Whispering Canyon Cafe...worth leaving the parks for?

[garthbarth1]

So DH and I are going in Sept., and we would like to try some new restaurants. The Whispering Canyon Cafe sounds like a good choice....I looked over their menu and the selections sounds great. I am just bummed out that its not on park property. Since we only go once a year for 4 days, I like to maximize my park time. I am afraid that leaving the park for dinner will eat up to much precious park/ride time! However, we would like to dine somewhere in the evening that is not a CS every night, and something a little different.So my question is: Is the restaurant worth leaving the park for-food quality, atmosphere, ect? And how long does it take to get to and from the lodge on average from the parks? (this is assuming, of course, that I can get a reservation . Not sure what park we will be at what day-reservation TBD. Thanks for all the input !

[lighteningqueen]

The food was great and yes it is worth it to us. We have made ressies for this Dec again. It really is fun and entertaining. The Lodge is absolutely beautiful and worth it to go and see. We drove over I think, from the All Star Music and it was like 10 minutes. It is close to the All Stars. Make it a late dinner then you won't feel you lost good park hours. Lots of food and not one of us disliked it. I can say it was one of the best we ate at. We absolutely hated San Angel Inn and Bomas, just not good. Hope this helps. It is a little loud but thats the fun of Disney. After all if you have taken the vacation and its Disney, isn't it all about the unique and out of normal everyday life.....

[Gator]

If you go once a year, then take the time to see some resorts. Wilderness Lodge is truly fantastic and Whispering Canyon is a fun and yummy place to eat. I day do it. You won't regret it.

[madandmaksmom]

It is a lot of fun and has a great atmosphere. How crazy it gets really depends on how much your server plays into all the fun. We have eaten there several times and have always had a great time. While the food is good, it is the theming of the resort and restaurant that make it worth going. If you are looking for a quiet dinner this is NOT the place to go ! We are going in a week and Whispering Canyon is on our list .

If you are at MK that day, you can just take the water launch to the WL. It is a great relaxing 10 minute ride and the lodge is spectacular to view all lit up at night from the water (look for the "bear" face formed by the lights). If you go late enough, and catch the boats right, you might even be able to view Wishes from the water. We got lucky enough once and it was incredible!

[Minnie Imagineer]

some people will not like my opinion but...I hated Whispering Canyon Cafe! I found it way too loud (obviously..) and too chaotic, I didn't even like the food (I got the chicken).

But.....It was funny when my sister asked the waiter "can I have a little bit more coke?" when she finished her coke. He came back with a tiny mason jar of coke! It was so cute....she eventually got her regular sized soda!

[Kairi_7378]

If you go to WCC, you have a chance to take the boat to or from the Magic Kingdom. Pulling up to the MK at night in the boat is a magical experience, IMO. The Wilderness Lodge is worth visiting, too... love the architecture here.

[Young@Heart]

I loved riding the boat to/from WL, the views were beautiful. The food was pretty good, and the resort is quite nice to walk through.

That being said, we would never time time away from a park to go there again. Our waiter was being trained and did none of the fun stuff (and actually kept getting our orders wrong and the manager had to step in-NOT per our request), we had to wait a long time for the boat both ways, and on the way back to MK, there were a bunch of drunk "young adults" aboard, we lost at least 3 1/2 hrs. of MK time.

[Crow]

love Wl
but not WCC

[Katmegali]

Yes, Yes and yes. We loved it. The food was delicious and I loved the dining experience. At the end of the dinner when the baby got fussy I took her outside in the lobby and rocked her in a rocking chair while the rest ate desert.
I just love the atmosphere in the WL, just so warming. I may think of staying there next time we go.

We took the boat over from MK for our dinner reservations.

[disneycutie165]

I think it's totally worth it. As you can see, we stay at WL every time we go. It's worth leaving the park for. WCC is like a big western party (sorry, ). We go and we love it. You can always go to MK after if it is extra magic hours.

