In this post, we review Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, the lowest-priced deluxe option at Walt Disney World. We cover everything you need to know about this resort, from location to dining to its amazing theming! Let’s get on with it!
Basics of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Wilderness Lodge is a deluxe resort at Walt Disney World. These are Disney’s best hotels. If you’re considering Wilderness Lodge, you may want to read some of our other posts. We have a ranking of the best Disney World deluxe resorts. We also have a guide to all the hotels of Walt Disney World.
And here are our reviews of all the deluxe resorts (links open in new tabs):
Review of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge (you are here)
And if you’d like to see where this resort falls overall, check out our complete Disney World hotel rankings.
Staying at Wilderness Lodge, you get the perks of any Disney stay. You’ll have access to free transportation to and from the parks and Disney Springs. You’ll also have access to Early Theme Park Entry and the ability to book your individual Lightning Lanes at 7AM (as opposed to when the parks open). Wilderness Lodge is a deluxe hotel, so guests have access to Extended Evening Hours, granting these guests extra time in select parks on select nights.
Rack rates for standard rooms at Wilderness Lodge in 2024 range from $524 to $979 per night, making it the among the least expensive deluxe hotel options. Deluxe resorts typically see the largest discounts when it comes to room-only offers, and annual passholder offers in particular can get you 35% off sometimes.
Arrival and Check-In
Since Disney has ended their Magical Express shuttle service from Orlando International Airport you’ll have to find your own way from the airport. We had checked in online, so our room was ready when we arrived.
Online check-in makes a lot more sense when you’re arriving later. If you’re arriving early and need to get to a room ASAP, you’ll want to swing by the desk, as rooms are often available before they’re assigned via online check-in.
Wilderness Lodge Lobby, Grounds, and Theme
Wilderness Lodge is themed to a combination of the US’s national park lodges, the Pacific Northwest, and Native American culture.
In an assessment that will surprise no one, we’ll say Disney's Wilderness Lodge is gorgeous. Like Animal Kingdom Lodge, the details and environment are entrancing.
The lobby is magnificent. We’ve previously swung by at Christmas to see it in its holiday finest (use the arrows to click through all the galleries on this post):
If you’re staying at or visiting Wilderness Lodge looking for pictures, it might help to know you can freely access all the floors except parts of the 7th, which contains the Old Faithful Club Level.
Wilderness Lodge is a rarity among Disney’s deluxe lobbies. There are some other attractive lobbies, but none quite has the same depth.
For example, I enjoy the look of Polynesian Village, and I take a few pictures every time I’m there. The only problem is that I take the same two or three pictures every time! There just isn’t too much there!
By contrast, Wilderness Lodge is filled not only with feature items—like the fireplace or the bridge over Copper Creek or the gorgeous totem poles—but with countless tiny details as well.
Many of these you won’t even notice on your first, second, or third time through the lobby. Yes, Disney is known for “detail,” but the deluxe resorts actually often eschew that in favor of plain elegance.
Disney’s “Lodge”-style hotels (e.g. Disney Explorers Lodge in Hong Kong Disneyland, Animal Kingdom Lodge) all borrow the idea of the grandiose, open lobby from Wilderness Lodge, probably because it works!
The property is also home to a few Disney Vacation Club properties, the Copper Creek Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and the Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. We won’t be covering those in this review.
Our Room at Wilderness Lodge
The rooms at Wilderness Lodge were renovated in 2021, bringing them in line with the newest rooms at Disney World.
When writing about the new rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge, I wrote “I’ll admit that I do feel the Animal Kingdom Lodge rooms lost a bit of [spirit].” Unsurprisingly since Wilderness Lodge is something of a spiritual sister to Animal Kingdom Lodge, I feel like these rooms also lost a bit of heart in the update. (Click through the gallery to see more photos.)
There’s no doubt the updated rooms are better. They’re cleaner and significantly more functional. I’ve been a huge fans of this round up total refurbishments, and that doesn’t change.
