Howdy! FW Cabin FAQ Thread!!

[Lehuaann]

Super excited - we arrive on Friday for our first time staying at FW (in the cabins!!!). I tried calling FW directly to see if I could put in a room request (only 4 days out) but she just transferred me to the reservation line and said they don't assign rooms until day of Oh well I'm sure everything will work out! We are not renting a golf cart and have a 1yr old with stroller so hoping to be close to transportation

We've never had a request for a particular cabin or loop granted. However, upon checkin they can show you what is avail or what will be opening later in the day...but you may have to wait until late afternoon to get into your preferred cabin/site. Good luck.

 

[TSchauer83]

This is one of few places I haven't stayed at at Disney. I'm going to try to stay here later this year. My gf niece loves to camp we are looking to take her for her birthday.

 

[jwfla422]

Just got back from another stay at the cabins. I have to say we have stayed at many deluxes, DVCs, etc and so love the cabins the most, especially this time of the year when it's cold out at night. It's so peaceful and cozy there. I get the best night's sleep in those cabins!!

We love making smores, we toast our marshmellows over the little bbq outside. It's now become a tradition.

And here's some fun:

This is what we came back to last Friday after we returned from the park, what chaos (there was more than this too!)

DD's bear was sitting in my bed watching the Disney Channel!

And Chip, spent a little too much time in the bathroom getting into trouble!

And one of the handsome towel elephant animals (there was another with long eyelashes, so we figured this was the "he" and the other one was the "she")...

Was A LOT of fun!! I love this place!!

 

[havinfun]

Just got back from another stay at the cabins. I have to say we have stayed at many deluxes, DVCs, etc and so love the cabins the most, especially this time of the year when it's cold out at night. It's so peaceful and cozy there. I get the best night's sleep in those cabins!!

We love making smores, we toast our marshmellows over the little bbq outside. It's now become a tradition.

And here's some fun:

This is what we came back to last Friday after we returned from the park, what chaos (there was more than this too!)

DD's bear was sitting in my bed watching the Disney Channel!

And Chip, spent a little too much time in the bathroom getting into trouble!

And one of the handsome towel elephant animals (there was another with long eyelashes, so we figured this was the "he" and the other one was the "she")...

Was A LOT of fun!! I love this place!!

My stay in the cabins was also wonderful! It felt. Like we were coming "home" after a busy day in the parks.

 

[luvdisney77]

First time renting a golf cart for our upcoming stay in the cabins...are they like the strollers and you just park them at the dock when you catch the boat to MK, and then just get another when you come back? Or do they just keep yours there, and you get it when you come back??

 

[WDWKOOK]

This is one of few places I haven't stayed at at Disney. I'm going to try to stay here later this year. My gf niece loves to camp we are looking to take her for her birthday.

Same with us so we're really curious how we'll feel about our first stay next month.

Just got back from another stay at the cabins. I have to say we have stayed at many deluxes, DVCs, etc and so love the cabins the most, especially this time of the year when it's cold out at night. It's so peaceful and cozy there. I get the best night's sleep in those cabins!!

Was A LOT of fun!! I love this place!!

LOVE your photos! You've gotten me excited again about our first stay - thanks!

First time renting a golf cart for our upcoming stay in the cabins...are they like the strollers and you just park them at the dock when you catch the boat to MK, and then just get another when you come back? Or do they just keep yours there, and you get it when you come back??

From what I've seen, there are designated parking areas for the golf carts. You park yours and go back to it when you return. I'm still on the fence about renting one

 

[Peri]

whether you rent from WDW or from an off site vendor, you use the same cart all the time, you have the key so others cannot use it. You park at a designated cart area. The charging stations are at your cabins.

The carts are WAY worth it, in my opinion and sort of fun.

 

[jwfla422]

We have enjoyed renting carts in the past and if your budget allows definitely rent one. It is more convenient to everything and they're fun.

This past trip we had to be frugal and skip the cart and I was afraid we would really miss it but it was ok-the buses weren't bad at all. I did miss the drive thru the loops we do at night, checking out the lighting displays some of the RVs put up. That's fun!

But it isn't cheap, at almost $65 a day, adding that to the daily rate of the cabin really makes a lot more. We contemplated on renting one for just
a day but it wasn't worth it because they have to be returned by 11am the next day and we weren't going to rent it until late the day before so it just seemed real expensive for one night.

Not only do they have areas to park the carts but there are also charging outlets/stations in a lot of those areas. You might want to bring a bandana or something that you can tie to the steering wheel or somewhere on the cart because they all look alike except for the ones people bring from outside of FW and since you rent your own cart you want to be able to tell which is yours when you get back.

It looks much different when you park it in the morning and then come back to it in the afternoon. If you leave early there may be only a few other carts parked by yours but when you return there is usually a sea of carts around yours, so just keep that in mind and enjoy!!

 

[WDWKOOK]

We have enjoyed renting carts in the past and if your budget allows definitely rent one. It is more convenient to everything and they're fun.

