AoA Suite vs Ft Wilderness Cabin

[smiths02]

I can't decide where to stay next June!
(Yes, I know this is a first world problem, and, yes, I know we will drown in magic either way)

Here is my family (ages at time of trip)-DH,me,DS-10, DS-3, DD-3 (the twins will really be closer to 4)
We will have our car, and we prefer to use our car to drive to the parks (except MK)

So anyone want to help me think this through?

AoA Pros:
2 bathrooms
Immersive kid friendly theme
Familiar
Everything around the resort is easy to get to (arcade, pool, food court)
Food court that takes TiW
Mom and Dad have a "master" bedroom with queen bed
Pull down beds are "cool"

Cons:
Kids Sleep in the main part of the room/next to room entrance
Crowded/loud
Have to worry about my kids being loud


Ft. Wilderness Cabins Pro:
Less expensive
Privacy from others
Full kitchen/grill
Chip and Dale Campfire
Car is right outside our door
Tri Circle D Ranch-sounds like a fun activity
Wagon or carriage rides
Trail's End
HDDR

Cons:
One bathroom
Resort spread out/internal buses
Golf cart expensive if you want one
All beds are double or smaller (I saw some recent pictures where the murphy bed was removed and

Neutral:
Wildlife/nature-As a kid who grew up in SoCal, going to the woods would have been cool, but we live around a lot of this, ILs live in a small house near the Appalachian trail-so it's not really a "wow" factor for our kids
Archery, Tennis, hot tub, bike rental, tennis, fishing, horseback riding, segway tour-just probably aren't going to do at WDW especially with 3 year olds


Pools-I think this is a toss-up


Anyone stay at both and have a preference? Are my 3 year olds too young to enjoy it and would enjoy AoA better?

 

[AngiTN]

I'm not sure about anything but for one.
It's Disney. You do not have to worry about your kids being loud

I have not read the kindest things about the cabins. I love roughing it in cabins, etc but not at Disney.

 

[happymommy]

I think the AOA pools are way more cool, so no toss up to me! I walked around there, and thought they were great, especially for little kids. The cozy cone pool is neat in that they have the little cones that serve as cabanas of sorts.
I think AOA is more convenient to me, with a dedicated bus and all the Disney feel. If you want that, then I'd go with that. You still have a kitchenette.
Cabins are nice and quiet, but to me, I don't want to drive to and from the parks. Especially if one parent wants to go back to the resort with one of the children. That is easier when relying on the bus transportation.

 

[J'Adore Disney]

I've stayed at both resorts. I would recommend staying at the Art of Animation this time around because of convenience; and when the twins are older, stay at the campgrounds. It will definitely be a memorable experience.

If you do decide to stay at the cabins, request to be close to the Settlement Post; or rent a golf cart to move around the campground. Download a map of the campground and study it! Cabins are spread out and some are far from the pool and activity areas.

My kids prefer the Art of Animation but they value the experience of staying on the campgrounds.

I prefer Art of Animation because the last thing I want to do on vacation is cook and wash dishes!!!

 

[KonaKaiTom]

I've stayed at the cabins twice and will be staying AOA in February -- our deciding points - were two bathrooms, two bathrooms and two bathrooms. We loved the Cabins, but with 5 of us this trip, two bathrooms wins.

Tom

 

[kmorlock]

If MK is where you will spend a lot of time, Ft. Wilderness boat is a better option than a bus IMO. We loved WL and shared transport with FW a lot. However, no one can overstate how spread out the entire FW area is. If you are in a cabin that is fAr from boats or busses, you must take internal busses, walk or rent a golf cart and bring it with you or rent direct from Disney. All that added cost might bump you into the upgraded moderate or DVC point rental. Not to mention, some of the popular travel agencies/online agencies many refer to in the boards have some hefty savings compared to the pitiful discounts we are seeing from Disney right now. It might be worth a look since you have some time. Happy planning!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

We stayed at cabins & transportation was difficult. Wrong directions from staff, boats to MK not running on foggy mornings, boats not running during water parade, internal bus everywhere including pool, limited dining options. Go AOA, give the kids the "master" & let adults stay up past kid bedtime (just me but no way I'd let my kid be closer to front door/bathroom)

