Why We Won’t Buy Disney World’s Newest DVC
We’ve been looking for a good excuse to buy more Disney Vacation Club points for years. When each of the last several new resorts at Walt Disney World have opened, we debated taking the plunge. Pricing has always been a much-needed reality-check, and we’ve realized we haven’t actually needed more DVC points.
Then again, now I wish we would’ve made an ‘impulse buy’ at the Grand Floridian or Polynesian back when those went on sale given how much prices have shot up since. Hindsight is 20/20, though, and Walt Disney World prices as a whole have gone up considerably since then. Not only that, but we were younger and had more pressing priorities at the time. So I guess what I really want is an entirely different scenario where we have both knowledge of the future and unlimited money…but there are probably better uses for that than buying DVC.
In any case, we now find ourselves in such a scenario where we’re older and actually have a need for larger accommodations now that we have baby Megatron. There were times before when we would’ve liked something larger than a studio, but it wasn’t strictly necessary. We’re frugal with points, always choosing more nights over nicer rooms. Going forward, it’ll be a more difficult decision–we’ll want both, somehow.
Enter the Cabins at Fort Wilderness Campground. When first announced, we were intrigued by this option. We’ve stayed at the current cabins on several occasions since 2009, and have become fairly big fans. Our last trip with my parents, we even opted for the Cabins at Fort Wilderness over Shades of Green. The larger accommodations were very much welcome–and that was just the four of us (plus my dad’s service dog).
We foresee Walt Disney World trips like this in the future, with the grandparents also joining so they can experience the parks through Megatron’s eyes. Studios are going to be out of the question for those stays, and even some of the one-bedroom accommodations might be pushing it.
The Cabins at Fort Wilderness offer a “good enough” layout, giving us and the baby one room and grandparents the other. Fort Wilderness is also a great option for multi-generational trips where not everyone is as into the parks. We were concerned about not staying at Shades of Green since my dad’s favorite part of the trip is talking to fellow “old farts” (non-derogatory) while drinking coffee. As it turns out, Fort Wilderness also has “old farts” (also non-derogatory) and trees, two of my dad’s favorite things. I doubt he’d be down with Gran Destino Tower or Art of Animation, by contrast.
Even if it’s just the three of us, we like the layout of the Cabins at Fort Wilderness well enough. At some point, we’d probably let Megatron sleep in the actual bedroom, and we’d take the flex space of the living room. This would give us the ability to have a different bedtime (and wake-up), while also have access to the kitchen, bathroom, and shower. It’s certainly not perfect–and we can see why a lot of DVC members aren’t keen on this setup–but we’re good with it.
Accordingly, our hope and expectation was that the Cabins at Fort Wilderness would have a point chart that effectively made them the first Disney Vacation Club property in the Moderate Resort tier. Last month’s release of the Cabins at Fort Wilderness point charts seemingly confirmed this.
Two of our favorite times to visit Walt Disney World would land in the cheapest point seasons, making our per-night cost of the Cabins at Fort Wilderness 15 to 21 points during the sets of Halloween and Christmas dates we’d be most likely to book. To put that into perspective, we’ve spent more on studios at Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Bay Lake Tower, and Wilderness Lodge. The Cabins cost far fewer points than any other 1-bedroom accommodations for the same season, while also sleeping 6 and having more space and privacy.
Suffice to say, the Cabins at Fort Wilderness seemed to offer superlative value for money. So after seeing the floor plan, concept art, and point charts, we started seriously talking about whether or not we might want to add-on. To be clear, it was still far from a sure thing–but then we were quickly and fully flung from the fence.
In short order after points charts were released, the annual dues for the Cabins at Fort Wilderness came out. Clocking in at ~$12.15 per point, Fort Wilderness as easily the #1 DVC property at Walt Disney World in terms of annual dues and #2 overall behind only Disney’s Vero Beach Resort.
