Tell a non country girl what to expect with the cabins!

[mouseketeer mom]

We are adding a few days before our stay in April. There is very little to choose from for our family of 5 at this point. We are torn between booking 2 rooms at POP or the CABINS!!! Can someone tell me step by step what I might expect starting from the beginning. Will magical express work with the cabins? How far do we walk to get to the cabins? What are they near? (the general store, the marina, the pool?) We won't have a car so is a golf cart absolutely vital? Will we be close to food? How bout getting to the parks? Easy? Can my kids get lost easily? Are there CM's around the cabins?? I know, alot of questions, but I'd love details.

[whistlewhileyouwork]

You are making the right choice.....the cabins over 2 rooms in a crowded hotel is a win situation. You do need a golf cart so make sure you call and reserve........if they are booked get on the waiting list. ME is fine to get to Fort. You will be taken to your cabin.....then you can go get the cart. Once you get settled you will love it.......the cabin is spacious and the fact that you can sit at a table right outside you front door and read the paper/eat/vegitate or whatever is so relaxing. Boats to the MK and buses to everywhere else...be creative in your transport...always the boat to contemp to monorail for epcot. Trails end is great for breakfast and know that you can always do take out......pizza at night with a salad to go is a great thing....

movies outside everynight with a preshow with chip and dale........cabins have a pool area but you are welcome to use the one by meadows trading post as well. enjoy the beach at night with the light parade and a great view of wishes. read these boards you will find lots of info.....i have traveled the campground since im 6...im now 41. this is my theory at the risk of sounding spoiled........we either stay at the wilderness lodge presidential or vice pres suite or the cabins. there is nothing in between for us. the value in the campground cannot be beat. the price for a standard room anywhere cannot beat what you get at FW.

grab tickets to the hoopdedoo or mickey backyard bbq.......both are on property. IM me with any other questions.....most of all have a great time and let me know what you think.

[WDWdriver]

Wow! Great response, Whistlewhileyouwork. I think you covered it all. As for me, I would definitely choose the cabins over two rooms at POP. Why stay in "hotel" rooms when a FW cabin has sooooo much more to offer.

[wendy*darling]

We like both options!

I must say I prefer Pop's transportation over FW. I did not enjoy the internal vs the external buses and would have been absolutely miserable without a golf cart. But it was very hot & humid when we were there and I was in charge of 35 Boy Scouts tenting camping at the time (so maybe my mood was colored somewhat ).
That said- the cabin has one double bed and twin bunks in the bedroom. There is a TV and closet in there as well. There is also a door to the deck from the bedroom, in addition to the "front door" in the living room.
In the main room you have a full kitchen and living/dining room. Full size appliances, TV, couch small dining table (where all our "stuff" collected all week!) and the Murphy bed that pulls down from the wall. I am not sure if that was a double or queen- my DS20 slept on that, DH & I stayed in the bedroom, but we could never share a double bed- so I took the bed and he took one of the bunks! We slept much better that way.
You have a deck and BBQ, if you wish to use it. We never did.
There is one bathroom- good size.

DME will get you to the main Outpost where you will register, get your key cards, etc. Then you take an internal bus to your cabin. DME will bring you luggage to your cabin later.
There are bus stops throughout the resort, but you have to learn which end of the resort to go to to transfer to which park. MK is best by boat. And I agree Epcot by boat to CR and then monorail is the way to go as well. Just pay attention to the bus maps and you will get where you want to go.

It's also fun to just ride the golf cart around the resort and see how the RVers decorate their sites, etc. If you are not a camper- it is something to see!

I know I answered another of your posts about Pop. I was in favor of it and still am. Since it's only a couple of days- I think you might like the fact that there is only one bus stop- and your bus is not shared by any other resort. Travel time is much less at Pop than at FW.

Our family is on a quest to stay at every resort on property. We are almost done- and honestly, we have not found one we would not return to yet. Each of has favorites (mine is the Beach Club, DH likes WL), but we have never found any of them to be unacceptable.

So- whichever you choose- know it will be clean, comfortable and of high Disney quality.

[NJ Camper]

Just one more thing make sure you book for your meals asap you want to get ressies for the golf cart and as many dinners,lunch,breakfasts as possible asap with no outside transportation you will want to have your ressies so you can eat at were ever you want at a time that works for you and yes the hoopdeedoo is worth it great food and lots of it trialsend is buffet and you get the ussual and as a last resort if you can't get ressies for lunch or dinner and are in camp you can always go to trailsend and get a pizza to go they are pretty good they have some stuff at the trading post also some bread lunchmeat etc. basics have fun and enjoy the magic

[Pooh4Grumpy]

We have stayed in the cabins and love them,we would not stay any place else. We fly in ,use ME and after checking in we request a ride to the cabin in a Fort Wilderness van. They will also pick you up when you are ready to leave if you make arrangements the night before at the check in desk.We have never rented a golf cart and find the internal buses easy to use as they run every 11 minuets and now the purple bus that goes by the cabin loops also will take you to the Meadows trading post and the campfire.Have a good trip.

