I agree about the cabins. These new ones look like a generic hotel while the current ones actually feel like a rustic cabin. They are definitely ruining a lot by trying to constantly change things.
I agree to a point. It seem though that younger generation want everything modern and new looking as far as hotel accomodations, theming is only secondary for them. I mean, theming in general, not just as Disney, has been in major deline. Think the new stuff in Vegas, the decline in new theme restaurants that used to be everywhere.
I know many young people prefer the themed hotels. I hate the generic look of the new resorts. I won’t stay at the riviera, the new tower or the cabins. They also destroyed the Boardwalk and Beach club rooms. I also hate the Contemporary theming.
At least the look of the old ‘cabins’ fit into the theme of Fort Wilderness. Current Disney doesn’t understand the importance of coherent story telling and theming is what set staying on property versus a chain hotel.
As someone who has stayed at fort wilderness to many times to count, I am extremely disappointed in these modern cabins. Disney is taking away the charm and theme that makes that resort feel special
Soulless sheds… you are spot on. I was just there felt sad in one of the cabins knowing they were all being replaced. I don’t get why they have to go and it’s a shame. They could have replaced them with more modern log cabins like everyone loves.
I stayed at the cabins at the end of October to officially say goodbye, it was emotional for me. I grew up camping at Fort in the RV section. Now I stay at the cabins instead and I’m heartbroken they’re going away for these sheds with no theme. Replace the cabin, fine, but keep the theme and the dark wood look. I want to feel like I’m in the wilderness, not as Tom says, a garden shed.
What is Disney's recent fascination with making their newest resorts look like "Courtyard by Marriott"? They had one job; BE DISNEY, Instead they opted to be like 99% of the resort industry that is also NOT DISNEY. Who's in charge of all this new resort BS and how much longer until they get dismissed?
After staying at Fort Wilderness over a dozen times, I can honestly say that what they are doing to the cabins is depressing. How can the happiest place on earth not find imagineers who really care about their legacy. The new designs simply do not fit the ambience of Fort Wilderness. So sad.
It’s definitely not the Imagineers. They could give literally any vibe you asked them to, and I’m sure during Blue Sky type some someone had a cozy retro cabin, but then someone above them watched Chip and Joanna Gaines and said “how about white shiplap actually, and I pay your salary and get to say yes or no so keep that in mind”
I still don’t understand why they didn’t just update the old ones and if they want DVC cabins , build them where reflections was going to go. Best of both worlds
I agree... I am SICK AND TIRED of MODERN... they RUINED CORONADO SPRINGS with the flipping new tower and how UN THEMED it it.. we stayed there All the time.. and now don't even want to stay there... STOP DISNEY with UN THEMED rooms and cabins!
We have stayed at cabins in Tennessee (Pigeon Forge) that are new construction (concrete/CMU) with an applied skin that replicates a real log cabin. They go so far as to replicate the detail of interlocking corners, which is a method real log cabin buildings have-a notching of the logs at the ends. The interiors are built out with applied wood and faux log or wood beam elements. The interior fixtures, appliances, and countertops are all modern. Even though I know these buildings are “themed” and mainly smoke and mirrors, it still presents itself as a cabin. I said all of that to say this: Yes, it is absolutely 100% possible to blend a rustic look with all of the modern amenities! There is no excuse for bringing in these tiny houses or whatever these modular units are and trying to pretend these are supposed to be reminiscent of cabins.
I agree too. Disney has been turning their resorts into soulless Residence Inn clones. They have been losing their unique Disney charm, while prices skyrocket, and service is being noticeably cut. I may continue to have an annual pass each year, but much less likely to stay at a Disney resort hotel. I used to love staying at them, but why pay so much for something that isn’t special?
Excellent rant! The higher ups at Disney have zero vision of what made Disney special and standout from everyone else. Storytelling and immersion are dead within the company.
I could live with a marriage of the cabin exterior with an updated take on the interior but kept it close to that aesthetic. Yeah, as someone who practically grew up at Fort Wilderness from 85-2004, I've long wanted a DVC at FW cause I'd love to buy in for my own family trips, but they just don't know their audience anymore.
