Our trailer, their trailer or a Cabin ... what to do

Northernlites

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jan 19, 2011
Last August we ( DH, DS and myself) towed our trailer from Canada 2,600 miles round trip.
Plus side was we loved the Fort.
Downside it took 3 days each way.

This year we are debating on renting a trailer from a local Florida
business. ( Not sure which one) Therefore we will be driving our small sedan and getting there in
one night instead of our large SUV and have more time at the Fort.

When I calculate the total trailer rental charges from various rental agencies plus campsite fees the cost is in the same price
range as renting a Wilderness cabin.

I need some input on this.

Would you rent a trailer or cabin?

Does the nightly rental rate ever decrease for a cabin that it is lower
than a trailer?

We are going the third week of August

What are the good and the bad of either.
 
Last edited:
Last August we ( DH, DS and myself) towed our trailer from Canada 2,600 miles round trip.
Plus side was we loved the Fort.
Downside it took 3 days each way.

This year we are debating on renting a trailer from a local Florida
business. ( Not sure which one) Therefore we will be driving our small sedan and getting there in
one night instead of our large SUV and have more time at the Fort.

When I calculate the total trailer rental charges from various rental agencies plus campsite fees the cost is in the same price
range as renting a Wilderness cabin.

I need some input on this.

Would you rent a trailer or cabin?

Does the nightly rental rate ever decrease for a cabin that it is lower
than a trailer?

What are the good and the bad of either.

Cabin in my book by a MILE.

What time of year you are considering has a bearing on this. The warmer/wetter it might be, the more I'm in favor of the cabin. Cabins are also eligible for room-only discounts that Disney periodically issues (book early for best chance of getting a discount). Campsites are RARELY discounted other than the late August-September time frame.

We stayed in cabins years ago but the plus is Mousekeeping, separation (kids from adults at night if desired), a full kitchen (albeit convection microwave), and your own bathroom with plenty of towels (DW would be signed, sealed, delivered with that last point). Plus more space in general.

If you are absolutely SET on camping, the trailer can give you a similar experience with a little bit less in every dimension. The cabin loops to me feel a little "far away" while a campsite feels more "in the middle of the action".

If the cost is somewhat comparable, me I would do the cabin every time. We have some Canadians on the board who store their camper in the Orlando area and use it 2-3 times a year at the Fort for extended periods. We have other Canadians who used to drive the rv (similar to towing the trailer) that now rent the trailer and still enjoy the campsite experience. Maybe at their time of year, costs are NOT comparable. Dunno.

If you're not hell bent on the camping experience, I'd do the cabin. That's my opinion - since you asked. It's worth what you paid for it.

Bama Ed

PS - I'm curious to see how this goes. Have you thought of using a "poll" option when creating a thread with a description then we can vote for "cabin", "rental site/trailer", "no opinion", or something else. You choose how long to leave it open for voting (we can only vote once).
 
In that situation, I would stay in the cabin. There are often discounts on the cabins along with regular hotel rooms and you'll still be at Ft. Wilderness with a full kitchen and more space than a hotel room. The cabins have even been included in free dining.

Full disclosure though, I absolutely do not understand the appeal of renting a trailer. One of the things we love about using our own is having everything already set up, our own linens, our food already mostly stocked, everything we need already in its cabinet, no suitcases, and using our own bathroom and home away from home.
 




I agree with the cabin, we loved camping in our RV there but let's face it, a real toilet and a looooooong shower can't be beat. Having said that, if you were to ask my hubby, he would say take our RV down, he likes being around his own stuff. Either way, I wouldn't rent one, I understand driving that distance and towing is a pain but if you are renting anyway, go with a cabin.
 
If you aren't going to bring your own, I'd vote for the cabin.
We don't do hotels any longer, which would include a cabin. My wife says she doesn't mind our own cooties, but she isn't staying in anybody else's! LOL
 
I'll make this unanimous. Cabin, with one caveat.

Since the price break will be about the same, the cabins don't quite have the same feel as a camper on a site. It is still the Fort, but not really "camping". If you are good with that, go for the cabin and, like everyone else said, keep a look out for the discounts. You can call to have the discount applied even if it comes out after you book.

One other thing to consider if the thought of driving 1300 miles each way stinks. My DW and DS and I have flown in for shorter trips (less than 7 days) and stayed at one of the Values. I am 1004 miles from the Fort. For us, it was essentially the same money to fly and stay at an All Star as it was for fuel towing ($650), an overnight each way and the campsite. We were also able to have 2 extra days on property since travel time was 3 hours instead of 2 days. This makes a shorter 3-5 day stay much easier to manage.

The big difference was not having a place to cook and save some money on meals. With our AP discount, it was actually a little cheaper overall. A lot depends on the price of flights.

j
 
I will agree with everyone that a cabin is likely the better option - especially given the fact that it puts Disney in charge of it all. If you get there after 1,300 miles and the trailer company had a trailer fire in the unit you were going to use, Disney wouldn't have any role in salvaging your situation.
 

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