To put this into perspective, there is no other resort at Walt Disney World that currently cracks the $10 barrier for dues. The next closest resort, Old Key West, is $9.87. Other expensive properties are Animal Kingdom Lodge and Riviera Resort, one of which has wildlife to “maintain” (gotta imagine the vet visits for a giraffe aren’t cheap given what we pay for a miniature dachshund and cat–not to mention food and waste cleanup).
I can’t say I was shocked to see Fort Wilderness on the higher end of the dues spectrum. Between the internal transportation and labor costs (mostly housekeeping, but also general upkeep), plus dramatically reduced density by virtue of these being cabins instead of standard hotel rooms, I figured it’d be top 3 at Walt Disney World.
That same standalone quality also means the per-unit maintenance and replacement costs are higher, and I can’t imagine the whole ‘hurricanes’ thing helps, either. Still, I was expecting–or at least hoping for–something in the $9 range. I guess I’m a bit naive. (Now it makes complete sense why Walt Disney World is offloading the cabins into DVC inventory even with several resorts actively selling and more on the horizon!)
That’s a game-changer for us, and it makes the Cabins at Fort Wilderness a total nonstarter. Our current home resort is Saratoga Springs, something we chose strategically when we first joined as the sweet spot for low upfront per point prices (it was super undesirable at the time on the resale market, despite being relatively new), low maintenance fees, and a later expiration year.
Saratoga Springs Resort has annual dues that are $4 per point less than the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. That is an absolutely massive spread, especially when multiplied for all points over the lifetime of the contract. And it’s also worth noting that this gap will most likely grow. Dues increase by around 3-5% per year, with the more cost-intensive properties actually seeing higher percentage increases in recent years.
Even if they don’t, the higher starting point compounded means that the $4 difference is likely the lowest it’ll ever be. Given how much maintenance fees have increased since we’ve been members, I shudder to think about what the annual dues cost will be for the Cabins at Fort Wilderness 15 years from now.
My other big concern about the Cabins at Fort Wilderness flows from the annual dues. Historically, Hilton Head and Vero Beach have been, by far, the cheapest DVC resorts on the resale market. There are doubtlessly multiple reasons for this, but those pricey annual dues is an outsized factor.
Anecdotes aren’t data, but we’ve heard from a few people who have bought–and sold–those properties after being lured in by the low upfront costs only to ‘discover’ they were paying a significantly more over time. That once people realize their total outlay is more and they have a less desirable home resort, they’ll resell.
This is my fear with Fort Wilderness. It’s not just the higher dues that members will, over time, discover bridges the gap between owning at the “cheaper” Fort Wilderness and actual Deluxe (Villa) Resorts, but it’s the other things that makes Fort Wilderness the most taste-specific resort at Walt Disney World.
I’ve mentioned all of this before, but I’m concerned that there will be a far more active resale market for Fort Wilderness–and that it’ll be more of a buyer’s market like Hilton Head or Vero Beach (at least this resort is actually at Walt Disney World, so there’s that!).
Obviously, membership is not monolithic, but Fort Wilderness is a dramatic departure from other recent Disney Vacation Club additions. What many ‘mainstream’ DVC members seem to favor–convenience, consolidated layout, and ease of access–are not the strong suits of Fort Wilderness.
Because of this, this could mean that the Cabins at Fort Wilderness will start hitting the resale market in greater volume in a few years after the honeymoon is over. It’s not difficult to envision a scenario where existing DVC members who have never stepped foot in Fort Wilderness buy solely based on the member-friendly points chart.
Those same members could be in for a rude awakening the first time they actually stay at Fort Wilderness, make the long trek across the resort every day during a weeklong trip, and come to the realization that this is no Riviera Resort! That was my fear before–now this is exacerbated by that plus resale restrictions plus annual dues giving that extra nudge to unload.
