Cabin and FW info required! urgently!

[SammieG]

We are thinking of spending 18 nights at the Cabins next August..

but I have a questions and reservations!

We are used to staying off site in a large timeshare apartment.
Do these cabins seem small and dark? (they look it from the pictures!)

What size is the bed? I know its not kingsize (is that 7ft) and Queen is what? 6ft? So is it a 5ft bed? or 4ft 6?

Is there one tv in the lounge or is there a tv in the bedroom too?
(I can see arguments happening with the kids!)

Can you park outside the cabin?

Are there lots of bugs etc?

As you can tell... Im not really a camping sort of girl! but it sounds intersting, but will freak if I see spiders/bugs or snakes!

Is it a long way to walk everywhere? Or can you request to be close to amenities>

and finally... what are the pool areas like?

Many thanks for your help!

Sammie xxx

 

[ftwildernessguy]

You will most likely find the cabins considerably smaller than what you are used to off site.

FW is on a reclaimed cypress swamp and is somewhat rustic. There is, as a result, quite a bit of wildlife around, which most of us as campers find desireable. There are spiders and bugs and snakes, in addition to armadillos, rabbits, squirrels, and the rare but occassionally seen alligator.

You may park one car outside the cabins.

It is a long walk to the meadows area and a longer walk to the settlement area from the cabins. Bus service is available via the purple route which serves the cabin area.

There is a small pool in the cabin area, and a larger pool at the meadows. They are unthemed which causes some people some amount of distress, but is okay with me.

 

[pooh4me]

You have a double bed and bunk beds in the bedroom and a TV. You also have a pull down double bed in the livingroom.The cabins are very private and quiet.You can request being near a bus stop and the loop you would like but it is not guaranteed. The 2500 loop in very near the quiet pool and laundry. The 2100 and 2200 loops are the nearest loops to the Meadows trading post, pool and the campfire program and is just about 1/4 of a mile away. We love the FW cabins and wouldn't stay any place else.

 

[Pugrpooh]

Hi! We stayed for a week in a cabin last month. I don't know how many people are in your party, but we had 5. It was me, DH, two 19 year olds and a 4 year old.

To try to answer your questions: The cabins do not seem small and dark -- they ARE small and dark. The kitchen had good lighting and the bathroom was ok, but since there is no place to unpack your clothes to, except a lingerie chest and a few hangers in the bedroom, we had to keep two suitcases in the hallway. There is a window in the hall and a light in the ceiling in the hall, but the light was so dim it was useless. If I couldn't find something in the suitcase, I had to move it into the kitchen to be able to see. My daughter's friend kept her suitcase at the foot of the bed in the bedroom and we tripped over it more than once.

The beds are double size, except the bunks of course.

We didn't see many bugs or critters. One evening we walked the nature trail, and I was surprised we didn't get any mosquito bites or see more bugs. The lizards are everywhere, and we saw a lot of ducks, but not many bugs. Oh, there were a lot of butterflies though!

 

[Pugrpooh]

I wasn't finished with my post above -- I must have pushed the wrong button.

There are 2 TV's. One in the bedroom on top of the lingerie chest and one in the living area.

The pools are nothing to write home about. They don't provide towels there either, like at the other WDW hotels.

We were in the 2200 loop, third cabin from the main street so it was a short walk to the bus stop. It was about a 10 minute walk to the Meadows Trading Post, which also has a pool and it's where the campfire is.

There is no counter service restaurant there, so unless you're going to be doing a lot of cooking, it's not convenient to get something to eat. I understand there is takeout pizza and chicken fingers in the evening, but that could get old if you're there for 18 days.

You say you're not a camping sort of girl, well, I'm not either. We would've done better to get two connecting rooms, and have easy access to a food court, but if the cabin had been larger and we could've stashed the suitcases out of the way, it wouldn't have been so bad. Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed our trip, but it was with some regret when we were eating at other resorts and we had to leave to go back to FW.

I'm sorry this post is so long, but I booked the cabin after reading a lot of good reviews and thought it would be a nice option for us. If you're going to stay for 18 days, you need to have other opinions too.

Good luck!

Lynn

 

[SammieG]

thank you all.. this is exactly the kind of info I need.

Its tricky decision to make...
we know we dont want to stay elsewhere onsite with interconnecting rooms. we need a kitchen/fridge etc.... and there is no way id pay OKW prices (in excess of $550 a night for a 2 bedroom!, and over 400 for a 1 bedroom!)

