Disney and Ft. Wilderness

[Jacjayco]

DW and I are planning a trip this coming fall (after the kids are back in school). I know that there are DW experts here, so I'm looking for advice.
It's been more than 25 years since the last visit. We don't know what has happened there, what's new, what's not to be missed and any other tips from the Disney University alumni here!
We've never stayed at Ft. W so any and all info you can provide will be appreciated.
I know that there's a lot of info out there with YouTube and other social media but I wanted to ask here to get an RV version.
TIA!

[Midnightmoon]

I have a long running Ft. Wilderness thread from a few years ago that will give you a good starting point. You can take a look at it here.

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...ons-52621.html

Here is another good one.

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...ess-54987.html

We will be back there in June if all goes well. If you have anything specific that you need to know, just ask.

[Kim Gass]

My kids and grandkids are going to DW in a week. I have never camped there so no idea of Ft Wilderness but my daughter mentioned you have to plan ahead for visiting. Apparently you may have to visit only one Kingdom a day and a timed visit. The rules changed very recently.. we used to do several kingdoms with a Fast Pass( now extinct)

I don't know the particulars but research that well ahead!

[Jopopsy]

I’ll be there in 8 days; third time for us at the Fort. I’m interested to see how its changed, for the better or worse. I’ll post back after the Mouse takes all my money.

[Sundancer330]

If you want some great info check out Disboards.com, scroll down in the forums to Camping at Disney World. Its loaded with a wealth of info and if you have any questions ask away they are a great bunch of people. Camping at the Fort for a week was one of our best camping trips ever.

[2edgesword]

Enjoy!

[bucko]

Cost! Prices at the park have gone up alot in the past 25 years at DW. Be prepared for that.

Otherwise, it's a nice campground. Some say the spots are difficult to park into if you have a trailer style (TT).

[Trapper2020]

Disney. No more. Enjoy the greatly inflated costs.

Safe travels

Enjoy the journey

[HAL9001]

I've been to Disney theme parks 9 times this season as I'm currently RVing in FL for a few months. Disney has changed dramatically since it reopened after Covid (never mind in 25 years). The prices have increased, the ticket system has changed, and Genie+ was introduced. But the biggest change is the size of the crowds which is now off the charts. Be prepared for very large crowds and long lines for rides. My guess is that people are returning to vacationing in droves after the long Covid break. Hopefully, it will calm down a bit before you go.

If you want to survive Disney parks these days, you'll need the Disney Genie app on your smartphone. Without it, you'll be at a great disadvantage. You should download, install, and familiarize yourselves with it well before you go. When in the parks, always have it open and active. Disney now expects people to use this app, it's really not an option. If you don't use it, others that do will be going circles around you for rides, entertainment, and food.

You'll first need to purchase tickets which you can do on the app, although you can get them slightly cheaper at https://www.visitorlando.com/.
Just having tickets however does not get you into any of the parks. You now must also book a reservation for a specific park for a specific day as well. Without a reservation, you may be turned away at the entrance. Be absolutely sure you have a reservation for the park before you go. You can make reservations on the Disney Website or the Disney smartphone app. Be aware that the ticket price does not include parking. If you wish to park there, it costs $25 per day.

Once you get into a park, you'll immediately notice the massive crowds and the long lines. If you don't want to wait up to 2 hours for the popular rides, you'll need to use Genie+. It costs $15 per person per day. It will give you a fast pass to certain rides at specific times with specific limitations (see website). Genie+ is costly and confusing to use, but it may be your only hope to get on enough of your favorite rides per day.

If you want to eat at a sit-down restaurant in the parks, you'll need to make a reservation online early in the day or the night before. This is done with the app. If you don't do this, you'll likely be turned away at the door of the restaurants. Even if you just want to buy fast food in the parks, it's best to order online to avoid very long lines and waiting. It's really a zoo there nowadays.

I'm not trying to discourage you from going, but for the best experience, you really need to know these things. If you need more information, search for Disney parks on YouTube. There are extensive, up-to-date reports there detailing and demonstrating everything I said.

Due to the current crowds, Ft. Wilderness usually needs to be booked well in advance. If you plan to visit this fall, book as early as possible. If you can't find a spot there, there are many excellent RV resorts in the Orlando area. PM me if you need a recommendation. I'm currently staying at a superb RV resort about 40 miles west of Orlando. It's very easy to commute to Disney or Universal Studios.

Speaking of Universal, it's significantly less expensive to go there and they have two excellent theme parks (soon to be three). Universal is a lot friendlier and less stressful than Disney IMO. Both are money-making machines, but Universal still cares greatly about their customers whereas Disney does not seem to any longer. If you have any problems, Universal will usually bend over backward to help you, whereas Disney never even answered any of my email inquiries and you have to wait in a long line just to speak to Disney Guest Services about anything.

Let me know if you need any additional info.

