What’s Going Wrong With The Cabin’s At Disney’s Fort Wilderness?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 тра 2024
- In this episode of The DVC Show, we explore the turbulent evolution of The DVC Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort, unpacking the array of challenges and setbacks that have hindered their success to date!
JOIN OUR PATREON COMMUNITY: / dvcfan
Visit our official sponsor, World of DVC, for all your DVC needs!
DVC Resale Market is the largest broker of DVC resale contracts on the internet! | www.dvcresalemarket.com/?utm_...
DVC Rental Store is a fantastic resource for those looking to rent points or rent out points! | dvcrentalstore.com/?...
Monera Financial for an easy solution to financing your DVC contract! | monerafinancial.com/?...
SHOP DVC Fan Merch! | www.teepublic.com/stores/dvc-...
Book Your Next Disney Cruise with Be Our Guest Vacations! | beourguestvacations.com/quote...
Become a member of the DVC Fan group! / dvcfan1
Follow us on Instagram! / thedvcshow
Visit dvcfan.com/ for even more on Disney Vacation Club! - Розваги
Golf Cart should be included with all DVC reservations!
Or at least offer some kind of discount for DVC owners when they rent the golf carts.
I agree, with those dues it should be parked there for that specific unit. But saying that the parking for golf carts is stupidly small and would need to be expanded if this happened. And now they won’t allow off site rentals for golf carts I think it will be disappointing at almost every level
Completely agree. Or at a minimum, 50% off the rate everyone pays.
Especially in light of the new restrictions of not renting golf carts from third parties! That was extremely upsetting since I had an RV company(not on the approved list) and a golf cart planned out for a stay
My god Derek is right. The idea of a River Country 2.0 is fantastic. I would add-on there immediately. I loved River Country when I was a kid and I know my kids would go crazy for it too.
The biggest miss from all of this is the transportation, every DVC cabin should have a golf cart, they could have bought a fleet for all the cabins and then at least some of the maintenance costs could be justified, you can get past some of the other stuff for 15 points a night but transportation is just non negotiable and spending $100 a day for a golf cart is stupid
Three words: IT’S A CAMPGROUND. DVC has historically been deluxe. Fort Wilderness campgrounds does not even feel like a moderate, it is a category unto itself and caters to a very specific demographic. As you said, there is nothing extravagant that comes along with buying points at a campground. No special transportation, no elaborate pool, no special restaurants…
They have the boat to magic Kingdom. And it's weird that they got rid of the buffet which may have attracted more people. And although it's considered moderate they did confirm that dvc cabins will qualify for magic hours at end of day.
It has hoop de doo and you can get the food from the show next door!
We drove across the country in a rented RV for over three weeks, and our final destination was Camping at Fort Wilderness. IT WAS SO AWESOME! I would love to own and "camp" there without driving from CO to FL. The problem is all the extra costs associated with it. You need a golf cart ($65-$85 a day), and the monthly fees are Crazy!
@@alvis-rd2ht you cannot get food from hoopdedoo. They no longer have all you can eat unless you are at the show. It's no longer a restaurant.
My husband and I are the rare people that actually see the beauty of the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. We absolutely love the ability to be at Disney yet be away from the entire crowds and still be in the Disney Bubble. We want to buy into DVC but don’t like the high dues but understand that you are paying for your own privacy since you are not sharing any walls with anyone when you stay there. We will probably buy 150 pts if they have any other good incentives down the line (such as adding discounts for golf carts or including a golf cart for your stay) or if they ever go in the resale market since we most likely only use CFW points to stay there and no where else. Right now, with the restrictions that will go into effect come June 1st, it will become a lot more difficult to rent a golf cart via a 3rd party rental company and now the only option will be either to bring your own with proof of insurance or rent one directly through Disney.
