News Disney Vacation Club announces plans for more than 350 new cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Won't they need to substantially upgrade the facilities at Fort Wilderness for a DVC section? Seems like it would have the crappiest amenities of all the DVC resorts... Maybe the Reflections area would be the new amenities hub...New pool, shops, restaurants and bar... maybe a lovely themed feature pool... It would have to have those elements to make it worthwhile... maybe more and better transportation to the TTC?

Well they SHOULD do upgrades, shouldn’t they?

History is not kind on front…however.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Details -

• Disney Vacation Club has proposed plans to refresh the iconic Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness.
• These plans would see the current accommodations replaced with more than 350 new cabins.
• The updated cabins will not only utilize the footprint of the former abodes but will also include energy-efficient features, making them more environmentally friendly.
• According to DVC, “Design concepts offer a fresh take on the current cabin experience and are inspired by the resort’s idyllic setting, while also paying homage to the resort’s unique culture and heritage through the magic of Disney storytelling.”
• Each stand-alone cabin will sleep up to six adults and include a bedroom, bathroom, living room, full kitchen, and a private patio.
• A select number of the new cabins will also be dog friendly.
• As mentioned, the new cabins would become a DVC property.
• However, Disney notes,”As with all Disney Vacation Club resorts, the proposed cabins will continue to be open for reservations to all guests, including those who are not Disney Vacation Club Members, based on availability.”
• The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort – A Disney Vacation Club Resort is currently projected to open in 2024
• Other resort proposals include pool and walking trail enhancements.

Concept art -

View attachment 711367

The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort to Build Updated Cabins, Become Disney Vacation Club Resort

For years, The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort have provided Walt Disney World guests with unique accommodations for their vacations. Now, Disney has announced plans to replace the current cabins with new ones to create a new Disney Vacation Club property. What’s Happening: D

www.laughingplace.com

Truck in 12’ by 35’ mobile homes, cut the hitch off, slap a label on them and call them DVC.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It's a glampground!!

…todays winner

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

A small update I got today- 2023 bookings for cabins will be honored. No word yet if they will be available when 2024 packages are released.

 

[SpaceMountain77]

This announcement is being roasted across Disney discussion sites like a marshmallow at Chip and Dale's Campfire Sing-a-long.

(See what I did there)

Personally, I do not understand the hate. Dated cabins are being updated with eco-friendly cabins and will reside on the same footprints. There is no 10-story tower, that clashes thematically, being constructed on a beloved site. No similarly styled lodge that has light elements of its neighboring buildings, but largely looks like a generic T-building. A roofline, such as a mansard, is not the only architectural element that lends to the theming of the building.

Old cabins will be replaced with new cabins and occupancy will likely be at capacity every night.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Details -

• Disney Vacation Club has proposed plans to refresh the iconic Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness.
• These plans would see the current accommodations replaced with more than 350 new cabins.
• The updated cabins will not only utilize the footprint of the former abodes but will also include energy-efficient features, making them more environmentally friendly.
• According to DVC, “Design concepts offer a fresh take on the current cabin experience and are inspired by the resort’s idyllic setting, while also paying homage to the resort’s unique culture and heritage through the magic of Disney storytelling.”
• Each stand-alone cabin will sleep up to six adults and include a bedroom, bathroom, living room, full kitchen, and a private patio.
• A select number of the new cabins will also be dog friendly.
• As mentioned, the new cabins would become a DVC property.
• However, Disney notes,”As with all Disney Vacation Club resorts, the proposed cabins will continue to be open for reservations to all guests, including those who are not Disney Vacation Club Members, based on availability.”
• The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort – A Disney Vacation Club Resort is currently projected to open in 2024
• Other resort proposals include pool and walking trail enhancements.

Concept art -

View attachment 711367

The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort to Build Updated Cabins, Become Disney Vacation Club Resort

For years, The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort have provided Walt Disney World guests with unique accommodations for their vacations. Now, Disney has announced plans to replace the current cabins with new ones to create a new Disney Vacation Club property. What’s Happening: D

www.laughingplace.com

At first, I thought they were just trucking over the mobile homes that were previously used by the handpicked "residents" of RCID, but then I realized there were only about 30 of them.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Within a campground.

Will they be classified:
Standard view - of tents
Preferred view - of campers

…like Porkys?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

This announcement is being roasted across Disney discussion sites like a marshmallow at Chip and Dale's Campfire Sing-a-long.

(See what I did there)

Personally, I do not understand the hate. Dated cabins are being updated with eco-friendly cabins and will reside on the same footprints. There is no 10-story tower that clashes thematically being constructed on a beloved site. No similarly styled lodge that has light elements of its neighboring buildings, but largely looks like a generic T-building. A roofline, such as a mansard, is not the only architectural element that lends to the theming of the building.

Old cabins will be replaced with new cabins and occupancy will likely be at capacity every night.

