Late February rates

[Ddude]

We have been camping every year at Ft. Wilderness since 2013 usually several weeks in January and February. Last year was the first year we didn't stay at the Fort simply because our Florida travel plans wouldn't allow it. We have a similar schedule this year but decided to see if we could squeeze a visit in between Feb. 25th and March 1st. At first didn't realize this was peak spring break but realized that when I saw the rates. I doubt we will go with the prices for a Full Hookup being over $220!! I know the prices keep going up but I still have receipts for our first Fort visit in 2013 - Full hookup was $65 night. Additionally there seems to be unlimited availability even over the weekends - something I have never seen in the 12 years of paying attention to the Forts availability for our trips. This is not a complaint post, just an expression of astonishment. We've been staying at a lot of Florida State parks recently and I guess that may be my go-to Florida trip from now on. We loved our time at Ft. Wilderness but they have simply jumped the shark with these prices! If there are any real discounts available I don't see it. Could these price levels be in advance of DVC and accommodating the new level of maintenance and transportation that will be required when every cabin is almost always full?

 

[team bradfield]

I'm at the fort until 3-5, it is full, people keep forking the cash over, it doesn't stop us..Still cheaper than a hotel room

 

[Teamubr]

Our own @bama_ed compiles a Fort price guide each year and some of the high season rates are pretty shocking. I think the time frame you are looking at is a result of Easter falling at the end of March and Spring Breaks aligning through the month. Supply and Demand.

As for availability, I've also been following and the availability for campsites has been interesting. Some of it is the lovely Disney reservation system and the odd ways it will show no availability for a short stay, but lots of availability for a longer stay encompassing the same dates as the short stay. Some may be loops taken out for maintenance, infrastructure updates. I don't think we are seeing any impact from the cabin DVC yet.

j

 

[bama_ed]

These prices have no discounts since people are willing to pay rack rates.

And the prices have been super high (and getting higher) for several years now.

I started tracking rates with the 2015 year (only a few years after your last visit) and here's what's in the files (note these numbers are rounded and include the 12.5% tax):

Date Range 2015	Rate 2015	Tent or Pop-Up Campsite Weekday	Tent or Pop-Up Campsite Weekend	Full Hook-Up Campsite Weekday	Full Hook-Up Campsite Weekend	Preferred Campsite Weekday	Preferred Campsite Weekend	Premium Campsite Weekday	Premium Campsite Weekend
Feb 16-Mar 28	Peak	$93	$110	$133	$141	$145	$151	$151	$156​

Here are the 2024 rates as I have them again with tax included:

2024 Date Range - Rates Include 12.5% Tax	Tent or Pop-Up Campsite Weekday	Tent or Pop-Up Campsite Weekend	Full Hook-Up Campsite Weekday	Full Hook-Up Campsite Weekend	Preferred Campsite Weekday	Preferred Campsite Weekend	Premium Campsite Weekday	Premium Campsite Weekend	Premium Meadow Campsite Weekday	Premium Meadow Campsite Weekend
Feb 23-Apr 5	$195	$195	$240	$240	$260	$260	$272	$272	$296	$296

And resort rooms on property have gone up similarly over the same period so the campsite rates have no impact from the pending DVC cabins coming in.

Looking at my spreadsheet the Full sites from 2019 to 2022 went up 6-9% per year and then slowed down for 2023-2024 3-5%. That's a lot of compounding.

My thought is that since the Full loops represent the most affordable campsites with sewer connections, more people have been choosing Full sites versus the more expensive Preferred, Premium, and Premium Meadow sites. Heck, they pulled the cabins out of loop 2100 in 2018 or 2019 to convert them back to Full hookup campsites since campsites were in higher demand than the cabins were.

Enough people choose to pay so rates remain high(er).

I got back two weeks ago from a Fort Trip and stayed in the Tent loops (we have a popup) and paid (with tax) $115 for weekdays and $158 for weeknights (weekends are higher because the weather is wonderful for tent campers and weekends are in higher demand with locals who only come in for the few days. And it was pretty darn full then.

Honestly I am surprised at the availability (all but Tent sites available) for your dates so it might be good for Disney to sit with some empty non-revenue producing inventory this time around. But the dates you chose show the same rate for weekdays and weekend nights. $213 plus tax.



So it's prime pricing like Christmas to New Years.

Bama Ed