Fort Wilderness Cabins

[TakeMeThere81]

I've been researching different options for possible future trips to WDW and so far the one that is most intriguing is the cabins at Fort Wilderness. They are the best space for the size of our family, and we are outdoorsy so they match our personalities well. Only I worry about how far they are from the parks. I remember in visiting Fort Wilderness that there is a whole internal bus service, then a transfer station near the parking lot. How much of a pain is this??

 

[docdebbi]

a pain, but not as big a one as you think. the internal buses run very often. never waited more than five minutes. the regular park buses are like anywhere else, hit or miss. relatively easy to get around within the grounds. love the cabins, can't recommend them enough

 

[beckyj3266]

I stayed in a cabin last July with a group of 7 (toddlers, teens & adults). We loved it! The internal bus system was efficient, we never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus, & didn't spend more than 10 minutes on the bus. Unfortunately, it can take up to 20 for a WDW bus to pick you up from the main FW bus stop & another 30 - 45 minutes to get to the park you want, but you'd have that situation at any of the resorts. The best part of the FW internal transportation system is that you are a 15 minute boat ride from Magic Kingdom! Then you can hop a monorail to Epcot! That gets you into 2 of the parks a lot faster than waiting for the regular WDW bus system to pick you up! I hope you enjoy your stay as much as we did!

 

[erstwo]

It's totally a pain, BUT if it worked best for my family and if it was the best option for me, would I stay there again? Absolutely!

If you can afford it, just factor in the golf cart rental (about $50ish) into your price per night and rent a golf cart. It totally eliminates the internal bus system problem and there are golf cart parking lots at both the boat launch and the bus stop ends of the resort.

Here's the one reason why we haven't been back - the water heater. It's tiny. And I'm a girl who likes a long, hot shower after a day in the parks. So, we book two rooms at a Value instead on one cabin. It was really nice having the full kitchen though! You don't get that at a Value!

 

[beckyj3266]

We didn't have any problems with the water heater! We had 7 people using the bathroom. The kids took baths at night & 1 person took a shower. In the morning the other 4 people had to take showers & we never ran out of hot water!

 

[isman250]

My favorite place to stay and I am 26. My fiance' loves melting skin hot showers, dont know we never had an issue. I always get a golf cart, and my nephews love it if I bring them. We also when we bring friends its great b/c you can split the bill and its great to be in one place, WITH A KITCHEN. I can make my cuban coffee every morning, and this is the best thing on the planet when on vacation.

 

[erstwo]

We didn't have any problems with the water heater! We had 7 people using the bathroom. The kids took baths at night & 1 person took a shower. In the morning the other 4 people had to take showers & we never ran out of hot water!

My favorite place to stay and I am 26. My fiance' loves melting skin hot showers, dont know we never had an issue. I always get a golf cart, and my nephews love it if I bring them. We also when we bring friends its great b/c you can split the bill and its great to be in one place, WITH A KITCHEN. I can make my cuban coffee every morning, and this is the best thing on the planet when on vacation.

You know I've always wondered if it was just me - it really must be! :lol:

We had maintenance come out and look at the water heater - and my husband who has overseen the instalation of probably 500 water heaters went out there with him - there was nothing wrong with our water heater other than it was either a 20 or 40 gallon tank, instead of the much bigger tanks we have at home.

But I digress...... back to the internal bus system!

 

[TakeMeThere81]

Internal bus system...does it go right past your spot, i.e. is roaring past every 5 minutes??

Golf carts...so do you mean that they are $50 per day to rent??

Also, I understand there are 2 (?) pools out there. How are they??

How are the other amenaties out at Fort Wilderness.

I know there is Mickey's Backyard BBQ also, has anyone gone to that?

Thanks for everyone's replies! I am getting so excited to consider this option! I think it would be perfect for our family! The only thing I wish they had in addition would be washer/dryer.

 

[isman250]

The buses are like right outside your campsite, and you will NEVER hear a bus. I barely hear the cars driving in front of the cabins at times.

The golf carts are $50.00 per day, so I guess its pricier for you if your not splitting it, and they only fit 4, 6 if you get crazy like we do lol

The park has everything a normal hotel has, just things are more spread out, its a literally a campsite

The backyard bbq is good, youll enjoy that for sure I would think, though food is always an opinion

 

[EvilQueen-T]

i didn't think the bus thing was any more of a pain than when you stay at a big resort and have to go to a bunch of stops before they get to yours or for example when you take the bus from mk to boardwalk but first they stop at swan then dolphin then beach then yacht THEN boardwalk...same thing different place. if it fits your families size and personalities go for it. if you hate it change resorts or just don't ever do it again.

