Just back from 6 nights at FW Cabins with 2 and 5 year old boys. Any ??

[MichiganMommy]

We had a great time staying at the Wilderness Cabins. I'd be glad to answer any questions.

 

[jenbren]

Boy do I have questions!

We're going down in June with our girls, 5 & 8 and their grandparents for 7 nights. What extras do we need (kitchen or outdoor)? Did you take your own outdoor chairs or are there any at the cabin? Do you think it will be comfortable for 4 adults and 2 kids? I'm a little concerned about the beds - are they ok?

What loop were you in? I think I requested 2500 but not having been there before I really don't know if that is the ideal one or not.

I'm sure I'll think of more! Thanks in advance!

 

[lisapooh]

2500 is a very good loop. Near pool and bus stop.

Any news on 2700 and 2800? Are they finished yet? Want to go at the end of April and again the first weekend in June.

Pooh

 

[GrandmaB]

I'm sending my DD and her family (DSIL and 4 boys, ages 9, 8, 7 and 5) to Ft. Wilderness February 2-7, 2002. I've been anxiously awaiting MichiganMommy's return!

1. Were the parks crowded while you were there? Do you think it's a good time of the year to go?

2. Did you attend the campfire at Ft. Wilderness? If so, what did you think of it?

3. Did you attend the Hoop-de-Doo Revue? Is it really worth the cost? Are the Hoop-de-Doo Revue and the Barbecue the same thing?

4. Do you think the boys will have fun staying in a cabin at Ft. Wilderness? They're VERY active...

5. While you can never predict the weather, how was it the beginning of February?

I just want everything to be perfect for them.

Anxiously awaiting your repl

GrandmaB

 

[Disney Campers]

I will answer the Hoop Dee Doo question, it is not the same as the backyard BBQ. We went and took my niece and nephew, I was not sure how they would like it - to my surprise we had a front row table and my nieve loved the entire show, she paid attention during the who show, no each time we drive past pioneer hall in our golf cart she says I want to go to "Hoopy doo".

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[MichiganMommy]

Jenbren –

What was the cabin stocked with? Jeff Spencer’s website has a kitchen inventory that pretty much summed up what was there. One thing that was different from Jeff’s list was that they did leave some dish soap (for washing dishes by hand). There were also 2 coffee makers - a 12 cup and a 4 cup – automatic drip type. The 1st day they left 2 filter packs of coffee (1 reg, 1 decaf) for the 4 cup pot. We brought our own coffee, but I forgot filters, and when I went to buy some from the settlement depot, they were out of both filters and the filter packs! Called housekeeping and their only solution was to use the paper towels (provided in the cabin) to make a coffee filter. So we had our Starbucks brewed using a paper towel filter! Actually didn’t taste as bad as I thought it would (LOL – DH would probably disagree!). You might consider bringing some paper plates and plastic spoons/forks... There were 6 of every type of dish and eating utensil. The maid did run the dishwasher everyday, but did not unload – so we ended up washing things by hand several times. I’m not complaining, it was nice that they ran it, but it seemed that we were always scrounging for spoons and coffee mugs. Also – there are no storage containers (tupperware) for leftovers etc... As Jeff Spencer mentioned, there are no kitchen staples (salt, pepper, etc..) provided.

The deck had a big (state park style) picnic table. No other lawn chairs. We pulled the kitchen chairs out onto the deck a couple of times so we could have a chair with a back. The grill is the standard (state park style) grill.

Room size – we had 2 adults and 2 kids (2 and 5 years old) – and there was plenty of room for us. DH and I slept on the Murphy bed. The bedroom is very crowded – had to put the pack & play crib ½ way into the closet, but didn’t have any “hanging up” clothes anyhow. The double bed is also pushed up to the wall on one side. We also put the Murphy bed up as soon as we were awake – too crowded with it down (about 6” between bed and couch on one side, and about 12 inches between kiddie tables and bed on the other). There was a kitchen table that had a bench attached to one wall, and 3 chairs. The deck is nice a big, so in good weather you have that added space. One other note, the bedroom was not exactly sound-proof, the door had a pretty big gap at the bottom. There was a big attic-type fan in the hallway that we ran when we put the kids to bed to muffle the noise from the living room (TV & conversation). Both double beds are regular doubles (not Queen). The Murphy bed was much more comfortable than any pull-out couch I’ve ever slept on, but not as comfy as the double bed in the bedroom. Another note for a group of 6 people, there isn’t a ton of storage space. There are 6 small drawers in the bedroom, a pantry cabinet in the kitchen (which we used for clothes) and 2 cabinets on either side of the Murphy bed. We put our empty suitcases on the top bunk, but if you need that for sleeping, you might have to store them in your car. That said, it was actually bigger than what I had expected from reading other people’s posts and looking at Jeff Spencer’s photos.

