Do you ever feel looked down upon when staying at FW?

[auntie]

Actually we have been discussing that very thing..that considering what some of us pay for our rv's..and the price of the cabins..that they are likely more than the rate of some of the deluxes...but how "others"...those who don't have a clue about FW or the camping lifestyle can sometimes have a somewhat superior attitude. Some of the previous posts recall some comments made by those sharing the water launch from MK to both FW and Wilderness Lodge..where the rooms are often less than those of the cabins.

 

[mjmcca]

I would love to stay at FW. I dont know if I would tent camp for the amount of tiem I am usually at Disney but an RV or the cabins? In a second! On my last trip over Easter we we at the Ak in Pizzafari at EMH with a family who was staying at FW they had an RV I think. They were a large group. The only thinkg I asked was did they all fit inthe RV or did they have another site.



I love taking the kids to the movie at FW and trails end is a great place to eat.

 

[toytowner]

after reading all these post i checked how much it would cost to fly from mass. to fw. then i checked how much it cost for fuel for the motor home and people can look down all they want but $1300 for gas round trip isn't going cheap and we just can't wait. could stay on site cheaper but fw is for us. gonna have a ball.lol

 

[disneyobessed]

Yet another POP story.. on the ME last yr on the way to WL we had to stop at GF and Poly first. When entering Disney Resorts you see POP to your right. This lady behind me starting laughing and said " i refuse to stay at the cheapies" just plain ignorant. then again this is the same lady/family that watched me get on the ME bus from the airport while my husband and other son got the rental car anyways i was carrying my 5 yr old hanidcapped son with 2 backpacks over my shoulders and she pretty much just starred at me. I love POP! actually went to FW for the Hoop De Doo last yr and we got their early and we walked around. I LOVE IT THERE! so much to do with the petting zoo and sing along at night. Id have to confess id probablly stay in the cabins though... i need white noise to sleep to.

 

[druidia]

We've stayed a practically every single resort at WDW, and if we haven't yet, we will, just to try it.

My worst resort experiences:

Wilderness Lodge, Contemporary 12th floor MK View Tower Room and the AS Movies.

My best resort experiences:

AKL, Boardwalk Villas and consistently, tent camping at Fort Wilderness.

We've also stayed at ASSports, CorSprings, CBR, POFQ, POR, OKW, and the BCV; several times at some of them.

I'm sure most of you have noticed that there is not a marked difference in the rooms between the resorts; sometimes the view may be better, but you will pay a lot more to see very little of it. The fixtures may be a little nicer, and maybe the room is ever so slightly bigger, but the big difference comes in the resort common areas and amenities.

If you are only there to experience the parks, do the resort common areas really matter? And can any resort boast the beauty, space and activities of FTW? I think not!

We love it there. But if you're turning your nose up at me for saving money and still having a wonderful time in that hidden gem, I'm glad you don't know the secret that the rest of us do!

And by the way, we spend that saved money dining in the higher end restaurants such as Artist Point and Jiko, right alongside the snobs.

 

[daveb]

Wow find this thread really funny.Hereswhy.We have stayed at gf,poly,cr,akl on multiple occasions and at every other resort except okw.We are going for 15 nights in oct and guesswhat.We are staying all 15 nights at fw,why because fiancee insists its the best property in Disney really. enjoy your stay its gr888888888.daveb

 

[cookiebrito]

About three years ago my husband and I stayed at the Fort Wilderness Lodge for 10 nights. When we pulled up in our new but cheap Kia Sport age no bell man would help us with our luggage. We felt terrible ….. they ran to the high end cars but not us. Needless to say we complained and were offered an apology and a fruit basket LOL. We just purchased a TT and have three trips to Fort Wilderness planed for this year. I can’t wait! Camping is a lifestyle… you can’t compare to staying in a hotel.

 

[Gillian]

About three years ago my husband and I stayed at the Fort Wilderness Lodge for 10 nights. When we pulled up in our new but cheap Kia Sport age no bell man would help us with our luggage. We felt terrible ….. they ran to the high end cars but not us. Needless to say we complained and were offered an apology and a fruit basket LOL. We just purchased a TT and have three trips to Fort Wilderness planed for this year. I can’t wait! Camping is a lifestyle… you can’t compare to staying in a hotel.

That's terrible. And people with nicer cars probably have no money left for a nice tip.

 

[VAgal76]

Snotty people stink. I really don't think where you stay indicates they type of person you are. It's pretty repulsive if you ask me. I have to agree sometimes the buses can have a stuffy atmosphere - and I stay at the deluxes!

I would love to camp at FW. We took the nickel tour back in 2004 and it rocks! We stay at the deluxe resorts for the larger beds. I'd stay FW in a heartbeat, but DH isn't into long road trips. We've only done camping here locally. I've thought of the cabins but DH can't sleep on a double. I even proposed stopping half way and grabbing a hotel room as well as putting him on a plane while I towed it down myself. For some reason, he wasn't too keen on these ideas either. If you guys have any other suggestions to persuade him I'm all mickey ears.

 

[merri_weather]

Our first trip to Disney was in 1978 and we stayed off-property at the Yogi Bear Campground - had to cut our trip short since a hurricane was ripping through and the 8 of us just couldn't handle it! While we were there though, we "lost" our dad for a day - he ended up at Ft. Wilderness while checking out all the resorts and every trip after that was spent in the cabins there! Our best memories as a family were spent running around Ft. Wilderness!!

