Camping at Disney world

[Bobafett]

Anyone pulled their rig to Disney World? We are thinking about making the trip. I'd like to know more about the good and the bad.

[robert9999]

They have the most amazing campgrounds at Ft Wilderness. You can rent a golf cart to get around. Its probably one of the best places for RV's in the country but it also has Disney prices. Way over $100./day. Its worth it though for a family trip as the cost of a room on Disney property is 2 -5 times that. There is bus service throughout the campgrounds also. If you are talking about parking for the day & going to a park than I would call ahead & see. I would bet they have a place & you can shuttle it to the gates.

[miketodd]

Like robert9999 said, Fort Wilderness is a great campground experience, as long as you are ok with the price. I will say that the transportation to and from parks on the buses and ferries is top notch and worth it not to have to drive and park at every park you visit.

[Kahoneys]

Originally Posted by miketodd

Like robert9999 said, Fort Wilderness is a great campground experience, as long as you are ok with the price. I will say that the transportation to and from parks on the buses and ferries is top notch and worth it not to have to drive and park at every park you visit.

X2 although we found it to be much quicker to drive to the park we visited. The last day we figure that we wasted 1 hour total being bussed and walking to the campsite. With your campground permit you get free parking at the parks and then your close to the gate and can leave anytime you please.

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by robert9999

. There is bus service throughout the campgrounds also. If you are talking about parking for the day & going to a park than I would call ahead & see. I would bet they have a place & you can shuttle it to the gates.

The only way you can get in anymore is by renting a Campsite, having a confirmed dining reservation or having the name & site# of the person you are visiting.

And as has been said, BEST CG around, although now more pricey. We used to average 5 months a yr(Oct and then Jan to May) until the discounts were taken away.

Lots of info here too: www.fortfiends.net

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by Bobafett

Anyone pulled their rig to Disney World? We are thinking about making the trip. I'd like to know more about the good and the bad.

Welcome to the forum. There are a number of us that are true Disney fans on this site.

I'm assuming you meant you wondered about staying at Ft.Wilderness...
The only 'bad' IMO, is the cost.
The campground and sites, the amenities, the access to the parks, and access to the park's transportation are all 'good'.... well actually much better than that!

robert9999 mentioned golf carts. IMO, if you have kids, the golf carts can be a big help. Those carts are available through Disney. You can rent the carts from companies outside the park for less $$ but the trade off is... -driving to get the cart,
-towing the vendor's trailer and cart to your site,
-returning the vendor's trailer, and then
-driving back to your site.
That process takes us (well, me ) about 45 minutes and is repeated when you return the golf cart. We rented a Disney golf cart the first time at 'The Fort' and have rented from the same off-site vendor every time after that. The time spent is worth the money saved, IMO.

Winter/spring 2018 we spent 2 weeks at The Fort - 1 week each with our 2 son's families. We're making plans for ALL 10 of us to meet at The Fort (in different RVs ) in winter 2021. The DW and I will be at The Fort sometime in the spring of 2020.

Hmmm. TMI, right? Disney fans are like that.
Like Grumpy said, check fortfiends. Also use the search function for Ft.Wilderness and see what stuff you find on this site. And you can always ask.

[Bobafett]

All great things so far! Thank you all. I should have prefaced with our Disney experience. We have 3 time shares and come here (we are here now) once or twice a year. We can rent out our time shares to cover any costs. It sounds like it will be a perfect experience. Thanks again for those that replied

[Sundancer330]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

The only way you can get in anymore is by renting a Campsite, having a confirmed dining reservation or having the name & site# of the person you are visiting.

And as has been said, BEST CG around, although now more pricey. We used to average 5 months a yr(Oct and then Jan to May) until the discounts were taken away.

Lots of info here too: www.fortfiends.net

You can still get in but you cant park at the main lot up front unless you meet the requirements as stated. We have stayed at other resorts and taken the boat over to the fort, or you can take the bus to the front then hop on one of the internal busses, nobody checks. My favorite part about staying at the fort is taking the boat over to the MK in the morning, its so peaceful crossing the lake, no traffic and you are dropped right out front.