 

[HeatherPage]

You could always look into renting points from Disney Vacation Club members. Go to the DVC Rent/Trade point to see what the price per point is going for these days.

 

[SammieG]

thanks, but we want to take advantage of the free dining...

 

[HeatherPage]

I guess your choices then would be the cabins or all-star family suites.

 

[dicdover]

There's no guarantee that free dining will be offered next year.

 

[kaitlin-n-mom]

I believe free dining is being offered already for next year if you are a resident of the UK.

 

[SammieG]

I believe free dining is being offered already for next year if you are a resident of the UK.

exactly Kaitlin n mom - its already here the free dining!


I dont fancy the all star suites...
I need a kitchen and living area.. do they have them? perhaps I just done know enough about them!

 

[ftwildernessguy]

exactly Kaitlin n mom - its already here the free dining!


I dont fancy the all star suites...
I need a kitchen and living area.. do they have them? perhaps I just done know enough about them!

Just curious, but why do you need a kitchen if you are getting the dining plan?

 

[vickikoz]

I have a special place in my heart for the cabins. We had the best trip of our life in the cabins.. They are a little cramped if you have more than 2 adults but if you have kids I think they are terrific.

 

[pooh4me]

Check allearsnet.com for a lot of info on both FW cabins and the AllStar family suites. It has a lot of pictures of both resorts. The difference in the two is price and discounts which are not available at the family suites. Have a great trip where ever you stay.

 

[campingcorgi]

We had a lot of fun in the cabins. I think they would seem more 'home-like' for a long trip than a regular room. And even with the dining plan the kitchen would be very handy. You can send the kids outside to play, too, and don't have to worry about disturbing the neighbors.

Here is a site with lots of photos and other info about FW:

http://home.hiwaay.net/~jlspence/faq_fw.htm

 

[SammieG]

Just curious, but why do you need a kitchen if you are getting the dining plan?

Ooh lots of reasons!

The dining plan doesnt include breakfast - so we would need breakfast in the room.

I like a fridge and freezer in the room for drinks and water etc.

Also, JET LAG! When you wake up at 3am on the first day and 4am the next and so on, you want some breakfast! then by 7am youre ready for another breakfast!

I like to make a cup of English tea first thing. You can onliy do that with a kettle.

oh and probably lots of other reasons!

 

[t-beri]

We stayed in the cabins 2 years ago. in this configuration mom and dad in double bed, me and DS in bottom bunk, my sis and her DS in top bunk, my inlaws in double murphy bed in living room and DH on the couch 2 inches away. Not ideal for a romantic getaway but completely functional. We loved the cabins which are roughly the size of a single wide trailer home. I agree about the pools-eh. but there were lots of other cool things about camping. We were there at halloween and lots of ppl had their front porches decorated and we put out our jack-o-lantern. Transportation is rough-if you rent a cabin I strongly advise renting bikes or a golf cart -available on the grounds but you may need to book them in advance . Noone warned us and they basically laughed at us when we realized we needed to rent one. the golf carts you can rent for the duration of your stay bikes need to be rented and returned every night. the absolute beauty of staying in the cabins is water launch to MK. This was an affordable way for my family to take a group vacay on dis property. Although truth be told I do like a better pool (I'm a florida girl afterall) Hint to ANYONE with kids. Ft. wilderness goes all out on halloween. they had games all day (the 31st) a family scavenger hunt and arts and crafts at night before the campfire they had a parade with all the kids in costume and a pumpkin carving contest (pumkins were very reasonably priced at general store at camp) But I warn you avid campers bring their own and you are best to go with a disney themed pumpkin
then they showed the old sleepy hollow cartoon (nostalgia anyone?) and POTC. chip-N-dale came in in costume and the headless horseman made a surprise visit. VERY FUN.
...t.

 

[magicforever]

FW is just special. It allows you to relax and enjoy your Disney Vacation. It's not flashy (maybe the RV X-mas lights), its not loud (except for the occasional camper), its just family and fun. The campfire, movie, horseback riding, beach, hayride w/fireworks, and more, all make up for the fact that there are no towels at the pool. It is not a deluxe resort. It is a Walt Disney vision.
I highly recommend it.

 

[jeanylaser]

our family is staying in the cabin but i need to know where i go to check-in?