All Star Suites or FW Cabin?---Please Help

[donnajdoak]

Hello all:

Trying to plan a June 2008 trip and can't decide if my family of five (me/husband and three kids---all under age six) should stay in the All Star suite or get a cabin @ FW? Really need some separation from the kids in the evening. We stayed @ POR in May and found it a bit cramped. And since the kids are so young their bed time is much earlier than me and my husbands'. Any input would be greatly appreciated. I'm completely indecisive which is NOT good when it comes to Disney trip planning. TIA

 

[dizneyluv]

Have you seen the pics of both resorts inside and out? They are both great in their own ways. Just depends on what your family likes.

The suites have TWO bathrooms and a better pool and food court (I think).

The cabins you can drive right up to your door, it's a beautiful and relaxing atmosphere, you get your own deck! Lots of things for kids to do if you have time.

I would want to do both at some point but we NEED two bathrooms so that would decide it for us.

It's really a win/win situation wherever you choose.

I would click on the resorts link up top and look at the picture galleries for each. Allearsnet has some great pics too.

Take Care!

 

[minnie61650]

Here is the layout of the FW cabin:

Prices for the cabins start at $249 during value season in 2007
Prices for the Family Suites start at $179 during the value season.

Room size Comparison:

Pop Century/All Stars-260 Square Feet
CS, POR/POFQ-314 SF
Caribbean Beach-340 SF
Wilderness Lodge-344 SF
AKL-344 SF
Yacht/Beach-381 SF
Boardwalk-385 SF
Polynesian-409 SF-476 SF
Contemporary-436 SF
Grand Floridian-about 400-440SF
Ft Wilderness Cabins-504 SF
Family suites at All Star Music -520 SF

-------------------------------------------------------
DH and I stayed in a Family Suite at All Star Music ( a value resort) last Sept. (2006)

We really enjoyed the Queen size bed, the kitchenette with the microwave, having a sofa and cushioned chair to sit on and relax after a day at the parks before retiring for the evening.

I thought the pullouts very comfortable.

They are designed so the back cushion and seat cushion of the pullout support the pullout. There is no meatle bar to hurt the sleepers back.

Info thread--Pullouts in Family Suites at ASMU with photos of how the pullout is supported.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18100990#post18100990

Here is the layout of the Family Suites:

Here is my review of the Suites:

www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=17640774&postcount=7

For more photos and info please see this info thread:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1392879

Have fun at Disney wherever you choose to stay!

 

[Livin'4Disney]

We stayed at the FW cabins last December for our first family trip and really liked it and the kids absolutely loved it. With that said, we have never stayed at the suites, but they look nice.

IMHO--If you stay at the cabins rent a golf cart for you stay (esp. with small kids), request loop 2100 The convience of the boat ride to MK is nice too. Dinner at the California Grill was great with a boat ride there and back!
The only down side my DH and I would say is the Murphy bed is not super comfortable. The one bathroom was fine and the mousekeeping was great as was the deck and table outside!

Good Luck!

 

[MinnieGi]

We just went through that dilemma last Feb. I orginally had reserved the All-Star Family Suites. We thought they looked cute and so did the kids. Ours are 6 & 2. We also liked the two bathrooms. However, we wanted more than a small fridge and microwave and the cabins offered a full kitchen. We tend to fill the fridge with a case of water, beer, coolers, juice boxes plus a few fast meals rather than dining out all the time. I was going back and forth in my mind which set up would be better. It just so happend my parents took an extra trip to Disney to meet up with friends and stayed in the All-Stars for the first time. They came back with disappointing reviews and they are not hard to please people. So that decided it. AP rates also came out and I got a nice rate for the cabins.

We loved Fort Wilderness. Part of the appeal for us was to stay somewhere totally different and as we are not camping people, the cabins were as close to it as we were going to get! My 2yo called it "our little house." It was so incredibly PEACEFUL in FW! The kids loved the pony rides, the walking trails and the nightly campfire and movie. Plus we were just a relaxing boat ride away from the MK!!! Everynight you can view the MK fireworks from FW's boat dock area plus the Electric Water Pageant stops by. FW has a beach and marina area. The kids loved taking a mini-speedboat out onto Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon. FW also has small boat transportation to Wilderness Lodge and CR. DD was especially thrilled with this as she loves to shop at CR! HDDR is right there too, if you have never been its a fun show to do especially when it is in your "backyard." DH and the kids definetly want to do the cabin again some day.

Good luck with your decision!!

 

[mayesq]

Do the cabins really only have 1 television set? I would hope there would be one in the bedroom.

 

[simonkodousek]

I vote for the All-Star family suites!

 

[lookingforward]

The cabins have two televisions, one regular sized one in the living room and one smaller one in the bedroom.

We loved the cabins but remember to factor in the cost of the golf carts (expensive!) if you plan on doing them. It adds up.

 

[Mayl]

Vote for the cabins.. We did it with me, wife, 2 kids under 8 and in laws..

