Rumor!

[des1954]

As some of you may know, the two golf courses next to the Fort (Eagle Pines & Osprey Ridge) are being closed.

We heard from one of the Fort Managers that expansion of the Fort into those areas is under consideration. Maybe a hoax & maybe true!! I hope it's true!! :woohoo:

[drafthorsecrazy]

Isnt that where the construction of a new hotel is suppose to be?:confused3

[des1954]

Isnt that where the construction of a new hotel is suppose to be?:confused3

I HOPE not!!! I want more camping sites & a food court, and this:

http://www.beveragefactory.com/images/dkc645bls.jpg
Lifetime all-you-can drink mug: $199.99 :lmao: :rotfl2:

[SammieG]

i heard a rumour they were thinking of putting a dvc at the fort... maybe that was it...

[becky1960]

There quite a few posts about this awhile back, I think if I remember its supposed to be a new hotel built by an outside vendor, not disney. I believe it was going to be upscale by someone like Swan/Dolphin

[pooh4me]

It is going to be a 4 star resort built by I think Hilton.There is also going to be time shares and condos very up scale. They are also redoing the golf course to be a PGA type.

[des1954]

Dang it!!!

The manager told us to expect a "happy announcement" on November 1st. He wouldn't come right out and say it was a Fort expansion, but after we told him how difficult it was to get ressies and that it would be great if the Fort were expanded, he said we would be very pleased to hear the November 1st announcement.

I will NOT be happy with another hotel!!:headache:

[ftwildernessguy]

In response to many complaints about the difficulty in getting a campsite, the Disney company will announce plans on 1 November to open the parking lot next to the Richard Petty driving experience to camping. No hookups, no shade, but plenty of room to open your slide outs and awnings and no annoying peacocks!

[drafthorsecrazy]

Since the new hotel has already been announced......maybe there will be another announcement on Nov. 1 ?? Perhaps something is in the works for the campground. We can only hope!

[Gatordad]

For $5 more, you can park on the infield of the speedway, just like at Daytona.

[clkelley]

The new hotel development is a Four Seasons property and it will be very upscale.

[Gatordad]

great, another stop on the boats for the "rich folk":headache:

[Rhonda]

The new hotel development is a Four Seasons property and it will be very upscale.

Exactly. It's not a rumor. It's going to be a beautiful new Four Seasons hotel. princess:

[des1954]

Exactly. It's not a rumor. It's going to be a beautiful new Four Seasons hotel. princess:

If that's true, it will NOT be beautiful next to the Fort!! Only MORE Fort would be beautiful next to the Fort.

Oh, on second thought...maybe they will have food court and a cart/exercise path into the Fort. I can dream, can't I??

Another boat stop??? I didn't think Bay Lake went back that far!!

Arrrgh! Disney doesn't need a hotel right there!!!! They need more campsites!!

[Rhonda]

I agree - it would be much nicer to have more campsites!

But, from Disney's point of view.....

I think having a Four Seasons will be great for those people who want a nice, upscale hotel, without so much Disney, but still be within WDW to enjoy the transportation, Extra Magic Hours, etc.

I know that's one of the reasons we enjoy the Fort. It's close enough to the parks to enjoy them, but it's still far enough away to not have Mickey in our face when we get "home" for the evening. :cutie:

[LarryJ]

In response to many complaints about the difficulty in getting a campsite, the Disney company will announce plans on 1 November to open the parking lot next to the Richard Petty driving experience to camping. No hookups, no shade, but plenty of room to open your slide outs and awnings and no annoying peacocks!

:lmao: :lmao: :cool1: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :thumbsup2

Larry

[bigdisneydaddy]

I believe the construction also included some private homes that would be sold and then the owners association would be run by the same management as the hotel, dont quote me but it was something like that.
I think any FW expansion will happen on the other side of the resort, that may be what they were talking about.

Scott

[LarryJ]

I agree - it would be much nicer to have more campsites!

But, from Disney's point of view.....