Tom is on point again. The Disney name use to shine, sparkle & stood out. When you use to hear Disney, you were in awe. You felt the charm, the magic, the whimsical. AND you knew you was going to get something special and unique. Now when you hear Disney you think dollar signs, too expensive, half azz things getting done, not caring about the parks being maintained, spilling out movies that really don't inspire anyone. It just seems the imagineers that they have now are clueless to what it means to be Disney. Or they are not given the budget to do what they need to do to make Disney great as it should be. This is not my Disney. 😤 With a logo sign that looks like it could be at a Bass Outlet, what they call cabins that look like the military put up for temporary lodging on the field... No theming at all is just not Disney. I so miss the old Disney. Tom, you speak from the heart and reading all the comments, you speak for all of us true Disney fans. I just wish... wish... wish upon a star that someone will LISTEN!! PLEASEEEE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE! 😖And thanks for the update, as always.
Sadly this is an issue with so much of multiple industries. Literally no capacity to create or generate unique thought. They have no ability to think creatively at the higher level. It’s really sad to me because I experienced “The Disney Difference” as a kid.
Those new cabins make me think of the revamped central area at EPCOT. In that case, the design is reminiscent of a nice office business park compared with something that featured a Fountain of Nations. The new wilderness area contains properties reminiscent of modular shipping containers compared with a design evocative of actual wood log cabins. However, work on EPCOT's central hub at least has gone fairly quickly & the former Reedy Creek Dist apparently was a very honest, honorable operation.
All the things lost at FW in my lifetime that little-by-little stripped away its magic and uniqueness: 1. FW railroad 2. Discovery Island 3. River Country 4. River Country Trail 5. Wilderness Swamp Trail (this was such a cool, almost secret boardwalk through the woods and over water at the far corner of the property) 6. Mouse Boats/Sea Raycers 7. Bay Lake swimming area (roped/fenced area in the water with life guards on duty) 8. Clementine's Beach 9. Coleman RV exhibit 10. Tri-Circle-D Ranch 11. Mickey's Backyard BBQ 12. Exercise/bike path between FW and Wilderness Lodge Look at this list and think about what your experience would be with your friends and family if even half of these things still existed today.
So there was that insurance commercial a while back about a women's she-shed getting burned down. Someone at Disney watched that commercial and said that's what we need at Fort Wilderness.
I just stayed at the cabins and I agree they need an update but not an overhaul like this just an update on the cabins. I would love for them to keep the cabin theme
The ‘cabins’ look like sheds or tiny houses. They DO NOT look like a cozy cabin. And, you are absolutely spot on, Tom, the logo looks like Cabela’s or some other sporting goods company logo.
Disney has been shopping at the hotel store for several years now. Instead of having an imagination and designing something unique and special, they simply buy hotel designs off the shelf.
I agree with the cabins. Those cabins are horrible. The charm of the old ones are amazing. The new ones don’t fit into the resort. Bad decision Disney!
Those new cabins are plain. I do not agree with Disney replacing the current cabins the new ones. The new ones don’t scream Fort Wilderness to me. They don’t even match with the aesthetic of the campground.
As an interior designer, I completely agree! They keep going for this NY boutique vibe all over the property. The Disney flavor disappears more and more. We just left a renovated room at the beautiful Beach Club Resort and at least they had great artwork. You are right Tom, these should look like scaled down versions of the Cascade Cabins at the Wilderness Resort. I wouldn't stay in these cabins. They need to start over again. BTW...we're terrified of the proposed redo of the Grand Floridian Lobby. They're messing with perfection...
So sad. Our best vacation with our family was in the cabins. The rustic look reminded me of being there in 1977. Money grabs are not the way to keep dedicated Disney fans happy.
I hope as well however there are lots of people out there that don’t care about what it did to Fort Wilderness aesthetically or anything they just want a nice clean looking place to buy into in the woods for DVC
I've stayed at the cabins on my first 2 visits and the cabins are beautiful with the look and the inside was good and spacious, and the kitchen is great, we don't need to have them completely replaced by shipping containers with windows
Fort Wilderness was my family’s go-to for every vacation we took to Orlando in the 80s and 90s… So sad to see this “soul-less” remodel - looks like it could be anywhere.
Yeah, I don't know why Disney thinks that they need to make everything look so generic and look like every other hotel chain. Disney has always been known for their theming and it seems like they have forgotten that.
Speaking as a life long WDW fan I completely agree with you Tom. They need to stop lowering their standards and set a new standard. Put the theme back in theme parks!
I stayed in those as a kid when they were "trailers". I loved when they made them cabins! I feel like they look more like trailers now than cabins. When I stay in the woods I prefer a wooden cabin NOT a trailer/tiny home! Spot on Tom!
The cabins are my kids and my favorite place to stay. Fort wilderness is a whole vibe. And its like they are taking everything that was special about it out and with it becoming dvc I'm sure its gonna cost twice as much for half as much charm. Its very heartbreaking.
