AoA Suite vs Ft Wilderness Cabin

[LuckyBelle81]

I guess I'll have an opinion on this after our trip in Nov. We went 2 years ago and stayed in a Lion King suite. We had 6 ppl at that point: me, dh, mil, step fil, dd (6), and ds (3). We loved it and would have stayed there again but we had already made resvs for my family of 5 to go when my mil and step fil decided to go and when we called WDW all they could get us in to were the cabins. Now we will have the same party plus another dd (2). I'm a little worried about the bathroom situation and the transportation issues. I've read a lot of nightmare accounts of the the transportation and then some that weren't that bad, so I'm guessing it must depend on the crowds. We will be there the week before T'giving week which is SUPPOSED to be a lighter crowd time, so I guess we'll see.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

I guess I'll have an opinion on this after our trip in Nov. We went 2 years ago and stayed in a Lion King suite. We had 6 ppl at that point: me, dh, mil, step fil, dd (6), and ds (3). We loved it and would have stayed there again but we had already made resvs for my family of 5 to go when my mil and step fil decided to go and when we called WDW all they could get us in to were the cabins. Now we will have the same party plus another dd (2). I'm a little worried about the bathroom situation and the transportation issues. I've read a lot of nightmare accounts of the the transportation and then some that weren't that bad, so I'm guessing it must depend on the crowds. We will be there the week before T'giving week which is SUPPOSED to be a lighter crowd time, so I guess we'll see.

It is definitely going to be a tight squeeze -- you are 7 in the cabin??? I assume 1 must be an infant? You better get a golf cart or have a car and find where the comfort stations are -- because there are bathrooms and showers in there -- generally they are closer to where the true campsites are -- but you really. really are going to want to be near them. We loved the cabins each time we stayed in them, but they are definitely up close and personal and with only 1 bath -- god bless you.

Tom

 

[LuckyBelle81]

Yes, our youngest will be 2 so she will still be in a pack'n'play. I've been worried about the space too. We didn't have a problem at AoA as far as the space goes. Do the cabins feel smaller than the suite?

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Yes, our youngest will be 2 so she will still be in a pack'n'play. I've been worried about the space too. We didn't have a problem at AoA as far as the space goes. Do the cabins feel smaller than the suite?

We didn't think so. And with the cabins, you can just walk outside and sit on the porch if you need some space.

I think the suites are about 60 square feet larger, but a lot of that is in the extra bathroom.

And the cabins have higher ceilings. That gave us the feeling of space. The ceilings at AoA felt very low. Not sure if that is just the first floor?

 

[LuckyBelle81]

Thank you for your input AtlantaDisneyDreamer. I keep telling myself not to worry bc its WDW and it will be wonderful regardless but I'm still a little aprehensive. I'm afraid we will really miss the 2nd bathroom but we really won't be in the cabin all that much so hopefully we can make it work. I'm pretty OCD and clutter and chaos really stress me out so I may end up making a bathroom schedule to keep everyone straight. Thankfully our youngest is only turning 2 this Friday so we haven't begun any potty training. So at least that's one less person having to get in there...other than baths of course. Guess there'll be a schedule for that too. LOL.

 

[HopperFan]

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.

Yup, permits for Cabin renovations were filed in July. Comparing permit's loop numbers to map it looks like most the loops were included in it. Completion date is 4/22/2016.

 

[tiffany2009]

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.

Kidani is my favorite Disney resort. We have stayed in a one bedroom savanna view. The room is beautifull especially the master bath. Good luck with your choice!

 

[bluezy]

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?

Reports are that the microwave is also a convection oven so you would still be able to bake casserole-type dishes. You could possibly do pizzas as well depending on the size. I can easily fit a 9" x 13" pan in my microwave/convection oven. I think the cookie sheets I use in there are something like 11" x 18".

 

[HopperFan]

Reports are that the microwave is also a convection oven so you would still be able to bake casserole-type dishes. You could possibly do pizzas as well depending on the size. I can easily fit a 9" x 13" pan in my microwave/convection oven. I think the cookie sheets I use in there are something like 11" x 18".

Been looking at adding one in lieu of the double oven .... don't think they are common enough yet that everyone would be comfortable baking in one. Totally get it for the cabins in the long run, in the short term could be a negative.

 

[bluezy]

Been looking at adding one in lieu of the double oven .... don't think they are common enough yet that everyone would be comfortable baking in one. Totally get it for the cabins in the long run, in the short term could be a negative.

I agree, they're not very common yet. My first thought when I read that they were micro/convection combo units was, "I sure hope they leave a simple instruction sheet on the counter because most guests won't realize they can use it as a convection oven." I got my microwave/convection oven about 3 years ago for the exact reason you mentioned --- in lieu of a double oven. When we bought ours there were only a handful of models that were combination units. However, when we bought a new stove/oven a few months ago, almost every model that was above the "basic" level was both a traditional oven as well as a convection oven. I noticed that there were more microwave/convection ovens available than there were a few years ago. So hopefully over the next few years, more and more guests at the Ft. Wilderness cabins will be accustomed to them. I think they're a great idea for the cabins as long as people understand what they are and how to use them.