The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort — Hotel in Bay Lake

Where do I begin. Upon arrival, we were not greeted with warmth or hospitality. We were placed in a cabin that was a “stone’s throw” from an active construction site. We were so close to the portable toilets, I could smell the urine and feces wafting in the breeze. My small children and I came out to “enjoy” the deck with construction men entirely too close by. Uncomfortable is an understatement! The restaurant facilities are NOT ACCESSIBLE by cars. In fact, we quickly learned that in order to access any of the amenities “offered” at the resort, we would have to be both financially and physically able to rent and/or operate a golf cart. It’s like paying for the amenities with our room charge, then paying again to access them by golf cart. The blatant display of elitism and ableism is NOT what I would expect from DISNEY! Isn’t this the “happiest place on earth, accessible to everyone?!” Well, apparently everyone except average people with budgets or people who aren’t able-bodied. No one who is disabled can access the food or the laundry facilities. The laundry facility assigned to us was out of order the entire duration of our stay. We had to search for an open facility, and when we finally found one, to no one’s surprise, it was inaccessible by a car. My husband, a man of color, had to pull over to the side of the road in the pitch black and turn his hazard lights on to drag the laundry for our family of six to a distant facility. He was then chastised by another GUEST and he was told he “didn’t belong there; that the area was only for golf cart drivers who were assigned to that loop.” We QUICKLY realized that our family was not the target demographic for this resort. We learned about the bus transportation around the resort from another kind guest, not the resort staff. We had to commute to the pool by bus, and shortly after arrival, another child contaminated the pool with their bodily fluids and everyone had to evacuate the area. My older children were harassed by lifeguards at the kiddie splash pad (which they were in by force, not by choice) and told that they couldn’t use the slide because they were both 49” and they couldn’t be present without an adult. The amenities almost entirely come at an additional cost if and when you can get to them—It felt like survival, not a vacation! Let me back up a little bit to discuss the cabin itself. Aside from the disgusting location, we were not greeted with the usual “welcome,” that we’ve come to expect and love as we enter our Disney resort room. The remotes were broken and didn’t work consistently. The housekeepers came in and made the beds, replaced towels, and left our trash that we bundled and organized for them! The shower was hot for about two showers; mind you, we are a family of six. We only had one working stovetop. The furniture was FILTHY. I’ve attached a picture of the couch that is supposed to be white and green, but it is clearly green and dingy from never being steam cleaned. I did speak to some of the managers at Fort Wilderness who “compensated”us with tickets, but it still felt as though we were being patronized and not being taken seriously. One of the managers offered to give us a late check-out, but informed us that we had to be out by noon because she had another family moving into that cabin after us. After all I’ve said, and the experience I had which brought me to tears, the mere thought that she would place ANOTHER family in that cabin with the view of portable toilets is UNFATHOMABLE to me. I digress. I could go on and on about the week we had, the money we spent (upwards of several thousand) to be treated like uninvited guests in someone else’s house, but I think I’ve made my point. I am sick and disgusted at the cost of this nightmare, the insufficiency in redemption, and the Disney magic that was shattered for our entire family. We will take our family and our money to other places where we...

My family (3 adults and one child) recently stayed at Fort Wilderness for a week, and we really enjoyed the more rustic experience! The cabins are unlike any other resort at Disney. Here are some of the pros and cons:

Pros: The cabins sleep up to six people. In the bedroom there's a full bed and a bunk bed. In the living room, there's a pull-out sofa bed, which sleeps two more. The bathroom is just off the hallway in-between. The separation between the bedroom and the rest of the cabin is fantastic for people who want privacy from their fellow travelers. There's ample storage space for unpacking and storing. The cabins are basically rustic-themed hotel rooms, and come as well appointed as any other high-end place. The kitchen features a full-sized fridge and freezer, a stovetop, a dishwasher, pots, pans, plates and utensils, and a microwave/convection oven. It's great to be able to cook your own meals before heading out in the morning or whatever. There's also a grill and a picnic table out on the deck but we didn't end up using those much. You can get grocery delivery right to your cabin if that works out. The cabins feature a large TV in the living room and a smaller one in the bedroom. Mousekeeping comes every other day to restock coffee, towels and whatever else. And the cabins were so clean

There's so much to do here too. Every night we were here there was a different movie night. It starts with a campfire at 7:30, a singalong with Chip and Dale at 8:00, then the movie starts at 8:30. We didn't partake of this but I know it's a big draw. On Tuesdays and Wednesday nights, they have food truck nights along the lake by the boat launch. There are two swimming pools, a playground, and the famed Hoop De Doo Review is on this property. We spent so much time in the parks that we didn't really utilize all FW has to offer, but it's there.