There are undoubtedly other Disney Vacation Club members reading this and thinking, “who cares, don’t buy for value–own where you want to stay.” And, well, that’s certainly one opinion, I suppose. To each their own, but we only think about Disney Vacation Club in economic terms–not emotional ones. Although the marketing sells it both ways, the whole point of the program is saving money. Maybe that’s not the case for others, but it absolutely is for us.
I wouldn’t be as concerned about what will potentially happen on the resale market if there were no possibility that we’ll ever want to sell. I seldom look at Saratoga Springs resale prices anymore, because the chances we’ll ever unload that are near zero. Although it’s far from our favorite resort, Saratoga Springs is a known quantity and is “future-proofed,” so to speak. Our preferences and priorities may evolve, but Saratoga Springs will always offer something that works for us.
By contrast, I only know that the Cabins at Fort Wilderness offer something that works for us right now. One year ago, we never imagined we’d ever be parents. It would be a serious failure of imagination to not consider the possibility that the cabins won’t be a good fit for us a few years or decades from today–especially after hearing exactly that from a lot of other families. And that’s the only room category Fort Wilderness offers! So it’s important to us to be able to buy something now and have a pretty good idea we won’t take a bath on it down the road if our circumstances change.
A final consideration is the per point cost of $225. This is mentioned last because it’s the least surprising part of the equation to us. We previously predicted that the starting point would be $199 or higher, but lower than the cost of the Villas at Disneyland Hotel ($239). This being right in between isn’t a huge surprise given that.
Or at least, it wouldn’t have been if the annual dues were in ‘reasonable’ territory. Part of why we predicted a price point higher than $199 was because Disney Vacation Club wouldn’t want a “bargain” entry level at which savvy DVC Members will purchase, and then use their points elsewhere. The annual dues alone foreclose that–saving a small bit on upfront costs only to pay much more in maintenance fees is the equivalent of stepping over dollars to pick up pennies.
The incentives for current members are also nothing special–the lowest per-point savings of what’s currently being offered. And we’d be at the lower end of that spectrum, anyway, as the whole point of adding on at Fort Wilderness would be to squeeze as much mileage as possible out of the lowest rate seasons.
Ultimately, that’s where we’re at with the Cabins at Fort Wilderness and why we won’t be buying. Figured that might be worth sharing for others who are on the fence about joining Disney Vacation Club due to the bargain-rate points chart or adding on at these new “cheap” accommodations. The salient point is that it’s imperative to not just look at the points chart or per point cost, but also account for those astronomical maintenance fees. After doing the math on everything, almost all of the savings you’d see evaporate–it ends up being a not-so-Moderate Resort.
This isn’t to say that the Cabins at Fort Wilderness is a bad home resort or that no one should purchase there. Perhaps you really love the location, it’s your favorite resort, the layout is perfect, or the privacy of the cabins is far more desirable than a tower-style hotel. There are any number of reasons this property could be (subjectively) perfect for you or an otherwise good fit. Objectively speaking, value for money most likely is not one of those reasons, unfortunately.
Setting all of that aside, we’re still really looking forward to staying at the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. For now, the accommodations check a lot of boxes for us and we love the vibe of the campground. We’re very eager to take advantage of that favorable point chart while paying SSR dues. Maybe down the road in a few years–if resale prices are low, the accommodations style still works for us, and the gap has somehow closed on dues–we’ll consider buying via the secondary market. Never say never!
If you’re considering joining DVC and want more guidance, be sure to read our Ultimate Guide to Disney Vacation Club. That guide covers the pros & cons, resale v. direct, how much money you’ll save, and other important things to know before taking the plunge. If you still can’t decide whether membership is right for you, “try before you buy” with the recommendations in How to Save BIG on Deluxe Disney Accommodations Renting DVC Points.
YOUR THOUGHTS
Will you be buying Disney Vacation Club at Fort Wilderness? Why or why not? Thoughts on the points chart, pricing, or annual dues? Excited to stay here, even if you won’t own here? Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the DVC Cabins at Fort Wilderness Campground? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Our home resort is the Poly, and we’ve found that the deluxe studios work really well with younger kids. The pack n play fits right into the smaller bathroom. The door can be closed for the baby to sleep while everyone else has the rest of the room, including a full bathroom.
