Location: Just off of the lobby in the Wilderness Lodge Resort
Parking/Transportation Situation: General Resort Parking or Valet Parking available. Bus service from all parks. Boat service from Magic Kingdom. (If using Disney Transportation, allow 1-1.5 hours transportation time.)
Meals Served: B, L, D
Characters/Entertainment: No characters, wooden pony races around the dining room, boisterous and entertaining servers
Type of Cuisine: Stick-to-yer-ribs BBQ and country favorites
Type of Menu: Your choice of a la carte, or all-you-can-eat, family-style dining
Pricing/Dining Plan: $/ 1 Table Service Point Per Person
Full Menu: COMING SOON!
Full Menu: COMING SOON!
Atmosphere: Rustic, NorthWest lodge
Dress Code: Theme park casual
Dress Code: Theme park casual
Guests Who Would Enjoy This The Most: Kids and Families
Level of Difficulty of Getting a Reservation: Moderate
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| K checks out the Lincoln Log Tables |
Rating of Appeal to Kid-Diners: What rides?????
Stand out dishes: Fresh cornbread, pulled pork, delicious refillable milkshakes
Best Use of Dining Plan Point: All-You-Care-To-Eat Skillet
Best Use of Dining Plan Point: All-You-Care-To-Eat Skillet
Experience: We ended up at Whispering Canyon on a fluke. The hubs, K and I were actually headed to property so that I could take some pictures at the Value Resorts and finish the post I have been wanting to share about comparing the resorts, but the sky had other plans in mind. Since it literally started pouring the moment we crossed through the Disney gates, and we were hungry, and it was lunchtime, and Whispering Canyon did have a reservation, we decided to go for it. It also helped that Whispering Canyon was one of the only available restaurants that we could get to without stepping foot in the rain. Using valet, we could pull up right out front, and go right into the lobby to the restaurant. Winner, winner, chicken dinner! (Or lunch.)
Lunch is fairly easy to book in any resort, since most Guests are in the parks. That was exactly what was going on in this case, since we stepped into a nearly empty lobby of the resort when we got there, but by halfway through lunch, it was absolutely packed with poncho-goblins, (aka Guests in ponchos), strollers, umbrellas and bags. We had a 12:15pm reservation and were sat right on time. As I have told you before, we love Whispering Canyon for not only the great food, but the fun, loud, crazy atmosphere. Your experience will vary, based on the server that you get . Some of them are more mellow, reserved an subtly funny, while others are there to put on a show and get their Guests acting silly. We have seen a wide variety in recent visits, but today we got one of the very loudest, (and very best), M.T. She has been there since the doors opened and can always be counted on for a laugh. Not only is she not afraid to poke fun at the grown ups and get goofy with the kids, she's also an excellent server and can read her tables really well. When she was giving the table behind us a hard time, and loudly telling the grown ups to stop coloring on their arms, as she pointed at their tattoos, K got a little nervous. He kind of shrunk down in his seat and was a little taken aback by how loud she was. This is shocking to me, since I was pretty sure that my hubby was one of the loudest humans on Earth, but I guess he's grown used to hearing his father at that volume, not strangers. When M.T. approached our table, she immediately noticed K's hesitance and quieted down a bit and was more smiley and friendly than fake-grouchy and short. She was still funny and crazy, but she adjusted to a tone that didn't intimidate K, which was so perceptive and the mark of a true people-person.
After checking out the menu, we decided that it still made the most sense to go with the all-you-care-to-eat Skillet, so that we could all have a little of everything. Now, if that option doesn't appeal to you, or is too much for your family at lunchtime, there are a good variety of salads, sandwiches and entrees that you can choose from as well. M.T. did offer to send out the chef, to address K's egg allergy, but since we had eaten here before, we declined. The only thing we knew he'd have to avoid is the cornbread, but much to our surprise, and K's delight, the server brought out a piece of egg-free cornbread for K. The cornbread is delicious and very easy to fill yourself up on, so you'll need to exercise some restraint, because you'll want to save room for the other delicious items on Skillet.
Our Skillet was delivered within 15 minutes of ordering it, and the food was super hot, so we could tell everything was very freshly made. The included meats are roasted chicken, pulled pork, smoked sausage and ribs. Then for sides, there's mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and baked beans. K immediately knew what he wanted. "Con! Con!", he yelled, as he grabbed for an ear. That was then followed by, "Ow! Hot con! Ow!" We pulled the Skillet away and refocused him on the cornbread while everything else cooled off a bit. K's favorites, (along with the corn, of course), were the pulled pork and the sausage. Personally, I didn't love the sausage, since it reminded me more of breakfast sausage than a regular grilled sausage. The pulled pork was delicious and not fatty at all. If you like things with a good barbecue kick to them, you can always ask for a side of BBQ sauce, but I liked the pork as it was. The hubs loved the ribs and the chicken. I agreed that the roasted chicken was super moist, (sorry...I hate the word too, but there is no other way to describe it!), and had a good flavor. I love Whispering Canyon's mashed potatoes too, since they are smooth, with a bit of potato skin in them. The corn was sweet and perfect.
When we were done tearing through the first round, we were asked if we were ready for more, but we were not asked what we wanted more of, so they brought everything. That was kind of a waste, since we did not want more sausage or beans, and they just sat there. We managed to make everything else disappear though. M.T. kept us laughing by throwing straws at us and bringing The Hubs a gigantic mason jar of Diet Coke after she had to refill his smaller one twice in 15 minutes. Outside, the sky had unleashed some whoop-@ss and it was thundering loudly, while the lightning looked like camera flashes. So, yeah, we decided we weren't in a huge hurry. As one would expect though, the restaurant filled quickly, as Guests who had planned on heading to the parks or the pool decided to hang inside the resort instead.
