Every once in a while, Disney Vacation Club surprises us with something brand new and unexpected. On April 20th, 2023, DVC announced a brand new (sort of) resort is coming to Walt Disney World. The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort – A Disney Vacation Club Resort will open on July 1st, 2024. This one is quite interesting and brings lots of change for DVC. We have a lot to talk through. Especially as Disney continues to share additional information. First, let’s go over exactly what Disney has shared below.
Everything You Want to Know About The DVC Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort Floor Plan
The Fort Wilderness cabin floor plans are decorated to celebrate the history of the resort, the fab five characters and Chip and Dale. On the living room pull down bed, art of Mickey and Pluto in a convertible pulling a trailer is inspired by the 1938 Mickey’s Trailer animated short. The bunk beds have canoe paddles on them to represent the popular activity at the resort. You may notice the color palettes on these represent Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy. On the wall next to the bunk beds, the Chip and Dale art has some fun Easter eggs. The chipmunk art references the 1949 animated short Winter Storage. The calendar page next to Dale shows the date Fort Wilderness opened in 1971: November 19th. Inside a frame on the bedroom wall, guests will also find art for the former River Country attraction that was open near in this area.
When do the DVC Fort Wilderness cabins open?
The Fort Wilderness DVC cabins open in the summer of 2024. The projected opening date is July 1st, 2024.
When does Fort Wilderness cabins DVC go on sale?
Purchasing information is out as of January 16th, 2024.
DVC Members can add on points starting February 1st, 2024. Those Members can then start booking on February 15th, 2024.
Sales at The Cabins at Fort Wilderness open to the general public February 27th, 2024 and new Members can start booking as early as March 12th, 2024.
All other Members can start booking the Fort Wilderness DVC cabins on April 23rd, 2024.
The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort Point Charts 2024 and 2025
The first The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort point charts are out and they look surprisingly good. Remember there is only one room type so these look a little different than other point charts. We also discover from these that there are no view types or other variations to choose from. The most economic travel period in September has week nights for just 15 points. Comparing this to the point charts for DVC rooms that sleep five, that’s surely a fair value to many. It’s much less common to find DVC rooms that sleep six like these.
2024 The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort Point Chart
2025 The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort Point Chart
What is Palmetto Trust Association, Inc. at The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness?
In 2023, Disney filed some paperwork with the state of Florida that has Members talking. It looks like the Fort Wilderness DVC Cabins could be different behind the scenes. We are familiar with deeded interest ownership with all other DVC home resorts. How does a potential trust classification change things? Does this open the door for owning at multiple home resorts through a single contract?
With sales starting for the Fort Wilderness DVC cabins in February, if this home resort operated much differently than others, I feel like we should have heard that officially from Disney already. We’ll see if anything is different operationally with the cabins home resort as sales begin.
Disney Vacation Club works many different ways when home resorts are expanded upon. We’ve seen additional home resorts added at a single property like Copper Creek after Boulder Ridge. We’ve also seen new room styles added to existing home resorts as with the Polynesian DVC tower. If the cabins do operate differently, what if it’s to offer a dual opportunity at the same resort? I’m just dreaming here but what if the space meant for Reflections is built on later and it and the cabins become some kind of joint home resort?
With the name The Cabins at Fort Wilderness A Disney Vacation Club Resort there isn’t much room for different room types. We know that DVC once had grand plans to add a new home resort here with Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge. It will be interesting to see if there are any changes to how DVC works with this one.
How much is DVC at Fort Wilderness?
The Fort Wilderness DVC cabins per point price is $225. This aligns with most of the other resorts being actively sold right now. Those prices are as follows.
The Villas at Disneyland Hotel is $239 per point.
Disney’s Riviera Resort is $225 per point.
Aulani is $225 per point.
How many people do the DVC cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort sleep?
These cabins will replace the existing cabins but still sleep up to six people which is nice. The DVC cabins also have a private bedroom and full kitchen, two details loved by many Members. There will be more than more than 350 DVC cabins. The Fort Wilderness DVC cabins will be brand new, not a refurbished version of the pre-DVC cabins. The bedroom has a queen bed and a bunk bed and the living room has a pull down bed that sleeps two.