 

[FantasiaMagic]

Coming from me - I would only say one thing - AoA all the way! I stayed there this past spring with my 5 friends. We had the best time. We did not feel crowded at all. And since it was spring break, there were a lot of families there, but we never felt it was too crowded or loud! The pools are amazing, and the theme is just breakthtaking. Also the master bedroom and the extra bathroom are a great plus! I recommend AoA 100%

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

We (me, DH, DD (7), DD(2), and my mom) stayed at both resorts last year and I really thought that most of us would enjoy AoA better.

I was surprised that everyone in our family (who could voice their opinions, anyway), preferred the cabins. We are from Tennessee and Georgia so woods aren't new to us either, but Fort Wilderness is really a special place.

We brought our bikes (with a trailer for the little one) and had a blast riding around the Fort. We loved that everything we needed was right outside the door in our car. We left a few things in our car at AoA and it was raining and it was a big pain to walk all the way back to the parking lot for those things. At the Cabins, we left a lot of our things in the car and just went a few steps outside when we needed them.

Our two year old cried a bit, and we were fine with that because we were not worried about bothering the people next door. It was super quiet.

We loved the beach area and playground at FW. The Chip and Dale campfire is also loads of fun.

The main pool area at the cabins is great. Fun slide- and a great kids splash/slide area. My 2 year old loved it.

At AoA, the pool is more updated and modern and beautiful. No slide, but it does have zero depth entry, which the pool at the Cabins does not have. It also has a great water play area.


The worst thing about AoA for use was how loud it was at all hours of the morning and night. We had a first floor room in the Nemo section, and we heard doors slamming and people running down the halls well after midnight. It felt like we were sleeping in a big, loud, tin can. Certainly you will find people who say their room at AoA was quiet, but ours was definitely not.


We found the internal bus transportation at FW to be great- very convenient and not crowded at all. We also found bus service at AoA to be great.

We really liked having our full kitchen at the cabins. It was great for kids who wanted to eat mac and cheese all the time.


In sum, our sleep quality was much better at the Cabins. My DD(7) loved the bunkbeds and missed them at AoA. We liked having the kitchen. We liked having a car right outside our door.

That is what tipped us over in favor of the Cabins.

 

[tiffany2009]

Our family is me, DH, DS 12, DS 12 and DD 9. We have stayed in a Nemo Suite and at FW but in an RV. We are going back in March to FW with our RV. It is an amazing camping experience.

AOA would be great for the twins. The would love the theming, pool, room, etc. The 10 year old would love the arcade. Also I love the bus service at AOA. Only one stop and you can take the POP bus back if you want.

The Cabins would be fun for the 10 year old because he would get the upper bunk. I would like the full kitchen vs the kitchenette.

Personally, I think the fun part of staying at FW are the golf carts. I don't think I would stay there without one. It makes traveling around the resort fun instead of a chore.

So if it were me and I was not going to get a golf cart I would go AOA.

I think that it is difficult to relax at AOA with the theming, noise, etc. So if I were looking to relax and I had a golf cart I would go FW.

I agree that FW may be better when the kids get a bit older and have a bit more independence. I have found that my kids appreciate activities like HDDR now that they are older.

Either way you will have a great time! Good luck.

 

[ilovebassets]

The cabins, hands down! We stayed one night at AoA versus a month worth of days at Fort Wilderness, and we LOVE Fort Wilderness. The cabins each have their own driveways which is fantastic with little ones at night who may fall asleep in the car and have to be carried back inside. The campfire is so much fun for young ones--if you ask my 3 and 5 year old boys, they will tell you the campfire is one of their favorite things to do at all of Disney World. The pool never feels crowded. There are three playgrounds for the young ones to run around wild on (instead of just being marched around the parks all day) and burn off some energy. And having an actual full kitchen instead of a little kitchenette is great. Now, transportation around Fort Wilderness is doable with the buses but much better with the golf carts, so that is something to think about.