Preach on! Disney has surely lost its way from where it all began. It can totally be done to update something and still have it go back to its roots. They need to actually hire people to work for Disney that understand the true history of Walt Disney and the love he had for family entertainment.
I agree with you about the dull lifeless style actually when we purchased DVC in 2002 we we told new resorts would always be highly styled and themed Our first resort was wilderness lodge. We have been disappointed by resorts like riviera and I think the new poly will be a glorified Hampton inn.
As a DVC member, Fort Wilderness was never something that I would consider…these “cabins” have not changed my view. We splurge on vacation, why would I want to simulate something that I can do at home when I’m away. Never really made sense to us, but I do get the charm of the original Fort Wilderness. This is a step in the wrong direction for Disney.
The first thing I thought of when I saw the outside of the new cabins was "shipping containers" I'm not a fan. I was hoping to stay there for a weekend over the summer, hopefully they are still the old ones then.
I am with you Tom. The new cabins and the new Poly tower are soul-less! They are horrible and they are everything that aren't Disney. I'm still appalled that we lost the Luau for that horrible, ugly, un-themed tower. When the company can turn out a themed area like Journey of Water but cannot theme a hotel, they have a systemic problem at the upper level! This will be Harmonious all over again! When will they learn?
Aloha WDW...just a note from Hawaii...those cabins look like road side batherooms over here..Womens side/Male side and a solar pannel on that roof for the night lights...They really do..
As a DVC owner I completely agree. Looks so cheap and like you said "soulless." The outside of the cabins look like shipping containers. I saw pics of the BWV updates..... also awful and soulless, zero theming, sterile. No clue what they're doing but there's a reason people choose to stay on property.... this ain't it! Ughhhhh.
I agree. They have given up on the foundational Americana nostalgia and theming. It is a big problem for me. The slick IP and soul-less, mass-purchased furniture and items screams of generic and not custom. It makes it feel like a money grab in a way that it didn't look/feel before (even if it was it was wrapped in whimsey). I have so many trepidations about returning. We used to go like 6-8x a year and SPEND MONEY *Inmean more tuan the average family ...V&A ever time....VIP tours etc.). I don't know that I want to do all of that anymore. It makes me sad. It just looks so.....basic.
I just stayed a week here cabin 2623 i absolutely love the cabins. The new ones look like peewees playhouse. Soo sad Disney parks were soo worn out aswell paint all faded and cracked looked old and not taken care of. Handrails walls etc. I honestly remember Disney always being freshly painted but not anymore. 😢
One of the last vestiges of charm and true theming will soon be but a memory. A real shame what will become of my favorite place on property. Curious what shall happen to RV section as Disney decides to expand the DVC beyond the footprint of the current cabins. The infrastructure is there, once the demand becomes apparent those too will be gone
I can’t really feel it anymore. We went from MD to France for less and had a much better experience. Disney makes no sense for non locals. And does anyone believe the big plans anymore? Maybe we’ll try a cruise some day, or Japan. But done with WDW. It was (sometimes) fun while it lasted. Ha Ha - cabellas. It’s beyond’s pathetic these days. The incredible rooms. Beach Club. Polynesian. What are these things?
I agree with Tom!! I think the inclusion of DVC is a grand idea, but these look like a modern “tiny house” not like a CABIN at all!! This was one of the places I really wanted to stay that I haven’t yet, but now I don’t think I care to.
The new Wilderness lodge cabins, I have to agree with Tom. It is a shame Disney has elected to de theme the old rustic look of the cabins and bring in half sized cargo ship containers with a Murphey bed/couch, Formica countertops and a coffee pot.
I stayed in Ft Wilderness back in the 1980’s and I agree with everything you said. I wonder if the day will come when all the accommodations will be for DVC members and everyone else will be forced to stay off property.
Tom, I agree with you 100%!!!! As someone that is a life long Disney fan I was looking forward to staying at the cabins sometime in the future, but now I won't waste my money on those soulless non-themed non-rustic shipping containers.
As a tradition with my family, we go every summer and, sadly, it’s going away and we will never stay here again because of the new prices and it’s a DVC now plus the new look😔
The cabins, the new sit-down areas at Epcot, all of it has a very soulless aspect to it. Doesn't feel like Disney. No one talks' about this but they are losing an entire generation of kids... 20 years from now it's going to be really bad.
