POR, POFQ or fort wilderness?

[Jchoma]

I’m planning a 2019 trip, either the week leading up to Easter or the third week in June. It’ll be me, my husband and our two kids, will be eight and 11 at the time. We will likely do a split stay between a moderate and then either the poly or beach club our last two-three nights, depending on pricing. If prices are just crazy, we may stay at a moderate the whole time.

We’ve stayed at Caribbean beach in Coronado Springs and want to try something new. We will have a car with us, so buses are a non-issue. I am debating between Fort wilderness, and the two Port Orleans resorts.

I love the thought of having our own cabin with a kitchen at Fort wilderness, and if we end up going during Easter week, I think we would spend more time at the resort then we typically do because of the crowds. So having a bit more space has a lot of appeal. But, I don’t believe you can use the main pool at wilderness Lodge, is that right? The ft wilderness pools don’t look that great and my kids absolutely love a good pool. And, I’m wondering how difficult it is to get around that resort without a car. Do you have to take a bus to get to the boat transportation to MK, and how is that?

The theming at the two Port Orleans resorts looks fun, and I think you can use either pool, is that right?

I’d love some thoughts from anyone who has stayed at these resorts. Thanks!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We've never stayed in the cabins at Ft. W, but have visited the resort many times. It's so lovely! There is so much to do there and it's so peaceful, IMHO. Others, hopefully, will chime in regarding transportation, but I believe you would benefit from renting a golf cart to get around the resort if you decided to stay here (which might be fun for the kids). You cannot use the WL pool and, quite honestly, with the age of your kids, that pool isn't great there either. My DS10 got bored in the WL pool quite quickly.

The PO resorts are sister resorts which share amenities so, yes, you can use either pool. You will also have the boat to DS. Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with either resort. It just depends on the amount of space and the type of atmosphere you are looking for.

 

[daannzzz]

We have stayed all over and just finally tried the cabins last year. The cabin was a nice size and with the four of us, it was a welcome amount of space. We really loved our cabin but I would never stay there without a car. You have to take a bus to the water to get the boat to the MK or take a bus (I think can also walk from the cabins) to the front of Fort Wilderness to transfer to another bus. It seemed pretty time consuming to me. But if you are on a relaxed trip or plan your time well, this would not really be too much of an issue. We had a car so never used the bus. We were really close to a pool and could walk over. It was a nice pool area but definitely not themed like many of the other pools at the other resorts. But POR is really a reat place too. It is so beautiful and, for us, easy to get around to the food court, restaurant and shop.

 

[Jchoma]

We have stayed all over and just finally tried the cabins last year. The cabin was a nice size and with the four of us, it was a welcome amount of space. We really loved our cabin but I would never stay there without a car. You have to take a bus to the water to get the boat to the MK or take a bus (I think can also walk from the cabins) to the front of Fort Wilderness to transfer to another bus. It seemed pretty time consuming to me. But if you are on a relaxed trip or plan your time well, this would not really be too much of an issue. We had a car so never used the bus. We were really close to a pool and could walk over. It was a nice pool area but definitely not themed like many of the other pools at the other resorts. But POR is really a reat place too. It is so beautiful and, for us, easy to get around to the food court, restaurant and shop.

Thanks! So I hope this isn’t a silly question, but can you drive from your ft wilderness cabin and park near the boat to MK? I’m asking that assuming it’s a far walk to the boat. And is it pretty easy to drive from your cabin to the parks each day and to get around ft wilderness?

 

[Hopefully]

Thanks! So I hope this isn’t a silly question, but can you drive from your ft wilderness cabin and park near the boat to MK? I’m asking that assuming it’s a far walk to the boat. And is it pretty easy to drive from your cabin to the parks each day and to get around ft wilderness?

No you can not drive to the boat to the MK. You will need to take the internal bus. You can not drive around Fort Wilderness.

 

[DisneyZB]

I’m planning a 2019 trip, either the week leading up to Easter or the third week in June. It’ll be me, my husband and our two kids, will be eight and 11 at the time. We will likely do a split stay between a moderate and then either the poly or beach club our last two-three nights, depending on pricing. If prices are just crazy, we may stay at a moderate the whole time.