We like the theming of AoA, but it felt very crowded and like you couldn't get away from the masses of people everywhere. There was nothing relaxing about it all. And the food court was headache inducing from noise and crowds and overall chaos in getting food. I know people complain about the food options at Fort Wilderness sometimes, but they're honestly pretty decent. It's the cheapest buffet on property (and an extra 10% off with Disney Visa) and very good as well. The Meadows snack bar has a good selection of quick service meals and snacks from 11-5 during the week and 11-8 on the weekends. And Trails End to Go fills in for counter service dinner and breakfast.

 

[NotTheBatesMotel]

We LOVED the cabins at FW. There is nothing "roughing it" about them in my opinion. I wouldn't stay at FW without a golf cart. It added a lot of fun to the experience. The pool was okay (theme/style of AOA pool looks way better, but no slide like FW), the splash area was a ton of fun for my son. I actually preferred driving to the parks over bus systems anyways, so having the car at the cabin was incredibly convenient. I also loved that my son could be as loud as he wanted to without us having to worry about the people next to/underneath/above us. I was also going back and forth between AOA suites and the cabins and had no regrets about going with the cabins.

 

[smiths02]

I should add for those that can't see my signature. We stayed in an AoA Cars suite this past June. We really did love it. I guess one of the considerations of the cabins was that I worried that we would be trying too hard to recreate the magic of this last trip, which was our first trip as a family of 5.

Anyone who recommend the Fort try a golf cart for just part of the trip? We'll have 9 nights, and some of us are AP holders, but our APs expire before our trip ends, so the first part of our trip will probably be mostly park/room while the last few days will have more explore the resort and relax.


As far as food options, I'm thinking a real kitchen outweighs the easy food court for our family. We are more Table Service people but we tried the CS at AoA twice and it was just okay. Heating up a box of Annie's Mac N Cheese wouldn't be harder than going to the food court and ordering food, etc. The other issue was our last trip was 8 nights and this trip will be 9 nights...while we loved the experience of some of the restaurants and will still go using our TiW, we remembering thinking that a lot of the food was really nothing special. For instance, we did dinner at the Counter Service in France one night. We spent $80, we did get desserts but we drank water, and the chocolate chip cookies were the highlight.

I'm really concerned about one bathroom. That will probably be the tipping point.

The Cabins are about $300 cheaper for our dates, and if you consider that we will probably eat in the cabin slightly more and if there is a discount the cabin discount is generally better, we'll probably end up saving significantly more BUT the golf cart would eat up those savings, so it's probably a wash.

The other issue is laundry. I wish the cabins had laundry because I am worried about doing laundry.

I guess we could also look at some of the one bedroom suites that sleep 5 with 2 baths and renting DVC points (like AKL Kidani), but there are drawbacks to that
AoA Nemo Suite is $3966.76
Ft Wilderness is $3,687.76 (plus golf cart)
AKL-Kidani Standard View 1 bedroom from David's DVC $4088 (plus extra since we'll want more Housekeeping-and there is no chance of discount) AND we'd have to pay everything in advance with no chance for refunds or changes

 

[ilovebassets]

There is laundry available at the cabins. It's just not IN the cabin. It's right next to the wilderness pool in between cabin loops 2600 and 2700. You could easily walk to it with your laundry in a rolling suitcase if you stayed in those loops (or golf cart it over). It's large, clean, and very easy to use.

I think your idea of getting a golf cart for part of the trip would work well. You could easily spend a few days just enjoying Fort Wilderness and taking the boat to the contemporary (and monorail) and walking or boating it over to Wilderness Lodge too. The fort really is a vacation destination unto itself. The pool is great your older kid will love the slide and the kids splash areas and slides are awesome. Like a small version of a water park kids area. And the kids will get a kick out of using the golf cart to get around. There's pony rides too! And archery for your older child.

Don't get too caught up in the one bathroom thing. For such a long trip, I think staying at AoA and having no other food choices besides the food court is going to get really old. I also don't think there's really much to do there. Would a 2 bath cabin be awesome? YES!! But it isn't everything.

