All Star Music Family Suite or Fort Wilderness Cabins

[wdwluv]

We are a family of 6. 3 kids ages 9, 7 & 4 and 3 adults. (my husband and I and my brother age 37. He is mentally retarded and slight cerebral palsy. Not sure if that would affect your advice)

I had made a reservation for Fort Wilderness thinking it would be a great experience. Not your typical Disney property. (this will be our 2nd family visit - but first stay on property) Then I started to worry about the size of the cabin and was drawn in by the fact that the family suite at ASM has 2 bathrooms and I just changed the reservation to ASM.

Any input/advice for me?

[KylesMom]

In my humble opinion, I think you made the right choice. Six folks to share one bathroom with, whether three of them are kids or not, is just asking for mutiny. We stayed at the cabins in 2002, and while it certainly was large for the three of us (DH, myself and young DS), I wouldn't attempt six in the mix.

[cajunmickey]

Never have stayed in the cabins. Have stayed in the ASM suites. Would do it again. We were also six people. My Mother who is in her 70's, two 19 year olds, 16 year old, DH and myself. We had plenty of room and no one complained that the pull out beds were not comfortable. They also have a lot of games going on around the pool everyday, if interested.

[KAT1811]

In my humble opinion, I think you made the right choice. Six folks to share one bathroom with, whether three of them are kids or not, is just asking for mutiny. We stayed at the cabins in 2002, and while it certainly was large for the three of us (DH, myself and young DS), I wouldn't attempt six in the mix.

Two bathrooms is the closer!

[Julie_Mouse]

In my humble opinion, I think you made the right choice. Six folks to share one bathroom with, whether three of them are kids or not, is just asking for mutiny. We stayed at the cabins in 2002, and while it certainly was large for the three of us (DH, myself and young DS), I wouldn't attempt six in the mix.

I also have to chime in that having two bathrooms was amazing

Have fun!

[Buttercup]

I guess I'm going against the grain here - I choose Fort Wilderness, hands-down over the All Star Suites.
I should add that I'm not a fan of pull-out beds. Fort Wilderness has bunkbeds, full/queen bed, and a murphy bed so you don't have to worry about flimsy pull-out mattresses.
Yes, having 2 bathrooms would be a plus, but I don't think it is any better than having a full kitchen with dining room table (great for coming back for lunch). You've got a full private deck, barbecue... all the comforts of home! The thing that's great is if there are people sleeping inside, you can still sit on the deck or in the living room without having to tip-toe. Lots of privacy.
Fort Wilderness is much quieter, and there's room for kids to run, right outside the front door. My kids have always liked having adventures in the 'forest' around our cabin. Your car (if you have one with you) is parked right there as well.
I also like being a stone's throw away from the Magic Kingdom, and being able to hear the fireworks every night, not to mention the Electric Water Pageant.
The bathroom isn't really a huge issue for us - like I said, it would be great to have another one but it's not really necessary. So much so, that when we go on our next trip (yay!) we're travelling with our neighbours and ALL staying inside ONE cabin! That means 4 adults, 2 young children, and one infant in a pack & play. That's a lot of us staying in one cabin - maximum capacity to be exact. But with the vanity in the back bedroom, someone can always be combing their hair or putting on makeup while someone else is in the shower. It's really a non-issue for us.

A little tidbit for you: The All Star Suites are 520 sq. feet, and the cabins are 504 sq. feet, so that extra bathroom probably makes up for the extra space. Otherwise, they're comparable on space!

To each their own!

[Mousemates]

To me the choice primarily comes down to

two bathroom vesus = one bathroom + boat access to magic kingdom + true privacy when you return from a day at the parks (with little danger of loud teens/cheerleaders/teams + a great pool (now) + all the recreational options at FW. So if the extra bathroom is essential (and in some situations it literally can be) then do the suite....if not then to me FW is a much better choice.

[pox24]

You made the wisest choice

[wdwluv]

Thanks so much to everyone taking the time to give me their opinion on this! Obviously where you decide to stay is a BIGGEE!

I feel like, at least for this time, the family suite is the way to go.

Next time we might not have my brother with us...and the kiddos will be older and can hopefully "hold it" a little longer! LOL It sure does sound like a stay at Fort Wilderness is worth the bit of expense over a value and a great option different from other resorts. Hopefully we will make a 2011 visit with a stay at FW!

[Pirate Granny]

We stayed at the Cabins and there were six of us...our three daughters and my father and us...so, my father slept in the lower bunk bed and the girls took turns sleeping in the upper bunk and the other two sharing the double bed. We had the murphy bed in the living room. It was perfect...and my dad spends a lot of time in the bathroom and we didn't notice a problem. We were very lucky that we were the loop next to the pool, so it was only a two cabin walk...however, if we had been on a further loop this may not have been as convenient. The pools are nothing special here, so if your children enjoy the water, the Suites would be the best...

[disneyers]

I will say this about the Cabins too - besides just having one bathroom, the water heater in the Cabins is TINY (only 20 gallons I think?)

It is really hard for 2 people to each take a shower in a timely manner as you have to wait about 10 minutes for the water heater to recover/reheat between showers.

Now, I AM a really loooong shower taker, but I still think any space that is supposed to house 6 people should have more than 20 gallons! (Especially when you factor in the dishwasher, etc.)

I think you made the right choice. It is a really, really close call between the two, but I think you'll enjoy the ASMu more for the practicality. I know you'll miss out on so much ambience, but in the long run you'll just need things to run smoother rather than look cooler! Have a great trip!