I could not agree with you any more than I do. I just spent 4 nights/5 days in a cabin at Fort Wilderness. I wanted to get to stay here before it becomes DVC, and probably out of my price range. I have bittersweet feelings on this. I absolutely LOVED it. I loved the cabin, the Fort as a whole, EVERYTHING about this resort and the cast members and guests with whom I shared the Fort. I hate that they are changing these to DVC. I'm a moderate person - I always stay in that price range. I won't be able to stay once these are DVC. Beyond that, you are spot on with your assessment of the new cabins. They look horrible. HORRIBLE. That is NOT a cabin. I'm very sad about this, and angry that this decision was made. It does seem like a money grab. The cabins were up for renovation/replacement, and opted to have DVC bankroll it. Well, that completely destroyed the vibe and the purpose of the cabins.
@Tom, As a long time viewer and fan of your channel I’m challenging you and your staff to dig deeper into Disney and find out who drove the decision to turn the cabins into she-sheds?
Tom, thank you for this rant! DVC cabins at fort wilderness decorated with all the taste of a budget Joanna Gaines house flip from a decade ago. we just camped for a week there for Walt Disney's birthday week. and the changes to the fort are heartbreaking. trail's end is ruined. the food was awful and the staff could give zero efs the beach has lost its soul (and the sign is still misspelled) most of the staff are still wonderful and they are equally upset. but they've also hired some new rangers that don't get the fort and don't care all for triple the price of a few years ago the dvc cabins will ruin it even more. especially when they close the quiet pool and make it dvc only heartbreaking
The influx of new, inflated number of points at the Poly tower can eventually be reshuffled into the existing studios so the total combined number of points remain constant but individual nights reserved for a studio will increase. DVC simply will inflate the initial points allotted to the tower and then raise the cost in points for existing studios while reducing the tower rooms slightly to the level they should have been at the start. 😊
Disney has hired way too many people who know nothing about Disney and making it as undisney as possible, slowly losing the Disney magic one stupid change at a time.
You know, one of the joys I used to have, while visiting the WDW resorts, was taking a break from the parks and occasionally visiting one of the resorts' themed hotels. This new version of Fort Wilderness reminds me of a cross between a faux mid-century suburban home in the Pacific Northwest and an Ingmar Bergman movie set. What a disaster!
I agree about the cabins. These new ones look like a generic hotel while the current ones actually feel like a rustic cabin. They are definitely ruining a lot by trying to constantly change things.
@@Lovesapuzzlego to real cabins at Yellowstone!
@@Lovesapuzzle so true!
I agree to a point. It seem though that younger generation want everything modern and new looking as far as hotel accomodations, theming is only secondary for them. I mean, theming in general, not just as Disney, has been in major deline. Think the new stuff in Vegas, the decline in new theme restaurants that used to be everywhere.
I know many young people prefer the themed hotels. I hate the generic look of the new resorts. I won’t stay at the riviera, the new tower or the cabins. They also destroyed the Boardwalk and Beach club rooms. I also hate the Contemporary theming.
Out of all of the things that Disney has ruined in the parks over the years, these new "cabins" might honestly take the cake. So sad.
Nothing says rustic cabin like a pink couch. What were they thinking? Agree with Tom on this one.
Not sure these can be called "cabins"; this makes Fort Wilderness look more like a mobile home park! 😢
To be fair, the old ones were really mobile homes......but they had a strong log cabin theme....the new ones...not so much.
At least the look of the old ‘cabins’ fit into the theme of Fort Wilderness. Current Disney doesn’t understand the importance of coherent story telling and theming is what set staying on property versus a chain hotel.
Honestly has that shipping container vibe.
Ugly, pink couch? I like the woods look. Much more cabin like!
Look up modern sheds!! Ha ha I have one that looks almost this but half the size ha ha!! What a joke
As someone who has stayed at fort wilderness to many times to count, I am extremely disappointed in these modern cabins. Disney is taking away the charm and theme that makes that resort feel special
100%
They are not cabins, they are shipping containers.
Soulless sheds… you are spot on. I was just there felt sad in one of the cabins knowing they were all being replaced. I don’t get why they have to go and it’s a shame. They could have replaced them with more modern log cabins like everyone loves.
Lookup the log cabins you can rent around Pigeon Forge, TN - this would be EASY to build, they don't even have to design anything
@@drx630 Exactly, Andrew!
I stayed at the cabins at the end of October to officially say goodbye, it was emotional for me. I grew up camping at Fort in the RV section. Now I stay at the cabins instead and I’m heartbroken they’re going away for these sheds with no theme. Replace the cabin, fine, but keep the theme and the dark wood look. I want to feel like I’m in the wilderness, not as Tom says, a garden shed.
