Copper Creek or Ft. Wilderness Cabins?

chris168

Earning My Ears
Joined
Aug 1, 2019
We currently have a reservation for a one-bedroom villa at Copper Creek. I just checked and there's now an AP discount for the Cabins at Ft. Wilderness. We could save about $1100 on our 5-night trip by switching and still have a kitchen and lots of space for our family of 3. Having the bunk beds is appealing to me and it seems like a fun place to be around fall time, but I'm wondering about transportation and the pools. We've only stayed at deluxe resorts before so I'm not sure how Ft. Wilderness will stack up. Can anyone provide any feedback here? We have ADRs at Whispering Canyon and Chef Mickey's, so I feel like that would be easy enough from Ft. Wilderness. We are spending one day each at EPCOT, HS, and AK, though we don't plan to rope drop any of them. We are also going to the Christmas Party. The savings seem like a no-brainer but having never seen Ft. Wilderness or the cabins, I just don't know.

Edit to add: my other concern is that our daughter is allergic to dogs and I know that they are allowed in the cabins. I called guest services and they said they didn't think there were pet-free cabins but that they could do an allergy deep clean. I've heard others have had good results with that but if anyone has feedback about that, as well, it would be helpful.
 
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I’ll give you my experience even though I may not be the most qualified to answer due to the fact that my last stay in the Ft Wilderness cabins was probably almost ten years ago and I haven’t actually stayed at Copper Creek (but did stay at Wilderness lodge just in July 2019). We aren’t hard to please and love most of the Disney resorts we’ve tried. We loved the cabin at Ft Wilderness for the following reasons: It was nice having the privacy of your own little “house.” If you like to drive to parks, etc, or even just for ease of loading and unloading it was nice to have the car parked directly outside the cabin. The campfire with s’mores was enjoyable. The boat transportation was nice. If you were planning on going, HDDR was fantastic and convenient. We went in the fall/winter so we didn’t experience the pool, but I think it may be a bit more basic (please someone correct me if I’m wrong). In short, we REALLY enjoyed the cabins but we haven’t been back for one simple reason—I could not stand the bus transportation. The resort is HUGE and the buses going around the loops drove me CRAZY. We don’t generally stay at mods for similar reasons. I guess I’m too impatient. My entire family agrees though and any time we’ve thought about going back all we have to do is look at a map of the resort and be reminded of the size to decide to book elsewhere. We all like the family suites at AoA better for similar space, an extra bathroom, and better bus service if you can get them on discount. If you like to drive to the parks yourself or if you are more patient than me, that may not be an issue for you with the Ft. Wilderness cabins. It may well be worth the savings. Our experience with Wilderness Lodge was very good. The pool was pretty but crowded in July. The resort was gorgeous and relaxing. We enjoyed drinks at Territory Lounge and Geyser Point immensely. Whispering Canyon was a fun experience and very convenient. The staff was friendly. Transportation for us there was quite good (including buses), but I have heard others say the opposite. Our only complaint with Wilderness Lodge was that our room was looking a little worn, but you probably wouldn’t experience that with Copper Creek since it’s decor is fresher.

ETA: we typically stay deluxe as well and our favs are Poly followed by Yacht Club or BWI, then AKL (love the new rooms/hate the bus service :P) to see how our tastes align.
 
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This is really helpful, thank you! The savings is so enticing but this is a short trip for us and while we will spend some time relaxing at the resort, we are also packing a lot in all around Disney World and we won't have a car, so the transportation issue is worrisome. Thanks so much for sharing your experience so we can make the best decision.
 
Over the years we have stayed at most of the resorts on property, including CC and the cabins. Just my opinion, but I hated staying at the cabins. We only did it once. The space itself was great, my main problem was not having quick access to all the amenities that are at your fingertips when staying at most of the other resorts. I have found that I love to be able to leave the room and walk to the pool, the gift shops , the restaurants,etc. Our kids were early teens, and while I didn’t have a problem with them wandering the hotels for a bit by themselves, not so much at the cabins. And they weren’t comfortable doing so, either.

We recently ended our September trip for one night in a CC studio, just DH and myself. We hadn’t been at WL in a number of years. Always loved the pool area, but the updated rooms at CC were wonderful. And we absolutely loved the atmosphere at Geyser Point. I would go back in a second if I could afford it!

I really think it depends on what is more important to you, larger space and more peaceful, or being in the middle of some action. Can’t go wrong either way!

