cabin prices ??

[Shannone1]

I didn't want to take over the "trailer rental" thread, so I started my own.

Does anyone else here think that the cabins seem overpriced ?? I was trying to convince my mom and sisters to come down to FW with us on our next trip, but they don't have an RV and would not tent camp. They can't afford a week in one of the cabins. Plus the tickets, souveniers and additional expenses. The only way they would consider going was if they got an offsite condo or maybe one of the value resorts.

We've camped together at other campgrounds across the country and they have rented some very nice cabins for $100-$125 a night (bigger and newer than the cabins at FW).

Does Disney ever have problems renting out the cabins...are they as hard to get as full hook up sites at peak times ?? I was thinking if they lowered the price of the cabins or maybe offered a weekly discount then that would allow even more people to be able to come and enjoy WDW, and spend their money at the parks too.

 

[becky1960]

They are getting high as you noted but you have to compare apples to apples , do you get room service, transportation, horseback riding, movies with campfire and the other amenities that disney offers and no other campground matches Disney. The cabins are a little cheaper than comparable hotels. The values might be a good option and you can meet somewhere.

 

[Mr Man]

Yes, the cabins are expensive. Keep in mind though, you can fit 6 adults in them (bit cramped though & only 1 bathroom to share). Having a full kitchen and a nice deck (w/picnic table and grill) is nice too.

Another option you may want to consider is to get them a standard room at WL. It is not far from FW and they can just hop on the boat to/from FW or make "the long walk" on the trail from WL to FW.

Value would be cheaper but WL would be much more convenient. You can usually get a decent rate on a standard room at WL (depending on time of year of course).

I have never stayed at WL but have visited it numerous times. I love the theming there.

 

[terri01p]

Yes I do think the cabins are to expensive and I also think the cost of a camping site is out of sight as well...but won't get that started. I would stay at WL over the cabins if it were me.
I know this is off topic but I really wish that they had at least one value resort that allowed pets, I bet it would stay booked up. I would sure stay in it and save myself the gas money of pulling my tt so far.

 

[Shannone1]

Yes, the cabins are expensive. Keep in mind though, you can fit 6 adults in them (bit cramped though & only 1 bathroom to share). Having a full kitchen and a nice deck (w/picnic table and grill) is nice too.

We stayed in a 3 bedroom cabin with full kitchen and bathroom on a lake with a deck, grill and boat dock for $650 a WEEK. There are cabins like at at campgrounds all across the country. The ones at FW are "cute" but I don't see what makes them worth the price they charge. You can stay offsite in a condo with 3 beds, 2 baths, full kitchen and balcony for a whole week vs. the price of a cabin for 2 nights. I am really surprised the cabins are as popular as they are.

Another option you may want to consider is to get them a standard room at WL. It is not far from FW and they can just hop on the boat to/from FW or make "the long walk" on the trail from WL to FW.

My mom uses a walker or a wheelchair depending on how far she is going. So she would really prefer to stay near us. Since I've only camped at FW, I was shocked by how much money it would cost her for a cabin.

I have never stayed at WL but have visited it numerous times. I love the theming there.

I like WL too and if I was going to stay in a Disney resort and not bring my motorhome, it would be WL.

 

[GinnyFavers]

The cabins are my husband's and my sentimental favorite place to stay at WDW, but now that we have our son in grade school, we can only go when kids are out of school.. .and that means the highest prices possible for the cabins, and rarely if ever any annual pass or AAA discounts.

They have priced us out of staying there.

What can you do? Disney is getting so popular the past couple of years, it's truly a cultural phenomenon. They could likely charge even more and still fill them all.

We've been staying off site or renting DVC points. We want to stay at Ft. Wilderness! So, I think we are about ready to stop having annual passes, and stop going to Disney every year (sometimes we went several times a year) and instead save up for less frequent trips but doing exactly what we want.

At this point, I'd rather go every other year for two weeks and stay in our beloved cabins, go get spa treatments, rent boats, go out to eat a lot, and all the other expensive things I want to do on vacation, than have a bunch of cheaper trips that all feel like I'm compromising.

 

[Mr Man]

The cabins are my husband's and my sentimental favorite place to stay at WDW, but now that we have our son in grade school, we can only go when kids are out of school.. .and that means the highest prices possible for the cabins, and rarely if ever any annual pass or AAA discounts.

They have priced us out of staying there.

What can you do? Disney is getting so popular the past couple of years, it's truly a cultural phenomenon. They could likely charge even more and still fill them all.

