Just back from our first and not last...trip to the cabins!!

[marcyinPA]

We LOVED it! The cabins are AWESOME! I was a little stressed out about staying in FW because I am not a "camper". I really have to admit that the whole thing was perfect! We were in the 2300 loop which worked well for us. It was a short walk to the pool and a hop skip and a jump to the bus stop. There were 5 of us in the cabin...me, my dh, my mother, and 2 ds's...3 and 7. We had plenty of room and my boys loved the bunks! I requested a bed rail for the lower bunk and it was there waiting for us when we checked in. My mother said that the murphy bed was more comfortable than her own bed at home, and we discovered that the murphy bed worked as a great "incentive" for our kids (ex: get on your p.j.s and you can play on the murphy bed...watch t.v. on the murphy bed....eat on the murphy bed...etc.)

The buses were very easy to negotiate once we got the hang of it. No golf cart or rental car needed here. The boat to MK, WL and Contemporary was fun and relatively fast. Again, a big hit with my boys.

We weren't able to take advantage of the campfire program, because it rained EVERY day we were there. It was just too wet! Before we left yesterday, though, my kids explored the petting zoo and my little guy rode a pony. They also played on the playground outside of the Crockett's Tavern.

We had a great time and we will definately stay in the cabins again!!

Marcy

[MJS]

Welcome back! We are thinking about staying in a cabin on our next trip, and I have a couple of questions. Would you stay in the same loop again? Did you do laundry, and if so, how are the facilities? I read on another post that the storage space in the cabins is really limited. Did you find that to be the case? Finally, did you go to the BBQ with the characters? Thanks!

[AnnaE4]

We are thinking of staying in a cabin for our next trip also. We had thought about renting a golf cart. How often did the buses come? We have a very impatient DD who will be just over 2 years old when we go again and she is really a handful while waiting for the buses to come. Is the petting zoo free? Did you have to pay for the pony ride?

Thanks.

Denise

[marcyinPA]

We would definately stay in loop 2300 again. Loop 2500 looked good too, and it was very close to the pool. We didn't do laundry this time, but the facilities are in the pool complex. We didn't do the BBQ, but we did do the Hoop De Doo revue. It was a blast but the food was just so-so. The show itself was alot of fun.

We didn't wait more than 5-10 minutes for a bus the whole time we were there. Beware that the golf carts can take you around the FW resort, but NOT outside the resort. You still need to wait for transportation to the theme parks themselves. Personally, I don't think they are worth the extra $$. My 3 year old can also be a bit impatient, but he was totally entertained while waiting by the other people waiting (he's pretty outgoing and makes friends fast!!)

As far as storage space, it is limited. But the cabin itself is bigger than a hotel room, so it is worth it. We utilized every bit of space available and we did fine. An extra closet for wet ponchos and raincoats would have been nice, but we improvised by hanging the ponchos from the curtain rods until they dried. The bedroom has one set of small drawers, and we used them to capacity and then just kept the rest of our clothes in the suitcases. There are several counters and also a luggage stand.

I encourage you to give the cabins a try....you won't be disappointed!! I was skeptical but now I'm sold!!

Any other questions, feel free to ask!

Marcy

[marcyinPA]

OOps! forgot about the petting zoo and pony rides. The petting zoo is free, but the pony ride was $3. I didn't think that was TOO bad, considering some of the fairs and festivals we have gone to are the same price or more. The only thing that is different about this pony ride is that it is parent led, not led by the CM who works there. I am not a horse fan, so my DH led my DS around the trail. He LOVED it!

Marcy

[tazdeb]

It should also be said that the pony ride is just not around in a circle but is down and through a path of about 75yds in and out of the petting zoo. nsince you lead the horse you can take as long as you like.........TAZ

[AnnaE4]

Thanks for the info. We are a VERY animal oriented family and I'm sure my daughter will love a pony ride. I know we'll have a hard time getting her out of the petting zoo!

