FW cabin or moderate resort

[CajunGirl2]

We're planning a trip to WDW in late Sept. but haven't booked accomodations yet. To be honest, I'm waiting for a great deal by using my Disney Visa (I'm a little ticked off about the 7-for-4 deal not being offered to everyone - but that's another story!!! ). The last time we went (May 2002) we only had one daughter and stayed at the AMu. This time we have 2 daughters – will be 4 and 23 months at the time of the trip. AMu was fine but I think that I want to "upgrade" this time – something with a little more room and "magic." We definitely are NOT Disney "commandos". When it's nap time & bedtime we head back to the room! No sense making everyone miserable. We're very early risers; therefore, the girls go to sleep early. Last time when we stayed at AMu we wound up having to turn lights & TV off to get DD settled. The cabin will allow DH & me to have a separte room to relax while the girls are sleeping. I have a few questions…

1. Is it suggested that I book the cabin for 7 nights now in hopes that the 7-for-4 deal is offered? If I do that will I be able to apply the discount? If the 7-for-4 is not offered we probably will only go for 4 nights. Should we just stay at a moderate in that case since we won't have much down time to enjoy FW?

2. Is Ft. Wilderness just too far out with 2 small girls? I'm sure we'll be toting 2 strollers each day. We'll be driving from GA so we'll have a vehicle. I'm sure we'll spend most of our time in MK and MGM. Should we just drive to the parks each day rather than rely on the buses?

Now, if I decide on the cabins, I've got to convince DH that it's worth the extra $$$ (about $400 more!) Any suggestion on arguments to win him over???

 

[jtjarvis]

Good Pro-Cabin Arguments:

1) A full kitchen -- in a moderate you can't cook, heat up a quickie breakfast (toaster!) and drink your OJ nice and cold -- plus making some of your own meals will save $$$

2) Proximity to MK -- if you want you can rent a golf cart [and possibly tote the strollers that waay] to drive down to the "beach" and then just take the ferry straight to MK. Just drive to MGM--

3) An arguably better sleep environment in the cabin, as you share no walls with other people [I slept GREAT at FW; and I usually do not sleep well in hotels at all]

4) Privacy, privacy, privacy. You've got the separate bedroom with a door of course that you can close; nice sitting area for staying up later to watch TV-- or even pull out the Murphy bed to create a second bedroom [my mom was with us, which made this arrangement perfect -- however, she slept in the bedroom with the boys and DH and I took the Murphy! It was nice!]

5) Just a different spin on the Disney experience -- beautiful surroundings, obvious outdoorsy feel -- but you still get Mickey wake-up calls, soap, good-night TV stories, etc. But it's a nice place to take a breather and still feel Disney-ish.

6) Trail's End Buffeteria has to be the best dining value around. Boy is the food good -- and if you're at FW you're that much closer to it.

I can't say that the cabin is ULTRA-convenient as it is a huge campground but I do think most of the hotel situations require about a 2-step transportation process to go to a park. And to me, the personal space the cabins offer are worth strategizing a little about park transport. But I personally love being able to take the ferry to the MK! Now, that's convenient to me! And we will forever remember that first glimpse of the Castle, from the boat.

7) I'm sure I'll think of lots more -- anybody else??

 

[jtjarvis]

Omigosh Cajungirl, I just noticed where you're located! I probably could have yelled my suggestions from my back deck and you may have been able to hear me!

 

[debster812]

I think jtjarvis hit just about all the highpoints. We went from POR last year, to the FW Cabin. We stayed with an AP discount, ate breakfast in the cabin each morning, and had a couple of lunches, and a couple of dinners in, and probably saved the extra money in food that we paid for lodging.

Off to put DS on the bus, I will come back later and add more!

 

[Memaw2Wm]

Love the cabins ... the past two summers my daughter and I took her two children (now 7 & 8). It was so nice to be able to put them down in the bedroom and be able to read or watch tv in the "great" room.

And the MK is so convenient ... we rented a golf cart and drove to the marina and caught the MK launch. You can also take the internal buses to the "Settlement" and it's just a short walk to the marina from the bus stop.

We used our car to go to the other theme parks.

My granddaughter enjoyed the wild life ... peacocks, bunnies and those little lizards. She spent quite a bit of time outside the cabin searching for lizards.

And don't forget Chip'n Dale's Sing-along Campfire ... s'mores, singing and a movie ... great fun!

