Disney's FORT WILDERNESS CABINS & CAMPGROUNDS Information & Questions

[ELLH]

Quick question regarding our stay next week at the cabins ...

Transportation to the parks. We will be driving our own car down which gives us the option to drive to the parks. Transportation from the cabins to MK via ferry seems to be a no-brainer. However, what is recommended for the remaining parks? During previous stays at other on-site resorts we have always driven our car from resort to the parks for convenience/time. For those of you who typically do this, have you done the same while staying at the cabins or do you prefer to take the bus (or a split; drive to HS/AK but bus to Epcot)? Pretty much the same time either way?

 

[AliceAnn]

To get to Epcot we like to take a boat from FW to either The Contemporary or MK, catch the Monorail to TTC & on to Epcot. We’ve also taken this route & then caught a boat from Epcot to Hollywood Studios (you need a Hopper for that one).

 

[Saltywardog]

I usually drive to animal kingdom no matter which hotel(lodge excluded) Alice already hit the rest boat ride then monorail. 4 days till at the campgrounds and we are getting a heat wave. 87 possibly one day.

 

[ELLH]

To get to Epcot we like to take a boat from FW to either The Contemporary or MK, catch the Monorail to TTC & on to Epcot. We’ve also taken this route & then caught a boat from Epcot to Hollywood Studios (you need a Hopper for that one).

Surely that's more for the 'fun' of it and not to save time, no?

 

[elephant98]

Quick question regarding our stay next week at the cabins ...

Transportation to the parks. We will be driving our own car down which gives us the option to drive to the parks. Transportation from the cabins to MK via ferry seems to be a no-brainer. However, what is recommended for the remaining parks? During previous stays at other on-site resorts we have always driven our car from resort to the parks for convenience/time. For those of you who typically do this, have you done the same while staying at the cabins or do you prefer to take the bus (or a split; drive to HS/AK but bus to Epcot)? Pretty much the same time either way?

When we stay at the cabins, we drive our own car as well. For HS, AK, and EPCOT, we always drive to the park. Hope you have rented a golf cart for use at Fort Wilderness. The cabins are on the opposite end of the campground from the boat launch to MK. You may end up with a fair amount of travel time walking to/from bus stops, waiting for the bus, and riding the bus within the campground. With the golf cart you can go from the doorstep of your cabin to waiting on the dock for a boat in less than 10 minutes.

 

[ELLH]

We did rent a golfcart for the duration of our stay.

 

[bama_ed]

When we stay at the Fort, we boat to the MK (so convenient) but drive to the other three parks.

I'm not much of a Type A personality but enough of one that a bus wait of 20 minutes or longer makes my skin crawl. If you want to go via bus, most cabin loops and all campsite loops usually mean an internal bus ride (and a wait before hand of who-knows-how-long) and an external bus wait to the park (at least they have monitors there to let you know when your park bus will arrive).

Being a Fort guest means you get free parking at the theme parks and the freedom to come and go when you please is a plus for me. On the other hand, some folks treasure being on vacation and want to leave the driving to Disney. To each his own.

There are two cabin loops that can be honestly considered within walking distance of the Outpost Bus Depot (that take folks to the other parks and Disney Springs) and those are 2700 and 2800. A cabin close to the entrance of these loops is a short walk to the Outpost; if you get a cabin "way in the back" of those loops the walk is a little longer but still reasonable.

If you drove to the other three parks, you would be doing what a lot of us do.

Enjoy your stay at the Fort - we love it there (we like loop 100 for our little popup trailer).

Bama Ed

PS - also, honestly, internal bus times can vary. If you want to use a bus for rope drop at AK, it could mean a wait for that internal bus. They run 15-20 min apart early in the morning (630am-800am) and closer together in the main part of the day (5-10 min). Same thing flipped late at night. Of course YOU might walk up to the bus stop and a bus would show up one minute later; for ME, I walk up just as a bus is leaving and I have to wait the full interval. It just all depends....

 

[LuvGoldens]

We check into Fort Wilderness for the first time on Thursday and are looking very forward to our stay in a cabin!