In my opinion FW Cabins needed to be replaced. Disney was cash-strapped. And someone at a high level thought DVC can completely fund the replacement mobile units and easily add to the DVC inventory. But I honestly do not believe any DVC owner was surveyed if there would be any interest in owning. We’ve owned since 2009 and have zero interest in owning at FW Cabins and zero interest in renting at FW Cabins. I truly believe this was just a financial transaction from one ledger to another to keep the FW Cabins afloat.
They definitely needed to be updated. But as far as staying afloat, they had no problems doing that. These things are still booked all the time even at $400 a night. I think the new look may actually hurt them.
I totally agree I've made comments about these that we are not the little bit interested in buying there and add dogs the clean up becomes a massive dues issue
Agreed- this is not something a dvc owner or prospective buyer would ever want. A simple market test would have shown this. No idea who made this decision but it’s shortsighted and off base.
I have zero interest in Ft Wilderness, BUT I still have to watch the fantastic 4 talk about it. And it was worth it to hear Paul use the "XXX" phrase even though it always causes a chuckle when Derek uses it. I probably watch too many shows, but I love them! You guys are awesome!
I need to have a conversation with whoever designed these cabins. Who hurt them? What were they thinking!? You have to walk through the living room to get to the bathroom IN THE KITCHEN. You have to crane your neck to watch tv. Extra sink outside bathroom rather than washer and dryer. No bath tub to bathe children. Not to mention the general IKEA-ness and lack of charm and theming for the cabins. I’m still excited to go just because it makes my beloved Fort Wilderness more accessible to me, but it’s just so dumb. Did whoever design these ever even STAY at Fort Wilderness before??
Oof I didn’t realize there was no tub. That’s really not ideal for families.
We stayed in the cabins back in 2014 and absolutely loved the old cabins (yes they definitely needed to be updated/replaced). I really wish they kept the log cabin look 😢. We’re thinking of pitching a tent next year just because the cost is outrageous these days. (We’re already a camping family and have most of the gear we would need… have to consider a portable ac)
When we did our first Disney Vacation and before we were members (14 yrs now) we stayed at the cabins, we loved the feeling of the cabins, when we saw the update that feeling was gone.
We are just a small family and i also own a camper on a piece of wooded property and do not feel like paying DVC for the same thing. These are NOT cabins, these are campers designed by Marriot, not rustic Woodsy Cabins, that's why these are not selling. I would NEVER consider adding on one of these cabins, again i can get a camper much cheaper and haul it to Disney.
Just wondering if y'all have seen the new rules that limit the 3rd party vendors that you can rent an RV from and have them set it up for you at the Fort. Along with that, they have completely prohibited 3rd party golf cart rentals, and require proof of insurance including 100000/300000 liability for a privately owned golf cart that you bring with you, as well as requiring you to sign a waiver. Wonder how much of this has to do with the DVC cabins. Disney's rentals of carts are very expensive and not very plentiful, but as a frequent cabin renter, I would never do it without a cart. I can't imagine being an owner and having to spring for the rental or even worse, buy my own cart with a trailer to bring with me.
It’s the layout, and the lack of washer dryer. That’s one of the reasons we Dvc. They should have put the swanky new ones where reflections was going to go and just refresh the old school cabins
No they plan to build reflections and will build reflections this was going to be an expansion of reflections deed but because the lifecycle of the current cabins were up they had to proceed without reflections.
Several years ago I posted on one of these sites that I thought Disney might change some cabins into DVC. Every single person said it would never happen. So, I will take the unofficial credit for putting the idea in the Mouse’s ear.
Derek is on point about the overrated pool at YC and BC, Stormalong Bay. To me the best resort for pools is Saratoga. 2 pools with waterslides and hot food snack bars as well as 2 quiet pools 1 with a water play area and a snack bar and the other overlooks the lake and Disney Springs.
An easy and cheaper add on is to include a golf cart with any DVC point rental. Any video you watch to learn about Fort Wilderness one of the first thing you hear is the need for a golf cart.
