Art of Animation v. Fort Wilderness
In the current tier system of Walt Disney World hotels, there are two resorts that don’t really fit: Art of Animation Family Suites and the Fort Wilderness Campground Cabins. This post offers a head-to-head smackdown between the “island of misfit resorts.”
This continues our Walt Disney World hotel comparison series of posts with an unlikely match-up when judging based upon general vibe and theme, but one that makes a lot of sense if you’re judging by price and room type. It’s those bases that gives rise to this comparison, and we think this might prove especially helpful for those families who had never considered one (or the other) as an option for their vacation.
While we will draw our own conclusions as to which is better, along the way we will explain our reasoning, so you can form your own conclusions. We’ll also include a reader poll at the end, so you can vote for your favorite (and see whether the consensus agrees or disagrees with us). Since Fort Wilderness and Art of Animation are so different from one another, a big part of the decision here is going to come down to personal preference.
That’s where we’ll start this face-off, with our showdown in terms of theme, decor, and atmosphere…
Theme/Atmosphere: Push – You have no idea how badly I want to give the victory to Fort Wilderness here, responding with a Calvin’s dad “it builds character” comic strip to anyone who disagrees. I could also shake my fist about how “kids these days” need something like Fort Wilderness. Alas, I am too “mature” for that…and don’t want to alienate you all. 😉
While I do believe Fort Wilderness is the only one of these resorts that is actually themed (Art of Animation is decorated–there is a difference), I understand and respect that a lot of people are going to prefer Art of Animation. The fact is, they are pretty much polar opposites of one another. Art of Animation features a plethora of iconic characters from Disney films, whereas Fort Wilderness is rustic by design and much more subtle.
We’ve expanded this category to include atmosphere because it’s an important consideration for those who might be debating between the two resorts. In terms of atmosphere, Art of Animation is every bit as vibrant and high-energy as its colorful decor and oversized icons suggest. It’s an assault on the senses, which is a good or bad thing depending upon your perspective.
By contrast, when you enter Fort Wilderness property, life suddenly slows down. You’re within spitting distance of Magic Kingdom, but you’re a world away. It’s a place to decompress and unwind after a frantic day in the parks, and the atmosphere is decidedly mellow. This is old school “Walt Disney World” at its finest–the Vacation Kingdom of the World–a place that immerses you in another time and place and makes you forget how close you are to the hustle and bustle of Magic Kingdom.
The problem with that, for some guests, is that Fort Wilderness is totally unlike new school Disney (which Art of Animation basically epitomizes). There are few overt references to characters, and there is nothing that screams “DISNEY!” in your face. For first-timers reading this who are taking their families, Art of Animation is likely going to more closely align with your expectations of what a “Disney” resort would offer.
For most guests, theme and atmosphere–and how those match personal preference–are going to be the deciding factor in this debate. These resorts are so different in tone that nothing else in this post is going to move the needle enough one way or the other.
Rooms: Fort Wilderness – Given the way we punted on the issue of theme, you might’ve expected something similar here. After all, the thematic parallels track inside with the rooms. However, we feel there is a distinct quality difference here. Although they are rustic, the recently-refurbished Fort Wilderness Cabins feel high-quality, with some nice detail work.
By contrast, the Art of Animation rooms strike us as plastic-y, and what you’d find in a Value Resort suite. To be sure, there are some fun details and the design most certainly will appeal to kids and color-blind adults, but the quality is not at the same level.
The Art of Animation Family Suites do score points for being slightly larger (around 565 square feet versus 506 square feet) and having two bathrooms, so this might be enough to push the W into their column for you. Conversely, the Fort Wilderness Cabins have bunkbeds…so let’s call those two points a wash.
Dining: Fort Wilderness – You could say that Fort Wilderness and Art of Animation form two halves of a whole when it comes to dining…almost. Art of Animation brings strong counter service, which is weak at Fort Wilderness. Table service is the strength of Fort Wilderness, which is totally missing from Art of Animation. (Both understandably lack fine dining, hence the “almost” whole.)
Ultimately, Fort Wilderness wins here because it offers more variety, and although its counter service option has a limited menu, it at least exists (and serves fried chicken from Trail’s End, which alone arguably makes it underrated!). Then, you have heavy-hitters like Trail’s End and Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. The former is one of the best dining values at Walt Disney World, and the latter is a ‘destination’ experience that everyone should make the trek to Fort Wilderness to enjoy at least once. While Landscape of Flavors is one of the best counter service restaurants at Walt Disney World, it cannot compete with all that.
