Considering CFW - thoughts?

[AnnaKristoff2013]

good call on SSR and its $165/pt at 220pts right now.

It’s not $165 per point, it’s $155 per point (I just purchased 200 points so I know). You can get an August, September, October or December Use Year and sell back the ‘24 points to bring it down to $135 per point.

 

[ehh]

It’s not $165 per point, it’s $155 per point (I just purchased 200 points so I know). You can get an August, September, October or December Use Year and sell back the ‘24 points to bring it down to $135 per point.

Thanks! I was going off of the $40 off $205 for 200-249pts, posted here: https://dvcnews.com/dvc-program-men...-incentives-largely-unchanged-for-summer-2024

How did you get to $155 pre-Magical Beginnings?

$155 certainly makes a stronger case for not buying CFW.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Thanks! I was going off of the $40 off $205 for 200-249pts, posted here: https://dvcnews.com/dvc-program-men...-incentives-largely-unchanged-for-summer-2024

How did you get to $155 pre-Magical Beginnings?

$155 certainly makes a stronger case for not buying CFW.

That was the price I was given as a current member when I spoke to a DVC guide. It’s $40 off 150 - 199 points, and $50 off 200-249 points, off of a base price of $205. Magical Beginnings is another $20 per point.

Edit: I’m sorry, you’re right and I’m wrong. I purchased 250 points at $50 off. 200 points would have only been $40 off.

 

[bama_ed]

It's no longer permissible to rent a golf cart from a 3rd party.

Well maybe.

SOME 3rd party golf cart vendors provide insurance on their carts and proof of same for the renter to use when entering Fort Wilderness. Our DIS Camping Board has several examples of this since the new policy was implemented which has gone smoothly for the campers.

Some OTHER 3rd party golf cart vendors chose NOT to provide insurance on their carts with no proof of same for the renter so they no longer rent carts destined for the Fort. I recall from the Camping Board a vendor who bundled an optional golf cart rental with a trailer rental and when the new insurance requirement was announced, the vendor announced they would not bundle a cart with a trailer headed to the Fort.

Thus it reduces the number of 3rd party golf cart vendors but it is still an option if you choose the right vendor(s).

Bama Ed

 

[Pluto777]

We own 1010 points (mix of direct/grandfathered/resale) and are considering a 220 point add-on at CFW. I’ve read the threads with the (mostly) negative opinions on why it’s a bad idea, but our situation is this:

1. We will only ever use our Beach Club points to stay at BCV. Our resale BLT points aren’t eligible for CFW stays. We’re willing to use our direct VGF points (200) as SAP but we do enjoy and want to stay at VGF often. We pretty much use all of our points always because we invite friends and families to join us often. We have never rented out our points.
2. Every summer and for the foreseeable future, we travel to Orlando a week for waterski coaching and bring our dog with us. We have been bringing our camper and staying in a preferred loop at FW, taking the dog with us in the morning to ski school and then heading back to FW to hang out at camp for awhile before heading to a park for a few hours in the evening, leaving Evie in the camper.
3. It’s just the two of us and our well behaved dog.

So the idea of owing CFW points is enticing. Instead of hauling our camper, we would haul our golf cart. The lack of w/d in the cabin doesn’t matter because we don’t have that anyway. Our camper is quite tiny, so a cabin would offer more space. The point charts are low, and we would pay cash. The dues are high, granted, but I think in our situation, they are offset by the low points and we would only use these points at CFW. The only question is the trust - that could go either way.

We will be at WDW in August and plan to schedule a tour to see for ourselves, and see what our guide has to say, but I wanted to see what everybody on the DIS thinks as well. Do you think it makes sense for us? Thanks for your thoughts!

"...We pretty much use all of our points always because we invite friends and families to join us often..."

My thoughts? How do I become your friend?

 

[Pluto777]

"...We pretty much use all of our points always because we invite friends and families to join us often..."

My thoughts? How do I become your friend?

Seriously though, I agree with CastaStone. There is no rush to buy in CFW IMO. This is a very unique and different resort from past WDW resorts; just MHO, but I don't think it will sell out as fast as the more high end resorts did in the past. Are the high MF's due to the nature of the construction (modular rather than permanent foundation)? I don't know. We also do not know yet what the MF's trend will be in future. I also think that the lack of a washer/dryer is a BIG one. If a family plans on spending a week or more out in the woods, do you really want to go hiking with your dirty laundry to find a machine? Is it worth the upfront cost plus high MF's for a resort that until now has been considered a lower budget resort, which is also a substantial distance from parks without a long bus ride?

 

[intamin]

"...We pretty much use all of our points always because we invite friends and families to join us often..."

My thoughts? How do I become your friend?

 

[Tatebeck]

I would wait. CFW isn't going anywhere fast. The dues are so high and the point charts are so low it doesn't make sense to use CFW points anywhere else regularly. If you really love CFW you can buy it, but I would personally wait for either a fire sale for direct points or for some resale contracts to pop up.