The other thing that was a pleasant surprise, was how nice and new the cabins were. The countertops were solid surface (like Corian), and the floor was a Pergo-like wood. Bedroom had carpet. The appliances were very nice – Microwave was the same as mine at home (and I know it’s not bottom-of-the-line).

There were plenty of bathroom towels (extra cabinet in the bathroom was stocked full).

We stayed in # 2124. It worked just fine for us. Then again, we had a golf cart (rented from GCE) which we used a lot!! This loop is not near the “cabin” pool, but when we were there the Meadows pool was a lot warmer, so we swam there. If you are going to be using the bus service, you might want to request a cabin close to a bus stop. One note... In our loop, most of the cabins close to the bus stop also backed up to one of the main roads – you might hear the bus traffic in the bedroom.

Grandma B...

We were delighted by how un-crowded the parks were. We were there Jan 29-Feb 2 and our longest wait for a ride was 10 minutes (with the exception of DUMBO). Most of the time, you could get on a ride as fast as you could walk through the “maze”. This was great, because we didn’t have to be theme park “commandos”. After the 1st day (when I got everyone up at 6:15 so we could make EE at MK), we slept in. I’m LOL because “sleeping in” for my 2 year old is 6:45! Still, we took our time getting ready and eating breakfast at the cabin, and arrived at the parks about 8:30.

Campfire and Hoop-de-Doo... Unfortunately we never did the campfire or hayride (kids were too tired). Never did Hoop-de-Doo either. I was undecided about the Hoop-de-Doo, it seems like a lot of people really like it, but I didn’t think our kids (and adults) would get $110 worth of enjoyment out of it. (I don’t know the exact price, but I do recall it was $46 for adults). With all the “shows” that you can see for free at WDW, we decided to skip the Hoop-De-Doo. I think the BBQ is a seasonal thing, it didn't look like it was offered when we were there.

Was there enough to do on around FW??? We took a day off in the middle of the week, and it was cool and rainy. We still went to the petting zoo (about 45 minutes), had a late character breakfast at Artist Point (wonderful), explored the Wilderness Lodge and went to DD in the late afternoon. I think if the weather was good, you could definitely spend a day just at FW with the pools, beach, playgrounds, etc... Everytime we passed a playground, our kids wanted to get out and play. I think they enjoyed some “unstructured” playtime after the intensity of the Parks. We watched fireworks from the boat dock one night also – wasn’t as nice as being at MK, but we could still see them pretty well. Never did do the campfire or hayride (kids were pooped out). Our kids were also glad to just run around outside the cabin and play on the golf cart (pretend to drive...). DH would supervise (beer in hand), but really, there was hardly any traffic – and the few cars that did come by drove really slow. I appreciate the campground’s rule against driving cars around. It made for a really nice atmosphere. Another note on the pools, FW is probably the only resort without “themed” swimming pools. The pools were very large and really nice (looked nicer in person than in the photos I saw before we left). My kids didn’t know about the other themed pools, and so it wasn’t a problem for us.

Weather... It was really nice (upper 60s/low 70s) for the 1st few days. Then it turned cloudy and rainy for 3 days. Honestly, the rain was pretty well timed (mostly during naps and at night). We didn’t change our plans at all, just brought jackets with hoods. Most of the time it was more mist than rain, so our legs and feed didn’t get soaked, just damp. It was warm enough that we didn’t get really cold. From what I’ve seen of Florida weather, it rarely pours for extended periods of time. Just cloudbursts.

I know this is long, but I also know I enjoyed reading detailed posts when I was planning our trip – so hopefully this will help out some of you who are planning. If you have any other questions, please let me know (as if I haven’t gabbed enough already!!).

 

[jenbren]

Thanks Michiganmommy (from a fellow Michigan mommy!) I appreciate all the good info - I'm getting great ideas for my lists!