First stay at CFW - yes, we own there!

[cabloom]

Hi there - some of you might remember my thread from last summer when we were thinking about adding on at CFW: https://www.disboards.com/threads/considering-cfw-thoughts.3949985/

So, we did pull the trigger and recently completed our first stay, an 11 night stay over the Fourth of July and we are so very, very happy with our decision! Our reason for wanting the cabins is for non-park centric trips while in Orlando for waterski coaching with the ability to bring our dog along. So yeah, not typical. Previously, we brought our tiny 17’ camper and stayed in the 100 loop. Now we tow our golf cart and have so much more space in the cabin to spend the afternoons hanging out with Evie the Springer Spaniel before heading to a park for dinner and fireworks - it is great!

Things we loved:

• So much more space! We enjoy our camper, but it’s not great for staying inside in the a/c for hours or sitting outside in the Florida heat and humidity. It IS great for a place to sleep when we are out sightseeing and hiking in cooler weather where we don’t mind sitting outside more. Florida summers aren’t that.
• While I would still argue that a golf cart is not an “absolute necessity” - we managed fine before without one - I do now realize how fun it is to be able to go for a ride with Evie and explore the Fort! We had a blast.
• All of the windows in the cabin really make it bright and open inside - it was like being outside, only with air conditioning
• While we didn’t participate in the parade, we did go watch it and it was great!
• Did the HDD for the about the 5th time - always a good time
• The cabins have really good theming, much better than most of the DVC resorts

Things we didn’t like:

• Nothing really major but there isn’t much area for groceries - all cabinets had stuff in them. We weren’t cooking, so we just put everything on the cooktop.

General observations:

• The layout works fine for us, two adults with a dog. I do understand that it might not work for everyone.
• The tv location - we never watch tv on vacation so no biggie to us. That said, we did connect our pc to the tv so that we could watch a webcast of a ski tournament - I sprawled out on the sofa and he sat in the chair with his feet up and we were comfortable. Again, I do see that more people might not be comfortable.
• I have read comments about the distance from the bedroom to the bathroom. Really? I would say that it’s maybe two seconds further than my home, where I sleep on the far side of the bed and have to walk around the bed, across the room and into the bathroom. It’s not that bad!
• We were in the 2600 loop, cabin 2601, and that was a great location - easy in/out (didn’t have to go all the way around the one way loop to exit) and very close to the very nice laundry room. Yes, obviously not as close as having laundry in the room - but we didn’t have that before in the camper either AND didn’t have a golf cart, so actually had to walk to go back and forth. We typically stay in studios anyway, so the laundry room at CFW was waaaaay nicer.
  
• I made our reservations at 11 months. At 7 months, I checked to see what was available and would not have been able to get our full stay, although admittedly I did not check first thing in the morning. A couple of months before the trip, I waitlisted an extra night on the end and after a couple of weeks I got it. For us, the peace of mind of having the 11 month window, plus not having cheaper points elsewhere that we wouldn’t be able to use (not dog friendly plus we have plenty of other points for our usual, more typical trips) makes it worth it - regardless of the restrictions, the dues, the trust, whether it becomes part of Lakeshore Lodge or not, etc.
• While we did take our cart to the Outpost for bus service to parks, or to the Settlement for the boat, the internal busses come quite frequently so it just isn’t that awful to rely on them - as we did in our pre-CFW phase. And honestly - sometimes cart parking was a challenge.
• If someday we stop skiing (hopefully that will never happen, skiing is a sport you can enjoy well into your golden years) we will still enjoy coming stay for a low-key vacation

Every afternoon while we were out with Evie on her daily ride, we just had to smile with how awesome Fort Wilderness is and how happy we are that we made the purchase. It just is so relaxing and if you don’t want to be at the parks all day long, it’s a great place to be. We did the Chip n Dale singalong and it was great fun! We visited the horse barn to see the amazing Disney horses. There were people fishing, kids on bikes, trail rides, archery - we didn’t do those, but everyone seemed to be having a good time.

Yeah, the new resort is very close to the Settlement. But most of the camping loops and all of the cabins aren’t very close to it. I am pretty sure that us “DVC people” are not going to ruin the atmosphere of FW and I’m equally sure that “those campers” (remember, I fall into both areas) aren’t going to try to overrun the new Lakeside Lodge.

So, CFW might not be for everyone. But for some - those that maybe don’t prioritize rope dropping or just want to vacation in a beautiful area with trees and wildlife, but not in the middle of nowhere - it’s wonderful. Evie gives it four paws up and that’s the most important thing! Thanks for reading!

 

[cruisehopeful]

Sounds like a great purchase for your family. About how far away do you live from there? Without having been there myself, I see it as a great place for a "local" camping/staycation visit. I live on the other side of the country and I think if I were in driving distance, it would be a lot higher on my list.

There were a couple things I read about when it first opened that I am curious if they fixed. One was that the dehumidifier was so loud that a couple people asked maintenance to turn it off. Did it seem too loud to you?

Do you know if they provide pool towels now?

How does Evie do with the sound of the fireworks? Do you crate her when she is by herself in the cabin?

 

[Genie+]

Sounds cool! Unique in many ways from other DVC options.

 

[Mouseforward]

Adding diversity of accommodations like dog friendly cabins just adds to our options.

internal busses come quite frequently so it just isn’t that awful to rely on them

We did not have golf carts when I was young at the cabins , we brought out bikes and somehow survived. Just like we survived drinking from the garden hose when our parents told us to get outside and not to come home until the streetlights came on.

 

[cabloom]

We live in the DFW area of Texas, so about a 16 hour drive for us. Yeah, I know! For our FW trips, we do it in 2 days, split about equally arriving around 4pm. For all other stays, we typically drive to Gainesville (about 14 hours) and then can arrive early (sometimes even for rope drop) the next day.

I remember reading about the loud dehumidifier as well, but we didn’t notice it. Not sure if they fixed it or if we are more tolerant - but I honestly never even thought about it unless I was in the bathroom.

We didn’t go to the pools but I think I read that others have said that towels are now provided at the pools.

Evie is ok with fireworks, less so with thunderstorms - she always knows ahead of time when a storm is coming. And of course, it storms often in Texas and Florida so, while she doesn’t like it, she deals ok. We did not crate her when we left but we shut the curtains and door blind, shut the bedroom door and “Evie proofed” the sofa so she wouldn’t get on the furniture (she is not allowed on furniture at home but she is opportunistic and will always try if she can). When it storms, she likes to feel safe in a confined space which can be anywhere so we put her bed against the wall under the tv so she had the wall, the ottoman, and the sofa on 3 sides keeping her “safe”. She’s nearly 10 now so she is pretty calm anyway and just snoozes when we leave plus the a/c (and maybe the dehumidifier!) provides white noise. She was a rescue (she was 2 when we adopted her from Springer Rescue - she’s our 4th Springer) and was never crate trained. We have one, and she doesn’t mind being in it …if the door stays open, lol. Not a fan otherwise!

At check-in, Evie was provided a Disney string-bag with a plastic dog bowl, a little cork mat for the bowl, poop bags in a leash dispenser, and a little Disney tag for her collar - she was very excited! Also they gave us a tag to hang on the door if she was in there alone. She went with us in the mornings and we usually didn’t get back until at least 1pm, but trash/room check never seemed to happen until later in the afternoon when we were there. And then we didn’t leave her alone until we left in the evenings. So I don’t think anyone ever even came by when she was alone.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Aww sounds like a great trip. Lucky pup!

 

[Wedgeout]

Awesome review. With just one current booking category..Are you noticing a time when that 11 month priority is an absolute must to own here, frenzy booking period? For us adding on to a resort (with volatile dues or TOT..yes we own VDH lol) it’s all about getting reservation that is a not a chance at 7 months. Thanks.

 

[cabloom]

I believe at Halloween and Christmas it will fill up instantly at 7 months, assuming there is any availability at all - those are by far the most popular times at FW due to the cart parades and decorations, plus the trick or treating at Halloween. I think I read somewhere that with the current points sold, there are only 63ish cabins available so everyone is vying for those at any given time - which is why they go fast at months.

 

[Mouseforward]

I think you will see very low availability at seven months for the cabin, regardless of how many years sold except in the months of August, September, when the weather is brutal, and the cabins are more an outdoor experience. This is why I passed on the awesome cash rate and spent the extra hundred a night to stay at beach club Labor Day week.

There are also a bug season which may help availability, but won’t increase the quality of your stay.

The cabins are an incredible value to trade into for families with 4 children, and people who drive and want to bring their dog.