Fort Wilderness Cabins

[zachary5]

Well, I booked a cabin at FW for the second week of August. Can anyone who has stayed there give me any insight into the transportation system, pools, food, and this campfire thing I keep reading about? Also, any info on bike rentals (is it needed) and whether we should rent a golf cart? I have a family of 5 (three boys 6, 9 and 17) that I do not want to get bored so I hope there will be enough to keep them busy.

 

[colleen costello]

Hello! I will get you started. Buses run within the campground to all the camping loops. You can get off at the main FW gate, where you can catch buses to all other WDW areas. You can also catch a boat to the MK and MK-area resorts. The campground is large and some families rent the golf carts by the week. This way you can zip around to the pools, camp stores ("trading posts") etc. I believe you cna get info on these things at the Ft. Wilderness section of WDWIG (Deb Wills' WDW site). The folks at the camping board here can answer a lot of questions too.

The cabins have full kitchens. You can cook "in" with supplies form the Trading Post. They have basics -- bread, milk, eggs, sandwich fixings, soda, some frozen things, ice cream, coffee, and great FW souvenirs. Sometimes they offer the refillable drink mugs. Lots of folks were using the golf carts to visit the Trading Posts when I was there last Spring.

Meals come from one place -- Trail's End. This is a rustic-type restaurant that offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. Each meal is buffet-style and reasonable. There is also a place here to order pizza for eat-in or carry-out. You can also do the Hoop-dee-doo but you need serious reservations! Menus are available at WDWIG.

There is a campfire many nights. They show a movie outside, have a campfire and sell hotdogs and s'mores. A hayride is also offered. We didn't do this but it went by us and it looked FUN! There is also a petting zoo and you can rent bikes and (I believe) fishing poles and canoes at the main trading post. There are rental boats at the marina.

This is a wonderful, relaxed, friendly place. My kids LOVED it. I hope you all will too.

 

[colleen costello]

Oops -- forgot. 2 pools, fairly basic. The main pool is larger and has a guard.

I thought of something else. You are a fairly large group. You might want to request loop 2100, Bobcat Bend. It is unique in that it is a cabin loop close to real campsites, which means it has access to the "comfort station" or public bath/laundry. These are spotless. We shipped my Dad off every morning to shower here to help move things along as the cabin has only 1 bathroom! There is also a laundry room in each of these stations. Just say "put us near the comfort station!" We were in #2140 which was just a few steps from those extra baths/showers. Loop #2100 is also a major bus stop which makes getting around in the campground easier.

 

[spikesmom]

We have a family of 5 too, and your boys will love it. After a long day park touring, FW is another, quiet, peaceful world! Full kitchen with dishes, pans and Mousekeeping! And a grill ourside for cookouts, my son and son- in -law -to - be have a great time here, running, swimming(2 basic pools, but nice) and throwing a football around . The bus transport is ok, I am a walker and do not mind walking to places in FW, but, it can get lengthy on a hot day. The golf carts are fun, but we did not use ours too much, bikes are available and fun to rent. You can fish in the canals and rent fishing poles, your guys will love that, play tennis, play volleyball, meet some really NICE people and relax!! Buy your food at a supermarket though, the stores at FW are nice but pricey and limited selection.

ENJOY

 

[MELSMICE]

You will love FW. We have 3 DD's & it is their favorite place to stay. They love to be able to go outside & just sit on the deck. There are basketball courts.

The pools are nothing spectacular, but they are relaxing. There is a game room at the main pool & a snack bar. We like the idea of the kitchen. We eat breakfast in & also take snacks & sometimes lunch the pool when we are there.

Trail's End is probably the most reasonable restaurant in all of WDW. They have a great breakfast buffet & their lunch & dinner consists of comfort foods. The boat ride to MK is relaxing.

We rented bikes & a paddle boat one day. The campfire program is a lot of fun. Many people rent golf carts, but we never find found the need for one. We enjoy walking or just use the bus system.

We love FW. It's an awesome resort.

 

[msdis]

Does the kitchen have a stove with an oven and are there pots, pans, dishes and silverware? For 6? Also, there is a Murpy bed in the LR? Does that work out to be a good thing? There are 9 of us going and I think 2 of these may work out. TIA

 

[colleen costello]

The kitchen has a regular range with a nice glass stovetop and large oven. Full fridge. Pots and pans and all sorts of supplies. The housekeeper comes every day.

The Murphy bed pulls right down from the wall in the living room. My kids were amazed! The bed is comfy enough, but not queen-sized, just full. We were 6 in the cabin and it was fine. Your group would be great in 2 of them. Don't forget Mousesavers.com for discount codes! Right now cabins are $100 off.

 

[bigsis1970]

any pictures of the inside of a cabin to see the layout ??? i checked on deb's site and didn't see one ?? thanks

 

[colleen costello]

The pics used to be there, but hidden. If you read the info on cabins at WDWIG, there was a line like "jeff-so-and-so's wilderness cabin photo gallery." I guess a gentleman was kind enough to post his vacation photos... anyway, it was tricky to find but I think it's still there. Look at the info provided and I think you'll find the link to the photos.