We finished up round two and decided we couldn't handle round three, or dessert, so we threw in the towel and paid. We found the lobby flooded with people, and the storm was still raging, so we took our time wandering the gorgeous lobby of the Wilderness Lodge. It really is an incredible space, with so many cool places to relax and hang out, like the rockers in front of the huge fireplace, or out on the patio, overlooking the springs. And at Christmastime it is one fo the most beautiful spots on Disney property! If you have never seen the holiday decorations at The Lodge, plan a dinner at Whispering Canyon or Artist Point on your next Christmastime trip, so you can check it out.
We killed about a half hour, and by then, it had calmed enough to drive home and get D from school. Overall, I found that lunch at Whispering Canyon averages $7 less for pretty much the same all-you-care-to-eat skillet, however, lunch is definitely quieter and less "rowdy" than dinner time, so if you're looking for the most active and fun-filled atmosphere for the kids, stick with dinner. If you're ok with a little less "show" and a lower price point sounds better to you, look into lunch instead.
Lunch is fairly easy to book in any resort, since most Guests are in the parks. That was exactly what was going on in this case, since we stepped into a nearly empty lobby of the resort when we got there, but by halfway through lunch, it was absolutely packed with poncho-goblins, (aka Guests in ponchos), strollers, umbrellas and bags. We had a 12:15pm reservation and were sat right on time. As I have told you before, we love Whispering Canyon for not only the great food, but the fun, loud, crazy atmosphere. Your experience will vary, based on the server that you get . Some of them are more mellow, reserved an subtly funny, while others are there to put on a show and get their Guests acting silly. We have seen a wide variety in recent visits, but today we got one of the very loudest, (and very best), M.T. She has been there since the doors opened and can always be counted on for a laugh. Not only is she not afraid to poke fun at the grown ups and get goofy with the kids, she's also an excellent server and can read her tables really well. When she was giving the table behind us a hard time, and loudly telling the grown ups to stop coloring on their arms, as she pointed at their tattoos, K got a little nervous. He kind of shrunk down in his seat and was a little taken aback by how loud she was. This is shocking to me, since I was pretty sure that my hubby was one of the loudest humans on Earth, but I guess he's grown used to hearing his father at that volume, not strangers. When M.T. approached our table, she immediately noticed K's hesitance and quieted down a bit and was more smiley and friendly than fake-grouchy and short. She was still funny and crazy, but she adjusted to a tone that didn't intimidate K, which was so perceptive and the mark of a true people-person.
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| Yummy corn bread! |
Our Skillet was delivered within 15 minutes of ordering it, and the food was super hot, so we could tell everything was very freshly made. The included meats are roasted chicken, pulled pork, smoked sausage and ribs. Then for sides, there's mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and baked beans. K immediately knew what he wanted. "Con! Con!", he yelled, as he grabbed for an ear. That was then followed by, "Ow! Hot con! Ow!" We pulled the Skillet away and refocused him on the cornbread while everything else cooled off a bit. K's favorites, (along with the corn, of course), were the pulled pork and the sausage. Personally, I didn't love the sausage, since it reminded me more of breakfast sausage than a regular grilled sausage. The pulled pork was delicious and not fatty at all. If you like things with a good barbecue kick to them, you can always ask for a side of BBQ sauce, but I liked the pork as it was. The hubs loved the ribs and the chicken. I agreed that the roasted chicken was super moist, (sorry...I hate the word too, but there is no other way to describe it!), and had a good flavor. I love Whispering Canyon's mashed potatoes too, since they are smooth, with a bit of potato skin in them. The corn was sweet and perfect.
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| The All-You-Care-To-Eat Skillet |
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| Tossin' coins and makin' wishes! |
We finished up round two and decided we couldn't handle round three, or dessert, so we threw in the towel and paid. We found the lobby flooded with people, and the storm was still raging, so we took our time wandering the gorgeous lobby of the Wilderness Lodge. It really is an incredible space, with so many cool places to relax and hang out, like the rockers in front of the huge fireplace, or out on the patio, overlooking the springs. And at Christmastime it is one fo the most beautiful spots on Disney property! If you have never seen the holiday decorations at The Lodge, plan a dinner at Whispering Canyon or Artist Point on your next Christmastime trip, so you can check it out. 
We killed about a half hour, and by then, it had calmed enough to drive home and get D from school. Overall, I found that lunch at Whispering Canyon averages $7 less for pretty much the same all-you-care-to-eat skillet, however, lunch is definitely quieter and less "rowdy" than dinner time, so if you're looking for the most active and fun-filled atmosphere for the kids, stick with dinner. If you're ok with a little less "show" and a lower price point sounds better to you, look into lunch instead.
Tink's Tots Try It Out: According to K (2 yo boy) K, did you like having lunch at Whispering Canyon? "Yah, Mamma, I like lunch." Good! Did you like the sausage the best, or the corn? "I like con! Pop-con! I have pop-con?" Well, no. Not right now, you just had lunch. "Lollipop?" No lollipops. Again, you just had lunch. "Gummi urm?" No gummi worms. This is not a negotiation. "Haha...Mamma funny." Why do I see this being a running conversation throughout your childhood and adolescence?
Will we be back: Yeeee-haaaawwww! (That's country for "yes"!)
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