Transportation: Art of Animation – This might come as a surprise given that Fort Wilderness is a Bay Lake resort with boat transportation to Magic Kingdom, whereas Art of Animation requires bus transit for every park. However, Art of Animation prevails here because it is efficient and direct. No shared buses, and a single stop.
During our recent stay at the Fort Wilderness Cabins, we were reminded of how mind-numbingly frustrating its transportation can be. There are 3 internal bus routes that deliver guests to the front and back of the the resort, with buses departing from the front to take guests to the parks, and boats departing from the back (Settlement) to take guests to Magic Kingdom (and other Bay Lake resorts).
This might not seem bad as a twice-per-day thing, but the resort is so spread out that a bus is also necessary if you want to eat, shop, or swim. The internal bus route is about as efficient as it can be, and although it can be a bit quirky and initially confusing, it gets the job done. Over the course of a week-long trip, though, the amount of extra time you’re spending on transit really adds up, and grows tiresome.
The internal transportation is the price guests pay for the seclusion Fort Wilderness offers, and it’s a necessary evil. Whether you’re willing to accept this is a matter of personal preference, but I don’t really think there’s any way around it while maintaining Fort Wilderness’ exceptional vibe. It’s why so many Fort Wilderness guests rent golf carts.
Pools: Art of Animation – On our list of the Top 10 Pools at Walt Disney World, we commented that the Big Blue Pool at Art of Animation is overrated. People get caught up in its gimmicks (like the underwater music) and flashy decor and overlook the reality that it’s a fairly uninspired, but large and crowded, pool.
Despite this, the collective pools of Art of Animation still score a victory over those at Fort Wilderness. Built in an era when Walt Disney World was far less ambitious with its pools, Fort Wilderness originally had River Country water country to further lean on as its de facto pool. Since the closure of River Country, the subpar pools at Fort Wilderness have become a more glaring issue. It’s not to say these pools are too small or there isn’t enough capacity (they are fine on both counts, and if all you want is water to lounge around, they do the trick), the problem is that Fort Wilderness’ pools have zero wow-factor or unique selling points.
Cost: Push – When looking at rate charts for a number of seasons, it appears that the Family Suites at Art of Animation and the Fort Wilderness Cabins are the exact same price or within $10 of one another most nights of the year.
Interestingly, that price is always more than double the cost of a Value Resort room (stated differently: two rooms at a Value Resort) and sometimes more than two rooms at a Moderate Resort. That raises a different question for another day, but for the sake of this comparison, cost is a push…
Verdict: Push – It would be really easy to let my biases show through and substitute my personal preferences for an objective conclusion here. The reality is, these resorts each have their respective strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, the biggest strength and weakness each have is theme/atmosphere.
Some guests are going to love the laid back feel of Fort Wilderness as a quiet reprieve from the parks, while others are going to find that same atmosphere dull and “un-Disney.” On the other hand, some families are going to love the color and energy of Art of Animation, and other guests are going to want to gouge out their eyes upon seeing it. Individually, I can think of no two other resorts that will provoke such dramatically different reactions from guests. This makes comparing them especially tricky–if not downright impossible–because each resort is so divisive that it renders the end result here so reliant on subjectivity.
This begs the question: why did we compare them in the first place? To shed light on just how different the tone of each is since individual reviews cannot convey that quite the dissimilarities (it’d be odd for an Art of Animation review to blather on about Fort Wilderness as “counter-programming” for those to whom Art of Animation does not appeal). That should make this an easy decision for those undecided readers.
Personally, I prefer Fort Wilderness, warts and all. As an adult, I like the laid back and slower pace offered by the resort, which is a nice foil to the chaos of being in the parks. As a child, I recall having a blast with all of the recreational activities at Fort Wilderness, and being in the great outdoors. Additionally, as a non-parent, I have certain ill-informed, preconceived notions about parenting. I do think the open-ended nature of Fort Wilderness allows kids to imagine, explore, and create their own adventures. This is important to, ahem, build character.
