Fort Wilderness

[stratman50th]

Greetings all! Been a couple years since I posted. I have a RV and have been thinking what it might be like to stay at Ft Wilderness. SoI was kind of searching around in here but couldn't find a specific location where the threads might be, like the Hotels, Dining, Resorts, etc. I searched but just got a lot of individual threads. I'd kind of like to just go through each post under one header if possible. If not, I can enter my search again and read them in order. Many of the posts though were within a thread that may or may not have been exclusive to the campground.
Thanks,
Don

 

[KCheatle]

There's many forums under the header of "Resort Hotels." Specifically, this website has Fort Wilderness reviews at: http://www.wdwmagic.com/resorts/disneys-fort-wilderness-campground.htm

Hope that helps!!

 

[stratman50th]

Thank you, and I see my thread has been moved, thank you all...
So now I'll get to the specifics and get a conversation started, I hope.

The first place I stayed in WDW was Fort Wilderness campground. It was about 1979. At that time we went to River Country, the Contemporary, and Magic Kingdom.That was about it. I was in a pup tent. Lot's of armadillos!
Been back another 17 times. I've stayed in the Contemporary (Wings) the Polynesian, French Quarter, Tree House Villas (1989) and Old Key West. Favorite sit down restaurant is Ohana. But a close second is the Trails End Restaurant.
So here is the question I'm asking that I'd love to hear from you all about. What is camping in Fort Wilderness like now? I currently have a 42' Country Coach and I thought I might like to try out the campground in something besides a pup tent. Talk about anything campground related, and I'd also like to hear from those who have big rigs. How did it go, sites, ease of in and out, etc...
Thanks, Don

 

[sjhym333]

We have stayed at Fort Wilderness several times but not in a camper though. I will say that the way the roads in each loop are made it looks like backing into a campsite is not hard. I have seen lots of people do it and it seems fairly easy.

We find Fort Wilderness to be fairly relaxing compared to other resorts. There are two pools and the one closest to the Trading Post tends to be very busy with families while the other pool is more relaxing. There are two stores in the campground. One just about center and the other near the boat dock. They sell Disney stuff and essential camping things including a selection of food stuff, though they tend to be expensive but great when you need a last minute thing to complete dinner. There are canoes and bikes to rent and a lot of people rent golf carts to get around the campground. You will see them parked everywhere near the boat dock to get to the MK and hotels. Each loop has a restroom and they are very clean and have showers and there are laundry facilities. Every night there is a campfire sing along and free Disney movies outside. There is a petting zoo and the Trails End Restaurant is a nice place to grab some food if you don't want to cook or you just want to grab a drink. The beach is fairly quite on Bay Lake and like the hotels you can rent boats. We love Ft. Wilderness. I think it is a very different Disney vacation.

 

[stratman50th]

We have stayed at Fort Wilderness several times but not in a camper though. I will say that the way the roads in each loop are made it looks like backing into a campsite is not hard. I have seen lots of people do it and it seems fairly easy.

We find Fort Wilderness to be fairly relaxing compared to other resorts. There are two pools and the one closest to the Trading Post tends to be very busy with families while the other pool is more relaxing. There are two stores in the campground. One just about center and the other near the boat dock. They sell Disney stuff and essential camping things including a selection of food stuff, though they tend to be expensive but great when you need a last minute thing to complete dinner. There are canoes and bikes to rent and a lot of people rent golf carts to get around the campground. You will see them parked everywhere near the boat dock to get to the MK and hotels. Each loop has a restroom and they are very clean and have showers and there are laundry facilities. Every night there is a campfire sing along and free Disney movies outside. There is a petting zoo and the Trails End Restaurant is a nice place to grab some food if you don't want to cook or you just want to grab a drink. The beach is fairly quite on Bay Lake and like the hotels you can rent boats. We love Ft. Wilderness. I think it is a very different Disney vacation.

Thanks! We love the Trail's End. It's our last restaurant before ending the trip. I like the idea of quiet pools. Also my wife and I are pretty much done with the parks believe it or not. If we decided to go back again it would be nice to have our own house with us.

 

[slappy magoo]

Never stayed there but it's consistently ranked one of the absolute best campsites in the country.

 

[unkadug]

Never stayed there but it's consistently ranked one of the absolute best campsites in the country.

I wonder if the rankings could be skewed just because they are WDW and not someplace not so exciting???

 

[slappy magoo]

I wonder if the rankings could be skewed just because they are WDW and not someplace not so exciting???

I suppose that could skew the polling but it's supposed to be based on the quality of the campground and it's amenities versus location. The amount and upkeep of the shower/bathroom stations is supposedly miles above most campgrounds. Add the on site entertainment and eateries, it could be a vacation in itself even if you never hit a theme park.

 

[deanaandrich]

The biggest changes you will see.... More golf carts, less privacy in your campsite (depending on loop) and no more trams.
Things that haven't changed: best campsites, best comfort stations, best amenities around.
You won't regret it. Bring your big rig. You shouldn't have a problem.

 

[stratman50th]

We like nice campgrounds and RV resorts. As I've said, we're done with the parks for a very long time. But the campground could easily be a destination if it's as nice as you all say it is. Trails End is worth it on it's own. Best kept secret at DW.

 

[sissa216]

I love Fort Wilderness! It absolutely is the best campground in the country. I'm constantly using it to measure all other campgrounds by, and nothing ever comes close. Close to the magic or not, it is fantastic!

We only have a popup, but my parents have a 40-something foot motorhome, and have had no problems parking or getting in and out when they've stayed there. There was a refurbishment several years ago, and all of the premium sites have a large paved pad to accommodate larger trailers (I think they're 60 feet long). There are premium, preferred, and full hook up loops. The preferred loops are 100-300, closest to the marina. 400 is a great location: a premium loop just a short walk from the marina/settlement depot/ Pioneer Hall.

I agree, the sites themselves aren't very large or private- but there is a great amount of landscaping and trees.

Last year spring break, we took the week to do a non-parks trip. We spent the entire time relaxing and taking advantage of recreation (boating, swimming, fishing). Of course, being in the center of WDW was a nice perk; we traveled around the resorts and took advantage of dining, and caught the Electrical Water Pageant and Wishes from the marina each night.

I wrote up my review on the KK blog last year (here). I really can't say enough good things about FW!

 

[brokedad]

It is the best secret at WDW. Check out Allears.net, they have a pretty good description about the layout and the loops

 

[DRC68]

About the only negative I have for FW is that it's about a 24 hr. tow from MA to get there. Otherwise, it is THE BEST RV resort...bar none. Enough activities there to fill your time that you don't technically need to go to the parks.