My Fort Wilderness Experience

[beccajslater]

Soooo...I know a lot of folks REALLY love the Fort Wilderness Resort but it definitely wasn't for me. Just returned from a 5 night stay on the cabins and here are my impressions:

Pros:

The cabin was very cute and clean. I slept on the pull out sofa and it was super comfortable. I liked the kitchen and the bathroom had plenty of space. The resort is vast and very rustic but cute and well taken care of.

Cons:

Our cabin didn't have enough towels, the ice maker in our freezer wasn't working and housekeeping didn't do anything more than empty our trash and give us a few towels (our bed wasn't even made 3 out of 5 days). Let me say that I don't necessarily care about my bed being made but if I pay $340 a night for a cabin, the level of service I expect is a little more than normal.

I read all of the reviews and spoke to folks before I went to I knew that it's best to rent a golf cart and I didn't because taking the internal bus to the resort busses or boats is no big deal for me, but what I didn't anticipate (my bad...live and learn) was that there are only two places to refill your resort mugs at and I had to take a bus to both of them. So if I wanted to get a soda or get ice for the room, there was nothing nearby. I ended not using my refillable mug at all. Even if I had rented a golf cart, the idea of having to drive over a mile away to get a soda wouldn't be convenient for me. Also, I was on the dining plan and there are no counter service restaurant in the resort at all.

The other issue I ran into was that there's no bus to the Magic Kingdom (which I already knew), only a boat. Which was lovely until I was on my way to a reservation at the Kingdom one morning and the boats were not running because of the fog. Because there was no contingency plan, we were all just stuck there waiting for the fog to clear up.

I'm sad to say that I was more than a little disappointed. I think the resort is great for folks who have RV's and not as busy of a schedule as I was maybe?

 

[bama_ed]

I'm sorry you didn't completely enjoy your stay in the cabins, beccajslater.

It's my understanding that on days when the boats don't run (high winds, fog, etc.) then buses DO run from the Settlement Bus Depot as the back-up plan to the MK (they aren't going to leave guests stranded). As an alternative, there is also a bus that runs periodically along the same route from the Settlement Bus Depot but makes a scheduled stop at the Wilderness Lodge bus stop and if MK is your destination, you can get off there and transfer onto the WL bus to MK (the original bus from the Fort may or may not be the one going to MK so ask your driver).

Bama Ed

PS - also QS Dining Plan options are available at the Food Truck by the pool (lunchtime) or by the Campfire Singalong Movie location (dinner), the Pool Snack Bar (hot dog combos, that kind of thing), and at P&J's Southern Takeout (the take out side of Trails End buffet but it has set menu options). All this info is over on the Camping Board FAQ with prices.

 

[beccajslater]

I'm sorry you didn't completely enjoy your stay in the cabins, beccajslater.

It's my understanding that on days when the boats don't run (high winds, fog, etc.) then buses DO run from the Settlement Bus Depot as the back-up plan to the MK (they aren't going to leave guests stranded). As an alternative, there is also a bus that runs periodically along the same route from the Settlement Bus Depot but makes a scheduled stop at the Wilderness Lodge bus stop and if MK is your destination, you can get off there and transfer onto the WL bus to MK (the original bus from the Fort may or may not be the one going to MK so ask your driver).

Bama Ed

PS - also QS Dining Plan options are available at the Food Truck by the pool (lunchtime) or by the Campfire Singalong Movie location (dinner), the Pool Snack Bar (hot dog combos, that kind of thing), and at P&J's Southern Takeout (the take out side of Trails End buffet but it has set menu options). All this info is over on the Camping Board FAQ with prices.

Thanks! I wasn't aware that the food truck was QS but the pool snack bar was closed every time I was at the pool. Good thing to know!

 

[TwinkleKS]

So sorry you didn't enjoy the cabins. They are one of our favorite places to stay. The kids were disappointed when I told them we were doing Beach Club next week versus the cabins.

Staying at the cabins does work smoother with a little more research and listening to what people suggest, for example the golf carts.

There are a lot of resorts where it is quite a hike to the refillable mug stations, although that is changing some with the new freestyle machines. I have to admit I never really care that much for the mugs, I use them if I can then don't worry about them.

The QS meals are a little different, but they are available. We like to do a carryout meal if we can.

The bus stuff can be a little confusing, but they won't leave you stranded without being able to get to the MK.

As for the towels, we have never had enough when we have stayed, but usually a quick call to guest services and we have more towels than we need and that same towel count stays for the rest of the trip. I've never had an issue with housekeeping not cleaning and making the beds, but I haven't stayed there in a year, so who knows on that one. Guest services has usually be accommodating about issues we have called in that need to be fixed - so I'm surprised they didn't fix the ice machine or provide you with trays to make ice in.

 

[ilovebassets]

I'm sorry you didn't completely enjoy your stay in the cabins, beccajslater.

