Modern take on cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness

If you love the outdoors, some of the best accommodations at Walt Disney World are at the sprawling Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, where horseback riding, archery, fishing and campfire sing-alongs are featured attractions.

Guests can stay in one of 350 cabins that Disney rents throughout the 750-acre forest. They can even bring their own lodging, ranging from canvas tents to bus-like recreational vehicles.

Disney bills its cabins as “roughing it in comfort,” and now, for the first time in 25 years, the cabin experience is changing. On the way out are the dark brown, pioneer-looking log cabins. In their place, Disney is building more contemporary, shed-style structures that look less dated and more appealing to 21st century nature lovers.

I had a chance to stay in one of the new cabins on a two-night visit to Disney in August. Among the most noticeable differences is that Disney has brought a more colorful palette to the forefront. The new cabins come in tones of blue, tan, green or orange-red, which makes them stand out rather than blend into the woods.

The sheds are built on the old concrete pads of their predecessors and feature the same elevated outdoor wood deck at the entrance, although with more modern patio furniture. There’s parking for two cars — or a car and an electric golf cart, which can be rented on site for $70 a night.

Another big difference between old and new is light. The slant-roofed shed allows for clerestory windows on three sides in addition to a pair of floor-to-ceiling windows across the central living and dining area. They can all be curtained for privacy, but when open they give the space lots of natural light and help it feel roomier inside.

The 504-square-foot cabins feature a kitchen, dining table and lounge area with a sofa and wall-mounted TV in the middle, flanked on one end by a bathroom and on the other by a bedroom with a queen bed and two bunk beds.

Disney suggests maximum occupancy of six adults. That would be a squeeze; a family of four or five seems a better fit. Two kids could also sleep in the Murphy-style bed behind the sofa in the lounge area and two in the bunks. 

The kitchens have been upgraded with the addition of a full stove with an oven rather than a two-burner cooktop. There’s also a full-size refrigerator, a built-in microwave, a dishwasher and a coffeemaker that brews either a drip-style pot or single servings capsules.

Decor is themed to wilderness as interpreted by Disney, and there are deep references hidden in the design, such as a Chip ‘n’ Dale mural with a Nov. 19 calendar page, which was the date in 1971 that Fort Wilderness opened. Otherwise it looks like a modern condo with Western touches and quality upholstery.

There is a second vanity sink outside the bathroom with a woodsy-looking backlit mirror and, in one of my favorite touches, a tuck-away booster step in the bathroom, giving little kids better access to the sink area.

Outside there is a basic charcoal grill and a device bolted to the deck for scraping mud from boots and shoes.

The cabins are a decent distance from each other, affording privacy that some complain is lacking in the campsites for RVs and tents. Cabins are air-conditioned, a godsend in the summer, but have only one window that opens in cooler weather.

Cabins are arrayed along seven loops near the resort entrance, which makes them relatively far from the beach area and boat shuttles to the Magic Kingdom but close to the stables and the bus depot that connects to the other six Disney parks.

The main dining hall, tavern and convenience store are also by the lake, which can be reached on the internal bus system or by golf cart. The cabins are nearby the Wilderness swimming pool and laundry room.

I found the distant “toot-toot” of the Magic Kingdom boat horns drew me toward the lake end of the campground, where the 9 p.m. fireworks show can be viewed from the beach. A dog park, carriage rides, fishing excursions and the frontier-themed “Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue” dinner and show can also be found there.

One-bedroom cabins range from $543 per night to $986 during the holiday season. With the overhaul, the cabins have been added to the Disney Vacation Club Resort lineup, but guests don’t need to belong to the timeshare program to rent, and agents get paid a commission on any Disney vacation that includes cabin rentals.