Are The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort replacing Reflections?
We’ve heard nothing about Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge for years. Many have presumed the project cancelled as construction never resumed on the cleared land. The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort DVC addition is probably more cost effective than that intended DVC property at Fort Wilderness. It would be a surprise to see Reflections move forward as it was. It’s more likely that a DVC resort with a new name, design and concept on the same land would happen. Some resorts have more than one DVC resort at them. Many have noted the new Polynesian DVC tower looks a lot like Reflections did in early renderings.
Are the Fort Wilderness DVC Cabins dog friendly?
The old cabins at Fort Wilderness allowed dogs. Disney says about the new ones, “A select number of cabins are also expected to be dog-friendly.” This makes The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort the first dog friendly DVC resort. This is a very exciting thought for those of us with furry best friends. As of now, Disney World has pet friendly hotels but just one in each resort tier. No Disney Vacation Club rooms have allowed pets up until this point.
Members will need to pay the pet fee associated with bringing a dog to the resort. On the bottom of the point chart for this resort it says:
“At this time, dogs are the only pets allowed, with a maximum of 2 permitted per cabin. An additional fee will be assessed for each dog for each night of your stay.”
The pet fee at The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort was $50 per night plus tax and applied to the room account in the past.
The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort – A Disney Vacation Club Resort Announcement
From Disney:
“Walt Disney World Resort and Disney Vacation Club today announced proposed plans to bring refreshed cabin hideaways to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, offering guests a private retreat in the midst of nature with many of the comforts of home.
“For more than 50 years, Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground has offered guests the opportunity to explore nature with their loved ones while staying in the heart of Walt Disney World Resort,” said Bill Diercksen, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Vacation Club. “We’re excited to continue to build upon the resort’s rich legacy and elevate the cabin experience for our Members and all guests to enjoy for years to come.”
Nestled across 750 acres of scenic woodlands, proposed plans call for more than 350 new cabins to replace the existing cabins at the resort, which have delighted guests for many years and will soon be ready for a refresh. Additionally, the proposed cabins would be built with an eye toward the environment, utilizing the footprint of the existing cabins and taking advantage of more energy-efficient features.
Design concepts offer a fresh take on the current cabin experience and are inspired by the resort’s idyllic setting, while also paying homage to the resort’s unique culture and heritage through the magic of Disney storytelling. Each proposed, stand-alone cabin offers spacious accommodations, sleeping up to six adults, and features a bedroom, bathroom, living room, full kitchen and private patio. A select number of cabins are also expected to be dog-friendly.
As with all Disney Vacation Club resorts, the proposed cabins will continue to be open for reservations to all guests, including those who are not Disney Vacation Club Members, based on availability.
The planned cabins are part of a collection of improvement projects underway at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground that are designed to enhance the guest experience. Examples include proposed pool and walking trail enhancements as well as new expanded dining experiences at Trail’s End Restaurant and Crockett’s Tavern, with more exciting news to come.
Located right in the heart of Walt Disney World magic and a boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom Park, Members and guests would have easy access to the theme parks and be able to enjoy the resort’s cherished amenities, including horseback riding at the recently updated Tri-Circle-D Ranch, fishing, walking trails, pools, playgrounds for the little ones, Chip ’n’ Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long and rootin’ tootin’ dining and entertainment at Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. Campsite accommodations will also continue to be available for guests.“
Is Fort Wilderness ready for DVC?
All of the other Disney Vacation Club resorts are located at Deluxe resorts with top tier amenities. Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground has always been something special but it’s definitely different when you put it next to other DVC properties. There is a bus system that operates within the resort because it’s so large. There are a few pools at Fort Wilderness but none are up to par with other DVC resorts.
When it comes to dining, there are very few options at Fort Wilderness and it takes a lot of effort to get to them. The former Trail’s End buffet was a favorite at Disney World but it is now a quick service restaurant. There is also a take out window. Aside from that, there is only the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue dinner show which costs a pretty penny and deserves a dedicated vacation night. As wonderful as it is, Hoop-Dee-Doo isn’t a place you just pop in for lunch.
