Just Back from Fort Wilderness Cabins!!

[JuliaPooh]

Just returned from 9 days at Fort Wilderness. I think this may be Disney's best kept secret. The cabins were fabulous. My 82 year old father, who is a semi-invalid, went with us and loved our little cabin in the woods! It gave him plenty of room to move around in during the day while we were at the parks. It was so quiet, but so convenient. The cleanliness was spectacular. If anyone has any questions, just let me know!

[shrpgrl]

It is one of my favorite places to stay too. We are DVC members but we sometimes choose to stay in the cabins too. I love the quiet and the feeling that there are not so many people around. I love all the activities. I always thought the bus transportation was great.

[Alice Sr.]

Wow I just asked a previous poster to post a review when she gets back and then I see this post. (cosmic) I too, am a DVC member but have thought about staying here for sometime. Can you tell me some of the things you did at the resort? We went biking over their one year and the maid let us look at a vacant cabin. I remember thinking you could only fit 4 people (that liked each other alot) Is there 1 bedroom and a pull out couch? This would force my 2 DD's to sleep with each other, which would put us in a perpetual state of war. If I got 2 cabins and could arrange for them to be next to each other, would they be close enough to be convenient? Did you cook out? I think they have BBQ's don't they? How far was the pool, River Co.? What did you enjoy (besides the quiet) and what did you not appeciate (were the bugs worse there because of all the woods), could you sit out at night and not be attacked by mosquitos?

Thanks,
Alice

One more question, would you say there is a better time of year to stay here? I would think summer, but maybe it really doesn't matter.

[Wolverine]

ALICE SR....we stayed in fw cabin in may and loved it...we have 4 kids and it worked out well with 6 people...there are alot of things to do...they have 2 pools...hb riding...a marina w/boat rentals ect..the cabin has 1 bedroom that has 2 bunk beds and a queen bed....it also has a pull down murphy bed that my wife and i slept on..it is in the living room area....was comfy...we put the 4 kids in the bedroom...2 in the bunks and 2 in the bed...if you got 2 cabins together they are close enough and would work out good i think...we bring food with us in coolers and it saves alot of money...the cabin has a full kitchen...even comes w/plates.silver,cups ect...has a large 10 cup coffee pot,toaster,dishwasher,full size fridge ect....the bbq is just off of the deck and there is a large picknick table on the deck to eat at...the grill comes with lighter fluid and charcoal and works great for cooking out burgers,dogs,chicken ect...bugs where not a problem...we have all ready booked another cabin for 3 nights...labor day weekend...i dont think you can beat them with a large family...we loved it!...and very quiet and woodsy!....hope this helps you...have fun:smooth:

[Bichon Barb]

Thanks for the post. That is where we are planning on staying when we go this fall. I love the fact that you can wake up, eat breakfast, and be on your way to the parks. Also, you can come home after, hit the pool or River Country, and not have to get dressed again to go out to dinner with two tired kids. We won't even mention the fact that you can enjoy a relaxing "happy hour". ;)

Barb

[missyb]

PLease tell us more.

We have 2 adults and 4 kids thinking of stayin there.

Any suggestions?

[Reflection]

FYI, this water park is now closed.

[Susan-Ontario]

We love the cabins!!! The first time we went we went with my sister and her husband and their six month old. Our son was two. It worked out really well for the six of us. I especially like the fact that we can use our own groceries and don't have to spend so much money eating out all the time. The trading posts have lots of groceries. We picked up a frozen pizza a couple of times and cooked that up for a quick supper after a long day at the parks. The campfire program is great. The only disadvantage is that you need a vehicle to drive to the parks, downtown Disney etc. There is bus transportation but it takes a long time to get to where you want to go. This isn't a problem for us because we always drive everywhere anyways when we are there.

I'm hoping that some great AP rates come out for December because the cabins are where I want to stay. Best thing for me personally....the maid loads and runs the dishwasher for you everyday....

It's like camping without the work and the backache from sleeping on the ground. It's the only way I'll camp again.

[Alice Sr.]

Thank you Wolverine for that very informative response. Can anyone tell me if there are TV's in the bedroom and living room and if River Co. closed for good.

Thanks,
Alice

[JuliaPooh]

We were told that River Country would reopen June 15. This must be the time of year it always closes for refurbishment. We talked about what a great place it would be for a couple and 4 kids. We had a different situation with my father, but we made it work. The Murphy was excellent. We were surprised by that. The kitchen was way more than excellent. It also had a lot of storage space. We unpacked all suitcases and had plenty of room. Many towels were left daily. The grill looked fun, but we never stopped to try it! I didn't notice any mosquitoes--just armadillos! They kept bumping their heads under the porch. It was hilarious. We were very close to the next cabin, but it didn't feel like it. We had a handicap unit and it was a bit wider than the others. We also had a car, which helped with transportation. However, the trip to MK was delightful with a short bus ride and then catch the boat! I do want to return!

[JuliaPooh]

Oh, yes, there was a TV and VCR in the living area. None in the bedroom, but there was a connection. We called about it and they told us there was only one TV in each unit. Do take movies. Our only complaint is that there is NOTHING but Disney (well, almost) on TV. My dad, who stayed home each day, got a little tired of the Disneyworld tours that are shown repeatedly!

[MJS]

Welcome back! It sounds like you had a great trip!

I love FW, but have never had the opportunity to stay there. Please tell me more about the cabin. You mentioned that it was close to another cabin. Was there much noise? If that cabin was not occupied, do you think noise could be a problem?

Is a car necessary? Did you rent a golf cart? Do you know if the boat that goes to the MK and WL operates at night, so if you did not have a car, could you get to and from the MK resorts for dinner?