This past trip we had to be frugal and skip the cart and I was afraid we would really miss it but it was ok-the buses weren't bad at all. I did miss the drive thru the loops we do at night, checking out the lighting displays some of the RVs put up. That's fun!

But it isn't cheap, at almost $65 a day, adding that to the daily rate of the cabin really makes a lot more. We contemplated on renting one for just
a day but it wasn't worth it because they have to be returned by 11am the next day and we weren't going to rent it until late the day before so it just seemed real expensive for one night.

Not only do they have areas to park the carts but there are also charging outlets/stations in a lot of those areas. You might want to bring a bandana or something that you can tie to the steering wheel or somewhere on the cart because they all look alike except for the ones people bring from outside of FW and since you rent your own cart you want to be able to tell which is yours when you get back.

It looks much different when you park it in the morning and then come back to it in the afternoon. If you leave early there may be only a few other carts parked by yours but when you return there is usually a sea of carts around yours, so just keep that in mind and enjoy!!

Thanks for the great advice about marking your cart. I can just imagine folks coming out of HDDR in the dark trying out all the carts till one worked

I guess I'm fussing about whether to rent one or not because we'll be there during spring break and I'm concerned that the buses might be a lot more crowded at that time and/or we might end up far away from the bus stop. I requested 2100, closest to the marina/Trail's End so we could hopefully just walk there and skip the bus, but there's no guarantee where we'll end up.

If the cart were just included in the cabin rate, I probably wouldn't give it a second thought. But, the cart ends up equal to about 1/5 the cost of the cabin for us. So when I look at it that way, I'm not sure what to do. I almost feel like a cab would be cheaper! We'll have our car so we could even drive to some parks, but I feel it's the 'less Disney' option and not as much fun. DD14 would LOVE the cart and DH left it up to me to decide. We love walking everywhere (DD not so much), but I think the cart would make our first stay more memorable and fun

Would it be nearly impossible during spring break to rent one from Disney (I don't want to do off-site) after arrival or would I really need to reserve now?

Thanks

 

[WDWKOOK]

I took a look at the Camping forum and found a question that I had always been wondering about, but never had answered. Someone asked about FW guests using the Sturdy Branches gym. Two posters answered and said they had stayed at FW in January and this month and indeed used Sturdy Branches - they just showed their KTTW card and were admitted. I asked if their KTTW cards were able to unlock the VWL/Sturdy Branches door, but I haven't gotten a response yet.

Have any of you been able to use Sturdy Branches and were you able to unlock the door with your KTTW card?


ETA: Got confirmation from the Camping forum that the SB doors are unlocked after the CM gets there. But I still wonder if the KTTW card would work over there?

 

[hstrickland]

Would it be nearly impossible during spring break to rent one from Disney (I don't want to do off-site) after arrival or would I really need to reserve now?

Well, well, well...I can't believe you are actually sticking with the cabins True to form, I see you are doing your research about your next resort You'll enjoy FW...seriously. And if your hubby said "you decide about the golf carts"...that would be an automatic call to reserve it! Like the PP said, even if you don't rent one you will still have a fabulous time. The cart just adds to the overall experience.

Enjoy your planning!
Heather

 

[WDWKOOK]

Well, well, well...I can't believe you are actually sticking with the cabins True to form, I see you are doing your research about your next resort You'll enjoy FW...seriously. And if your hubby said "you decide about the golf carts"...that would be an automatic call to reserve it! Like the PP said, even if you don't rent one you will still have a fabulous time. The cart just adds to the overall experience.

Enjoy your planning!
Heather

Still stuck to FWC, but the first three nights (at the 40% off) is harder to nail down, but AKL/CL is still there - for now

Sounds like I need to just go ahead and reserve the cart now. I can just see none being available when we get there since it's spring break. Since it's considered "recreation" (I think), I wonder if they offer an AP discount at least? You know how I like a good discount. Did you get one when you rented? Has anyone else?

 

[hstrickland]

Still stuck to FWC, but the first three nights (at the 40% off) is harder to nail down, but AKL/CL is still there - for now

Sounds like I need to just go ahead and reserve the cart now. I can just see none being available when we get there since it's spring break. Since it's considered "recreation" (I think), I wonder if they offer an AP discount at least? You know how I like a good discount. Did you get one when you rented? Has anyone else?

WHAT??? Did I read that correctly?? AKL is now up in the air?! ...I should not be surprised I'll continue to watch the ticker closely to see what happens.

Go ahead, KOOK, and just do it. I'm hoping you took your own advice and called yesterday for a ressie....but if not, you can pick up the phone and call today See how much fun we're having with the golf cart! Your DD will thank you!

In all seriousness, joking aside, have you thought about renting one for only part of your stay? I don't know how long you will be there, but I'm assuming it's your usual week+ stay. And when we rented one, we didn't get any discount...but of course I never asked either


Heather

 

[WDWKOOK]

WHAT??? Did I read that correctly?? AKL is now up in the air?! ...I should not be surprised I'll continue to watch the ticker closely to see what happens.