I especially loved that you can take a boat right to Magic Kingdom. In the front of the park near the cabins, you can take the bus service to the other parks and to Disney Springs.

Cons: The pullout sofabed is one of the most uncomfortable things I've ever slept on. I'm in my mid 40s and maybe it's me, but if you care about your back you should really pack a memory foam mattress or something. And with all the walking you do in the parks, sleep is so very important. Sleeping on the couch itself was far more comfortable. Another potential con is the size of the resort. It's about a mile from the bus stop near the entrance to the one at the other end where you take the boat to Magic Kingdom. You really do need something else to get around. It's easy enough to say you want to walk, but we averaged 10 miles of walking every day in the parks.

Another potential drawback is that there's one bathroom. It was just bearable with three adults, I can't imagine six.

There are shuttle buses to each park and Disney Springs, but getting around depends on luck and timing. FW is probably the furthest away from Magic Kingdom, by bus at least. They're not always reliable but they do their best. Our first day there we waited 30 mins to take the bus to AK. The bus drivers were always very friendly. You can rent golf carts, but they're pricey and they sell out quickly. As much as I love to walk, when you spend all day walking around the parks, the last thing you want to do is a long trek back to your cabin. If you order any service like Uber or delivery that requires them to come find your cabin, good luck. We had people get lost and not be able to find our location without guiding them every step of the way. And the wifi is weak. It didn't always work. While that may be a benefit to some, remember it's still Disney and everything depends on scheduling in advance.

I will say that FW is more of a community than most places in Disney. We came during the Christmas holidays and people will decorate their cabins and golf carts. It has a very close...

Very nice cabin with a nice kitchen, dishwasher, 4 beds (bunk beds and queen bed in bedroom, pull out couch in living area) perfect for a family of four with a teenage son who needs his own bed to stretch out in. Decent bathroom with toiletries that were okay. The porch had a large picnic table with a grill and a hose. TVs in living room and bedroom that have resort channels to provide limited information. There are places to eat, swim and enjoy some activities, but you have to magically know how to utilize these amenities. You can check in online, but we chose to physically visit the registration desk to make sure we had a good understanding of the resort; even though, I researched it through the disneygo website (because the App had minimal resort information). Unfortunately, this tactic did us no good, as our registration clerk failed to mention quite a few important details. I noticed as we approached the registration desk, a sign stating there were no more golf arts available (okay I thought- do we need one?) and I was already vaguely aware of a bicycle rental activity that cost extra (thought this was more of an activity to see the remote trails and horses, not a necessity of sorts). Neither of these was even mentioned by the clerk. Needless to say, we spent an hour driving around in the dark resort streets to find roads that appeared to be headed for the restaurants, but were not open to cars and found out you could only walk, bike, drive a golf cart or take the internal resort bus (also not mentioned as a means to the the restaurants, but only as a way to the drop off point to the shuttle ferry to the Magic Kingdom) to these internal resort destinations. So much for having our car! There were 3 parking spots near the Wilderness pool/ washing machines by our cabin, but nowhere did it mention the hot tub at this location; not when I visited the resort website or the App. The washing machines only take credit card - nobody mentions this, nor is it on the map or the TV channel specifically designed to display resort information. I paid for a lady's washer and dyer and she gave me her cash, because that is all she had on her and she was never told either! You need your own towels or must bring the cabin towels to the pools - once again, no one mentions this, nor is it stated on the map or on the TV channel specifically designed to impart resort information!

I also noticed a sign, as we checked in, regarding housekeeping service...something about a giftcard for not using daily. It was late, I was tired and our wait in line was short, so I figured once we approached the desk they would expand on everything. Nope! Devil is in the details, now isn't it. The clerk also did not mention the limited housekeeping option to us. I forgot about the sign until day one, when our towels were exchanged after one use and the beds were made, dishes done! Agh! We did not need all that daily, so I called the desk and asked about the limited housekeeping. To my surprise a $40 Disney giftcard is gifted when you choose limited housekeeping. Nice perk, but was never mentioned. I guess tired guests trying to take in all the signs at the desk, you may never use if you use online check-in, are supposed to know these details!?! Oh, and the pool hours just changed the day we arrived to closing at 10pm instead of 11 pm. I knew I was not crazy and during my research, the pool closed at 11pm, but the new hours were not communicated, I had to ask a lifeguard. Really disappointed in the lack of details about the resort, that can really make a difference, were not communicated. A simple checklist could be followed by the registration clerks or posted to the resort TV channel. Even the paper map could have some of these details. Fort Wilderness Cabin Resort, please fix it so others may fully...