Cabins at Fort Wilderness

[partyoffour]

So I had to change my reservations to get the free dining. My family and I ended up in a cabin at the fort wilderness resort. Never been there before except to see Hoop Dee Doo Revue . Wanted to know everyones thoughts and tips....

Here are some ? I have as well

1. where do u get your drink mugs and refills ???
2. Where is there a quick service restaurant to eat on site? ( LIke at All Star Music ?)
3. Is it alot of fun for kids? ages 16, 10, 5, and 2?
4. We rented a golf cart ...is this needed?
5. Are the cabins nice or will I be running for the hills wishing for a hotel room?

Also tell me if you would stay there or get 2 rooms at Pop Century ?? Please be honest. I am really trying to make this an awesome trip! :sohappy:
Thanks to all ! I love this site !

 

[Engine 51]

1. snack bar near the meadows pool
2. Crockets and Trails End at Pioneer Hall, not a food court like All Stars
3. More to do than most resorts. petting zoo, more area to just play.
4. The cabin are at the far end from the boat launch that you will want to take to MK. You won't be sorry on the golf cart.
5. I've not stayed in the cabins, I have an RV, but I have friends that won't consider anything else.

I would stay there, best place to get the relaxing side of a vacation to go with the go, go, go of the parks.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

1. Mugs can be filled at Trails End as well as the meadow pool

2. The meadows snack bar has quick serve options as does Trails to Go. You won't get the scope of the all stars but there are a number of choices.

3. As the previous poster said, there is a lot to do at this resort. Some of it may require an additional fee or need reservations. Make sure to look into it all before you go if you want to take advantage of differnet things the resort has to offer.

4. A golf cart is always a good idea. Fort Wilderness is HUGE and it can take some time to get everywhere you want to go by bus. Having the golf cart will allow you to get anywhere you need to go when you want to get there.

5. The cabins are very nice and well maintained. They are also nice and spacious which might be a little bit of a bonus after a long day at the parks.

 

[erstwo]

1. Answered above, but please note - you won't be able to walk to these places like you would at a Pop Century type resort. The cabins are at the "front" of the resort (far end - farthest away from the lake/ MK boat launch, Hoop De Doo, etc.) To refill your drinks you will need to ride in your golf cart or take a bus (I think I just answered #4? :lol To be honest, when we stayed at the Cabins in June of last year I never once saw the Meadows Snack Bar. Every time I made it over there it was closed. It closed at like, 5 pm, no joke. It was set back from the road, so you had to really search for it and it is more of a hot dog stand type thing. You don't go inside, you just walk up, like a Snack Bar.

2. Also answered above, but I'll never forget the first night we stayed at the Cabins. We arrived at about 4 and after checking in and settling all of our things, we were STARVING and ready for dinner. So we set off for Meadows. Well, guess what? It was closed. So then we headed over to Trails End - 1 hour wait. We ended up taking the boat over to Wilderness Lodge and eating in their Counter Service location next to their pool.

3. I think your kids will love it! I know you'll all love the space, except one thing bothers me - where are they all going to sleep? Will you put the 2 year old on the couch? Or in a Pack and Play? Because I'm guessing Mom & Dad will have the bed in the bedroom, then 2 kids on 2 bunk beds (maybe the 16 & 10 year olds?) and then maybe the 5 year old and 2 year old on the Murphy bed? That Murphy bed is very small - I don't think you could put a 16 year old on there with anyone else.

4. You don't HAVE to have a golf cart. We survived for 7 nights without one, but we really, really wished we had one! If we ever go back, we're getting one. And renting offsite, because I hear it is much cheaper than renting from Disney.

5. They were nice! The only thing I didn't like about them was the TEENY TINY hot water heater. I was, at most, 20 gallons of hot water, which meant if we gave the kids a bath, I either had to wait 30 minutes before I got in the shower or take a 5 minute shower (which is impossible for me, I love my long showers! :lol: and I want them to be HOT not cold!) You'll just have to be careful to have some people in your family shower at night, others in the morning, etc. or you'll spend 3 hours getting out of the cabin. :lol:

ETA- I don't think you'd get anything more by staying at Pop. The only advantage you'd have would be endless hot water (can you tell that's important to me???) and the ability to walk to the food court...... well, and actually having a food court..... But we are so glad we stayed at the Cabins, at the very least for the experience. I'm glad I'm able to say I've been there and done that!
Have a great trip! :wave:

 

[yoda_5729]

We have stayed at the cabins several times and enjoyed the stay. The environment is pretty scenic, and the golf carts can be fun and a huge assist getting too and from places.

Advantages to Fort Wilderness that may not have been mentioned, you can park your car right outside the cabin, meaning unloading luggage or getting to your car is much easier.

The cart allows you to go pretty much anywhere you need to go as you can take it down to the docks to get on a boat, and Pioneer Hall, Meadows trading Post, and the entrance. Also there is more room for parking golf carts then there is parking cars, as cars aren't down by Pioneer Hall, and meadows can only handle so many.

I'm not sure the petting zoo is still there, but there are ponies and horses that are there that you can visit. These are the horses that pull carriages at the magic kingdom, as well as can be ridden for various horse back riding options.

Ft Wilderness is hindered probably by it's food options, BUT you have access to both Contemporary and Wilderness Lodge by boat. It's a pretty short and relaxing ride to those resorts and when you add in all those options, there's a lot to choose from.

My family very much likes the cabins. Quite possibly it's our favorite resort, but that's partially because I kinda grew up always visiting it. I have stayed in Pop though and several other resorts.

Probably the biggest bonus I find at Ft Wilderness is the relaxed vibe, your in the wood, and in a lot of cases you'd never expect that your in Disney World, but you are. You can even hear and see the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom in some places. Also you have your own individual building, meaning you don't have to worry about loud neighbors.

