One resort at Walt Disney World is more taste-specific than any other, and within that love-it-or-hate-it place, there’s one type of accommodations that have always been polarizing among planners. Now they’re downright controversial thanks to reimagined replacements that are a night and day difference. We’re talking about the Cabins at Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, of course. This reviews the new Disney Vacation Club accommodations, sharing room photos & videos, covering pros & cons, layout strengths & weaknesses, and why we disagree with the detractors.
For those who are unfamiliar with it, Fort Wilderness offers approximately 800 campsites and over 400 cabins along with a wide range of recreational options. The campground is only a short boat ride from Magic Kingdom (behind Disney’s Contemporary Resort and “next door” to the Disney Lakeshore Lodge construction site and Wilderness Lodge). But it feels worlds away. The sprawling ‘resort’ is situated on 750 acres of pine and cypress forest, giving the campground a big buffer between it and the rest of Walt Disney World.
Fort Wilderness is a Walt Disney World original, opening back in 1971 a little over a month after Magic Kingdom. Similar to how Contemporary was as an extension of Tomorrowland and Polynesian of Adventureland, Fort Wilderness was a counterpart to Frontierland–a way to stay in the American frontier. Fort Wilderness has not changed much since then. It does have many more campsites, cabins, and one fewer railroad and adjacent water park–but the vibe is largely unchanged since I started staying at Fort Wilderness in the 1980s.
The preface above is the extent to which we’re covering the property as a whole–this is not going to be a “resort” review of Fort Wilderness Campground. For one thing, we’ve already done that in several other posts and the resort itself isn’t fundamentally different than before the old cabins were swapped out for the Disney Vacation Club ones. For another thing, it would make this review considerably longer and prove to be a tough task. To that end, if you’re on the fence about Fort Wilderness as a whole, consider reading:
What I will say is that there’s a good chance you already know whether Fort Wilderness is a good fit for you before reading reviews. It’s just such a taste-specific resort that is either an excellent option or an awful one without much middle ground. We love it, but can absolutely see why it’s not for a lot of people. If you’re on the fence, maybe Fort Wilderness is for you…but honestly, probably not.
Anyway, on with the review of the new DVC Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort…
Let’s start on the outside, with the biggest negative and most controversial component of the cabins: the exterior.
The word we’ve heard most from readers to describe these is “she-shed.” I do not take that to be praise. Admittedly, these cabins do look like the design frankenstein of an HGTV personality and a Gensler designer. Shabby chic meets modern in a weird way.
The exterior is too on-trend, and lacking the charm of the old log cabin style. It’s at-odds with the rustic style and atmosphere of Fort Wilderness as a whole. These complaints are well-taken and arguably accurate. I would agree with them.
When I look at something like this list of modern cabins (or the countless others like it), I’m drawn to the ones that use natural materials and have more muted exterior appearances. It doesn’t need to be Lincoln Log style like the old Cabins at Fort Wilderness, but I do prefer things that are a little less chic.
With that said, I am a fan of the modern cabin style. I love architecture with clean lines, woods and rockwork, and other natural materials. Floor to ceiling windows that bring the outside in, providing natural light and great views while working well with a more minimalist and modern design also appeal to me.
Don’t get me wrong–even more than all of that I love the look of Arts & Crafts, U.S. National Parks Rustic, or Frank Lloyd Wright’s twist on Prairie Style. The problem is that it would be prohibitively expensive to make cabins in these more architecturally-ambitious styles. We’re talking small prefabricated units, not something the size, scale or budget of Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Suffice to say, even if I agree with the critiques about the exteriors of the DVC Cabins at Fort Wilderness, I frankly don’t care that much.
For me, it comes down to proportionality. The outrage is overblown relative to its importance. I’ve been criticizing the Polynesian’s Island Tower or Reflections Lakeshore Lodge or even Disney’s Riviera Resort since they were all announced. The underwhelming exterior architecture matters in all of those cases because it’s highly visible from around Walt Disney World.
These cabins are not. They’re visible from the loops where the cabins are located. The primary people impacted are those staying at the cabins, and only while they’re outside the cabins. For the most part, these short structures are otherwise concealed by woods. From a distance, all you really notice is green and red exteriors punctuating the forest.
Beyond that, I don’t think the exteriors of the new DVC Cabins at Fort Wilderness look that bad.
Sure, this wouldn’t have been my first choice for their design, but in the grand scheme of things, this feels more like a minor quibble than a major misstep. If it weren’t for so many other fans pointing it out, I probably wouldn’t have thought much of the exteriors. (I certainly wouldn’t have devoted this many words to the topic.) Not my ideal choice, but certainly not atrocities.
Perhaps after all the towers, which I think are truly terrible, I’m desensitized to ugly exteriors and am more inclined to give this a pass. I don’t think so, though. I think the anger is excessive, and a reaction to the totality of design trends rather than this in isolation. I also think ‘Fort Fiends’ are very protective of Fort Wilderness and sensitive about any changes. And rightfully so, as many have been bad! To each their own on all of that, though.
