Attack of the Lakeshore Lodge

[smileyanna]

I don’t understand how the water bridge to MK and the road to WL/FW/Lakeshore Lodge are going to handle all this traffic

 

[davidhr]

I am 100% with you on this. As far as I can telll, the only thing that changed was the name and the timeline.

The narrative in these boards is that nothing can be trusted until they have stayed at the resort!

Some people won’t believe there’s a lazy river until they’re floating in it

 

[Brian Noble]

Well, rumors of bad things can be trusted. It's only the good things.

 

[lukemorenus]

Well, rumors of bad things can be trusted. It's only the good things.

LOL - exactly ... "everything Disney does is bad" must be the default position

 

[maui22]

CFW has 63 of 363 cabins declared. Last declaration was April 2024.
@wdrl and @tjkraz https://dvcnews.com/wdw-resorts/ft-...tory-for-the-cabins-at-fort-wilderness-resort

As you can see in the article, 257,961 + 229,820 = 487,781 points declared.
I'm not sure what @wdrl shows for total CFW points sold, but right now I show 111,046 points sold. (I am including some July data that isn't completely proofed).

That's not even 25% of CFW declared points sold. Think of it this way, they have sold enough points for 14 (working on 15) cabins. Meaning non-owners fight for the remaining 48-49 rooms at 7 months.

The cabins book fast at 7 months, isn't that good booking demand?
The fact people aren't buying indicates the problem isn't popularity. (Fewer than 775 deeds total sold in 18 months, PVB IT had that many deeds within it's first month of deeds on the comptroller website). My bingo card has high dues as a contributing factor.

 

[Chili327]

We love the cabins to stay in, but would never buy there for 3 reasons:

1. Restricted Points
2. Dues
3. The Trust model that allows them to reallocate the point totals. I don't have faith that the point charts for the cabins will stay the same over time.

All that said, I am more than happy to use my other points at 7 months at CFW. We plan to stay here every year, availability permitting.

We have 0 interest in the monstrosity that is the LL building. I personally think that it is ruining the vibe of FW...

Agree on all counts.

 

[tjkraz]

The cabins book fast at 7 months, isn't that good booking demand?
The fact people aren't buying indicates the problem isn't popularity. (Fewer than 775 deeds total sold in 18 months, PVB IT had that many deeds within it's first month of deeds on the comptroller website). My bingo card has high dues as a contributing factor.

I think it speaks to the broader idea that it's a fun place to stay but there isn't much value in owning. Dues are a portion of that. But perhaps more significant is the 11 month booking advantage.

I've always viewed the Home resort as a "home base." That's the place everyone can comfortably book as soon as vacation plans are finalized, then later attempt to switch at 7 months. Most people want their Home at Walt Disney World (or DL), and the cabins do meet that criteria. But it's such a niche accommodation that I'm not surprised there are few people who want to pigeonhole themselves into that one room design for decades to come.

Similarly, there's no shortage of members who occasionally want to visit Hilton Head, Vero and Aulani. But few people love them enough for the 11 month window to be of importance for 30-40 years. Here, it comes down to the idea that the cabins aren't a viable destination if you're traveling with adult kids and (optionally) grandkids. Or adult friends. Or multiple families traveling together. Or even large families, unless they're comfortable with kids on the bunk bed next to mom and dad. That is, unless you're willing to book multiple cabins and accept the fact that you could end up in separate Loops, etc.

Booking trends suggest that 11 month priority is important for the cabins. Certainly now. But it's really hard to justify ownership, particularly as someone's first-time / only purchase. Probably makes more sense for some people as an add-on for targeted use every 1-2 years.

 

[Girlstar30]

I think most people probably fall in the "we want to stay at CFW at one point," not every year. Then maybe they love it and buy it. I always thought that DVC should allow resale only to stay at restricted resorts the first year of their membership.

I bet they'd have more sales once people get a taste of something they love and cant easily book into again

 

[Patmcpsu]

The cabins book fast at 7 months, isn't that good booking demand?
The fact people aren't buying indicates the problem isn't popularity. (Fewer than 775 deeds total sold in 18 months, PVB IT had that many deeds within it's first month of deeds on the comptroller website). My bingo card has high dues as a contributing factor.

The cabins are the newest resort; of course people will be curious to check it out. I booked a few nights there and I'm hardly in love with the place. Novelty is a big part of it, but it's impossible to quantify - we can only wait to see if demand falls a few years down the road.

But the points chart makes is very attractive, and may give it staying power.

 

[achinforsomebacon]

So having ridden through the cabin loops a lot this past week, we noticed that all the DVC declared cabins had a "Welcome Home" sign on the outside written on oars hung on the exterior of the cabin, road-facing. Some loops just had partial DVC, others all/most, and we actively saw them adding the signs to cabins as we drove by. When we go back in October I'll make a point to try and get a more accurate picture, but I feel like at least half were declared.

I don't think the "Welcome Home" signs are just for declared units. We there a few weeks ago and I asked the workers if there was any significance to which ones were getting signs. They said they had to work around people's check out dates so they didn't scare people by drilling into the walls while they were inside. They were going through our loop but could only hit certain ones. I think they said they were hoping to have them all done within a month or so. We were annoyed that we didn't have them on our cabin!

