The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort to be listed as a Moderate Resort

[TLS]

I guess I just don't get it.

What were they labeled before? Value, Moderate, or Deluxe?

My Sisters family stayed there this past June. I think they are great. VERY big inside. They paid $300/night. I don't know where that puts them with regard to other resorts. But it was ideal for their needs. They compared other resorts and decided on this one. They sleep 6 comfortably and have a nice full sized bathroom and not a MINI kitchen but a full functioning kitchen with dishwasher and full size fridge.

 

[MKCP 1985]

I guess I just don't get it.

What were they labeled before? Value, Moderate, or Deluxe?

My Sisters family stayed there this past June. I think they are great. VERY big inside. They paid $300/night. I don't know where that puts them with regard to other resorts. But it was ideal for their needs. They compared other resorts and decided on this one. They sleep 6 comfortably and have a nice full sized bathroom and not a MINI kitchen but a full functioning kitchen with dishwasher and full size fridge.

They were Deluxe.

That is appropriate for the size, but come on - with all the resort features provided at the monorail resorts and boardwalk resorts, plus the Wilderness Lodge, a stay at Fort Wilderness is an orange compared to those apples.

Ft. Wilderness doesn't really fit any of those descriptions, but having stayed there, I personally feel the pricing best fits a premium moderate as opposed to a deluxe resort.

 

[TLS]

I've never personally stayed in a Deluxe resort, so I don't know they're size or layout. But if you must sleep 6, and a full kitchen is needed/wanted, what would your choices be and they're respective prices and sizes be?

I think the Cabins are something like 500 sq/ft IIRC.

I just feel that with kids, the Cabins are an excellent choice. Plus, being only a boat ride away from MK makes it a nice family choice.

 

[minnie61650]

If you think about it their current price would reflect a moderate if you use the All Star suites as a comparison. Rack rate on an All Star suites is slightly higher than two rooms at the same resort. The Ft Wilderness cabins are slightly higher and in some cases slightly less than two rooms at a moderate.

I agree.
I do not think prices will lower either.
Just because a resort is in a certain catagory does not mean it will be priced the same.
The monorail and Epcot deluxes are more expensive than AKL and WL.
Also remember the cabins sleep 6 and any WDW room that sleeps 6 is quite pricey.
The jr suites at CSR (a moderate resort )sleep 6 and start at $340 a night during value season.
The Family Suites at All Star Music (a value resort) start at $184 during value
season.
The Cabin is 504 square feet , they sleep 6 and have full kitchen also.
The standard mod rooms are 314-340 square feet, sleep 4 ( POR-AB does sleep 5) and they have no kitchen.
I highly doubt the cabins would be priced the same as a standard mod room.

JMHO

 

[mrerk]

I guess I just don't get it.

What were they labeled before? Value, Moderate, or Deluxe?

My Sisters family stayed there this past June. I think they are great. VERY big inside. They paid $300/night. I don't know where that puts them with regard to other resorts. But it was ideal for their needs. They compared other resorts and decided on this one. They sleep 6 comfortably and have a nice full sized bathroom and not a MINI kitchen but a full functioning kitchen with dishwasher and full size fridge.

I think they were in the "Home Away From Home" category, which is now the "Deluxe Villa Resorts" category.

 

[sbkline]

I agree.
I do not think prices will lower either.
Just because a resort is in a certain catagory does not mean it will be priced the same.
The monorail and Epcot deluxes are more expensive than AKL and WL.
Also remember the cabins sleep 6 and any WDW room that sleeps 6 is quite pricey.
The jr suites at CSR (a moderate resort )sleep 6 and start at $340 a night during value season.
The Family Suites at All Star Music (a value resort) start at $184 during value
season.
The Cabin is 504 square feet , they sleep 6 and have full kitchen also.
The standard mod rooms are 314-340 square feet, sleep 4 ( POR-AB does sleep 5) and they have no kitchen.
I highly doubt the cabins would be priced the same as a standard mod room.

JMHO

I understand the concept that not all resorts in a category must be priced the same. After all, the AKL and WL are the cheapest of the deluxes, and the prices go up from there among the deluxes.

However, to reclassify the Ft Wilderness Cabins as a moderate without lowering the price would be very deceptive. Think about it...currently, the cheapest deluxe resorts are WL and AKL. The cabins are more per night than those two. What sense would it make to have a resort in the moderate category to be more pricey than a resort in the deluxe category? I realize that there may be other factors other than money that would encourage people to stay at a moderate over a deluxe or a value over a moderate, but generally speaking, people make those decisions based on price. How deceptive is it to advertise this as a moderate and have people book it with the intent of paying less money, only to find out that they could have stayed at a deluxe resort for cheaper? It makes no sense.

I'm all for the cabins being reclassified as a moderate, since we want to stay there on our next trip. But if the price doesn't drop some (not necessarily equal with the other three), then what does this reclassification mean? It's pointless and meaningless to reclassify it if they aren't going to change the price accordingly. Because what they call it is meaningless. If the price remains at $279 or whatever it is, then they can classify it however they want: call it a deluxe resort, call it a moderate resort, call it a flim flam floom resort, call it whatever. It's still a deluxe resort for all practical purposes, a moderate resort in name only, and the name change is totally meaningless.

