Need honest opinions on FW Cabins...

[sarahg311@hotmail.co]

Are these cabins nice or cheesy? I'm kind of considering these because I have three boys (ages 7,3and 9months) I thought a kitchen would be nice but I'm having doubts. I haven't read too much about the cabins so I am uncertain. Anyone have any comments negative or positive??

Sarah

 

[iloverags2]

We stayed at the cabins, and loved them! Our girls loved the bunk beds and the murphy bed in the living room. They switched off between the two. The dining room table is really cute/cool looking also. It really gives a rustic feeling to your vacation.

 

[GrumpyC.Hook]

I would try the camping board as well as people post about the cabins there also. My mom and I stayed there May of 2004 and loved having the kitchen we had problems with finances right before we left and if we hadn't been able to bring food with us (we drove) and cook our meals we would have had to cancel. There was plenty of room. The only downfall that it has is transportation. I would recommend either a rental car to drive to some of the farther parks or a Golf cart to drive up to the bust stop for the parks or to the marina for the boat service. The internal busses took forever. we waited over 30 minutes to get a bus from the marina to the cabins. There is a lot at the campground that the kids could do such as the petting zoo, the campfire, and you do have your pool right near the cabins which is nice. I would recommend the cabins but would recommend a rental car or a golf cart!
Amy

 

[sarahg311@hotmail.co]

I'm not into camping but my boys are!!! Do the cabins have the WDW feeling or no?? We will have a rental car so transportation is not a problem. I really wanted WL but there were no rooms available for my stay so I was thinking of the cabins. This might be better for me because I'll have an infant.

 

[ksd1283]

One year I booked the cabins .When we pulled up to our cabin we quickly realized it wasn't for us! We like a fun pool , conveinence,etc.. We made a quick call to CRO and switched to the Poly and had a great time!! If you'd like hotel with an adventurous feel for the boys and a nic hotel feel for you why not savannah view at AKL.My sister says the boys love it- they have special binoculars to see animals at nite.

 

[tinksgirl]

I am a deluxe snob,we have stayed at almost all of the deluxes most concierge stays about 3 times a year for the last 8 years.We have stayed at the cabins atleast 3 times. The cabins offer more space than a hotel our kids are older now but it was so nice when they were young to not be on top of eachother,I am not one who cooks on vacation(i dont even do that well at home) with the grill they provide we have had some wonderful cookouts
and a few meals here and there, after many visits to disney over the years all of the food starts to taste the same so spagetti in the cabin one night starts to sound good.I believe a golf cart is a must the resort is really big and you miss out on alot of fun without one, drive to the pool drive to the marina hop on the boat to MK pile your family in and cruise the resort.I have a hard time in hotels listening to doors slamming kids running in the halls toilets in the night, what i love about the cabins it is peaceful you are not connected to anyone else big plus for me.I wouldnt choose to stay here every vacation,just got back from a dvc vacation at the boardwalk now im ready for a more laid back vacation.I made ressies yesterday for april vacation at the cabins got a great AP rate for 2 cabins and 2 carts. DS is leaving for the Navy in June so we are taking him and 2 friends in 1 cabin and DH 2 DDs and DDs friend in a cabin i cant wait.I would stay at the cabins if you dont mind a little more remote peaceful vacation they are far from cheesy.

 

[Ocean Springs Mom]

I don't know if you watched the Magical World of Disney on Sunday nights growing up or not...but this is what FW reminds us of. The camp fires, the dude ranch feeling. It's very pretty, quiet and the cabins are cozy. We grilled a couple of nights, rode bikes a lot, and enjoyed the camp fire with Chip and Dale. The lake has a nice beach. The cabins are quiet and not too close together, so if the baby is crying you won't feel stressed about waking others. It really just depends on your preferences. Different resorts work better at different times. Hope this helps.

 

[mmluvr]

We love the cabins. We've stayed at almost all the deluxe hotels, mods, and values; we prefer the cabins. We have stayed there at least 5 out of our last 8 trips.

