Disney Fort Wilderness Resort And Campground Reviews

The wilderness camp ground is an amazing place to stay, you have loads of choice, you can bring your own caravan/trailer/tent or stay in a log cabin, the place is spread over a large area but you can hire a golf cart to go back and forth from the amenaties, the food courts court could be better but that dont matter, cause your so close to the magic kingdom, theres a ferry launch on the beach to take you straight there, very good for a mid afternoon cool down from the parks, you can also get WIFI connection in the camp ground, keeping you intouch even though it looks like you are in the middle of nowere, Very cool place to stay and the extra cost is worth it.

The log cabins are nice enough to sleep in, it dont matter that much as your not here that often

We loved this hotel. The American Northwest theming is utterly stunning. The log cabin type styling, the North American Indian Carvings, the way the lobby appears to go up and up, even the 'animal tracks' set into the concrete around the pathways. The rooms are nothing exceptional but fine. The balcony / terrace is a nice addition. Whispering Canyon is a fun place to eat with its all you can eat skillet and often playful servers. Be careful about asking for ketchup! The beach area is nice, a good spot to watch the Electric Water Pageant go by in the evening. The boat ride to Magic Kingdom is convenient and relaxing. All I need is a lottery win and I'll be back like a shot :-)

Disney have a 'time share' style arrangement called Disney Vacation Club ( DVC). We rented some points from a member for a 4 night stay at what Disney calls The Villas at Widerness Lodge. These are not villas in the sense we Brits use. They are hotel rooms / apartments that are rented out alongside Disney's ordinary hotel rooms, the only major difference being they have more amenities than the ordinary rooms eg self catering provision etc. They also vary in size. We stayed in a 'studio' sleeping up to 4. Service on check in was fine. The room was adequately sized, pleasantly furnished and very clean.We had a fridge, microwave etc. Our room was on the ground floor and we had a pleasant little terrace. The most striking feature for us was the incredible American North West theming, think Davy Crockett and North American Indians.The building is intended to seem like an enormous log cabin, the fabulous fire place in the lobby soars up and up, while every where you look are are decorative carvings and artefacts. A spring appears in the floor of the lobby and flows outside to feed into the swimming pool. Nearby is a 'geyser' which regularly 'erupts'. The second most important factor was location, Wilderness Lodge is a short, relaxing boat ride from Magic Kingdom.

If renting directly from Disney, this is quite an expensive hotel and the prices would perhaps ordinarily be beyond my reach. However if anyone is looking for a treat I whole heartedly recommend it.

The Wilderness Lodge Hotel is very impressive. Located in the Magic Kingdom area its a short boat trip to Magic Kingdom. Drive or bus to the other areas.

Highlights. Location, View, Pool, things to do at hotel (hire a speed boat). The hotel lobby was very impressive. Kids (6 & 11) loved it! Staff very friendly. The Disney transport is impressive, no hassle and timely.

Lowlights. Not many, but this is a Disney Deluxe Resort, the food was more fast than 5 star and the rooms where small for the US.

This was our first trip to Disney and we have no regrets, it was enjoyed by all. With the whole Disney package you do get lots of smiles but in comparison to other hotels outside the resort you get less room and much higher food costs for standard food.

Tips/Recommendations.

1. Book Disney restaurants early or before you leave, some in Epcot have over a month wait, especially if travelling during week of 4th July. Rainforest Café, Portobello Beach Club & Cheese Cake Factory restaurants all very good

2. If you plan to stay in Disney for most of your holiday then look into the Disney dining plan.

3. Get to the parks early and use your fast pass. Once in the park goto the back of the park or go and get your first fast pass, only one ride valid per ticket until fast pass time. You’ll find the parks are quiet away from the entrance. Same is true for Universal.

4. Use the car or boat during the day but get the bus in the evening, unwind and relax.

5. Have a day out, pool late afternoon then out again.

6. Buy the kids (or yourself) the Wilderness Lodge refill mug, pay once and top up your entire stay.

7. MUST DO. Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom Safari, Simpsons in Universal, Discovery Cove, Aquatica, Disney MGM Toy Story ride (fast pass early) and Indiana Jones show, Sea World Shamu Show.

