Widlerness Lodge Vs. Wilderness Cabins

[Jaffa]

Sorry, I posted this in the wrong place before.

room at the lodge or a cabin at the campground???

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

It depends on your part size, whether you want to be close to the pool, if you want a full kitchen, etc.

[Gianna'sPapa]

Two totally different experiences! The WL is a deluxe hotel in the classic sense. All the rooms open from interior hallways with restaurant inside the hotel and room service. Swimming pool with slides and hot tub close by. Transportation is also close by. The FW cabins are individual park model style homes. To get to a restaurant you will need to use the internal bus system. You will have a full kitchen and more room than the average hotel room. No room service, but do have mousekeeping. More than likely you will be some distance from a pool. There is a quiet pool in the cabin area and I believe it now has a hot tub. I would recommend that you rent a golf cart (the rules state only five to a cart so if your party is bigger you would have to rent two, as we did when we last stayed there). If you don't have a golf cart you will have to use the internal bus system to get to the WDW Transportation System (bus or boat). There is little or no parking for your personal or rental car except at your site. It is usually more quiet and rustic than a hotel. These are but just a few of the differences. I would recommend that you choose the type of experience you desire and go with that.

[Little Lulu]

Originally Posted by Gianna'sPapa

Two totally different experiences! The WL is a deluxe hotel in the classic sense. All the rooms open from interior hallways with restaurant inside the hotel and room service. Swimming pool with slides and hot tub close by. Transportation is also close by. The FW cabins are individual park model style homes. To get to a restaurant you will need to use the internal bus system. You will have a full kitchen and more room than the average hotel room. No room service, but do have mousekeeping. More than likely you will be some distance from a pool. There is a quiet pool in the cabin area and I believe it now has a hot tub. I would recommend that you rent a golf cart (the rules state only five to a cart so if your party is bigger you would have to rent two, as we did when we last stayed there). If you don't have a golf cart you will have to use the internal bus system to get to the WDW Transportation System (bus or boat). There is little or no parking for your personal or rental car except at your site. It is usually more quiet and rustic than a hotel. These are but just a few of the differences. I would recommend that you choose the type of experience you desire and go with that.

Yep!

Plus, The Wilderness Lodge and the Ft Wilderness Cabins are separate.
They do NOT share amenities, only a boat and bus here and there.
IOW, no pool hopping. That seems to be a big misconception with alot of FW people who come over and use the WL pool. We saw some that were asked for their KTTW IDs and asked to leave while we were there. Coming off the boat with a cooler and their beach towels was a big give-away, I would think.

If you have a large party up to 6, the WL has deluxe rooms, other than that, the rooms sleep 4.

HTH.

[HappyDznyCamper]

Originally Posted by Little Lulu

Yep!

Plus, The Wilderness Lodge and the Ft Wilderness Cabins are separate.
They do NOT share amenities, only a boat and bus here and there.
IOW, no pool hopping. That seems to be a big misconception with alot of FW people who come over and use the WL pool. We saw some that were asked for their KTTW IDs and asked to leave while we were there. Coming off the boat with a cooler and their beach towels was a big give-away, I would think.

If you have a large party up to 6, the WL has deluxe rooms, other than that, the rooms sleep 4.

HTH.

Are you sure they were from FW. With the new themed pool, slide, hot tub and kiddie splash area I can't see why anyone would want to pool hope from FW to WL. As for which resort, we really need to know more about your group. How many total, any kids, when are you traveling, comando style or more relaxed, would like to spend a day out of the parks just relaxing at your resort. If you will have a car you can easily drive from FW to all parks(excpet MK) and not have to worry about finding a space at the end of the day, if you won't have a car and are the be there now type people, WL might be a better fit.

[Jaffa]

2 adults - 1 teenager - 1, 3 year old and one that will be just over a year.

I think it sounds like the Lodge will be better.
I keep thinking they are both part of a larger thing.

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

You also need to consider sleeping arrangements.

Will the teenager and 3 yr old be able to share a queen sized bed? If not, then at Wilderness Lodge you will need to get the bunk beds, which is a bit more money.

[Gianna'sPapa]

Originally Posted by Jaffa

2 adults - 1 teenager - 1, 3 year old and one that will be just over a year.

I think it sounds like the Lodge will be better.
I keep thinking they are both part of a larger thing.

No, they are not part of the same. The cabins are actually in the Fort Wilderness Campground Resort which is a separate resort from the Wilderness Lodge. Trust me you're not the first to confuse it. I have often wondered why they chose to use "Wilderness" in two distinct separate resorts. When they first built the Lodge, I thought it was adjacent to the campground and an easy walk to go visit. WRONG! I have attached the resort map. The campground is red 2 and the lodge red 5. While not to scale, you can see there is some distance between the two.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/propertymap.htm

[scot@dvcstore]

Ft Wilderness Cabins are really cool but Wilderness Lodge is an awesome resort. More of a "Deluxe" experience.

[kandls momma]

Originally Posted by Jaffa

2 adults - 1 teenager - 1, 3 year old and one that will be just over a year.

I think it sounds like the Lodge will be better.
I keep thinking they are both part of a larger thing.

I think it really depends on what you want out of your trip. We stayed at the cabins and we enjoyed it overall but there are some things to consider.

Plusses- more space than a reg. room. You get a br with a double bed and bunk beds, plus a murphy bed in the living room. Full kitchen (we used this to make bfast, keep milk and snacks for our 3 yo and 10 mo, etc). Quiet and private (no kids running past waking up our youngest). Main pool is nice, with slide, kiddie area, etc. You can park your car right outside your cabin.

Minuses- campground is very spread out and you can't drive you personal vehicle around it. You need to either rent a golf cart or take internal busses for pool, boat/bus to park, etc. Internal busses are a bit slow, I'd highly recommend the golf cart. Limited dining options, no room service.

Like pp said, I think it really depends on your family preferences and vacation style. If you like peace, quiet, slower pace, etc, you will love the cabins. If you want the convenience of a resort with more dining options, will be using the pool a lot, want room service, etc. then go with a deluxe.

[plutospup]

We have stayed at both resorts, and enjoyed both very much. For us, the biggest difference is there is more space for our family at the Ft Wilderness Cabin. There is a separate bedroom with a double bed and bunk beds, and a murphy bed in the living room. The full kitchen(full size refrigerator) comes in handy for our quick morning breakfasts. The Wilderness Lodge is beautiful, but it is just a hotel room.

[Jaffa]

Does the Lodge have a concierge level?

[Little Lulu]

Originally Posted by Jaffa

Does the Lodge have a concierge level?

Yes, it does, and it is a very nice one, too!
In fact it is my DH's favorite CL.

I've written a short CL review on the WL Faq Thread and posted pics of the WL CL on the Resort pics forum under the CL lounge thread.

HTH!

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I would choose the Wilderness Lodge because of the fact it's a Deluxe Resort and everything that comes with it.

[mickey&minniealways]

Are you maybe thinking Wilderness Lodge Villas vs. WL. Or maybe WLV verses Fort Wilderness Cabins. I think those are the better comparisons. You can either go directly throught disney for the villas or rent from a member (cheaper and we do it this way every time). I have never done WL but I have done the villas and the cabins. I prefer the villas. Either way have a magical time.