Wilderness Lodge

[JSparrow]

We are going to be staying at the Wilderness Lodge at the end of the month. Can anyone give me some reviews, especially when it comes to transportation? How are the buses? How long is the walk to the TTC to use the monorail?

[waymickey]

We love the WL. Transportation is great at the lodge. Buses are usually a 10 minute wait except the bus for the water parks which is very very very slow. There is no walking to the TTC for a Monorail ride. Best bet is take the boat to Contemporary and grab the monorail from there. There is never a long wait for the boats and riding the boats to MK is very relaxing.The resort is beautiful. Take time to explore. There is a nature path behind the lodge and it is always 10 degrees cooler on the trail. We rent bikes and ride over on the Nature trail to the stables at FW to see the horses once every trip. No worries WL is great! Have a super time!

[VWL Mom]

You can also take the bus to MK (5 min ride) and grab the monorail there. This is our preferred route to Epcot since the EP bus stops at FW and can be lengthy. DHS bus stops at GF but is rather quick.

I agree that the boat to MK is a relaxing ride, my boys loved it when they were little. Definitely not the quickest route though especially if they are stopping at FW (depends on time of day) and you are late for ADR.

Love WL grounds, enjoy!

[jpH/keD]

We waited for a bus at WL to DTD and the wait was long! If I had to do that again I would boat to MK then get a bus to DTD. Love the lobby tho! WL is magical! Enjoy your trip!

[Dragongirlx]

I absolutely love wilderness lodge. I am going back there myself next year. I agree with the previous posters that you never have to wait long for a bus except if you are going to downtown disney, these one always seem to take forever to show up and forever to get there.
My favourite part of the transport though is the boat to the magic kingdom. I find it the most relaxing way to travel and have even hoped a monorail from epcot to the TTC and then to Magic kingdom just to get the boat to the lodge (avoiding the busy bus)

[darthmacho]

It's been too long since we've stayed to review the bus system, but I can safely say that the boat is a great way to get to MK and the monorail!

Other than that WL is the best resort in WDW. I love the two restaurants, Artist Point and Whispering Canyon so much, the pool is great, and even the lobby is a great place to just hang out for awhile!

[Jeff T]

You will love WL. We are heading there for our vacation in another week. During our stay there last June the bus transportation was not very good. Long routes to/from EPCOT and HS. We always had to stop at Fort Wilderness when going to/from EPCOT and HS. Boat service to MK is very good, and relaxing - unless you get stuck sitting outside on a very hot day!

I highly recommend the WL.

[RedSoxFan]

We were at WL in December. No complaints about anything including the transportation. Boat to MK was great. We also took the bus to MK -- very quick ride. No problems with the busses to any of the parks. Would love to stay here in again in November; but there are 5 of us this time!! Enjoy!!

[Disney Doll]

There is a nature path behind the lodge and it is always 10 degrees cooler on the trail. We rent bikes and ride over on the Nature trail to the stables at FW to see the horses once every trip.

Thanks for the tip! We love biking and that sounds like a fun thing to do on our "rest" day.

[LudwigVonDrake]

Wilderness Lodge is my favorite deluxe resort. The boat ride to the MK is relaxing and the whole atmosphere is calm and tranquil. 32 more days until I go back!!!

[magicofdisney]

We waited for a bus at WL to DTD and the wait was long! If I had to do that again I would boat to MK then get a bus to DTD. Love the lobby tho! WL is magical! Enjoy your trip!

You can't get a boat from MK to DTD. You can get it from the Contemporary. However, if you choose that route, the bus stops at the Poly and Grand FL before heading over to DTD (at least that was our experience).

[TheRustyScupper]

Can anyone give me some reviews,
. . . fantastic 8-floor grand lobby
. . . outside geyser every hour on-the-hour
. . . train cars from Walt's back yard at Villas
. . . marina for boat rentals *
. . . bike and surrey bike rentals *
. . . walkway to Fort Wilderness
. . . boats to FW and MK
. . . hunt for Hidden Mickey's
. . . tours of the Lodge, Wed-thru-Sat
. . . daily Flag Family gets to raise the flags
. . . walking/jogging trails
. . . fishing using your own gear
. . . fishing excursions
. . . fitness room
. . . fireplace mimics Yellowstone rock strata
. . . totem poles in lobby

especially when it comes to transportation?
. . . boat to MK
. . . boat, then monorail to Epcot
. . . buses to other parks

How are the buses?
. . . many stop at GF prior to parks
. . . all-in-all, good buses

How long is the walk to the TTC to use the monorail?
. . . no walking to TTC from WL
. . . must catch boat to Contemp or MK, first

[DisneyGirl85]

Can anyone give me some reviews,
. . . hunt for Hidden Mickey's

Do they do something special with Hidden Mickey's or do you mean just have a lot in general?

[KylesMom]

Do they do something special with Hidden Mickey's or do you mean just have a lot in general?

There's a "Hidden Mickey" hunt available for request from the front desk. I'll tell you, there are still a few we're looking for - and we've been staying at WL annually for several years now!

[DisneyGirl85]

There's a "Hidden Mickey" hunt available for request from the front desk. I'll tell you, there are still a few we're looking for - and we've been staying at WL annually for several years now!

Yeyyy! I'm so excited, I love Hidden Mickey's! Thanks!

[kemps@wdw]

Maybe it's just me, but it seemd that we spent less time on transportation @ the WL, than any other resort we've stayed at. I guess it's that the WL is close to MK and the Contemporary and both are access points for the monorail. Boats go from WL to FW to CR. And from WL to FW to MK, and is our preferred mode of transportation, providing a leisurely journey as well as great photo opps. Buses also to all destinations as well and usually make multiple stops @ adjacent resorts before heading to their designated parks. As with all transportation, it's best to give yourself plenty of travel time if you have ADRs or are wanting to get to a park extra early.

[Mackflava99]

We go to the WL alot and its actually my favorite resort.

For MK - take the boats, they are much faster.
Also for Epcot- just boat over to contemporary and take Monorail-

The Buses are ok, but we have found they are a little slower than beach Club or others we have been too.
If you are staying in the Villas, the bus drop off is very close.

They have taxis always available. And they are pretty cheap as far as taxis go.
if you have 4 people, rather than wait 15 min to go to DHS, we would take a taxi and we'd be in the park before the bus got there.

[slegrant]

Love the Wilderness Lodge! You will have a great stay and as many have posted take the time to explore the resort. If you like looking for hidden Mickey's look on the right side of the fireplace in the lobby a little ways upWe love the boats and take them all the time to the Magic Kingdom and Contemporary.