I understand why Disney thought converting the cabins to DVC would work. People who book the cabins tend to come every year and stay in the cabins every time. Just reading that, you'd think they're the perfect buyers for DVC. But there are two reasons I think they missed. One is the high cost, since after dues it's more expensive to stay there than in most other DVC resorts. And two is the fact that many DVC owners aren't actually dedicated to a single resort. The appeal of DVC is staying all around property, and so to someone who wants to stay at the cabins every year, you're paying more for a feature you don’t care about.
I called my guide to inquire about the cabins. As a longtime DVC member who loves FW, I was willing to shell out some cash but having to sleep in the living room while the kids get the bedroom & no laundry / pool, I was going to pass but I ended up adding on points at my home resort because the incentive (which was offered to me) was to good to pass on.
We camp at Fort Wilderness and love it! Panda is correct saying that the people are friendly. We've met so many nice people. We like the quiet, relaxing feeling that Fort Wilderness has. We honestly don't like Grand Floridian at all. Too packed together with so many people. No thanks. We haven't purchased any DVC yet, but are considering some off the beaten path DVC properties.
Grand Floridian is packed and to many people? 🤔 we are talking two completely different products but I don’t find that at all at GF. It’s our first DVC home because we find it so lovely.
We were excited for this property because my husband and kids LOVE camping so we were excited for this best of both worlds option. We ultimately decided not to add on because of the dues and the resale restrictions. Hoping to book there for a resort-only stay after Christmas!
So we stayed at the cabins once 5 years ago. We were used to staying DVC and we HATED it. It was the least Disney feeling resort we’ve ever been to. Plus it was the only place on Disney property we’ve ever been bitten by mosquitoes. Which I get it, it’s the woods, but still…
The good part is that I LOVE using the golf carts there.
Financially the cabins make no sense to buy. Here is what I and many others see: high dues, resale restrictions, no significant discount (can now buy OKW direct for much less), no W/D, little privacy for occupants with no seperate bedroom, not a convenient location, need a golf cart. After all that who cares if it has a low point chart? You'd do better financially to buy Bay Lake or Grand Flo direct even at the high direct price Disney charges then get in here at 7 mo those Ft. Wilderness dues are a deal killer.
Really great show guys!
The Cabins would not even be my last resort.
They are also taking green space away near the Meadows pool and getting ready to build something. Many think it will only be for DVC and that will tick a lot of long time campers off.
The price:perks ratio is not good. I feel that if they would just include a golf cart it would appease most. At least you would have a way to get to the laundry facility.
Those "cabins" look like FEMA trailers
As someone who has camped at Fort Wilderness ( not the cabins ) the bus transportation from the parks is so slow or they do not have enough buses running to the Fort. When we stand there and watch bus after bus come for other resorts and we are left standing waiting, after awhile we just rent a car and drive to the parks.
I’m a direct owner at 3 different resorts. I went to talk with my guide on May 12, 2024 to talk about add on. He only offered me OKW. My friend was interested in buying her first contract and he only offered her Riviera resort. No mention of cabins at all
I think they should have made a restaurant again and maybe added more things to do like a putt putt area and upgrade amenities on the beach and bring the rental boats back. There is absolutely no incentive to buy here.
My son brought up a good point. The "cabins" at Fort Wilderness should've actually been named the "Cottages at Fort Wilderness". I believe that would have been more descriptive and avoided the confusion of the Cascade Cabins at Copper Creek.
Agree! The phrase "Cottages " sounds quaint and more appealing.
Many people that camp at the Fort feel like turning it into DVC will cause the feel of the Fort to change and they are not happy about them adding DVC to the Fort. They already reduced the number of people you can put on a reservation from 10 to 8. That was on of the allures of the Fort especially for big families. At Xmas we spent $315.00 a NIGHT on a site just to park our camper on. We spent over $600 in gas to get there not counting the camper cost and many people nowadays have campers that cost well over $100K and trucks that cost $50K+. But we don't get early access or the perks other resorts get or DVC. Now they dump on us even more adding DVC to the fort.
