News AC Outage at Disney's Wilderness Lodge Impacts Rooms, Lobby, and Dining - June 2026

[Br0ckford]

But if you are trying to avoid that emergency call out charge and paying triple time for holiday work it may take a bit longer.....

Like until the issue is fixed?

 

[Mr. Sullivan]

Don’t worry they don’t work that hard

If you’re working in the parks, dealing with Disney’s difficult (to say the least) clientelle, especially in the heat, you’re working hard. The very last people anyone should be disrespectful toward are the CMs who make the Disney World go round.

 

[Mr. Sullivan]

Several people I've talked to on social media have had different experiences...

And I believe them. I also believe the folks who have been taken care of. It seems there’s an inconsistency in the care.

 

[ftblgenius]

We were scheduled to check in to WL tomorrow. When the AC issue first started they had just added Yacht Club to the discount offers so we switched to that just to be safe. No cost difference in the rooms.

Even if it is fixed, it will take days to catch up the resort and lower the humidity.

 

[asianway]

If you’re working in the parks, dealing with Disney’s difficult (to say the least) clientelle, especially in the heat, you’re working hard. The very last people anyone should be disrespectful toward are the CMs who make the Disney World go round.

Tell me you’ve never paid close attention to entertainment operations without telling me

 

[asianway]

Look I can understand things like insufficient staffing, lightbulbs out and rooms not serviced daily as points of contention, however, some of the just plain unreal statements by some people that still think that Disney has actual Pixie Dust that it can sprinkle on and problem and have it taken care of immediately is just plan foolish. Machinery breaks, all the regular maintenance in the world does not stop mechanical things from breaking down especially when they in a high stress situation.

It is easy for us to sit here in our AC homes and be negative about a situation that we are not currently experiencing or the magnitude of the problem that must be dealt with in this case. I myself was caught in one of the upper floors of a 20 story hotel in Miami, in July, when the AC went off. That was almost 30 years ago, but heat wasn't any cooler back then. There was no place of any of us to go so we just had to make the best of it. We didn't blame the management for a midsummer AC breakdown and we didn't even get a discount because it was thought as an act of god.

My point is that crap happens and sometimes there is no one to blame for any of it. But it appears like Disney, in this case, is doing everything that is possible to not only fix the problem but to make it right for the guest. So instead of making judgement about a situation we are not currently directly involved in, perhaps we should just be happy that we are not having the same bad luck.

Every affected guest should have been found alternate accommodations free of charge and the entire hotel evacuated until it’s habitable again. Not all of the rooms may have been on Disney property but that’s how it should have been handled and it wouldn’t have taken a magic wand to do it

 

[monothingie]

And I believe them. I also believe the folks who have been taken care of. It seems there’s an inconsistency in the care.

Which is a failure not an excuse.

 

[JoeCamel]

Every affected guest should have been found alternate accommodations free of charge and the entire hotel evacuated until it’s habitable again. Not all of the rooms may have been on Disney property but that’s how it should have been handled and it wouldn’t have taken a magic wand to do it

But if no one was moving in the building the air would stagnate and the mold would settle in.....

 

[Disstevefan1]

Look I can understand things like insufficient staffing, lightbulbs out and rooms not serviced daily as points of contention, however, some of the just plain unreal statements by some people that still think that Disney has actual Pixie Dust that it can sprinkle on and problem and have it taken care of immediately is just plan foolish. Machinery breaks, all the regular maintenance in the world does not stop mechanical things from breaking down especially when they in a high stress situation.

It is easy for us to sit here in our AC homes and be negative about a situation that we are not currently experiencing or the magnitude of the problem that must be dealt with in this case. I myself was caught in one of the upper floors of a 20 story hotel in Miami, in July, when the AC went off. That was almost 30 years ago, but heat wasn't any cooler back then. There was no place of any of us to go so we just had to make the best of it. We didn't blame the management for a midsummer AC breakdown and we didn't even get a discount because it was thought as an act of god.

My point is that crap happens and sometimes there is no one to blame for any of it. But it appears like Disney, in this case, is doing everything that is possible to not only fix the problem but to make it right for the guest. So instead of making judgement about a situation we are not currently directly involved in, perhaps we should just be happy that we are not having the same bad luck.