Due to the high dues and low point chart this may be one of the resorts where restricted resale points really don't matter. You wouldn't be buying CFW points to stay anywhere else typically. Cheap resale would be the best for CFW long term and any cheap direct SAPs would be best for 7 month bookings in the short term. It's going to have 7 month availability for a long time lol

 

[Chili327]

I would wait. CFW isn't going anywhere fast. The dues are so high and the point charts are so low it doesn't make sense to use CFW points anywhere else regularly. If you really love CFW you can buy it, but I would personally wait for either a fire sale for direct points or for some resale contracts to pop up.

Agree 110%

 

[SugarSweetLee]

I would wait. CFW isn't going anywhere fast. The dues are so high and the point charts are so low it doesn't make sense to use CFW points anywhere else regularly. If you really love CFW you can buy it, but I would personally wait for either a fire sale for direct points or for some resale contracts to pop up.

Due to the high dues and low point chart this may be one of the resorts where restricted resale points really don't matter. You wouldn't be buying CFW points to stay anywhere else typically. Cheap resale would be the best for CFW long term and any cheap direct SAPs would be best for 7 month bookings in the short term. It's going to have 7 month availability for a long time lol

I'm wondering just how soon and/or many resale contracts there might even be at this rate, though. The people buying (anecdotally) *really* seem to love it, and since there just aren't that many being sold in general I would think the numbers aren't on your side to wait around for a small percentage of that (already small) percentage of direct buyers to decide to sell?

 

[Tatebeck]

I'm wondering just how soon and/or many resale contracts there might even be at this rate, though. The people buying (anecdotally) *really* seem to love it, and since there just aren't that many being sold in general I would think the numbers aren't on your side to wait around for a small percentage of that (already small) percentage of direct buyers to decide to sell?

It's true that there may not be many resale listings for quite a while, but there will be resale contracts popping up eventually due to bankruptcy, divorce, death etc.

And it won't really matter for a long time anyway. At this rate CFW may not sell out before it expires lol so if you have other direct points you can book at 7 months or rent points from someone else and it would still be a pretty good deal due to the low point chart

 

[cabloom]

Thanks again for your input, really do appreciate it. Would it change anyone’s mind on the insanity of buying in knowing the following:

1. These points would only be used for cabin stays
2. Usually over the July 4th holiday
3. With a dog
4. For non-park centric trips

We have enough points otherwise for our main WDW trips, and wouldn’t want to use our VGF points each year for the cabins because we use them anyway. If we tried to get in at 7mo and couldn’t, we wouldn’t use points to stay at another DVC (because dog) - we would bring the camper and the dog and stay at the Fort … and preferred sites around the 4th are expensive (for a campsite - looking at <2K for 10 days).

I know it probably sounds like I’m begging for someone, anyone (besides for Sandisw!) to tell me what I want to hear but I do truly value all input. It’s just that in our minds, it makes sense for our specific situation and hearing other opinions has made us think hard about it and has actually helped us with thinking of things we hadn’t considered.

Thanks again!

 

[Tatebeck]

Thanks again for your input, really do appreciate it. Would it change anyone’s mind on the insanity of buying in knowing the following:

1. These points would only be used for cabin stays
2. Usually over the July 4th holiday
3. With a dog
4. For non-park centric trips

We have enough points otherwise for our main WDW trips, and wouldn’t want to use our VGF points each year for the cabins because we use them anyway. If we tried to get in at 7mo and couldn’t, we wouldn’t use points to stay at another DVC (because dog) - we would bring the camper and the dog and stay at the Fort … and preferred sites around the 4th are expensive (for a campsite - looking at <2K for 10 days).

I know it probably sounds like I’m begging for someone, anyone (besides for Sandisw!) to tell me what I want to hear but I do truly value all input. It’s just that in our minds, it makes sense for our specific situation and hearing other opinions has made us think hard about it and has actually helped us with thinking of things we hadn’t considered.

Thanks again!

It could also be possible that Disney will have cash bookings available for a long time since it doesn't look like it will sell out anytime soon, and Disney gets the undeclared inventory to rent for cash. That and their generous cancellation policy could make it worth it to you to just book for cash ASAP for those dates every year for a few years and wait and see if you love the new cabins and to wait for any direct firesales or resale contracts to pop up. I'm not sure about the cash rates and how good they are though.

With what you said though it could be worth it buying the fewest CFW points possible that will suit your needs for that stay. Do you normally stay in 1Br or larger? or just studios? If coming from a 1br the generous point chart makes it seem more worth it. If coming from studios the point chart isn't as amazing. That's pretty much the one use case that it could make sense. Never using the CFW anywhere else. You would take a huge hit each time you stray from that low point chart and use the points that cost a ton in dues anywhere else. If you would never do that, it may not be that bad.

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

Thanks again for your input, really do appreciate it. Would it change anyone’s mind on the insanity of buying in knowing the following:

1. These points would only be used for cabin stays
2. Usually over the July 4th holiday
3. With a dog
4. For non-park centric trips

We have enough points otherwise for our main WDW trips, and wouldn’t want to use our VGF points each year for the cabins because we use them anyway. If we tried to get in at 7mo and couldn’t, we wouldn’t use points to stay at another DVC (because dog) - we would bring the camper and the dog and stay at the Fort … and preferred sites around the 4th are expensive (for a campsite - looking at <2K for 10 days).