And the location of many of the cabins is in swamp land. When it rains it floods under them and all around them. They are not remotely close to the main areas so you will need a golf cart. The kids can't play around them when it rains, they charge you to park your car at the tiny parking space and those loops are tight. Wait till the bugs start biting those that don't camp. There is little to no room with some to decorate for Halloween and Christmas and many will not buy for these reasons. Do the cabins need replaced? Yes but they didn't need to go the DVC route. We've been looking at buying and WILL NOT buy at the Fort even though we stay there every year. 'm afraid Disney is going to take even more away from the campers that make the Fort work and make it as special as it is.
Before long they will make the RV sites points. They already took away off site rental of golf carts and now you can only rent from approved vendors for campers. This is a nightmare for some that have sites booked a year in advanced and placed down payments with some of these places as some are refuses refunds. Disney really needs to start talking to long time campers and find out how people really feel about all the changes.
Derek on target. The not even great ppol complex at Yacht / Beach gets way more credit then the actual product is worth.
I don't think it matters to them if the cabins sell well or not. They were due for a refresh anyway. Selling them as timeshare only helps to offset costs for the refresh. Anything they don't sell, they'll just continue to rent on a cash basis to the normal cabin guests that always rent there.
the music at the beginning of the show is also being used for Busch Gardens Williamsburg commercials, so every time I start the show I think of BGW, then have to transition my mind back to thinking about Disney 🤣
We are very excited to be giving the cabins a try in early August. Maybe we'll see you there, Panda!
We have September, October, November and New Years booked. My family Loves staying at the Ft. The holidays are the best. I already have my goodie bags started.
Good point Paul. I am not a DVC member but have rented points, am a frequent WDW guest and D23 member. Would think I am a prime target for DVC. I got a ton of Riv offers and have received zero on the Cabins.
I am excited to stay there and was not able to book our upcoming December trip at the 7 month window. I agree the water park, plussed pool area would be key to gain interest. I think you are spot on that they went into this thinking they were going to convert the current and past users that have stayed in the cabins before but did not calculate the level of interest from them accurately. For me I am not as concerned about the transportation because I will likely have a car and as APs we typically drive to the parks now unless at a resort that the transportation (monorail, skyliner or boats) makes more sense. I am also at a stage that probably does not make sense to add on at any resort regardless of how much I like it. Like everyone else I am super excited for Poly although it is not my wife’s favorite themed DVC.
The easy answer as to why is those cabins needed a refresh and DVC provided a way for the clients to pay for it instead of Disney...
When I come to Disney I stay 7-10 days. Not having a washer and dryer, transportation is awful no restaurants no thank you.
I’m open to any Disney experience but high annual dues + resale restrictions = fastest hard pass ever.
DVC Fan. Folks, there's a factory out here that pre-builds cabins, with 6 different design's to choose from. You can have the interiors done to your own spec's but all the furniture etc is from the Ikea Catalogue. From the outside these cabins look just like the DVC Cabins. When Fort Wilderness first opened this was camping on a luxuary level compared to other camping sites around the country. In those early years Disney did a lot of full page advertising in camping magazines promoting Fort Wilderness and WDW. I don't like to say it but I can see the day coming when WDW will become just 27,000 acres of only DVC properties. Walt's community of the future. Cheers, Chris Perry.
I agree completely.
I think the big draw is the low points - especially for a family of 6. But the reason we're not itching to buy is the high annual dues.
Dvc or not they should have rearranged the whole area and built a “lobby” in the middle with a restaurant bar/lounge and a new pool outside attached and the cabins in loops around it. People paying a lot of money for deluxe prices or dvc should def have some lounges around even if the grounds are huge.
Skip the Sheds by Ikea and hit the real Copper Creek Cabins
They're building more Resorts that people will for sure buy, they're running out of Saratoga and Old Key West they need to maintain 33% un-occupied rate and cabins at Fort Wilderness will do that for the next 50 years
so i have loved staying at fort wilderness. in 2008 my family stayed in a cabin our first trip. A couple years ago when i lived down in Florida i stayed at a campsite in my RV. i loved staying there both times, but now that I'm back up in Maine, fort wilderness has no appeal to me. i want to stay in a resort like Riviera or Disneyland Hotel. which i own at both haha
I have to say, although I love the outdoors, not a fan of camping. I want to be extremely comfortable when I sleep. Fort Wilderness was never a consideration prior to buying into DVC, so why would I consider it now that it becoming part of DVC?