[Jarrod]

We got the latest lunch reservation available (around 3:00 I think) and used this as a mid day break from the park to cool off. It was a nice ride over on the boat from MK and we were back in the park in plenty of time to ride more rides and watch SM and Wishes.

[LottaLubes]

Yes! I would recommend you give it a try. You can adjust your itinerary so you are in MK the day you eat at WCC. Like others have said, it's a relaxing 10 minute boat ride from MK to WL. (Another option is to ride the monorail to the Contemporary - or walk - and take the boat from there.)

I would also recommend dinner over lunch. If you're going to go...you may as well go for the antics...I have found lunch to be quite boring at WCC.

Enjoy!

[ThanxForNoticin]

I would highly recommend you take time to enjoy a meal at WCC. Sometimes I think we can get too locked into the idea that the parks are the only place to be at Disney. Over the years, we've found that taking in new experiences (like dinner at one of the resorts) makes the trip that much better. So take a couple hours, enjoy the boat ride to and from WL, and have a fun, enjoyable dinner at WCC. Consider it a Disney attraction that includes food! Have a great trip.

[garthbarth1]

Thanks for all the great input! That is why I love this board...everyone is so helpful and friendly! To take a boat there from Mk-where does it pick you up and how often does the boat run?? Thanks again for any help

[#1donaldfan]

sorry, another negative one......

.....I got the skillet the last time we went and did NOT care for it at all.........the atmosphere was GREAT, and WL is amazing to "nose" around in.......

.....I'd say it's worth a trip over to see the resort and I'm sure there's something else on the menu that is good......

....maybe not so negative after all ????

[Tygger7]

Thanks for all the great input! That is why I love this board...everyone is so helpful and friendly! To take a boat there from Mk-where does it pick you up and how often does the boat run?? Thanks again for any help

We love WL and have done WCC numerous times. Definitely worth taking the time to go there, if for nothing else than to see the lodge.

To catch the boat from MK to WL, you walk straight towards the lake as you exit. The boat launch is between the monorail (on your right) and the paddle boat to TTC (on your left). The boat que on your left takes you to WL, (while the que on the right goes to Ft. Wilderness). Once you dock at WL, just follow the path towards the pool area. Basically, you walk straight into the lodge once you walk by the pool. WCC is in the main lobby, directly across from the front desk.

Have a wonderful time!!!

[RocknBev]

We love WCC and plan to go again in January with the family vacation! It is not so hard to get to if you are visiting MK for the day with the direct boat access. It is a very fun place so don't go if you expect a quiet and reserved dining experience.

The resort is lovely and we will stay in WL if I run in the half marathon in January.

[CU Tiger]

We love WCC and make it a part of our trip every year, but we have never left the park to go. We have always had a meal there during one of our days off. I still think it is worth it. I see some of the complaints, but this is a family experience and the noise and chaos is part of the fun. If you want a nice, quiet dinner, this is not the place. If you want an enjoyable meal and get some kicks, this is the place.

[threeh]

We had breakfast at WCC last trip and really liked it. We took the boat from MK to WL, walked around the WL grounds for a while then ate our breakfast. My family really enjoyed it, the food was good and my kids had fun with all the hijinks. We are planning to go for dinner during our Feb 09 trip. Then we took a boat from WL to the contemporary resort, walked around there a bit (found some hidden Mickeys) and then monorailed back to the poly. It was very nice.

Happy Planning

[Goes4FastPass]

The answer is a definite

MAYBE.

Whispering Canyon has its fans. If you have not been to the Wilderness Lodge then just visiting it and the boat ride over and back is its own kind of fun.

BUT

Your post says you like to maximize your park time. Let's say you're at the Haunted Mansion when you look at your watch and determine it's time to head toward WL. You have to walk all the way to the MK exit and down to the boat dock and probably wait for a boat. You'll have at least a 'standard' ADR wait at WC. When you're done at the WL you'll need to wait for a boat back to MK then re-enter the park, security, ticket scan, you know the drill. Then's it's up through the entrance and back onto Main Street.

Does this seem like a lot of words? The total length of time from when you stopped MK touring and returned to touring the MK is much longer than it seems.