You guys having the same frugal mindset as us, so I figured I’d chime in with some thoughts. We bought a “starter” DVC membership of resale VGF points when we got married in 2013. After rounding out our family with a 2nd kid, we knew we needed more points to get a little more space. I’m a data analyst by trade and I made massive spreadsheets figuring ALL the long-term costs for the resorts that were appealing to us (basically we excluded any resort that ALL of the transport was via buses). BLT came out on top. So we bought there around 2018… keeping the VGF points which grandfathered in the perks for us.
A few things to keep in mind… there are very few “standard” view rooms there. So always factor a Lake view for points. Standard rooms are mostly at ground level and are noisier anyway… making mid-day naps harder. The 1BR’s inside of the curve have massive laundry rooms that fit a pack-and-play amazingly! That was our son’s “room” for multiple trips and it allowed us to have access to the living room and kitchen while he napped in darkness and quiet.
With the 5-person occupancy for the 1BR (which not all DVCs have), having that extra bathroom is AMAZING when you’ve got grandparents joining along. My mom has joined us a few trips (including our one coming up in late March!) and BLT’s 1BR is by far superior in that regard. I just hope the sofa bed is replaced by a Murphy bed in the upcoming remodel!
As far as the 5th sleeping space (we call it a “futon chair”), it’s actually bigger than the tip-out Murphy child beds in most of the DVC resorts. My mom slept on it the one trip because it was easier to leave that out than deal with a sofabed. She wouldn’t have been able to sleep on those tip-out child beds! I’m 5’2″ and I barely fit length-wise!
This serves a very specific purpose—families of 6. We are a family of 5 and happy to squeeze into a studio to save points, but last summer we stayed a night before and after a disney cruise with my mom in tow and I was floored at the point cost of a 2 bedroom villa for just two nights—we could have stayed twice as ling in one of these cabins for the same point cost. If we had another kid or otherwise had 6 people regularly I would totally buy these cabins since I’d need twice as many points (and thus a lot more up front cost and annual dues) to stay anywhere else.
Great write up. This was my favorite line of the article, “ We were concerned about not staying at Shades of Green since my dad’s favorite part of the trip is talking to fellow “old farts” (non-derogatory) while drinking coffee.” OMG do we have the same dad??? He loves staying at Shades and drinking coffee with old farts!! However I have to give you a suggestion for future trips with Megatron & grandparents – last fall we stayed Wilderness Club level (my dad stayed at Shades, but I added him to my WL room bc it was only 2 of us. That way Disney allowed him to come cab in and park every morning and join us at the club.) He spent all day drinking coffee in the rocking chairs! It was awesome. If only you could add club level to Boulder ridge it would be the perfect setup for old military dads! We are doing Boulder Ridge 2bd next time. I’m sure he will still grab his coffee from the room and go sit in the rocking chairs 🙂
More lame design attempts. There’s nothing cabin-esque about those. Bummer.
Long time Disney DVC Member at SSR. Stayed all over Disney during the past 20 years. this is a not a FtW comment – this comment is purely directed at what I am noticing at current DVC locations, since NON DVC members are allowed to buy point for short term stays.
These people have zero vested interest in the DVC resort IMO – and abuse our ‘homes’ as if they were a run of the mill hotel.
This is not to say that DVC members are perfect, but since the prevalence of being able to buy points just for a short stay, the ‘quality’ of people who tend to treat properties like garbage and abuse the facility has risen.
We were just in a studio last week at SSR Congress Park, it was throughly abused. Slider frame bent, door wouldn’t lock – dents dings gouges all-over the walls – bad paint. Yeah Disney Property Services has work, but how.much ofnit is due to careless guests at our ‘homes’?
