Okay....
1) Ft.W was NOT an afterthought of WDW. It was actually part of Walt's original plan. He wanted somewhere people could get back to nature, yet still experience the "Disney Magic". It opened the same year as the Poly & Contemporary. The Golf Resort was behind by a few months.
2) The original sites were not concrete pads, they were all that lovely coquina shell we have all come to enjoy taking home with us after each trip. (LOL)
3) The original name was Fort Wilderness Campground - NOT - Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. The resort part came into play when the original cabins were installed.
4) The golf carts that they rent out are leased directly thru Club Car. The only ones Disney owns and re-sells thru property control, are the ones used by the CM's. However....if a guest "trashes" a golf cart (as I have seen numerous guests do - including a teenager driving one into the little lake by Meadow Pool - on purpose), WDW is responsible for the damage. I own my own cart, and I side with FtW management on the cost of renting one out. I wouldn't rent my "ride" to a stranger for less than $50/day.
5) Disney Corp has made a killing on FtW. For an investment much less than a hotel, and upkeep much less than a hotel (I'm not including the cabins here - just the campsites)... oh yeah... they're making $$$ by the bucket full. That being said, however... there were many, many years FtW sat half-empty year round, so initially they were slow in getting a return on the investment. It wasn't until after 9/11 that FtW has been virtually impossible to get ressies for. Before then you could drive up to the check-in gate any time including holiday weekends and just about tell them what site you'd like to be in. There were many years in the 70's thru early 90's that they would stick a note on your trailer/tent/RV asking if you would like to extend your stay and to call the front desk to do so.
When we first started camping at FtW in 1974, a campsite was $8.00/nite. There were no preferred sites - it was all the same rate. Now, in 1974 $8.00/nite was half a day's pay for me.
I tend to think that with the economy being in the toilet & recovery not expected until late 2009, WDW as a whole is going to be impacted. It will probably show first at FtW due to people not wanting to pay for the gas it takes to haul their RV/TT. Percentage wise, the people on this board represents a wee fraction of the total number of FtW guests. Look how many of us have changed our vacation plans this year? Little by little, it will (and probably is) hitting the other resorts.
I honestly think if FtW management is smart, they will delay some "renovations" until they see how the economy is going to affect them. They still need to upgrade the pool, but the rest (other than normal maintenance) could go on hold.