Moving inside, one change I absolutely would not make to the exterior is removing the floor-to-ceiling windows that span the living room and kitchen. For me, these windows are a huge asset to the interior of the cabins, and it’d be very difficult to have while maintaining an exterior design consistent with Pioneer Hall or the buildings in the Settlement.
If forced to choose, I’m picking thematically-inconsistent exteriors with large windows that let in natural light and ‘bring’ the wilderness inside.
We’ve stayed in the old Cabins at Fort Wilderness several times, through a couple of different iterations, and one of the complaints we always had was that they were dark and dreary. Between being located in the woods and not having much in the way of windows, the old cabins just drab. The interiors were perfectly fine and on-theme, but there was this inescapable feeling you were in a dark trailer.
To be sure, the new DVC Cabins at Fort Wilderness are still more or less trailers.
The windows are game-changers, though. I wish I would’ve gotten photos with all of the blinds open, but for some dumb reason, I felt the need to close that one to conceal our luggage on the deck. (Why? I don’t know. Not like it’s some unsavory secret that tourists carry luggage!)
The windows are the focal point of the interiors, and are a great way to enjoy the wilderness while you’re eating, sitting on the couch reading a book, or even about to go to sleep. At one point, we saw some rustling in the bushes, so we jumped out and headed outside to discover an armadillo foraging around. Literally made Sarah’s day.
I appreciated watching the sunrise while getting ready and eating breakfast. It was nice to have the morning sun bathe the entire living room and kitchen in warm light. These windows are my favorite feature of the new cabins, and what makes them great.
It’s impossible to convey this via photos, and I cannot overstate how much of an improvement this is over the ‘atmosphere’ of the old cabins. It’s one thing to look at photos and judge the arguably ‘blah’ this or that of the design, but as someone who has experienced both, I would the atmosphere of the new cabins over the old in an instant.
I also think the floor-to-ceiling windows are nice because they draw attention away from some otherwise curious layout decisions.
The most obvious of these is that the television is right next to the couch and pull-down bed in the living room.
As a result of its placement, you can’t really watch TV from the couch unless you’re looking to do some serious neck craning. The easy “solution” to this would’ve been eliminating the windows opposite the couch. I’m glad Disney opted against this, and instead put the TV in a poor position.
These are units where layout compromises have to be made. There is no 100% perfect solution. To each their own, but I’d rather have big views of the wilderness and natural light than perfect television placement. This reminds me of 1-star reviews for National Park Lodges due to their lack of TV. If we’re serious about thematic integrity, the theme of this resort is wilderness–not television.
Other choices with the layout are equally puzzling–and arguably more problematic.
The bedroom is on the other side of the television, meaning that all of the sleeping space is ‘stacked’ on one side of the cabin. More significantly, it means anyone staying in the bedroom has to cross through this area and the kitchen en route to the bathroom.
From a usability perspective, this was our biggest issue with the DVC Cabins at Fort Wilderness. We booked a stay here with the grandparents, making us a party of 5. The guests in the bedroom using the bathroom requires careful tip-toeing to avoid disruption. Forget about a midnight snack or early morning pot of coffee–whoever sleeps in the living room better be the earliest riser and/or heaviest sleeper.
Another criticism I’ve seen from Disney Vacation Club members is the lack of in-unit laundry. This is a fair point and valid criticism, and we certainly would’ve loved to have a washer and dryer.
I’ve seen others complain about the bunk beds being in the main bedroom, meaning that mom and dad are potentially sleeping right next to two kids. Not ideal for parents who want privacy for, ahem, whatever reason.
At the same time, the name of the game here is layout compromises. It’s important to understand this before going into a stay at the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. These retained the old concrete slabs, and I’d assume altering the utilities was a non-starter. The old cabins also had a bit of funky layout that was tweaked over the years, but never to perfection or complete satisfaction.
For us, these layout compromises are ones we can make given the low cost (in points) of the DVC Cabins at Fort Wilderness.
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. And in fact, this holiday stay cost us 18 points per night.
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 sleeping 6 and having more space and privacy. For that matter, we could’ve rented Disney Vacation Club points and paid actual dollars to stay here and spent less than we did on the following nights at Port Orleans French Quarter!
The cheap cost of the Cabins at Fort Wilderness is a good segue into the other things we loved about the accommodations.
The main bedroom features a queen-size bed, twin-size bunk beds, a 55-inch TV, closet and a nightstand.
The highlight here, without question, is the bunkbeds.
The bunk beds feature frames that hug the vaulted ceiling, with artwork of camping under a night sky.
These frames are well-designed and detailed, with the character-inspired canoe paddles providing pops of color. There’s drawers for storage underneath, and each level of the bunk beds also features lanterns that serve as reading lights.
This is far and away my favorite feature of the cabin, and I would’ve loved sleeping in the top bunk as a kid. Our daughter, Megatron, is a tad too young to sleep in here, but is already enamored with climbing up and down from the bottom bunk. I’m sure she’s going to love these beds as she grows into them.
