Fort Wilderness

[Girlstar30]

Whats the deal with Fort Wilderness? This was the model they showed us when we went there and we were not impressed. Everyone has their preferences of course, but I kind of felt it looked like a trailer and I was annoyed and lost with all of the different internal buses. It just didn't feel like "disney" to me. We did the chip and dales campfire and we were so irritated that every time we were roasting a s'more and I took it out of the fire, a cast member would jump up and immediately tell us to blow it out sternly like I was a child and going to burn the whole wilderness down I wonder if they do this at all the campfires? Maybe the lack of purchases will make them consider not doing resale restrictions on less popular resorts in the future? Why such high dues did they really think this was going to hit?? I mean with Riviera it makes sense they could tack on restrictions and still sell because it has so many desirable qualities (skyliner, full service resort, wonderful food, awesome pool, visually stunning), but I wonder if they thought this would be more popular than it was and just missed the mark? I haven't met one person so far that owns there.

 

[Mle8308]

Whats the deal with Fort Wilderness? This was the model they showed us when we went there and we were not impressed. Everyone has their preferences of course, but I kind of felt it looked like a trailer and I was annoyed and lost with all of the different internal buses. It just didn't feel like "disney" to me. We did the chip and dales campfire and we were so irritated that every time we were roasting a s'more and I took it out of the fire, a cast member would jump up and immediately tell us to blow it out sternly like I was a child and going to burn the whole wilderness down I wonder if they do this at all the campfires? Maybe the lack of purchases will make them consider not doing resale restrictions on less popular resorts in the future? Why such high dues did they really think this was going to hit?? I mean with Riviera it makes sense they could tack on restrictions and still sell because it has so many desirable qualities (skyliner, full service resort, wonderful food, awesome pool, visually stunning), but I wonder if they thought this would be more popular than it was and just missed the mark? I haven't met one person so far that owns there.

Two words - Lakeshore Lodge. Though it hasn't been announced, I would bet a lot of money that the cabins and the Lodge will be the same association. That's why the dues for the cabins are so high right now. Once the Lodge opens, they will fall more in line with other DVC properties and I think the demand will be there. And also why no rush or push to sell cabin points. And it is definitely a preference. Some absolutely love the Fort and won't stay anywhere else. You think the new cabins look like trailers? Stay in an old cabin...

 

[zackiedawg]

It's a different kind of stay for those who like something different. What's impossible to compare is the cabins there compared to a 1-bedroom villa at most DVC resorts...it's much smaller. But then the points are significantly lower too - more in line with a studio at most DVCs. And compared to a studio, it's a little bigger, and has the versatility of a split bedroom and living area. It also has a significant outdoor patio area, a grill, private parking in front of your cabin, and the ability to rent a golf cart to get around, so you don't have to rely on internal busses.

I just got back yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed my stay there - incredibly peaceful, loved listening to and watching the wildlife all around the cabin at night and in the mornings - armadillos and possums wandering around at night, deer walking past the patio in the morning, turkeys strutting down the road, woodpeckers and various songbirds all around the trees. I took spins in the golf cart just for fun - going to the parks, I often headed down to the boat docks, took the boat to Wilderness Lodge first, then bussed to other parks (except MK which you can boat to directly).

I will say that I would consider buying there, except I have enough points already to cover all my needs - I do find the high maintenance to be an impediment - waiting to see if the opening of the Lakeside Lodge merges with the cabins and lowers the maintenance cost.

BTW - one thing I immediately noticed is that the cabins are a VERY popular option for EV owners...it's the only DVC resort where you can charge your car while staying there, for free. In my 2800 loop, close to half of the cabins had Teslas, Polestars, or other EVs parked in front. A HUGE perk if you drive an EV to Disney.

 

[Girlstar30]

Two words - Lakeshore Lodge. Though it hasn't been announced, I would bet a lot of money that the cabins and the Lodge will be the same association. That's why the dues for the cabins are so high right now. Once the Lodge opens, they will fall more in line with other DVC properties and I think the demand will be there. And also why no rush or push to sell cabin points. And it is definitely a preference. Some absolutely love the Fort and won't stay anywhere else. You think the new cabins look like trailers? Stay in an old cabin...

Oh so they are using money from fort wilderness to build the lakeshore lodge? The lakeshore lodge will be more like a hotel right than cabins? I didn't realize they had older cabins my wife would probably like that.