Check out this headboard in one of the old rooms, for example:
In any case, those days are over. In hotels where the old rooms were blander—Yacht Club and Polynesian, for example—the refurbishments feel like a lot more of a total upgrade. Where I felt theme ruled the day—at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge—I’m sad to see the old rooms go, but overall pleased with the new ones.
Pools at Wilderness Lodge
The “main” pool is The Copper Creek Springs Pool. This pool sits out back behind the main lobby. It has a small waterslide, hot tub, and water playground for kids.
The “other” pool is the newer Boulder Ridge Cove Pool. We haven’t had a chance to make it over to this pool since it opened. Your First Visit has a good look at it.
I think the Copper Creek Springs Pool could use more seating, but having two pools helps overall.
Dining and Drinks at Wilderness Lodge
Wilderness Lodge has two quick service restaurants (one of which is also a bar), two table service restaurants, and a second bar.
Table Service Restaurants at Wilderness Lodge
Wilderness Lodge has two table service restaurants. Whispering Canyon Cafe is an “Old Western eatery” serving family style meals throughout the day. The “All-You-Care-To-Enjoy” skillets are their most popular offerings, and they even offer a vegan option with a wide selection of fake meats. The atmosphere is fun and entertaining—not a quiet sit-down spot. We’ve eaten here before and definitely recommend it.
Storybook Dining at Artist Point is one of Disney’s newest offerings. Storybook dining is a character dinner featuring Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The menu is prix fixe with a price of $55 for adults and $33 for children.
We haven’t had the chance to eat here yet, but here’s a review from Disney Food Blog. It’s become a very popular dining option at Disney World, so make your advance dining reservations ASAP!
Both of these restaurants require a single table service credit if you’re on a Disney dining plan, and reservations are recommended for both.
Quick Service at Wilderness Lodge
Wilderness Lodge has two quick service restaurants. Roaring Fork is the standard quick service option. It’s located just a bit from the lobby and serves typical breakfast offerings, followed by burgers, sandwiches, and salads. It’s actually one of the better quick service options at a deluxe resort hotel.
Geyser Point Bar and Grill is the pool bar at Wilderness, but it’s much larger than your typical pool bar. The open-air setup is fantastic, and this is one of our favorite bars on property.
Bars at Wilderness Lodge
We covered Geyser Point above. The other bar is Territory Lounge, the bar associated with Artist Point. We’re fans of Territory Lounge and its rustic, western theming, but besides being as “cozy” as the rest of the resort, it doesn’t offer much unique. The service is great though!
Wilderness Lodge Transportation and Location
Staying at Wilderness you’ll have access to Disney’s free transportation network. At most of the deluxe resorts, this perk is enhanced by offering you quicker access to a park by monorail, walking, or boat.
The hotel is technically a part of the Magic Kingdom resorts area. It sits on Bay Lake, one of the lakes nearest Magic Kingdom.
It’s easy to hear these two facts and mistakenly think that Wilderness Lodge is on the monorail that runs around the Seven Seas Lagoon—but it isn’t a monorail resort.
Bay Lake, despite its famed name, isn’t the most prominent body of water in the area—that’s the Seven Seas Lagoon that Polynesian and Grand Floridian sit on. Bay Lake is behind Contemporary and has Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness on its shores. And Bay Lake is connected to the Seven Seas Lagoon.
So what this comes down to is that the “special” transportation option at the hotel is the boat to Magic Kingdom. Only…we don’t think it’s that special. Let’s talk a little bit more about transportation.
Getting to the Parks from Wilderness Lodge
To get to three of the four theme parks, you’ll be relying on Disney’s bus transportation:
Epcot — 10 - 15 minutes by bus
Hollywood Studios — 10-15 minutes by bus
Animal Kingdom — 15-20 minutes by bus
For the water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, you’ll also rely on bus, but travel time will vary depending on whether the trip is direct or requires a stop or transfer. The bus to Disney Springs is direct and takes about 20 minutes.
