Bonuses of Camping at Fort Wilderness?

[SA mom]

We visit the Orlando area about every other year. We stay at the Swan on points so our lodging only costs less than $50 in parking and resort fees. We just bought a camper and my daughters would love Camp at Fort Wilderness. However, convincing the husband to pay over $100 a night to camp is going to take some doing.

What are some unique qualities of Fort Wilderness that keep you coming back?

 

[FtW Mike]

Hang around this forum for a while and you'll see a HUGE part of the attraction for us. The other guests. We have done AKL and couldn't wait to get back to The Fort. Other guests are just friendlier. When you get back to your camper you sleep in your own bed. You have a better separation from the people in the "ROOM" next to you. We can bring our furry kids. Outwitting the NSS. The other campers. Easy access to MK.

 

[Disneypeach]

For me, it's like getting two vacations for the price of one...Disney and camping. There is so much to do at the Fort that I don't even go to the parks some days. I've stayed at various hotels on property but I always come back to the Fort. Mike is right, there is a different vibe to staying there...fun but peaceful, close to the action but in nature, and the neighbors are super nice!

 

[FtW Mike]

And don't forget the NSS Hours of comical antics for your amusement and laughs , while they rob you blind

 

[FortForever]

- Sleeping in your own beds and kids don't have to share a bed
- A full kitchen to prepare your own food. Conceivably, you would have to spend nothing on Disney food, but I think most people at least prepare and eat breakfast at their campers. We personally bring our own food.
- Camping is more fun than hotels. You can sit outside, at your site and have a fire pit.
- Nightly campfires with Chip and Dale where you can roast marshmallows
- The Fort is a much more relaxed environment to de-stress after parks
- Kids are not stuck in a hotel room. They can ride bikes, scooters, play on the playground, just run around and have fun.

 

[mco65]

- Sleeping in your own beds and kids don't have to share a bed
- A full kitchen to prepare your own food. Conceivably, you would have to spend nothing on Disney food, but I think most people at least prepare and eat breakfast at their campers. We personally bring our own food.
- Camping is more fun than hotels. You can sit outside, at your site and have a fire pit.
- Nightly campfires with Chip and Dale where you can roast marshmallows
- The Fort is a much more relaxed environment to de-stress after parks
- Kids are not stuck in a hotel room. They can ride bikes, scooters, play on the playground, just run around and have fun.

PREACH!!! one of these days!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

What are some unique qualities of Fort Wilderness that keep you coming back?

The folks at The Fort are more friendly than at ANY other WDW resort. *
. . . you can actually talk to them, and not a quickie "Hi" as you pass in the hallway
. . . your kids will make friends and sometimes pal-around with them (at The Fort and even in the parks) for the entire
. . . you and your kids will meet people and sometimes come back every year at the same time to get together
. . . there are enough Fort activities, that many campers seldom, or never, actually go to the parks

* Campers are simply a different type of vacationer. They gather, they talk, they become friends.

 

[peg110]

All of the above... Adding, you are less limited (then flying) in the amount of baggage you bring with you (and more importantly take back with the additional souvenirs.) You can bring clothes for ALL seasons (since depending on when you go, You could need WARM clothes and COOLER clothes all in the same day.

Not only are the people nicer, the staff also seem to be friendlier as well.
Depending on the season.... The decorations are awesome. Not just the ones that Disney puts up but other campers. (Some of them should work for WDW with the decorations they put up).

 

[Barney Fife]

All great posts here. Like FtWMike, we've stayed in resorts too. One year we had APs but shortly after our 12 day Fort trip, we sold the camper. So we returned that summer and stayed at AS Movies, the Contemporary, and POFQ. When the POFQ trip was done, the entire family agreed we did not want to return until we got another camper so we could stay at the Fort.

Staying at the Fort in my own my camper in my own bed: its like having your house on Disney property.

 

[SA mom]

Y'all are awesome. I come from a family of campers. Every year, we caravaned together with relatives and friends to Big Bend National Park. Probably 8 families in all. You are right about campers being a different kind of people, emphasis on kind. My husband learned to camp from me and my family.

We've been wanting a TT for 12 years, but we live in town and have no place to store it. We finally asked my sister if we can store at her house. Her response,"Sure, no problem, but you should use our truck to pull it, then you can get a bigger one that you really love." So, we just picked up the bigger one that we love and we can hardly wait to take it out.