We’ve stayed at Caribbean beach in Coronado Springs and want to try something new. We will have a car with us, so buses are a non-issue. I am debating between Fort wilderness, and the two Port Orleans resorts.

I love the thought of having our own cabin with a kitchen at Fort wilderness, and if we end up going during Easter week, I think we would spend more time at the resort then we typically do because of the crowds. So having a bit more space has a lot of appeal. But, I don’t believe you can use the main pool at wilderness Lodge, is that right? The ft wilderness pools don’t look that great and my kids absolutely love a good pool. And, I’m wondering how difficult it is to get around that resort without a car. Do you have to take a bus to get to the boat transportation to MK, and how is that?

The theming at the two Port Orleans resorts looks fun, and I think you can use either pool, is that right?

I’d love some thoughts from anyone who has stayed at these resorts. Thanks!

Hello Jchoma.

We’ve stayed at all three and the cabins is our favorite. We like how you aren’t surrounded by that ambient hotel noise. Great for light sleepers! And the kitchen is good and the full size fridge a bonus. As to pools I think your kids will like the Meadows pool. It looks better in person. You can drive your car to your cabin and within the campground but you will have to take the internal bus to reach the boat launch. The camping forum is great at answering all your questions.

Port Orleans French Quarter is our second favorite. Nice and compact which is a blessing after a long days in the park. Haven’t been there since food court refurbished so can’t comment on it. Pool is less themed then Riversides but still nice. You can use Riversides pools but not honestly worth the walk. Boat launch to Disney Springs is a nice bonus.

I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them, really but if you are expecting to do more resort time the campground does offer a lot to do in your down time. Have fun!

 

[OneinThree]

I "grew up" going to Ft Wilderness, and I think that the resort is unbeatable for kids in what they have to offer there in comparison to a "standard" resort. That said, it's not for everyone. If you and/or the kidz aren't into outdoor activities or don't allocate much resort time outside of swimming, it may not make as much sense.

 

[JessicaW1234]

We have stayed at both POR and POFQ and we like POFQ. The theme, grounds and pool are great.

That being said, POR is a beautiful resort with a fun pool slide.

Both resorts offer the boat to Disney Springs, which is really nice to use to go to dinner sometime.

 

[Jchoma]

Thank you everyone! I think taking a bus around fort wilderness the week leading up to Easter when crowds are high might be tough. I’m guessing those buses would be pretty crowded. The idea of a relaxed trip appeals to me, but I don’t see us spending a ton of time taking advantage of the resort activities other than the pool, so I think we will check out Port Orleans Riverside or French quarter. Now I need to decide between those two!

 

[zobow02]

We love the Port Orleans resorts, I've stayed at Wilderness but not Ft Wilderness. If I were to choose between the 2 Port Orleans Resorts, I'd pick French Quarter (accommodates 4), Their food court is amazing. But if you would like to save money, stay at the cabins. Having your own kitchen to store lots of food is so much more cheaper than living on hamburgers throughout the week.

 

[mickeymom22]

We have stayed at all three! We haven't stayed in a cabin. We have always been in a camper when we were at Fort Wilderness. You are not allowed to drive your car and park anywhere within Fort Wilderness except by your cabin. You can't park a car at the pool or the boat dock. Having a golf cart is a must for my family. You can park a golf cart at the pool, the boat dock, and the bus stop. We really love Fort Wilderness...campfire with Chip and Dale, pool, watching the MK fireworks and Electrical Water Pageant from the beach, , riding the ferry to MK and the other resorts, walking over to WL, riding bikes and looking at the horses. We have not ever tried any of the food offerings there so I can't comment on that. If you splurge for a rental of a golf cart then I would say go with a cabin!

If that isn't something you want to spend money on, I would go with POFQ. That is our all-time favorite resort! We love the size of it. The boat ride to Disney Springs is convenient. One bus stop rocks! Those beignets are super yummy!

POR is nice too. If you are using your own car, then it won't bother you with the many internal bus stops. That is what puts it to the bottom of the list for me.

Sounds like you are going to have a great trip! We have done numerous split stays between the resorts! I know you will have a great time!