Was fine.. one bathroom was a little downer, but full kitchen and location was worth it.

You can not say enough good things about the things they do at the camp grounds also

So worth it

 

[Marriedmyprince]

I've looked at both too but haven't stayed at either yet. We like to be close to MK since we still use strollers and the kids are young. That being said, I am looking forward to the All Star Music suites when the buses make more sense. The clincher for me QUEEN bed and 2 BATHS! The food court is also important and I don't like to cook anyway... Good luck with your decision, Marriedmyprince

 

[cindy17]

The cabins have two televisions, one regular sized one in the living room and one smaller one in the bedroom.

We loved the cabins but remember to factor in the cost of the golf carts (expensive!) if you plan on doing them. It adds up.

We loved the cabins too and didn't get the golf carts. They are very pricey and we took a chance in not getting one and did fine. We were in a loop very close to the bus stop (2100 or 2500 - can't remember) and pool. The pool is very plain though with no slide.

 

[donnajdoak]

Thanks everyone for their input....I'm leaning toward the cabins, but still not completely sure. I've seen a picture of the FW pool and know it's pretty plain, but don't they have a beach area to swim @ or am I just crazy?

Now I guess I'll ask my husband for his opinion and see what he thinks. LOL

 

[minnie61650]

Thanks everyone for their input....I'm leaning toward the cabins, but still not completely sure. I've seen a picture of the FW pool and know it's pretty plain, but don't they have a beach area to swim @ or am I just crazy?

Now I guess I'll ask my husband for his opinion and see what he thinks. LOL

They have a beach area and the children can play in the sand but there is no swimming allowed in the lakes at any of the Disney resorts.

Have fun at Disney!

 

[eliza61]

Thanks everyone for their input....I'm leaning toward the cabins, but still not completely sure. I've seen a picture of the FW pool and know it's pretty plain, but don't they have a beach area to swim @ or am I just crazy?

Now I guess I'll ask my husband for his opinion and see what he thinks. LOL

No, you can't swim in the beach area. At night though you sit at the beach and you watch the electric water parade, it's very nice. Also Ft. Wilderness has a lot of extra non park activites to do. Camp fires (they use to have a campfire with Mickey, chip and dale, not sure if they still do), pony rides, bikes to rent. I also like that they have a direct boat to MK.

 

[donnajdoak]

Thanks!! I didn't know that about the beach!!

 

[ElizabethB]

Keep in mind a golf cart is $50 per day -- and we thought a golf cart was essential when we stayed there.

 

[Hopefully]

Another vote for the Cabins. We loved it there. In the Suites you will have the children sleeping on the pull outs in the "Living Area". You and your DH will be stuck in the bedroom with one chair and the queen bed. In the Cabins you would put them to sleep in the bedroom, close the door and have all the rest of the space to relax and enjoy each others company.
I think the golf cart is nice, but not essential. If I could afford it I would definitely reserve it. But it would not be a deal breaker for me.
Enjoy your planning.

 

[donnajdoak]

Here's another question concerning the golf carts? Last Disney trip we stayed @ POR in Building 18 which was a good 7-10 minute walk from our room to the bus stop....Are the cabins @ FW even further than that? We thought the walk @ POR was long, but not too much of an inconvenience.

Also, can you rent a cart once you have arrived?

 

[minnie61650]

Here's another question concerning the golf carts? Last Disney trip we stayed @ POR in Building 18 which was a good 7-10 minute walk from our room to the bus stop....Are the cabins @ FW even further than that? We thought the walk @ POR was long, but not too much of an inconvenience.

Also, can you rent a cart once you have arrived?

Just to give you an idea.
It is a little over 1 mile (the way the crow flies)from the parking lot area to the boat docks .

The cabins are in the 2200-2800 loops and are the loops that are closer to
the parking lot.

You can bring a car into the cabin loop and park by your cabin but you can't drive your car to swimming pool or the boat docks and park there.

Here is a map of FW :

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a175/minnie61650/fortwilderness.gif

Have fun at Disney!

 

[twinspluscade]

Here's another question concerning the golf carts? Last Disney trip we stayed @ POR in Building 18 which was a good 7-10 minute walk from our room to the bus stop....Are the cabins @ FW even further than that? We thought the walk @ POR was long, but not too much of an inconvenience.

Also, can you rent a cart once you have arrived?

I've never stayed at the cabins (so you'll want to take what I say with a grain of salt ), but researched them when we considered staying there.

One thing that decided me against them was that they have no food court at Fort Wilderness. Since we get the dining plan, I knew we wanted somewhere with a food court. Also--I've heard the golf carts are essential with small kids, and they were $47/day to rent.Apparently, they only rent four-person golf carts, although maybe you could fit all three kids on?? (we have three kids too so this was also a concern--no way was I shelling out for TWO golf carts). I've read on here you should reserve them well in advance, as sometimes they run out. Otherwise, FW looks like a fun resort!