Please tell us about your FT Wilderness Experience!!

[sixisenough]

Hello All,
We just booked a 8 night stay at the Ft. Wilderness Cabins at the end of July. Can you tell us about the activities and your likes/dislikes? Where should we request a cabin at? We have 4 children aging 2-9. We were just at Disney in Feb and that was very busy vacation visiting all the parks and stayed at the POP, which was way too crazy. We want this one to be a more laid back time hanging out at the pools, visiting downtown disney, the other resorts, and possibly a water park. Can you use the pool at Wilderness Lodge? What are musts that we must do while we are there? This is actually kind of a free vacation, we just joined the DVC and are using our developer points to stay here. We are not in a hurry, so the transportation is not an issue for us. We are campers, so we are very excited to stay here!! Do we need a stroller for our 2 year old for the grounds? Thank you for any advice!! Have a disney day.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

I would think you would need a golf cart we rented one when we were there.
I was told we could not use the pool at the WL as fort wilderness has its own pool.
I would request a cabin near the main building but thats just me.
THe campfire is a blast.

 

[SB in KY]

You will LOVE Ft Wilderness...it is a very laid back and friendly place. Your kids are the perfect ages to enjoy it as well. I would say yes to bringing the stroller and I would definately suggest a car. You will want to get groceries and cook some I am sure. If you are driving and want to bring bikes, skates, etc the kids will probably be happy to have them. Renting a golf cart even for a day or 2 is so much fun and makes it a LOT easier to enjoy the resort activities. It is fun just to drive around and see.

There is a great campfire with Chip and Dale and make your own s'mores every night that is fun....the pools are not fancy but they are big and not usually crowded, especially during the mid-day hours. As far as I know you cannot use the WL pool but you can ask about pool hopping since you are DVC members.

Hanging out by the lake, letting the kids play in the sand, or at the playground, tetherball, volleyball, basket ball, etc, etc are all a lot of fun. It is an entirely different world there as compared to Pop....no hustle and bustle, everything moves at a much slower pace. It is the perfect location for a family vacation where you are not doing the parks 16 hours a day!

Be sure and sit down by the lake to watch the water parade one night, eat breakfast at Trails End and go to the horse barn to see the big draft horses that pull the trolleys and coaches at MK.

As far as location, we usually request one near a bus stop because some are a fair hike away but other than that I don't think there is much difference. There are 2 cabins on the 100 or 200 loop right by the Pioneer Hall and dock, the location is great but I have no idea how they decide who gets those 2 primo spots....all of thew others are quite a ways back. You might look on the Camping at Disney board and see if anyone knows about those 2 cabins...they would be totally cool. Also if you want to rent a golf cart be sure to reserve in advance (just call the Bike Barn).

 

[vbarry]

Well HI friend

Since you are DVC...you should be able to pool hop unless you are going during a black out time. There was just a list of dates on the DVC forum. You will not be able to hop to BCV or AKV pool.

Have a great trip!

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

There really is no main building to FW, so requesting that won't help. If you go to the camping board there is a link to the FW map, all the cabins are off Peacock Pass, or near the Outpost area of FW. There is a small pool near the cabins and a much larger one near the Meadows area(neither pool is themed or has a slide). You will definatly want a stroller for the little one, a golf cart if $50.00 a day, if you are going to be a a park most of the day that may be a bit much to spend to have it sitting at FW all day. I think the FW carts are limited(by the sheet you sign when you rent)to 4 ppl, but very few CMs enforce it. The internal buses will take you from your cabin loop to either the Outpost bus depot(buses to all parks except MK) or the Settlment area for the boat to MK as well as Trails End and the HDDR. I have read that the cabin bus route has changed so that it also now stops at the Meadows area for the trading post and the Campfire show.
For more info on the campfire show as well as the Fort in general check the FAQs on the Camping board, then ask anything else you need to know.

 

[teacher31]

Heed all warnings about navigating this resort as it's tough. I'd get a golf cart. We enjoyed the space, but it was a hike to the pools, dining, etc.

 

[minniekissedme]

We've done the cabins twice with five and it's nice having the room. To be able to walk out the door and have the freedom of space is a huge bonus.

Movies every night after the Chip and Dale gig are fun...

My kids were 8/6/4 the last time we went...never rented a golf cart but there is a good bit of walking anywhere you want to go. I'd try to get a cabin near the front of the loop as opposed to the middle to help cut down on the hiking in and out.

Watching MK fireworks from the beach is great.

Trails End lunch buffet is worth the price of admission!!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

You are not using points to stay at a DVC resort, so you are not eligible to pool hop. You will be limited to the FW pool and the waterparks (if you get those tickets).