We love the fact that you pull up to your cabin and unpack the car. We also love that you are in your own dwelling and do not have to hear noise in the hallways-people talking loudly, kids screaming and running, etc like you would in a hotel. The kitchen is a definite plus as is the two tvs (my son is addicted to "Channel 96" the channel that runs the cartoons on a loop. He can recite the cartoons in his sleep for crying out loud!).

The only drawback (IMHO) is the transportation. I am not a bus fan (I feel like I am commuting. I used to commute to NYC and had to do it via bus/rail so the less time I spend on a bus the better.) and avoid them as much as possible. I find it cumbersome to have to take an internal bus down to the boat to go to the MK and the cost of a golf cart is not worth it. Driving to the MK is a huge pain because you have to go to the TTC and that is not appealing to me.

My son is five and adores the cabins. Also I forgot to mention that there is a nice porch outside the cabin. (I love getting up early and watching the sunrise.) It is always very peaceful and quiet.

Any questions please ask!

 

[Boo'sMom]

Cabins themselves were fine, great to have the extra space, the kitchen, and not feel like you were "on top of" everyone else. IMHO a good choice for famliies with more than 2 kids.
The only drawback, and it's a HUGE ONE was the transportation, the internal and external bus loops were awful. If we had rented a car, I probably would have enjoyed our stay more.

 

[Wee Annie]

We stayed in a cabin in 2003 and really loved it! It was perfect for us -- it had a separate bedroom so we could put the kids to bed and then stay up ourselves, and a kitchen so we could eat breakfast (and sometimes dinner) easily at the cabin. My in-laws came down for part of the stay and slept in the murphy bed in the living room. I thought they were very well done and not "cheesy" at all. We rented a golf cart and I don't think I'd stay there without one (it's a big campground and otherwise you'll have to rely on their bus service to get to the MK launch, trading post, etc., because you can't drive there). And the golf carts get booked up fairly quickly, so book one quick, if you're interested.

All in all, we really loved it and would return. We stayed at the AKL this year, and although my kids really loved that, they said they liked the cabins just as much.

 

[lyncruiser]

We thought the cabins were incredibly inconvenient. We had a golf cart, which helped, but the cart cost $40 per day -- more than our rental car! Note that a car really doesn't help much at Fort Wilderness since you have to park it at the Cabin and then use either your golf cart, of if you don't have one, the internal buses.

We liked our stay at HIFS much better than our stay at the Cabins. Since we had a rental car, we thought it was just as easy to get to the parks from HIFS as from the Cabins.

Also, the only eating options, unless you cook food in the Cabins, are the buffet (we don't like buffets and didn't want to pay $9.99 for a 6-year old who eats almost nothing), or pizza -- which they insisted we couldn't eat at Crockett's Tavern but had to take out and eat either outside or back at the Cabin.

 

[cutienibbler]

I loved staying at the cabins, the only part I didn't like was the transportation system. We didn't have a golf cart, so we walked alot, it was time consuming. I would stay there again, but with a golf cart!

 

[Buzz2001]

FW FAQ

We stayed there once and it was nice. The cabins are in great shape (back in 2000). Plenty of room, nice, quiet woodsie feel. The pool was average but we didn't spend much time there. The campfire is great, the Trails End buffet was awesome and the Hoop De Doo Review was cool.

 

[MajorDaisy]

We LOVED our stay at the Cabins. I loved not having to worry about how loud the kids were being. The short walk to the bus stop every morning was beautiful!!! We used a town car service from the airport, did not rent a golf cart & used the bus system the entire 7 days. We had not a single problem & never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus - in January.

We ate breakfast every morning in the cabin. Worked great for getting ready at different speeds (DD11 v. DS 7). After 5 days eating lunch & supper out the kids were ready for a meal in the cabins. They also were ready for a night of not being over stimulated so they played in the yard around the cabin, while I sat on the deck & relaxed & DH caught up on ESPN action he had missed.

