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View Full Version : Help with family split between Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness



skadar2
01-21-2008, 05:42 PM
My family of 4 is planning a trip to WDW in November of 2008. This is the big one. The one in which my kids 4 and 7 (at the time) will see WDW for the first time! My parents want to come too so as not to miss this wonderful experience.

They have an R/V and a dog and want to stay in Fort Wilderness, so we (the family of 4) are thinking of staying at the Wilderness Lodge. Will this turn out to be an advantage? Is this the best way for all of us to "stick together"?

How is the boat traffic between MK, Fort Wilderness, and the Wilderness Lodge? Will we be able to easily arrange for water-borne meetups enroute to the MK?

Thanks for any tips.

TheMartellFamily
01-21-2008, 05:57 PM
The Wilderness Lodge is a resort atmosphere and like alot of other rooms with bed, bathroom, etc. Staying at Ft Wilderness in the cabins is more of a little home(cabin) atmosphere. there is a full kitchen and each cabin has it own individual building on its own lot very. This has a more relaxed atmoshere as opposed to the hotel atmosphere at Wilderness Lodge. The busses and the boats are all good. The boat to the MK goes to Ft wilderness and Wilderness lodge. The other boat launch goes from Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, and Ft Wilderness. The run smoothly and have never had problems with either ones. It is was is your preference .

wendy*darling
01-21-2008, 06:19 PM
:welcome: to INTERCOT!!

I know you will have lots of fun planning this special trip- and you have certainly come to the right place to get ideas and help with your plans.

I love the Wilderness Lodge. That said, if your parents will be in Fort Wilderness, have you considered staying in the FW Cabins? They sleep 6- so you'll have plenty of room and have a full kitchen- great for making breakfasts and mid-day snacks if you come back for a rest (highly suggested) during the day.
The cabin loops are not in the same place as the RV loops, but you would be in the same general vicinity. Just another option to consider.

If you do go with the WL- then it's really very easy to get to FW and back from there. The 2 resorts share the same boat to the MK. However, they are not really on a "time schedule" so I would advice using cell phones to coordinate meeting your parents either at FW or at the MK.
Also, you can use the boats to get to the Contemporary, and then switch to the monorail to go to Epcot.

Also- sometimes (but not always) the WL and FW share buses. But I would advise meeting in your lobby or at their RV before setting out for a bus ride to other parks.

Have fun making all these decision! :mickey:

SgtTigger
01-21-2008, 07:18 PM
I would not advise meeting at there RV as the busses do not run right to the RV.....

The Wilderness Lodge Does share the Boat to Magic Kingdom and they also have a smaller boat that runs between the resorts and also the Contemporary. They also have a bus that runs to Fort Wilderness and lets you out in the rear of Fort Wilderness.

I see that this could work out real nice for you.....



:cop: :tigger:

ibrowse17
01-21-2008, 07:35 PM
To avoid the internal bus system, I would have the FW part of your party meet you at the WL. The boats are good, but the direct bus from to FW to WL might be better. That bus stop, as well as the boat dock, can be found in the Settlement area of FW. Have a great trip:thumbsup:
And Welcome!!!

wdw_bound
01-21-2008, 07:45 PM
We love the Wilderness Lodge, and we also enjoy making time to explore Fort Wilderness a bit as well. The campfire and movie are really great, and on our last trip, we tried Trail's End for the first time - yummy!

One thing we did notice on this last trip (Dec. 07), however, was that the boat routes seemed to have changed. There is still a boat that goes to FW, WL and CR, but both FW and WL had separate boats to and from MK. Don't know if this was temporary or not, but the CMs we asked said it was very recent. It actually worked out better for us as it shortened the route (and when you have excited kids or exhausted kids, a shorter route is a good thing). But for your purposes, it might make meeting up a bit tougher - you'd have to either agree to meet up at MK, or at either WL or FW and go from there. Still shouldn't be too tough, just needs a bit more coordination.

Have a great trip!

skadar2
01-21-2008, 09:22 PM
Wow.. great information! Thanks very much!

I find that I can't stop planning... it's almost as fun as going. :)

wendy*darling
01-22-2008, 07:50 AM
I find that I can't stop planning... it's almost as fun as going. :)

Sounds like you've been bitten by the WDW-bug! :mickey:

You are right- it IS almost as much fun as being there.... and it sure makes the waits between trips much more bearable! :thumbsup:

Hope to see you on the boards!