The Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World is a fabulous escape! Even if you’re not staying at this inspiring resort, we highly recommend making an Advance Dining Reservation for the Whispering Canyon Café. Today, guest author Rebecca Elliott shares a breakfast review.
We like to eat breakfast at the Whispering Canyon Café when we stay at the Wilderness Lodge. It’s convenient, the portions are hearty, and there’s usually no wait for a table. (Even so, get the Advance Dining Reservation – just in case! You never know!)
Atmosphere
My family and I love staying at the Wilderness Lodge. The hotel is modeled after the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park, a historic landmark built in 1904. Its lobby is inspired by the Pacific Northwest and is absolutely stunning.
Like most of Disney’s deluxe hotels, the Wilderness Lodge has three levels of dining options: counter service, family-ish, and fancy schmancy. Whispering Canyon Café is the moderately priced (for Disney) family restaurant located just off the hotel lobby.
The View of the Breath Taking Wilderness Lodge Lobby
The Dining Features Graphics and Elements of a Child’s Playroom in the 50’s
The décor of the Whispering Canyon Café reminds me of a little boy’s bedroom in the 50’s. It’s decked out in a cowboy and Indian motif with a Lincoln log-like ceiling and a floor that looks like a homemade quilt.
The Chairs Are Adorned with Cowboys and Indians
Here Are the Cowboys and Lincoln Log Ceiling
The wait staff take on the persona of wayward cowboys out to have a good time. They encourage diners to take part in their hijinks, which include singing, pony races, and general tomfoolery.
Chandeliers are Adorned with Buffalo Cut Outs
Here’s where I am going to abide by the old honesty-is-the-best-policy rule: I’m not a huge fan of the wait staff’s antics. Many, many people (including my husband and daughter) love it. They play along and find the jokes entertaining. I hate to say it, but they’re just not that funny to me. Not all of the servers are good at improvisation, so watching a non-funny person trying to be funny can be uncomfortable.
When They Say Large, They Mean LARGE
The entertainment can also be physical, and some people don’t like that. The servers throw straws and napkins on diners; if you order ketchup, they bring you all the bottles in the restaurant; they also slap diners on the back and try their best to throw funny insults. The good news for me is, the shtick doesn’t start until after 8:45am.
Every time I’ve eaten breakfast there, it hasn’t been too crazy. I’ve heard that diners can ask not to participate in the hijinks, but I’ve also heard that can backfire and cause even more unwanted attention. Beware! (Editor’s Note: If you’d rather not take part in the antics, let the cast member know at check-in that your table wants to be left out of the “fun.” It’s not Disney’s goal to make their guests uncomfortable, and the cast member should pass your wishes on to your server.)
Ready for Service!
Eats
We’ve eaten breakfast at Whispering Canyon Café many times, and every time it’s been good. Drinks are served in mason jars and meals at lunch and dinner are served in cast iron skillets!
Despite my ambivalence about their style, the servers are all efficient, excellent at answering questions about the menu, and very accommodating of special dietary needs. Here’s what we had on our last visit:
My daughter ordered the Belgian waffle. We’re all huge fans of Mickey waffles, so we were thrilled to see it was a giant one. And it was smothered with maple butter and candied pecans – even better! I don’t know how they do it so consistently, but the waffles are always crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. Delicious! You can choose bacon or sausage on the side.
Belgian Waffle with Maple Butter and Candied Pecans. And Bacon, of Course!
Without fail, every time my husband eats at Whispering Canyon Café, he orders the all-you-care-to-enjoy breakfast platter. It’s served on an oblong dish and loaded with scrambled eggs, western home fries, bacon, sausage, waffles, buttermilk biscuits, and sausage gravy. They allow you to customize your plate, so my husband usually just gets eggs, waffles, bacon and potatoes. It feeds an army, and satisfies every food craving you could possibly have – salty, sweet, rich, creamy, starchy. It’s amazing.
The Breakfast Platter, Which You Can Customize to Include Only Your Favorites
In a fit of health consciousness, I ordered the egg white omelet. I’m so glad I did! It was loaded with spinach, goat cheese, and chipotle pico and served with fresh fruit and a biscuit. It was satisfying and allowed me to enjoy my morning in the park without feeling sluggish from a heavy meal.
Eating a Little Lighter? The Egg White Omelet is Loaded with Spinach
Another healthier item we ordered — mostly to say we ate fruit on vacation — was the fresh fruit with ginger yogurt and granola. It was amazing! Mixed berries with creamy yogurt made zingy with ginger and a little granola for texture. We all enjoyed it.
A Refreshing Alternative to a Heavy Breakfast- Fresh Fruit with Ginger Yogurt and Granola
Overall
Breakfast at the Whispering Canyon Café is a pleasant dining experience. Portions are generous, the food is tasty, and if you like semi-witty banter with the servers, you’re in for a good time. If you’re looking for a nice, quiet breakfast, I’d suggest a different venue. One thing is for sure – you won’t leave hungry!
Rebecca Elliott writes and hosts the food blog Home Cooks Unite! She is a dedicated foodie and Disney enthusiast whose latest trip to the Magic Kingdom included some incredible dining experiences.
