Which would be better for two adults and two kids, ages 5 & 2: Fort Wilderness Cabins or the Wilderness Lodge?
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I’m glad you posted here because I saw you post on chat and this feels like more than a 250 character answer!
Are you getting a DVC room at Wilderness Lodge? The cabin does have more of a full kitchen.
If you would put the kids to bed in the bunk beds and then hang out in the living room or deck and then tiptoe into the same room as them at night I think the cabins are great. But I wouldn’t want to sleep on the sofa, pull down or not.
Cabins is a more relaxing, “away from it all”, setting. If you want closer access to restaurants and QS, Wilderness Lodge is probably better. Both pools are pretty good but WL probably has a leg up and a slide and a splash pad.
What’s the price difference?
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I have never stayed at the cabins but I LOVE wilderness lodge! I have stayed both in the hotel and in BRV. The vibe can’t be beat and it is convenient to MK and easy to drive / bus to the other parks.
My main reservation with doing the cabins is the isolated nature. You basically have to add 15 minutes to commute time vs a typical resort to account for getting out of the loop. But that said, I really want to try it sometime. I will definitely have a car if I do.
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I did reply in chat. FW has the camping vibe and is very unique. The cabins will have have more room than a standard room at WL. You will either need to take the internal bus at FW or rent a golf cart at $65/night (I suggest the golf cart). Also, dining is limited at FW (the only sit down is the Hoop) so consider that if it’s important. You can take the boat or bus between the 2 if you want to visit the other.
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We stayed in cabins 2 years ago with kids 5, 4, and 1 and we all loved it!! it was nice having a separate room to put the kids to bed where we could stay up and get ready for the next day without disturbing them. And when we wanted to drive to parks, our car was right outside. We’re used to the bus system at WDW, so the waits didn’t bother us when we chose to use the bus. Just make sure you’re on the right one, going the right way (check with the driver before loading up). I think we went the wrong way once if i remember correctly… we didn’t have a golf cart and did fine. Never stayed at Wilderness Lodge, so i have no input there! For us, having a door we could close on a sleeping space for kids was the priority.
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Virtually identical prices for the lodging. The golf cart rental would put the cabins at a higher cost.
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For a villa at WL or a hotel room? I am in the camp that doesn’t think a golf cart is essential.
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It’s not essential but you have to balance cost vs time. Yo will need to use the internal bus system which will 15-20 minutes and that’s fine for getting around the campground but not when you’re trying to get out in the morning or when you’re exhausted coming back from the parks.
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Room, not a villa.
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Ah, ya, I think that’s where you’ll probably need to make your decision.
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If you want lots of room, go with the cabin. It’s still only one bathroom, but regular cabins have the sink separated out (as opposed to an accessible room).
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We’ve stayed at the cabins twice in the past 5 years with our kids, who were were 10, 8, and 4 last summer when we went. We love the cabins, and having the separate room to put the kids to bed is great as any parent of young kids knows! In the new cabins, the extra bed is a Murphy bed rather than the true couch bed, and is a significant improvement. The couch bed in 2023 was terrible, the Murphy bed last year was just fine. Since we have three kids we just let them have the bedroom. I understand that the golf cart is not essential for some, but for me and my family, we would never stay in the cabins without one. FW is spread out, but with the cart, it doesn’t feel like an issue at all. Plus, the kids loving hopping in the cart each morning to head to either the boat launch or the bus stop. It’s the first ride of the day.
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I cant speak to Wilderness Lodge (its on the agenda for the next trip) but I just came back from the Cabins at Ft. Wilderness. I REALLY enjoyed the cabins and will return. We bought food and took advantage of the full kitchen for breakfast & lunches saving is money in the long run.
however….
Internal transportation buses were a challenge for us. I found them inconsistent. We asked for the 2800 loop which was easily walkable to the park busses and so it was only an issue on our Magic Kingdom day. Like we were at the internal bus stop at 7:15am and going through security at MK at 8:15am.
If you choose to rent a golf cart it, of course, changes the situation but they are expensive ($75-100 per day). In retrospect, we should have just called a minnie-van for our MK rope drop and called it a day.
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