Also there are free campfire movies offered most if not all nights, where they have a campfire and you can bring hot dogs or marshmellows and outside watch a free Disney movie. There are several recreation activities ranging from horseback riding, archery, fishing, hiking, biking, canoing, as well as getting on a boat and using all the Contemporary's options as well.

If you don't panic about the size of the resort, and the transportation issues and just plan ahead for them, I would think you'd enjoy the resort. A lot of the area is shaded too, so being outdoors isn't quite as bad as it is in various other locales.

There also is a barbeque grill outside each and every cabin as well as a picnic table. I can send you some images if you pm me your email. What we did a lot for food was go to Trails End and pick up pizzas and take them back to the cabins. The cart I think only seats four though, so you may want to plan for that.

hope this all helps, and if you want to see pictures, just throw me a PM, I love talking about Ft Wilderness

 

[partyoffour]

Thanks all !

Where do u rent a golf cart off site?? I thought they no longer allow delivery of the carts to the cabins??? At least that is what I read. U have to actually pick one up . Since we r flying and taking advantage of the Magic Express we will have no car. If I really can rent for 1/2 the price PLEASE !! LOL tell me where !

Hot water no big deal our kids get showers at night even the 16 yr old.
The girls are going to sleep on the couch since they stay up later.

 

[yoda_5729]

Also there is an arcade, and I can send you a map of the resort if that would assist you.

You might want to plan ahead when going to the parks that transportastion from Ft Wilderness can take a bit longer then other resorts. You however have a cart which helps greatly. If you didn't have a cart for each of the resorts you'd have to ride two seperate buses in some cases to get to the parks, but with the cart you simply drive the cart towards the front bus stops or the boat dock.

The boat dock takes you to Magic Kingdom, Wilderness Lodge, and Contemporary.

Also, unlike Pop Century you do have a kitchen in the cabins, which means grocery items are easier to keep. Though both trading posts do have grocery items, you might be better off finding a local grocery store that would be cheaper for pop, food etc.

 

[docdebbi]

the poster above is correct, they no longer allow delivery of carts from off-site services. if you own your own, you are allowed to bring it.

however...........the soda/mug thing is a non-issue. for a delivery fee of $10 garden grocer (gardengrocer.com) will deliver all the groceries to fort wilderness that you want. i discovered this service when i didn't feel like paying for extra luggage on a plane to bring diapers, formula, baby food, wipes, etc. THE BEST IDEA I EVER HAD. you can have enough soda waiting for you when you arrive to satisfy even the thirstiest teenager, and with all those kids along, having a bunch of snacks in the room for when you get home at night isn't a bad idea either. what a money saver. not to mention, we just had cereal and muffins for breakfast every day before leaving the cabin, both a TIME and money saver. (yes i saw you have ddp, save the snack credit for in the park, eat breakfast in cabin)

we rented a cart just for one day because they are so expensive, but we drove around the whole place just to look around- be sure to go to the rv sites, they decorate incredibly....one of the most fun times we have down there! if you can afford the cart for every day it is a big convenience, but your whole family won't fit in just one. we waaayyy overloaded it with three adults, an 8 and 6 year old and 2 year old in arms-----not technically allowed, but we managed it, but you're not fitting your crew in just one.

have fun, i usually stay deluxe, but this time too many folks and guess what???? i had more fun there than anywhere else !

build the kids a wood fire in the grill one night and roast your own marshmallows, they had a ball ( garden grocer delivers them too--ha ha)

 

[erstwo]

Oooops! Sorry! I didn't know that Disney wasn't allowing golf carts from offsite anymore - I had heard you met them in the Ft. Wilderness parking lot to pick them up, but I guess I was wrong. Sorry!

Just a mention since no one else has said anything - LOVE the Chip & Dale's Campfire Sing a Long - a great plus to staying at the Cabins. And Yoda is right about the ponies/ horses! Be sure to schedule some time to visit them (they are down near the Hoop De Doo) as they are the horses and ponies used all over WDW. My DD got to ride one of the ponies that pulls Cinderellas carriage and she thought she was in heaven! I think it cost less than $10 and you got a nice, long pony ride through this neat little trail they had built around the barns. Great stuff you can only find at Fort Wilderness!

Here are the ponies I'm talking about:

 

[disneylemons]

We stayed there once when our kids were small - had stroller, baby stuff, etc.. and I really enjoyed the extra room! I love the Wilderness area - so relaxing after the 'excitement' of the parks.

 

[marypoppins68]

The kitchens are fully equipped with plates, silverware, glasses, bowls, etc. There was a coffee maker and microwave oven. The refrigerator is full size. there are also two televisions-one in the living room and one in the bedroom. The bunkbeds are SMALL. I'm just under 5'5" and I barely fit in the bottom bunkbed. Save them for the shortest kids. We were a party of 3, all showered at night and had no problem with the hot water. The TV in the living room includes a VCR/DVD player.

The campfire sing-along at night is a lot of fun. You get to roast marshmallows, sing songs, visit with Chip n Dale and then they show a free Disney movie. The movies range from the classics to the latest live action. When you check in you'll get a guide and it will tell you what movie is playing each night. You can swim, take a Segway tour, go horseback riding, hiking, learn archery, ride bikes, etc. Lots of stuff to do. No reason for the kids to say they are bored. We stayed there for the first time in March and are going back in June and again in September. We much prefer it to Pop or the All Stars. Have fun!

 

[partyoffour]

Thanks guys ! I am really looking forward to staying there !! It should be a blast for my kids!!! and always fun for me and the hubby :kiss: