Does Disney regret the Fort?

[5kidsmommy]

My husband drove a local delivery route when we were first married. Spent a couple years doing that, the money was good when we were young. Hasn't driven a truck, except for the occasionally moving truck for the past 25 years but even he says being a bus driver when retired wouldn't be so bad.

As to the Fort we love it but rarely tow the camper down now. It's been six years since we last went. We do DVC now but I do miss it. The closest we get is our couple of trips a years to the campground at Cedar Point. Honestly their prices are pretty close to the Fort. We pay close to $200 a night for the most basic back in site. It is within walking distance of the park though. I'm hoping we make it down to the Fort again but the kids are grown and they were the main reason we camped there.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

The advantage that the Fort has is that they are open every day. Many campgrounds in the North are only open from late April through mid October.
Its interesting to think about if WDW was being developed in todays world would we even see anything like the Fort ?
I dont know how accurate it is but I have read stories that Walt had somehow advocated for the campground in his initial plans for the Florida project.
I would be willing to bet that the Fort would not exist otherwise, sad to say.

 

[nomorethan8]

I would be willing to bet that the Fort would not exist otherwise, sad to say

Like a '59 Cadillac, a beautiful car that anyone today would still wish to drive and own today. But they don't make them today for a reason though. That Caddy has a venerable value today because of its design. Just like the Fort. If Disney does regret the Fort, then they do not realize the value.

 

[nomorethan8]

......and because the Fort is still around, I would bet that Disney does realize the value.

 

[happycamper47]

......and because the Fort is still around, I would bet that Disney does realize the value.

If they didn't they wouldn't have done all the infrastructure work. Underground utility installs and upgrades are not cheap and neither is road resurfacing. Granted the FORT's roads aren't 24' wide but here is an example.

a good rule of thumb is that every mile of road costs at least one million dollars to repave, taking into account labor, equipment, and pavement expenses.

 

[Disneyloverliz]

During peak times, it can be argued that Fort Wilderness is no longer the least expensive lodging option at Walt Disney World. For April, our preferred campsite's rate is more than the cost of a room at the All Stars; but, we've selected the Fort for the inclusive campground experience.

I agree. I love it, but compared to value resorts, I think the value resorts are actually cheaper. But the campground has so much to offer as was stated above (or Is it below!). Jmo

 

[bama_ed]

I agree. I love it, but compared to value resorts, I think the value resorts are actually cheaper. But the campground has so much to offer as was stated above (or Is it below!). Jmo

It's all about Supply and Demand.

Hotel rooms like the values and such are available (supply) in all price ranges both on-site and off-site. The supply is always expanding depending how far out you want to drive to.

Some of us, however, would rather sleep (demand) in our own travelling-guest-bedroom of a camper/tent/rv in an on-site resort that has not be expanded since approximately 1977. Nothing else.

I get the sense from reading the DIS-Resorts threads that some posters think that the Fort/site option (not Fort/cabin option) is the poor man's way to visit WDW. Obviously they don't know what we pay for our trailers/rv's/tow vehicles and the upkeep associated with it all. I was once a tent camper but that's not a big portion of Fort guests.

Why stay in a Value with 4 small walls when I can have a Fort site as big as the all outdoors?

Because there is SO much land available at WDW, there continues to be a camping/Fort option because WALT WANTED IT (his press statement advocated for accommodations from campers to hotel guests). But hotel prices are getting silly on property. DVC prices are dropping with the economy and the specter of the 2042 resorts having less than a 20 yr window currently. Baby boomers have hit the road years ago and have rv's, campers, and class c's (me among them). We can pay Disney's price or go somewhere else.

But the Fort is a cash cow (revenue versus expense).

Bama Ed

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

I too would like a monetary bovine.

 

[Clifton Tesh]

I get the sense from reading the DIS-Resorts threads that some posters think that the Fort/site option (not Fort/cabin option) is the poor man's way to visit WDW.

If the Fort is the poor man's option, I want to be a poor man

 

[StormyCA]

Some of us, however, would rather sleep (demand) in our own travelling-guest-bedroom of a camper/tent/rv in an on-site resort that has not be expanded since approximately 1977. Nothing else.

Right on @bama_ed ! Nothing like bringing your home with you!!! And for people like me, with dietary restrictions, there's nothing like having your own 'safe' kitchen. Disney is 2nd to none in catering to those with dietary needs, but sometimes it's good to 'eat at home'.

 

[bama_ed]

I have been searching for a source online that. Posted the profit Disney. makes if every campsite was reserved in a year .
It was astonishing !

I've done the calculation about every site being rented every night from a "REVENUE" standpoint in my annual rate analysis threads. "PROFIT" is an elusive number since no one but Disney knows the costs of operating the Fort.

The annual revenue for the 2023 calendar year (if every site was rented every night) was $58M +/- which includes the applied tax but those taxes can be easily backed out.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/the-2023-fort-wilderness-rack-rates-and-analysis.3897820/

Of course, one can quibble about the rates used in the above calculation but those were the rates available at the time shown and may certainly not be the rates most recently (as we know Disney likes to RAISE rates every time we turn around).

But I could live very nicely off 1% of the annual max Fort revenue (in a quiet tent site in the back of loop 1500, say, site 1511) and keep a low profile and be happy as a clam with DW. Parks? Who needs them? I can dream, can't I?

Bama Ed

PS - edit to add that these numbers didn't consider cabins and cabin revenue but only sites.