[busterthebronco]

well i gotta tell ya, if you cant get a golf cart you're going to walk.
its a pretty place and we love a stroll.
basically i think you want to be talked out of the cabins because you know its not the "go go go" mood of a regular resort.
and you'd be right.
its nice and comfy.
a real restful spot after a long time in the crowds.
we love it!
this reminds me of one of my favorite andy griffith episodes when the "city guy" has car trouble and has to wait a full 24hrs on a part to arrive.
he's frustrated at first but soon loves the relaxed times in maybury.
he even gets gomer to "fix" the car again just to stay another day.
my point is it may take some time to adjust but you'll love it.
having said all that if you like being in the middle of the action it may never grow on you.
confused yet?

[mouseketeer mom]

The responses are helpful. Thank you. I did call and was told plenty of golf carts are available for our time, so that won't be an issue if we decide.
We went to the hoop de doo three years ago, and got hopelessly lost making our way out of there. I fear that I will spend the 2 1/2 days just trying to work my way around and possibly waste alot of time doing so. My DH loves the cabin idea, thinks its a neat twist on our Disney experience. Hmm..
Does one take a golf cart to the cabins pool or is it right there? Does housekeeping still come in? We ususually split our stay between resorts and bell services comes and tags our luggage and ships it for us to the second resort. Will this happen at the cabins?
Thanks everyone. Hey, I know its just 2 1/2 days, but I like to pack alot of punch into our Disney time, it goes so fast! I want to make a good decision.

[busterthebronco]

honestly, if its just 2 days and you are a "do something every minute" person the time you spend riding around in the golf cart, while a good use of time to some, may seem a waste of time to you.
housekeping does come everyday just like normal.
they even clean the grill!
reading between the lines i think its his place vs your place.
play rock, paper, scissors!

[faline]

You get daily housekeeping in the cabins.

[NJ Camper]

From reading what you posted so far it sounds like you are leaming alot toward not staying at the cabins yeah they are nice but you will be using more time getting to bus stops which means less time to do what you want if you had more time and where just going to relax and just go slow and wanted to do the stuff in the camp also definately do cabins if you are trying to get the most park time and most of every second there then one of the other resorts maybe better for you just my opinion sure you will have fun which ever one you pick enjoy and feel the magic

[wendy*darling]

I fear that I will spend the 2 1/2 days just trying to work my way around and possibly waste alot of time doing so. My DH loves the cabin idea, thinks its a neat twist on our Disney experience. Hmm..

It IS a "neat twist" on your Disney experience.
Here is a map of the FW property. That should help the family get oriented.

Does one take a golf cart to the cabins pool or is it right there? Does housekeeping still come in? We ususually split our stay between resorts and bell services comes and tags our luggage and ships it for us to the second resort. Will this happen at the cabins?

Yes, yes and yes.
Depending on which loop you are in, you may take the golf cart to the pool or walk. You will most likely need the cart to get to the main pool at the Meadows.

You are still in a Disney resort.
You get daily housekeeping.
Bell Services will move your luggage from one Disney resort to another.

[mouseketeer mom]

Wow. I just studied the map. The place is huge. So the cabins are as far away from the marina as possible, and most everything else too! I reserved a golf cart, they took my CC info, because after seeing the map, there is no possible way I'd want to be without a golf cart. They advised me to reserve the cart while we made our decision, and if we decide otherwise, I'll call to cancel. We are actually leaning towards the cabins instead of POP because we're thinking we can have a cool experience there, not just a place to lay our heads. I like the idea of something totally different. I like the idea of a new adventure. I like the idea that its just for a couple of days!!! HA! We're giving it the weekend, and then we'll decide. If we book, should I request anywhere special? Are the cabins by the pool recommended? Thanks everyone! Thanks for the map Linda!

[wendy*darling]

It is a huge place, but in a golf cart it really doesn't take any more than 5-10 minutes to get up to the marina area. The walk is about 20 minutes. (I've done both a number of times).

I don't think there is any one cabin loop that is better than any other. No need to be by the cabin pool, since you have your cart. In fact, I'd probably prefer not to be in that loop, since more "strangers" visit it than other loops.

I went to the cabin pool once on this past summer's trip- a weekday in late June. There was only one family there, plus me (I was doing our scout troop's laundry while I soaked in the pool). It was very peaceful and quiet. Almost felt like a private pool.

I suggest making an ADR for Hoop Dee Doo if you have never been there before. Also -have at least one meal at Trail's End while you are there.

One last suggestion- bring a bandana or brightly colored towel or scarf to tie to your golf cart. All the carts look the same, and it's just easier to locate your cart with something individual attached to it. The "parking lots" have electric outlets so you can re-charge while you are out for the day. You cabin's driveway has an outlet as well.

[whistlewhileyouwork]

Good for you.....you wont know until you try it and if you dont youll always wonder what its like. You will enjoy the adventure and the solitude....i never request a certain loop they are all close together. It does look huge on the map and it is wide open space...but a few tours around on the golf cart and you will feel right at home. Let us know what you decide...