Carriage/sleigh ride at WL/FW questions

[macnbc]

Hi all,

So I had been planning to schedule a carriage ride at WL for my newlywed wife and I for our honeymoon. The idea behind it was to get away to a quiet area for awhile with just the two of us.

So after calling Disney I'm wondering what to do with our plans now.. according to the CM on the phone they don't do the carriage rides from WL any more, only Fort Wilderness, and that on the date/time I'm looking only the sleigh ride is available, which just happens to cost nearly twice as much ($60 vs $35).

So here I'm wondering whether it's still worth it or not.

So I've got a couple questions..

1. How difficult is it to get to FW rather than WL? We're going to be at DHS until closing time and I was wondering if it'd be harder logistically to get there.

2. If anyone's been on this before, how different is the sleigh ride from the normal carriage ride? How is the route at FW different from the one at WL?

I also looked into the Port Orleans carriage but it's not available for the time I'm after. Also, since it's Pop Warner week when we're going, I thought that it would probably be too noisy/busy over there for a quiet getaway.

 

[corey154]

If you're staying at WL it's really easy to get to Fort Wilderness. There's a boat that runs between them and the Contemporary. After DHS you can hop a bus to FW then for your trip back to your resort take the boat back to WL (if that's where you're staying) if you're not staying there you can take a boat to Contemporary then get the monerail to the magic kingdom and take the bus back to the resort you're staying at.

Hopefully someone else can answer your other questions, I've never done either rides...sorry!! Good luck and Congrats on your marriage!

 

[wdwmagic]

These are the latest details I have on the carriage rides
http://www.wdwmagic.com/Recreation/Horse-Drawn-Carriage-Ride.htm

It would confirm what the CM told you that they arent offered at WL.

 

[macnbc]

These are the latest details I have on the carriage rides
http://www.wdwmagic.com/Recreation/Horse-Drawn-Carriage-Ride.htm

It would confirm what the CM told you that they arent offered at WL.

Confirmed. I got a different CM this evening who said the same thing.. carriage rides are no longer out of WL, they're all at FW instead.

Also apparently when they use the sleigh the regular carriages aren't available, so for example in December only the more expensive sleigh rides are available.

I'm pretty bummed out about this. I had budgeted the cost of the carriage, not the sleigh, and they don't have any available at the Port Orleans one on the evening I had set aside for it. Sigh.

 

[devoy1701]

I can't remember the last time the carriage rides were offered at WL. But SLEIGH Rides are still offered from infront of the WL during Nov and Dec (aka: Holiday Season). :xmas:

The Sleigh Rides are very nice...especially if it happens to be on the cool side that evening. As of last holiday (2008) season, the sleigh ride was $35 for a half hour trip. I can't imagine that they have gone up to $60 in one year...

And when I called for my Sleigh Ride in 2007, the CM had no idea what I was talking about...I had to explain to them that I was not talking about the Carriage Ride but the Sleigh Ride that left from Fort Wilderness. I believe they are still booked 90 days out.

EDIT: I should research before I open my mouth... :X allear.net doesn't have any information on the sleigh rides yet for this year. but like I said before, i've had to explain what I was talking abotu before to a CM because they completely didn't have any clue what I meant. So I wouldn't necessarily take what one or 2 CMs say for golden. (of course didn't they stop doing the haunted hay ride too or did they just take out the headless horseman?)

and if they've really gone up to $60...shame on them.

 

[mickey's mamu]

My DH and I did the Ft. Wilderness Carriage Ride last year (12-08-08) and had and absolutely wonderful time! Last year, they were offering the Sleigh Ride from Wilderness Lodge for around $60, I believe, and the Carriage Ride at Ft. Wilderness for around $30. I had originally wanted the Sleigh Ride, but it was unavailable, so I went with the Carriage Ride and I was so glad I did.

Now, while I too, was wanting a quiet, romantic time, I can't say that is exactly what we received, but we were very happy with our carriage ride. If you have never been to Ft. Wilderness during the holidays, it is really fun to see. It seems there are people who come every year during the holidays and spend lots of time and money decorating their campsites. I've never seen so many elaborate displays! Our driver was a very friendly young lady who knew a lot about Ft. Wilderness and the horses and Tri-Circle D Ranch and we really enjoyed chatting with her. My DH tried to tip her at the end, but she politely refused, saying it was against policy.

As for how to get to Ft. Wilderness, we had dinner at Artist Point at WL, and then took the boat over to Ft. Wilderness. We were lucky enough to catch the fireworks from MK on our boat ride, as well. If you try to catch the bus from HS to Ft. W, be aware that you may have to catch the internal Ft. W. bus to the Settlement Outpost which is where the carriage rides leave from. (I'm not sure where the HS bus drops you off in Ft.W.) All of this could take well over an hour, so I think I would take the HS bus to either Wilderness Lodge or Contemporary and then take the boat.

I don't know why the sleigh rides are more expensive, but I would definitely like to do this again. I think it is one of those unique and memorable WDW experiences that you'll be glad you did.

I hope all of this helps. Congratulations and I hope you have a magical honeymoon!