This blog post is a cautionary tale! It’s one of those little-known nuances of the Wilderness Lodge that you won’t find out until you stay there, but that could easily ruin your dream vacation: the Courtyard View Room fiasco.

Courtyard View Rooms Are Great…
If you’ve done your research, you know that Wilderness Lodge has several room views, and that costs go up depending on room view desirability. For example, standard rooms have the lowest prices, and courtyard view rooms have the highest prices.

Up until just a few years ago, paying for a “courtyard view” room meant that you would automatically receive a room looking out onto the gorgeous Silver Creek Springs Pool, Bay Lake, and the Wilderness Lodge interior courtyard. And most importantly? You’d have that awesome view of Firerock Geyser spitting dozens of feet into the air every hour! Also, courtyard view room guests have an incredible view of Disney’s Electrical Water Pageant each evening as it floats through Bay Lake on its way to Fort Wilderness!

…But Beware the Bait and Switch!
So, what’s the problem, you ask? Well, rumor has it that some folks who’ve paid for a courtyard room have been placed in rooms looking out onto the Wilderness Lodge Villas courtyard. This means a view of Hidden Springs Pool (the Wilderness Lodge Villas pool)…and pretty much nothing else. There’s very little, if any, lake view from these rooms, and absolutely no geyser view. Not quite worth the same premium if you ask me!

Disney even says as much on their website when describing the standard room with courtyard view: “Standard room with courtyard view offers view of courtyard at The Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, a pool, waterfall or of Bay Lake.”

Now, I am writing this post a little tongue-in-cheek in the “drama” department, but it never hurts to put in your request for a great geyser view, or “interior courtyard view,” the next time you book a courtyard view!

By the way, if you have more information or experience with this situation, let us know your story! Chat with us on our brand new Wilderness Lodge Tribute Facebook Page!

This blog post is part of the DisMarks Disney Blog Carnival! Check out more fantastic Disney websites and articles over at the Carnival.