As for Disney feel, it's all around. Mousekeeping left Mickey & gang coloring sheets for the kids, the Chipmunks are at the campfire, along w/ disney songs & disney movie. The outpost & settlement are full of Mickey magic.

I would highly recommend the Cabins, My only problem is being able to convince DH to try another resort.

 

[Leota]

We have stayed at the cabins three times, with another stay on deck. We have also stayed at several deluxe, one mod & one value resort, so we have alot to compare it to. We found they worked perfect for our DS when he was young. The extra room, the kitchen facilities, the solitude made it very convienent for a little guy. He also loved the Western theme. That's why we choose to stay there again in Dec when we bring our grandchildren.

I think FW is filled with Disney Magic - from all the great activities for kids, Chip & Dale Singalongs, Wishes from the Beach,to the boat ride across Bay Lake & Seven Seas Lagoon to Kagic Kingdom....

I agree that the transportation isn't as convienent as other Disney resorts due to the size of the resort & the pools aren't themed like the others. These were small cons in comparison with all the great pros for us. We use Disney transpo exclusively & were never discouraged by FW transpo, it just wasn't as great as being on the monorail or walking distance.

To each his own. I suggest you do a pro & con sheet & see what you come up with. That's what I did with my step-son & his wife to decide where we would all stay this Dec. FW won hands down for all of us.

 

[NCDisNut]

We stay almost exclusively in the cabins now. We've stayed all over the place in the past -- on property, off property... moderate and deluxe. We like the space and the feel. We like the campfires and the movies. We like being able to have a cookout. If you are the kind of person who enjoys deluxe accomodations, it's probably not for you. If you like the outdoors and you like a little space, it's great.

 

[Swimnoid]

We love the cabins and would rather stay there than anywhere else now...to the point of maybe foregoing a WDW trip if we couldnt get the cabins! I agree with all the above plus points of the cabins. Another one for us since our DD is older is that she can take a friend easily and there is plenty of room for everybody to spread out.

The transportation doesnt bother us at all. If we had little kids, though, it might be more inconvenient.

80 more days until we are there again!!!

 

[jenjersnap]

We stayed at the cabins in December. It was okay. We prefer other deluxes, but, if we have a 3rd child, I imagine we'll be spending our fair share of visits at FW cabins in the future. My 4-year-old liked it very much, but we combined it with a stay at AKL and that is where his heart is.

As everyone says, transportation was abysmal. We rented a car for the parks, but getting to MK was a pain any way you sliced it. We wouldn't spend the money for a golf cart. That is a waste of dollars to us, dollars that could be better served at a monorail resort.

Our cabin was pretty dirty and rundown (moldy, floors that remained black with dirt no matter how many times I scrubbed, a dishwasher that leaked), but the extra space was nice. I liked the setting, so peaceful, and our mousekeeper did her part to add Disney magic with several towel animals.

The pool is a big concrete rectangle. The beach/marina area was fun with a petting zoo and that is where Trails End and HDDR are. Unofrtuantely, we didn't make it to the campfire so I can't comment.

Give it a try, I say! Have fun.

 

[jiggerj]

We stayed in the cabins (2502 I think) and thought they were wonderful! They ONLY drawback and this is really petty is that the bunk bed is "low" My ds bonked his head the first time in there(had a nice lump for a few days!) but then again thats my ds not all ds's are as accident prone as my ds! Swim vests were not provided at the pools and my dh had to find trans to and back from the bike barn to get one. House keeping was WONDERFUL! The privacy of sitting out on your own little patio in the middle of Disney "wilderness" was nice.

Cabins were clean and actually quite modern for a cabin theme.

I say GO FOR IT!

ps...Liked the gift shop too!

 

[cottontail]

Hi: Enjoying reading about the cabins. What about just two adults, it seems most enjoy the cabins for the extra sleeping area for kids etc.

My children are grown, and hubby and I like to go to wdw, would this be a good place for two adults. Also are there a ton of mosquitoes during the day and early evening?

Deb.