When buying in, it was the promise of deluxe accommodations that drew me in. The current cabins are okay, but these new ones…are kind of dated and they haven’t even gone up. Nobody that is into camping, or glamping, will enjoy this. I think it was a huge mistake on Disney’s part. Look at how badly Saratoga Springs is performing and those are nice rooms. The problem is, it’s out of the way.
Most people are looking for convenience when on vacation. I see nothing convenient about a stay at Fort Wilderness, other than price point…which goes out the window when you buy DVC.
Then to restrict this offering, that’s what put the nail in the coffin, even if you’re a fan of this style of vacationing.
If Disney wants to get back on top and be extremely successful they are going to have to solve quite a few problems, the biggest one being price point. Park goers are not getting what they pay for anymore and that’s a problem. When they were more expensive than the other parks in the past, it was okay because you were getting what you paid for. Now, I don’t see it. The “magic” that was once there is dwindling, and I’m not talking about from when I was a kid. When I was a kid it was just the Magic Kingdom and I loved it, but there was no follow up visit until 17 years later. By that time I was an adult, but the memories of the Magic Kingdom from 1974 came right back. On this first return visit, just did Epcot and Magic Kingdom…even though the studios were already open. The next spring we returned and stayed in the same resort, Disney’s Yacht Club, we did all three theme parks on this trip and the Disney bug was fully implanted. We went 7 more times before purchasing DVC in 2002. Since buying DVC, we’ve visited over 50 times. It has afforded us more trips than would otherwise be possible. Now that the kids are grown, still enjoy Disney…but haven’t been to the theme parks (with one exception in 2023) since 2017.
They are too crowded and lines are way too long, not to mention the prices.
If Disney wants to succeed, IMO, they need to get back to where they were in the 1990s are far as appearance, cleanliness, refurbishment, and maintenance. Nothing was ever offline for more than a few minutes (30 at the most) and construction was very well hidden (and only occurred at night). Projects were completed in months, not years. No one looked disappointed upon leaving, no one (well, maybe some of the people that were on their last day). Some time in the 2000s, things started to go off the rails for Disney and I haven’t seen a recovery yet.
In order for Disney to start killing it again, there are a few problems they will need to overcome. Number one is crowding, there is no way to enjoy a park stay with that many people in the property. Lines more than 45 minutes should never exist, period. Line skipping option or not. Secondly, appearance. There are far too many broken, worn, run down things in the parks and at the resorts…fix it. Third, attractions. Stop repurposing old attractions and give us something completely new. I get that repurposing is cost effective, but the were amazing attractions that have been gutted and replaced with something less desirable. Mission Space is one example, while I love the ride…Horizons was far better. Next, stop trying to be the competition. Universal is slowly taking away all of Disney’s market share because they are different, not better…different. Building a new theme park will draw attention initially, but if it’s not done right (like when they rushed the opening of their original park), it will soon lead people to seek alternatives. Don’t copy the competition, people have noticed and do not like it. Lastly, we all know Disney can be expensive…but it doesn’t have to be out of reach. Stop the seasonal pricing, stop the added Genie+ garbage, bring back quality foods, bring back quality entertainment options (away from attractions), get lines under control, make the park immaculate, rehire let go cast members from before the pandemic, refurbish items when no guests are present (this includes resorts), and maybe…just maybe the price of current admission would be worth the cost.
It seems like everywhere you look, corners are being cut, services are being lessened, quality is going down. These are all the things that made paying more worth it. There is far too much profit not being reinvested in the theme parks. This and the movie are what make you money, and right now…the movies are lackluster. Make the right decisions for the future of the company instead of the future of your executives. Greed is killing Disney. I said it and I will not take it back.