What’s your favorite breakfast item at Whispering Canyon Cafe? Are you an a la carte or platter person? Chime in; the comments are below!
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The latest rumour is large amounts of deluxe rooms being converted to DVC starting with the Wilderness Lodge due to the money maker it is and low occupancy at some deluxe resorts. More importantly for this website is that Artist Point is going to go.
I ate here last year, I too was told that if you mentioned when you come in that you would rather be quiet and not get involved with the so called fun they would leave you alone.
My daughter is very quiet and the dining experience here was the worst ever, having people throw straws at you and the noise and despite that I had asked to be left alone, if anything we were singled out more, what an awful experience, and the food wasn’t the best either.
Just had dinner here Saturday night. We had a friend who is a special needs adult as well as a 4-year old with us. Our server was kind and friendly, but knew (without mentioning) to leave us out of the line of fire. It worked out great: the four-year old got up and had fun with the other kids during the entertainment, and we enjoyed being spectators for the other merriment.
I don’t have high expectation at table service restaurants, but the food was much better than I expected. I dined on a roast pork chop with cheese grits and sauteed chard – incredibly good. A couple of good wines from the Pacific Northwest as well. It appeared that everyone around us had ordered the all-you-care-to-eat dinner and were served promptly. By ordering an entree, our meal delivery was slowed a little compared to the other tables.
This isn’t the place for date night, but I’ll go back at some point.
I would say just pass it by. There are too many places to eat in the world. 2 others in that resort. So save yourself the frustration if that type of hoopla is not your cup of tea.
But I think plenty do like it. it is fun and keeps the kiddo’s entertained, it’s what make it different.
Is the lobby under construction – specifically the waterfall/bridge area and geiser outside? I read somewhere that it is all torn up and we have plans to visit in September (When the main pool will be closed)
This is one of our favorite places for dinner. Love the food and the entertainment is great. You have to be able to laugh at yourself and just let yourself have a good time. If you can’t do that then this is not the place for you.
@James….where did you hear that Artist Point is going to go? That is the best place on Disney property and would break my heart.
I love both restaurants at Wilderness Lodge. The last time we ate at Whispering Canyon, we were seated all the way in the back and were away from most of the commotion going on. It really depends on how “into it” your server gets. I love watching all the hi-jinks, but understand that it is not for everyone.
I recently saw on a different forum that there was something on the table that could be flipped from red to green to indicate if you want to participate in the “fun” or not. It was just one comment so I wouldn’t rely on it being true but has anyone else seen or heard of this?
With two in my family on the autism spectrum, this is a restaurant we would never consider. Appreciate the nice food pix and review though.
I have heard that Artist Point may be relocated or renovated but not completely removed.
I’ve never been, but it sounds like a good place if you’re with a group looking for some fun, not so much if you want a nice quiet meal. That’s what’s so great about WDW, there’s something for everyone.
Carlin- I’ve seen that somewhere too!
We had dinner there last month and it was great! The food was amazing and I found the antics to be hilarious, never crossing the line. My six year old loved racing stick-ponies around the restaurant. Can’t wait to get back and try that yogurt parfait and Mickey waffle! Thanks for the review.
We really enjoyed whispering canyon, though we went to hoop dee do revue the night after and I swear it’s the same exact food.
I feel like going here and asking to be left out of the fun is kind of like going to disney and complaining that you don’t like kids. It is what it is, if it’s not your cup of tea, go somewhere else, there are plenty of options.
Thanks for your review, the breakfast looks yummy, even if it is the standard disney breakfast fare.
Sounds yummy!! I’ve been to the Whispering Canyon many times in the past for dinner, but didn’t know they served breakfast as well!! May have to try it next time I’m there. 🙂
@ Matt… I am staying here too but in October. I have been keeping an eye on what’s happening, and whilst I knew all about the pool being closed, I have heard nothing else on renovations. Plus, I spoke to Disney directly and they mentioned nothing more than the pool being closed. This was around 3 weeks ago though. I hope the rest is not being renovated too, that really will dampen my trip, especially as my holiday provider hasn’t metioned it. Where did you see this?
On the subject of dining here, the restaurant looks cute and the food looks tasty, I had a reservation here but my partner and I are fairly reserved and I just don’t want to take the risk of having our meal effected by the hi jinks. Instead we have switched our breakfast reservation to Trails End, where we are breakfast on our last trip. The food their is tasty and I’m told the morning stroll to Fort Wilderness is quite lovely.
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We never miss breakfast at Whispering Canyon during our annual or bi-annual visit. Yes, it can get loud, but we like the fun and antics of the staff. There are plenty of other less-active locales for those who prefer it. But if you like a rollicking Disney send off to start your morning, I highly recommend it. Now, could I get some ketchup?
We stayed at Wilderness Lodge at the end of June/beginning of July, and I can tell you that at that point the bridge in the lobby was roped off and surrounded by trees in planters and that the waterfall outside was not running and was completely obscured by scrims to hide whatever construction work was going on. It did detract a little from the atmosphere of the lodge, but what are you gonna do?