Cabins - Fort Wilderness

[RapunzelRN]

This is just a horrible addition to the DVC system. Making a mockery of what a Deluxe Resort/accommodations DVC is suppose to be.

All 1-bedroom units. (Point hogs and will add further pressure at the 7-month window).
The bedroom has bunk beds in the same room as the queen. Why bother with having a wall?
No washer and dryer.
Reduced size kitchen.
Will have tub/showers, not a walk-in shower.
Bathroom is on opposite side of the trailer, instead of being off the bedroom.
No walk-in closet in the bedroom.
And in that reduced footprint, it will sleep six. (half the size of a normal 1-bedroom)

100% agree, I thought I was going to love these and buy-in but I’m just annoyed they’re not very deluxe at all! I would rather them be 1 bedroom accommodations and point value than this half studio/1br! *edited to be nicer

 

[Simba's Mom]

I can't believe that no one (at least that I've seen) has said-How can it be a 1 Bedroom-where's my king bed?

 

[Stargazer65]

Well now that they're being upgraded to DELUXE VILLAS they'll definitely have them now, right? ....right????

Thumbs up for the sarcasm!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I guess they figure it will have its followers. I agree that I will try them once around Haloween/ or Christmastime.

 

[sachilles]

I think just based on the sleeping arrangement it will be popular.

In DVC terms the 1 bedrooms are seldom an improvement for beds from a studio to a 1 bed unit.
These scream Mom, Dad, two kids along with a grandparent or friend tag along.

I don't know that it's the right location, but I think the bedding setup is correct idea for something DVC units need.

These seem like park commando headquarters. You really only go to your resort to sleep and for the essentials.

 

[Donna M]

I like the look. I can see the draw for families that want to have a camping type experience too. The points chart will be interesting since it is not like a one bedroom yet it is better than a studio. We will probably try it out.

 

[drusba]

The original "cabins" were not cabins. Originally, beginning in 1971, they were just mobile home trailers placed in each spot, room size about 500 sg ft. The "cabins" happened in the latter half of the 1990's. Those were also around 500 sq ft. mobile homes, with the cabin on the outside, that were transported in whole and placed where the trailers had been. Those have been removed and replaced by the DVC units but the square footage of the inside of the rooms does not appear to be significantly increased (the ceilings appear to be higher), and it appears they just kept the same porch that existed with the cabins. In the inside, as before, there will be a small bedroom that can hold four due to also having bunk beds, a small living room with a bed (now Murphy) for two, a small kitchen, and a single bathroom, combined shower and tub (too small for separate shower and tub).

Many years ago, I actually stayed in the trailers three times and once right after the conversion to cabins. Though they could hold six, we never had more than four and that was "crowded." There was no washer/dryer and and it appears that will not be there now. Parking was available for only one car, which I assume will continue to be true. To get to a pool, you took a bus which I assume will remain the usual method.

Having used the trailers and a cabin, I did not expect the DVC units to be much larger than before -- the lot each cabin was on was not large and making the units larger would have required a lot of tree removal. I view the biggest downside to the new rooms, besides size, to be the lack of a w/d and the bathroom. The bathroom in the trailers and cabins was between the bedroom and the living room and now is going to be at the opposite end of the unit from the bedroom -- in other words, anyone in the bedroom who needs to use a bathroom has to walk from one end of the unit to the other, through the living room and kitchen. Moreover, the designers of the outside of the DVC units must have thought they were going to be put inside Space Mountain rather than Fort Wilderness. Also, certain things we liked about FW are now long gone. You cannot swim in the lake anymore -- taken away in the latter part of the 90s, not because of gators but because of some amoeba. You can no longer make a short boat trip to explore Discovery Island, eliminated in 1999. There is no longer a River Country waterpark, eliminated in 2001. And the large, impressive playground for kids near the lake was eliminated by the CCV cabins.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I'm curious as to what the differences are between these DVC cabins and the Family Suites that are currently offered, I think at Art of Animation. Anyone know?

 

[Mickeynutty]

AND the loss of Trail’s End!

 

[RapunzelRN]

I'm curious as to what the differences are between these DVC cabins and the Family Suites that are currently offered, I think at Art of Animation. Anyone know?

The family suites at AoA have 2 full bathrooms!

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

I'm curious as to what the differences are between these DVC cabins and the Family Suites that are currently offered, I think at Art of Animation. Anyone know?

The 1 bdrm is also a private space, no bunkbeds the other 2 sleeping spaces are in the living room area

 

[Simba's Mom]

Thanks! And what do they have for cooking facilities? And are there two TVs? And does at least one of the bathrooms have a tub? I've heard that in the description put out by DVC, they're saying that the bathroom with have a shower. So far it sounds as if the family suites may offer more for families of 6.

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

Yeah he tends to lean into a similar mindset. I am open minded to change but the Fort is just such a staple and could have been done better. But the logo alone just looks awful and can't imagine anyone putting it on a shirt to wear like other resort locations. Just looking less and less appealing. Otherwise the cabins will probably be bright, simple, nice enough and practical. Just feel like it's a room on stilts and not a cabin in the woods.

Been saying for years... This attack of homogeneous de-theming everywhere will be WDWs demise. Once upon a time it was all about a sense of time & place ... Now it's about keeping up with the latest trendy mall or Hilton.

 

[Mle8308]

The family suites at AoA have 2 full bathrooms!

The family suites at All Star Music, too!

 

[MICKIMINI]

I think the cabins are more a studio plus - sleeps six instead of 4-5, additional cooking capabilities - but doesn’t offer the space, privacy, or laundry of a 1BR. It will be interesting to see the points chart.

No laundry! I saw the pics and wrongly guessed there is a W/D. I was looking forward to the cabins...DH calls *shipping containers*.

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

I’m not sure it is better :/ Tom from WDWNT ripped the logo and concept art apart, too. I’ve never stayed at the cabins but it does seem sad to take away so much of the charm. Hopefully the concept art doesn’t do the finished product justice.

Tom nailed it! Hope everyone listens to his rant on current trends & de-theming.

It's what once made Disney THEME Parks so different from "amusement parks."

 

[SuperJ]

This is how all of the new murphy beds have been in the rooms going through refubs. The couch folds down under the bed and is out of the way.

The “living room” size is terrible but what I hate even more than the lack of any actual seating if you are using the Murphy bed is the TV placement - can’t really watch comfortably from anywhere but the dining table, which has a footstool as one of the chairs?

 

[Simba's Mom]

I was looking forward to the cabins...DH calls *shipping containers*.

Tell your DH I think he called them the right name.

 

[Pickles516]

I think they’re cute. I can’t really speak to what they mean for DVC as a whole or if they are a good value or anything, but I like them. Admittedly, I wish they’d used a bolder color scheme on the interiors(deeper greens and darker wood tones) and I’m not a huge fan of the exterior, but otherwise I like them.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Tom nailed it! Hope everyone listens to his rant on current trends & de-theming.

It's what once made Disney THEME Parks so different from "amusement parks."

Tom conveniently forgets that right up until 1999, the "cabins" at Fort Wilderness looked like this:



Plus, the ones they are getting rid of are literally the same trailers, with some fake log siding stuck on them.