And on a sidenote, can someone refresh my memory on something? I seem to remember reading that the Caribbean Beach resort was originally listed as a value resort, then later got upgraded to a moderate. Is this true? If so, have there ever been any other reclassifications, or would this one only be the second? Did the prices increase at CBR to reflect the upgrade from value to moderate?

 

[sbkline]

From the Disney Website, Fort Wilderness Cabins is listed as a moderate WITH A MODERATE PRICETAG---$149/night rates start at!

That dropped over 100 bucks from 255/night.


EDIT: Not sure anymore, it says 149 on the homepage, but then click the "rates" button and its still listed at 255.

Maybe it's just a glitch in the system, whereby the new info hasn't "kicked in" yet on every part of the site. :shrug:

 

[sbkline]

If you think about it their current price would reflect a moderate if you use the All Star suites as a comparison. Rack rate on an All Star suites is slightly higher than two rooms at the same resort. The Ft Wilderness cabins are slightly higher and in some cases slightly less than two rooms at a moderate.

The difference is that the All Stars have regular rooms that are cheaper than the moderates, hence their classification as a "value" resort. The suites are their special rooms, which are naturally higher and, in this case, more than a room in a moderate.

But in the case of the Cabins, these ARE the regular rooms...and therefore should be priced as a moderates, if they are going to call it a moderate resort. If they want to have a few "deluxe" cabins to count as their "suites", and price them in the deluxe category, then fair enough. But to charge deluxe rates for the every cabin in the resort, and then try to pass it off as a moderate resort is simply deceptive garbage.

 

[TLS]

We have to keep in mind that with FW, the LOCATION is key.

The 100 or 200 loop would be preferred, and I could see them charging extra for these.

One key thing to remember, if you drive or rent a car, you park at your cabin. There is no walking to your car.

 

[maryszhi]

because of size and ammenties and amount of people that can fit, it could go either way. i mean , the kitchen may make it delux, but because of distance and consideration with that, it may be moderate

 

[Dwarful]

I agree with the points that sbkline made. Simply calling an 'apple' by the name 'orange' doesn't really make it an orange.

 

[Brian Noble]

Disney is marketing something differently in order to make more money? Get right out of town!

 

[amypooh]

This is intriguing news.... for our party of 10 we are considering changing our 3 rooms at port orleans FC for 2 cabins.

My only question is that we are using DME to get from / to the airport and the park, if we have no vehicle at all are the cabins still worth looking into?

We have 5 kids, 3 of which are under 6 (and 2 strollers).

Thoughts?

 

[Yankeeplex]

If it weren't for the bunk beds, I would consider it...but Saratoga Springs is way too awesome to pass up. We love it there.

 

[sbkline]

Disney is marketing something differently in order to make more money? Get right out of town!

All companies try new marketing strategies to make more money. Not a thing wrong with that.

But to take a Deluxe Resort, and change NOTHING (including the price) and then turn around and advertise the exact same product, price and all, as a moderate resort (if indeed, that is what they are doing), is reaching a new low. It's deceptive. It's dishonest. And it's tantamount to false advertising. And if that's what they are doing here, they should be ashamed of themselves.

 

[yankspy]

All companies try new marketing strategies to make more money. Not a thing wrong with that.

But to take a Deluxe Resort, and change NOTHING (including the price) and then turn around and advertise the exact same product, price and all, as a moderate resort (if indeed, that is what they are doing), is reaching a new low. It's deceptive. It's dishonest. And it's tantamount to false advertising. And if that's what they are doing here, they should be ashamed of themselves.

Perhaps people thought it was deceptive to call it a deluxe? I am not sure why they did this so I can not say anything for sure but it still seems like a good deal no matter what you call them. As far I know, the only way you are getting a full kitchen on property is with a one bedroom villa. There are none of those available at those prices.

 

[paul436]

The cabins are a great choice. Not only do you get additional room but you also get a mini kitchen. The grounds a FW are incredible as well and there is plenty to do there at little or no cost. From a cost standpoint only PORS is still the best deal with a family of 5 but you will get less room, no mini kitchen and one member of your party will have to sleep on a trundle bed.

I may have to reconsider my options here. Thanks for the info and the recommendation.:wave:

 

[RiversideBunny]

To me it would be like this for the Cabins -

PROS
Lot's of space. Sleeps 6, I think.
Kitchen
Neato setting at FW
Campfire program nearby and other FW activities
Trails End buffet is one of the best bargains on campus
Close to HoopDeDo

CONS
Transportation- from the trip reports I've read, you Need a personal car at the Cabins, otherwise you spend a lot of time catching two buses, the inside FW bus and then the regular Disney bus.

:king:

 

[yankspy]

To me it would be like this for the Cabins -

PROS
Lot's of space. Sleeps 6, I think.
Kitchen
Neato setting at FW
Campfire program nearby and other FW activities
Trails End buffet is one of the best bargains on campus
Close to HoopDeDo

CONS
Transportation- from the trip reports I've read, you Need a personal car at the Cabins, otherwise you spend a lot of time catching two buses, the inside FW bus and then the regular Disney bus.

:king:

Anyone know how much one of those carts costs?

 

[GoofyDadKB]

About $49 a day.