It's my understanding that on days when the boats don't run (high winds, fog, etc.) then buses DO run from the Settlement Bus Depot as the back-up plan to the MK (they aren't going to leave guests stranded). As an alternative, there is also a bus that runs periodically along the same route from the Settlement Bus Depot but makes a scheduled stop at the Wilderness Lodge bus stop and if MK is your destination, you can get off there and transfer onto the WL bus to MK (the original bus from the Fort may or may not be the one going to MK so ask your driver).

.

The one time the boat wasn’t running because of fog, we hightailed it on our cart to the settlement depot only to be told the bus to MK was actually running from the Outpost bus stop. I can laugh about it now, but it was pretty frustrating to have to hightail it BACK to the outpost area to catch the bus. We made it to the MK around 10:00am after initially arriving at the boat dock at 8:15. That was super frustrating. I do wish they offered regular bus service to MK in addition to the boat which doesn’t start early enough IMO. It’s not stopping us from coming back, but it’s the biggest downfall of the fort IMO. I know you can take a small boat to the contemporary and walk, but that’s not great with toddlers/preschoolers/strollers in tow.

 

[North of Mouse]

Soooo...I know a lot of folks REALLY love the Fort Wilderness Resort but it definitely wasn't for me. Just returned from a 5 night stay on the cabins and here are my impressions:

Pros:

The cabin was very cute and clean. I slept on the pull out sofa and it was super comfortable. I liked the kitchen and the bathroom had plenty of space. The resort is vast and very rustic but cute and well taken care of.

Cons:

Our cabin didn't have enough towels, the ice maker in our freezer wasn't working and housekeeping didn't do anything more than empty our trash and give us a few towels (our bed wasn't even made 3 out of 5 days). Let me say that I don't necessarily care about my bed being made but if I pay $340 a night for a cabin, the level of service I expect is a little more than normal.

I read all of the reviews and spoke to folks before I went to I knew that it's best to rent a golf cart and I didn't because taking the internal bus to the resort busses or boats is no big deal for me, but what I didn't anticipate (my bad...live and learn) was that there are only two places to refill your resort mugs at and I had to take a bus to both of them. So if I wanted to get a soda or get ice for the room, there was nothing nearby. I ended not using my refillable mug at all. Even if I had rented a golf cart, the idea of having to drive over a mile away to get a soda wouldn't be convenient for me. Also, I was on the dining plan and there are no counter service restaurant in the resort at all.

The other issue I ran into was that there's no bus to the Magic Kingdom (which I already knew), only a boat. Which was lovely until I was on my way to a reservation at the Kingdom one morning and the boats were not running because of the fog. Because there was no contingency plan, we were all just stuck there waiting for the fog to clear up.

I'm sad to say that I was more than a little disappointed. I think the resort is great for folks who have RV's and not as busy of a schedule as I was maybe?

Sorry your stay was not as great as you'd hoped, but with a little more pre planning and knowledge of the area, it could have helped somewhat.

Actually, I totally agree it would not have been my choice to stay in the cabins at that price. I have never understood the appeal personally. Would lots more rather be at POFQ - my favorite moderate setting!!

But, as for FW camping, it is our #1 place to stay at Disney. We have a motorhome and it can't be beat there. We have been camping there since early 70's when they opened and always stay walking distance to settlement area and have never rented or needed a cart.

Hope your next stay, wherever you choose, is more pleasant and enjoyable for you.

 

[IvyWinter]

Ft Wilderness is definitely a large resort and a very different feel from other resorts. I've stayed there once before with 5 other friends and will be again in 10 days with 4 other friends. Because the cabin split 5 ways is cheaper than 2 rooms split 5 ways at a moderate, we go for it. We also only considered it because we are there 7 nights. Any less than that, I feel like I'd want a more compact resort because I dont want to necessarily waste time. That said, we'll also have a car this time (last time we had no car, no golf cart, but again it was a week long and we were taking things more leisurely). It's a lot to traverse, but can be beautiful. I agree the towels are not always enough and we've had to call for more. I can't speak to the boat issue as we didn't have it last time, but I'm glad to know about it in case it comes up in January! Sorry to hear it didn't work out as well... I do feel like its a quirky resort good for specific types of stays.

 

[SteveH]

Sorry it was a bit of a let down. At the price point you paid you should have been better taken care of as far as housekeeping, working ice machine and more towels. Did you tell anyone about the problems when they cropped up? Seems like they could have easily brought you a bag of ice or something as simple as that. It's been a long time since we stayed there, but I can understand the golf cart frustration. It seems like they could do more to lessen the reliance/need of a golf cart. During our stay we hadn't reserved one and thought we'd be fine, wrong. We ended up renting one, it wasn't in our budget but with two little ones and attending a conference at The Contemporary we needed one. Over all we enjoy it but haven't rushed back.