Disney's Wilderness Lodge

We recently stayed at WL for a couples trip. First time staying at this resort. I can’t say enough wonderful things about it. From the moment you enter the lobby you feel like you’re in a national park lodge. Every detail is perfect. The warm inviting lobby offers seating throughout including in from of the fire. We also found several small areas throughout to sit quietly and enjoy yet another fire. The resort gift shop offers many gift items as well as snacks and toiletries. There’s two sit down restaurants and a quick service which was wonderful. I wish all the resorts had a QS like this one. Plenty of seating as well. We stayed in a resort view king room. The room was very nice and looked like it was recently renovated. We had a nice view of the trees which we didn’t mind. To our surprise at night we could see the fireworks!!!! Our room also overlooked the lobby which was also a nice surprise and made it very convenient as we were near the stairs and elevators. The grounds were very beautiful and we enjoyed exploring. At night you could watch the water parade which passed around 9:30ish. There’s another small restaurant near the water. I believe it’s considered the pool bar. We didn’t use the pool but it looked very nice. I can’t say enough about this place. We will definitely be back. The Polynesian used to be my favorite resorts but this one takes first place for me now.

Wrong room type, noisy, overcrowded hotel, terrible coffee at all the restaurants, television in our room didn’t work..(didn’t even turn on). Very disappointing experience.

Our recent stay at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge was heartbreaking. For families like ours who save for years to create a once-in-a-lifetime Disney trip, please read this before you book. We paid over $8,000 USD just for the room, plus thousands more for tickets, dining, and Lightning Lanes. We expected the Deluxe Resort experience Disney advertises — peace, comfort, and service worth the price. What we got was chaos, broken promises, and sleepless nights. They say “Welcome Home” when you arrive, but when things go wrong, you quickly learn you’re just a number. At check-in, we were given the wrong villa, told it was a “new design,” and only later admitted to be an error. We had to unpack, repack, and move everything after already settling in ..,wasting our first day and creating unnecessary stress. When we tried to explain that this wasn’t acceptable, we were met with pushback and defensiveness, as if we were the problem for expecting the room we actually booked. It was an argument we never should’ve had to have at a Deluxe Resort. Our Storybook Dining reservation ran over an hour late with two small kids, the fireworks dessert party was overcrowded, and basic dining options shut down early each night. The main pool slide — the biggest draw for families — was closed all week for sanding and painting, despite Disney’s website promising “all amenities will remain available.” Dust and paint fumes filled the pool area. Then came the worst part: overnight construction noise between 12:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. for multiple nights. Concrete saws, trucks, grinding metal — right outside guest rooms. Security confirmed other guests complained, but it still continued. Managers apologized, even offered a three-night stay for the disruption, but the work resumed again. This isn’t just inconvenient... it’s unbelievable at a Deluxe Resort. Lightning Lanes failed, rides broke down, shows were canceled. We sent Disney videos, photos, receipts, and detailed notes. The issue was escalated to their Executive Correspondence Team, who refused to communicate in writing. When they finally called, they said there was “nothing more they could do.” That was the moment the magic disappeared. This isn’t just our story.. it’s for every family who spends years saving to give their kids a dream trip, only to be met with corporate indifference. What Disney promises: Deluxe comfort, care, and magic. What we got: mistakes, noise, exhaustion, and disappointment. Disney, please remember: for you it’s one of thousands of reservations — for families like ours, it was our once-in-a-lifetime vacation.

Feels like a place not in Florida! Great for a night walk and some food. Good for after the parks or a break from Magic Kingdom to eat. Amazing at Christmas Time with the tree and lights

To preface this review, we have stayed at the Wilderness Lodge several times and it has always been my favorite resort on property. But on this occasion, I felt extremely misled. Disney has a generic warning on their website that there is construction going on, so both when I booked and a few days before I arrived, I called to inquire if "water view" rooms would be impacted and was consistently told "no". On the day of check-in, after checking in on-line and receiving a room number, I called again and was told construction would not impact our assigned room, but I then got a separate text saying I would need to check in with the front desk upon arrival about our room assignment. The cast member who assisted us said there was a mechanical issue with our first room so we were moved two rooms over, but she again insisted construction would not impact our new room. Well, our "water view" room was of a construction staging area! Basically, they have covered the lobby windows looking out onto the courtyard, blocked that entire area off (from the back of the lobby almost down to the pool), and filled in with tarps and piles and piles of scafflolding materials. The most deceptive part is that when I spoke to the manager on duty and asked for a different water view room without a view of this construction, he finally admitted that ALL "water view" rooms have views into this construction! So when people booking water view rooms and ask if construction will impact their room type, Disney is explicitly training their guest services department to lie to customers!