Now - almost 30 years later (YIKES!!!) we are planning a family reunion in June and guess where we're staying??!! Never a question... the cabins at FW! And man are we looking forward to it! I can't wait to hear my daughter shreek when she runs into an armadillo on her midnight sojourn to the comfort station!!

The problem with the folks that "dismiss" staying at Ft. Wilderness as slumming it is that with their noses so far in the air, they are forever missing the beauty around them!!

So please do me a favor..... lets keep the secret of the Fort just between us!! I prefer the quiet, calm of the night sounds over the mad din of an overcrowded hotel... and prefer to keep it to ourselves!!

26 days and counting...... I'm ready for some magic!

 

[ticktock]

merri weather the cabins have changed alot in the last 30 years. They have their own bathrooms now!So no armadillo for your dd. BTW I grew up in S.Florida and don't remember armadillos way back then, I thought they were relatively new to Fl.? Have a great vacation!

I agree with the other posters, let's keep the cabins a secret, I think they are the best deal at Disney.

 

[Minnie's Mate]

But like you said, those people are probably "new money." They don't know how to act, so they act snobbish.

Most of these aren't even new money, they save for years for a Disney trip and only go for one trip in their life so they want to go first class and want others to think they are new money or just have money period. I usually can see through them in a heart beat. It just shows they weren't raised right.

 

[ChristusG]

Gosh, are those people idiots????!!!!!!! I have stayed at Ft Wilderness many times. I grew up a "camping kid"....my parents had an older RV, then a new pop up. We camped at Disney many times and it was some of the funnest times of my life!!! As a kid you can get out and run around and play in hide and seek at night, and stuff like that. You sure cant do that in a hotel!! Now, even with my own family, we still go camping at FW alot. My parents now have a larger RV that can accomodate my family as well.....and we go with them all the time. Obviously, those people dont know how much fun camping can be!!

 

[DisneyMoJo]

The people that have a problem with anyone staying at FW just don't have a clue what they are missing. Because of the seclusion there is minimal traffic, the kids have a larger area to run around, and the family bonding factor is priceless. Sitting under the awning of my fifth wheel enjoying a cold one and sharing stories with everyone is some of the greatest times of my life. I will never ever stay at another resort unless I just have no other choice. Camping is something that your children will remember for a very long time!!!

 

[mjmcca]

I would love to stay in one of the cabins or in an RV. I don't think I could tent camp in Orlando in the summer though.

 

[Rella Bella]

We stayed in one of the cabins last year. We loved it and the campground! It added even more to Disney's "otherworldliness"! How awesome to forget the real world exists! I do wish they would upgrade the pools... but other wise it is perfect!

As my mom says "It takes all kinds to make a world." Some people love to camp... some like room service. But as for the people who are "rude" -- they just have no idea what they're talking about...
too bad for them, it's their loss.

 

[John VN]

Lies, lies, nothing but lies.

Like making reservations was not hard enough at certain times, so here everybody goes and lets the whole dang world know how things are at FW.

Thanks alot, now I'll have to make resies 2 years in advance.

I thought we were supposed to keep it a secret.

 

[Donna]

I still chuckle at this thread, lol. I remember a few years back, on one of our old DVC message boards, we actually had people who were upset that with DVC, you only get your room serviced every 4 days for trash/towel and 8 days for full cleaning. This is part of the home away from home experience and since you have a washer and dryer, sweeper, etc., that is all you need! my point is, there were actually those that were SO upset that they weren't getting CLEAN TOWELS and emptied garbage cans EVERY DAY! I take it these types are NOT the camping type either, lol.

 

[lisaland]

Apparently none of them have seen the sticker price on an RV! YIKES! They aren't cheap!

We can afford to stay where we want to but we don't plan on staying in the room that much. It just didn't make sense to spend a lot of $$ on the fancier rooms. Maybe when we are older..??? DH and I love to save a little $$ anytime we can! The POP is our choice this time because we are taking grandparents and they don't camp. But next time, we have already planned to take our Trailmanor to FW for a nice long week. We love camping. Our boys love it, and I think they get way more from camping than staying in a four star hotel.

And besides, since when is ANY Disney vacation CHEAP??????

Lisaland

 

[travelitis]

Here's the perspective of a non-camper:

Those people were incredibly rude! They should've just asked how you like it and kept their opinions to themselves. Perhaps it was not a financial insult but they were thinking in terms of that being the only resort available. Because they aren't campers, they probably figured it didn't have the popularity it does. They aren't very saavy Disney travelers, are they?

IF my family liked to camp, then we'd love FW, and I'd like to try it just once. It all comes down to whether you're a camper or not. For some the money spent on a nice camper is well-spent. To us, it's not. Our friends just bought a 25 ft. camper, and they are paying MORE yrly (for the next 12 yrs) than we will for our timeshare plus hotels that have more space and NO clean-up or maintenance required. We often get jacuzzi tubs, and we like trying new hotels. Still, not having the extra work of keeping that camper maintained is a HUGE factor for us. We have different tastes, and neither is superior or correct. Differences make life interesting, though. If you love to camp, more power to you!