Disney World to Convert Fort Wilderness Cabins to DVC Resort

April 20, 2023, 9:22 AM · The Cabins at Walt Disney World's Fort Wilderness Resort will become a Disney Vacation Club property under a refurbishment proposal announced today.

Is is proposing to replace the more than 350 cabins that currently stand on the 750 wooded acres of the resort with newly designed cabins. The new cabins would be built upon the footprint of existing cabins, but be built with "more energy-efficient features," according to Disney's press release.

DVC Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness
Concept image courtesy Disney

Each cabin will sleep up to six adults and include a bedroom, bathroom, living room, full kitchen, and private patio, with a select number of cabins expected to be designated as dog-friendly.

"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," Bill Diercksen, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Vacation Club, said. "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."

The new cabins will be available to rent for non-members of the DVC. The new cabins are expected to be open by next year. Information about sales and bookings will be coming later.

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Replies (7)

April 20, 2023 at 11:17 AM

A soft spot for these as this was the first place my family stayed at on our very first WDW trip in 1984. Fun place.

April 20, 2023 at 12:43 PM

Disappointing that they are taking the entire resort to DVC. (And that's coming from a DVC member.)

April 20, 2023 at 1:45 PM

As if there isn't enough DVC in Orlando....I guess it's nice that non-DVC members will still have access to this resort, but something tells me that reservations will either be cost prohibitive or just rarely available for non-DVC members without buying points from current owners.

I remember staying here Way WAY back in 1991 when my family did an old "Big Red Boat" vacation, and I distinctly remember the cabins being pretty cool compared to other campgrounds we had visited. However, I'm sure from an amenity perspective, they probably need an upgrade to maintain their appeal to modern audiences and to command higher rates. Converting the resort to DVC gives Disney an instant influx of cash to finance these improvements.

April 21, 2023 at 11:36 AM

It's not just Orlando of course. When I was at Disneyland last month, we stayed at Disneyland Hotel, a cool first day at the pool and would have been warmer in the sun...except they were building a new tower for DVC there.

April 21, 2023 at 11:55 AM

With all the new DVC resorts being built or existing resorts being converted to them, either Disney is going to drop the prices of DVC to get more people to fill them, or the fifth gate may actually happen and Disney needs more rooms to accommodate the expected attendance increase.

April 21, 2023 at 12:42 PM

Time shares are such a horrible investment.

April 26, 2023 at 7:43 PM

But that’s just it - DVC and other timeshares aren’t an investment, just a way to pre-pay for years of vacations. And I say that as a DVC member.

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