Fort Wilderness Cabin

[mastersd]

Help....We just booked at the Fort Wilderness Cabins for Aug 18-22. I keep thinking that that resort is too remote. Should we rent a car? Would we need one. Is the bus service good? How does it compare with the other resorts? Any tips would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[chrisw127]

Your perception of the bus service will depend a lot on how you feel about public transportation as a whole. If you don't mind it, you'll absolutely love the bus service. If sitting around and waiting for a bus and having to change buses, etc., bothers you, you might not like it.

We used the bus service but we also had a car. I absolutely would not stay at Ft. Wilderness cabins without a car. It's too remote and the food selections are limited. Also, while boat access to Magic Kingdom is convenient, you can get to the other parks more easily with a car than with Disney transportation.

Enjoy your trip. Ft. Wilderness is very relaxing and quiet.

 

[BuzzLightyear33]

Having stayed at Fort Wilderness numerous times over the last decade (three times in a cabin) I can honestly say that my family has never had a need for a car. Generally speaking, the internal bus transportation is prompt and usually uncrowded. Of course, if you're ambitious, you can always hoof it to the main bus stop near the Settlement area.

If you're concerned about food options, make a grocery list and stop at a supermarket in Orlando before getting to FW. Anything you may have forgotten or that needs refrigeration (like milk) you can get at one of the trading posts.

Hope this helps. Enjoy Fort Wilderness.

 

[nana_b]

We stayed at FW twice. Once in an RV where we were completely tied to the bus system and once with our own car. It's easier with a car but the busses are definately doable. If you have small kids I would bring a stroller to the bus stops. It's a long walk at the end of the day from the bus stop to the site.
You can also rent golf carts to get around - very handy but we only used it for a day because of the price. (Don't remember $$, but I'm sure you can find it out there).
LOVED FW Cabins; you will have a wonderful time either way.

 

[polymerpig]

I'm considering a FW cabin - it sounds like they might be a fun alternative to a regular hotel. I've seen a few maps of the area but I can't really tell...are the cabins and tent sites all mixed together or is there a tent section and a seperate cabin area? How is the noise? The few times I've been camping in state parks around here it's been pretty noisy in the tents. Are the cabins pretty soundproof? Thanks

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I'm considering a FW cabin - it sounds like they might be a fun alternative to a regular hotel. I've seen a few maps of the area but I can't really tell...are the cabins and tent sites all mixed together or is there a tent section and a seperate cabin area? How is the noise? The few times I've been camping in state parks around here it's been pretty noisy in the tents. Are the cabins pretty soundproof? Thanks

The cabins are in seperate sections from the tents and RV's/campers. They are definitely soundproof and don't really sit too close together. They can be really nice, we won't rush back to stay there again. They are really nice, but would be even nicer if they had a queen bed.

Look at Allearsnet.com, all the info you even needed about them is there and there are alot of pictures.

To the OP, I would not stay without a car. If you have time to memorize the bus route before you go, then you might not need one.

Suzanne

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

There's a camping board here on the DIS .... about halfway down on the main www.disboards.com page. Titled "Camping at Disney" or something like that. Lots of info there on the cabins. We love the Fort!

 

[polymerpig]

Thanks!

 

[ElizabethB]

When we stayed there we had a rental car and also rented a golf cart. We thought both were essential.

 

[disnut8]

We stayed there in two cabins and one campsite. Ages ranged from 5 to 80. Each family had a car. Each car sat at the site the entire time (a full week) that we were there. It was my daughter-in-law's first time at Disney World. She had never really been outside her hometown her entire life. She had the bus route down within a day. By the last day, she was the one plotting the entire day and taking in all four parks.

In my opinion, the bus service at Fort Wilderness gets a bum rap. It's a victim of the "I have to be there NOW" syndrome that some people have while at Disney World.

Our longest trip to any park was a little over 30 minutes. That was the five minutes on the bus to get to the marina and then we had just missed a boat at the dock so we had to wait the full 20 minutes for one to come back.

 

[BuzzLightyear33]

In my opinion, the bus service at Fort Wilderness gets a bum rap. It's a victim of the "I have to be there NOW" syndrome that some people have while at Disney World.

Bingo!

You're on vacation... so... vacation already!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

.In my opinion, the bus service at Fort Wilderness gets a bum rap. It's a victim of the "I have to be there NOW" syndrome that some people have while at Disney World.

In our situation, it was different. we didn't feel like we had to be there NOW, we travel with 2 ECV's and it was a hassle to first be strapped down on one bus, then strapped down on another bus, there fore holding up those that did want to be there NOW. Also, we had to deal with having to wait awhile, because usually when a bus arrived it was already full, so we had to wait for one that was empty.

I think I would stay there again, but I want to give other resorts a shot before I do.

Suzanne

 

[ConcKahuna]

In our situation, it was different. we didn't feel like we had to be there NOW, we travel with 2 ECV's and it was a hassle to first be strapped down on one bus, then strapped down on another bus, there fore holding up those that did want to be there NOW. Also, we had to deal with having to wait awhile, because usually when a bus arrived it was already full, so we had to wait for one that was empty.