I know it probably sounds like I’m begging for someone, anyone (besides for Sandisw!) to tell me what I want to hear but I do truly value all input. It’s just that in our minds, it makes sense for our specific situation and hearing other opinions has made us think hard about it and has actually helped us with thinking of things we hadn’t considered.

Thanks again!

I believe someone mentioned the potential of a FW for a high demand holiday (Christmas or Halloween) having additional value. I’m not as familiar with the cabins but if July 4th is also in demand maybe a FW would be another - albeit slight -hedge?

 

[DonkeyHoTay]

I believe someone mentioned the potential of a FW for a high demand holiday (Christmas or Halloween) having additional value. I’m not as familiar with the cabins but if July 4th is also in demand maybe a FW would be another - albeit slight -hedge?

This is what I’m doing, albeit for a favorite week #50 in December. Nothing quite like CFW during the holidays.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Usually over the July 4th holiday

The summer is low season now. You will almost certainly be able to book those cabins (which historically are amongst the last rooms in all of WDW to sell out) at discounted cash rates. Purchasing DVC points at CFW under this structure is a bad idea.

 

[CarolynFH]

Thanks again for your input, really do appreciate it. Would it change anyone’s mind on the insanity of buying in knowing the following:

1. These points would only be used for cabin stays
2. Usually over the July 4th holiday
3. With a dog
4. For non-park centric trips

We have enough points otherwise for our main WDW trips, and wouldn’t want to use our VGF points each year for the cabins because we use them anyway. If we tried to get in at 7mo and couldn’t, we wouldn’t use points to stay at another DVC (because dog) - we would bring the camper and the dog and stay at the Fort … and preferred sites around the 4th are expensive (for a campsite - looking at <2K for 10 days).

I know it probably sounds like I’m begging for someone, anyone (besides for Sandisw!) to tell me what I want to hear but I do truly value all input. It’s just that in our minds, it makes sense for our specific situation and hearing other opinions has made us think hard about it and has actually helped us with thinking of things we hadn’t considered.

Thanks again!

I believe the Fort is highly sought after for the 4th of July - they have a parade and other celebrations. So I think you should buy a Favorite Week that will cover 4th of July in most years. That would guarantee you'd have a reservation when you want it.

 

[Sandisw]

The summer is low season now. You will almost certainly be able to book those cabins (which historically are amongst the last rooms in all of WDW to sell out) at discounted cash rates. Purchasing DVC points at CFW under this structure is a bad idea.

Except we have no idea how many actual cabins are going to be declared and if sales are low, that means not too many are going to make it for DVC point bookings anythime soon.

So, for anyone who wants to stay at CFW on a regular basis, especially for 4th of July holiday and with a pet, CFW purchase makes sense.

 

[Sandisw]

Thanks again for your input, really do appreciate it. Would it change anyone’s mind on the insanity of buying in knowing the following:

1. These points would only be used for cabin stays
2. Usually over the July 4th holiday
3. With a dog
4. For non-park centric trips

We have enough points otherwise for our main WDW trips, and wouldn’t want to use our VGF points each year for the cabins because we use them anyway. If we tried to get in at 7mo and couldn’t, we wouldn’t use points to stay at another DVC (because dog) - we would bring the camper and the dog and stay at the Fort … and preferred sites around the 4th are expensive (for a campsite - looking at <2K for 10 days).

I know it probably sounds like I’m begging for someone, anyone (besides for Sandisw!) to tell me what I want to hear but I do truly value all input. It’s just that in our minds, it makes sense for our specific situation and hearing other opinions has made us think hard about it and has actually helped us with thinking of things we hadn’t considered.

Thanks again!

I am a huge fan of buy where you want to stay if you have a particular place in mind. With your needs, CFW, IMO, makes the best sense. You may want to go with the FW option too.

We have no idea how fast DVC will add cabins for DVC bookings...I think right now there are 65?...if sales are slow, that means they will slowly add them and leave them for cash stays.

IMO, since you really want to stay there, its worth owning. I have mentioned before, but the dues seem to be the biggest roadblock for some....but let's assume what you are paying is an extra $4/point average over others you might buy to try at 7 months...on 150 point contract, that is $600 more per year (average) you are paying to guarantee home resort advantage.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Except we have no idea how many actual cabins are going to be declared and if sales are low, that means not too many are going to make it for DVC point bookings anythime soon.

So, for anyone who wants to stay at CFW on a regular basis, especially for 4th of July holiday and with a pet, CFW purchase makes sense.

I wasn’t talking about point bookings. I meant that cash bookings, on WDW’s cash site, have historically been discounted for the cabins,and the cabins were nearly always one of the last room types to sell out. Given how expensive the dues are and how expensive the initial buy-in is, and how cheap the cabins have historically cost to rent on the cash side with discounts, I think people should at the very least wait to see if those trends continue before plunking down $50,000.