With that said, we also enjoy Art of Animation. It wouldn’t be my personal first choice, but if we had kids who were obsessed with Cars or The Lion King, it’d be hard to resist (after an adequate character-building session at Fort Wilderness, of course!). Now let’s hear what you all think in the poll:
Considering theme & atmosphere, dining, pools, room quality, transportation, and any other important variables, which do you prefer:
– Disney Tourist Blog (@DisTouristBlog) February 21, 2017
This poll should be an interesting one, with voting likely occurring on demographic lines…
When comparing any two resorts, other factors will obviously come into play. Important amenities like location and recreation (which we didn’t even get into–but Fort Wilderness offers a lot in this regard), and other variables are going to matter and weigh differently for different parties. Our goal is for this post to be helpful in offering a head-to-head comparison of the most crucial elements of each Walt Disney World resort experience, but we suggest supplementing this with our full review of Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground and our Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Review. With that said, what do you think…did we drop the ball by failing to select a victor here? Which do you prefer…and why?
I just read this for the first time. We love Fort Wilderness and have stayed here almost every time since our first visit in 2014. You should update this article and mention the opportunity to rent Golf Carts. Over the last 6+ years we’ve probably stayed there 15 times (mostly in our RV but also twice in the cabins) and the number of people with golf cart rentals (or their own) must have doubled. It’s almost like a ride in itself for our kids- we go “looping” every evening and some mornings. They’re game changers for how you experience the Fort. (I’ve never stayed at the AoA, but my wife has with her mom and her biggest take away about it was that it is enormous and takes forever to walk anywhere. She joked that Disney should rent golf carts there too.)
I have stayed at Fort Wilderness twice. Never at Art of Animation. Fort Wilderness to me is not rooms. If you want camping, I would accept nothing but pitching a tent. Anything with a room and a bed is not camping Art of Animation has little appeal for us. Favorite Hotels are Animal Kingdom Lodge, Fort Wilderness. and Port Orleans. The French Quarter.
Last April, we stayed at AofA for 1 night and then cabins for the other 7 nights. As someone, who before this trip, had stayed primarily at Riverside, my family loved the quiet and calm of FW. The 1 night stay at AofA was nice to experience but I don’t think I would want to do it for a weeks stay. A golf cart at FW is a must. The boat rides over to MK were always peaceful. We vacation with another family and so we rented out 2 cabins for the 11 of us. They were fantastic. The pool there is nothing special but also not as crowded as AofA. FW makes you feel like you are not on Disney property while being on Disney property which was nice after long days of all of the disneyfication (is that a word). If you are looking for peace and calm after a long day at the parks, the Cabins at FW win. But can you really go wrong with Disney?
With 6 people in the room I just can’t imagine all sharing 1 bathroom – that is my major issue with Fort Wilderness cabins. If they had 2 bathrooms I would definitely stay there. With 4 people it’s not as big of a deal and you have that nice deck to hang out on. The pool is also a big factor but for a week where you only do parks a few days I would choose Fort Wilderness for more “room” time.
If you take your own car to Fort Wilderness, it not only eliminates your transportation issue, it allows you to drive to the door of your room (cabin) at the end of every day. We cook in the rooms to offset the cost of the golf cart so MK transportation isn’t as stressful. We really enjoy tooling around the campsites in the cart looking at the holiday decorations. Although…Fort Wilderness campers are a breed of their own, and don’t seem to need a holiday to decorate. That’s probably our favorite part of our trips.
Our last trip we stayed in AofA and loved it. Our two year old son was a huge Cars fan and had to say hi to all the characters every morning and every evening. If you have small kids, AofA is a good bet. For our upcoming trip I looked at the cabins. With two kids now I thought bunk beds would be cool. But the two big selling points that pushed AofA over the edge were the second bathroom and the separate master bedroom. There is something about being able to close the door, leaving grandma and the kids out in the living room, and having some alone time
Tom, how about this as a idea for a article: month by month, which resorts would be best?
I imagine Ft Wilderness would not be best during really hot weather, for example.
A few years back when making our reservations at Ft. Wilderness, they told us we had stayed over 200 times. It’s a destination for quality family time that has nothing to do with the parks. If we’re doing the parks, we stay at a hotel resort and our kids pout a bit. There’s a whole culture around camping at Disney, especially as Christmas. There’s just something about taking a bike ride around dinner time with the smell of grilled burgers in the air. Or having a cup of coffee down at the docks early in the morning and watching all the families with excited kids board the boat headed to the Magic Kingdom. The same is true in the evening watching exhausted parents carrying sleeping toddlers and arms filled with bags and balloons. They used to play the old classic movies at the campfire program. Now we stay for the songs and to roast a few marshmallows before heading to the beach for the water parade and fireworks. Maybe it’s nostalgia, but you hit the nail on the head when you said time seems to slow down. It always hits me the first time I step into the Trading Post. It’s the smell of my childhood. It hasn’t changed.
