Fort Wilderness Cabins

[kedec]

I'm still in the researching phase for our September 2006 trip. It will be myself, Dh, DS (7) and DD (2). We'll be flying down from Ohio and renting a car for the week. We're considering staying at a cabin in Fort Wilderness. Can anyone give me their take on the cabins and campground?

Thanks,
kedec

 

[Leota]

We stayed in the Fort Wilderness cabins for our first 3 trips (93,95 & 98) We loved them. They were perfect for having a seperate room for our son to nap. It gave my DH & I time to ourselves at night to watch TV & just be adults together. We liked the full fridge, microwave & coffee maker, esp the first trip when DS was a preschooler with weird food issues. Mousekeeping was great & the cabins were cozy & comfortable with a nice sized bathroom & plenty of room for our stuff.

The campground was very nice, with lots of things to do, esp for kids. We enjoyed eating at Trails End Buffeteria. We still think that's a great value & hidden gem of WDW (the cabins & the restaurant) The nice thing about FW is how cool & quiet it is in the midst of all the hustle & bustle of the Parks. You are close to the MK, with a great boat launch over. If you are doing Epcot, you can either bus or monorail over. You said you were renting a car which makes all the Parks but MK even easier to get to. WL & The Contemporary are both easy to get to via FW transporation & we ate at both of those resorts often as well.

 

[swilshire]

We pitched a tent in Fort Wilderness a couple of times and loved it. There are lots of activities for the kids and the atmosphere is very nice.

One of my coworkers has stayed in the cabins a few times. They sound wonderful.

Sheila

 

[Pats Dragon]

Plan what you envision on your vacation and then decide. We love the cabins. You can put the children to bed and sit in the living room and watch tv . There is a kitchen for budget meals and mousekeeping washes dishes. You can grill on your private deck and there is a picnic table. The campfire and roasting marshmallows would be fun for your kids. It takes longer to travel anywhere but that never really seemed too much for us. Its a different experience but really nice for little kids. Rent bikes and/or canoes. You can also fish in the canals.

 

[dgaston]

Another vote for the cabins here. This was our first stay in 88 (then Wilderness Homes) and we stayed again in 2001 with several camping trips (how we could afford WDW) in between. I love the cabins for the separate sleeping areas, quiet, full kitchen. Be sure to bring cups for bathroom, salt and pepper, coffee filters, and a cookie sheet if you're into Pillsbury cookies or frozen pizza. I have been known to cook our regular Christmas dinner in the cabin!

 

[yoopermom]

I have to admit that we've taken our motorhome down and stayed at FtW the past four summers, so knew exactly what to expect, but still LOVED the cabins. I love DS10, but the ability to each have our own "space" (go watch tv in the bedroom, go to bed early child, whatever!), was priceless! We had wegoshop.com deliver, and didn't cook tons, but so nice to be able to have breakfast, quick snack, etc. I esp. appreciated the *quiet* (nobody in the room next to you tromping around!), and having a couch to relax on (vs the bed or hard chair couch option in most hotel rooms). Mousekeeping was excellent, too. If you catch it, the Great Hotels episode on Wilderness Lodge shows quite a bit on FtW and the cabins, as well.
Terri

 

[DreamsComingTrue]

All for the cabins.We stayed there this pass July and it was wonderful.The mosekeeping was great and the kids enjoyed the pool.The grounds were nice and we will stay there again the next time we go.

 

[stephandjoe]

We spent 7 nights last year in a cabin with DD4 and DS almost 2. We loved it and so did they! It's very quiet and you seem "away" from everything but you can hop the boat to the MK which is where we spent the majority of our time.

We would also put the little one to bed and could stay up in the living room. We stopped at a Publix on the way in and bought groceries. Invaluable with the little kids (we packed many snacks for the parks and didn't have to buy a ton of meals).

It is more time consuming transportation-wise but if you have long enough to stay it's worth it. The kids also loved the outdoor movie and sing-a-long! If your budget allows, a golf cart helps ease the transportation issue.

Have fun!