Nick,
Agreed! Selling or rather “Renting” DVC points should not be allowed, but as long as Disney makes money they apparently don’t care where it comes from or how they get it!
While I would agree that a lot of DVC members are respectful and take a pride in what they own and want to see it kept nice, there’s definitely a not-insignificant number who think: “I spent a lot of money on this and pay dues so they’ll fix it up, I can do whatever I want.”
Entitlement is everywhere. It’s not just renters and it’s not just owners. The behavior I’ve seen of some members in the lounges and at Moonlight Magic–places renters can’t go–makes this pretty clear.
We bought early, when DVC was first offered, and often after that, especially on the secondary market so we’re grandfathered in as far as use goes. We have over a thousand points among several resorts and two of our children and their families have bought in as well. We visit two to three times a year, sometimes more, thus, considering the prices of Disney resort rooms, we get decent value for our ever-increasing maintenance fees. As we live rurally, we love the quiet and isolation of the tree houses, even if it’s just for the two if us, and there’s nothing like a morning cup of coffee on the balcony overlooking the AK Savana. Essentially, after all day Disney, we want to retreat to where there’s minimal Disney, and these serve that purpose well. The only attraction of the cabins is that I believe they are pet-friendly, but due to breed prejudices, I doubt we could bring our German Shepherd even though he’s a total, non-barking mush whose best friends are”his” cats, so, pass.
“…we love the quiet and isolation of the tree houses, even if it’s just for the two if us, and there’s nothing like a morning cup of coffee on the balcony overlooking the AK Savana.”
Man, that sounds like the life.
To my knowledge, they do not discriminate based on breed. Oh, and I love German Shepherds–one of my dogs as a kid was a German Shepherd, and she was sweet as can be. Her parents were both police dogs, so she was also very disciplined. But she could “turn it on” if there was a (perceived) threat to our house or family.
Our guy is a very healthy and active senior rescue coming up on his third “Gotcha” day. Wish I could show you a picture of him and one of his cats, also a rescue, mutually grooming. We’ve always been “Adopt, don’t shop!” advocates and have seldom been disappointed.
Tin foil hat conspiracy time, I’m guessing Reflections, a plussed-up pool/revitalized lazy river, and fine farm-to-table/bison-heavy restaurant gets added to CFW in the next couple rounds of DVC announcements, and CFW will be the Treehouses at SS equivalent, and the Reflections will be in the same trust/association as the cabins. Then you have a more direct deluxe product and can goose CFW sales as it limps along. Cabins, in isolation, no — probably not a big seller. Cabins as a niche bonus booking option to Reflections? Yes, and yes. We’re not interested in buying anything at Ft. Wilderness, but we’d sure like to try a long weekend sometime.
I feel like these cabins — the interior is nice, but the TV placement is dumb, bathroom placement is poorly thought out, and really, you couldn’t put a stacking washer/dryer in a closet in there? Really? If you’re hoping to market these to larger families on a budget, that means lots of kids getting dirty and spilling things AT THE MOST OUTDOORSY RESORT THEY OFFER, and no laundry? I don’t see a ton of storage, either, for hanging things. I hope they really spruce up the little balcony seating and outside furniture, because this is going to be cramped with six folks.
I know you’re anti Riviera, but the room and resort layout can’t be beat, IMO, for extended family trips. We LOVED the 2B with my sister’s family. Hubs and I got the main king bedroom (plenty of room for a PNP in there,) our kids took the living room trundle/Murphy (boy/girl, each like their own sleep space,) and my sister, husband, and niece took the two queen room. It was so much fun! They had privacy, a hallway, and bathroom to do whatever they wanted, but we all shared the common kitchen/living room area for movies and meals at night. Really great.
If you’re looking to add points resale, how about BLT? I’m hopeful the refurb is great, because the vibe currently is super blah, at least to us.
