Ft Wildernss cabins or Margaritaville ?

[partyof5er]

Planning a return trip for March 2024, our kiddos will be 16,11, and 8. The 16 year old might bring a friend, and I am guessing my mom and sister are going to come too. I am going back and forth on Ft Wilderness cabins if my 16 year old doesn’t bring a friend, or kind of in love with cottages at Margaritaville and we could get one to fit all of us, but I have concerns about staying off property esp with no early entry and I don’t really get how Lightning Lane works, like will we be screwed on getting on Guardians, Trons, Star Wars etc? And then there’s the transportation and parking piece if staying off property. Ft Wilderness is totally my husbands vibe but Margaritaville is much more mine haha.

Any tips or suggestions would be so appreciated ! Thank you !

 

[rdaky]

What's the price difference between the two? That might sway me in one direction over the other.

 

[Anna131517]

Staying off property will make it harder to get Guardians, Tron, and ROTR so if those are priorities for you then I think you’d be better staying on property.

 

[partyof5er]

What's the price difference between the two? That might sway me in one direction over the other.

It looks like it will come out about the same price but Margaritaville is a whole house with a private pool

 

[tjmw2727]

We Love both, in fact this will be the first April we aren't in a Margaritaville cottage....

The cabins sleep 6 and it will be a tight fit, you will be over occupancy with 7, also the bunks are not full size so the 11 yo may be a bit scrunched up. The transportation can be tricky as well with sometimes two bus transfers depending on destination and where your cabin is located. We rent a golf cart and just add that to the cost when calculating options.

There are many options of Margaritaville cottages with the plunge pool that will accommodate all of you and the setup is much nicer, but you will have a sometimes-long drive to the park depending on traffic. I am not completely sure of the off site G+ or ILL rules but I think the VQ drops are the same. (easy to research though)

We usually split between Margaritaville and an onsite resort with the relaxing pool days/Disney springs and maybe one park or water park day before moving onsite to enjoy longer park days.

I would also recommend looking at OKW or SSR DVC either booking via MDE or renting points, you can sometimes get a good deal on a 2 bedroom that would give you the space you need, more bathrooms and better transportation over the cabins.

 

[Anna131517]

We Love both, in fact this will be the first April we aren't in a Margaritaville cottage....

The cabins sleep 6 and it will be a tight fit, you will be over occupancy with 7, also the bunks are not full size so the 11 yo may be a bit scrunched up. The transportation can be tricky as well with sometimes two bus transfers depending on destination and where your cabin is located. We rent a golf cart and just add that to the cost when calculating options.

There are many options of Margaritaville cottages with the plunge pool that will accommodate all of you and the setup is much nicer, but you will have a sometimes-long drive to the park depending on traffic. I am not completely sure of the off site G+ or ILL rules but I think the VQ drops are the same. (easy to research though)

We usually split between Margaritaville and an onsite resort with the relaxing pool days/Disney springs and maybe one park or water park day before moving onsite to enjoy longer park days.

I would also recommend looking at OKW or SSR DVC either booking via MDE or renting points, you can sometimes get a good deal on a 2 bedroom that would give you the space you need, more bathrooms and better transportation over the cabins.

The bunks aren’t full size at Ft Wilderness Cabins? I’m 5’4 and slept in a bunk when we stayed there because my girls fell asleep in the queen bed and I didn’t want to wake them by moving them. I was perfectly comfortable. But yes, 7 people is too many for one cabin. I assumed OP meant two cabins since mom and sister might come.

 

[mmouse50]

I would stay on property - the drive from Margaritaville to Disney isn't great, even if you use the cut through that comes out by AKL, the road is always busy and you will not have the perk of early entry. I am assuming that if you stay off property you won't be going back to the use the pool during the day. Could you do either 2 cabins or 2 suites at AoA? You can drive to the parks and get free parking if you stay at the cabins which would not make you take the Fort Wilderness bus transportation (I am not a fan of the Fort Wilderness transportation).

 

[mjkacmom]

If the 16 year old brings a friend, I’m guessing they’d like to go off on their own for a bit, staying on property would make the possible since they are too young to Uber.

 

[partyof5er]

I would stay on property - the drive from Margaritaville to Disney isn't great, even if you use the cut through that comes out by AKL, the road is always busy and you will not have the perk of early entry. I am assuming that if you stay off property you won't be going back to the use the pool during the day. Could you do either 2 cabins or 2 suites at AoA? You can drive to the parks and get free parking if you stay at the cabins which would not make you take the Fort Wilderness bus transportation (I am not a fan of the Fort Wilderness transportation).

I have thought about doing 2 rooms somewhere, we stayed at AoA last time and I loved the 2 bathrooms available in the family suites but my 15 year old is already taller than me and I worry about him sleeping comfortably lol. I thought about 2 rooms at Pop or Port Orleans but have had so many tell me that there is no way to guarantee close or adjacent rooms that it makes me uncertain…

 

[partyof5er]

I have thought about doing 2 rooms somewhere, we stayed at AoA last time and I loved the 2 bathrooms available in the family suites but my 15 year old is already taller than me and I worry about him sleeping comfortably lol. I thought about 2 rooms at Pop or Port Orleans but have had so many tell me that there is no way to guarantee close or adjacent rooms that it makes me uncertain…

2 rooms for just my family of 5 plus a possible friend with my son- my mom and sister would then also get their own room