Not sure about transportation at the cabins, as we had a rental car.
 


We currently have a reservation for a one-bedroom villa at Copper Creek. I just checked and there's now an AP discount for the Cabins at Ft. Wilderness. We could save about $1100 on our 5-night trip by switching and still have a kitchen and lots of space for our family of 3. Having the bunk beds is appealing to me and it seems like a fun place to be around fall time, but I'm wondering about transportation and the pools. We've only stayed at deluxe resorts before so I'm not sure how Ft. Wilderness will stack up. Can anyone provide any feedback here? We have ADRs at Whispering Canyon and Chef Mickey's, so I feel like that would be easy enough from Ft. Wilderness. We are spending one day each at EPCOT, HS, and AK, though we don't plan to rope drop any of them. We are also going to the Christmas Party. The savings seem like a no-brainer but having never seen Ft. Wilderness or the cabins, I just don't know.

Edit to add: my other concern is that our daughter is allergic to dogs and I know that they are allowed in the cabins. I called guest services and they said they didn't think there were pet-free cabins but that they could do an allergy deep clean. I've heard others have had good results with that but if anyone has feedback about that, as well, it would be helpful.
with your daughter's allergy there could be a service dog in any room at any resort as they are not required to use pet rooms. i have jeard good things about the deep cleans but we have no allergies in our group
 
You are giving up a king sized bed in a separate bedroom for a room with a set of bunk beds and a queen bed in the small bedroom.
 
My past two trips were Copper Creek and Fort Wilderness Cabin, so I'll chime in!

After staying deluxe for the past few years, I was admittedly worried about doing the cabin. I got used to having so many amenities at my fingertips. However, I absolutely LOVED staying in the cabin and would do so again.

At Copper Creek, we stayed in a studio room so I don't have experience in a 1 bedroom villa (though I did snag one of the few secret larger studios. only 2 on each floor!). The CC rooms are very comfortable and well designed. Its a room you will enjoy spending time in. A big plus here would be the king mattress I believe those 1 bed villas have, in a separate room (vs the queen in the cabins). And since it is a deluxe single building resort, many of the amenities are close at hand (transportation, dining, comfy lobby, pool, etc).

Now the cabins: they were all recently renovated and look and feel amazing. The furnishings are differently styled/colored, but honestly the counters, faucets, and other finishing were the same high end type as CC. Its a beautiful space. I stayed in one w/ 5 people and we had enough room, though coordinating morning showers took some planning. With just a party of 3 you will be more than fine, and someone could even take the pull out couch if they want a separate sleeping arrangement. It really is surprising how roomy they feel, and you get a full kitchen (plus charcoal grill and a porch) for MUCH cheaper than CC. The cabins are an entirely different experience than a normal resort, and I must say I fell in love with it b/c it feels so unique from any other stay. You really feel like you escape somewhere. The main difference in vacation style that they require, is that you must allot slightly more time than usual for transportation (since you cant just take an elevator downstairs to the bus stop). This is why I recommend getting a golf cart for your cabin stay. It's incredibly fun (honestly my favorite memories of the trip were driving the cart around) and allows you to not wait for internal buses, make your own easy schedule for getting to the resort buses or marina, or if you need to shoot over to a pool or store quick. Even with this added expense, it should still offer you plenty of savings from a CC stay. And don't forget there are resort loop boats to take you to WL and Contemporary, so you can still do Chef Mickeys and Whispering Canyon (I also recommend relaxing at Geyser Point!).

If you do not wish to rent a golf cart, Id recommend requesting a cabin close to the pool or a bus stop. ...but you should totally get a golf cart. its part of the experience. thank me later! ;-)

If pools are important to you, WL absolutely has better pools than Fort Wilderness. (I may not be the best judge though since the main pool at every resort is too crazy and hectic for me to step foot in, I only do the quite pools. the cabin quiet pool is extremely basic, but indeed very quiet. so that's all I needed. WL has much more themeing going on.) As for allergies, no one in my party had any. But the cabin was spotless and I know they take those deep cleans seriously when requested. Anecdotally, I didnt see anyone at a cabin with a dog during my stay (the few dogs I saw were with folks staying at the RV campgrounds).

All in all, I'm an impatient city boy who was used to staying at deluxe resorts (Contemporary, Poly, Copper Creek) but after having so much fun at the cabins and seeing how much money I could save, I'm ready to go back in a heartbeat.
 



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