Cabins at fort wilderness pros... Over AoA

[jenluvswdw]

In the first stages of planning our next trip.. We are a family of 5 (2 adults, 15 yr old, 6 yr old and 1 yr old). I was thinking AoA would fit our needs best. However, we will be driving down so now I am considering Fort Wilderness Camp Cabin. I am aware of the cons: $40 more a night and only one bathroom. Are there any major pros that make up for these two big cons??? Please give me some of your experiences of either resorts.
Thank you

 

[Master Yoda]

A full kitchen and a much quieter resort.

 

[grim-grinning_toast]

As someone who has stayed at both, I highly recommend the cabins. The bathroom is so big and comfortable, there's a full-size kitchen, a ton of really unique experiences on-site (like horseback riding), and you can take a boat over to Magic Kingdom. Art of Animation is truly the worst hotel I've ever stayed at for a lot of reasons but the biggest is that it is priced as a moderate resort when it is probably the laziest and dirtiest of the values. I'm still bitter from the time I got bronchitis due to mold in the room and the inability to change the settings on our air conditioner, but I seriously think that with a family of that size, you will all be much more comfortable at fort wilderness!


Also, this is my first post ever so I hope I'm doing this right!

 

[minniemickeyfan]

I have stayed at the FW Cabins and absolutely loved it! I stayed at AofA once but only in the Little Mermaid rooms, so I can't help too much with how the suite will be. I really liked the feel of the surroundings at FW and how quiet it is. The internal buses is really easy, just look at a map online before you go so you'll have it down.
Other FW Pros: Fireworks on the beach, boat ride to MK, ability to bring food and drinks and put it away in a actual kitchen, you don't have to do dishes if you don't want to, an actual dining room table that's great for breakfast, kids pool with slide, smores with chip n dale nightly and a movie, just an overall peaceful atmosphere!! A vacation in itself to me!

 

[docdebbi]

major plus - you can drive right up to your door at the end of the night and carrying sleeping kids only 50 feet to their beds and not wake them up. partnered with- no long hike to your car from your room any time- it's right there.
more major pluses with kids that age-
you can let them play as loudly as they want and not worry about bothering anyone else,
they can run around outside the cabin and run off the energy,
full size deck for sitting/snacking/meals,
full size refrigerator for all the milk and juice for sippies you need -we have lots of yogurt and fruit in it too AND BEER AND WINE, (AoA has much smaller frig),
full size kitchen to prepare breakfast and keep lots of snacks handy, housekeeping does the dishes for you
you don't need to fold up your bed to eat breakfast before leaving in the morning like you do at AoA since your bed is also your table.
feels like you are a world away from the parks when you are there, completely different atmosphere than any hotel we go to there.
ability to drive around and see all the decorated campsites, worth an entire evening right there.
boat right to MK, no parking at TTC and taking the monorail/ferry, makes for very quick exit at night after the fireworks!!!!!

I have done both several times, I'd take cabins over AoA any time.

 

[4disneylovers]

I loved AoA suites when we were there. I have never stayed in cabins only in campsites as a child. Some good pros for cabins have been given. Downfall I see is having to take 2 transportations from parks to cabin if it is still this way. We would have to take transportation from park to campground then from front of campground to campground loops.

 

[Master Yoda]

I loved AoA suites when we were there. I have never stayed in cabins only in campsites as a child. Some good pros for cabins have been given. Downfall I see is having to take 2 transportations from parks to cabin if it is still this way. We would have to take transportation from park to campground then from front of campground to campground loops.

That is a slight con, but the internal buses run rather quickly at FW.

 

[wm49rs]

I loved AoA suites when we were there. I have never stayed in cabins only in campsites as a child. Some good pros for cabins have been given. Downfall I see is having to take 2 transportations from parks to cabin if it is still this way. We would have to take transportation from park to campground then from front of campground to campground loops.

The two times I've stayed in the cabins I saw a marked improvement in the wait times for the FW busses, both internal and to the parks. Granted, we only used them for DHS and DAK, but they had definitely cut down on the wait times....

 

[4disneylovers]

That's nice to hear. I am so old they didn't have internal buses when I was there, it was trams. And I misspoke earlier. It wasn't from the front to camp loops, it was from Pioneer Hall area to camp loops.

 

[jenluvswdw]

Thank you so much for all your pros and cons. I hope I see some more.

 

[s&k'smom]

Having stayed at neither but I would always vote for whatever is quieter!

 

[sshindel]

That is a slight con, but the internal buses run rather quickly at FW.

They can run quickly. I've had the standard VERY long waits from time to time on the internal FW busses, but overall they are fairly ok. It's funny how you can remember the bad experiences so much easier than the good ones. I can vividly remember waiting for 45 minutes at the Meadows Trading Post for a bus, but the hundreds of times it is not an issue all fade away.

To get to @jenluvswdw s question, not having stayed at AoA, I can only speak to FW.
I adore the FW Cabins. Having a cabin which does not share walls in the slightest with any neighbors really somehow adds to the relaxation. I love the atmosphere at FW. It feels so remote. I've joked about this before, but my blood pressure drops a good 10 points the moment I smell the air at FW. I love the boat ride to the MK. The smaller resort boats are my favorite transportation methods in all of WDW. Trails End is one of the best breakfast buffets on property IMO. The added potential activities there are great. I have such fond memories of the campfire sing-a-long and movie from childhood. It's my favorite resort at WDW by a long shot.

 

[smk]

I vote cabins too! Hope to book them for our October vacation, can't wait to go back to FW!

 

[Bjboobear]

I don't know what AOA is, but I've stayed at the all star resort with my 1 year old, it sucked!! I went again a few months later and stayed in the cabins. Well worth every penny! My boy was able to run around the cabin with no problems, the bathroom was huge in comparisons to the other resort. The bus pickup to the parks is located right beside the horses so my little guy got to pet them while we waited. Only thing I'd recommend is renting a golf cart to get around, it was so nice and you can take the boat to other resorts or Magic Kingdom.

 

[alissafalco]

As someone who has stayed at both, I highly recommend the cabins. The bathroom is so big and comfortable, there's a full-size kitchen, a ton of really unique experiences on-site (like horseback riding), and you can take a boat over to Magic Kingdom. Art of Animation is truly the worst hotel I've ever stayed at for a lot of reasons but the biggest is that it is priced as a moderate resort when it is probably the laziest and dirtiest of the values. I'm still bitter from the time I got bronchitis due to mold in the room and the inability to change the settings on our air conditioner, but I seriously think that with a family of that size, you will all be much more comfortable at fort wilderness!


Also, this is my first post ever so I hope I'm doing this right!

AOA ia actually the same price as a deluxe!