In fact, greed is killing most businesses nowadays. People see it, they are fed up, and are deciding not to give money towards a broken promise. That’s what Disney has become, a broken promise. It’s sad, but all is not lost. I can only hope that our constant ranting eventually lands on the right ears.
DVC/OKW member since 1992. My wife and step daughter are thinking about getting a cabin only because they can bring the dog. Other than that one extra perk, we prefer to stay at OKW or Saratoga Springs. Nice rooms, pools, and washer/dryer available. Also, parking is available right outside your room, so you can go off property with ease to get groceries or visit other Orlando area resorts. Theme park access is not so important anymore. As a 30+ year DVC member, (free theme park passes in the beginning) I've been to the parks at least 100 times or more. As a matter of fact, I still have unused theme park passes I bought many years ago. (no expiration date) And yes it is printed on the plastic card I received when I purchased them.
Speaking as someone who loves Fort Wilderness, my biggest concern is that DVC will ruin the atmosphere. In the past year I've noticed a trend to more and more rules at the campground - no electric bikes, proof of insurance on golf carts, stricter rules as to where you park your trailer, etc. The relaxing camping experience is going away bit by bit.
I was looking recently and the old cabins I could get for $280 a night this summer with current discount. The same date point chart would be 20pts a night. It’s nearly cheaper to rent cash then pay the dues even when ignoring the $200 a pt buy in or whatever it costs now. Add in the complete lack of any upgrades to make it value to deluxe and its such a missed opportunity. This whole thing is classic current Disney; ruin something great by replacing it with a poorly throughout out, over priced, and cheaply done replacement.
i loved staying here with my dog but new cabins don't have a tub!
New Cabins remind me of outdoor State Park vault toilets.
I would like to stay for a week but I don’t want to use our Grand points. Our two home resorts are Grand (direct) /Boulder (resale) and when I arrive to either I feel so fortunate to be a DVC member. I don’t mind buses, Jambo is stunning but I like the extras, the Jiko, the gorgeous pools, the lobby..
I have received several calls and mailers re: the new DVC at Fort Wilderness. We stay at FW yearly. Sometimes in a cabin, sometimes camping. Looking at what we were presented it isn’t worth it for us. We absolutely love the fort and will just pay for our stay when we go. They should have put these where reflections is supposed to go and rehab the existing cabins for everyone else.
I’m the “don’t forget to reserve your golf cart” person. 😆 I’ve actually never stayed at Ft. Wilderness, but have booked it a couple times and canceled because I couldn’t bring myself to go through with paying cash for it when I have points. 😜 I’m super stoked to get to stay there with my points now though!! When Ft. Wilderness was announced last year, within a day or two I bought direct at Grand Flo with the intention of using those points at Ft. Wilderness. The Grand Flo direct was such a good bang for your buck (for a direct contract), and I’m put off by resale restrictions. I did think “if I love Ft. Wilderness, I can always add a small contract” but as soon as the dues were announced that became a hard no for me. I’m not sure what they can do about the dues, but I feel that’s the biggest turnoff at this point.
In general I believe it is the too much inventory and Fort Wilderness is an acquired taste and targeted at a specific client - but you all are spot on, we love it but would rather stay at Wilderness Lodge... but we are spoiled.....Take care....
The other issue is that many of the extra things cost extra and as part of dvc there should be a discount or at least include a golf cart or something similar.
They don't have enough carts as it is and now that they wont allow off site rentals its going to get even worse for people trying to rent them.
@@torineace8715 that is a really bad rule. They should allow outside vendors and just have a policy for these companies to abide by and if they don't then they get banned.
HEY... Paul and Amy can come hang out in my backyard any day, Derek!!! 🤣
I love HDD but the access is an issue. It’s open bar but you generally have to drive. They don’t market boat access integrated with the show. The fun should begin when I board the riverboat at the TTC or my resort to get to the HDD.
