Ft Wilderness Info

[chucknrita]

We have reservations end of April through second week of May in the cabins. I've read that bus transportation is not that great but we'll have a rental car, plus the boat to MK should be fun for our 2 1/2 year old son. We wanted to stay in a Disney resort that had a full kitchen and FW was within our budget ($143/night, tax included). Would appreciate any info/feedback from those of you who have stayed there.

Thanks,
Rita

 

[Buzz2001]

The bus service is somewhat tricky at FW if its your first time there. They have the Chip & Dale for internal service and the Boone and Crocket for external, each going in opposite directions. That is where it gets alittle tricky because you don't know which way to get on and which is faster. We figured it out by the time we were leaving. Definitely get a golf cart for travel to the pool and store.

FW FAQ

 

[soccer mom]

I think I read on the Transportation Board that they were revamping the bus system at FW and trying to streamline it, but I don't remember exactly what they said.

 

[Disney Campers]

The Chip & Dale buses were discontinued a while back and have not been brought back to my knowledge, you have the boone and crockett that make continuos loops around the campground, Wilderness lodge and the TTC, you have the boat to Magic Kingdom, and a bus directly to Animal Kingdom,

 

[RaySharpton]

Scott and Buzz2001, your web sites are awesome. Rhonda, I tried your link, but I couldn't find it.

I don't know that much abot FW, but here's a link to the transportation wizard which might help.

Thank you, RaySharpton

 

[disneynoble]

Rita,

If I might ask, what kinds of codes did you use to get the $143 rate at Fort Wilderness? I'm going April 20-25. Had to split the reservation because of the season change and then the best I could do was $176 including tax using generally available codes for the last nights.

Thanks,
Rudie

 

[ryanpatricksmom]

We stayed in the cabins for two consecutive years and loved them. The first year we used the internal bus system and the boat for the MK and our car for everything else. The second year we decided (each trip was for a week) to rent a golf cart and avoid the buses. We really felt that having the cart was a time-saver, albeit an expensive one. We will be staying at the GF for Memorial Day weekend. The only reason that we are not returning to the cabins, is that the trip is so short, we felt that a monorail resort would be best. Last year we missed WDW because we cruised the Magic, and our weekend trip was scheduled for 9/14 (cancelled obviously). The entire time that we were on the Magic (and we stayed in a category 3 suite) my husband and son kept saying that they missed our cabin at WDW.
You will love it! It's really like being in your own little quiet world after the wonderful world of madness!

 

[Crowsie]

Absolutely get a golf cart!
We stayed in the cabins in November and loved the cart. We also had a rental car and took it to all the resorts except for the MK. It was so much easier to not have to rely
on the bus system.
Plan on stopping on the way in at a local grocery store....the outposts in the resort aren't all that hot and they are extremely expensive.
We actually shipped all of our drygoods Fedex and they were waiting at the resort when we got there so all we had to buy was produce and dairy.
Have a great time!

 

[Nanhoo]

I would also like to know how you got those rates I'm going April 18-21 and the rate is 289!!! Is this for the cabins??? Nancy

 

[disneynoble]

Nancy,

Your stay April 18-21 spans two rate periods. The peak season ends on the 20th and the 21st begins regular season. If you book all nights under one reservation you are charged at the rate effective with the first night. So you're not getting the rate break for the 21st. There aren't many discounts for the 18th to 20th except perhaps AAA or Disney Club (check mousesavers or the disboards code page). You could revise your original reservation to be 18-20 and then create a 2nd reservation for the 21st at a lower rate using one of the codes like CIF. However you must do a check out, check in process on the 21st and they won't commit to giving you the same cabin (but I've never heard of them not doing so) especially if you note the 2nd reservation on the 1st one.

Rudie

 

[BCV23]

I think that you will love it with your little one. We stayed there twice but the last time was in 1986:eek. It is so peaceful, and it is so nice to have a seperate bedroom for naps and bedtime when you have a baby or toddler. The kitchen saves time and money. We found it best to use our car to go to Epcot (only other park in those days) or other resorts, but we used the buses or trams and then the boat to get to MK. And, yes, our kids loved that. The bus drivers were great, too!