Cost of Recreation / Rentals / General Questions

[JenLT]

Hi. We're considering staying at the cabins next fall. Actually we're debating between AoA family suite (which we have loved in the past) and the cabins. It will be 3 adults, 3 kids.

If we stay at Fort Wilderness we'd like to do a lot of activities there but our budget is a little tighter than usual. If the recreation costs too much, we'll probably go with AoA, because one big thing in favor of the Fort is being able to do more outside of the parks.

• Where do I find out the cost of renting equipment such as canoes or kayaks?
• How much doe the archery costs?
• How much are carriage or hayrides (do they do hayrides or am I confused with somewhere else?)

Are there a lot of low cost/maybe free things to do on a non-park day or does the recreation end up breaking the budget?

Also, how hard is it to get a bus from the cabin to the either the boats or dining? Does this process take awhile? Is it worth getting a golf cart for regular transportation around the Fort, or are the buses convenient enough? (We'd want a golf cart for a couple of days in any event for touring fun - do they still allow you to rent from off property. We'll have our car but no trailer.

Are the boats to WL and Contemporary convenient for going there for dining? I love the idea of taking the boat to Magic Kingdom because otherwise we usually drive and the walk from handicap parking to the TTC can be quite far!

I'm voting for the cabins because of the firework viewing from the beach (is it decent view? My daughter loves fireworks, but my son is terrified of them. Seeing the fireworks from outside of the park with less sound impact may be the answer! If not, so much easier to stay with him in the cabin rather than having half the party in the park still.

Thanks so much!

 

[Jimsig]

We arrive in 2 weeks for our second stay in the cabins and can't wait.

To answer some of your questions:

I'm not sure of the cost of the extras but someone recently on DIS Boards posted a pic with a list of the prices for the boats and of course I can't find it now. Can't remember if it was here on the camping board or not. If I find it I'll post it.

We found it very easy to use the internal busses. No more then a 15 min wait at anytime. That said we decided to splurge and rent a golf cart this year from Kenny's Tee time. Having your own car will make it cheaper then having to get a cab to pick it up and return a cart as you do have to go off site to pick it up. They let you use their truck and trailer. We are getting one for 7 days as it's cheaper then 4 days from Disney at the Fort.

The boats are very convenient between WL and the CR, somewhere between 15 and 20 min IIRC. We used them to go from the Fort to the CR for Chef Mickeys last year and will use one to go to the WL for dinner one night this year. The boat between the Fort and the MK is very easy as it drops you off right near the entrance gate.

Nice thing about the cabins IMO, is the separate bedroom. Don't have to worry about having the lights off so people can go to sleep when others are still awake or an early riser bothering someone still sleeping. Some of the cabins have been remodeled and there is a thread here with pics
http://www.disboards.com/threads/remodled-cabins.3452444/

 

[2goofycampers]

Archery is $39.00 per person. Wagon Rides are $8.00 per person. Carriage rides are $45.00 for 4 people. Canoe rental is $6.50 for 30 minutes, $11 for 60 minutes.

There is tons of free things to do also.

 

[JenLT]

Awesome guys. Thanks. This will make coming up with a budget a bit easier. My daughter (9) loves archery so she will be thrilled about it! There does seem to be a lot do there which is great. We'll split our days between park days and non-park days equally.

The buses sound pretty reasonable as well. I hope to get a golf cart, but even if we end up without I think it could be manageable.

I wish I didn't have to wait a whole year!

 

[tiggerdad]

JenLT,
I posted a picture of the cost rental from the marina. This was things like the small boats, fishing, etc. that are done on the lake. It's posted on the October live trip report thread. Denise nailed all the other costs. Hope it helped you out.

 

[Jimsig]

JenLT,
I posted a picture of the cost rental from the marina. This was things like the small boats, fishing, etc. that are done on the lake. It's posted on the October live trip report thread. Denise nailed all the other costs. Hope it helped you out.

Thanks @tiggerdad I knew I had seen it but couldn't remember where.

Wonder if a Mod could make that a Pic a sticky in this forum?

 

[tiggerdad]

Here ya go...