I have learned, whenever I step foot on WDW property, keep my expectations low and if anything good happens, it’s a plus.

 

[monothingie]

Every affected guest should have been found alternate accommodations free of charge and the entire hotel evacuated until it’s habitable again. Not all of the rooms may have been on Disney property but that’s how it should have been handled and it wouldn’t have taken a magic wand to do it

It does seem like this was handled very poorly on the part of Disney.

While not being able to stay at your resort for a trip that likely was booked months ago and carefully planned sucks, the options presented to you should never be a downgrade or you should never be left to just deal with the unsatisfactory condition.

If this were Cruise Ship suffering some type of mechanical issue that prevented occupancy, the compensation would be astounding.

The fact that it’s being reported in multiple places that Disney is refunding bookings and relocating them to moderates and values and offering the guests guaranteed rooms at rack rate is gross.

At minimum everyone affected by this should’ve immediately been refunded their booking. They should’ve been relocated to another Disney hotel of equal or greater accommodation for free for the duration of their reservation. Additional good will to dining should have also been forthcoming.

What should’ve been coming out to the public regarding this issue should’ve been nothing but gushing praise for the way in which Disney handled it, instead it’s the exact opposite.

 

[asianway]

It does seem like this was handled very poorly on the part of Disney.

While not being able to stay at your resort for a trip that likely was booked months ago and carefully planned sucks, the options presented to you should never be a downgrade or you should never be left to just deal with the unsatisfactory condition.

If this were Cruise Ship suffering some type of mechanical issue that prevented occupancy, the compensation would be astounding.

The fact that it’s being reported in multiple places that Disney is refunding bookings and relocating them to moderates and values and offering the guests guaranteed rooms at rack rate is gross.

At minimum everyone affected by this should’ve immediately been refunded their booking. They should’ve been relocated to another Disney hotel of equal or greater accommodation for free for the duration of their reservation. Additional good will to dining should have also been forthcoming.

What should’ve been coming out to the public regarding this issue should’ve been nothing but gushing praise for the way in which Disney handled it, instead it’s the exact opposite.

As Duncan Wardle famously said, for every person that criticizes us, 9 more people will shout them down on our behalf.

Did anyone save that clip before he nuked it?

 

[Goofyernmost]

It does seem like this was handled very poorly on the part of Disney.

While not being able to stay at your resort for a trip that likely was booked months ago and carefully planned sucks, the options presented to you should never be a downgrade or you should never be left to just deal with the unsatisfactory condition.

If this were Cruise Ship suffering some type of mechanical issue that prevented occupancy, the compensation would be astounding.

The fact that it’s being reported in multiple places that Disney is refunding bookings and relocating them to moderates and values and offering the guests guaranteed rooms at rack rate is gross.

At minimum everyone affected by this should’ve immediately been refunded their booking. They should’ve been relocated to another Disney hotel of equal or greater accommodation for free for the duration of their reservation. Additional good will to dining should have also been forthcoming.

What should’ve been coming out to the public regarding this issue should’ve been nothing but gushing praise for the way in which Disney handled it, instead it’s the exact opposite.

What you are saying is all true, however, how would you have handled it differently seeing as we don't know for sure how they are handling it now? Machines have their own timeline and don't care if you had set up your plans to stay there, which is an option that I think someone stated. As far as the AC no one at Disney just flipped the circuit breaker and shut if off. Their primary concern would be getting everyone to an Air Conditioned room upgrade or down. One can take care of the details later, right then and there they had to concentrate on getting everyone to a cool shelter.

As for refunding their booking, wouldn't that hinge on how long each room was occupied before the AC died so it would be different for every reservation because why should the time previous to the mechanical failure be refunded and are we even sure that they aren't doing that refunding the specific time that covered the outage. That cannot be done as just one lump everyone gets a full refund. That would be foolish and unfair to those that had lost out for most of their reservation. I'm also sure that the public isn't owed an explanation for everything that happens on private property. The world just doesn't work that way. There is a difference between injured and inconvenienced.

