Help me decide: AoA Suite vs. Ft. Wilderness Cabin!

[Max & Sam's Mom]

Hi everyone. So I recently booked for our trip in October!! I originally booked a Little Mermaid room at AoA. Our family consists of myself, DH and 3 boys, ages 5, 2 and 5 months at the time we visit. So once I got the room booked, DH surprised me by saying he would rather us pay the extra to stay in a family suite at AoA or a cabin at Ft. Wilderness. I was so excited! I was having anxiety about the idea of us all sleeping and surviving in just one little room together for 2 whole weeks, so this made it so much better. My gut instinct was to go with a Finding Nemo suite at AoA, so I called and changed our reservation, but now I am second guessing myself. Would you stay with the family suite or go for the cabin? Why or why not? Help me out here dissers!

 

[fla4fun]

I love the cabins, and obviously haven't stayed at AOA yet, but I would probably select the suite. You will have two bathrooms, which is always handy, and a queen size bed in the master instead of the full size in the cabin. The suite will have a counter size fridge and a microwave instead of the full kitchen in the cabin, but that should be enough to provide snacks and informal meals. There is only one bus stop at AOA, and there is the internal/external bus system at the Fort (which I've never really had an issue with, but with a stroller, it may make a difference). On the plus side for the cabins, if you are driving you have your own parking space right outside the door, and you don't share any walls with other units, so the kids don't have to be as quiet as they do in a regular hotel. But I think with children of those ages, you may prefer that they not use bunk beds (or have them to play on ) so the suite would probably be the better choice.

I don't think you can really go wrong with either though.

 

[veraletta]

I love the cabins... I love the ideal of having my own home at disney... You have a nice deck to sit out on, when the kids are sleeping. You don't have to worry about the baby crying all night...as room aren't connect... Besides you have the great outdoor at your door steps. If you drive you get to park your car in front of your cabin... I love the cabins at fort wilderness...

 

[drcoulsey]

For your young family, the suite would be better. I've stayed in the cabins at Ft. Wilderness. Great for older kids. There's a "Murphy" bed, a double bed and bunk beds. Plus, there's only one bathroom. I think you should choose the AoA suite.

 

[Singinglizzie]

I also vote for the AoA suites. You will love that they will be new! The cabins are nice - but depending on the location, there could be more walking than you had in mind. Some folks wind up renting an Electric cart which just adds $$$ to your ticket. Stick to the AoA now, and take your kids to the cabins when they are able to walk on their own.

 

[lovesdumbo]

I have stayed at both cabins and ASMu suite. I would pick AoA suite. I think you'll prefer quick and easy acess to food court at AoA over full kitchen of cabin.

Acess to parks will be easier at AoA unless you have a car or pay extra for a golf cart at Ft Wilderness. I liked how quiet the cabins were but hated the internal bus system.

 

[robinb]

I think I would go with AoA over a cabin. The resort is brand new and easy to get around. I've heard that the cabins can be difficult to get to/from if you don't have a car. You're going to be there for 2 weeks? Have you considered staying off-site? You could have a nice condo for a fraction of the cost of a suite at AoA even when you factor in the cost of a rental car and parking.

 

[sharadoc]

With children that age, I would go with the cabin. You may not feel comfortable having them sleeping in a separate room. In the cabin, you can have the 2 yo in the bottom bunk, the 5 yo in the top and the baby in a pack-n-play right outside the room in the hallway.

Or any combination you choose. The double bed is up against the wall, so you can put the 2 yo there with one of you if there is a question of falling out of bed.

With the cabin, you won't have to stress if the baby is awake or crying loudly. You can close the bedroom door and go into the living room, plus you won't fear the wrath of neighbors being kept awake if you baby cries. Plus, no noise above or below or next to you to wake the baby, nobody running down the hallway. If the boys are sleeping in the suite in the living room, you could possibly disturb them if the baby needs a bottle or just being awake in the middle of the night when you have to watch overnight TV

The Disney special from Travel Channel (I believe it's on Netflix) follows a family that seems very close to yours and they stayed in a cabin. It made it look perfect. The special follows 3 families, one goes Value, one in the cabin and a couple who go deluxe. See if you can find it.

The AoA looks very cool, but I think in your situation, the cabin could work much better. There's a nice cabin quiet pool that you can go to for swimming and laundry, too.

 

[Max & Sam's Mom]

We plan on renting a van either way, just because with 3 kids, one of them being an infant I think relying solely on the bus could quickly turn in to a nightmare! We have priced staying offsite, but if we get free dining, the cost difference is not that big of a deal to us. We just want the excitment of staying onsite at least once! I still can't decide, I think I have decided then I go back and forth again! LOL! Right now I am leaning back to AoA, but like some of you mentioned I an swayed by the idea of having our own "home" at the cabin and not having to worry about noise so much (from us or other people!). Gah! I still don't know what to do!

 

[fla4fun]

We plan on renting a van either way, just because with 3 kids, one of them being an infant I think relying solely on the bus could quickly turn in to a nightmare! We have priced staying offsite, but if we get free dining, the cost difference is not that big of a deal to us. We just want the excitment of staying onsite at least once! I still can't decide, I think I have decided then I go back and forth again! LOL! Right now I am leaning back to AoA, but like some of you mentioned I an swayed by the idea of having our own "home" at the cabin and not having to worry about noise so much (from us or other people!). Gah! I still don't know what to do!