Thanks Tom for speaking up for all of us who disgusted by all those poor designs that WDI currently pours in all of our beloved parks and resorts.
What is Disney's recent fascination with making their newest resorts look like "Courtyard by Marriott"? They had one job; BE DISNEY, Instead they opted to be like 99% of the resort industry that is also NOT DISNEY. Who's in charge of all this new resort BS and how much longer until they get dismissed?
After staying at Fort Wilderness over a dozen times, I can honestly say that what they are doing to the cabins is depressing. How can the happiest place on earth not find imagineers who really care about their legacy. The new designs simply do not fit the ambience of Fort Wilderness. So sad.
Please don’t say it’s the designer’s faults. It’s leadership’s fault.
Disneyland is the Happiest Place on Earth.
It’s definitely not the Imagineers. They could give literally any vibe you asked them to, and I’m sure during Blue Sky type some someone had a cozy retro cabin, but then someone above them watched Chip and Joanna Gaines and said “how about white shiplap actually, and I pay your salary and get to say yes or no so keep that in mind”
@@averyeml ^ this 100%
The cabins looks like the temporary construction shack they put next to the Applebees while it’s being built.
It's digraceful, imagineers stayed in those cabins while building epcot. It's a piece of WDW history that is being replaced.
Ugh. I do wish that they would stay with fully themed resorts.
Too late. The de-theming has been in full swing for a few years now.
Omg, that looks literally horrible, this is going to ruin our beloved fort. 😢
I still don’t understand why they didn’t just update the old ones and if they want DVC cabins , build them where reflections was going to go. Best of both worlds
The rant is on point! It's more like urban sprawl, than wilderness.
the CABINS logo literally looks like a corporate big box store logo lmao
It is the most non Disney sign I've ever seen, and the cabin could be at any tourist trap in America.
The cabins look like they are based on the tiny house concept
That's what I thought. Looks like a modern tiny house, which are very popular with many people.
I agree... I am SICK AND TIRED of MODERN... they RUINED CORONADO SPRINGS with the flipping new tower and how UN THEMED it it.. we stayed there All the time.. and now don't even want to stay there... STOP DISNEY with UN THEMED rooms and cabins!
The "cabins" look like those temporary buildings they set up on a construction site. Love the Main Street Electrical Parade drones!
We have stayed at cabins in Tennessee (Pigeon Forge) that are new construction (concrete/CMU) with an applied skin that replicates a real log cabin. They go so far as to replicate the detail of interlocking corners, which is a method real log cabin buildings have-a notching of the logs at the ends. The interiors are built out with applied wood and faux log or wood beam elements. The interior fixtures, appliances, and countertops are all modern. Even though I know these buildings are “themed” and mainly smoke and mirrors, it still presents itself as a cabin. I said all of that to say this: Yes, it is absolutely 100% possible to blend a rustic look with all of the modern amenities! There is no excuse for bringing in these tiny houses or whatever these modular units are and trying to pretend these are supposed to be reminiscent of cabins.
I agree too. Disney has been turning their resorts into soulless Residence Inn clones. They have been losing their unique Disney charm, while prices skyrocket, and service is being noticeably cut. I may continue to have an annual pass each year, but much less likely to stay at a Disney resort hotel. I used to love staying at them, but why pay so much for something that isn’t special?
Excellent rant! The higher ups at Disney have zero vision of what made Disney special and standout from everyone else. Storytelling and immersion are dead within the company.
I could live with a marriage of the cabin exterior with an updated take on the interior but kept it close to that aesthetic. Yeah, as someone who practically grew up at Fort Wilderness from 85-2004, I've long wanted a DVC at FW cause I'd love to buy in for my own family trips, but they just don't know their audience anymore.
Tom is on point again. The Disney name use to shine, sparkle & stood out. When you use to hear Disney, you were in awe. You felt the charm, the magic, the whimsical. AND you knew you was going to get something special and unique. Now when you hear Disney you think dollar signs, too expensive, half azz things getting done, not caring about the parks being maintained, spilling out movies that really don't inspire anyone. It just seems the imagineers that they have now are clueless to what it means to be Disney. Or they are not given the budget to do what they need to do to make Disney great as it should be. This is not my Disney. 😤 With a logo sign that looks like it could be at a Bass Outlet, what they call cabins that look like the military put up for temporary lodging on the field... No theming at all is just not Disney. I so miss the old Disney. Tom, you speak from the heart and reading all the comments, you speak for all of us true Disney fans. I just wish... wish... wish upon a star that someone will LISTEN!! PLEASEEEE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE! 😖And thanks for the update, as always.