8. Goto Disney Quest when its raining, indoor fun place.

9. Order (free) the Disney planning DVD now available to UK from UK website.

10. Take or rent a GPS System.

CARRIER - VIRGIN - RATING - VERY POOR

We travel to Disney every year and have found that the individual detached wood cabins which are set on the shores of the lake which magic kingdom is sited are the best place to stay, infact, you can even catch a disney ferry to the Magic kingdom and avoid the queues. Remember that it is imperative to call from the Uk and book an electric golf cart because you will need one and they do run out. Best shopping is found in the outlet shops at the end of Inernational drive ( impossible if you hav'nt a car or Sat Nav because you will buy so much as its so cheap for DKNY, Armani, Lacoste and the roads are huge and plentiful.

CARRIER: VIRGIN - we always have used them as they usually provide for more than our needs. BUT with Virgin setting up the VIRGIN USA internal US airline it seems they have put all the old flights onto the UK route and stopped all the games handsets and placed a poorer menu on the UK route concentrating all their efforts and finances in the Us markets - Would we use them again NO Way and we have returned all our air points cards as a show of our disappointment.

I went with a friend at the start of the christmas season - and it was absolutly AMAZING!!!!

We stayed at the Wilderness lodge which was so fantastic! I could not stop smiling for the whole of the 10 days i was there - it really looked like i permanently had a hanger stuck in my mouth!!! Apart from being a HUGE disney fan (yes i know - a bit old at 22!) the hotel was so grand! The staff were so friendly and would do absolutly anything for you! The rooms were really nice and really clean - we had two queen size beds that were huge - it was great!!!!
I would say that this hotel was mainly for adults as there were a lot less kids here that at the other Disney hotels!

We only ate in the roaring forks snack bar - that is open until 12 midnight so its really convenient. However it was quite expensive - $4 for one croissant (about £2.50! However - if you go for the meal deals that they have for that day - about $5 - £2.50 then it doesnt work out too expensive for things like chicken nuggets and chips.
What we mostly did was snack on fruit etc throughout the day then have one main meal in the evening at the parks - say the 50's diner at MGM studios. Here it works out about $20 for an all you can eat buffet - which had gorgous food!

I can also recomemnd the all you can eat breakfast at crystal palace in the Magic Kingdom. I love tigger and this meal had tigger, winnie, piglet and eeyore just walking about! It was surreal to have a hug from Pooh which scoffing bacon and eggs! Probably more orientated for kids - but i was just as thrilled!

We went on the hotel tour (a little boring!) but make sure you see the water pagent at the dock of the hotel(usually about 9pm - but check with reception for times) as its so beautiful! I only used the pool once at about 11pm as we were so busy during the day. Let me just say - its a fantastic way to unwind after a busy day. The pool is heated and usually deserted in the evening. There is also a hot tub which is so rexaling its unbelievable!

The transport to and from the parks is great and very efficient! To go to Magic Kingdom to have to catch a boat from the dock - which is quite efficiently - and definatly an experience!

If we went outside of the Disney parks (Seaworld etc) we used Mears travel - who were also great and very reasonable - although you do have to tip the drivers on top of the cost. Ask reception for the number.

One word of warning - Do not use the room telephones where possible. We had terrible problems calling the UK from the parks as the payphones didnt accept coins for an international call, didnt accept our UK credit cards, and all the parks apart from Downtown disney sold out of calling cards. Due to this we used the phone a few times - mainly ringing and putting down to our family who called us back (which we got charged for - $20!!!).
When we got the bill, we had spent a total of 22 minutes on the phone to the UK (including ringing and putting down in that time) and our bill was $400!!!! About £250 - i could have cried!!! Never mind it was a lesson learnt!

One more thing - make sure you visit the Rainforest cafe at either ANimal Kingdom or Downtown Disney as its out of this world!