In the past, there was a bus and walking route that connected the two Wilderness resorts, along with the Magic Kingdom boat that would stop at both. Including Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort opened up more dining options but only the bus transportation remains as of 2023. While this DVC cabins addition doesn’t seem to technically increase the Fort Wilderness capacity at all, another dining location should be there to elevate the property to DVC standards. It seems Disney knows this and is working on it, referencing dining options and sharing, “with more exciting news to come.”
Fort Wilderness Unique Amenities
There are some unique positives we should discuss too. At Fort Wilderness there is a special experience that can be part of your stay for free. Chip and Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long is a recreation offering at the resort where guests can see the pair each night. While characters have been appearing at the resorts more often over the last few years, this is a long standing tradition and beloved part of staying at Fort Wilderness. At the campfire, guests roast marshmallows and make s’mores in an outdoor movie theater where the nightly Disney movie plays. The other amenities, like canoeing, fishing and horseback riding, add a lot to Fort Wilderness as well. Just know they require an additional fee.
We’ll have to see how The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort Disney Vacation Club add on enhances the resort overall as amenities are plussed and things are added.
Let’s Talk About Seventeen Disney Vacation Club Resorts
With Disney Vacation Club resorts, there are such amazing options in an enchanting range of themes. Disney Vacation Club resorts are always located at Deluxe properties. Until now? Fort Wilderness seems to alway be in its own category. It has campsites for camping in RVs or tents and also has the cabins which are like small trailers. From what we’re seeing above, the cabins as we know them will be no more as the next DVC property makes its new home in the fort.
The First Fourteen Disney Vacation Club Resorts
The original fourteen Disney Vacation Club resorts operate like a group on their own when it comes to DVC resale. That includes Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas, Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Beach Club Villas, Disney’s BoardWalk Villas, Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Copper Creek Villas and Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort at Disney World.
Over at Disneyland there is The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. There are also the following resorts that are located outside of Disney World: Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas and Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort.
DVC Resorts Riviera and After Change Resale Rules
Things start to change after these resorts. In late 2019, Disney’s Riviera Resort opens on the Disney Skyliner route. It’s the fifteenth DVC property and has a new set of rules. When it comes to resale DVC, those who purchase at Riviera can’t use their points anywhere else. Also, Members who purchase resale anywhere built before Riviera aren’t able to use their points to book at Riviera. They can, however, use their points to book at any of the other first fourteen resorts.
With The Villas at Disneyland Hotel, from our understanding, it looks like the same rules apply as Riviera. We will also assume The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort will operate the same way. Since Riviera, we can guess any time a new Disney Vacation Club resort is built, resale DVC Members won’t be able to book there using their points. There are some exciting conditions to be aware of though. One exception is when DVC expands at one of the original fourteen DVC resorts.
For example, when another DVC section was added to the Grand Floridian, the building was still considered part of The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. When sales opened up for the expansion, contracts were sold for that same DVC property that opened in 2013. We also know the tower under construction at the Polynesian is part of Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows. So, yes, both of these were built after Disney’s Riviera Resort. However they are considered expansions of the original fourteen resorts and eligible for more flexibility in booking with resale. All of this is good to consider for those thinking about buying or adding on points via DVC resale.
DVC Resale Experts Makes Magic
DVC Resale Experts is a licensed real estate broker with a team that specializes in resale DVC. If you would love to call your favorite resort home, maybe you should consider the Disney timeshare Disney Vacation Club. With so many excellent home resorts, you have options. It’s possible to save thousands buying a resale Disney Vacation Club contract instead of buying direct from Disney. Resale just refers to buying a Membership from someone who is selling theirs. Our licensed real estate agents are former Disney Vacation Club Guides with decades of experience selling DVC. You can expect pixie dusted service from first contact to closing on the contract.
Take a look at current resale DVC listings for pricing and availability. If you don’t see your dream contract, you’re welcome to join the DVC Resale Experts Wish List. They will be in touch when the right contract for you magically appears on the market.