 

[colleen costello]

The photos are there; I just checked. You have to look at the resort faq's and info under "Ft Wilderness Cabins" at WDWIG, and in there is the line to click on to see Jeff's photos. They are great shots of the inside of the cabin.

 

[renessa]

For pictures and video of the cabins at FW check out:

http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/asp...vies&cat=resort&location=FortWildernessCabins

http://www.yourmagicaljourneys.com/ftwilderness.htm


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

This last one is the one that colleen costello was referring to (I think!) I love the pictures and the 360 degree movies!!! Good luck! Renessa

 

[bigsis1970]

Thanks so much ... Does the couch fold out at all.. ? I have 2 mom's and 4 kids ?? ( 1 mom and 2 kids per group ) just wondering if how we can arrange that without too much trouble ? Thanks Michelle

 

[renessa]

I don't think it folds out (it would interfere with murphy bed), but a small child could sleep on it. I don't think it looks full size, maybe just a loveseat. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Maybe one family could have the bedroom and one share the living room. Mom plus one on the murphy bed (double) and one on the couch. I have read where someone has slept on the couch. I am really interested in these for a "siblings and spouse" trip I am planning. I love the DIS!!! Renessa

 

[zachary5]

Thanks for all the information. I can see that we'll have a good time and be able to relax after visiting the parks. Any idea on how much the bike rentals go for? How long does the ferry take to get the the MK? How about the buses to the other parks? Would it be better to drive to the other parks?

 

[colleen costello]

The couch is full-size but not huge. A small adult could sleep on it OK. My mom was on it some last year and it was not great because when the Murshy bed is down it sort of blocks in the couch. Mom and Dad could just not share the Murphy bed comfortably, but they are both big people. Dad is over six-four and so Mom just went on that couch. They both laugh that sleeping in that Murphy bed is what made them buy DVC! We are leaving for our vacation together in a week and this time they'll have a king bed to share! Anyway, two kids or an adult and one child would do fine in the Murphy bed and a child would be fine on the couch. The nice thing is that there are a lot of options about "who sleeps where."

 

[jwfla422]

Bike Rental prices are posted at http://fly.hiwaay.net/~jlspence/bikebarn.htm Not sure how up to day they are but the golf cart prices are right (you need to add tax).

The boat to MK takes about 10-15 minutes. It's a nice ride.

The buses are pretty quick, the internal and park buses. We drove to EPCOT one night but what a pain really. By the time we took the tram to the entrance and then walked back to the car from the entrance I was kicking myself saying why did I drive. One of the main perks of staying on-site is to take advantage of the transportation. The next day we took the EPCOT bus, it was so much better! I'd recommend not bothering with your car unless your driving to another resort to have dinner or something like that.

The golf cart is nice to have but I think they are kinda pricey. We rented one though. It is fun driving them around and convenient to go where you want when you want, especially to the campfire or the stores or just to ride around the grounds.

We just stayed in the cabins for the first time a few weeks ago, after about 25 stays at deluxe resorts. We loved FW and feel like we could have stayed another week just to take advantage of the activities and offerings they have there. We didn't get to do a lot of things we wanted to or could have done while we were there. ENJOY, you'll love it!!

 

[zachary5]

Thanks for your information. I am really looking forward to going as the kids have never been and I haven't been in several years. They were pretty excited about the campfire and especially the bunkbeds.

I am happy to hear about the bus transportation to EPCOT. I would love to be able to just use the Disney transportation and not touch my car.

How long a walk was it to the marina to catch the ferry to the MK?

 

[colleen costello]

The internal campground bus lets you off just beyond Trail's End, and this whole area is only accessible by foot -- no bus or car traffic. From where the bus drops you off, you could probably see the beach but for the trees. Five minutes tops. May take longer if you stop at the playground on the left or the trading post on the right (for ice cream!)

The cabin loops are fairly far from the beach. They were built later when FW had been open a while. It would be a heckuva walk to the boat area. This is why campground buses stop at the entrance to every loop, and why people rent golfcarts.

 

[msdis]

Thanks everyone for the great posts and links. Now if the discounts would just come out for mid July my decision is made.

 

[donac]

I have stayed at FW twice and have loved it so much. It is so peaceful and relaxing. When I went last year we came back to the campsite just about everyday for lunch and a swim. It just relaxed us so that we could do more during the evening.

The ferry to the MK is my favorite part of the camp. It takes about 15 minutes with a stopat WL. Since the boats aren't that big it does get a little crowded when you are trying to leave the MK.

Don't forget the free nightly movie and singalong. The singalong and campfire does get crowded but the movie is greatand the crowds thin down after the singalong. A lot of fun for kids.

Enjoy your time at FW. It is the most relaxing part of DW.