I think the reasons are desperation and dvc has been a cash cow so they went that direction without any thought to the issues ya all brought up. Great show!
I will admit that the waterpark idea would be pretty cool, but I can’t imagine what the dues would be if the cost of operating that had to be included in this resort. Are you saying anyone staying at any DVC resort could use it? If not, I don’t see how these cabins could possibly cover that cost and have dues anywhere near even the Highmark they are currently at.
While, the initial disclosure of the dues shocked me, wouldn’t it make sense to multiply the points needed for your stay times the desired stay to get the dues cost of that stay? If you do that for multiple resorts, the high dues per point is somewhat offset by the lesser points to stay. it would probably be a good exercise to look at the points needed times the dues for one bedroom stays around the property for the same same dates. I think we might find that these these dues are more reasonable than they appear on the surface.
On of the issues I see is the shenanigans that are currently occurring by the crazy people that are renting the RV spots. They have turned it into a weekend party spot. Cars parked everywhere it’s starting to look like a messy campground. They need to start enforcing rules.
That new 5500 square foot building is for Amy’s themed Dog resort Canine Kingdom Lodge 😊
Also I would like to see a few loops turned into DVC only RV sites. (Only if reasonably priced and dues low)
I am with Panda, I need laundry in my room.
My niece is helping me decide what property we want to buy for our home resort... when she saw the Cabins... she said no... they are too modern looking... they don't look like cabins. She had no interest in these if they were supposed to be appealing to those of us that do rent cabins in the mountains and other places.
For families on a budget. Full kitchen, sleeps 6
When the tower goes for sale i have tols my husband, this is when i will buy Aluani. We are a family of 6 that would do the cabins however we will never buy because to many unanswered questions and fees.
We booked a stay in the fall at the DVC cabins to try out and I just found out they do not provide towels at the pools which is really sad and weird as every other resort provides towels. Definitely a minus in my book. Plus the pools are not nearly as nice as other DVC resorts….. My husband is very hesitant but I want to stay just to see what it’s like. Not considering buying though!
I think Paul is on the right track here. Disney did this for other reasons more than traditional expanding or growing the DVC portfolio. It wouldn't shock me if it had something to do with taxes or capitalization or some sort of bookkeeping it allows them to do it. On that same line, it wouldn't surprise me if this was also tied to some sort of recovery from the Reflections Resort non-event.
It doesn’t matter what they do, the dues are an irrevocable turnoff for us.
Put a new waterside/Dockside restaurant at Fort Wilderness.
Love a Derek rant. Remind me again what after hours you would pay extra for??? 😅😅
If we bought resale in 2017 before restrictions, can we still stay at the fort
Yes
The old cabins had a “Disney wilderness feel”. The new cabins don’t match the wilderness look-too modern. I’ll use my DVC points at a resort, and take my much nicer RV that has a washer/dryer and rent a slab of concrete.
As Disney keeps crowding more buildings such as hotels near Poly and cheapo construction the guests spending big bucks will stop And travel elsewhere.
There is no luxury. I see all of the other properties will eventually start losing their luster as well as a domino effect unfortunately.
It’s very sad what’s happening with DVC. I was absolutely buying the Disneyland dvc but the fees so high, dues are now ridiculous, annual passes are a joke. I will only go one day to a theme park, maybe. I love going to Europe and that beats dvc for sure.
Amy…..best chicken sandwich is in the springs at the donut place. Funky chicken. Must get
I’ve heard they are banning personal golf carts forcing you to rent theirs
My DVC guide contacted me last week, but it was regarding Old Key West incentives, so I actually purchased Riviera...I'm honestly not interested in Old Key West(dues are higher than Riviera & Saratoga).