Well, if you are renting a car, and planning to use it to get to the parks, then the cabin may work better for you. My only concern would be keeping the 2 year old away from the ladder for the bunk beds. There's not much space between the ladder and a vanity and the wall to the closet. So if a small child started climbing and fell, they could really get hurt. The bedroom has one full size bed and the bunks, and there is a full size Murphy in the living room. It's a pretty tight squeeze to get the pack n play set up in the bedroom as well. Most posts I've read, the parents sleep on the Murphy and set up the pack n play in the kitchen area, but you may not want the little ones left alone in the bedroom.

Another thing to add to the mix - because the cabins have the full kitchen the campground isn't really set up for easy dining opportunities. So if you are going there planning to eat out more than cook, it can be more difficult than other resorts. I've usually prepared food in my cabin - but that's not everyone's idea of a vacation, lol!

I love the cabins and I love how they feel totally removed from all the hustle and bustle of the rest of WDW. I'm anxious to try AOA and compare it to the other WDW resorts.

 

[*Fantasia*]

With your children's age.. I think they will appreciate the theme at AoA. The ground will be familiar to them because of the Disney movies of Cars, The Lion King, Finding Nemo, and the Little Mermaid. The pools look very cool and the colors are so vibrant.. Definitely kid friendly.

 

[jking6]

I think the theme if AoA would be great for your kids. Its so brightly colored I can not wait to stay there myself. But alot depends on where you live, I live in the Adironacks in upstate NY so country is outside my door everyday. I see enough rustic charm at home I want to see the bright decor and NEW is awesome!

 

[ginadv]

I love, love, love the Cabins.

That said, I think there are some pros and cons re. the FW Cabins.

Pros:
Having your own little house with a full (really, a full) kitchen.
Having a separate bedroom for the kids--The pack and play can fit in the bunk bed room. You could put your two year old in the double bed in there and your five year old on the lower bunk and not have to deal with the top bunk at all.
The Murphy Bed is very comfortable. My DH and I sleep on that while our three girls are in the bedroom
Garden Grocer delivers and you can save $ eating meals very comfortably in the cabin
There is a great new kids water play area at the pool which is great
It's just a really great place--there are horses and playgrounds and a beach and a marina with boats to the Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge and Magic Kingdom. Really makes for getting around to those MK resorts a breeze.
Bus service has always been great

Cons: (I think these mostly have to do with the young ages of your kiddos)
FW is VERY spread out. And you cannot drive your own car around within the campground. We always rent a golf cart when we stay there--it truly makes for a much more relaxing trip. That said, we bring bungees to strap the stroller onto the roof of the cart! If I had a baby I don't know if I'd want to deal with that
There is no quick service dining option at FW.

In spite of my many Pros, I feel like AoA might be a better bet for your family. I think it will be more user friendly than FW with your little ones. Especially with the food service options. Plus, you'll have that fabulous new pool. And the theme will be great for your kids. Nemo beats the Camp/Davy Crockett vibe for the under 5 crowd. Save FW for when they're a bit bigger, can really enjoy zipping around in the golf cart, taking the boats to MK, and staying up late for the campfire and singalong with Chip & Dale and then the movie.

Let us know what you decide!

 

[Max & Sam's Mom]

I think for now I am going to stick with AoA, you guys made some really good points, thanks so much for the help. I love the idea of the cabins, but there is always next time! I can see us spending a lot of time at the splash pad at AoA and I like the idea of the food court so nearby. I will definitely be checking out the cabins and resort while we are down there though, we are going to Mickey's Backyard BBQ one night so we will have a look around then, I think Ft. W sounds like so much fun! The thing that got me was not being able to drive our rental car at the resort, I didn't realize that, and I don't think all 5 of us would ever fit in a golf cart!!!

 

[digiMom]

I think you made a great choice. The kids will really relate to the theme and feel like they're at Disney! We've stayed at ASSp and POP and it's really magical for them.

 

[sharadoc]

... There is no quick service dining option at FW. ...

There are options for quick service - Trail's End to go has picnic tables or the tables and chairs at the marina to eat these meals:

Barbecued Pulled Pork Flatbread Sandwich - topped with coleslaw $8.99
Caesar Salad with Chicken $7.79
Chicken Wings - Served with Blue Cheese and Celery Sticks, and your choice of Buffalo, Honey BBQ, or Pineapple Teriyaki Sauce $9.49
Nachos - with Beef Chili, Cheddar Cheese, Sour Cream, Jalapenos, and Salsa $10.99
Chicken Meals
Served with a biscuit or cornbread, and your choice of 2 sides: Coleslaw, Macaroni & Cheese, French Fries, Mashed Potatoes, or Cowboy Beans
The Lone Rider - Two pieces of our famous fried chicken $8.39
White Meat Only $9.39

Meadows Snack Bar at the pool:

Entrees Served with Homemade Chips

Barbecued Pulled Pork Flatbread Sandwich - topped with coleslaw $8.89
Chili-Cheese Hot Dog $7.89
Southern Smothered Hot Dog - with Barbecued Pulled Pork topped with coleslaw $8.09
Tuna Salad Sandwich - with cucumber $8.09
Turkey Ciabatta Sandwich - with provolone, tomato, and basil pesto $7.99
Salads and Pizza
Caesar Salad with Chicken $7.79
Asian Chicken Salad $7.59
Pepperoni Pizza $6.29

Just wanted to mention in case folks were thinking about food options. There is specific QS restaurant, but plenty of QS options.