Well said.
Sadly this is an issue with so much of multiple industries. Literally no capacity to create or generate unique thought. They have no ability to think creatively at the higher level. It’s really sad to me because I experienced “The Disney Difference” as a kid.
They can't keep calling everything "magical" when it's all becoming generic. The cabins look like shipping containers. Sad.
Those new cabins make me think of the revamped central area at EPCOT. In that case, the design is reminiscent of a nice office business park compared with something that featured a Fountain of Nations. The new wilderness area contains properties reminiscent of modular shipping containers compared with a design evocative of actual wood log cabins. However, work on EPCOT's central hub at least has gone fairly quickly & the former Reedy Creek Dist apparently was a very honest, honorable operation.
The new cabins would more appropriate at the Contemporary Resort area
All the things lost at FW in my lifetime that little-by-little stripped away its magic and uniqueness:
1. FW railroad
2. Discovery Island
3. River Country
4. River Country Trail
5. Wilderness Swamp Trail (this was such a cool, almost secret boardwalk through the woods and over water at the far corner of the property)
6. Mouse Boats/Sea Raycers
7. Bay Lake swimming area (roped/fenced area in the water with life guards on duty)
8. Clementine's Beach
9. Coleman RV exhibit
10. Tri-Circle-D Ranch
11. Mickey's Backyard BBQ
12. Exercise/bike path between FW and Wilderness Lodge
Look at this list and think about what your experience would be with your friends and family if even half of these things still existed today.
So there was that insurance commercial a while back about a women's she-shed getting burned down. Someone at Disney watched that commercial and said that's what we need at Fort Wilderness.
The whole Epcot reimagining & Fort Wilderness cabin destruction is just the nail in the coffin of peak 80’s Epcot feels.
to lose the log cabin feel that everyone loved is very unfortunate . Big swing and a miss here in one of my fav places at disney .
Yea!!!! We love Tom ranting!!
I just stayed at the cabins and I agree they need an update but not an overhaul like this just an update on the cabins. I would love for them to keep the cabin theme
I totally agree with you about the cabins and the Polynesian tower❤!
The ‘cabins’ look like sheds or tiny houses. They DO NOT look like a cozy cabin. And, you are absolutely spot on, Tom, the logo looks like Cabela’s or some other sporting goods company logo.
Disney has been shopping at the hotel store for several years now. Instead of having an imagination and designing something unique and special, they simply buy hotel designs off the shelf.
Apparently "rustic woodland cabins" translates to "Comfort Inn post modern shed" nowadays.
I agree with the cabins. Those cabins are horrible. The charm of the old ones are amazing. The new ones don’t fit into the resort. Bad decision Disney!
Those new cabins are plain. I do not agree with Disney replacing the current cabins the new ones. The new ones don’t scream Fort Wilderness to me. They don’t even match with the aesthetic of the campground.
As an interior designer, I completely agree! They keep going for this NY boutique vibe all over the property. The Disney flavor disappears more and more. We just left a renovated room at the beautiful Beach Club Resort and at least they had great artwork. You are right Tom, these should look like scaled down versions of the Cascade Cabins at the Wilderness Resort. I wouldn't stay in these cabins. They need to start over again. BTW...we're terrified of the proposed redo of the Grand Floridian Lobby. They're messing with perfection...
You are 100 per cent correct. Fort Wilderness has been losing its heart since Trails End failed.
Yes I do not like them either!! Disney is killing the magic!
So sad. Our best vacation with our family was in the cabins. The rustic look reminded me of being there in 1977. Money grabs are not the way to keep dedicated Disney fans happy.
We have been complaining since Rivera and they haven't listened, Hopefully when no one buys there they finally change their ways
I hope as well however there are lots of people out there that don’t care about what it did to Fort Wilderness aesthetically or anything they just want a nice clean looking place to buy into in the woods for DVC
I've stayed at the cabins on my first 2 visits and the cabins are beautiful with the look and the inside was good and spacious, and the kitchen is great, we don't need to have them completely replaced by shipping containers with windows
Why does Disney debut all the cool, new attractions to include the Disney Electrical Sky Parade in places such as Paris, and not at WDW?
Fort Wilderness was my family’s go-to for every vacation we took to Orlando in the 80s and 90s… So sad to see this “soul-less” remodel - looks like it could be anywhere.
Congrats, Disney, you turned Fort Wilderness into a trailer park.
