Finally! FT. Wilderness BOOKED! Any Advice?

[Lizzybean]

After much trepidation and weighing of options I FINALLY booked our WDW trip today at FW for 7/28-8/4. We are a fam of 5 so we needed the space, I liked the boat to MK, and my husband liked the theme as well as the full kitchen.

We are driving down so we will have our vehicle. We decided NOT to rent a golf cart, at least not for the entire stay. We enjoy walking and are a very athletic family (my 2 older kids run 5Ks regularly for fun) so the 1.5 mile property isn't too daunting (we will probably do rope drop then afternoon breaks not commando). We are also considering bringing our bicycles down.

This is our first family trip down and we are EXCITED! Any advice or tips about FW?? TIA!!!

 

[princessluvsapirate]

Have fun .I am also a family of 5 and we only stay at the cabins .we love it .At night around 930 or so down by the boat dock there is an electric water parade try not to miss it

 

[mgsmom]

We the cabins!!! Don't worry about the size of the resort - there are internal busses that are great and you won't have to wait long for one. Bicycles would be awesome! There is bike parking wherever you go.
We particularly enjoyed the full size kitchen and that you get to leave the "mass of humanity" in the parks and go back to a quiet place anytime you want. The boat to MK is fantastic - just take busses everywhere else. If you change your mind, your car is 10 feet from the cabin.
Have FUN!!!

Word to the wise - if you want to grab something to eat late, just stop by WL (via boat) and get it. The restaurant closes early - like 9 I think. But you can always grab a few frozen pizzas at the Trading Post to keep in the freezer "just in case".

ETA: the bathroom will offer tons of storage! We enjoyed having such a large bathroom. And the murphy bed is quite comfortable.

 

[Lizzybean]

Oooohhhh!!! You have me even more excited!! So looking forward to this trip and everything the FW resort has to offer!

 

[Kay1]

We used to stay at FW and loved it. Every night we rode our bikes to an area that offers a great view of the fireworks. Can't remember how to get there, though. Have you tried posting your questions on the Camping Board?

Have a wonderful time.

 

[Missytara]

There is an entire thread devoted to the Cabins on the camping board.

 

[browniemtb]

FW is a great resort....we loved it. We stayed as a family of 4 but have since purchased DVC because now we are a family of 6. My memories will always be how excited my girls were to travel on the golf cart to the boat launch. The internal transportation is great but it was really nice having the golf cart outside the door.....the walk to the launch can be a long one since the cabins are all up front. Have fun!

 

[mgsmom]

Oooohhhh!!! You have me even more excited!! So looking forward to this trip and everything the FW resort has to offer!

I just noticed you have DD4 - at the TCD ranch near Pioneer Hall, she can take a pony ride for $5 - so cute.

And, just to make sure, the restaurant that closes at like 9 is the one at FW. By going over to WL, you will have choices until much later. Be sure to check that out so you will have that info in your back pocket. That was our only problem at FW - finding something to eat late! I guess for that matter, find out what the hours are over at CR, too - also a quick boat ride away.

Go over to the camping boards, too - they will give you more info about the Fort.

 

[jdd]

Loved the cabins! Gives you so much room to spread out, and we really liked having a full kitchen. We ate breakfast in the room every morning, and a couple dinners too. My favorite thing was how quiet it is - it's so nice to not share walls with anyone - you have your own outdoor space too.

My boys really enjoyed the Chip N Dale campfire, sing-along, movie evening too. Nice for a change of pace from the parks.

We drove as well, and it's great having your car right there - no trudging to the parking lot every day. We did drive everywhere, except MK - took the boat.

The only negative I found was that I didn't really like walking around the resort, because of all the motorized traffic - internal busses and golf carts. There are a few pathways, but we mostly had to walk on the "road" and I was sure one of those carts was going to run us down!

 

[sharadoc]

Have fun .I am also a family of 5 and we only stay at the cabins .we love it .At night around 930 or so down by the boat dock there is an electric water parade try not to miss it

Followed by Wishes at 10. They pipe in the music, it's the perfect way to end an evening.