We've been staying off site or renting DVC points. We want to stay at Ft. Wilderness! So, I think we are about ready to stop having annual passes, and stop going to Disney every year (sometimes we went several times a year) and instead save up for less frequent trips but doing exactly what we want.

At this point, I'd rather go every other year for two weeks and stay in our beloved cabins, go get spa treatments, rent boats, go out to eat a lot, and all the other expensive things I want to do on vacation, than have a bunch of cheaper trips that all feel like I'm compromising.

Completely understand your frustration. Been there. Done that. This will change with time.

When the kids were young and we had plenty of free-time (generous vacation schedules & no school to worry about). Our challenge was finding enough $ left in the household budget to go to WDW.

Now, we have oldest DS in school and both DW and I work in high stress/risk/return professional fields w/extremely high workloads. We have effectively flipped and now have adequate $ for vacation but no time to go. I can only take 3 weeks off from work each year and do need to spend "some" time with extended family (mine and DW of course) Not to mention weekly activities i.e. Cub Scouts, baseball, soccer, church, piano/violin lessons, pro bono work etc etc (this stuff adds up) ......

Our solution was DVC. We can continue to go to WDW twice a year AND bring family with us once a year (2 birds-peacocks of course- with one stone. We have a trip booked in Mar 08 and are bringing a party of 15 people total for "Throw-down" at SSR. The year after that will be back at FW in 3 cabins w/family from Europe. In between, we will stay in studios and do park commando trips-DDP....lots of walking etc....

If I didn't want the financial outlay of DVC to do the above, I would rent a house offsite (or invest in atimeshare that easily trades into Orlando area) and pack it full of family once a year, rinse repeat ad nauseum.

I guess what I am trying to say is, there will always be "'something" that gets in the way of our perfect Disney vacation. Just keep in mind that even an "imperfect" Disney Vacation is pretty darn good.

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

A few years ago, this was our solution:

Bought an Annual Pass. You only need 1 AP to get the discounts - you can buy regular park tickets for the rest of your party.

The cabins at that time were $229/night ........ we got them with our AP discount for $139/night. And they allowed us to rent up to 3 cabins for family/friends at the same rate.

Also, with 1 AP, you can buy the DDE card for 20% off meals for up to 10 people.

That worked for us, when we wanted MIL (& other outlaws ) to stay with us for that Disney trip.

 

[FWDisFan]

I will definitely agree the cabins have gone up quite a bit since our last stay (it seemed like such a BARGAIN last time compared to a 2 bed hotel room -- on property).

But what I don't understand is where the WL is cheaper....when I was "shopping" online (price comparison/availability, etc) at the WDW website they will show you the price for the cabin and have 2 tabs behind it and the WL was SEVERAL hundred dollars more. So to have the kitchen, extra sleeping and the extra room the hundreds less are worth it even compared to last visits prices. (PLUS with the cabin arrangement my son can't jump between the beds like he likes to do in a regular hotel room --drives me nuts!!)

I do like the AP idea -- will have to consider that next time. I will say also that we were able to use a code for our November trip and saved $500.

Our kids would NOT consider, discuss or negotiate staying anywhere other than the cabins (I wanted to try new places each time.....)

 

[GinnyFavers]

We've been unable to get an AP rate on the cabins for any of our trip dates for the last year and a half.

Now our next trip is in late May 2008, hopefully... I really doubt there will be AP rates, and if there are, that's one of the high seasons to start with.

*sigh* Like I said, I just think we'll not be going to Disney next year. Everything feels like too much of a compromise, either financially or giving up what we really want when we're there.

The rumor on here that maybe the Fort is expanding, perhaps that will alleviate some of the high prices, if there's more volume. I'm sure that's NOT what Disney wants. Or maybe they do... I dunno, I don't see how it helps their bottom line if they turn long time visitors off from coming. They need to have some moderately priced accomodations with a private bedroom. But I think those are coming, but over at the new Western Way entrance, not at the Fort.

 

[kimluvswdw]

I think the cabin prices are high. I can understand how a couple of families can go in and rent the cabin, but what about the average family of four? I would love to stay in the cabins, but I could never pay that much per night. After the tickets, cabin, food, transportation I would be beyond broke.

 

[Chris22]

Just reserved a cabin for the end of April. We are a family of five and couldn't get a reservation at any of the moderates. We are paying around $249/night for a room that is larger and has a kitchen (won't get any use except the fridge keeping our drinks cold). It does seem costly, but the only other choice was to stay at a deluxe which would be a waste of money for us.

CC