Tenting at Fort Wilderness

[French Quarter]

I am very seriously considering bringing along my tent and getting a site at FW the next time we go. We are avid tenters and this is the most inexpensive on-site option.

I have tried to search these forms but I can't really find a lot of discussion about tenting at FW. I saw a little tiny bit about RVing and a whole lot about the cabins, which we aren't at all interested in.

I'm wondering if we can have a discussion about this. What are your experiences?

We will not have a car so I'm wondering if it will be possible to get around. I know that the transportation is slow but we don't mind that so much.

We haven't decided when to go yet. I'm assuming the summer would be unbearable in terms of heat? Are the winters really cold in the tent at night?

Any discussion really would be most appreciated.

 

[Danno0209]

I'm not much help in the way of answers but I'm also interested in this. I know we did it a few times backs in the late 80's early 90's as a family when I was about 6-7 before we moved into a pop-up camper and eventually onsite hotels. I'm an avid backpacker and have thought about a solo trip sometime to FW. Looking forward to see what everyone has to say!

 

[ToTBellHop]

Well, they do rent golf carts to get around if you are interested. November or March would be the best months to do it if it were me. Not too rainy and it dips down into the 50s and 60s at night for sleeping. Summer humidity would be awful(and the rain) and it can get pretty darn chilly in January (like 30s at night).

 

[Kman]

I have never tented at FW however we have camped there with a popup and travel trailer MANY times. You don't see a ton of tents but certainly people do- it just isn't the most popular option. Depending on your flexibility going in the spring (March-April) or fall (October-mid December) would be very comfortable. This past summer we saw people tenting and I don't know how they sleep at night. It is VERY hot and VERY humid. The only way I would consider camping at that time is with a 5th wheel!.

As for transportation, technically you don't need a car. FW is completely serviced by buses by which you can get anywhere within the resort itself and of course to any of the parks or other resorts at WDW. It just takes time so you have to be patient. If you take a bus to the back of the resort (bus orange or yellow) you can walk to Bay Lake and catch a boat to the MK, WL or the Contemporary. From the MK or Contemporary of course you can grab a monorail to other resorts etc.

Besides buses within the resort you can rent a golf cart to boot around with. It is not cheap (I think about $60/day including taxes) but it does make the resort "smaller" and it is nice to cruise around looking at the different loops etc. If you had a vehicle with a hitch you could rent a cart on a weekly basis from an outside supplier and they will allow you to drive their trailer in with their cart as Disney no longer allows outside providers to come on the property.

As for the resort as it sounds like you may never have been there...it is our favourite. It is 750 acres of beautifully manicured forest. I think the theming is awesome...simple but really nice. There are two pool areas- one secondary pool and a main area with a full snack bar, tennis courts etc. At the rear of the property you can tour the horse barn (where they keep all of the horses used throughout WDW), go to the Hoop-de-Doo Revu which is a lot of fun or just grab a meal at Trail's End restaurant. It is a great buffet- our favourite has become breakfast. It is delicious! They also have takeout there where you can get all kinds of stuff including pizza. There are two "settlements" that carry basic grocery supplies although I am not sure you could rely on them to provide you with everything you might need. It's not cheap either (as you would expect).

I can't count how many times we have gone both with our trailer and staying in the cabins (as we have done for the past few years as we went in the summer). You will love it!

 

[French Quarter]

Thank you all for the wonderful conversation so far. It makes me very excited to stay there! I figured that tenting wasn't the most popular option as nowadays we come across mostly RVs everywhere we go. But we really don't mind the tent at all. Ours is huge and quite comfortable.

The suggestions on time of year are greatly appreciated. We will look at scheduling for the Fall or Winter depending on which is cheaper.

I did know about the golf carts but I can't justify the price. To rent one would almost double the price per night! Might as well stay in a value at that point. I am, however, wondering about preferred campsites. I don't mind paying a little more per night for the convenience of being closer to amenities. Does anyone have experience with this? Are they worth the extra cost?

Glad to hear such positive reviews of the place. I have never been over there, although I have stayed at WL so I'm familiar with making use of the boats to MK and the monorail resorts.

 

[docdebbi]

check out fortfiends.com, they may have some helpful information about golf carts as well as tons of other stuff

 

[erstwo]

We have stayed at the Cabins at FW but have never camped. I will say, I am NOT outdoorsy at all. My husband takes my children camping overnight often and I join them for dinner and then drive back home to sleep in my nice soft bed with climate control. BUT, even I have had the off handed thought of camping at WDW off and on (if heaven forbid I ever 'had' to ) only because the 'facilities' are so clean. The campsites are clean, the bathrooms/ shower rooms are clean, etc. I've seen them when visiting the Camp Fire Sing A Long, etc. The only things that would bother me are feeling secure (as in only a tent wall separating me from the outside world - I never felt un secure at FW - lots of Disney security around when needed) and noise outside waking me up. But if you're an avid camper, that kind of stuff probably doesn't bother you.

 

[French Quarter]

No, I'm not one to worry about security when camping. If anything, I'd worry about leaving my stuff unattended in the tent while out for the day. But I think we could easily make use of the lockers at the parks and I think the front desk will hold on to some stuff for safe keeping.

 

[pixiesteno]

As stated above hop on over to fort fiends.com. there you will find a whole host of R V /camping enthusiasts who love the fort

 

[French Quarter]

As stated above hop on over to fort fiends.com. there you will find a whole host of R V /camping enthusiasts who love the fort

Yes. I am exploring that site too. Thank you. I am enjoying this conversation as well though and hope to continue finding the WDWMagickers who enjoy tenting at FW.

 

[R W B]

Ive thought about doing this also but doubt it will happen. My fiancé's idea of camping anywhere involves a cabin or RV lol. I will say though I've driven through the camp grounds many times during December and I always see a good amount of tents up. Ive been in dec 4 times now and it's never felt cold to me, never needed a jacket at night. Now when I've been in Feburary and March is when I needed an extra layer at night so that's when Id look into camping.

 

[French Quarter]

December seems like an option to consider also. I wonder how busy/expensive it would be then though.