Denise

[DisnophileJen]

I wanted to clarify the "petting zoo", at least as it was when we were there in May. You don't actually go inside the fences with the animals. You can buy feed pellets for 25 cents and then the goats and sheep will come to the fence, scarf the food and then back off. Don't get me wrong, our kids LOVED it! They did the pony ride and that was really neat. With all the other animals, we did a lot of pellet feeding and picture taking! I just wanted to mention that b/c a lot of petting zoos, you are actually in walking around with the animals and I didn't want any little animal loving kiddos to be disappointed. Have fun, and bring your quarters!!

[tazdeb]

On a sad note, Minnie Moo the cow with a hidden mickey symbol on her side,has died. My kids loved to look at her and take her picture. Wonder if they could clone her?.......TAZ;)

[marcyinPA]

I didn't go in the petting zoo with my son, so I wasn't aware that you couldn't actually go in and touch the animals. On a bright note, there is a really neat petting zoo in Animal Kingdom, and they give out brushes too, if you'd like to brush the animals. They are very tame and don't jump up on you because you can't feed them there. My little one LOVED it and we had a difficult time getting him to leave!

Marcy

[yup I'm Goofy's sis]

FW cabins are great fun--we've been twice with our four sons, last in 1998. For us, the golf cart within the resort was a real high point! For years, our kids all said their favorite WDW "ride" was the golf cart! We always rented one for just one whole day--a day we stayed out of the parks and did all the FW stuff. We used it for Hoop-De-Doo or Trails End, the pool & laundry, beachfront fireworks viewing, & playground, and of course River Country [not currently open].

It was a nice change of pace from busses and our hot mini-van. In a place where you are always surrounded by other people sharing your "fun", we found the golf cart provided some unique family time that was "just us".

And just a word about the sleeping arrangements--the beds are doubles, not queens, and I don't think the bunks are a full twin size. Alas, now that our crew includes three teens, we are opting for two regular rooms this time.

FYI, the cost of two economy rooms and the FW cabins has always been essentially the same--you either get two bathrooms and an extra bed, or that wonderful full kitchen and the peacefulness of the campground! The little store was a nice convenience for bread and milk, and some low-key frontier-themed souvenier shopping.

[marcyinPA]

Goofy's sis,
That's funny about your kids liking the golf cart "ride" the best....My kids liked the ferry boat "ride" and the monorail. All that $$ spent on passes and we could have just done those two things for free all week...LOL~

My kids are both so small that the bunks looked like normal sized beds to me. Maybe when they are teens, we'll have to check out the sizes a little better! All in all, we were very comfortable there, and then convenience of the kitchen was a major plus for us. We saved alot of money on food, but we still ate a good meal out once a day.

Marcy

[WillyJ]

Thanks for all the good info Marcy!! :D

My girlfriend and I are planning on staying at the cabins early next June, and I have a couple more questions you or someone else her might be able to help me with. . .

When you check in, do they have bellmen to get you and your luggage to the cabins?

And are there any loops you would reccomend avoiding?

Thanks! :D

[marcyinPA]

WillyJ,
You'll love the cabins. Our TTC driver dropped us off at the check in, and then a CM loaded our luggage into a large FW van and drove us all to our cabin after we checked in. Then when we left, we called the night before to have them get our luggage from our cabin in the morning (check out is 11 and we weren't being picked up till 1:30) and store it until our TTC driver came to pick us up.

I'm not sure if there is really any bad cabin loop....this was only our first time there so it's hard to tell. We really liked 2300, but next time we might do 2500 just because it is right in the pool's "backyard".

Have fun planning
Marcy

[Cinderellafifi]

I'm glad you had such a good time - and with so many people! We were considering the cabins for a family vacation but were worried that we would be too cramped. Now I think we should do it!

Sorry you had to deal with the rain. We are all sick of it. :(

[yorkshiregirl]

Marcy

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your time in the FW cabins. We are coming over next week:Pinkbounc Alll of a sudden it is nearly time to go:)
Can I ask what items you bought at the grocery stop and found useful for the cabins and the parks?

We aim to eat breakfast and possibly lunches in the cabins. Our towncar company have volunteered to do a quick shop for us as 15 minutes will not be long for us with not being familiar with the layout of stores, brands etc and money.