 

[Girlstar30]

It's a different kind of stay for those who like something different. What's impossible to compare is the cabins there compared to a 1-bedroom villa at most DVC resorts...it's much smaller. But then the points are significantly lower too - more in line with a studio at most DVCs. And compared to a studio, it's a little bigger, and has the versatility of a split bedroom and living area. It also has a significant outdoor patio area, a grill, private parking in front of your cabin, and the ability to rent a golf cart to get around, so you don't have to rely on internal busses.

I just got back yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed my stay there - incredibly peaceful, loved listening to and watching the wildlife all around the cabin at night and in the mornings - armadillos and possums wandering around at night, deer walking past the patio in the morning, turkeys strutting down the road, woodpeckers and various songbirds all around the trees. I took spins in the golf cart just for fun - going to the parks, I often headed down to the boat docks, took the boat to Wilderness Lodge first, then bussed to other parks (except MK which you can boat to directly).

I will say that I would consider buying there, except I have enough points already to cover all my needs - I do find the high maintenance to be an impediment - waiting to see if the opening of the Lakeside Lodge merges with the cabins and lowers the maintenance cost.

BTW - one thing I immediately noticed is that the cabins are a VERY popular option for EV owners...it's the only DVC resort where you can charge your car while staying there, for free. In my 2800 loop, close to half of the cabins had Teslas, Polestars, or other EVs parked in front. A HUGE perk if you drive an EV to Disney.

Okay this definitely makes more sense to me now! I hadn't seen the points chart, being able to have 6 in a cabin for a price comparable to a studio is a big advantage. Are they hard to get? Totally forgot about the golf cart option, that would be really fun to do with the family. We love bird watching and animals, this might be my new favorite resort and here i am running my mouth when I don't really know what it entails, but that's why I ask you guys Now I'm interested in staying. How are the old cabins vs the new ones? Did you stay in a new one? Sounds lovely.

 

[Mle8308]

Oh so they are using money from fort wilderness to build the lakeshore lodge? The lakeshore lodge will be more like a hotel right than cabins? I didn't realize they had older cabins my wife would probably like that.

The Lakeshore Lodge will hotel rooms/suites, and possibly cabins like the ones at the Wilderness Lodge or the Polynesian. The older cabins at FW, which are being replaced by the new cabins, are more like a trailer. Though they do have their own charm to them!

 

[Girlstar30]

The Lakeshore Lodge will hotel rooms/suites, and possibly cabins like the ones at the Wilderness Lodge or the Polynesian. The older cabins at FW, which are being replaced by the new cabins, are more like a trailer. Though they do have their own charm to them!

Was fort wilderness a DVC property before the new rooms or how did that work to stay in them? I thought this was completely brand new clearly I dismissed this without even really looking into it.

 

[Mle8308]

Was fort wilderness a DVC property before the new rooms or how did that work to stay in them? I thought this was completely brand new clearly I dismissed this without even really looking into it.

No, it was not. They decided to convert the old FW cabins to DVC as they are replaced by the new cabins. It's been maybe 18 months??? However, Disney does retain some of the DVC cabins in their inventory to offer for cash (book through the WDW site), as they do for all DVC resorts.

 

[zackiedawg]

Fort Wilderness always had cabins/trailers, going back to the late 70s/early 80s. They only recently converted to DVC, which involved making all new cabins. As for 'old' vs new, I don't think there will be any old cabins left. 2200, 2300, 2400, 2500 and 2800 loops were all complete with the new cabins, and 2600 and 2700 loops were gutted of all old cabins, and new cabins were about 1/3 installed each.

 

[Girlstar30]

No, it was not. They decided to convert the old FW cabins to DVC as they are replaced by the new cabins. It's been maybe 18 months??? However, Disney does retain some of the DVC cabins in their inventory to offer for cash (book through the WDW site), as they do for all DVC resorts.

Thank you, I may just try to stay here now on our September trip to check it out!

 

[Girlstar30]

Fort Wilderness always had cabins/trailers, going back to the late 70s/early 80s. They only recently converted to DVC, which involved making all new cabins. As for 'old' vs new, I don't think there will be any old cabins left. 2200, 2300, 2400, 2500 and 2800 loops were all complete with the new cabins, and 2600 and 2700 loops were gutted of all old cabins, and new cabins were about 1/3 installed each.

Thank you for the information

 

[zackiedawg]

Morning deer - they were wandering around the woods next to my cabin pretty much every morning:


My cabin in the 2800 loop - I prefer this loop as it's got more old growth woods and tree cover compared to the 2300 and 2500 loops:

 

[Girlstar30]

Very beautiful, had no idea these animals were there, i guess they didn't do a very good job on selling me on it