and that i should just buy another card, they couldnt split amount. If this is a known issue then it should have been noted on machine, so I could have done different transaction. i asked again to speak with someone about the issue, and they said that someone was going to come to talk to me, however after waiting another 30 minutes waiting, i couldnt let my kids wait longer than i decided to purchase another card, which was double what I intended to pay. Finally someone came hour after to talk with me. No apology, just a mater of fact we knows its a issue. No we should put up a note to let customers know. Then on day of check out, we contacted bell services again to get a cart to check out by front desk, they said go outside to get cart. I went to outside bell service and asked for cart, they said they had none, even though i could clearly see at least 5 empty carts up by building, I had to.ask again another 2 people before i could get a cart. At no time with interactions at check in or check out did i feel welcomed by bell services just a burden. No smiles, no how you doing, just felt like i was bothering them because they were to busy having personal conversations that had nothing to do with Disney. Neither of the times were they busy, just standing around. This is not the usual Disney experiences. I have had much better luck with friendly staff at Pop Century and expected more of an upgraded resort. Read less

It is a great looking hotel. Customer service is also great. They did give me a different room than requested and said I was upgraded. It overlooked a swamp. They wound up crediting me the difference. A few other issues. Room was near elevator. Your hear the dinging all night long. In addition you heard loud guests always near the elevator. The walls to the rooms are very thin. You hear everything. Also near an ice machine so you hear all getting ice. And finally there are not enough healthy options on the menu. (At all)! Read less