Of course orange juice, eggs etc do not change the world over but I would welcome some advice on if bottled water etc. was useful.
Shirley

[marcyinPA]

Hi Shirley,
Our town car company also did a grocery stop for us at Publix. We bought bottled water (we only bought 2 gallons of it, but should have bought more. The water at FW isn't HORRIBLE, but it does taste somewhat "chemical" and I'm not used to that. I was going to buy another jug of water at the settlement trading post, but it was terribly expensive compared to what it cost at Publix)

Our goal was to eat breakfasts and 2 dinners in the cabin. With that goal in mind, we bought cereal, a gallon of milk, orange juice, pancake mix (Bisquick makes this very convenient Shake and Pour mix that you just add water to the plastic container and shake it up and the pancakes are ready to cook), sausage, Capri Sun juice bags for the kids, spaghetti sauce and spaghetti, fresh fruit, lemonade mix (of course, the list of cooking items I saw for FW said there was a 2 qt. pitcher in the cabin...we did not have one so we ended up making lemonade by the glass), hot dogs and rolls (we looked for little packages of ketchup and mustard at the fast food counter service places in the parks and brought them back to the cabin for our hot dogs), bagels and cream cheese, peanut butter, jelly and bread. Plus, I also brought some things from home in the suitcase, such as snacks, microwave popcorn, Nutrigrain bars, and stuff like that.

Keep in mind that none of the pans are non-stick, so if you plan on making eggs or pancakes, you should buy a can of Pam spray or the equivilent. I bought a can, used it once and left it in the cabin. I don't know if the "mousekeepers" throw it out or not, but I couldn't make pancakes without it!

The trading post does carry some food items, but bear in mind that they are pretty expensive compared to a regular grocery.

The easiest way to get through an unfamilier grocery store is to have your list all ready when you go in. We sat down before we left home with a plan of what we were eating and when, and then made the list. We also purchased a styrofoam cooler and some ice at the grocery and put our perishables in it for the ride to the resort. I also just left that in the room when we checked out. (it was only $3, so no huge loss) I don't know if they keep it for other guests to use, but they should!! :)

Hope this helps...any other questions, just ask! Have a great time!!

Marcy

[marcyinPA]

I also wanted to add that I brought some 1 liter bottles with us that have an insulated bag with a carry strap. Each night I'd fill them 1/2 full of water and freeze them. In the morning, I filled them the rest of the way and we brought them with us into the parks. I also froze the capri sun bags for the kids and packed them in my son's insulated lunch box which I packed in the backpack. I don't think we bought a drink in the park the whole time we were there! I also packed granola bars, Goldfish, packs of crackers, and other snacks so we didn't always have to buy something when someone got the munchies. We had our share of Mickey ice cream bars, but we also brought things with us too!!

[yorkshiregirl]

Thanks Marcy for your tips. The one about freezing the capri pouches was a good idea.

If I have any more questions I will post them. Just got to finish off a few things at college (work) and then I can really concentrate from Friday mid-day on packing.

:) Shirley

[WillyJ]

Thanks so much for the info Marcy- :D

I figured there was some kind of service like that, but I suddenly had a vision of staggering through the June heat with several suitcases, searching vainly for the right cabin, and I thought I'd better make sure. . LOL!!! ;)

Thanks again for taking the time to answer; and thanks also for all the other info you posted here.. . . very informative and much appreciated. . :D


And Shirley, have a great trip, and let us know how it went! :D

[sandieb]

Hi - We stayed at the cabins in May for 9 days...we LOVED it. We were in the 2600 loop which we found very convienent. We did laundry once - it was by the swimming pool. The laundry room was very disneylike...clean and well stocked with extras. I had brought some Wisk tablets and a couple dryer sheets with me. It was no big deal.

We had rented a car so we were able to go to the grocery store. Goodings was awful! Very expensive!!! Publix was reasonable, and we bought breakfast and snack food. We also made two dinners...baked chicken and rice with a vege and then grilled hamburgers with FF and salad.

We made a second run to the store for more drinks and fruit. We used bottled water.

