Fort wilderness cabins or AoA family suites?

[DisneyDad1736]

My family is trying to decide between the Fort wilderness cabins or AoA family suites. It’ll be myself, my wife, toddler (near 2 yo) and grandparents. We are leaning towards Fort wilderness for the east accessibility to MK. As far as dining, pools and everything else goes what do you think is better? We’ll be staying 7 nights too. Thanks!

edit: forgot we are getting the cm discount so we have to do a suite

 

[unrequited23]

AoA has two bathrooms, the cabins have 1. That would pretty much be my deciding factor if I had to choose between the two options. For about the same price you could do two value rooms. That way each adult couple could have their own bathroom and a bit more privacy.

 

[Meglen]

I would also just book 2 rooms and ask for connecting or close. You might not think so but going on vacation with a toddler is an experience to say the least. You might need to put them down for a nap but grandparents want to relax also or do something else.. or not be woken up at night. Or... Grandparents might snore like a lion and no one gets sleep (this happened to me and never again )

 

[tseitel]

I also vote for 2 rooms so everyone has an actual bed. The suite has pullouts in the living room with various reports of comfort level. Also, depending on the amount of luggage you have, storing all of it might be problematic.

To be fair, we have stayed in the cabins and enjoyed it. It was a totally different feel, being in the woods, the boat ride to MK, and it does have a Murphy bed in the living room which is more comfortable than a sofa bed. But as mentioned, there is only one bathroom, and food is not that convenient to just pop out and get, unless you opt for a golf cart. But there is a full kitchen if you want to bring groceries.
There are plenty of YouTube videos showing the cabins and the the whole resort area to give you a feel for the layout
Whatever you decide, have fun and enjoy!

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

I would pick the cabins. There is so much for toddlers to do at Fort Wilderness...the kids water play area, the big pool (toddler sized life vests were available on request), playground, visit the ponies, boat to Magic Kingdom (or just to the monorail for rides or a trip to a deluxe resort for a character breakfast), playgrounds, watching the electrical water pageant and fireworks from the beach, digging in the sand, the option for golf cart rides and touring the camping loops (if you are there when people have holiday lights out), and you have a full kitchen. When my son was that age, there was the sing along and Chip and Dale meet and greet (hopefully that eventually comes back). Art of Animation suites don't even have a microwave. Art of Animation does have a good food court, and the Skyliner has opened since I last stayed there. Their Finding Nemo playground is visually appealing but there isn't as much to do on it, and they have a splash pad, but not the kiddie sized water slides that Fort Wilderness has. Also, you don't have to fold up a stroller to take the Fort Wilderness boat to Magic Kingdom, which is a major plus. And the opportunity to come back from MK mid-afternoon for a break is great. We would pick Fort Wilderness because of all the activities, but if you are in the parks most all day, you might find Art of Animation more appealing, due to the 2 bathrooms, quicker walk to the bus, and larger than life Disney characters. Both are great choices.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

I agree with PP, the thought of putting my inlaws in either of those rooms would not happen and we'd go the route of two adjoining rooms. Even though it's not a guarantee to have adjoining or connecting rooms, Disney usually does their best to try to accommodate. From my perspective, I love my inlaws and my girls love their grandparents, we even lived with them for a brief period of time but the chance of either of those room set ups working for 4 adults and a toddler for us is slim to none. I have not stayed in the family suites at AofA but have stayed there and it's not my favorite value, we much prefer POP over AofA. Theming is alot of fun at AofA but we prefer POP if we're doing a value.

If I had to choose from those two, AofA would win to have two bathrooms but the pull down murphy isn't likely any adults idea of a comfy bed, neither would be the pull out sofa. I think for not much more/maybe around the same price you could do two rooms at Pop.

Also Fort Wilderness and AofA aren't really comparable resorts. Fort Wilderness might be closer to MK but it's still a bus ride away, just a shorter bus ride than AofA.

 

[HopperFan]

AoA or two rooms elsewhere. Me personally could stay in suite with inlaws with two bathrooms and ability for any of us to walk wherever. BUT I would still look for a situation with two rooms.

AoA
TWO bathrooms
2nd bed is a fold down murphy bed NOT sofabed
Highly themed your child will LOVE
Easy walk to pools, dining, transportation, activities
Incredibly themed pools

Cabin
Kitchen and pulling car right up virtually only plus, are you doing lots of cooking?


We stayed cabins with toddler ... never again. Transportation in the campground is such a huge negative we couldn't give MK location any plus at all. The work of walking to bus, getting stroller on crowded bus, ride to boat, getting on boat, slow float to MK .... lots of time involved. Two buses to any other park meant we drove everywhere. Even a bus to go to the pool and activity ... that is not vacation to me. The legit only plus was cooking meals in cabin.

Art of Animation suites don't even have a microwave. Art of Animation does have a good food court, and the Skyliner has opened since I last stayed there. Their Finding Nemo playground is visually appealing but there isn't as much to do on it, and they have a splash pad, but not the kiddie sized water slides that Fort Wilderness has. Also, you don't have to fold up a stroller to take the Fort Wilderness boat to Magic Kingdom, which is a major plus. And the opportunity to come back from MK mid-afternoon for a break is great. We would pick Fort Wilderness because of all the activities, but if you are in the parks most all day, you might find Art of Animation more appealing, due to the 2 bathrooms, quicker walk to the bus, and larger than life Disney characters. Both are great choices.

Suites do have microwaves along with fridge and coffee maker.