My question is about the boat service to/from Magic Kingdom. What happens if there is bad weather that causes the boats to stop operating? Not sure how often that happens but I was just curious...

 

[bama_ed]

We check into Fort Wilderness for the first time on Thursday and are looking very forward to our stay in a cabin!

My question is about the boat service to/from Magic Kingdom. What happens if there is bad weather that causes the boats to stop operating? Not sure how often that happens but I was just curious...

If the boats are not running (and/or if there is a sign on the dock to that effect), the alternative is to walk back up off the dock past Pioneer Hall (Trails End, Hoop Dee Doo) to the Settlement Bus Depot and ride the bus that comes in on the right FROM Wilderness Lodge back TO Wilderness Lodge and transfer (if needed-ask your bus driver) to their MK bus.

As FYI, rain doesn't cause the boats to be cancelled to MK (they are about 75% enclosed-a few seats in the front and rear are in the open) but high winds will get the boats cancelled. While they often occur together (wind and rain), one does not mean the other.

Bama Ed

PS - sometimes an internal Fort bus will come into the Settlement Depot down by Pioneer Hall to drop off internal Fort passengers and then change its destination sign to "Wilderness Lodge" and might cross over to pick up passengers on the WL side loop (or not). Point is you can take a bus from Settlement to WL (how/which bus it is means being flexible).

 

[LuvGoldens]

If the boats are not running (and/or if there is a sign on the dock to that effect), the alternative is to walk back up off the dock past Pioneer Hall (Trails End, Hoop Dee Doo) to the Settlement Bus Depot and ride the bus that comes in on the right FROM Wilderness Lodge back TO Wilderness Lodge and transfer (if needed-ask your bus driver) to their MK bus.

As FYI, rain doesn't cause the boats to be cancelled to MK (they are about 75% enclosed-a few seats in the front and rear are in the open) but high winds will get the boats cancelled. While they often occur together (wind and rain), one does not mean the other.

Bama Ed

PS - sometimes an internal Fort bus will come into the Settlement Depot down by Pioneer Hall to drop off internal Fort passengers and then change its destination sign to "Wilderness Lodge" and might cross over to pick up passengers on the WL side loop (or not). Point is you can take a bus from Settlement to WL (how/which bus it is means being flexible).

Thank you for the info, very helpful!

 

[ELLH]

When we stay at the Fort, we boat to the MK (so convenient) but drive to the other three parks.

Thanks for the reply. Good info. We rented a golf cart for the duration of our stay but I didn't plan on using it to get me to the bus stops; mainly just for going to the boat dock and touring the campground. I've never really been a fan of the Disney buses (not looking to stir up a debate here); their saving grace is the MK bus since you bypass the TTC aspect which can be a time drain. The ferry to MK from FW seems like an obvious choice but the other parks were the ones I was really curious about. With the proximity to Epcot I thought the bus system might be a little bit faster but it seems everyone still prefers to drive their own vehicle, at least in regards to time savings. That's exactly the info I was looking for.


OT: "Bama Ed"... implies, at least to me, that you're from Bama. If so, what area? I'm in Decatur/Huntsville area. Which is one reason why we drive; it's only about 10 hours and I prefer the convenience of my own vehicle.

 

[bama_ed]

Thanks for the reply. Good info. We rented a golf cart for the duration of our stay but I didn't plan on using it to get me to the bus stops; mainly just for going to the boat dock and touring the campground. I've never really been a fan of the Disney buses (not looking to stir up a debate here); their saving grace is the MK bus since you bypass the TTC aspect which can be a time drain. The ferry to MK from FW seems like an obvious choice but the other parks were the ones I was really curious about. With the proximity to Epcot I thought the bus system might be a little bit faster but it seems everyone still prefers to drive their own vehicle, at least in regards to time savings. That's exactly the info I was looking for.


OT: "Bama Ed"... implies, at least to me, that you're from Bama. If so, what area? I'm in Decatur/Huntsville area. Which is one reason why we drive; it's only about 10 hours and I prefer the convenience of my own vehicle.