Direct Poly tower? IDK what kind of incentives they’ll offer. Given the high prices of VDH and now CFW, I don’t see any Poly deals coming, but who knows. We may be interested in Poly resale if the new tower IS part of the old association. I’m skeptical of the “confirmation” at the December meeting, especially in light of the CFW trust stuff. I’m not plunking money down on anything until much more is known and confirmed.
Resale at BLT is actually high on our list of possible options–another sweet spot on annual dues and expiration year. I’m very optimistic about the refurbishment (given that I’ve liked most of the other recent ones and there’s nowhere to go but up for the current rooms), so thinking we should make a move before that’s finished.
Agree with pretty much everything else you’ve said. Oh, and I’m definitely warming on Riviera. Still some things that really bug me about the corners they cut on it, but from a practical perspective, it’s great.
I absolutely loathe the new cabins. My kids loved the old ones. This is just horrible. WHO AT DISNEY thinks these are good ideas!!!!!!!
What do you think of the possibility the Cabins will be part of a trust? Been lots of discussions on another board.
I’ve read just a little bit about it, and honestly, I’m not sure what to make of it. I need to do more research so I have an informed opinion before commenting much further.
(FWIW, I don’t think it’s speculation or merely a possibility anymore. IIRC, the trust has been established and trust administration fees are part of the Cabins annual dues. So it’s really a matter of what purpose it serves rather than if it’ll happen.)
We are not DVC owners but we have stayed in the cabins multiple times a year for the past decade roughly. The old cabins had a much better layout and the majority of us are confused as to why they would put the tv on the same wall as the beds and the bathroom on the other side of the cabin. I’ve also seen lots of DVC members talk about how they hope the fort restricts decorations and designates a “members only” pool. If people are looking for a place to be left alone, the fort isn’t it. It’s a tight community where people meet around their fires. Fort wilderness should have been left alone. If they wanted an upscale camping feel (aka shipping containers) they should have made the reflections lot into a DVC camp or add glamping cabins (containers) to the plans.
Shipping containers are a perfect description! We were calling them a Contractor’s Trailer such as one would see at a construction site.
Long time DVC members here. Saratoga springs is our home resort. We have a large family and an honestly gigantic extended family, So we’ve stayed all over the Disney system at this point. One of the benefits to being a Saratoga springs home base is the tree houses. That really seems like one of the best places that we found to have large family gatherings, especially when we have florida-based family come out for a day because we can host. everybody have a giant cookout, plenty of parking and not feel like we’re in a hotel and going to bother people. we’ve also found overtime that it’s better value to just rent a car or two depending on which extended family is coming from where (some drive there rather than fly) as trying to coordinate a large number of people on Disney on property, transportation can be just overwhelming and waste too much valuable Park time. As a kid, I stayed with my family at the cabins at wilderness Lodge and while they were kitschy and old school they worked in their homey and hokey way. These new cabins are underwhelming me design wise and I think Disney lost a really good opportunity here to have it be one of the few sleeping nine type accommodations , which is unfortunate because there’s very few affordable places to have a lot of people stay. This is what we found at least with the tree houses, is that for the bang for our points that really makes a difference – and frankly, having incredibly private accommodations while at Disney is almost unheard of!!
You’re right–the Treehouse Villas are absolutely amazing. I cannot wait until we have an excuse to book them again, but that won’t happen until we have a larger family gathering.
But there’s a reason why Disney made the Treehouse Villas part of SSR rather than standalone, and that’s because they’re so niche. The only way replacing the cabins with much larger accommodations would’ve worked is if they were part of Reflections Lakeside Lodge. I suspect we will get those large standalone units once that’s inevitably revived. That probably won’t happen until they’ve sold a good number of these cabins, though.
Copper Creek resale is about $100 cheaper per point, a fantastic resort, expires 2067, and has real two bedrooms. Plus you have the advantage of already qualifying for direct buyer perks.
This is definitely the far superior play, all things considered. Plus we love Wilderness Lodge (even more than Fort Wilderness).