The stimulus piles up and if I stay at a hotel resort then by the end of a week or so I’m stressed out. The fort allows you to hit a reset button everyday. Silence is actually been found to promote health and slow down the aging process. At the campground, I feel freed from the stimuli of the parks and people and dishes and batteries running little princess lights/light sabers, and attractions. You don’t get the same amount of reprieve in hotels.
Yes, I wholeheartedly agree with Karena. We love Fort Wilderness, and find it to be an incredibly relaxing respite at the end of a Disney day. To us, the Fort is our favorite…Disney’s hidden gem.
My family is taking our first WDW trip this June. We are a family a 4, with girls ages 8 and 15. I looked at both of these choices, but AoA had a few things I prefer. The theme of AoA is a much better fit for my 8 year old and the second bathroom is a necessity for the 15 year old. Since it will be our first trip, I imagine we will be spending much more time in the parks than regular visitors, so amenities and activities on site weren’t really a factor. The transportation was big, too. As you said, all of that extra time getting around on site would add up over a week.
While I understand why people may prefer the laid back nature of Fort Wilderness, I feel like it is not a “Disney” vacation for me if I am staying at a cabin in the woods. That might be because I grew up in southern California and our family had annual Disneyland trips and camping trips, but never camping trips where we went to Disneyland. They just seem like two different trips that are great for different reasons, and mixing them wouldn’t feel right to me.
Oh, one last thing. My wife and oldest daughter are vegetarians, so the awesome food at Fort Wilderness (and many other places, for that matter) does not factor into our decision 🙁
I take it you guys haven’t seen Chef TJ. Fort Wilderness has secretly one of the best veggie locations in the whole of WDW.
Not that I’ll be able to make it over there, but go on…
Seriously, I need all the help I can get. If anyone can advise me on how to still be able to eat the good stuff while finding good vegetarian options for my wife and daughter it would be greatly appreciated.
We just visited the parks and at every one of the food places there were a few vegetarian choices with all the other food choices. Enjoy
As always Tom, great article. Having stayed at both, I find AoA (suites) much better suited for young children. Even though when spend most of our time in the parks, AoA kept our kids entertained well. Also, if they do install the new gondolas, then AoA will be that much easier from a transportation perspective. Fort Wilderness’ biggest drawback is the transportation issues. The food is spectacular and we love the Hoopty Doo Revue!
Having stayed at the cabins many times and Art of Animation only in a standard room I was curious about the ‘kitchenette’ at AoA. Glad someone else brought it up. I feel Disney restaurant dining is a big part of a Disney vacation, but having some supplies and ability to cook them at the cabins make for a very enjoyable and slightly more economical trip. I looked up pics of the kitchenette at AoA and the cabins’ kitchens seem far superior. The cabins have a full size coffee maker, microwave, range, and a dishwasher that housekeeping will run for you.
I realize this was a challenging non apples-to-apples comparison, but the cabins with their wooded privacy, large deck, complete kitchen, better beds (even at 6’5″ I’d rather sleep on the bunk beds at the cabins than an AoA convertible table bed) seem to have an X factor that cannot be beat.
The kitchen was a big plus for us when we stayed in the cabins 2.5 years ago. We had coffee & breakfast in the cabin & packed up snacks. We had a car, but often used the bus transportation. The biggest downside to the cabin itself was that the sofabed was INCREDIBLY uncomfortable (the regular beds were fine). In retrospect, 2 rooms at a budget resort might have been a better option for the adults. The kids loved the bunkbeds, though, and we only had 1 day when it was warm enough to swim, so that was fine too. I agree with someone above who said this option would not be the best in the heat of summer. We loved the low-key retro theme & my kids needed the sensory break of a laid-back atmosphere. We did have trouble with the boat transportation a couple of times – huge lines for the first boats of the a.m.
