Need honest opinions on FW Cabins...

[yoopermom]

We bring our motorhome, so I can't speak too much to the cabins issue, but I will say, Deb, that bugs are really not an issue (the grounds must be sprayed constantly, we rarely see a bug!). If you are two adults who value peace and quiet, and like having "space" it'll be for you. There are many days DS10 would rather stay at the campground than go to a park!

I will admit we rent a golf cart because I'm too tired at the end of the night to wait for an internal bus, but I really don't think the buses are that much worse than at the other resorts. Just relax and watch the peacocks (or maybe even an aardvark, if you're lucky...).

Terri

 

[Mich Mouse]

Yoopermom,

Have you stayed there in the summer and had no problems with bugs? We visit WDW in August every year, and there are always bug issues, at every resort. I love the cabins, but have hesitated in making ressies there for the
encephalitis season. I just thought the wooded areas in Ft. Wilderness would have to be the worst bug situation on property.

 

[tinkerbee]

We stayed there in 2003 and had a great time. There was me, DH, SIL, niece and nephew it was really nice. The grounds are really nice and even though the cabins are close together you really don't see anyone the way they are set up.
Go for it, it's a great place to stay!!

 

[lemondog]

Yoopermom,

Have you stayed there in the summer and had no problems with bugs? We visit WDW in August every year, and there are always bug issues, at every resort. I love the cabins, but have hesitated in making ressies there for the
encephalitis season. I just thought the wooded areas in Ft. Wilderness would have to be the worst bug situation on property.

It may be that Ft. Wilderness is sprayed for bugs during the summer months due to the woods and abundance of outdoor activity, whereas other resort areas are not. This may explain why there could actually be less bugs there than elsewhere on the property. Just a thought.

 

[cottontail]

Hi Terry:

I just loved watching the animal life at the poly, ducks, bunnies, and Por orleans, but never saw peacocks. Do they have some chairs or picknic table outside to sit at.

We usually drive our own car to the parks anyways. With a cabin we can park right outside our cabin, right.

Thanks,

Deb.

 

[vernon]

With a 9 month old AND 2 other kids I'm going to assume that space,laundry facilities, easy transport, resort facilities and finance are all factors.
If space and having access to a kitchen, laundry facilities (both of which the cabins provide ) transportation and resort facilities (both of which are debatable)are main priorities but money is less of one have you considered either taking a one bedroom DVC unit from Disney or the cheaper option of renting points from a DVC member?
The cheapest of the DVC, points wise is Old Key West, which offers a huge one bedroom unit with master suite ( kingsize bed and jacuzzi) a separate living/dining room and fully equiped kitchen area. The Living room has TV/VCR and two couches one is a queen size pull out sofa ( for the 2 older kids).
If you want the space AND the luxury of resort quality accommodation and facilities the DVC resorts offer you that, but they are more expensive. If you can avoid Friday and Saturday nights where the (points) cost of the rooms more than doubles you should be able to rent points from a member that would give you a per night cost from about $200 a night ( as opposed to about $400+ direct from Disney). Do remember though that this is a private deal between you and the DVC member, Disney nor this site take any responsibility for any transactions so it is advisable to take some precautions if you decide to go ahead with this method of getting accommodations.
Here's a link for the DVC board where people put up their points for rent http://disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=29 , here's a link to the point calculator http://www.wdwinfo.com/resort/dvcpoint.cfm . Just put in the dates you're thinking of travelling, the resort and the unit size ( a studio is the same size as a hotel room, one bedroom is as I decribed above) , you will then get a points cost per individual night and a total for the trip. It will be immediately obvious how much more weekends cost, so if you can avoid using weekends you will quickly see how much difference that can make.

 

[Pete W.]

With a 9 month old AND 2 other kids I'm going to assume that space,laundry facilities, easy transport, resort facilities and finance are all factors.
If space and having access to a kitchen, laundry facilities (both of which the cabins provide )

Just to clarify -- the cabins themselves have kitchens but not laundry facilities. You need to visit one of the comfort stations to do your laundry.

 

[Gillian]

No bugs in early september. Well, not any more near the cabins than anywhere else in the World.

I think they are nice, not cheesy. Lots of windows.

Our cabin was not moldy (probably that was related to the dishwasher problem?) but there was dust in a few places. I've seen that in just about every hotel I've ever stayed in, except the ones that were too new for it to have built up.

 

[NCDisNut]

Costs of the cabins vary greatly too. I've paid everywhere from $120/nt to $229/nt. Check those codes.

When I had an AP, I got the best rates. It really felt like a bargain to drive to Disney, not pay for tickets, and get a cabin for $129/nt.

 

[Skroops]

Here's another vote for the cabins! We stayed in Feb.'05, and we didn't have any complaints. The internal buses were pretty quick. It was longer however, because you have to transfer to another form of transportation at the outposts. We tried driving to MK, but it really takes the same amount of time by the time you park your car and take the parking shuttle system. For some, maybe the tranquility of your own car is helpful vs. the transferring system at FWC.
The cabins are really cute, and they have the "outdoorsy" feel. Disney does this well! There are lots of cabins close by, but you feel a nice sense of privacy. The ability to cook breakfast and keep fruits and veggies at hand was a huge plus for us. We were able to freeze our water bottles so that we could have cold water all day at the parks. Just lots of perks!
Our toddler really enjoyed the deck. It is big and roomy, and the grill is nice to have too.
It was nice to not have to worry that other guests next door would not wake up our toddler!
I agree with the last poster that you should also check into renting points from a DVC owner. Depending on your stay, that may be a good way to go too. When we rented the cabin, our stay was over the weekend, so the cabin was more economical. On our next visit, we will be renting points, but staying during the week. It'll be comparitive as far as costs go.
Good luck! You'll have a great time!

 

[jenjersnap]

No bugs in early september. Well, not any more near the cabins than anywhere else in the World.

I think they are nice, not cheesy. Lots of windows.

Our cabin was not moldy (probably that was related to the dishwasher problem?) but there was dust in a few places. I've seen that in just about every hotel I've ever stayed in, except the ones that were too new for it to have built up.

Nope, the mold problem was in the bathroom, not the kitchen. Mousekeeping obviously worked on it - the finish on the wood above the tub was literally scrubbed off. The kitchen itself was spotless, other than the stream of water issuing from the dishwasher and heading toward the front door of the cabin (which they fixed on day 3 of our stay within 24 hours of the request).

Oh, just one more note - sorry to be a downer because I don't dislike the cabins but I want people to be prepared - though it is supposed to come with pots, pans, plates and cooking utensils I think they vary quite a lot from cabin to cabin. The only pot we had was a saucepan and we were short on glassware. Plenty of plates and about 3,000,000 spoons for some reason. LOL! Just wanted to mention this in case someone desired to whip up a gourmet meal - it probably won't be too easy to accomplish. ( I wasn't about to attempt anything more complicated than oatmeal so it was okay with me!)

 

[Leota]

We were there in Feb, late Sept into Oct and Dec. We never had a problem with bugs on any of our trips. I suspect FW is pretty heavily sprayed.