How far in advance do you book your spots? With so many people booking spots and not using them, do you have a problem getting one?

We are coming to Fort Wilderness some day, God willing and the creek don't rise.

 

[rajak73]

* Campers are simply a different type of vacationer. They gather, they talk, they become friends.

This for one
I don't have to put my tv remote in a plastic bag and worry about germs
I don't have to Lysol everything down after I get there
I can walk on the carpet WITHOUT shoes or socks
It's MY butt groove on the recliner
I don't have to worry about sneaking in my crock pot for food
I don't have to change sheets and pillowcases and worry about bed bugs
I can leave my cooler outside the door
I can bring enough booze to serve a loop (and the Margarita Maker)
I can bring my own food from home. (We buy meat "on the hoof" from a feeder I work for, so much different than grocery store meat)
I can sit outside at night and hear nothing.
Our last trip down in Dec 2014, we have a Treager portable grill, brought our own Prime rib, so cooked prime rib one night at the fort. Yeh, we rough it.
At times you have to look at more things than price.

 

[rajak73]

How far in advance do you book your spots? With so many people booking spots and not using them, do you have a problem getting one?

You were typing same time as me. We are going in June 2018, Planning on making reservations close to the 499 days out. We've never had a problem getting a site but I always book early.

 

[christianweecare]

We are diehard Disney fans that have been going to WDW for almost 42 years. We have been DVC for 12 years. Wish we had done that sooner. DH & I are empty-nesters nearing retirement age. We started camping several years ago and finally bought our own small travel trailer a year ago. We love camping life. We will camp at FW for the first time this October. My only regret is that we just have the weekend there. No parks. Just FW. Looking forward to it!

 

[christianweecare]

You were typing same time as me. We are going in June 2018, Planning on making reservations close to the 499 days out. We've never had a problem getting a site but I always book early.

How far in advance can you book? 499 days out? Wow!

 

[mco65]

I think you have to call to book that early.. can't do that from the web ??

 

[peg110]

How far in advance can you book? 499 days out? Wow!

499 days is currently the limit. You cannot do it online though, You must call to book this early. Deposit will be based on current pricing but will be adjusted as the actual prices for your timeframe get announced.

 

[rajak73]

Yes 499 days I believe from when you check out, not when you check in.

You cannot do it online though, You must call to book this early. Deposit will be based on current pricing but will be adjusted as the actual prices for your timeframe get announced.

You are right, You can not book online that far in advance, you must call. They make if really clear that it is NOT the actual price and will be adjusted when new rates come out. They tell you that like 5 times when you book that far out.

 

[rajak73]

My only regret is that we just have the weekend there. No parks. Just FW. Looking forward to it!

You won't need to worry about going to the parks, so many things to do at Fort or just get on the boat to the Contemporary and hop the Monorail and ride around the resorts.

 

[bama_ed]

For SA mom on when to reserve a site:

Some times of year (Thanksgiving week, Christmas-New Years, Halloween) are times I would recommend a year in advance. You may think that's extreme but it's not.

The weeks before and after Easter Sunday are the next busiest time because it coincides with many people's spring break time (spring is generally very expensive).

Weekends are often booked up early by Floridians close enough to drive in for the 2 nights (that's jealousy in my voice you hear, Allie and Terri) and they book those well in advance. So sometimes you will get no availability for a Sunday arrival and Saturday departure. But if you try Sunday arrival and Friday departure you might. So keep that in mind when booking. The weekend bookers generally do it October to May.

I put together a thread to show rack rates at the Fort for 2017. These are non-discounted rates with tax rounded to the nearest dollar. It's helpful for planning purposes. Suffice it to say, the higher the rates - the more popular the campground is (and in demand).

http://www.disboards.com/threads/so...-2017-fort-wilderness-campsite-rates.3526550/

Hubby will love camping at the Fort I promise. However, I stay away from June-September because of the heat/humidity/rain. A trailer with AC means you can survive, of course, but I like my time outside and at the Fort and not being trapped inside (or else I would have gotten a hotel room, right? )

Bama Ed

PS - I like to say my camper is my cabin in the woods, my condo at the beach, and my DVC at Disney. Whenever I take my trailer, I am sleeping in my OWN bed on vacation. It feels good...

 

[bama_ed]

This for one

It's MY butt groove on the recliner

rajak73, that's too much information, brother.

Bama Ed