 

[lbrad]

Stayed @ FW in 2008. The cabins are GREAT!!! Loved having the full kitchen.
We are a family of 5 ...so it fit us perfectly.
We did NOT rent a golf cart ($50/day ...not in our budget)
We seldom used the internal bus ... we requested the 2700 loop & got it.
We were close enough to WALK to the main bus depot and quiet pool.
We only used the internal bus to go to the BIG pool.

Last week we stayed at ASMu Suites. We were in Calypso Building right near the foodcourt & busses. They have a kitchenette and 2 full bath. The boys were in a separate room then DH & I ,,,with their own BR.
If I had to chose between the 2 I would pick ASMuSuites.

BUT I loved both resorts!!!!

 

[MattyFresh]

I have stayed at the cabins many times, and have always enjoyed it. There is always something going on inside the campground. I have never had any issues with the busses, like someone else pointed out, no more so then having to change busses at a larger resort. The only time it becomes an issue is when you are going to any park besides MK. You can catch a ferry over to MK. My family all pretty much showered at the sametime, and never noticed an issue with the water heater.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

we didn't have a problem with the hot water either. in fact we also heard the same thing about the hot water being an issue when we were planning a stay at the treehouse villas at ssr. we went there with 6 adults and 1 child (2 of the adults age 19 and 21) are notorious for taking very very long showers to the point that it's become a running joke at home. we literally showered back to back and didn't have a problem.

 

[disneygirl1]

Mel, I am not the outdoorsy type, but I too am intrigued at saying in the cabins one day. My main concern is the size of the resort and the whole internal bus system too! We went to Hoop Dee Do in Dec and I swear it took about an hour just to get the heck of the FW grounds.

Renting a golf cart seems like it is the ideal thing to do, due $50 a day is a bit pricey. I have heard that there is actually an outside company that you can rent golf carts from for cheaper thou. Can't think of the name of the company of the top of my head but they deliver the cart and pick it up right from FW.

 

[smk]

Mel, I am not the outdoorsy type, but I too am intrigued at saying in the cabins one day. My main concern is the size of the resort and the whole internal bus system too! We went to Hoop Dee Do in Dec and I swear it took about an hour just to get the heck of the FW grounds.

Renting a golf cart seems like it is the ideal thing to do, due $50 a day is a bit pricey. I have heard that there is actually an outside company that you can rent golf carts from for cheaper thou. Can't think of the name of the company of the top of my head but they deliver the cart and pick it up right from FW.

Sadly, you can no longer rent a cart from an outside company and have it delivered. You can bring your own tho...if you have one sitting around your home and want to take it with you.

That being said, I love the cabins, I love FW in general but I would rather not have everybody know that, selfish me wants to be able to stay there and get a cabin whenever I want!

We have stayed in the cabins many times, always great fun. They are not rustic, I don't "camp" either, these cabins are hotel rooms complete with mousekeeping doing your dishes. We do get a cart, about 58/day now but they are totally worth it if you are old like me OR just want to drive around after dark and wave at people.

To anyone out there considering staying in FW don't give it a second thought, just do it! It is a wonderful place, clean, quiet and fun!

 

[kstella]

I usually always stay at FW-not in a cabin but with my parents in their rv. We have rarely had a problem with the internal bus system. Sometimes the wait for buses to the parks can be lengthy but all the more reason to hop the boat to MK and then head to TTC!

If hot water is an issue you can always go to the comfort station. There's one in every loop and the shower facilities in them are very clean.

 

[TakeMeThere81]

Bummer about golf cart options! I remember when we were there it was cool to see how everyone decorated their golf carts.

I guess you could always rent bikes or bring your own too. I saw a lot of people do that.

I like the idea of Mousekeeping doing your dishes! That would be awesome!

 

[disneygirl1]

Sadly, you can no longer rent a cart from an outside company and have it delivered. You can bring your own tho...if you have one sitting around your home and want to take it with you.

That being said, I love the cabins, I love FW in general but I would rather not have everybody know that, selfish me wants to be able to stay there and get a cabin whenever I want!

We have stayed in the cabins many times, always great fun. They are not rustic, I don't "camp" either, these cabins are hotel rooms complete with mousekeeping doing your dishes. We do get a cart, about 58/day now but they are totally worth it if you are old like me OR just want to drive around after dark and wave at people.

To anyone out there considering staying in FW don't give it a second thought, just do it! It is a wonderful place, clean, quiet and fun!

Thanks for the info, that totally stinks you can't rent from an outside company anymore. I swear I just read that someone did this a few months ago.

 

[bayoubelle]

The cabins are wonderful! It is so nice at the end of the day to have peace and quiet-no kids or loud adults in the hallways! The internal transportation is great. My brother and his family came with a few years ago and he insisted on renting a golf cart. It was nice but wasn't so fabulous that I feel the need to rent one when we go to FW.

 

[CheshireKat]

Definitely check out the camping board over at the disboards, there are quite a few helpful threads over there. They are cliquey but have lots of info.