AOA or Cabin at Fort Wilderness for Family of 6

[808momof4]

My family stayed in a cabin sep 16 (myself, wife, DD9, DD6, DD4, DD1 at the time).
Pluses:
- Parking outside meant we just drove straight to all the parks except the magic kingdom and it was quick with the car right outside
- The area outside your cabin is still kind of "yours". Our kids would go outside for more space and fresh air and yet they were still around.
- My oldest LOVED horseback riding and the others loved the ponies
- The layout allows for kids to sleep in smaller backroom while my wife hung out in larger family room with fridge. In AoA, the kitchenette area will likely have sleeping kids

Downsides:
- Quick service credits are not ideal, would have preferred AoA food court
-AoA pool looks cooler, even without water slide
- only one bathroom

How much does the horseback riding cost?

 

[Shanti]

My husband, DD 10, DD 8, DD 7, DD 2 and myself are going to Disney World for the first time EVER. I've narrowed our choices down to AOA Nemo Suite or a Cabin at Ft Wilderness. We will be at Disney for 8 nights 9 days and plan to get either the Dining Plan or the Deluxe Dining Plan. Please help me decide which resort to book. Also, how far in advance should I plan to book? We are 9 months out.

Thank you so much for your help!

Fort Wilderness is a very special resort. It is pretty, you are surrounded by trees, you have your own space rather than having people living right across the wall or over your ceiling. It is a lovely boat ride away from MK. It also has more recreation opportunities than any other resort, including carriage rides, wagon rides, horseback rides, pony rides, bike rental, archery, visiting animals in a corral, movie nights with smores hosted by Chip and Dale, pool with waterslide, watercraft rental to take out onto Bay Lake...

 

[Shanti]

We live in Hawaii, and don't have alligators or snakes. I'd be fibbing if I said the idea of those creatures being in the water there didn't scare me.

We tent camped for a week at Fort Wilderness in March 2015, and never had an issue with either wildlife or insects. Never used repellent and was never mosquito or ant bit, etc. Our tent site actually backed up to a canal, but never saw anything, not even when walking to the Comfort Station restrooms at night. Teach your kids to stay out of Florida waterways, & also not to stand right on the banks, as a safety precaution. But as I said, in a week there in a tent by a canal, we never even saw anything.

Btw, another nice thing about Fort Wilderness is that it's where Hoop Dee Doo Revue (a must-see) and Mickey's Backyard Barbeque are located.

 

[familyman123]

How much does the horseback riding cost?

It's currently $46 per person for an hour. But the price goes up to $55 on October 1

 

[bama_ed]

Here is the Disney link on renting golf carts at FW: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/recreation/cabins-at-fort-wilderness-resort/golf-cart-rental/

With tax a 4-seater is $65 per day. Since you are a family of six, the question comes up 'can we put 6 people in a cart for 4'. The rule is "butts in seats". As long as everyone is seated (not crouching holding on to the edges or sitting in someone else's lap), the Fort po-po will generally not have a problem. With your kids, you probably want an adult driving with two kids up front and an adult in back with the other two kids.

Disney also has a few 6-seat golf carts at the Fort but they are first come first served. You can't specify a 4- or 6- seater when you make a reservation - you can only ask when you pick it up. They will put you on a wait list if one is not available when you ask. With tax a 6-seater is $85 a day.

Reservations can be made up to a year in advance. You have to call to make your reservation at the number shown in the link above. Be forewarned that the call rings in at the Fort Bike Barn and Cast Members are often busy dealing with guests and don't answer the phone. So my advice is to try early in the morning.

IIRC they don't require a deposit but will charge your credit card in full for the rental period a day or two before arrival.

On the DIS Camping Board I normally say golf carts are an expensive convenience but not necessary to enjoy the Fort. But with all your young kids I can see the benefit. Plus they are fun - bring a simple decoration of some sort to put on your cart so you can identify it easily in the cart parking lots (Disney carts are all green). We have used a string of battery powered Christmas lights and some duct tape which also looks good carting at night.

Your kids will love the Fort. Take them down to the horse barn near Trails End to see the horses that work MK in their stalls. There are also pony rides for a few dollars (but IIRC there is a weight limit - maybe 85#?).

Enjoy your stay.

Bama Ed

 

[familyman123]

When we were in the fort last year, we were there for 6 nights. We chose against a cart to keep costs down and because we couldn't guarantee a 6 passenger cart. I recall there are outside vendors that you can rent from that can guarantee 6 passenger carts but that it is a bit of a hassle to get them into the fort.

With our 6 night stay we believe not getting the cart was the right choice. A large part of that is because our only non-park day was check-in and most days were spent almost entirely at the park. If we had several days dedicated to the fort it would have made more sense

I don't think you need a cart by any means. You can get everywhere you need to go by bus if you are patient enough for the bus. But the carts would certainly be a nice plus. And the cabins are far enough away from everything else that you aren't going to walk, especially with younger kids.

 

[familyman123]

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