Thanks so much!:)

[dgaston]

We too love the cabins. We stayed (family of 5) over Christmas. I too called about the second TV and was told they no longer provide that. In December, the boat ran to MK until an hour after MK closing and unsure about how late from CR. Sometimes we would take the boat to the CR and then monorail to MK for variety.

We had our van and drove to DD, BB, MGM. Tended to take boat to MK, and/or monorail to Epcot. We've never rented a golf cart.

The cabins work very well for us. (And we were able to get a fine AP rate, even for December)

[JuliaPooh]

We were surrounded by people in every cabin--and the only sound we heard was a whipporwill! I promise you. I felt like we were in the depths of the forest! I understand that the boat runs until an hour after MK closing. We did havev to take our car for E night. Everyone we met was very nice. One small complaint--it was always hectic and busy at the front desk, so it was hard to ask questions, but we adjusted!

[Grumpy92]

You might want to take the resort tour at www.disneyzone.actusa.net. They have great pictures.

[jwfla422]

How far of a walk is it to the marina to pick up the boat to MK or CR from the cabins? It looks like they are fairly far from there, is there anywhere to park close to the boat?

I found a ton of pictures on "Jeff Spencer's Website", a link through wdwig.com. He had pictures of the Wilderness Homes and The Ft Wilderness Cabins. The cabins looked much different, newer, more themed, etc. Are they both still available, are they in different price ranges?

[MELSMICE]

MissyB - we love the cabins. Best place to stay. It's quiet, relaxing, has the kitchen which is very convenient & saves money on food. It has all the Disney magic also.

Someone asked about walking to the marina. It is a long walk from the cabins, but a beautiful one. I know a lot of people rent golf carts, but we love to take the walk with our kids. We make a game out of it. It's good exercies for us all - especially after eating all those Mickey bars.

They have a great campfire/movie program every evening.

I just wonder what happened to the TV in the bedroom. This was one of their amenities we liked. When we would return from a park or the pool our kids would veg out & usually fall asleep while we relaxed in the "living area". I'm bummed about that.

Anyone thinking of staying there should seriously consider it. I can not say enough positive things about FW. I guess the only negative (if you consider this negative) would be that the pools are just basic rectangular pools. No slides or special features, but we don't mind. They're very quiet. You can go back to your cabin, make lunch & bring it back to the pool.

I could go on & on but this post is long enough...............

[JuliaPooh]

The handicapped units were in the very first section (2800's) after the entrance. I don't think we would have walked to the marina. Anyway, never did. Maybe that's why we are so fat!!!! Anyway, it would be a serious walk. I didn't see the F W homes. I think the cabins have taken their place. Not sure though. There might be a FW expert out there who knows about this. We didn't rent a golf cart--a little too pricey, but would have been fun had we not spent everyday in the parks.

[mkymouse4ever]

Do the cabins have any laundry facilities? Come with a washer/dryer like the villas? Thanks, MKY

[Wolverine]

cabins have no in house w/d...there are several places that you can do your wash at...just look at the map...it shows them....like the pools and arcades ect

[MELSMICE]

The cabins have replaced all the homes.

The laundry facilities are at the pools. I have always done my laundry at the "smaller" pool & have never had a problem getting a machine & we are always there during a peak time. There are also laundry facilities near the loops that people have their own units in.

I'm still bummed about the 2nd TV being gone!!!

[jwfla422]

I had asked about walking from the cabins to the marina. So, if you rent a golf cart, can you park it near the marina and leave it for a few hours? How does that work? And how much are they to rent? Thanks-maybe I can find that info on the Camping in WDW forum, I'll look, but feel free to answer, thanks!

And MELSMICE, thanks for answering my question about the cabins replacing the homes, I wondered about that.

[JuliaPooh]

I think the golf carts are $45 a day. You can leave them at the marina. I always saw a lot of them parked. I guess you just take your key and go! They did look like a lot of fun.

[Alice Sr.]

WHAT! $45.00 a day! That's nuts. I'ld rent a Cadillac and pretend I was Roger Dangerfield first:p

Alice

[JuliaPooh]

That's what we thought, also! The buses don't look too bad when you think about that! Oh, maybe if you wanted to spend the day at the resort, it would be fun, but you can almost get into a park for that kind of money!

[Chess]

We just returned on June 16 from the cabins and we loved them. It was nice and relaxing and you don't hear anything from the other cabins. We rented the golf cart for the week (I wanted to do it for a few days but my husband wanted for the week so... :rolleyes: ) The inside buses seemed fine -- we used them a couple of times and outside buses were good except for the day we went to TL, it took us close to an hour to get there. The golf carts could be parked at either the outpost, by the marina, or by the bus depot at the settlement area. There are electrical outlets to recharge the batteries if you are lucky enough to get one but it seemed that the golf cart would be able to hold a charge for a full day at the parks. One morning we had an early breakfast at MK and we just took an inside bus all the way to the ticket and transportation center and took the monorail from there to MK. We also had a dinner reservation at 7pm at the Contemporary and there was a boat from the marina to the Contemporaty. I'm not sure how late they run as we went to e-night afterwards and took the monarail to T&T and a bus back to FT. Wilderness as the boats did not run that late.

[ChiTownZee]

What's the price range for the cabins?

[jwfla422]

I've seen special rates "starting" at $129, although when I've checked out the regular Disney site they can be right up there with the deluxes at 200+ a night, but still a good deal compared to the DVC villa properties (especially when you consider a cabin sleeps 6 and has a living room, separate bedroom and full kitchen).

[drdelsol]

We just booked one last night for Labor day weekend at $139 using the CLS code. I didn't have the code in front of me the first time I called and was quoted $240!

[MELSMICE]

Peak rate - $289 for 2002 & $299 for 2003