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by Bobafett

All great things so far! Thank you all. I should have prefaced with our Disney experience. We have 3 time shares and come here (we are here now) once or twice a year. We can rent out our time shares to cover any costs. It sounds like it will be a perfect experience. Thanks again for those that replied

Definitely. Watch Fireworks from the Beach, Chip & Dale Campfire Sing-a-long & movie, Dinner at Trails End (Buffet) take the boat to the MK or Contemporary and hop on the Monorail. Take a buggy ride (extra $) Rent a canoe, kids games at the pool, take the boat or a bus to Wilderness Lodge to eat or just check it out, or just relax.

When you do...Enjoy.

[Midnightmoon]

Don't forget the Hoop Dee Do Review.

[mcderyan]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

Definitely. Watch Fireworks from the Beach, Chip & Dale Campfire Sing-a-long & movie, Dinner at Trails End (Buffet) take the boat to the MK or Contemporary and hop on the Monorail. Take a buggy ride (extra $) Rent a canoe, kids games at the pool, take the boat or a bus to Wilderness Lodge to eat or just check it out, or just relax.

When you do...Enjoy.

You mention watching the fireworks from the beach. Its been a few years for us, with a return trip planned for Halloween. But, we used to go to the contemporary on the boat, take the elevator to the restaurant, near the top, then a stairwell to the roof. You could go up there, where there is speakers, and see the fireworks from the rooftop of the contemporary, and here the story and music to go with it. Amazing

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by mcderyan

You mention watching the fireworks from the beach. Its been a few years for us, with a return trip planned for Halloween. But, we used to go to the contemporary on the boat, take the elevator to the restaurant, near the top, then a stairwell to the roof. You could go up there, where there is speakers, and see the fireworks from the rooftop of the contemporary, and here the story and music to go with it. Amazing

Only way up there now is with a dinner reservation. However the music is piped onto the beach.

[usmc616]

Camped there in 2010, best vacation ever, Fort Wilderness is very well maintained. We downloaded the I95 camping guide and spent a few nights in CG's along the way. Cost is higher than other CG's but you do get more for your money. My kids loved sitting with Chip n Dale in the evening. The pool at Fort Wilderness was also very well maintained.

[michael.g]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

The only way you can get in anymore is by renting a Campsite, having a confirmed dining reservation...www.fortfiends.net

Yes, make sure if you plan to eat at Trails End and aren't staying at the Fort that you have a reservation. Two years ago we were at Saratoga Springs and wanted to eat at Trails End one morning. It was a quiet time of the year so didn't bother with reservations. Security gave us a really hard time, even with our Saratoga Springs parking pass. He even had the nerve to tell us they had a stack of reservations so tall. He finally let us through after deciding we seemed like nice enough folks.

Of course Trails End was half empty. We told the manager our experience. He went on and on about how bad Security is.

-Michael

[Octopus Prime]

We left Fort Wilderness yesterday.
It was our first trip there, and we enjoyed it to much.
They have tightened up on security recently due to thefts. I appreciate the fact that they aren't letting people in without much questioning.

We didn't have a golf cart. 500 loop worked well for us. Bus and boat transportation was efficient.

The only down side is the high price.

[deewaltguy]

Let me preface this by saying, I'm not a big Disney fan. It's phony, contrived and manipulating. That said, my granddaughters love it, so we go every 2 years or so.
Last trip we dragged the TT down I95 from Maryland (about 1,000 mi each way)
The tow was straightforward enough, and the campground was everything you'd expect from Disney, expensive, but worth it.
Forgetting the amusement park it's attached to for a moment, Fort Wilderness is the best campground I've ever camped in, and number 2 ain't even close.
It was immaculate, there are turkey, deer, squirrels and snakes all over. It is very woodsy-feeling.
I'd get up early, give my wife and the girls the camper and walk to the bathhouse to shower. It was invariably spotless. The amenities were great, pools, playgrounds and the camp movie/ sing along/ campfire were a favorite of the girls.
Service was great and I love the feel of the campground. I camped at Hershey Park last week and saw every one of my neighbors. Camping at Disney. the loops are curved to the point that if I saw 1-2 other campers that was the most.
In short, we loved everything about it.