 

[cakebaker]

Also Fort Wilderness and AofA aren't really comparable resorts. Fort Wilderness might be closer to MK but it's still a bus ride away, just a shorter bus ride than AofA.

They have boat service to the MK as well.

We had to make the same choice as it was the only 2 viable options for us next month. We chose the cabins 1) the boat to the MK and 2) the full kitchen.

We've stayed at AOA and the bus was not good. The stops at the parks are the furthest of any resort and they were always jam packed. We uber almost exclusively these days and so transportation to the MK is key for us. There are 4 adults, 1 child and we don't mind sharing rooms. We've stayed at the cabins before and the sleeper sofa there is as comfortable as the pull down and sleeper at AOA. I do wish the cabins had 2 bathrooms, but that just didn't outweigh the convenience of transportation.

I do think a golf cart is a must. Without it, you're likely using the internal bus system to get anywhere.

 

[DisneyDad1736]

I agree with PP, the thought of putting my inlaws in either of those rooms would not happen and we'd go the route of two adjoining rooms

so the second beds in the cabins and AoA aren’t really that great? Good to know.

 

[SeanWM48]

i love the cabins and always get them when we travel to WDW. however if somebody's parents are coming, we're either renting 2 cabins or staying elsewhere with 2 rooms (or one of the real big suites/houses like at wilderness copper creek)

sure the cabins can 'fit' like 6-7 people but for a whole week i would just want some privacy at the end of the day

otherwise the fort is great, love the food and the pools. golf cart is a strong recommend.

 

[lynzi2004]

Without a golf cart, transportation is horrible at the campground. We have camped there twice and I don't think I would do it without my own car or renting a cart. Depending on where you are in the campground it can be a LONG walk to the Meadows (large pool/store) or the Settlement (which is where the boat leaves from) or the Outpost (where the buses leave from) You will likely be walking distance to one, but definitely not all. Cars can only be parked at your cabin/campsite. So if you want to go to the pool, you would either have to plan on a long walk, or have a golf car, or take a bus. The boat to MK is fun, but we've had issues making rope drop with it. And while you may not have to fold your stroller up on the boat, you would need to fold it up on the bus to get to the boat. It was just a big hassle for our family. And yes to get to any of the other parks, you would need to double bus. Once to the front of the campground and then switch to whichever bus is taking you to the parks. We just found it a huge pain and typically drove ourselves to the park.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I would do two rooms at any resort. This way everyone can have their space. My kids are older (21 and 15) and being with small children for long periods of time can get to me and I'm not even "old." When you don't have toddlers of your own it can be a lot to be with one all day, everyday. The grandparents may be relieved to have some time to themselves.

If I had to choose between those two I would do the AoA suite for the two bathrooms.

 

[HopperFan]

so the second beds in the cabins and AoA aren’t really that great? Good to know.

AoA
Queen bed in bedroom
Full Murphy Bed in "dining area"
Full Sofa Bed in "living area"

Cabin
Queen bed in bedroom
Twin bunkbed in bedroom
Full Sofa Bed in living room

So second bed in AoA is murphy with real mattress and in cabin is a sofa bed. With four adults no way I'd consider a sofabed acceptable.

 

[Marthasor]

I think it depends - will you spend more time at the resort or more time in the parks? The food option at Ft. W are quite slim whereas you have a huge food court at AoA plus the Skyliner to access CBR, RIV and the EP area resorts. You can boat to MK and get on the monorail to access the MK resorts, but that's a lot of traveling to find other food options. If you are looking at more resort time - choose the Fort. Easier access to the parks and a variety of dining - AoA.

 

[Dakota731]

We loved having two baths at the suites!

 

[cantsayNolaf]

That way each adult couple could have their own bathroom and a bit more privacy.

Are the Suites at AoA pretty tight(Like is there any privacy at all)? I feel like two bathrooms is required with more than 3 adults especially when trying to get up and at it early in the morning. Im doing a similar stay except with my parents instead of grandparents, any recommendations on Suites vs adjoining rooms?

 

[unrequited23]

Are the Suites at AoA pretty tight(Like is there any privacy at all)? I feel like two bathrooms is required with more than 3 adults especially when trying to get up and at it early in the morning. Im doing a similar stay except with my parents instead of grandparents, any recommendations on Suites vs adjoining rooms?

The main bedroom at AoA has a door. The other sleeping spaces are in the same area. If it's just you and your parents you will be fine in the suites if that's where you want to stay. Add in little kids or an SO there is a benefit to two rooms just to decompress. Two value rooms will most likely cost less than a AoA suite and two rooms at CSR will probably cost the same as the suite depending on available discounts.

At wdw connecting and adjoining mean two different things. Connecting rooms have the interior door that can open connecting two rooms. Adjoining rooms are near or next to each other, no interior door. And these configurations are considered requests and not guarantees.

 

[DisneyDad1736]

The main bedroom at AoA has a door. The other sleeping spaces are in the same area. If it's just you and your parents you will be fine in the suites if that's where you want to stay. Add in little kids or an SO there is a benefit to two rooms just to decompress. Two value rooms will most likely cost less than a AoA suite and two rooms at CSR will probably cost the same as the suite depending on available discounts.

At wdw connecting and adjoining mean two different things. Connecting rooms have the interior door that can open connecting two rooms. Adjoining rooms are near or next to each other, no interior door. And these configurations are considered requests and not guarantees.

We have the cm discount though so we’d rather just get a suite lol