I think having a Four Seasons will be great for those people who want a nice, upscale hotel, without so much Disney, but still be within WDW to enjoy the transportation, Extra Magic Hours, etc.

I know that's one of the reasons we enjoy the Fort. It's close enough to the parks to enjoy them, but it's still far enough away to not have Mickey in our face when we get "home" for the evening. :cutie:


Unfortunately from what I've read it's true that there will be a new resort and/or DVC type facility in the area across from FW main canal and maybe even another resort where River Country was at some point in the future. Us cheapie trailer trash are getting crowded out at every level. SO SAD :sad: :furious: :sad:

[kimluvswdw]

I really think they could use more sites at the camp. People can't get a reservation half the time. Disney has enough resorts for now. I have an idea, if they want another resort why don't they just finish the other half of the Pop Century that is just sitting there.

[Colson39]

Yea, this is definitely going to be a hotel, that was confirmed a few months ago.

And as bigdisneydaddy said, most expansion would be to the west anyways, not to the east, makes more sense that way.

And I don't think anyone is getting crowded out of the Fort, it's not like this hotel is being built right on top of the Fort. I doubt if you'll even be able to see it from most of the campsites, even on the east side, but that's just a guess on my part.

If they start replacing campsites with hotel rooms, then you're getting crowded out. This is just another option for people that want to stay in something that is not 100% all Disney in your face, as Rhonda mentioned. If they're not taking anything away from the Fort, I really don't see why it's a big deal at all.

I say the more resorts the merrier, I always love to check out a new resort and new options. While y'all know I love and obsess over the Fort as much as all of you, it's not the ONLY thing in Disney to me ;)

I mean, they got rid of the Contemporary arcade and put it in a corner on the shopping floor. Talk about blasphemy!!! (Actually, it wasn't that bad when I went, it was still a nice size, just not the arcade I grew up with and absolutely loved :( ).

[bgula]

I was under the impression that it was just Eagle Pines that was being closed.

[Colson39]

I believe it is just Eagle Pines.

[Mr Man]

I remember reading about the Four Seasons development. Sounds nice. I appreciate the amenities at the high end resorts when traveling for business.
Not my idea of a Disney vacation though. YMMV

I would absolutely (freakin') LOVE it if WDW would announce an expansion of FW. Big honkin' pull thru loops. Looking at an overhead view of FW. It sure looks like there is a nice bit of room between FW & the Wilderness Lodge.

I would sacrifice any chance of a River Country refurb for an expanded FW.

Given my obvious affinity for FW & DVC, it would be interesting to conjecture if there would be a DVC component to it. I bring this up, as DVC seems to be the only part of Disney resorts that is expanding. Would I buy points for a FW DVC? Uh, Yeah! (and just try to get in line in front of me) :laughing:

DVC does do a pretty good job of filling up their resorts during non-peak periods (granted I am basing this off of my brief experience trying to get reservations at various DVC resorts in the 7 mo window & what I read on this forum). In short, not very scientific.......

On the other hand, I can only imagine the heated threads a FW DVC will cause such as:
-check-in after 4 pm? It's a concrete pad!
-FW DVC for Christmas, can I do this at 7mos?
-Will all DVC campsites have peacocks?
-why isn't there a DVC only boat to the MK?
-DVC Prevost "jewel janglers" ruined my vacation!
:lmao: :rotfl2:

Interesting on the 11/1/07 announcement. I see nothing on Disney corporate regarding any upcoming statement. Then again, it appears that the site hasn't been updated since 9/11/07.

While I would like to see a FW expansion, I would be very surprised if Disney did this. It appears to be a consistent moneymaker "as-is".

[jimmacmn]

Disney has sold the property that currently hold the Osprey Ridge and Eagle Pines golf courses to the Four Seasons Company. Eagle Pines closed August 1st and the construction of the Four Seasons facility has begun on that site. There will be upscale fractional use home sales on this property and sales of upscale homes but no DVC. Once the project is completed, it will be operated entirely by Four Seasons. The Osprey Ridge golf course will undergo a make over and be rebranded to a Four Seasons course with probably no access to Disney guests.

