Airstream RV Blog #57 – Disney’s Fort Wilderness from Sean Michael on Vimeo.
Recently, someone asked us to name a few favorite camping locales we’ve discovered on The Long, Long Honeymoon. I’m partial to remote, rural, dry camping sites out West, in obscure places far removed from civilization. But my wife has different tastes. Her favorite is probably that little full hookup spot we found down in Florida. What was its name? Oh, right… Walt Disney World. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?
Any way you slice it, Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground offers an outstanding RV camping experience. Here are a few thoughts about camping with Mickey…
The campground itself is divided into multiple loops. It’s actually a nice design, a refreshing break from the “Sardine Can” approach taken by too many corporate campgrounds. Arranging the RVs along these curves has staggered the space between rigs. Certain loops are labeled standard (water and electric), full hookup, and “preferred” sites — the last category have a slightly better location (closer to the beach area) and include cable TV. We’ve stayed in both preferred and non-preferred sites, and didn’t see a whole lot of difference.
The individual sites are rather spacious. Thanks to some strategic landscaping, they can also be private. It depends a little bit on the luck of the draw (some sites are more private than others) but we’ve stayed there several times and have always been pleased — that is, we’ve been pleased once we got our RV squeezed into its parking space.
Yes, you may have a few issues getting into your site. Since the campground was originally designed in the 1970s, it’s not always “big rig friendly.” The loop roads are narrow and lined with fixed obstacles like fire hydrants and lampposts. There are very few “pull-through” sites; most are of the “back-in-cussin’” variety. I’ve been told that some loops may receive an overhaul to accommodate the larger RVs that are more common today. Don’t get me wrong; you’ll manage to park your rig just fine. It just won’t be the easiest experience you’ve had.
The sites themselves are clean, clean, clean. Every site is thoroughly cleaned prior to the arrival of a new guest. All sites feature asphalt paved parking pads. The surrounding landscaping is mature. And there are a few unusual amenities: at Fort Wilderness, there’s no need to hike a mile to find the nearest dumpster. Every loop has several convenient trash cans, which are collected every morning. The loops also have several paper, glass, and plastic recycling bins. No matter where you’re camping, you won’t need to walk far.
What about wifi? One of my chief annoyances with Fort Wilderness has been Internet access. Sure, Disney offers wifi — but it costs an extra $10 per day, and its coverage is inconsistent at best. The next time we stay at Disney, we’ll appreciate our Wifi in Motion kit, through which we now have our own wifi network. But hopefully, Disney will soon get with the times, invest in some decent wifi coverage, and bundle the price into the overall campground fee. Internet access should not cost campers $10 a day.
Fort Wilderness is a massive campground, covering some 740 acres. To travel throughout the campground, you’ll want to either walk, use a bike, or ride a golf cart. There’s not really much (if any) convenient parking for extra vehicles within Fort Wilderness. Yes, there are a couple of campground stores, but even those stores do not have parking lots. Disney offers golf cart rental, so you will frequently see golf carts darting to and fro.
Fort Wilderness is not cheap, but it’s not outrageously expensive either. Prices vary; we’ve paid from $45 to 80 a night. So on average, we usually pay around $60 a night. I know some people will say, “$60 a night? That’s outrageous!” But it’s really not. (We paid $65 a night for a noisy roadside campground in California — now that was outrageous.) Fort Wilderness costs $20-30 more than a regular campground, but this is not a regular campground. It’s Walt Disney World. As “on site” Disney accommodations go, it’s reasonably priced.
Of course, the three key upsides here are location, location, and location. Since you have access to the Disney transportation system, Fort Wilderness is an ideal launch pad for forays into the nearby Magic Kingdom and Epcot parks. Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios are not far away. And if you want to drive your own toad or tow vehicle, staying here affords you the privilege of free parking at the parks.
But you may have such a good time at Fort Wilderness, you skip the theme parks completely. Sound far fetched? I know a family who recently — upon the children’s request — did just that! They spent a week RV camping at Disney World without ever setting foot in the theme parks. Fort Wilderness offers swimming, fishing, horseback riding, campfire sing along shows, dinner shows, boating, kayaking, fireworks viewing, on site restaurant dining, and a variety of other fun family activities.
