Fort Wilderness cabins--questions to those who have stayed there

[Atomicmickey]

Considering Fort Wilderness cabins for my family of 5.

We have stayed at Port Orleans Riverside in the past, but are
looking for something a little different, and we're going to be
there for 10 days, so I'm interested in having a bit more room.

The only downside I can see, (which is also the upside!) is their remoteness.

-How long of a walk is it to the food area, and the pool, etc., from an average cabin?

-Tell me about your experiences with the buses to the parks. One note I read said the bus service is poor, and that it only takes you to the TTC. Is this
true?

-Can I get a boat to the MK in time for rope drop?

Looking for some first hand experience with this place. Any thoughts, comments, experiences, anecdotes will be very much appreciated.

We'll have the free dining plan, so the kitchen will be mostly idle, I think.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I haven't stayed at the resort, but I think I can help you with some of the questions you have anyway.

Your distance to locations will vary depending on what loop you are in and where you are looking to go. Most of the food options are located near the boat dock. If you aren't a close walk, you can always use one of the internal buses or rent a golf cart (highly recommended). The same here goes for the pool.

I have taken buses to the parks and DTD from there after visiting. It isn't bad, but you might have to take an internal ride first and then transfer to a park bus. This of course can be slightly more time consuming. There are direct buses to the parks from the resort.

You shouldn't have a problem getting to the MK for rope drop. Just give yourself plenty of time on the boat since the trip can take about 15 minutes.

 

[luvlifeinfl]

We stayed in the cabins in 2005, this was our very 1st time going to Disney. They were nice, little dated, but again I think that goes with the rustic feel.

As for going to the MK on the ferry, yes you can catch it at the "Post" area, but if I remeber correctly you still have to catch a shuttle to the dock area.

So looking at this link, and trying to catch the ferry to the MK for the rope drop, not sure if you will make it in time.

http://allears.net/pl/transveh.htm

especially if their are EMH in the AM.

The buses were average as far as the wait and getting to a park.

For the pool our cabin ws fairly close to it.

For dining we still had to catch transporation to the "post area" We ate at the trails end which is buffet style, we loved it. Then right next door is the Hoop de doo, dinner show we never done it but are thinking of trying it this yr.

Hope this gives you some help.

 

[brent2124]

I stayed at the cabins a few years back and loved it. They have an internal resort bus service that drives you from the various camping loops to the front of the resort for bus service to the parks and the rear of the resort for the dining area and water transport to MK. The boats should begin running in time for the rope drop but I did not do this myself so Im only speculating there. The cabins are much larger than a room at POR. If your worried about getting around the resort you can rent a golf cart for about $50 a day. I would definatley recommend staying here over POR.

 

[tahqa]

-How long of a walk is it to the food area, and the pool, etc., from an average cabin?

The main dining area is at the Settlement which is quite a hike from the cabins, it would be a long walk. There is a snack bar at the Meadows, but that's a long walk for the majority of the cabins as well. The cabins have a small pool that is central to all of the cabins, but the main pool is at the Meadows.

-Tell me about your experiences with the buses to the parks. One note I read said the bus service is poor, and that it only takes you to the TTC. Is this true?

There are buses to all of the theme parks, water parks and downtown Disney from the Outpost. On average they run every 15-20 minutes. In my opinion you're better off driving to whichever park you want to go to.

For internal buses, there are two routes that go past the cabins, purple and orange. So they get slightly better internal bus service than the campsites.

-Can I get a boat to the MK in time for rope drop?

Yes, the boats should start running at least a half an hour before MK opening. Of course... it's a 20 minute boat ride.

I really do like Fort Wilderness, but don't expect to get anywhere that you want to go quickly.

 

[Atomicmickey]

Thanks for the thoughts!

This all sounds OK, actually. One of the ideas for staying there
is to slow down just a titch.

We were there last year for the first time with the kids--so this being one
year later, we won't quite have to "power park" as we did last time. At least
that's the idea. We'll be there 10 days--so everything will be a bit more leisurely, or should be.

It did seem to me that it's a long walk to food, and that it would take longer with the buses, but what I'm seeing here tells me it's not that bad, and that the benefits of staying balance that out.

 

[PotteryGal]

We stayed in the cabins last summer and really enjoyed them...so nice having a separate living/sleeping space, and the bathroom was nice sized as well. We rented the golf cart for the week, and I think it was DH's favorite ride :ROFLOL:....and there will be no problem taking the boat to MK prior to opening, although I could never get our whole family in gear in time to get there. Hope to rectify that this trip. It was very quiet there, and the smaller pool near the cabins was pretty empty most of the time.