DVC tradeout for Fort Wilderness Cabins

[DavidRoss]

I am looking into trading out for Fort Wilderness Cabins as a change for part of my trip next year. Can anyone advise if they think these cabins are nice? Also, be honest - how many adults can sleep comfortably in them. I know it says 6 but is that really adequate? Also, does anyone have a link to a floor plan for them? I have looked for additional information in several places but seem to have a difficult time locating information.

Thanks.

 

[MickeyCrazed]

A friend of mine happened to be at Fort Wilderness at the same time we were staying at WLV at the beginning of this month.
They invited us over for a visit, and while the cabin was very nice, I couldn't imagine trading my DVC accomodations to stay there. The cabin was very cozy, but cramped compared to any of the DVC resorts.
There is a pull down murphy bed in the living area and a full size bed in the bedroom area. Next to the full size bed is a set of bunkbeds. At least with a one bedroom at DVC, you have king size bed and a queen sleeper sofa.
Also the bathroom size at any DVC resort is triple the size of the cabins.
Again, I thought the cabins were nice, and I would not hesitate to stay there in the future but...
I would never trade my DVC points to stay there. I also wouldn't expect more than 4 adults and 2 children to share those accomodations. (I like space, so IMHO, more that 2 adults and 2 children OR 4 adults would be too much.)
Here is a link to some pictures (I hope it works)....

http://ourlaughingplace.com/asp/rescc/costcalc.asp?pageFunction=researcher&resId=FW

Another link:
http://home.hiwaay.net/~jlspence/photogal.htm

 

[MickeyCrazed]

Sorry...double posting in error!

 

[Gillian]

In the second link, make sure you look at the cabin pics & not the wilderness home ones. They really do look like the pictures! It's hard to get a feel for just how small the bedroom is though. There really isn't room for a lot of stuff. The bathroom is fine & has a lot of shelves.

For 6 adults it would be...cozy!

If you want to try the cabins, another thing to consider is paying cash (yes, I know this defeats the purpose of DVC!). There are often great specials on the cabins, under $150/night. I've heard as low as $130 + tax. I think it would be fun to spend a relaxing weekend there.

And just to let you know, they have taken the TVs out of the bedroom

 

[dianeschlicht]

EEEEWWW! Doesn't look like a good exchange to me! Looks like they are dingy, dark and very small compared to any other DVC property! I for one, will NOT be staying there and for sure would not do it with 6 adults!

 

[Gillian]

Floor plan - http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/waltdisneyworld/resorts/rooms/roomindex?id=FWRRoomLayout1Room

there is no sink in the bedroom and the hairdryer is in the bedroom, not the bathroom. There is a corner sink in the kitchen, not a closet like it shows.

Those pictures must have been taken at night, because the cabins really aren't dark. There are a million windows, so they are very cheerful during the day. At night the lights are fine. The bathroom fixtures are yellow-beige so everything looks funny in the pics.

But they are small Bigger than a standard hotel room, but not as big as a 1 BR.

I think they are really best for families with a lot of kids. They can sleep in the BR and give mom & dad some peace! It's hard for familes of 5+ to find an affordable place to stay.

 

[drusba]

Have been there a few times. There are nice and located in a heavily wooded area. But they are small. Your sg ft is only about 503 whereas a 1BR at DVC is over 700 and over 1000 at OKW and the points needed are similar to a DVC 1BR; also they often have discount rates there and thus more economical to just rent. There is in fact a sink in the bedroom (contrary to above post). Bedroom has a double and bunks and there is very little room to move around in it. Bathroom is like a normal hotel bathroom and thus much smaller than a DVC 1BR. In the living room you have a double pull down Murphy bed and when pulled down there is not much room left in living room. Kitchen is also quite a bit smaller than any DVC 1BR. You do have a large porch and can park right at the unit and highly recommend having car there as bus system is not the best -- you need to take internal bus to another bus (or boat to MK) to get anywhere and driving is much faster to everywhere except MK.

Though room capacity is six we found it was comfortable with 4 and would be a very tight fit with 6. Another thing to be aware of is that the cabins are about 3/4 of a mile to a mile away from FW's main activity area near Pioneer Hall. If you were to stay at the Wilderness Lodge Villas you would actually be about the same distance from that main activity area at FW.

 

[colleen costello]

Fort Wilderness is a magical place. The wilderness cabins are a great way to take your kids "camping" if you have an anti-camping spouse like I do. We went last March with my parents. We had planned for 2 rooms at the AllStars but upgraded to a cabin so we'd have a kitchen. The cabins really are lovely -- clean, new and well-kept -- but for 6 of us it was tight. My parents STILL lament their endless nights on that Murphy bed. It is small and they are large! One bathroom was a bit of a challenge, too. Luckily we were near a camper loop and we shipped the men off to the "comfort station" (public restroom) from time to time.

For 4 people I think the cabin would be great. The bedroom has a double bed and a set of bunks. Suitcases can fit under the bed. The kitchen is nice and the little living area is really rustic-looking. Again, my kids LOVED this. But for a big family? And using points? Not so sure. Any non-DVC is so point-costly that I think if I wanted rustic, I'd head to the Villas at the WIlderness Lodge.

 

[RumpleMom]

Do the Fort Wilderness cabins have a swimming pool to use, now that River Country is closed?

 

[colleen costello]

Fort Wilderness has two pools. The larger "main" pool is behind the Meadows Trading Post. Then there is a smaller pool closer to the Wilderness Cabins. Both are nice but basic. Neither has a slide and the smaller pool has no lifeguard.

When I was a kid and we camped there we swam in the lake every afternoon. They had a big float you could climb on and we loved it despite the murky water. Now swimming is forbidden in Bay Lake. With all the posts on the Boards about alligators, it's a wonder we never had our toes nibbled...

 

[Gillian]

Well, our cabin didn't have a sink in the bedroom It was just a vanity. All of the pictures I've seen of the cabins just have a counter there, with the hairdryer. The older wilderness homes had a sink in the bedroom but they have all been replaced with the cabins.

You can see from this picture that there is just a small counter. no storage space underneath, either http://home.hiwaay.net/~jlspence/wcabin9.jpg

There are 2 pools. Can't comment on them because we didn't use them.

 

[MickeyCrazed]

In regards to the sink in the bedroom:
Apparently most of the cabins are new this year. The old cabins did have a sink in the bedroom but the new cabins do not. This was a big disappointment for my friends who were staying there. They said storage space and bathroom space (due to the loss of the second sink) is very limited compared to the old cabins.
The cabins are very bright and cheerful. As I said in my previous post, I would not hesitate to stay there. But I don't think it would be a good use of DVC points.