Go ahead, KOOK, and just do it. I'm hoping you took your own advice and called yesterday for a ressie....but if not, you can pick up the phone and call today See how much fun we're having with the golf cart! Your DD will thank you!

In all seriousness, joking aside, have you thought about renting one for only part of your stay? I don't know how long you will be there, but I'm assuming it's your usual week+ stay. And when we rented one, we didn't get any discount...but of course I never asked either


Heather

Thanks so much for the inspirational cart photo! I love how the rearview mirror runs the width of the cart. Will it beep when I back-up? Can I honk at armadillos? Still haven't reserved one as I'm paralyzed with indecision. I really feel like I need to make a decision based on how crowded the buses are and where the cabin is located. We requested Loop 2100 which is closest to the marina area.

Not only is AKL/CL up on the air, but it fell to earth and crashed. Decided it would be better to be able to walk for a few days over to Epcot for F&G and DHS so I changed (back) to BWI. Wasn't crazy about their CL last spring break, so I happily booked without. I have to admit that I did try to get it for our whole trip, but it's no longer available through the SOG overflow, so FWC remains. My only real concern are those double beds which will seem awfully small for two 5'10" adults used to a queen. DH thinks he'll sleep in a bunk and I can take the bed, but he has misgivings about that and told me to try to get BWI for the whole trip, which I can't.

So there it is, just worried about the size of the beds and golf cart necessity, but it's only for 5 nights so we'll be just fine, right? (This question is for everyone)

Just curious: Do any of you taller guests have any experience sleeping in the bunk?

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

We are vacationing at FW for the first time in August, and I have two questions...

1) Are the coffee pots real coffee pots, or are they the same as in the other resorts where you need those packets to make coffee?

2) How far, distance wise, is it from the Outpost to the Settlement?

Thanks so much. We are VERY excited.

 

[jennab]

Dh is 6'2" and I am 5'3". We share a queen at home and did fine in the full. He also would move to sleep on the bottom bunk sometimes and didn't seem to have a problem with that either&

I believe coffee pots were normal ones (filters). Not sure about the distance questions. We used the internal bus and didn't find it a long wait

 

[WDWKOOK]

Dh is 6'2" and I am 5'3". We share a queen at home and did fine in the full. He also would move to sleep on the bottom bunk sometimes and didn't seem to have a problem with that either

Thank you, jennab!

 

[SpartanMommy]

Great thread!! So much wonderful information, and I have only just begun reading! We (me, DH and DD) are planning a trip to WDW with my parents in 2015 and we were going to do the All Star family suites. Today I started looking into the cabins and this pretty much sold us on FW! Thanks!

 

[hstrickland]

We are vacationing at FW for the first time in August, and I have two questions...

1) Are the coffee pots real coffee pots, or are they the same as in the other resorts where you need those packets to make coffee?

2) How far, distance wise, is it from the Outpost to the Settlement?

Thanks so much. We are VERY excited.

When we were there in 2011, there were 2 coffee pots...one big, one small. I attached a link to our FW review. There's also a picture that shows both coffee pots.

Fort Wilderness Cabin Review


I'm not sure about the distance from the Outpost to the Settlement Have you tried looking on Allears, yet?

Thanks so much for the inspirational cart photo! I love how the rearview mirror runs the width of the cart. Will it beep when I back-up? Can I honk at armadillos? Still haven't reserved one as I'm paralyzed with indecision. I really feel like I need to make a decision based on how crowded the buses are and where the cabin is located. We requested Loop 2100 which is closest to the marina area.

Not only is AKL/CL up on the air, but it fell to earth and crashed. Decided it would be better to be able to walk for a few days over to Epcot for F&G and DHS so I changed (back) to BWI. Wasn't crazy about their CL last spring break, so I happily booked without. I have to admit that I did try to get it for our whole trip, but it's no longer available through the SOG overflow, so FWC remains. My only real concern are those double beds which will seem awfully small for two 5'10" adults used to a queen. DH thinks he'll sleep in a bunk and I can take the bed, but he has misgivings about that and told me to try to get BWI for the whole trip, which I can't.

So there it is, just worried about the size of the beds and golf cart necessity, but it's only for 5 nights so we'll be just fine, right? (This question is for everyone)

Just curious: Do any of you taller guests have any experience sleeping in the bunk?

Hmmm....so shocking you switched. I KNEW it wouldn't last. Works for me, though. BWI/BWV is our next destination, so I'm expecting a marvel review from you with pictures, of course.

Ok...so how about sleeping on the Murphy bed in the den area??? You can have one double, and hubby can have the other. Bill and I had a difficult time sleeping in that double. HOWEVER....we also said that it wouldn't prevent us from going back. What did you ever do about the golf cart???

 

[sahara910]

I have a question can you drive your own car to the campfire/ pool?
We are driving there this weekend for just 1 night (so no carts) but I also have a broken leg and don't want to walk any further than necessary. Bicycles don't work with this giant boot