There is absolutely no chance of FW being expanded anywhere into this property. Even if the property hadn't been purchased by the Four Seasons, Disney probably would not have plowed up a golf course or two to make more camp sites. With the money they put into building the courses and the revenues they got from the courses, it wouldn't have made financial sense to close the courses for additional camp sites. The Four Seasons on the other hand probably paid a heck of a lot of money for this prime property

[clkelley]

Disney has sold the property that currently hold the Osprey Ridge and Eagle Pines golf courses to the Four Seasons Company. Eagle Pines closed August 1st and the construction of the Four Seasons facility has begun on that site. There will be upscale fractional use home sales on this property and sales of upscale homes but no DVC. Once the project is completed, it will be operated entirely by Four Seasons. The Osprey Ridge golf course will undergo a make over and be rebranded to a Four Seasons course with probably no access to Disney guests.

There is absolutely no chance of FW being expanded anywhere into this property. Even if the property hadn't been purchased by the Four Seasons, Disney probably would not have plowed up a golf course or two to make more camp sites. With the money they put into building the courses and the revenues they got from the courses, it wouldn't have made financial sense to close the courses for additional camp sites. The Four Seasons on the other hand probably paid a heck of a lot of money for this prime property

Did they really "sell" the property to Four Seasons, or did Disney give them the rights to "use" that piece of property in exchange for developing it??

[jimmacmn]

If they are going to build and sell upscale housing and fractional use housing, I think they have to sell the property. I have read that they are working to remove the property from the Reedy Creek Development property. Disney doesn't want physical home owners to have a say in how they use their land.

[ftwildernessguy]

The property was not sold. Disney has gone into a long term development agreement with the four seasons resort.

[iradi8]

As someone already said, Eagle Pines is already closed. Osprey Ridge will close in 2010. We played Osprey Ridge when we were there last week:) Beautiful course... saw some deer (one right on the path) and some big birds (don't know what they were).

[jimmacmn]

As someone already said, Eagle Pines is already closed. Osprey Ridge will close in 2010. We played Osprey Ridge when we were there last week:) Beautiful course... saw some deer (one right on the path) and some big birds (don't know what they were).

A few years ago we were playing the Eagle Pines course and came face to face with 3 bobcats (not the construction kind but the kitty kind)

[AuburnJen92]

I agree - it would be much nicer to have more campsites!

But, from Disney's point of view.....

I think having a Four Seasons will be great for those people who want a nice, upscale hotel, without so much Disney, but still be within WDW to enjoy the transportation, Extra Magic Hours, etc.

I know that's one of the reasons we enjoy the Fort. It's close enough to the parks to enjoy them, but it's still far enough away to not have Mickey in our face when we get "home" for the evening. :cutie:

Yeah, that thinking lead to the LEASING off of valuable land to outside vendors. I know that they (Walt and crew) wanted space and they have it here in FL with the land they bought back in the '60's. There was no reason to lease it. I would have rather them turned it back into a preserve than to give it to outside vendors. ARGH! (off my box now):rolleyes1

[ntsammy5]

Exactly. It's not a rumor. It's going to be a beautiful new Four Seasons hotel. princess:

With an adjacent Ale House?

[Napria]

As for DVC, when we were there in January a DVC cast member told us that they will soon be selling DVC shares for the Fort. You'll be able to use your current DVC shares for the Fort, or buy directly into the Fort.

I also was told by a different cast member, this one at the Bike Barn, that they're planning to have expanded sites to accommodate larger rigs. I wasn't clear whether they're expanding existing sites or building bigger new sites.

[Rhonda]

...and some big birds (don't know what they were).

Were they about 8 feet tall and yellow, and have some big elephant-looking guy following them around?
:rotfl2:

[iradi8]

Osprey Ridge golf course 09/27/07

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f213/iradi82/2007-09-2714-23-52IMG_6459.jpg