Ft. Wilderness Cabin Rates

[Miniefan]

I was wondering if anyone out there can help me out. I have a WDW/UNIV trip planned for 10/15-10/23, and we haven't decided on our room yet. I had a res at HIFS, and I just cancelled it the other day ago. I want to either stay at the Ft. Wilderness Cabins, or at the POP(my kids choice) Me personally, I really want to stay at the FTWC, but I am trying to wait until the rates are out. I was wondering if anyone out there would be willing to share with me the best rate that they have been able to get at the FTWC, I am AAA member, and a Fl resident, and will be a seasonal pass holder(I have gotten a lot of conflicting info on this one though, I have heard some say that seasonal pass holders recieve the same benefits as annual passholders, but only during non-blackout dates) maybe someone can help me clarify that one. So if you can let me know what was the best rate you ever got there.
Thanks,
Kim

 

[tci1212]

The best rate I have gotten was 149.00 nightly for a Cabin. That is with th AP discount.

 

[Miniefan]

I really hope that I can get a rate somewhere around that. I have been studying the Ft Wilderness Resort and I really like it I also think the extra money that you spend for the room, which is nicer than a regular hotel room, and the full kitchen, will make up for itself with the money you could save by not having to always eat out. Does anyone else have any comments or would like to share their rate??
Thanks
Kim

 

[scanmom]

We got this rate thanksgiving week 2002. It was a general public code rate. We liked the cabin alot...but we felt that it was a bit "removed" from everything. We did not like the fact that we had to take an internal resort bus to get to the "regular"bus! It was pretty time consuming. Do NOT miss Trails End Buffet. We had an early dinner here one night....super food at FANTASTIC prices!!!And you can get a buffet to go and easily get enough "to go" food for 2-3 people!

 

[Miniefan]

Thanks, we plan to visit the Trail's End even if we don't stay onsite at the FTWC, I have heard really good remarks about it from people all over the boards. I also plan on visiting for the campfire program regardless of us staying there as well.
Thanks,
Kim

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by Miniefan
I also think the extra money that you spend for the room, which is nicer than a regular hotel room, and the full kitchen, will make up for itself with the money you could save by not having to always eat out.

I fully agree with this. We have gone to WDW during peak times & paid full rack rate for the cabins, however, IMO it was worth it because we didn't spend so much money eating meals out.

Now, we did have to do some shopping & spent money on food initially, but not as much as we would have if we were eating out.

There are 5 of us, so a typical breakfast is at least $40 - even if we just get bagels, muffins, juice, coffee, etc. On pool days I would head back to the cabin, make sandwiches or frozen pizzas & then bring them to the pool. We would maybe do 1 or 2 dinners in the room (spaghetti, chicken fingers - something simple) during a 10 night stay. It did help with the food expenses.

I highly recommend the cabins not only for this reason but for the beauty & serenity of FW & the fact that there is so much to do there. You could spend a week at FW, never see the parks & never be bored.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[KSgirl]

We also got the $139 rate in November 2002. There are 6 of us...my husband and myself, and our four children. We loved the cabins for these reasons:

*staying on site at that price for all 6 of us. The cabins or suites (or two regular rooms) are pretty much our only options, and the cabins were priced right!
*we enjoyed getting "away" from it all and allowing the kids some decompression time. I LOVED that we felt at home in our own cozy retreat.
*we fixed many of our own dinners and breakfasts and saved a LOT of money.
*we rented a car, and found transportation very easy. You can park right in front of your cabin. Though you cannot drive within the resort, it made for easy park travel.
*we requested a cabin close to the pool/laundry. While the kids swam, I did a few loads of clothes.
*although there was only one bathroom (which was a little inconvenient for getting ready in the morning), the cabins were decorated very cutely, and we enjoyed the spacious living/kitchen area.

Good luck finding a great code. You'll love the cabins!

 

[Jo-Anne]

Can you walk from the cabins to the boat transportation to MK? Also how far would it be from cabins to Trails End/Campfire area? How frequently do the internal buses run? I really would like to try to cabins, but the extra travel time/hassle makes me think twice. Do I have it right, that you can use your car to go from your cabin out to other parks at any time, but you can't use your car to go into Trails End area? Thanks, Jo

 

[dgaston]

Yes, you can drive your vehicle to other parks, but there is no parking at Pioneer Hall where Trail's End is located. The internal transportation really isn't that bad. In April we found the internal buses came by our loop very regularly, we rarely waited longer than 5 minutes. We do drive to MGM and AK, but take ferries to MK, and CR where we can take monorails to Epcot.

I don't know if our April experience was unusual, but the transportation seemed better to me than on previous stays.

 

[MELSMICE]

Jo-Anne -

We find the internal transportation to be fine. We also sometimes walk to Pioneer Hall if we don't feel like waiting. It is a long walk, but we enjoy it.