[klinner28]

Originally Posted by HAL9001

I've been to Disney theme parks 9 times this season as I'm currently RVing in FL for a few months. Disney has changed dramatically since it reopened after Covid (never mind in 25 years). The prices have increased, the ticket system has changed, and Genie+ was introduced. But the biggest change is the size of the crowds which is now off the charts. Be prepared for very large crowds and long lines for rides. My guess is that people are returning to vacationing in droves after the long Covid break. Hopefully, it will calm down a bit before you go.

If you want to survive Disney parks these days, you'll need the Disney Genie app on your smartphone. Without it, you'll be at a great disadvantage. You should download, install, and familiarize yourselves with it well before you go. When in the parks, always have it open and active. Disney now expects people to use this app, it's really not an option. If you don't use it, others that do will be going circles around you for rides, entertainment, and food.

You'll first need to purchase tickets which you can do on the app, although you can get them slightly cheaper at https://www.visitorlando.com/.
Just having tickets however does not get you into any of the parks. You now must also book a reservation for a specific park for a specific day as well. Without a reservation, you may be turned away at the entrance. Be absolutely sure you have a reservation for the park before you go. You can make reservations on the Disney Website or the Disney smartphone app. Be aware that the ticket price does not include parking. If you wish to park there, it costs $25 per day.

Once you get into a park, you'll immediately notice the massive crowds and the long lines. If you don't want to wait up to 2 hours for the popular rides, you'll need to use Genie+. It costs $15 per person per day. It will give you a fast pass to certain rides at specific times with specific limitations (see website). Genie+ is costly and confusing to use, but it may be your only hope to get on enough of your favorite rides per day.

If you want to eat at a sit-down restaurant in the parks, you'll need to make a reservation online early in the day or the night before. This is done with the app. If you don't do this, you'll likely be turned away at the door of the restaurants. Even if you just want to buy fast food in the parks, it's best to order online to avoid very long lines and waiting. It's really a zoo there nowadays.

I'm not trying to discourage you from going, but for the best experience, you really need to know these things. If you need more information, search for Disney parks on YouTube. There are extensive, up-to-date reports there detailing and demonstrating everything I said.

Due to the current crowds, Ft. Wilderness usually needs to be booked well in advance. If you plan to visit this fall, book as early as possible. If you can't find a spot there, there are many excellent RV resorts in the Orlando area. PM me if you need a recommendation. I'm currently staying at a superb RV resort about 40 miles west of Orlando. It's very easy to commute to Disney or Universal Studios.

Speaking of Universal, it's significantly less expensive to go there and they have two excellent theme parks (soon to be three). Universal is a lot friendlier and less stressful than Disney IMO. Both are money-making machines, but Universal still cares greatly about their customers whereas Disney does not seem to any longer. If you have any problems, Universal will usually bend over backward to help you, whereas Disney never even answered any of my email inquiries and you have to wait in a long line just to speak to Disney Guest Services about anything.

Let me know if you need any additional info.

Interesting thing is that Disney is limiting crowds so they're theoretically not at full capacity yet. However, the difference is that there are now no slow days... unlike pre-covid when you can count on low crowds at certain times of the year. In February, the crowds were insane when they are historically lower.

[HAL9001]

Originally Posted by klinner28

Interesting thing is that Disney is limiting crowds so they're theoretically not at full capacity yet. However, the difference is that there are now no slow days... unlike pre-covid when you can count on low crowds at certain times of the year. In February, the crowds were insane when they are historically lower.

If they're limiting crowds, they're limiting them to what they want, not what any visitors would consider reasonable. I've never seen such crowds at a theme park before. Even my sister, who has vacationed at Disney nearly every year for decades, was astonished. Just to buy a Dole Whip requires a 30-minute wait.

Again, hopefully the crowds will return to normal, but right now, be prepared.

[Route 66 Traveler]

Originally Posted by Trapper2020

Disney. No more. Enjoy the greatly inflated costs.


Safe travels

Enjoy the journey

First time I ever went to Disneyland (CA) was after it first opened. General admission was $1.00 and you bought ticket books for the rides.

We would go later in the afternoon when lots of people were all ready leaving. My brother and I would get our hands stamped at the exit and wait for people coming out. We would asked them if they had any remaining tickets they weren't going to use...got lots and lots of A & B tickets. The prize would be to get a few E tickets for the Matterhorn and the Fight to the Moon ride. Ten dollars each would last us all day.

The last time we were there was with the grandkids about 10 years ago. One was in a stroller and the other was walking or being carried. The tickets to visit both DL and California Adventure was a bit over $200 for my wife and I...but what the heck, it was for the kids!

After about 2 1/2 hours the kids were tired and wanted to go home They managed to last almost 2 hours more, but then they were fussing so bad that we left and went home. The tickets were bad enough, but the price of the food was utterly ridiculous. I honestly don't know how families can afford to go there with their kids today. Or how the place can still be so crowded given the high costs of tickets and food, and the long wait times for a 2 minute thrill ride.