It’s not uncommon for the hotel to share buses, usually with Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. This happens at the other deluxe resorts, too, but it’s still an affront to the price people are paying to stay at a “deluxe” option.
To Magic Kingdom, you’ll take bus or boat. This is a step down from some other deluxe resorts in the area that have monorail access to to two parks—namely Polynesian, Grand Floridian, and Contemporary.
Usually the bus and boat to Magic Kingdom are about equivalent in time, taking around ten minutes. I’d advise checking the app—if the bus is coming within ten minutes, take the bus, otherwise take the boat.
If you’re looking to make rope drop at Magic Kingdom, I’d plan to be at the docks an hour before the park is scheduled to open.
If you’re comparing Disney resorts, the transportation situation at Wilderness Lodge is more like Animal Kingdom Lodge or a moderate / value than at the other deluxe resorts.
In a pinch, we still recommend using Lyft or Uber to get around Walt Disney World. Disney’s official “Minnie Van” service can also get you around…for a high price.
Guests who bring a car to Walt Disney World have free parking at the resort and at the theme parks. Since a car can expedite your trips to Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios, it can be a good asset.
Getting to Other Resorts from Wilderness Lodge
Note: The Blue Flag boat is back(!), but the walking path between Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge is closed.
We don’t often talk about transit between resorts explicitly. Usually they’re obvious and come up a lot (like the Boardwalk area or monorail hotels) or just non-existent (like Animal Kingdom Lodge). Wilderness Lodge is in between—you have decent access to some good resorts, you just have to know where to look.
It’s really easy to get to both Fort Wilderness and Contemporary from Wilderness Lodge. There is a boat (with a blue flag) that connects the three resorts. The entire circuit takes about 25 minutes with 5 minute stops at each location, and it’s our understanding that two boats usually operate in opposite directions.
To the uninitiated, access to Fort Wilderness might not strike you as too valuable, but that property is loaded with activities, including the legendary Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue dinner show.
You could easily make a visit to Fort Wilderness part of your stay and put together a fantastic Disney World no parks day. There’s also a mile-long walking path to Fort Wilderness. It’s serene, and you might even see some deer!
Contemporary, in turn, sits on the monorail, which can connect you to Polynesian and Grand Floridian. Now…this definitely isn’t the fastest way to get these resorts. But if you’re leisurely “resort crawling” (or bar crawling), this is a fun way to get around.
For example, our trip to the Polynesian for breakfast took about 45 minutes. Later in the day, when we wanted to get back to the Polynesian to visit Trader Sam’s, we took an Uber. The ride took 8 minutes and cost $5.77.
If you’re used to the value or moderate resorts, you’re probably used to hefty transit times to other hotels for meals. But if you’re a frequent guest at some of the other deluxe resorts, you might be a bit disappointed to not have a few great hotels right at your fingertips.
Wilderness Lodge - Conclusions
Overall Rating — 4.5/5
If it weren’t for its poor transportation situation, Wilderness Lodge would be an easy pick for the best hotel at Walt Disney World. As it is, its lower prices compared to the other deluxe resorts make it a favorite for people looking for a taste of deluxe life, and its theming makes it a favorite of many repeat visitors.
It’s unfortunately easy for your time at Wilderness Lodge to be wasted sitting on buses or boats. It’s not an easy resort to pop back to quickly in the middle of the day, unlike Contemporary or Yacht Club, for example. Your rope drops and Genie+ and Lightning Lane reservations are all at risk when you can’t control arrival times to a reasonable degree.
Just as we recommend with the value and moderate resorts, we think you should learn a bit about Uber when staying at Wilderness Lodge. If you’re hopping around locations, you’ll want to rely on the service minimally, lest your budget get out of control. But if $6 can save you 40 minutes, like it did with us, you’ll definitely want to take that trade-off.
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
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Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Don't forget to master your Disney World Genie+ and Lightning Lane strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Epcot Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Animal Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and Hollywood Studios Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
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