I was actually less hostile…in relative terms for me…earlier.

But then I reread the summary on Baker’s post…

Yikes…this looks like the most budget idea ever.
I thought chapek got fired?

Hopefully this is just a “blue sky concept”…so it will never be seen?

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

This announcement is being roasted across Disney discussion sites like a marshmallow at Chip and Dale's Campfire Sing-a-long.

(See what I did there)

Personally, I do not understand the hate. Dated cabins are being updated with eco-friendly cabins and will reside on the same footprints. There is no 10-story tower that clashes thematically being constructed on a beloved site. No similarly styled lodge that has light elements of its neighboring buildings, but largely looks like a generic T-building. A roofline, such as a mansard, is not the only architectural element that lends to the theming of the building.

Old cabins will be replaced with new cabins and occupancy will likely be at capacity every night.

I see this as good news for DVC but bad news for larger families looking for Disney accommodations at a moderate budget. If you are a family of 6, your cheapest options were AoA family suites, Music suites or the cabins. Cabins will likely be priced much higher now, pricing those families out.

 

[QueenFanUSA]

Does anyone know what the most-booked resorts are on property? Value, Moderate and Deluxe? Of those tiers, which is the hardest to book specifically?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Does anyone know what the most-booked resorts are on property? Value, Moderate and Deluxe? Of those tiers, which is the hardest to book specifically?

Well this is dvc…so that’s a different animal.

You mean rack (standard nightly fee rooms)?
I can give you a historical idea that’s close

 

[Doberge]

Does anyone know what the most-booked resorts are on property? Value, Moderate and Deluxe? Of those tiers, which is the hardest to book specifically?

The most expensive rooms are the biggest problem to have unbooked. Disney might be okay with multiple all-star rooms being unbooked vs. a single deluxe room, after taking into consideration revenue and expenses (things like needing 3x the mouse keeping time to clean 3 AS rooms vs. 1 deluxe room). And then within a single resort the rumored expensive rooms are often difficult to book. Both are why we see things like offers to people from cheaper rooms to more expensive rooms. It's better for Disney to offer a discount to a family to "upgrade" their standard room to preferred or to a higher tier resort because it's easier to resell that value standard a second time than a moderate or deluxe resort a first time, and so on up the ladder.

 

[Doberge]

A small update I got today- 2023 bookings for cabins will be honored. No word yet if they will be available when 2024 packages are released.

Depends how fast they can build but I'd expect loops to close down and reopen in stages. I doubt they can build +350 by the end of 2024 so I think it's very possible 2024 will continue to see some loops open for at least a few months. I'd be surprised to see the cabins reopen at DVC while having old cabins still available, so up until opening I think it's pretty fair game to continue squeezing as much as they can until absolutely needing to shut down.

 

[Virtual Toad]

Wow. That was... unexpected. We literally raised our kids (17 and 14 now) at the Cabins, every year since both were infants up until Covid.

Ft. Wilderness was always so deliciously rustic and therein lies its charm. Opening the door to the cabin for the first time on check-in day always brought a profound sense of being "home." I don't know how else to describe it... other than it felt more like home than, well, our actual home.

Plenty of nostalgic musings and a few tears today at the Toad house. RIP Cabins, we will miss you.

Here's hoping the next chapter retains some of the charm and affordability. I always thought the cabin-half of Ft. Wilderness was going to be sold off soon to build Golden Oak phase 3 anyway, so locking new campers into 40-year DVC contracts might actually be a silver lining of sorts.

 

[QueenFanUSA]

You mean rack (standard nightly fee rooms)?
I can give you a historical idea that’s close

Yes please! Which resorts are usually closest to capacity?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Yes please! Which resorts are usually closest to capacity?

Doberge has the right idea.

Caribbean.
All star movies
Pop/AoA
Port Orleans
Polynesian
The other “deluxes”
The “lodges”

And down the line.

A lot of nuance there

For instance…wilderness lodge was for a time incredibly popular. Always right at the top. By 2015 the occupancy was falling drastically…as low as 50%

So for trivia:
1. What happened?
2. How did they respond?

 

[Mr. Stay Puft]

This really, really upsets me. I love staying at the cabins. With this and Trails End closing, I'm struggling to find a good reason to go back.

 

[QueenFanUSA]

Doberge has the right idea.

Caribbean.
All star movies
Pop/AoA
Port Orleans
Polynesian
The other “deluxes”
The “lodges”

And down the line.

A lot of nuance there

For instance…wilderness lodge was for a time incredibly popular. Always right at the top. By 2015 the occupancy was falling drastically…as low as 50%

So for trivia:
1. What happened?
2. How did they respond?

I don't know...what happened? And are you saying that Caribbean is the resort closest to full capacity?

 

[flynnibus]

Destroying a reasonably priced moderate that people love isn't smart.

"unfavorable mix"

 

[flynnibus]

I guess Pop Century DVC is next?