 

[allaboutthemouse]

Hello,
It sounds like you already made your decision, but for anyone else who might be reading this contemplating, I say FW. I’ve stayed at FQ without kids and FW a few times with kids, most recently being two weeks over Halloween. It was awesome. We love it there. Of course, we always stay in our camper or tented, never tried cabins, but I would! Our boys loved the pool- there’s a slide- campfire and movie with chip and dale so much fun, and of course “looping” (riding around in a golf cart, it is huge there, looking at decorations/sites) Which, dare I say, I think my boys enjoyed more than MK . We spent most of a day decorating our golf cart and site for Halloween, they loved that.
The other extended stay we did was ten days during Easter a couple years ago, and that was equally as enjoyable! You could decorate a golf cart for that holiday as well! Weather was so nice then, and we had space! During crowded spring break time, we had space around us to breathe lol and the Easter egg hunt and candy scramble was awesome as well.
During our recent Halloween trip, we were there two weeks and only did two Disney parks, MK and Epcot, other days were spent at KSC, LL, a couple other local things, and of course milling around the campground
Definitely if you have a car, drive to parks except MK. And I would say splurge for the golf cart! It’s part of the vacation!

 

[isabellea]

Another thing to consider is that POFQ is usually excluded from discounts.

 

[RADOPT]

We stayed at the cabins and loved it. I would stay there again. Loved the kitchen, the space inside and the distance between cabins. Our cabin was close to the dock and around the cornor from the bus. We did not have a car or a cart. We use the internal bus, buss to the parks and boat. It was very relaxing and I liked being able to be away from the crowds. I also liked not being surrounded by disney 24 hours a day.

 

[VAfamily1998]

I have stayed at all 3 and the cabins would be my vote, despite the remoteness/transportation. There's just something about being able to make a pot of coffee (or morning beverage of your choice) and relaxing in the living room or on your private deck while the rest of your family is still asleep...simple breakfasts (I'm not going to cook up eggs/bacon/pancakes while I'm on vacation!) in the comfort and convenience of your own room... not sharing a wall with neighbors, etc.

My second choice would be POR. I think the pool at POFQ would be too young for your children--and though they are sister resorts so you are certainly welcome to walk over and use the POR pools, why add the hassle? Also, I just personally liked the grounds/atmosphere of POR more.

 

[HopperFan]

Thanks! So I hope this isn’t a silly question, but can you drive from your ft wilderness cabin and park near the boat to MK? I’m asking that assuming it’s a far walk to the boat. And is it pretty easy to drive from your cabin to the parks each day and to get around ft wilderness?

No, you can't drive to anywhere in the campground. It didn't take long for the transportation to become an issue so we drove to the parks. The plus is your car is right at your cabin. This also meant taking an interior bus to everything at the campground so we ended up not appreciating anything. Loved the cabin (our kids were young) but not the isolation. We like to easily walk to food court, pools and amenities.

My pick of your three would be POR. The pool is much better for your age group, food court is great and you can still visit the other if you wish.

 

[G719]

Thank you everyone! I think taking a bus around fort wilderness the week leading up to Easter when crowds are high might be tough. I’m guessing those buses would be pretty crowded. The idea of a relaxed trip appeals to me, but I don’t see us spending a ton of time taking advantage of the resort activities other than the pool, so I think we will check out Port Orleans Riverside or French quarter. Now I need to decide between those two!

We've been at the fort when it was pretty full and the internal busses do not get crowded. They run on a loop and there is more than 1 bus running through the campground. Many people use the golf carts so that makes the busses not so crowded.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

Thank you everyone! I think taking a bus around fort wilderness the week leading up to Easter when crowds are high might be tough. I’m guessing those buses would be pretty crowded. The idea of a relaxed trip appeals to me, but I don’t see us spending a ton of time taking advantage of the resort activities other than the pool, so I think we will check out Port Orleans Riverside or French quarter. Now I need to decide between those two!

Ask for input from the Camping board before you decide regarding buses. I've never seen anyone complain about them being crowded in FW because you have 3 dedicated routes constantly looping the campgrounds.

Our solution was to rent a golf cart to get us around the fort.

Nothing is as magical, IMO, as taking that boat launch from the dock at FW on an EMH morning to the MK.

Trail's End is a hidden gem in regards to sit down meals and reasonably priced.

It really is a special place.