Don't worry. The cabins are a great time. There was Plenty of storage space for the 4 of us...we used some of cabinets in the LR for bulky clothes. As usual we brought too many things. I vow next year to only bring a reasonable amount...one item I used a lot was a light sweater....the ac was really cool in some of the shows. We bought into the DVC Beach Club Villas and they have a washer & dryer in the villa. To tell you the truth the primary stumbling point to buying into DVC is that the FW cabins were so appealing. Well, I will just have to make do with the Beach Club!
Have fun! Sandie B, Freeland, Maryland

[abaldacci]

MY FAMILY AND I ARE PLANNING OUR TRIP 12/6-12/15 TO THE CABINS. I WAS WORRIED THEY WOULD NOT BE ALL THAT AND THE BAG OF CHIPS. WE JUST TOOK A 4 DAY TRIP AND FOUND OUR STOMACHES DO NOT AJUST WELL TO EATINGOUT THREE TIMES ADAY. SO HAD TO CHANGE OUR MINDS OBOUT WHERE WE WOULD STAY AND THE CABINS GOT OUR VOTE FOR PRICE AND BECAUSE ITS INSIDE WDW. I FELT SO MUCH BETTER AFTER READING YOUR REPORT BECAUSE I CAN'T FIND ALOT ABOUT THE CABINS. THANKS FOR THE REPORT. OH IF THERE IS ANYTHING MORE ANYONE CAN THINK OF THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL PLEASE IMFORM ME:earsboy: :earsboy: :earsboy:

[colleen costello]

Hello... checking in with some Wilderness Cabin info. Our large group stayed in a cabin in March of this year, and we did just fine. We had been in the cabins before but the new ones are extra-nifty. We were not crowded but did have concerns about 4 adults and 2 kids sharing 1 bathroom.

If you look on a map of Fort Wilderness, it is sort of a big figure 8. One loop of the 8 has campsites, and the other loop, farther from the lake, has the cabins. HOWEVER, loop 2100 (cabins) is stuck in with the campsites. Since it is adjacent to folks camping, it has an accessible "comfort station," or public toilet/shower/laundry facility.

This helps if you are in a large group. We requested loop 2100, "Bobcat Bend", close to the comfort station. We had a great cabin (2140, I think) and just a few feet away was an access path to the comfort station. I did laundry there a lot, and while we never showered there, we could have. Ft. Wilderness Comfort Stations are spotless. AND just knowing we had access to other potties (in case of a vacation colon emergency!) made us all rest easier.

As an added extra, Bobcat Bend is close to one of the main bus stops. I think it's a great location for any group worried about bathroom battles. :D

[bigs1923t]

The cabins are absolutely the BEST! There is plenty of room, extra cabinets in the kitchen & living room. They make mornings great, one child can have breakfast while another is getting showered. There is room for snacks and a real fridge. No living out of a cooler. Each cabin also has a deck & outside grill if you decide to barbecue. We go at Xmas , take a small tree & decorate the cabin inside & out with lights and garland. We get a golf cart for the entire time (A MUST for me, best partof the trip) We usually spend the first afetrnoon decorating the cabin & the golf cart with xmas decorations. Early evenings are great with a cart if you are not in the park. There are lots of people out for a "drive" in their carts after dinner. Its fun to ride around and see how many people decorate cabins & campsites for the holidays. Another neat thing is the Chip & Dale campfire sing along followed by a disney movie at the outside theater. Its fun & its free. There is even space on the sides where you can drive up & sit in your cart while you watch the movie. I could go on forever , try it - you'll like it!:Pinkbounc

[dgaston]

We stayed in the cabins over last Christmas, even cooked Christmas dinner there! We decorated, too and had an absolutely wonderful time. One thing I would encourage others to bring if they plan to use the kitchens is a cookie sheet in addition to the salt and pepper, coffee filters, and paper bathroom cups suggested at the Deb Wills site. i brought some of the newer disposable bake ware and it worked very well. There are timers on both ovens and microwave if that matters for your cooking. Only downside (after tight storage space) were the squirrels enjoying our bag of apples on the deck!! We too were in the 2100 loop and it worked well for us.