I just really wanted the cabins to make sense…but it’s not even close.
We bought our additional points at Vero for a cool $70 a pt! Yes, we know the maintenance is high ! But we like relaxing at Vero after a stay at WDW. We try to go 2x a year and use the rest of our Vero points at WDW!
So yes, maintenance is higher but we have saved about $13,000 not buying another direct Disn contract!
We own at the Poly and later bought 150 resale at Vero for about $67 per point. We often rented a condo for a week at Ponce Inlet and thought it might make sense to own on the ocean at Vero instead . We have not been to Vero yet but our friends absolutely love that resort so I’m looking forward to staying there. But now that Ponce Inlet Beach was destroyed by the two hurricanes, we are really glad to have a place at Vero. Hopefully that beach doesn’t disappear too.
AK DVC direct…we only stay in 2br DVC villas even though it’s just the 3 of us. We too are considering buying more points, but probably directly and not resell. We bought AK through a waitlist of forced buy backs at 179 a point. They’ve gone to 239 a point now. But I’m thinking Beach Club or GF for convenience. The theme of AK is my favorites so far. Then again we live only 35mins away from WDW so why leave home when it’s less than home? Having little ones is definitely the decision maker. They need naps and full nights of sleep so that changes the equation. Having giraffes in your backyard in the morning is so exciting to the little ones. They’re only this little for a short snapshot in time….splurge!
We wanted to buy resale at beach club, but can’t justify it financially because there are just not enough years remaining on the contracts.
Those two bedroom villas at AKL also have a third bathroom – which has proved indispensable when traveling with an infant. Baby has a porta-crib in the master bath – which is completely dark when the door is closed and mom and dad use the full bath in the hallway. It’s perfect!
Oh great
As a dedicated reader to the column, I always appreciate the honesty.
However, I do live on the West Coast, so I go to Disneyland with my kids and, now, grandkids.
I’ve been looking at a family trip to Disney World, having been there only once before when they were younger.
But I’m eligible to stay at Shades of Green and realized that, at 72, I’m one of the old farts.
They’ll have to catch up to me on Thunder Mountain.
Great article though! Many regrets about not buying DVC 30+ years ago. However, to your point, priorities at the time, right?
Ft. Wilderness….hmmm….The first photo, showing the living room, immediately made me think “Atlanta condo”. The kitchen, bath and exterior are also sadly HGTV. Pathetic, Disney. I can’t believe people are actually getting paid for these stale designs.
as a Boardwalk owner, I was also curious about something entirely different when the Cabins were first promoted. Looking at them from the outside, they look like prefab housing. nothing rustic or ” woodland” about them. and, then inside, same situation. Where is the immersion into the fantasy that you are in the Wilderness? These could be on rt 192, and fit right in as Contractor Specials!
Looking forward to your honest review of the new cabins. As a parent now with two small children, what seemed like spacious accommodations at one time, really actually doesn’t suit for families with young children. Also, just one bathroom still after the remodel is surprising. All that aside, I just can’t get over the she-shed look and get irritated and mad about the whole thing all over again. Just feels like a total mismatch, but I get the economics behind why they did it. Ughhh. Side note, we stayed at the all star family suites on a discount through Disney Visa during value season in January and paid a cool $237/night. We were very pleasantly surprised!! Highly recommend.
Tom,
If DVC ownership for you is all about the economics, why would you even consider DVC Direct? DVC resale’s are the way to go!! Average price per point at resales SSR for Jan 2024 was only $106. If you’re not in a hurry, I am sure you could add on at SSR for less than a hundred bucks a point!
Cheers!
We probably wouldn’t. Even considering it in the first place was probably a long shot (especially since we’re already grandfathered blue card members), but we had hoped that there would be strong incentives and maybe that would be enough to push us over the top.
Just keep in mind that Fort Wilderness expires 21 years later than SSR. That’s not enough to bridge the gap given those high MFs, but it’s not nothing, either.