I'm in Tuscaloosa and pull my popup camper down to Montogmery, then Dothan and get on I-10 to get to WDW. At best it's a 9.5-10 hr haul but we break it into two days staying the night close to Disney before we drive into Fort Wilderness early the next morning (I really like arriving early in the morning).



Since I am pulling my camper, I have my vehicle. I use the bus system at times just not to/from the parks. And the boat ride to MK is very pleasant in good weather.

Roll Tide.

Bama Ed

 

[ELLH]

I'm in Tuscaloosa and pull my popup camper down to Montogmery, then Dothan and get on I-10 to get to WDW. At best it's a 9.5-10 hr haul but we break it into two days staying the night close to Disney before we drive into Fort Wilderness early the next morning (I really like arriving early in the morning).



Since I am pulling my camper, I have my vehicle. I use the bus system at times just not to/from the parks. And the boat ride to MK is very pleasant in good weather.

Roll Tide.

Bama Ed

Cool! You're not but a few hours from my family. It's a small world, after all.

Ditto on arriving early. We typically break our drive-down trip up in to two days as well because we start our vacation during the work week and leave after work/school. Depending on when we get on the road we either drive through B'ham/ATL or go through south Alabama like you. Though, last year I went a different way; cutting across from Montgomery to Tifton, GA. At the time we were leaving we would have hit significant traffic in ATL or Dothan so I figured I'd give the new route a shot. That was a neat drive. Completely stress free. Might have taken 20-30 minutes longer all things equal, but probably saved us a good hour of not sitting in traffic along another route.

Aaaaaanyway... I appreciate the feedback. This will be our first stay at the cabins and we're looking forward to it. My daughter is most excited about the bunk beds.

 

[SuzaBanana]

Apologies this has been answered already: do the cabins have heat in addition to AC?
Arriving next week and nights are going to be chilly!

 

[G719]

Apologies this has been answered already: do the cabins have heat in addition to AC?
Arriving next week and nights are going to be chilly!

Yes they do.

 

[IvyWinter]

How's the drive to the parks? Which is the furthest? (I presume AK). We lucked out and a friend in the group is able to borrow his grandfather's car (who lives a few towns away) so we will be splitting the cost of parking at the resort 5 ways and have free parking at the parks as annual pass holders. Really cheap for us over all. We've stayed there once, I think it was 5 years ago, and remember the internal buses being a slog. So how is driving? How much time are we saving? And is it better to drive to MK or just take the boat and drive to the other 3 parks?

 

[AliceAnn]

I love the boat ride from The Fort to MK. I think wait times between boats is around 10 minutes and the trip is around 10 minutes. I’m not sure how long the drive is to the TTC but from there you’ll still have to wait for and take either the ferry or monorail to MK. Here’s a video in real time of the boat trip from The Fort.

 

[bama_ed]

How's the drive to the parks? Which is the furthest? (I presume AK). We lucked out and a friend in the group is able to borrow his grandfather's car (who lives a few towns away) so we will be splitting the cost of parking at the resort 5 ways and have free parking at the parks as annual pass holders. Really cheap for us over all. We've stayed there once, I think it was 5 years ago, and remember the internal buses being a slog. So how is driving? How much time are we saving? And is it better to drive to MK or just take the boat and drive to the other 3 parks?

Theme park parking is free for on-property resort guests so you're double covered with AP free parking.

Us, we drive to EP, DHS, AK, and boat to MK (either straight to MK or the earlier boat to Contemp and then walk over to MK). It's more about being able to leave and return directly according to our schedule. We don't bus to the other non-MK parks.

Bama Ed

 

[IvyWinter]

Another quick question; 2 people in the group are driving the car in from Tampa, and want to pick up groceries on the way instead of us paying for delivery. Any recommendations of grocery stores? Are we better off having them pick it up a little outside of Orlando, will it be cheaper or is it all around the same?

 

[Treysar]

Does anyone know if the cabins has a pitcher? To make iced tea? Also, is it ok to drink the tap water? Thanks!