I mean it is but I see what you mean totally agree
The "cabins" look like pre-built slide ins meant for a cruise ship.. maybe they Misunderstood the term Cabin!!
I love the Eeyore on your desk. As for the cabins, the exteriors look like converted shipping containers.
They're called cabins as in LOG Cabins. Can't they at least put the faux LOGS on the exterior of the new cabins? just a thought ...
Yeah, I don't know why Disney thinks that they need to make everything look so generic and look like every other hotel chain. Disney has always been known for their theming and it seems like they have forgotten that.
Speaking as a life long WDW fan I completely agree with you Tom. They need to stop lowering their standards and set a new standard. Put the theme back in theme parks!
I stayed in those as a kid when they were "trailers". I loved when they made them cabins! I feel like they look more like trailers now than cabins. When I stay in the woods I prefer a wooden cabin NOT a trailer/tiny home! Spot on Tom!
love a tom rant
The cabins are my kids and my favorite place to stay. Fort wilderness is a whole vibe. And its like they are taking everything that was special about it out and with it becoming dvc I'm sure its gonna cost twice as much for half as much charm. Its very heartbreaking.
Preach on! Disney has surely lost its way from where it all began. It can totally be done to update something and still have it go back to its roots. They need to actually hire people to work for Disney that understand the true history of Walt Disney and the love he had for family entertainment.
I agree with you about the dull lifeless style actually when we purchased DVC in 2002 we we told new resorts would always be highly styled and themed Our first resort was wilderness lodge. We have been disappointed by resorts like riviera and I think the new poly will be a glorified Hampton inn.
As a DVC member, Fort Wilderness was never something that I would consider…these “cabins” have not changed my view. We splurge on vacation, why would I want to simulate something that I can do at home when I’m away. Never really made sense to us, but I do get the charm of the original Fort Wilderness. This is a step in the wrong direction for Disney.
That Polynesian tower is a black eye to that resort area aesthetic
The first thing I thought of when I saw the outside of the new cabins was "shipping containers" I'm not a fan. I was hoping to stay there for a weekend over the summer, hopefully they are still the old ones then.
I am with you Tom. The new cabins and the new Poly tower are soul-less! They are horrible and they are everything that aren't Disney. I'm still appalled that we lost the Luau for that horrible, ugly, un-themed tower. When the company can turn out a themed area like Journey of Water but cannot theme a hotel, they have a systemic problem at the upper level! This will be Harmonious all over again! When will they learn?
Aloha WDW...just a note from Hawaii...those cabins look like road side batherooms over here..Womens side/Male side and a solar pannel on that roof for the night lights...They really do..
As a DVC owner I completely agree. Looks so cheap and like you said "soulless." The outside of the cabins look like shipping containers. I saw pics of the BWV updates..... also awful and soulless, zero theming, sterile. No clue what they're doing but there's a reason people choose to stay on property.... this ain't it! Ughhhhh.
IMO the new cabins went from the appearance you were actually camping and that looks like glamping.
This breaks my heart the most, I agree with everything you have said Tom about Fort Wilderness, its a disgrace what they are doing.
I honestly miss family style trails end, my family had some great times they’re
I agree. They have given up on the foundational Americana nostalgia and theming. It is a big problem for me. The slick IP and soul-less, mass-purchased furniture and items screams of generic and not custom. It makes it feel like a money grab in a way that it didn't look/feel before (even if it was it was wrapped in whimsey). I have so many trepidations about returning. We used to go like 6-8x a year and SPEND MONEY *Inmean more tuan the average family ...V&A ever time....VIP tours etc.). I don't know that I want to do all of that anymore. It makes me sad. It just looks so.....basic.
I just stayed a week here cabin 2623 i absolutely love the cabins. The new ones look like peewees playhouse. Soo sad Disney parks were soo worn out aswell paint all faded and cracked looked old and not taken care of. Handrails walls etc. I honestly remember Disney always being freshly painted but not anymore. 😢
I think the new cabin evokes Barbie Dream House -I guess there is an audience for that 😂
This "cabin" interior concept art looks like a mismatched college dorm.
One of the last vestiges of charm and true theming will soon be but a memory. A real shame what will become of my favorite place on property. Curious what shall happen to RV section as Disney decides to expand the DVC beyond the footprint of the current cabins. The infrastructure is there, once the demand becomes apparent those too will be gone
I can’t really feel it anymore. We went from MD to France for less and had a much better experience. Disney makes no sense for non locals. And does anyone believe the big plans anymore? Maybe we’ll try a cruise some day, or Japan. But done with WDW. It was (sometimes) fun while it lasted.