Thank you for this! Our first visit we stayed in AoA (Little Mermaid Room as a 2) and this year as a group of 4 we’ve chosen Fort Wilderness Cabins (mostly to grab free dining and for the kitchen). I respect you taking an unbiased approach, as I’ve definitely be swept up in your raving reviews of Fort Wilderness and this has given me a reminder of the drawbacks of the resort. As a group of adults, I still think I’ve made the right choice, I’ll take a bus/golf cart and seclusion over walking distance to the pool (especially as that means kids are in shouting distance). Get off my lawn etc etc
I greatly prefer the Cabins on personal preference, but if we need the space to actually sleep 4 to 6 people, the 2nd bathroom seals the deal for Art of Animation. When your family’s visit to WDW is ruined because you live in Florida, get called to jury duty, can’t get out of it, and actually get picked for the case (for an oddly specific example, but could work more relatably if some of the party are morning people and others are not) it’s nice to be able to get ready with minimal disturbance for others.
We stayed in a cabin one night as a temporary solution to the Hurricane in September and that one night was enough for me with one bathroom. We would need two cabins for it to be comfortable and that is just too inconvenient for us. We would rather have tents or AOA. As a matter of fact, if the weather is cooperating, tents are a great way to go since you can all shower at the same time…Fort Wilderness has pampered us with shipping all the kids off to shower all at the same time.
This might be the first time in history anyone has referred to the tents at Fort Wilderness as pampering them. 😉
(I get your point; still a bit funny!)
As you may have already noticed in the past, I am just generally a very counter cultural person.
~mandiepie
You forgot to mention the KITCHENS!
I know that the stock of cooking implements at Ft. Wilderness is a bit scanty, but the fact that you have more than a microwave to concoct food with is a big deal. The reality is that with a tiny bit of care, any meal you make yourself is significantly cheaper than any meal you get from some on-property purveyor. Can’t make a good grilled cheese in an Art of Animation microwave …
That said, we’ve stayed at AoA and loved it. I think it depends a bit what kind of trip you came for.
Great point about the kitchens, especially if you go to an actual grocery store or have things delivered.
I’d also agree that it depends upon the type of trip. We’ve done Art of Animation on shorter, weekend trips and enjoyed the non-stop sense of Disney energy and immersion. On a longer, more laid-back trip (and one with my parents), we felt Fort Wilderness was the far better option. (For us, at least.)
Great Article…I love our misfits! We have camped at Fort Wilderness an uncountable number of times and long term. I would say you don’t have to take an internal bus to do anything. Staying 1500 loop its about 0.65 miles to the marina and 0.75 mile to the furthest pool. Running and rollerblading, I have a difficult time getting much mileage around FW without doubling back several times. It’s much easier to add up around SSR or OKW. So, if you stay 2200 loop and want to walk to the marina you’re walking about the distance you would around the world showcase and back to Spaceship Earth. I guess that is a long distance but if you’re camping then you probably aren’t against it. These are both two of our favorite resorts and have made it possible to bring 5 kids 4x a year. AOA has it’s charm and I will be there next weekend for Princess alone and I will be happy there. I’ve never had a family suite bc we are perfectly happy with Ariel. LOF is great and Trails end is always our way of saying goodbye to Disneyworld, as a family. I’d say there isn’t really one better THAN the other as much as they both have great attributes. There’s something great about bringing bikes, scooters, blades, and staying for 5 weeks. There’s something great about jogging through Carsland on a chilly night. But….if budget allows or we have points available, I leave them both behind.
The walk is probably less applicable if you’re doing a ‘resort day’ and going to the amenities. I’ve done the walk from the check-in desk all the way to Settlement, and even that isn’t really too bad. It’s so peaceful and serene and goes by quickly.
It is worth noting though for the sake of not upsetting new guests. If you’re a first timer or close to it, your time is very valuable and There is a restless effect to every moment spent walking something you could’ve been ushered to, I get that. For those who live there, you learn how to really enjoy getting familiar with every inch of the grounds.
These comparisons have been lots of fun!
If you have a family of 6 (like me) this a very pertinent comparison. They are pretty much the only options without going to suites. We went in September 2016 during free dining and the cabins were a good bit cheaper because you didn’t need to pay extra for the Disney Dining Plan since they are moderates.
And this review was spot on. I would add one more thing – that Fort Wilderness is a great place to be if you are not going to the parks. There are tons of activities that we never got to. If you are planning a trip with “down days” I think it is a nod in the Forts favor.
That’s a GREAT point about the Free Dining difference, and one I didn’t consider.
If recreation were a category, it would definitely be in Fort Wilderness’ favor. From the free campfire to fishing, boating, archery, and more, there is a ton to do at the Fort.