Our Stay in a Ft. W. Cabin

[TwoAtDisney]

My husband & I stayed in Cabin 2660 from 12/1 to 12/5/12 = 4 nites. We have stayed in several WDW resorts, and have stayed in our RV at Ft.W., but this was our first time in a Cabin. We stayed 6 nites at POFQ with the DDP, & then moved to the Cabin = total of 10 nites. Our reason for trying a Cabin is because we love the outdoors of Ft.W. but no longer have an RV. Next time, we plan to rent an RV from an outside source to park at Ft.W. or stay at POFQ.

For the 10 days stay, we only had 4 park tickets & 2 of those were used for dining purposes only. We had a rental car. We did not take any transport from POFQ or Ft.W. to the parks or DTD.

NOTE - The following review is only addressing our negative opinions, because the bottom line is - we would not stay in a Cabin again. However, it is only our opinion, not a suggestion for debate. I am only providing the following negative experiences for others to consider in case such situations are important to them. I am not saying the Cabins ruined our trip or that Disney is terrible or that no one can enjoy staying in a Cabin.

OK, here goes - sorry to Cabin lovers everywhere
1. Not clean enough for us -
A. The carpeted floors had "ring around the walls" dirt & dust. It's been a long time since someone used a vacuum or carpet cleaner to clean the carpet around the edges.
B. The deck is not swept & always looked nasty with all of nature's debris.
C. The rough wood used as rafters & trim work attracts dust & hair - saw such hanging from rafters in bedroom, on door trims, & on mirror trim in bathroom. I'm clean, but not obsessively, but this was creepy!

2. Soooo DARK - All the dark wood & tiny windows make the Cabin so dark. It drove us crazy! It wasn't the small space since we full-timed RV for 6 years in our travel trailer.

3. Banged up - Really not well maintained; nicks in the furniture, doors, etc. all over. Front door was tacky - poorly maintained. Condition was more like a Motel 6.

4. Uncomfortable furniture -
A. The living room couch was so saggy it was difficult to get out of! It was like a comedy routine .
B. The 2 person bed in the bedroom was really a double size, not a queen, & it was shoved against the wall, so one person had to climb over the other to get out.
C. There was room on one side of the living room Murphy bed for 1 human foot, but not 2 feet together. Plus the person trying to navigate between the Murphy bed & the couch usually ended up with crying toes that were banged on the feet of the Murphy bed. We slept in the Murphy bed because at least it was not shoved against the wall. But after the 2nd nite, my husband moved to the double bed in the bedroom because the Murphy bed was so low to the floor, that he said it was like crawling out of a hole - I laughed!
D. Our main reason for trying a Cabin was for the private deck, rather than sitting in a public outdoor area. Sitting at the picnic table for any length of time was too uncomfortable - obviously no back rest. Patio chairs should be placed on the decks.

5. Housekeeping - We only had cleaning service on one day of our 4 nites. Even tho we called & requested 10am-noon cleaning, & we were advised that would be ok, the housekeeper showed up about 3pm, just in time for us to be getting ready to go out for dinner. We declined the service. In our annual visits to WDW, we always make this request & it has never been a problem. This time, we were successful for 3 nites out of 6 at POFQ, & 1 nite out of 4 at Cabin. It appeared to us that the number of housekeepers has been reduced. So this situation was not unique to the Cabin.

6. Inconvenient - We did not rent a golf cart - our fault. I would never again stay at Ft.W. without a golf cart. Taking the bus to fill our mugs or just to visit the Settlement was obviously not worth the effort. Also, we like to wander around the loops & talk with the other folks. After other extensive walking, riding around in a golf cart is much more enjoyable than walking. Note - We think Disney's golf cart prices are ridiculously high & would not pay the price. We would rent from an outside source with delivery/pickup service. NOTE - For those visiting during the same time period & expecting to rent a Disney cart upon checkin, we heard a staff member telling a guest that none were available on the date we checked in, Saturday, 12/1.

7. Boat - Once we took the boat from Ft.W. to Wilderness Lodge. We waited at least 20 minutes for the boat to arrive at Ft.W. That's too long for us. We had a rental car & could have been there & back in that time. While this is not a deal breaker, it is inconvenient if the boat was our only option. With our Wilderness salads from Roaring Forks in hand, we took the bus back to Ft.W. We waited for the bus for only about 5 minutes.

8. Mug Self Serve Operating Hours - We had mugs. But Trail's End didn't open until 7:30am & Meadows opened at 8am. Although I was still in bed (!), this was not early enough for my hubby's early morning coffee, even if he had been willing to drive the car to Meadows, or take the bus, which he wouldn't. POFQ opened at 6am for coffee & it's an easy & enjoyable walk.

9. Price - Obviously with all mentioned above, we do not think the big price that Disney charges for the Cabins is worth it.

 

[WLSILVERCREEKSPRINGS]

Thanks for your review, I appreciate your perspective, I've thought about trying them sometime but a couple of the things you point out about FW have kept us away. Much prefer the compactness and ability to stay inside in bad weather when staying at WL.

 

[BearcatsFan]

Thank you for your review and honest opinion. My brother and his wife are considering FW cabins for their next stay, so I'm always on the lookout for information (positive and negative).

 

[fla4fun]

I'm a little confused because you considered transportation to be a negative, but are willing to stay at FW so long as you are in a rented RV instead of a cabin. Personally, I've stayed in the cabins a few times and can never justify the price of a golf cart for a solo trip, and have found the Disney transport to be as adequate at FW as any other resort. I've waited 20 minutes for boats at GF, Poly, WL and the Epcot resorts the same way I've waited 20 minutes for buses at every resort. It's not always 20 minutes, not even frequently 20 minutes - but it does happen. However, if it had been me, I would have taken the bus to WL instead of the boat, as the orange bus frequently changes to the WL bound bus at the Settlement so you don't even have to change buses to get there.

I do agree that the cabin housekeeping is a little hit and miss. I think a part of the timing issue has to do with the fact that the carts and housekeepers are dropped off at the loop and picked up from the loop - it's more difficult to just leave a cart in the street waiting until a guest feels it's a convenient time. But I agree that there's no excuse for basic dusting and vacuuming not to be done.

I have found the furniture quality to be hit and miss like the DVC resorts. Sometimes I've had great furniture in the cabin, and sometimes it obviously needs a refurbishment - I've had saggy sofabeds in the DVC resorts and then some that were brand new. I'm a little confused regarding your comments on the size of the beds. It's pretty well known that the cabins still have double beds instead of queen beds. I don't even think they could fit a queen bed in the bedroom. I'm surprised they haven't put two bunks in the bedroom and then a queen Murphy in the living room. I think that would be a better use of the space.

It's also pretty well known that FW is not the best resort for people on the dining plan or using refillable mugs. Since a majority of people staying at the resort are preparing their own food, it's just not the priority it is at the other resorts. It can be a hike from some of the DVC resorts to the refill stations - and I would guess it's for the same reason.

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your cabin stay, but I'm happy you haven't written off FW altogether. I have enjoyed my cabin stays, but I tend to stay there when I want a more laid back, resort intensive trip.

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

I WAS a cabin lover but your review was spot on. We just returned from a 7 night trip 11/26-12/4. It was nothing like the last time. Spotty service and don't get me started on the refillable mugs (the closing hours seemed to change whenever the CM decided to lock it up). Sorry to say we will no longer stay there. We have decided after 3 trips staying in the MK area our family of growing children will venture over to the EPCOT area.