Ft Wilderness Cabins now cheaper than WL?

[sbkline]

I called Disney the other day to try to get some rough estimates of what our room will cost next year (April 12-21), based on this year's rates....knowing that the rates will surely be different next year. But I figured it could just give me a ballpark figure anyhow. I thought those dates would all fall in regular season, since Easter is April 4, but she said she thinks it would still be in peak season since it would still be the middle of spring break. Anyway, she gave me some numbers for Caribbean Beach, Wilderness Lodge and Ft Wilderness Cabins (our primary choices), but she did tell me that these numbers are on the high side since the prices are not yet finalized and locked in for 2010. So in other words, rather than give me an estimate based on this year's actual prices, she gave me a high estimate pending the release of next year's prices. For Carribbean Beach, the estimate was 205 bucks a night. For Wilderness Lodge it was 375 per night and for the Cabins it was 370 a night...which was actually cheaper than WL! I pointed out to her that I have always known for the Cabins to be higher than the WL...as much as 50 bucks a night higher. But she told me that the Cabins are now considered a "high end moderate" and, as such, are cheaper than the Wilderness Lodge.

Can anyone confirm this? Or do you think this CM was mistaken? And again, she stressed to me that these numbers are on the high side and that the real rates for 2010 for these resorts are most likely to be cheaper than what she quoted me. And, if we bump our trip back a week so as to make it all fall in regular season, it would be even cheaper still. But that would be great if they really lowered the Cabins to be cheaper than the WL...not so great if they simply raised the WL so as to now be higher than the Cabins, though. :lol:

 

[Disneyfalcon]

That is correct. The cabins actually are considered a moderate resort. Now they're not as cheap as the other moderates, one of the reasons being that they fit more people. They should be a little cheaper than a deluxe though.

 

[sbkline]

That is correct. The cabins actually are considered a moderate resort. Now they're not as cheap as the other moderates, one of the reasons being that they fit more people. They should be a little cheaper than a deluxe though.

But it used to be that the two cheapest deluxe resorts, the Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge, were actually cheaper than the cabins. So I guess the really important question is, did AKL and WL go UP in price, or did the Cabins go DOWN in price?

 

[Master Yoda]

What she told you was true....from a certain point of view. As with most things the devil is in the details or more to the point in this case the options. First of all the cabins are now classified as a moderate. Just like the suites at the values the cabins are roughly twice what a regular room at a moderate will be. Second issue the prices....With the cabins you really have no options that will effect the price. A cabin is a cabin and that is it. With the rooms at WL there are a plethora of options that can drive the price up. Here is a quick room rate that I pulled up for a random date in August of this year and you can see ow the rate per night can really get driven up by options. (April is booked so nothing would pull up)


Mon, Aug 10


Woods View $ 298
Courtyard View +$22
Woods View Bunk Bed +$28
Courtyard View Bunk Bed +$56
Standard Room - Club Level +$152
Honeymoon Room - Club Level +$180
Deluxe Room - Club Level +$293
Yosemite VP Suite - Club Level +$641
Yellowstone Presidential Suite - Club Level +$754

Cabin for the same date

$298

Studio at the WL Villas for the same date

$366

There is also a good possibility that she might have quoted you a price for The Villas at WL or given you current holiday rates.

So as you see as a general rule the cabins will be slightly more expensive or equal to a standard woods view room at WL but there are options that can be added on to a room at WL that will make them much more expensive.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Thank you for explaining it much better than I did Richard!

 

[sbkline]

What she told you was true....from a certain point of view. As with most things the devil is in the details or more to the point in this case the options. First of all the cabins are now classified as a moderate. Just like the suites at the values the cabins are roughly twice what a regular room at a moderate will be. Second issue the prices....With the cabins you really have no options that will effect the price. A cabin is a cabin and that is it. With the rooms at WL there are a plethora of options that can drive the price up. Here is a quick room rate that I pulled up for a random date in August of this year and you can see ow the rate per night can really get driven up by options. (April is booked so nothing would pull up)


Mon, Aug 10


Woods View $ 298
Courtyard View +$22
Woods View Bunk Bed +$28
Courtyard View Bunk Bed +$56
Standard Room - Club Level +$152
Honeymoon Room - Club Level +$180
Deluxe Room - Club Level +$293
Yosemite VP Suite - Club Level +$641
Yellowstone Presidential Suite - Club Level +$754

Cabin for the same date

$298

Studio at the WL Villas for the same date

$366

There is also a good possibility that she might have quoted you a price for The Villas at WL or given you current holiday rates.

So as you see as a general rule the cabins will be slightly more expensive or equal to a standard woods view room at WL but there are options that can be added on to a room at WL that will make them much more expensive.

Thanks for the info! Just looking at the cheapest possible room at the WL, though, it does appear that rates have either gone up for WL, or gone down for the Cabins (or perhaps a little bit of both). Because, in looking at my 2006 Birnbaum book, the cheapest room at the WL in regular season was $249, and the price for a cabin in regular season was $279 dollars. My 2008 Birnbaums is currently loaned out to my brother, but I seem to remember in more recent pricing structures, there was at least a 30 dollar difference between the two as well. But in the numbers you just gave, a cabin is exactly the same price as the cheapest type of room at WL. Again, hopefully it's because the Cabins have gone down a little in price to reflect the "moderate" rating, although it may be a moot point because it looks like it will still be too expensive to really consider staying there next year...unless they offer a good deal equal to or better than the current 4:3 deal.