The new Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort have welcomed their first surge of guests.
The longtime accommodations, located on Bay Lake across from Magic Kingdom theme park, are being rolled off and replaced with colorful, newly constructed models in phases. The first loop now is complete and ready for occupants.
“We have about 30 cabins on for this wave. Throughout the year, we’re going to introduce more cabin loops as we go,” said Lauren Gossett, general manager of Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. “In early 2025, we should be ready to go for everybody.”
There will be more than 350 units when the job is done and they will now be considered Disney Vacation Club properties. Each 504-square-foot cabin sits on the footprint of its predecessor. The campground dates back to 1971, a few weeks after Walt Disney World first opened.
“What I love the most, probably, is the additional windows. … Just the natural light, you can see the beautiful scenery around you,” Gossett said. “The Disney touches and the Disney IP [intellectual property] are fabulous — understated, but yet, so well done,” she said.
The new cabins have a high, slanted ceiling with out-of-reach windows that help form a wall of glass looking from the living area/kitchen unit onto a private deck. Each cabin sleeps up to six people. There are a queen-size bed and bunk beds in the separate bedroom plus a queen-size pull-down bed in the living area.
There’s a full bathroom (more up-there windows) with a stand-alone vanity in the adjacent hallway.
Disney characters are used sparingly inside. In a mural behind the lower bunk, visitors can spy Donald Duck’s feet sticking out of a pup tent. Chip ‘n’ Dale appear in multiple locations, from a silhouette in the drapes to wood carvings in the bedroom. Dale can be seen lounging in a tree behind the upper bunk next to a sign with the date of Nov. 19, the opening date of Fort Wilderness.
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“Chip ‘n’ Dale were a natural integration because they’re already at the fort and we wanted to just carry them into the cabins for that continuity, but then also highlight some of our other popular characters like Mickey, Pluto and Donald,” said Suzanne Szak, an interior designer on the project.
The design of the cabins is identical with a goal of “trying to maximize every square inch of space for guests to store their things,” Szak said. The bed is raised, making room for luggage beneath, and there are drawers under the bunk beds.
The furniture is multipurpose, she said, with stools used as dining-table seating or end tables.
The exteriors of the cabins are also identical to one another, with the exception of color. The new units are painted in outdoorsy greens, blues, reds and tans in contrast with the loggy brown look of the previous cabins. During the transition, Fort Wilderness visitors will be able to see both styles in place. The older cabins have been in use since 1999.
Incorporating the cabins into the DVC system will bring “the comforts of home to the great outdoors,” said Cesar Avila, senior manager of marketing and sales strategy.
It stands alone among the 17 DVC properties, which stretch from Disney World to Vero Beach to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina and out west to Disneyland in California and the Aulani resort in Hawaii.
“There really isn’t anything else like this,” Avila said.
“This is the first time that we have these like stand-alone cabins and you have your own private deck, you have the opportunity to grill outside, you can rent the golf cart and you can enjoy the entire property,” he said.
DVC membership is not required to stay in one of the new cabins.
Fort Wilderness covers 750 acres and hosts recreational vehicles and tents. It’s home to several recreational activities, including fishing, kayaking, archery and horseback riding. Also based at the resort is the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revenue, a long-running dinner show.
“I think we have such a great affiliation when it comes to our DVC members,” Gossett said. “It’s another thing to add to our portfolio. … It’s a different feel.”
dbevil@orlandosentinel.com
Disney World’s 25-year-old Fort Wilderness cabins make room for new ones