We've stayed at all levels and we've decided we like the Fort best. If we don't stay there, we have to spend an evening eating dinner and waching the EWP and Wishes on the beach and lament that we NOT staying there LOL.

Life at the Fort feels calm and is a great place to unwind and decompress. Have a WONDERFUL time and yes, go over to the camping board for more insight and inside info.

 

[veraletta]

Lizzybean you are going to enjoy your trip at Fort Wilderness.. More room and full kitchen with dish washer... Who could ask for any thing more?
I love unpacking the car as you park your car right in front of your cabin.
Bring fishing poles...
My granddaughters loves to watch electric water parade from the beach area.
While my grandson enjoy playing tetherball with others children.
We will get there a little bit before you, as our dates are July 23th-Aug 4. We may stay longer if my daughter can get more time off tho...

Don't worry about you not having a golf cart, as they are more for fun any ways. lol The buses are great at getting you around the fort. We did it without the golf cart the first time we went down. Then we decide to get one the second time, and we now enjoy the golf cart as much as the park. lol

Murphy bed are comfortable, it's where I enjoy sleeping.
I let my daughter and her children have the bedroom, while my husband and I get the living room. My husband isn't coming with us this July so I will get the living room with my granddaughter who is now 3.

Camping board has great pictures of the resort, you really need to check it out.
Chip N Dale campfire, sing-along is so much fun.
We played a game about movies last time and our family won a prize.. As the movie that they were asking questions about happen to be, the movie my granddaughter watched the whole drive down 14 hours...... We got all the questions right lol...
Hope to see you down at the fort...
You will be able to tell us, as we are the family that wear matching shirts... lol ...oh yeah a lot of families do that...

 

[veraletta]

Keep forgetting to join...

 

[Lizzybean]

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I'm SO happy with my choice to stay at FW. I just found the camping board; I can't believe I never noticed it!

Does anyone know if we can walk or ride our bikes to the boat launch? I'm also looking for a scenic loop--any suggestions? I thought perhaps 2100.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[veraletta]

Tho I've never rode bikes at disney, yes you can ride your bikes to the boat launch. I've seen bike racks down near there...

 

[Lizzybean]

Thanks veraletta! I'm so stoked for this trip I just invited my mom to go with us. It's going to be a blast! (hopefully DH agrees )

 

[veraletta]

Your mom will enjoy it... I'm 56 years old and it's now my favorite place to stay... Also my husband's now enjoys going to disney, as he feels like its his home.. My husband loves to sit out on the deck while cooking on the grill...
We enjoy taking the day off to fish...in fact I have nephews that will drop by and see us while we are at disney fort wilderness, they stay the day while we cook out and enjoy swimming and fishing.... We ask them at the fort wilderness resort if it was okay and they said sure even gave them a pass for their car..

 

[N365PA]

Definitely post over in the Camping forum for the fort minded people for advice.

Personally I enjoy watching the fireworks from the beach, fishing, and riding a bike (or golf cart) around the loops looking at campers / set-ups.

Clint

 

[nomolos]

We are going down July 10-14th. This will be our 2nd time staying at the cabins. we really enjoyed having the extra room (normally 5 of us going-this time 6) and the full kitchen really makes a nice difference and makes it alot more convienient to go back to the room for a midday break.

 

[minniebeth]

Definitely bring your bikes if you aren't going to rent a golfcart...walking may not be a problem for your family but in the heat when tired, the walks can feel longer and hot. The buses are fine but can be time consuming. Bikes would be a fun way to save some time and foot power and could be great if you want to run somewhere to pick something up from the trading post, etc.

I know many people do Fort Wilderness without the golf carts, be we also think it's part of the fun. For something fun, I would rent one for just a day even, a day you plan on spending time at the campgrounds for the fun of riding around the loops, etc. It's all my kids talk about remembering the 2 FW trips we've done! We are camping there again in July and that's what they're most looking forward to!

Have a great time! Fort Wilderness is so much fun!

 

[Lizzybean]

Maybe we will rent a golf cart for just a couple of days. My mom is only planning on doing 4 days of parks so she would probably like it for the few days she stays behind at the resort. Thanks for the idea!