Renting a golf cart

[Haley R]

Do you have to do this ahead of time? We’re going May 9-12 and plan to just rent from Disney. I didn’t know if I need to call ahead or if we can get one when we get there

 

[amcc]

Call ahead. You might not need to reserve but they do sell out and you want to ensure you get one.

 

[Stratman50th]

You have to pay to reserve. I've had to pay for the full rental in advance. You can cancel if plans change and get a refund, but as mentioned above, get your cart reserved now so you have it.

 

[team bradfield]

Agree with @Stratman50th, we have always reserved in advance

 

[Haley R]

Thank you! Is the number listed on the Disney site somewhere?

 

[Syndrome]

Thank you! Is the number listed on the Disney site somewhere?

Call the Bike Barn - (407) 824-2742 . Warning : you may be on hold for a while ! I think the hours are 9-5 .
If you think you want a cart , dont wait - reserve it asap . They do sell(rent) out . Currently they are $67. a day !
We recently reserved one for our stay in about 2weeks , and they took our CC# , but did not charge the card . She said the card gets charged on the date the cart is reserved for pick-up . Sounds accurate, because I havent seen any charges show up on my CC yet .

 

[bama_ed]

Call the Bike Barn - (407) 824-2742 . Warning : you may be on hold for a while ! I think the hours are 9-5 .
If you think you want a cart , dont wait - reserve it asap . They do sell(rent) out . Currently they are $67. a day !
We recently reserved one for our stay in about 2weeks , and they took our CC# , but did not charge the card . She said the card gets charged on the date the cart is reserved for pick-up . Sounds accurate, because I havent seen any charges show up on my CC yet .

True. Call right at 9am Eastern time as the CM answering the phone is also renting canoes, returning fishing poles, blah blah and they can get busy during the day (no voicemail). So your best chance of them picking up the phone is first thing on their shift.

Also true about waiting till day of pickup for charge.

 

[Haley R]

Call the Bike Barn - (407) 824-2742 . Warning : you may be on hold for a while ! I think the hours are 9-5 .
If you think you want a cart , dont wait - reserve it asap . They do sell(rent) out . Currently they are $67. a day !
We recently reserved one for our stay in about 2weeks , and they took our CC# , but did not charge the card . She said the card gets charged on the date the cart is reserved for pick-up . Sounds accurate, because I havent seen any charges show up on my CC yet .

Do you know if the number is open on weekends?

 

[Corgidad]

Yes the cart reservation number is 9/5 7 days a week.

 

[bama_ed]

Do you know if the number is open on weekends?

Yes it is and although it may seem odd, the place you call to reserve one is nowhere near where you pick it up and drop it off.

 

[Haley R]

Yes it is and although it may seem odd, the place you call to reserve one is nowhere near where you pick it up and drop it off.

Where do you pick them up at? Is it pretty close to the cabins?

 

[Bishoparc]

Where do you pick them up at? Is it pretty close to the cabins?

It's at the Outpost (the check-in area) so when you check in, your golf cart is right there (after 2PM but sometimes earlier if available.)

 

[bama_ed]

It's at the Outpost (the check-in area) so when you check in, your golf cart is right there (after 2PM but sometimes earlier if available.)

Yes. The Outpost is the front area of the Fort where the Check-in building is. I took some pictures regarding golf cart pick-ups and returns back in October. See the pix in post #612 of the DISMeet thread:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/r...meet-trip-report-october-2020.3812467/page-31

So the cart are "up front" at the Fort but the reservation for them and credit card transactions are run/made at the Bike Barn which is in the middle of the Fort.

Bama Ed

 

[Haley R]

Yes. The Outpost is the front area of the Fort where the Check-in building is. I took some pictures regarding golf cart pick-ups and returns back in October. See the pix in post #612 of the DISMeet thread:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/r...meet-trip-report-october-2020.3812467/page-31

So the cart are "up front" at the Fort but the reservation for them and credit card transactions are run/made at the Bike Barn which is in the middle of the Fort.

Bama Ed

Thank you! How often can you get a golf cart early?

 

[bama_ed]

Thank you! How often can you get a golf cart early?

It depends.

There are usually a handful of carts (less than five) when I've gotten to the Fort the last several times (most of which were around 7-8am) and in the Disney spirit if one is available they will let you have it. But you might be the sixth person that morning to ask for one but who knows.

When I took those pics in the attached thread above, it was about noon time and Cast Members were shuttling over carts for that day's pickup repeatedly. As in there were about 6 folks in CM garb driving green 4-seaters from the storage/charging yard next to the checkin building all in a line and backing them in. And a chase CM driving a 6 or 8 seat cart behind them which, after parking the carts, all the CMs got in the big cart and the driver shuttled them back to the cart yard and they all brought out more green Disney carts with the long shuttle cart trailing behind them again.

So noon-ish is when they bring out the supply for the daily pickup. But there might be a few available before then when you arrive so it can't hurt to ask.

Bama Ed

PS - carts are due back by 11am so I bet they shuttle carts/drivers to take those returned carts back to the yard to get charged up and when that's done, they shuttle out the fresh carts for that day's pickups. Wash-rinse-repeat daily.

 

[Haley R]

It depends.

There are usually a handful of carts (less than five) when I've gotten to the Fort the last several times (most of which were around 7-8am) and in the Disney spirit if one is available they will let you have it. But you might be the sixth person that morning to ask for one but who knows.