 

[dtum]

Can't say enough about the campground. For kids the petting zoo is great. As mentioned before the chip and dale campfire and movie (even if you skip the movie, the chip and dale part is great for kids). It's a much slower pace at FW, take your time, relax and enjoy it. We always enjoyed getting up in the a.m. and eating a relaxing breakfast and not having to worry about getting out of our jammies as soon as we jumped out of bed. Taking our grandson in May for his first trip and I don't know who's more excited about it all.

We always find hotel life to be a constant rush-you have to leave your room to do everything!

We have never found the bus system to be a problem at FW, but maybe that's because we enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. It's the one place where we park our truck upon arrival and it never moves until we leave. Strollers make it a little harder, but just plan a little extra time for that and it should work out. The boat from MK won't be a problem at all. MGM is a longer ride on the bus and you'll have to see how the strollers work out for it. It might be easier to rent one upon arrival at MGM.

 

[CajunGirl2]

Thanks for all of the input so far.

I do have a few more questions...

Can you walk from the cabins to catch the ferry to MK so that you don't have to take the internal bus? Is the path suitable for pushing strollers? I'm sure there are loops that are closer than others... any suggestions? We never mind walking so that's not an issue.

Can you see the MK fireworks from the beach? But then again, we're going in Sept. so there may not be fireworks at that time of year since I think MK closes early.

Has anyone does HDDR or Backyard BBQ? Something for my girls?

Thanks again! Still working on DH about plans. I think I've sold myself on the cabins ... just need to sell them to him!

 

[jtjarvis]

I know you can see fireworks from the beach because I posted that very question last winter. We actually glimpsed them from the golf cart as we drove home from Hoop Dee Doo in Jan. They have the fireworks year round!

We enjoyed Hoop Dee Doo a lot. IMHO I think your girls would too-- it's just a fun way to eat a good meal and although it's rowdy (!) I actually found the experience to be relaxing having dinner taken care of and being entertained at the same time. Just go to the early show.

 

[dgaston]

You cannot walk to the ferry from the cabins (well you could, but it's a loooong walk). You need either the internal transportation or a golf cart to get to the marina.

If you decide on the cabins, remember to bring salt and pepper, small cups for the bathroom, coffee and filters, and a cookie sheet if you decide to use any glad ovenware (or bake Pillsbury type cookies like I do!).

 

[lorin]

We stayed in the cabins last August and loved it. My husband says that he will only go back to Disney if we stay at the cabins (he is not a Disney Nut like I am). I liked the cabins because I didn't have to eat at the parks everyday (you can only eat that food for so long). Since you are driving down from GA and will have a car, you can make a quick stop at the Publix or WinnDixie to pick up some food and water. The cabins have a microwave and oven so you can buy some frozen dinners or pizza for the kids. The money you save by not eating at the parks will pay for the higher price of the cabin. To convince your husband check out the food prices on the Disney menus from Disney on http://www.allearsnet.com and compare that to what you would spend at the grocery store during your stay.

Good luck and hope you have a great time. I am hoping to stay at the cabins in August and not go to the parks because there is so much to do at FW.

 

[FWFamily4Life]

to add our opinion, the car is right outside the door so if you drive to the parks the convenience of getting tired children to bed is a lot easier than getting to a hotel room. we would never stay anyplace else for all the reasons previously posted.

 

[CajunGirl2]

Just called this morning & booked our room only ressie for cabins ... Sept. 25 - Oct. 2. Now I've got to keep my fingers crossed for a discount code through DV. DH has been working so much lately that it didn't take much to get him to agree to an extended vacation in FW. He agreed that the cabins would be the suitable choice considering the girls' ages. Thanks to everyone for your wonderful input. I've learned soooo much from these boards.

Now I've got to decide on a character meal...

On I side note - I couldn't figure out how to add a countdown to my signature. Can anyone help????

 

[Rhonda]

Go HERE for instructions on putting the countdown timer in your signature!

 

[dgaston]

And CajunGirl2 remember to check out www.mousesavers.com for codes that you can apply to your reservation in case the 7/4 offer doesn't work out. The codes will also make the cabin much more affordable.

 

[CajunGirl2]

I religiously watch mousesavers every morning. Especially since I saw that for the past 2 discount codes, Mary announced them before they were made known to DV cardholders. For one of the codes, it was not until 2 days after it became available (and usable) that it showed up on the BankOne DV website! I'm definitely relying on mousesavers to keep me informed!