 

[HopperFan]

Personally I'd pick AoA any day over Cabins, and yes I have stayed in the cabins.

Just some thoughts -

AoA TWO BATHROOMS is a huge one for us. The cabins KITCHEN is a real plus if you are planning to cook a lot of meals (we did our trip which is why I wanted to stay there), otherwise it's just an over accessorized kitchenette and I'd rather my TiW discount with AoA doing the cooking or really with AoA I'd be all over the world eating ... not cooking on my vacation.

While at AoA there is a door to the suite in the living area AND it opens to an interior hallway.
At the Cabins there is a door to the deck in the bedroom AND it opens to the WOODS!
Either way I would be sleeping with the bedroom door open with young ones.

Murphy Bed removed from cabin .... you didn't finish, replaced with what?

Pools - I don't agree they are a toss up. AoA has great pools that I think truly rival some moderates AND you can walk to them in minutes. And that falls to the campground requires additional transportation to get anywhere, what a pain it was, I would rather walk my family to amenities at a resort. (I don't consider the campground a resort, but rather a very very nice campground.)

 

[smiths02]

Personally I'd pick AoA any day over Cabins, and yes I have stayed in the cabins.


Murphy Bed removed from cabin .... you didn't finish, replaced with what?

The picture I saw within the last few days on the DISboards looked like shelving in the murphy bed area. I'm assuming the new couch was a sleeper sofa. The kitchen also looked updated.

 

[HopperFan]

The picture I saw within the last few days on the DISboards looked like shelving in the murphy bed area. I'm assuming the new couch was a sleeper sofa. The kitchen also looked updated.

Will be curious to see if this comes to be .... I think this could be another game changer. I know for me it seemed logical with smaller kids to put all the kids in the bedroom and sleep on murphy bed since both beds were fulls. It allowed for adults to stay awake in a different room. But I hate sofa beds (I've only found one on travels that I could not feel the support beams) so this truly would be a whole different scenario to me. Were there any pictures of the bedroom ........... I just wonder if they would ever consider removing the bunks and making it a true bedroom. With other options for 6, it could happen...

 

[wagner1225]

We have stayed at the Cabins many times and the Fort in a camper many, many times over the years, we will always favor the Fort but, this last trip we stayed at AOA (also many other resorts at Disney over the years) and this was one of the better enjoyable trips we have made, it is a nice resort made more for kids, we were all adults (kids have grown up) but it was great to see the littles have fun, and lots of pictures..

 

[HopperFan]

The picture I saw within the last few days on the DISboards looked like shelving in the murphy bed area. I'm assuming the new couch was a sleeper sofa. The kitchen also looked updated.

OH MY, I just looked at the pictures ............. the OVEN IS GONE! Only a microwave and what looks like a 2 burner cook top. No baking pizza or casserole type dishes etc. They really don't want you "cooking" but spending money in the restaurants.

Decor is nice, more like a hotel suite but kinda sad to see that mountain cabin decor fizzle away.

Bathroom is nice, classic.

Bedroom, on the other site they say the main bed is a QUEEN! and they kept the bunk beds. It's a very small tight room but it is highly functional. If that really is a Queen then that will make lots of folks happy.

Wonder if these are tests, or an active renovation going on?

 

[smiths02]

OH MY, I just looked at the pictures ............. the OVEN IS GONE! Only a microwave and what looks like a 2 burner cook top. No baking pizza or casserole type dishes etc. They really don't want you "cooking" but spending money in the restaurants.

Decor is nice, more like a hotel suite but kinda sad to see that mountain cabin decor fizzle away.

Bathroom is nice, classic.

Bedroom, on the other site they say the main bed is a QUEEN! and they kept the bunk beds. It's a very small tight room but it is highly functional. If that really is a Queen then that will make lots of folks happy.

Wonder if these are tests, or an active renovation going on?

I didn't really notice the kitchen. I'll have to look again. I'm surprised there isn't more info. about it if it is a major refurb

OASN, I called my DH, and he is so tired of me that he may have just agreed to renting a one bedroom at Kidani. At least I can't change my mind if we went that route.