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The Refurbed Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort



By Dave Shute

REFURB SCHEDULE FOR THE CABINS AT FORT WILDERNESS

Updated as of April 22, 2016

  • Loop 2800 is closed for refurb, and expected to re-open in early March
  • Cabins have been removed from Loop 2100, and it’s expected that this loop will be convered to premium campsites
  • All other loops are done

 

UPDATE ON THE FORT WILDERNESS CABIN REFURBISHMENT

The Refurbed Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort from yourfirstvisit.netDisney is in the midst of refurbing the Cabins at Fort Wilderness, a refurb that mostly significantly improves the livability of these cute buildings.

As of the end of January 2016, the refurb of Cabins in loops 2200, 2300, 2400 and 2600 was complete.

The hope is to complete the refurb in the rest of the Fort Wilderness Cabin loops, except 2100, by the end of April.

For the moment, loop 2100 is being held out of the refurb as Disney considers whether to leave this loop as cabins, convert it to campsites–perhaps pull through–or even try something more mysterious.

Map the Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort

The map above has a red box around the Cabin loops (1100, 1200 and 1700 are NOT cabin loops but rather artifacts of my lousy powerpoint skills) so you can see how the position of 2100, at the top left of the box, might make it intriguing as campsites.

I’ve published a complete photo tour and updated floor plan of these renovated Cabins that begins here, but here’s the key changes of the refurb:

CHANGES TO THE BACK BEDROOM AT THE REFURBED CABINS AT DISNEY’S FORT WILDERNESS RESORT

Refurbed Bedroom The Cabins at Fort Wilderness from yourfirstvisit.net

The bed in the back bedroom is now a queen rather than a full bed, and the wall to wall carpet here is gone, replaced by the same wooden floors elsewhere in the cabin.

The bunk beds are unchanged–still 66 inches by 36 inches, and sleeping a little shorter than 66 inches because of the framing.

CHANGES TO THE KITCHEN AT THE REFURBED CABINS AT DISNEY’S FORT WILDERNESS RESORT

Refurbed Kitchen at the Cabins at Fort Wilderness from yourfirstvisit.net

In the kitchen, the oven is gone, the stove is now just two burners, and the appliances and sink have moved around a bit.

Instead of a separate oven and microwave, there’s now an object that claims to be a bit of both–a full microwave, with oven-ish capabilities.

The Sort of Oven at the Refurbed Cabins at Fort Wilderness from yourfirstvisit.net

Above is the labeling of the microwave’s ovenly charm. The last line promises a reference guide, which I could not find in our cabin.

The Oven at the Cabins from yourfirstvisit.net

This letter from Disney notes some diminished capabilities in the ovenabilty of the microwave, but is a bit vague.  Perhaps it can no longer make the sideline throw…

In late January 2016 I went all Pillsbury Bake-Off on this oven, to figure out what it can really do and what the “limited cooking/baking capability” noted in the letter really means. A report on the results of my putting the new Fort Wilderness oven through its paces is here.

This was our fourth stay in the Cabins, and we’ve never used more than two burners at once, nor have we used the oven for anything other than frozen pizza. So if you are like us, you will find that the kitchen refurb just makes it a little easier to work at the sink, which used to be in the corner.

If however, you are a heavy oven or burner user, then book loop 2100 to get the un-refurbed kitchens there.

CHANGES TO THE LIVING ROOM AT THE REFURBED CABINS AT DISNEY’S FORT WILDERNESS RESORT

The big change in the living room is that the full-sized Murphy bed is gone, and has been replaced by a queen-sized sofa bed.

Refurbed Living Room at the Cabins at Fort Wilderness from yourfirstvisit.net

The space where the Murphy bed used to be now holds the TV and a set of much-needed dresser drawers. The couch has moved to the other side of the room, and the cute little kids table has been replaced with an easy chair.

Living Room Sofa Bed at the Refurbed Cabins at Fort Wilderness from yourfirstvisit.net

The queen sized sofa bed has a 5 inch deep cushion, and is quite comfortable. Its position on the side wall means that unlike the old Murphy bed, access is easy on both sides.

So this refurb, frankly, is mostly positive.  The two full beds (in the back and Murphy beds) are now queens; the living room bed is more accessible, and so is the kitchen sink.

The loss of two burners and the oven diminishment will matter to some, but not others.

A full photo tour of the refurbed cabins and updated floor plan begins here!The Best Reviewed Disney World Guide Book--EVER!!

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13 comments

1 Andy { 01.25.16 at 11:59 am }

is there an updated refurb schedule for 2700 and 2800 loop cabins? Staying in Feb and heard those are best if you prefer walk (with a large jogging stroller) to the buses out front for non-MK transportation.

2 Dave { 01.26.16 at 8:07 am }

Andy, I may know more after my visit this weekend.

3 Colleen { 01.27.16 at 11:42 pm }

Yes please update the status of 2800 if you can…..without the Murphy bed option that still allows the sofa to be a bed for one of us, someone is going to have to sleep with the loud snorer in the bedroom. Or…..book a few nights somewhere else!! We will be in Loop 2800 at Easter.

4 Dave { 01.31.16 at 12:12 pm }

Colleen and Andy, I’ve added the current schedule to the top of the post!

5 Margie { 02.06.16 at 7:56 am }

This is great information. We just booked a FW cabin for the first week in June.

I’m disappointed in the oven news. We had planned on bringing some frozen, pre-cooked meals to heat up to save money (lasagna, casseroles) but now I’m wondering…will a lasagna dish/casserole pan fit in the microwave thingy? What about a full size frozen pizza?

Thanks for the info!

6 Dave { 02.06.16 at 9:55 am }

Margie, it’s quite long enough–21 inches by 14 inches. A frozen pizza has a diameter of around 11 inches, so it fits fine–see the photo! Measure your pans to make sure they fit.

Pizza Dimensions Oven The Renovated Cabins at the Wilderness Lodge from yourifrstvisit.net

7 Margie { 02.06.16 at 11:43 am }

Dave,

I can’t thank you enough!!

Margie 🙂

8 Noreen { 03.08.16 at 9:06 am }

Any news on loop 2100? Thank you!

9 Dave { 03.09.16 at 4:53 pm }

Noreen, not that I can find.

10 John { 04.28.16 at 9:55 am }

Dave,

Thanks a TON for all your good information. It made our stay at the cabins so much better as we knew what to plan for. We just got back last night from a stay in the 2500 loop. They are still working on 2800 so it is closed for now. From what I could see from the road they were replacing deck/porches. The 2100 loop looks to be completely demolished. We saw no standing cabins from the entrance (thats as far as we could go) they were all completely gone and there was a lot of heavy demo equipment and a lot of workers. I have pictures if you would like me to send them to you.

Thanks,
John

11 Dave { 04.28.16 at 11:25 am }

John so glad to have helped! I was at WDW last week too, so did get the same info, here and especially here.

12 Tracy { 09.27.16 at 9:25 am }

We just returned from our stay in 2700 loop and everything was so wonderful. I had not seen earlier posts so I was unaware of all of the changes….the stay was amazing! Can’t say enough about it. The sofa sleeper was THE BEST!!! I am looking to see how I can get one for my house! We flew, so bringing groceries was not an option for us so if I may tell of something wonderful we discovered – Amazon Prime Now. It can be at your cabin in two hours and the only delivery fee is a tip. We bought cases of water and if you buy something refrigerated, they give you frozen ice bags and an insulated bubble bag that we put into a backpack, and brought water with us! Saved so much money! We loved it and cannot wait to get back!

13 Dave { 09.28.16 at 2:36 pm }

Thanks, Tracy!

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