In addition to the aforementioned pull-down bed and couch combo (a common fixture of new DVC rooms), the spacious living area also features what Disney describes as a dining nook.
This includes a fully equipped kitchen—including a refrigerator, dishwasher, convection/microwave oven, and full-size oven & stove. There’s a kitchen table that sits 4 comfortably…or 6 uncomfortably.
This kitchen was perfect for our purposes, especially since we were a party of 4 adults and one toddler. We like to do grocery delivery and prepare food for Megatron, along with coffee for everyone else, so this worked well for that. On a future, we’ll probably put the kitchen to greater use, but we “had” to dine at the reimagined restaurants at Fort Wilderness for future review purposes this time.
Off the kitchen you’ll find a vanity area outside the entrance to the bathroom, which has a shower and an additional vanity inside.
I have no strong opinions about the bathroom. I like that there’s a window towards the ceiling allowing in some natural light.
I’d be fine with the bathroom being a bit smaller to offer more space to the living area (or accommodate a washer and dryer), but I’m probably alone in that. People like big bathrooms.
I like that there’s a separate vanity outside the bathroom, allowing more than one person to get ready simultaneously.
I’m also a fan of the backlit mirror and Fort Wilderness archery poster.
The art throughout the cabin is fantastic. Disney Vacation Club finally got the memo that its members are regulars and longtime fans, and has really leaned into Walt Disney World history and Easter eggs with some of the newer rooms. The redone Boulder Ridge rooms are a similar story.
Fan feedback has been mixed on these cabins, at least among online commentators who haven’t stayed in them. But like a lot of other recent room designs, these strike us as a good marriage of form and function, and look like major upgrades in terms of usability.
For a better idea of the layout, check out our walk-through video of the new Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort – A Disney Vacation Club Resort:
To be sure, there are some aspects of the interior design that I don’t love–that looks blah as compared to the old cabins.
The kitchen, in particular, is boring. There are great details and art that tie the space together, but it’s all a tad too modern and muted. I think the pendulum swung too far in the other direction after complaints about the old cabins being dark and dreary.
That’s a criticism that alone would’ve been remedied by the windows. The darker woods would’ve been fine here given the amount of natural light the windows allow in. Nevertheless, these are modern and feel higher-end, and I’d rather stay in these cabins than the old ones.
Ultimately, that’s really what it comes down to for us–these new Disney Vacation Club Cabins at Fort Wilderness are nicer accommodations than what was here before. Walt Disney World fans may quibble with certain stylistic or layout choices, but I’d hazard a guess that, if push came to shove, most would pick these cabins over their predecessors if they had the option to stay in one of the two.
For our multigenerational party of 5, this cabin was almost perfect even with our quibbles in mind. When considering the cost in points, the accommodations and experience were excellent–we’ll be returning to these cabins again. I would definitely take this over (the cost of) two rooms at a Moderate Resort or even other family suites, for that matter.
We foresee a lot more Walt Disney World trips like this in the future, with the grandparents 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 a great option for multi-generational trips where not everyone is as into the parks or will spend full days at them. All of Megatron’s grandparents enjoy the slower pace of Fort Wilderness, and being able to enjoy a non-Disney experience even in the middle of Walt Disney World. I doubt they’d be as enthusiastic about Gran Destino Tower or Art of Animation. These cabins are more like a bargain basement version of the excellent Treehouse Villas at Saratoga Springs Resort, and from that perspective, they’re fantastic.
Even if it’s just the three of us, we like the layout of the Cabins at Fort Wilderness well enough. At some point down the road, we’ll probably let Megatron sleep in the actual bedroom, and we’ll 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 not flawless–and we can see why a lot of DVC members aren’t keen on this setup–but we’re good with it.
Honestly, “good with it” is probably an understatement. We loved our stay in the DVC Cabins at Fort Wilderness that we once again debated whether to buy here after previously ruling it out due to maintenance fees. We love Fort Wilderness at Christmas-time, and I’d imagine it would be fun to bring our own inflatables, decorate a golf cart, etc., during the holiday season as Megatron gets older.
We ruled it out again for now, with the thought process being that these will probably become easier to book as other DVC members tire of them. But we’d definitely reconsider if these somehow do end up being rolled into Disney Lakeshore Lodge. These cabins seem like they’ll serve our family perfectly for the next decade-plus, offering great bang for buck in the process.
If they become part of something bigger that adds accommodations types and dilutes maintenance fees, that would really sweeten the deal! Once construction is finished on Disney Lakeshore Lodge and it’s possible to walk from Fort Wilderness to there to Wilderness Lodge, that sounds like our family’s perfect place during Christmas at Walt Disney World!
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
What do you think of the new Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort – A Disney Vacation Club Resort? Happy that DVC is expanding to cabins at the campground, or wish they’d build a new stand-alone property? If you’re a Fort Fiend, are you upset by this or indifferent to it? 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!
