Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo

“Fun trip, but service hiccups cloud the experience”

Just enjoyed our second stay for an annual school trip. Last year we did the platform tent camping (which is an elevated car camping experience) and this year we splurged for the Saddle Club Rail Car for the bathroom and conveniences. The camping bathrooms are not a good scene. The Rail Car was ver… more

Just enjoyed our second stay for an annual school trip. Last year we did the platform tent camping (which is an elevated car camping experience) and this year we splurged for the Saddle Club Rail Car for the bathroom and conveniences. The camping bathrooms are not a good scene. The Rail Car was very clean, but tight on space once you bring people, bags and supplies inside. The bedroom leaves enough room to shuffle around the bed, but we slept well and enjoyed having it overall. We also enjoyed the new waterpark, which was nice to have since we did other activities last year and the bartenders were attentive. We did the airboat ride which most enjoyed and the Rodeo was great, but felt noticeably shorter than last year. My biggest gripe is the service, or lack of any in many cases. Front desk check in is SO slow, but the people were nice. As I feared would be the case, they had to reconfirm all my pre-check in info and credit card deposit that I had taken the time to do online via their email request. What killed me was tipping on the Smokehouse food order before finding out that I had to come back and get the food myself, and at the pool no one told me anything and I found out after waiting 20+ extra minutes that my food was sitting on the bar after scanning the QR code on my chair. My bad at assuming they deliver like other hotels, but there was no clear instruction. Also in the smokehouse, they were between breakfast and lunch at around 11:45, which they kindly asked us to wait for lunch at noon, but when 12 came around no one started taking orders and it was frustrating as other people stepped in front of us and we had to wait longer without help from the staff that knew we'd been waiting there the whole time. They also mixed up my order, which they agreed to remedy without much trouble. We completely avoided the cafe/Starbucks after wasting our mornings waiting in lines and for food there last year. All in all it's a fun weekend stay with kids and I'm glad we've gone twice, but you have to prepare for the service shortcomings. We were excited for and enjoyed the convenience of the Rail Car, but after a couple visits and now having young teens and tweens, I'm not sure how excited we'll be to return next year.

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“A Fun Family Getaway with Great Glamping, but Needs Better Organization”

You definitely need patience when staying here—everything moves at a very slow pace. I had a particularly frustrating experience with charging my electric car. During check-in, I asked the front desk where I could charge it and was directed behind reception. I even clarified whether they had Tesla… more

You definitely need patience when staying here—everything moves at a very slow pace. I had a particularly frustrating experience with charging my electric car. During check-in, I asked the front desk where I could charge it and was directed behind reception. I even clarified whether they had Tesla chargers and mentioned I had an adapter. When I went there, I only found golf cart chargers. I returned to the front desk multiple times and kept receiving the same unclear answer. After searching on my own, I discovered the actual EV chargers are located near the teepees area. When I brought this up again, I was told that area was restricted to guests staying there and that I should use the chargers behind reception—which, again, were not for cars. After several back-and-forth visits and a lot of frustration, someone finally assisted me properly and provided access to the correct charging area. This information should be clearly explained online and at check-in—it would save guests a lot of time and stress. Another point is the overall organization. It would be much more convenient if guests were given wristbands at check-in for activities and pool access, instead of having to carry a small paper card with a reservation number just to receive them. There are also multiple waivers that could easily be completed during check-in to save time. Additionally, providing a wristband with a built-in key—like many resorts do—would make access much easier. The current system felt unnecessarily complicated, and we often found ourselves locked out of our tent. We stayed in the luxury glamping, and that was truly exceptional. The tents are beautiful and well-equipped, with a microwave, mini fridge, toaster, and a full, spacious bathroom. The luxury glamping also comes with a golf cart, which is super fun for kids. Going with friends makes the experience even better—we stayed in nearby tents, which was perfect. You also get ice delivered every morning, and the gated area feels very safe for small kids. That said, many of the activities were a lot of fun. The pony rides, petting zoo, and overall experience for kids were great highlights. The dinner restaurant offered good food, and the water park was very enjoyable, although the food there was just okay. Breakfast, however, could be improved. Each morning, they deliver fruit (usually apples and an orange), cinnamon rolls, donuts, and a jar of coffee. I don’t drink coffee, so I couldn’t comment on it, but overall it felt like too much sugar. It would be great to have more balanced options like pancakes, waffles, croissants, or bagels with cream cheese. As for the café, it appears to use Starbucks products and cups, but it doesn’t feel like a true Starbucks experience. Service is slow—especially when groups arrive—and menu availability was limited. They were out of chai tea lattes during my stay, and even basic items like bacon were unavailable one day. Food quality was inconsistent; a croissant was overly toasted, and a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant I tried another day was not good, with burnt bacon and poor overall flavor. Overall, it’s a fun place to visit with kids, but the “quiet hours” (11 PM to 6 AM) felt inconsistent. Unfortunately, we had neighbors with small children who were running and screaming before 8 AM, and at one point playing music loudly early in the morning. I even asked them to lower the volume, and while they said they would try, it still disrupted the morning and woke up my kids. Despite these points, I did like it a lot. The glamping experience, activities, and overall concept make it a very enjoyable place—especially for families. The value for the stay was good, and with some improvements in organization and service, it could be truly excellent.

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