Just watched the show and agree with everything that was said. I have a couple of things to add. Essentially this is a moderate resort which has a specific guest appeal. The price per point reflects this but the selling price does not. The selling price per point should sit below Saratoga and old key west and the dues also need to be reduced to similar to animal kingdom lodge. The selling point could be the selling price,and low points per night for a bigger room as that is unique to this resort. That's it. Also they took mickeys backyard bbq away which attracted families. So basically the offering is a bigger room for low points and low price Price should also be low. Also I feel layout of cabins is poor. If you had to use the bathroom during the night you're going to wake up those sleeping in the Murphy bed. And how do you watch the tv while sitting on the couch. So much they got wrong! Will not be adding on here!
Besides the poorly designed cabins there is also a lack of understanding of the overall resort changes. Are they making the rest of the resort ‘deluxe’? And if yes, what does that mean? If there is an overreaching strategic plan why are they not sharing it with the potential investors ?
Agree, too much left in the air. But even if it's not deluxe, at least the cabins qualify for the 2 hour magic hours at end of day.
Can current resale members rent or is it restricted?
Riveria resale contracts can not book the cabins but I believe all others can
Sandwiches are at Crockett's Tavern
maybe this was a test for moderate DVC. Like Port Orleans French Quarter DVC
I was genuinely curious to add-on at the cabins, but having the same cost per point as Riviera and those crazy dues was an immediate turn-off. We look forward to staying and trying it out, especially considering the great point chart, but we added on at Riviera instead.
Resale points can't be used there too right?
Correct, if the resale contract was purchased after January 19, 2019.
The easy answer is that the cabins needed a refresh and Disney saw a way for the customers to pay for it using DVC.
that's 19,000 more points than i thought they'd sell.
I could see us staying there for a short stay, but the lack of w/d and all the beds except the Murphy being in one room is not for us. Also - who thought it was a good idea to have to walk through the living room and kitchen to get to the bathroom??? Then add the crazy maintenance fees and we are definitely out as far as purchasing points there. My direct CCV points will work just fine there at 7 months, though.
As far as a "redo" or "do over", I don't see how Disney can go back and change what they committed to.
Edited to add: Maintenence fees was one of the reasons I reached out to Derek to upgrade my home resort to Old Key West. It doesnt surpeise me that no one wants to pay those dues.
Low direct prices and low point charts (this part they did) was needed. The buy in price is just too high and hard to imagine buying this for all those years when you can have a more rounded resort for same price and less dues. I love the campground and this is just hard to talk our way into.
1. STOP building more DVC resorts/rooms of any kind at WDW and give us more resorts in other places around the U.S. or the World!
2. If you are not going to stop doing this, give us another park to go to so there will not be so many people in the parks!
Amy, you love the cabins but you won't buy them! Because it's not DVC worthy
Jeff has a great idea make a DVC moderate which points don't transcend the category levels
We aren't buying , for transportation from them, no washer/dryer , the need for a car or golf cart, no restaurants, no lobby. No privacy with bunk beds in the main bedroom, it doesn't look like a log cabin, what is that look Disney was going for with them💆🤷♂️
Is it worth buying points just to rent them out because of the rental demand? I wouldn't do it but may be the only justification for buying points here.
They look like sheds and there are dogs. I'll take a Disney cruise instead.
I was interested but the dues and restrictions are a huge turn off for what you get.
People must be interested bc all of September is booked and trying to book few nights in October and sparse availability.
That must be for DVC owners who own elsewhere. I did the math on 19,000 points sold thus far and if you purchase 150 points it’s only 126.6 contracts sold that is less than half of the 350 cabins for one week stay. I understand only 30 cabins are for sale right now and have a total of 230,000 points to sell in that initial offering. But if you tally it up it’s about 2.7 million points they need to sell to sell out. They are going to have a tough time selling these until reflections is built or announced to restart construction.
DVC owners booked up the sept cabins bcuz that is the lowest/cheapest month to stay DVC. Right now Disney is being very onservative with bookings for the cabins. Per the video DVC is only allowing a certain number of rentals because the project is so far behind, this is a huge reason why there is such limited avaibility. By the end of summer 2025 that’s when we shall see normal inventory.
To answer Paul's question, no I haven't been marketed too.
How about a dinner to hoop de do