When I took those pics in the attached thread above, it was about noon time and Cast Members were shuttling over carts for that day's pickup repeatedly. As in there were about 6 folks in CM garb driving green 4-seaters from the storage/charging yard next to the checkin building all in a line and backing them in. And a chase CM driving a 6 or 8 seat cart behind them which, after parking the carts, all the CMs got in the big cart and the driver shuttled them back to the cart yard and they all brought out more green Disney carts with the long shuttle cart trailing behind them again.

So noon-ish is when they bring out the supply for the daily pickup. But there might be a few available before then when you arrive so it can't hurt to ask.

Bama Ed

PS - carts are due back by 11am so I bet they shuttle carts/drivers to take those returned carts back to the yard to get charged up and when that's done, they shuttle out the fresh carts for that day's pickups. Wash-rinse-repeat daily.

Thank you again for the detailed info! We plan to get there pretty early. We’re driving over from the space coast and ds will need a nap around 9 or 9:30. We’re really hoping a cabin is ready that early otherwise idk what we’ll do for his nap. We’ll have to figure something out. If the golf cart isn’t ready early it isn’t a big deal because we’re bringing our bikes

 

[bama_ed]

We’re driving over from the space coast and ds will need a nap around 9 or 9:30. We’re really hoping a cabin is ready that early otherwise idk what we’ll do for his nap. We’ll have to figure something out.

If you are in a cabin you have a good chance of getting one early if .....

.... you say that you will accept ANY cabin (regardless of what loop, position in a loop, etc.) that is ready for you. Which in the morning means that there was probably nobody staying in it the previous night. If you talk to the Cast Member who checks you in, if they say your (pre-assigned) cabin isn't ready, turn on the charm, be friendly and not pushy, and say "oh we'll take ANY cabin in ANY loop if it's ready right now".

EVERY arriving guest has a cabin number pre-assigned to their account before they arrive. The assignment is based on what was available the night before (nobody stayed in it), who is leaving that morning (and you have to let Mousekeeping clean it first), or any special requests. Some guest make requests like "I want a cabin in 2800 loop" (nearest the Outpost Bus Depot and walkable from there) or "I want to be near the quiet pool" or "I want a cabin close to a bus stop". Special requests obviously limit what they can be given. But if you are tired and say, "I am wide open and will take anything" then there is a good chance they can accommodate you (no guarantees, of course).

Since you're getting a cart, cabin location is probably not big priority.

Good luck on your arrival and let us know how the cabin assignment and cart retrieval goes.

Bama Ed

 

[Haley R]

If you are in a cabin you have a good chance of getting one early if .....

.... you say that you will accept ANY cabin (regardless of what loop, position in a loop, etc.) that is ready for you. Which in the morning means that there was probably nobody staying in it the previous night. If you talk to the Cast Member who checks you in, if they say your (pre-assigned) cabin isn't ready, turn on the charm, be friendly and not pushy, and say "oh we'll take ANY cabin in ANY loop if it's ready right now".

EVERY arriving guest has a cabin number pre-assigned to their account before they arrive. The assignment is based on what was available the night before (nobody stayed in it), who is leaving that morning (and you have to let Mousekeeping clean it first), or any special requests. Some guest make requests like "I want a cabin in 2800 loop" (nearest the Outpost Bus Depot and walkable from there) or "I want to be near the quiet pool" or "I want a cabin close to a bus stop". Special requests obviously limit what they can be given. But if you are tired and say, "I am wide open and will take anything" then there is a good chance they can accommodate you (no guarantees, of course).

Since you're getting a cart, cabin location is probably not big priority.

Good luck on your arrival and let us know how the cabin assignment and cart retrieval goes.

Bama Ed

Thanks! That seems pretty consistent to room assignments at other resorts then. I was going to put location requests but maybe I shouldn’t. I was hoping for a quiet loop or being further back in a loop away from buses so ds can take good naps. He’s a light sleeper. I guess I need to decide what’s more important

 

[bama_ed]

You're in a cabin which is putting a toe in the camping waters. For those of us with trailers, rv's and tents, it's a lifestyle choice we are happy to make. Fort Wilderness is probably the most relaxing resort on property.

I like to tell people that my trailer is my cabin in the woods, my condo at the beach, and my timeshare at Disney. Literally we take my camper anywhere I go on vacation.

It's a wonderful feeling to go on vacation and always stay in your own place and sleep in your own bed. We started out in the cabins long ago and here we are 20 years later.

Bama Ed

 

[Haley R]

You're in a cabin which is putting a toe in the camping waters. For those of us with trailers, rv's and tents, it's a lifestyle choice we are happy to make. Fort Wilderness is probably the most relaxing resort on property.

I like to tell people that my trailer is my cabin in the woods, my condo at the beach, and my timeshare at Disney. Literally we take my camper anywhere I go on vacation.

It's a wonderful feeling to go on vacation and always stay in your own place and sleep in your own bed. We started out in the cabins long ago and here we are 20 years later.

Bama Ed

Our main reason for choosing the cabins was so we wouldn’t be inside a hotel. We are still pretty nervous about everything plus making ds his own meals will be so much easier for us. I would much rather cook for him then take him somewhere and have him make a mess and be done eating after 5 minutes lol. He’s not a fan of sitting still but what 10 month old is? We plan to bring lots of food in the car with us. I’m excited! I’ve wanted to stay at the fort for awhile now. I’m hoping we can use the splash pad without it being crazy busy