 

[maui22]

I've always viewed the Home resort as a "home base." That's the place everyone can comfortably book as soon as vacation plans are finalized, then later attempt to switch at 7 months. Most people want their Home at Walt Disney World (or DL), and the cabins do meet that criteria. But it's such a niche accommodation that I'm not surprised there are few people who want to pigeonhole themselves into that one room design for decades to come.

I can't recall if Tikiman reported the future resorts/additions until PVB already opened. No one knew if that information was going to come to fruition. (IIRC, only one missing now is the YC resort). That made PVB a studio only room design for decades to come.

No doubt PVB studio only (20 bungalows priced most out) scared away many buyers. Still PVB sold reasonably well.

Depending what else is around the resort plays a good factor.

NOTE: I exclude PVB original sales data because those of us who paid attention recall Disney absolutely bungled the licensing in almost all states. I think it was nearly 3 months after sales started before Tikiman would have been able to buy PVB in his home state. He couldn't even talk with guides at DL about the resort. Eventually (2 months?) he flew to WDW and purchased.

 

[MattB2G]

I can't recall if Tikiman reported the future resorts/additions until PVB already opened. No one knew if that information was going to come to fruition. (IIRC, only one missing now is the YC resort). That made PVB a studio only room design for decades to come.

I think a lot of people were complaining about the studio only units when it went on sale, and he was hinting that there could be a Phase 2 coming in the future when the resort plans came were made public.

 

[jolynne28]

I don't think the "Welcome Home" signs are just for declared units. We there a few weeks ago and I asked the workers if there was any significance to which ones were getting signs. They said they had to work around people's check out dates so they didn't scare people by drilling into the walls while they were inside. They were going through our loop but could only hit certain ones. I think they said they were hoping to have them all done within a month or so. We were annoyed that we didn't have them on our cabin!

ok I'm dumb, that was our immediate assumption and we didn't even consider that this wasn't even possible based on the numbers. Thanks for clarifying!

 

[zavandor]

Or even large families, unless they're comfortable with kids on the bunk bed next to mom and dad.

Most of the standard hotel rooms at WDW are booked by families. Which means there are a lot of families that are comfortable with parents sleeping with kids in the same room for a few days, if that means spending a more reasonable amount. Which is the reason cabins are very popular at 7 months. High dues and logistics (2 busses or 1 bus + boat or the extra expense of a golf cart + bus/boat to any park) are what keep people from buying.

 

[Steelers0854]

I don’t think there is any world where they don’t make a more detailed announcement on what’s coming at D23 this year, anyone disagree? Atleast thats what I am hoping for!

 

[tjkraz]

Most of the standard hotel rooms at WDW are booked by families. Which means there are a lot of families that are comfortable with parents sleeping with kids in the same room for a few days, if that means spending a more reasonable amount. Which is the reason cabins are very popular at 7 months. High dues and logistics (2 busses or 1 bus + boat or the extra expense of a golf cart + bus/boat to any park) are what keep people from buying.

That's fair. But I think logistics weigh far, far more heavily than the dues. At the Poly you can book two rooms and be separated by a 1-2 minute walk tops. Maybe even get connecting rooms. Pools, food, shopping, park transportation all easily accessible.

If Poly dues were $12 per point, it would still have sold much better than the cabins.

 

[Girlstar30]

I don’t think there is any world where they don’t make a more detailed announcement on what’s coming at D23 this year, anyone disagree? Atleast thats what I am hoping for!

The reason I dont think they will announce much, if anything, is because at a time when riv sales are lagging enough that they decided to put out a pretty good incentive by todays standards, getting me excited about LSL would certainly make me consider pumping the brakes on any riv or pit purchases right now

 

[maui22]

I think a lot of people were complaining about the studio only units when it went on sale, and he was hinting that there could be a Phase 2 coming in the future when the resort plans came were made public.

Always difficult to judge. People did complain, but I believe PVB had months of 150+k, which makes it hard for me to think a single unit type was an issue.

I believe it was first half of 2015 when Tikiman posted the list of future resorts.

1. Wilderness Lodge (CCV)
2. Yacht Club
3. Caribbean Beach Resort (Riviera)
4. Fort Wilderness (CFW)
5. Polynesian Resort (Island Tower)

Yacht Club is the only miss (so far). Still IT @PVB was 9.5 years behind PVB opening.

 

[intamin]

Always difficult to judge. People did complain, but I believe PVB had months of 150+k, which makes it hard for me to think a single unit type was an issue.

I believe it was first half of 2015 when Tikiman posted the list of future resorts.

Yacht Club is the only miss (so far). Still IT @PVB was 9.5 years behind PVB opening.

If Yacht Club opens up, goodbye Animal Kingdom Lodge.. I will make it work to buy at least 200 points. Maybe up to 300.

 

[Tatebeck]

If Yacht Club opens up, goodbye Animal Kingdom Lodge.. I will make it work to buy at least 200 points. Maybe up to 300.

Similar for me but I would flip my BWV points first for Yacht to extend their usefulness.

I would like to increase my direct points over time

So eventually maybe I would then flip AKV or BLT if there is something done with a direct entrance to a park or something with the villains' land. Maybe even if LSL turns out to be amazing (and it isn't merged with the CFW)