 

[chaoscent]

My DH & I took my nephew (22) and his girlfriend (19) down for a week. They didn't have much money so it was stay in the cabins or stay in the all stars. we opted for the cabins. we paid what we would have paid at WL and charged them $50 a night (we got the bedroom). We bought groceries so they could have breakfast before they left and sodas/water, which they carried to the park. They had a great, somewhat inexpensive trip & we fell in love with the cabins. If I can convince DH to make another trip down in the next year or so (he is not a Disney fan) we will probably stay there again. He can hang at the cabin and I can go to the parks. I highly recommend them, but we had a car and that does make a difference.
Penny

 

[SB in KY]

As long as you have a car I think it is a great place for families with young kids. Transportation is the only down side to being there...but if you have a car and can drive to the parks it is a great option. Having the seperate bedroom as well as a kitchen is a huge benefit. I am not one to play Betty Crocker on vacation, but being able to go back to the cabin and fix the kids a quick meal of their old standbys instead of eating out for every meal is just great when they kids are small. We saved enough on meals (we usually ate out one meal a day and had breakfast and one other meal in the cabin) to justify the extra room expense (over a value or moderate). The kids always loved it over there....very laid back, everyone was always so friendly...and I never felt like I had to "shush" them everytime we came in or out. Lots of room for them to get out and run off the excess energy....I think it is hard to beat any of the home away from home accomodations when you have small children.

 

[catherine]

My family of four stayed in a cabin Dec 2000. I would totally agree with what the other posters have said. The only negative for us was the lack of storage space. We stayed there for two weeks, so we had difficulty finding enough space for our clothes. In fact we had to leave around half of our clothes in the suitacases on the bed. Luckily both of out DD's wanted to sleep in the bunk beds, or that could have been a problem.

 

[OhioTony]

I agree! the cabins were the best. The only downside for us was no themed pool (my kids love pools). The pool at fort wilderness is just a plain ordinary pool-no slides etc..Other than that we loved it.

 

[thumpersfriend]

The cabins are wonderful and my family got tired of restaurant food and loved being able to grill some hot dogs and hamburgers right there. I would suggest if you could afford it to get a golf cart, the kids would love it and it gives you more things to enjoy and not have to wait for a bus. It was like a fun ride for our kids. Good luck in deciding, I think you would be pleased though. Nice to wake up in the morning and sit on the patio with a cup of coffe while everyone else is still in bed and not having to rush to a restaurant for breakfast. After staying at the Poly this past April and the noisey neighbors ,it is a relief to have such quiet when you are trying to sleep. If you have a car,take a picnic lunch to TL or BB and it will save you alot of time waiting in line for lunch. We have been 5 times to the cabins and love it.

 

[Tevagirlsson]

I've stayed at fortwilderness almost every year since I was 6 years old. I am now 28 and I wouldn't stay anywhere else. Traveling to the parks isn't bad you hop on a boat or a couple of buses and your there. The campground is alot of fun for children. I rember all the fun I had as a child, and now I pass that same experience to my DD who is 4 years old.
The cabins are wonderful its nothing like staying at the GF, but they are nice and clean. The mouse keepers are great they will help you out with anything you need.
One thing I suggest is to rent a golf cart. It is alot easier to get to the dock for the boat and the bus pick up area. It also will help you get to all the activities that FWChas to offer.
Matter of fact my family and I are going to stay at FWC in January 06, the 7th to the 14th. Can't wait.

 

[TuckandStuiesMom]

I offered DD Concierge level at one of the the Deluxes as a college graduation present. NOPE! She picked the cabins @ FW. Quiet, Peaceful -- the perfect counterpoint to the park's excitement. We'll be doing quite a bit of our own cooking ($$$) and the extra space -- basically two sleeping areas (living room and bed room) is great.
With your small children, you'll have a great time @ the marshmallow roast, pony rides -- depends on the child ???, and the free movies.
You might want to pop for the water-parks though -- the pools are kinda plain-jane.
If you stay there, be sure to check out the lawnmower tree. This has become a family tradition for us and the last time we were there it was pretty hard to see how it got its name...