I think I would stay there again, but I want to give other resorts a shot before I do.

Suzanne

I can definitly see where ECV's would be a hinderance, but I also agree with the above poster who said in most cases it's GTNS (Geth there now syndrome ). I love riding around FW in the busses. It's a fast enough ride, but the property is so beautiful that there's always plenty to enjoy looking at as you ride.

 

[mastersd]

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I think we will probably rent a car. It may sit there but at least our options will be open. I will check out all ears and the campsite board.
Thanks again.
Deanna

 

[auntie]

We stayed in August in the cabins...our kids were young at the time. As much as I love FW(plan to be in the camping/RV loops this August) I found the cabins somewhat remote to the campground amenities. Getting on and off a bus just to go to the pool..was not convenient for us at the time(we had two in strollers back then). There is a small unlifeguarded pool in one of the cabin loops, but the main pool/bike barn Meadow Trading Post (baiscally gift shop, and grocery items) is not located near the cabins. We wound up renting the a golf cart which made getting around the campground MUCH more enjoyable. If you are driving to Disney and can bring bikes..that's great..otherwise, I'd recommend the golf cart if you can swing it...if only because of the August heat and humidity. I think if it were another time of year, we could have gotten by without it.

 

[pjynx]

Help....We just booked at the Fort Wilderness Cabins for Aug 18-22. I keep thinking that that resort is too remote. Should we rent a car? Would we need one. Is the bus service good? How does it compare with the other resorts? Any tips would be appreciated.
Thanks

I've only been to WDW once so I can't compare it to other resorts. We stayed in the FW Cabins. They are very spread out, but they have an internal bus system. There are 3 busses that go through the loops of FW, and they all meet up at the main bus station at the front of that resort. From there you could hop on another bus that takes you to the parks.

We had a rental car because we went in June and knew that WDW transportation would be incredibly busy. So from the cabins to the parks, we always took the car. But one time I used the internal bussing from our loop just to get over to the small grocery store in another loop (yet still in FW). My time inside the store was only 10 minutes but the entire trip took 1.5 hours!

FW is pretty big and spread out. I highly recommend a car!

 

[ConcKahuna]

My time inside the store was only 10 minutes but the entire trip took 1.5 hours!

How many times did you end up going around the entire property to get a ride that long?!?!?

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I've only been to WDW once so I can't compare it to other resorts. We stayed in the FW Cabins. They are very spread out, but they have an internal bus system. There are 3 busses that go through the loops of FW, and they all meet up at the main bus station at the front of that resort. From there you could hop on another bus that takes you to the parks.

FW is pretty big and spread out. I highly recommend a car!

Not all of the park buses are at the front. I know the bus to DHS is at the back near Pioneer Hall, so are some of the others. I also know I saw more than 3 internal buses. There are buses that go to the "Settlement" and some to the "Outpost" and they have different colors, I think yellow, orange, and purple. I couldn't ever figure which one was going which way and always had to ask the driver. We only used the internal buses 2 or 3 times, way too confusing for me

Suzanne

 

[Jennifer823]

We LOVE Ft. Wilderness!

We have a large family (mom, dad, four kids) and the Ft. Wilderness cabins are the best on-site solution for us. It's great to have a FULL kitchen, including an outside grill, two TVs for the family, and lots of space. Each cabin can actually sleep 6 plus a baby in a crib. The cabins are single-wide trailers that have been covered on the outside to look like log cabins. The first time we stayed there we didn't use our car at all, we used Disney transportation exclusively. The last two times we've been there we used our car to get to AK and DD, it just is easier that way (especially if you have a baby in a stroller - the stroller needs to be folded on the bus). There is a little petting "zoo" on site and a great buffet-style restaurant. We always see wildlife while we are there, and the last time we encountered two deer while on the internal bus system - our driver stopped and pointed them out and everyone was oohing and ahhing. It's very quiet and peaceful, and just a quick boat ride across the lake to the MK.

Seriously, I think that the Ft. Wilderness cabins are one of Disney's best-kept secrets. (But now I just told you about it! )

 

[Belle_20]

My first trip to WDW was in the FW cabins in Aug.06! My sister, mom and I slept in the room and my brother and dad slept in the living room in the murphy bed.(that bed is so cool!) The bus transportation wasnt bad at all. At first I thought it was going to be bad because alot of people said so, so I reserved a golf cart just in case, but when we got there I cancelled it. I also love taking the boat from the marina to the Magic Kingdom, and we saw the Hoop-Dee-Doo show which was really fun and the food was so good. Ohh... and my sister, mom, and I cannot sleep without a box fan so we tried to bring one on the plane, when we arrived all our luggage was there except the fan, and we told Disny's ME about it. The next day after coming in from the parks our fan was in the cabin It was so sweet they delivered it from the airport! I love Disney and FW!