New to FW Lots of ?'s

[Irish Twins]

Hi! This past May we went to see the HDDR on our way there we fell in love with Fort Wilderness. (We are new at WDW.) Anyway ever since we drove through my husband wants to stay in one of the cabins. We are thinking about going back the second week of May 2009. As I started looking into this I found that the cabins are not exactly the same price a as value resort. I was kinda surprised. Anyway I see that most people rent golf carts while at The Fort. This too is not exactly cheap. So here comes the questions:

1. Is the Golf Cart something we need to have our entire stay or could we just rent it for a day or two?

2. Is there a minimum stay in the cabins?

3. What is the big deal about Cabin 118? I saw a post about this. Should I try and get it? If not 118 what other loops should I try for?

4. What are some must do's while at FW?

5. Which guidebook that has the best information about FW?

Thanks so much for your help!

Kerri

 

[2goofycampers]

Hi! This past May we went to see the HDDR on our way there we fell in love with Fort Wilderness. (We are new at WDW.) Anyway ever since we drove through my husband wants to stay in one of the cabins. We are thinking about going back the second week of May 2009. As I started looking into this I found that the cabins are not exactly the same price a as value resort. I was kinda surprised. Anyway I see that most people rent golf carts while at The Fort. This too is not exactly cheap. So here comes the questions:

1. Is the Golf Cart something we need to have our entire stay or could we just rent it for a day or two?

You can rent it for as long or as little as you want.

2. Is there a minimum stay in the cabins

No.

3. What is the big deal about Cabin 118? I saw a post about this. Should I try and get it? If not 118 what other loops should I try for?

This is one of 2 cabins close to the marina and in the camping loops not in the cabin loops. You can request these but very few are granted this request. Any loop is fine, they are all the same.

4. What are some must do's while at FW?

Campfire movie program, Electric water pageant, fireworks from the beach.


5. Which guidebook that has the best information about FW?

We like Birnbaums. But you will get much better info here.

Thanks so much for your help!

Kerri

hope this helps

 

[clkelley]

The cabins are NOT what you may be thinking of as a cabin. Most people when they hear the word cabin, they think of the little KOA camping cabins which provides really nothing except a bed and electricity.

The Ft. Wilderness cabins are HOMES. They have a fully appointed bedroom with a full bed and bunk beds, a full bath, a full living room with a fold down murphy bed, 2 tvs with cable and there is also internet access (extra fee), and a full kitchen with stove, oven, fridge, dishwasher, and dishes!! (and some pots and pans). There is housekeeping every day, and they will even load and start your dishwasher for you.

So that's why the cabins cost more than a value!!

 

[Shannone1]

1. Is the Golf Cart something we need to have our entire stay or could we just rent it for a day or two?

Kerri

To answer the golf cart question- the golf carts are very handy for getting around the Fort. You can go "looping" and check out all of the cool campsites, quickly get to the settlement/marina/outpost where they have plugs so your cart can charge while parked. The cabins (which the exception of the two in the 100 loop) are at the back of the Fort near the Outpost (or maybe that is the front depending on how you look at it ).

Anyway, the cabins are the farthest away from the marina area. You can't drive your own vehicle around inside the Fort so the only way to get to those places is walking/riding bikes/getting on one of the buses/or the golf carts. Most of the regulars here would suggest the golf cart because they are fun In my opinion they are worth saving up some extra money for.

You can reserve them up to a year ahead of time. During peak times they usually don't have any available for walk ups.

 

[momofsarah]

We stayed at FW last week and I don't know what we would have done without the golf cart; we even had someone across from us come up and ask how they could survive at the Fort without a golf cart. It made life easier, especially after getting back from MK at 1:00 am and not having to worry if the bus even runs that late (we were in the 2100 loop). So I agree that it is worth saving up for.

I requested cabin 118 for our trip but didn't get it; I love the loop we were in.

 

[WeCampDisney]

Irishtwins, welcolm to the wonderful magic that is Fort Wilderness. You are just beginning to plan the greatest vacation adventure of your life! Enjoy learning all about it and preparing for this first of most certainly many trips to the Fort. I agree with most folks about the golf carts. It is so worth the cost. While we adore this very special resort, we would never consider not having a golf cart. It is a big part of the whole Fort Wilderness experience. This is a huge spralling resort and being about to cruise around site seeing is really fun. Some day I will get my own cool cart complete with custom Disney paint job. Having said all of that, some folks do not do carts and they have a great time without them.This is a perfect place for bicycles as well.

 

[lklasing]

We stayed at FW last week and I don't know what we would have done without the golf cart; we even had someone across from us come up and ask how they could survive at the Fort without a golf cart. It made life easier, especially after getting back from MK at 1:00 am and not having to worry if the bus even runs that late (we were in the 2100 loop). So I agree that it is worth saving up for.

I requested cabin 118 for our trip but didn't get it; I love the loop we were in.

We were in 2100 too and loved it! It's what I'm asking for on our next trip.

Regarding the golf cart, I agree with those who say it's worth the money. I just looked at it as part of the cost of the resort. In my opinion, it's worth every dime - saves time, saves energy and is lots and lots of fun. For what it's worth, I give a pretty decent description of our experience with the golf carts and cabins in general in the second trip report referenced in my signature below.

Regardless of what you choose regarding the golf cart, have a GREAT time at the Fort! It's such a fun place to be!

Leslie

 

[bama_ed]

If you plan to drive to the Fort next May perhaps you could bring bikes instead of getting a golf cart. As expensive as the golf carts are, you could buy bikes and a carrier for what the rental would cost.

The cabins are set off on one end of the Fort and not close to Pioneer Hall end of FW nor the main Trading Post. The internal bus system is designed more to get you to an off-Fort transportation point and less for internal uses (but you can still get around if you are not in a hurry).

You'll LOVE the cabins. Build a day or two into your schedule to skip the parks and just sleep in, swim at the Fort, have the kids participate in the daily (free) childrens activities, do the campfire and singalong, roast marshmellows, and just chill. To me the Fort is a destination in itself.

Bama ED

 

[Irish Twins]

You guys are getting me so excited!!!!

 

[dtum]

We stayed in the cabins in 2004 and it was great. Plenty of room for six people. May is a great time to go, also. It's the "dry" season so those afternoon showers are few and far between and the temp is still in the 80s so the weather is great! They have the triathlon in May, so it can be very crowded during that time, but it's over on Sunday and things get very quiet after that.

We don't go for the golf cart. We walk where we can and take the internal buses to get to the parks. We tend not to be in such a hurry while at the fort and plan for the waiting time on buses if we need to be someplace at a certain time. Never could justify the cost-even building in the cost to your budget I'd rather use the extra $$ for another meal out someplace. JMO (actually on our last trip I found having the golf carts all over the place rather annoying)