That was the last time we were there and I have no plans of returning anytime soon..

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by Route 66 Traveler

First time I ever went to Disneyland (CA) was after it first opened. General admission was $1.00 and you bought ticket books for the rides.

We would go later in the afternoon when lots of people were all ready leaving. My brother and I would get our hands stamped at the exit and wait for people coming out. We would asked them if they had any remaining tickets they weren't going to use...got lots and lots of A & B tickets. The prize would be to get a few E tickets for the Matterhorn and the Fight to the Moon ride. Ten dollars each would last us all day.

I was a Magic Key Club member and we could get a book of all "E" tickets for the same price as the regular book if we bought them in the Spring or Fall. What was also great back then, those tickets were good at both DL & WDW and they never expired... 1st DL trip for me was 1968...

[HAL9001]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

I was a Magic Key Club member and we could get a book of all "E" tickets for the same price as the regular book if we bought them in the Spring or Fall. What was also great back then, those tickets were good at both DL & WDW and they never expired... 1st DL trip for me was 1968...

I remember those days. I first went to Disney World soon after it opened. It was a delight back then.

Those days are long gone. The first thing you notice now is that the Disney parks are a money-making machine very carefully engineered to extract the last vacation dollar you own.

My adult nephew really wanted to go on the new Star Wars Rise of the Resistance ride. We tried several times but the line times were over two hours. An expensive day at Disney goes by fast, a two-hour wait for a ride takes away valuable time from everything else. So, in order to get on this ride the next time we went, he had to purchase Genie+ for $15 and then pay another $15 for a reservation just for this one ride. Even then the wait time was still over 40 minutes.

You'll pay $$$$ for everything at Disney nowadays. Watch this video to see what I mean.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W2ZZUxza24&t=905s

[mini4mw]

When we camped at FW 3 years ago it was less than $100/night, now its 170. That is the same price we paid for a Deluxe room 4 years ago. Now you need Genie and Lightening (I think its called) passes to ride anything in a reasonable amount of time. Both are extra costs on top of admission, Genie gets you in most rides old 'fast pass' lane but it doesn't get you in the top tier rides, the ones you want to ride. You need the lightening pass for that which is more money per person and per side. And just to make sure you have a great vacation, you need to schedule the genie pass rides at 7am the day you go to the park, not 180 days before like it used to be. Killing the ease of a vacation and taking lots o money. If you have a larger family its crazy expensive to go. We're going back again in May after a few years off and I guess we'll see if this is the last time for an even longer break from what was our favorite place to go as a family.

I've heard Universal used to almost rival Disney and now with all the changes in the past 2-3 years its much better. After this trip, if we are not heading West, we'll probably hit Universal. Sad face.

PS, we always camp in Loops 1-3 at the top near the ferry. Easy walking distance. If we don't take the ferry we just drive as the buses take forever at FW.

[Route 66 Traveler]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

1st DL trip for me was 1968...

Got you beat by 10 years...1958 for me. During the week there were hardly any lines, except for the most popular rides...the "E" ticket ones. During the summer we went 3-4 times a week. Other days we would go to Knotts Berry Farm. Admission and parking were free and the longest lines were at Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner restaurant, $3.99 if I remember correctly.

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by mini4mw

If you have a larger family its crazy expensive to go. .

What's even crazier is, as the price goes up the crowd level does too.

[HAL9001]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

What's even crazier is, as the price goes up the crowd level does too.

That's addressed in the video I posted above. To control the crowd size but not reduce park income, Disney is steadily pricing out many visitors by making the parks too expensive for many to attend. If this continues, only the upper-middle class and wealthy will be able to afford it.

However, so far, it does not appear to be working. People are simply spending as much money as Disney wants to come.

A week at Disney for a family of four, including park hotels and admission currently costs around $6,000. That does not include airfare.

[Yooper906]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

What's even crazier is, as the price goes up the crowd level does too.

What's crazier yet, why is Disney getting into politics? I don't understand the reasoning.

This used to be a great place to take the family for a vacation. Why would a company that's main purpose is to provide recreation and vacations even do this?

Hey, I realize it's their business as far as prices, and charge whatever customers will put up with, long lines and extra fees. But politics?

[HAL9001]

Originally Posted by Yooper906

What's crazier yet, why is Disney getting into politics? I don't understand the reasoning.

This used to be a great place to take the family for a vacation. Why would a company that's main purpose is to provide recreation and vacations even do this?

Hey, I realize it's their business as far as prices, and charge whatever customers will put up with, long lines and extra fees. But politics?

Disney has always been into politics, this is nothing new. It's only making headlines now because they're butting heads with the FL governor whereas before they were very popular with FL politicians because of the vast amounts of money that they bring into the state.

Probably not be wise to talk about that here or else this thread might get quickly shut down.