Ha Ha - cabellas. It’s beyond’s pathetic these days. The incredible rooms. Beach Club. Polynesian. What are these things?
I agree, Tom. Disney has ruined yet another resort. I love that Spaceship Earth lighting figure.
I agree with Tom!! I think the inclusion of DVC is a grand idea, but these look like a modern “tiny house” not like a CABIN at all!! This was one of the places I really wanted to stay that I haven’t yet, but now I don’t think I care to.
The new Wilderness lodge cabins, I have to agree with Tom. It is a shame Disney has elected to de theme the old rustic look of the cabins and bring in half sized cargo ship containers with a Murphey bed/couch, Formica countertops and a coffee pot.
That "Story Beyond" art makes me want a Haunted Mansion anime.
My family’s favorite resort by far. This is tragic. Definitely won’t be staying there like we used to.
Looks like they purchased generic furniture in bulk and that’s all they use now.. theming doesn’t scream a Disney premium experience
I stayed in Ft Wilderness back in the 1980’s and I agree with everything you said. I wonder if the day will come when all the accommodations will be for DVC members and everyone else will be forced to stay off property.
Tom, I agree with you 100%!!!! As someone that is a life long Disney fan I was looking forward to staying at the cabins sometime in the future, but now I won't waste my money on those soulless non-themed non-rustic shipping containers.
As a tradition with my family, we go every summer and, sadly, it’s going away and we will never stay here again because of the new prices and it’s a DVC now plus the new look😔
I saw the drone show in 2016 at DS. I thought it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen at Disney. Exciting that something similar is coming back
I agree with you 100%.
The cabins, the new sit-down areas at Epcot, all of it has a very soulless aspect to it. Doesn't feel like Disney. No one talks' about this but they are losing an entire generation of kids... 20 years from now it's going to be really bad.
I could not agree with you any more than I do. I just spent 4 nights/5 days in a cabin at Fort Wilderness. I wanted to get to stay here before it becomes DVC, and probably out of my price range. I have bittersweet feelings on this. I absolutely LOVED it. I loved the cabin, the Fort as a whole, EVERYTHING about this resort and the cast members and guests with whom I shared the Fort. I hate that they are changing these to DVC. I'm a moderate person - I always stay in that price range. I won't be able to stay once these are DVC. Beyond that, you are spot on with your assessment of the new cabins. They look horrible. HORRIBLE. That is NOT a cabin. I'm very sad about this, and angry that this decision was made. It does seem like a money grab. The cabins were up for renovation/replacement, and opted to have DVC bankroll it. Well, that completely destroyed the vibe and the purpose of the cabins.
@Tom, As a long time viewer and fan of your channel I’m challenging you and your staff to dig deeper into Disney and find out who drove the decision to turn the cabins into she-sheds?
I have to agree. Fort wilderness holds a special place that held character. Now it’s sad
Glamping is so 3 years ago! It’s all about living in shipping containers now.
Tom, thank you for this rant! DVC cabins at fort wilderness decorated with all the taste of a budget Joanna Gaines house flip from a decade ago.
we just camped for a week there for Walt Disney's birthday week. and the changes to the fort are heartbreaking.
trail's end is ruined. the food was awful and the staff could give zero efs
the beach has lost its soul (and the sign is still misspelled)
most of the staff are still wonderful and they are equally upset. but they've also hired some new rangers that don't get the fort and don't care
all for triple the price of a few years ago
the dvc cabins will ruin it even more. especially when they close the quiet pool and make it dvc only
heartbreaking
The influx of new, inflated number of points at the Poly tower can eventually be reshuffled into the existing studios so the total combined number of points remain constant but individual nights reserved for a studio will increase. DVC simply will inflate the initial points allotted to the tower and then raise the cost in points for existing studios while reducing the tower rooms slightly to the level they should have been at the start. 😊
Typical Disney. Let's make everything overly complicated, even for the rich and thick headed. LOL
They are ruining the guest experience at wdw and it’s really upsetting
"The Trailers at Fort Wilderness"
You ain't never seen a double wide this awesome!!
Disney has hired way too many people who know nothing about Disney and making it as undisney as possible, slowly losing the Disney magic one stupid change at a time.
You know, one of the joys I used to have, while visiting the WDW resorts, was taking a break from the parks and occasionally visiting one of the resorts' themed hotels. This new version of Fort Wilderness reminds me of a cross between a faux mid-century suburban home in the Pacific Northwest and an Ingmar Bergman movie set. What a disaster!
Now that's a RANT!