 

[monothingie]

What you are saying is all true, however, how would you have handled it differently seeing as we don't know for sure how they are handling it now? Machines have their own timeline and don't care if you had set up your plans to stay there, which is an option that I think someone stated. As far as the AC no one at Disney just flipped the circuit breaker and shut if off.

As for refunding their booking, wouldn't that hinge on how long each room was occupied before the AC died so it would be different for every reservation because why should the time previous to the mechanical failure be refunded and are we even sure that they aren't doing that refunding the specific time that covered the outage. That cannot be done as just one lump everyone gets a full refund. That would be foolish and unfair to those that had lost out for most of their reservation. I'm also sure that the public isn't owed an explanation for everything that happens on private property. The world just doesn't work that way. There is a difference between injured and inconvenienced.

If this were a Holiday Inn in anywhere USA, then I probably agree with you.

But This is the Disney. The selection of the resort is a big part of the experience. This means Disney has a higher obligation to provide for their guests in the event of something occurring like this. While it’s understandable the guest would be disappointed no matter what the eventual outcome is for having their carefully planned trips altered and disrupted, it shouldn’t be repeatedly reported that they felt they weren’t being taken care of or the response was subpar.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

however, how would you have handled it differently

Refunded the cost of lodging at Wilderness Lodge. Booked them at an available property for the remainder of their stay for free. And provided mini-van service to transfer resorts whenever was most convenient for them.

Probably would have given each member of the party a $100 gift card too.

 

[Sorcerer Mickey]

We have reservations for the Lodge in three weeks. Time to change to another hotel?

 

[Br0ckford]

We have reservations for the Lodge in three weeks. Time to change to another hotel?

Geeze if this is still going on in 3 weeks, time to shut her down till it's fixed

 

[Goofyernmost]

If this were a Holiday Inn in anywhere USA, then I probably agree with you.

But This is the Disney. The selection of the resort is a big part of the experience. This means Disney has a higher obligation to provide for their guests in the event of something occurring like this. While it’s understandable the guest would be disappointed no matter what the eventual outcome is for having their carefully planned trips altered and disrupted, it shouldn’t be repeatedly reported that they felt they weren’t being taken care of or the response was subpar.

Refunded the cost of lodging at Wilderness Lodge. Booked them at an available property for the remainder of their stay for free. And provided mini-van service to transfer resorts whenever was most convenient for them.

Probably would have given each member of the party a $100 gift card too.

Wow, you folks are quite generous with your hand outs. I'm afraid I have to disagree with you still. Pay them for their loss (the difference between where and what the discounted rate was for wherever they were relocated. Provide a few more perks like free LL for their inconvenience and that would be more than enough for compensation for a situation that realistically every one could know is possible anywhere they are, be it WDW or home. As long as there is a refund for the time that they were not able to use those rooms and discounted rate charged for wherever they needed to go to get out of the heat. They could take the refund for remaining time and go home. However, they are not going to lose whatever perks that had, if they have any at WL. Only difference is the location. If they are able to return due to a quick fix than Disney should have helped them move out, move in and then return in and out. But they do not owe them the whole farm. I'm saying this after going on record many times about how much Disney puts an inflated value on their property. Both landlord and tenant have responsibilities for common sense compensation.

We have reservations for the Lodge in three weeks. Time to change to another hotel?

The chances are pretty good that they have plenty of time to fix the Air Conditioning before you get there. There is a likely chance that whatever is wrong could not be quick fix, but it will work, if it isn't already.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Wow, you folks are quite generous with your hand outs.

I wouldn’t call guest compensation a handout.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I wouldn’t call guest compensation a handout.

If it is as extreme as mentioned it certainly would be. I liken it to ordering a piece of cake and when you get it you don't like it so you want to have the cost of a whole cake given to you. That my friend is a hand out if given but common sense says that you wouldn't even expect it.

 

[Br0ckford]

If it is as extreme as mentioned it certainly would be. I liken it to ordering a piece of cake and when you get it you don't like it so you want to have the cost of a whole cake given to you. That my friend is a hand out if given but common sense says that you wouldn't even expect it.

With all due respect, this does not equate.