It’s not exactly boondocking in the Rocky Mountains, but Disney’s Fort Wilderness is undeniably a good time. The campground runs like a Swiss watch, and there’s no shortage of things to do.
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For more scary stuff, check out our grotesque version of a travel blog: TheLongLongHoneymoon.com.
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Trekking Holidays
Sometimes we rent an RV when we go for a vacation. The wilderness calls, it might be an all too different adventure but my wife would love Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campgrounds. Maybe next year we can go my kids would love it too.
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Sean Michael
Brandon, thanks, and yes you should go for Halloween! Now Kristy wants to return to see the Christmas decorations.
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Doreen, it sounds like you guys travel in a style similar to us. We are not morning people, so we are rarely the first at the theme park gates. In fact, there are days when we relax and enjoy Ft. Wilderness without going to the theme parks.
With regard to wireless Internet, a couple of years ago we got assigned to a “non-preferred” loop, and we somehow able to pick up a local restaurant’s Internet signal! But that just happened on one visit. On the other occasions, Ft. Wilderness has been an Internet dead zone. Usually I have made the long drive to the nearest Panera Bread to get a quality wifi signal. It’s no wonder I’m excited about our Wifi in Motion kit….no more 30-minute drives just to get decent Internet!
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Becky, I’m glad you had an experience similar to ours. If we ever go back to Ft. Wilderness at Halloween, we will try to stop and interview the owners of the more elaborate displays. Many of the campsites boast some pretty incredible Halloween decorations.
And I agree with you about the Internet aircard. For RVers seeking portable Internet, it makes a lot of sense to start with a laptop aircard. If you decide you want to upgrade to a wifi network, you can use the aircard to do so.
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GMAs, thanks for the tip! We haven’t stopped traveling on “The Long, Long Honeymoon” and are always scouting new destinations. Even though we’ve traveled almost 30,000 miles and all over the country, what amazes me is all the stuff we HAVEN’T done. I could make a long list of national parks, state parks, cities, and historical landmarks we need to visit. Canyonlands National Park just got added to that list!
This continent is vast. You can spend a lifetime exploring it — and that’s just what we plan to do. 😀
GMAs
Sean and Kristie missed a turn.. when they went to play at the Grand Canyon…
(sorry this is not related to Disney ) but, they missed the real adventure going to the canyonlands in UT. We just got back form a 4 day camping trip… wow… beats the heck out of the Grand Canyon…
The best part was we had a old indian guide that every night would tell ghost stories (being its October n all) and not only were the youngsters scared… a lot of the adults were too… thus, better than disneyland…
The best part about the stories… according to ledgend and the old indian… they were based on true happenings… yikes… didn’t sleep with both eyes closed for two days…
So if you want a real Ft Wilderness and a Holloween that is out of this world.. I would suggest that Sean and Kristie pack the airstream… and head for UT/AZ and the canyonlands national park… It was a real adventure… with some spectacular landscape and photo ops…
Oh and keep one eye open when your sleeping.. else the headless brave catch you sleeping… oooooooooo
Becky Johnson
We camped at Fort Wilderness last year the week before Halloween and had a wonder ful time. Since we had our bikes we were able to get around the cg with ease. It was amazing to see so many campsites decorated — there were even people driving decorated golf carts around. Everybody really gets festive.
The Wifi situation is the same at the WDW hotels I’ve stayed at also — $10 a day additional. We use an AT&T aircard so we don’t have to rely on the wifi, and I can browse the internet while we’re driving down the road. I highly recommend an aircard.
Doreen Orion
I’ve been to WDW many times, but the last was during our bus year, when we stayed at Ft. Wilderness. It was, simply, THE BEST! We stayed for 3 weeks and only went into the parks half that time. Yes, $60/day is alot, but when consider all the money you’re saving over one of the hotels, plus not having to eat out all the time. Also, it’s so much more relaxing being able to take time off from the frenzy of the parks themselves, and just wander around the various hotels, boardwalk, etc. My biggest complain with Ft. Wilderness was the lack of jacuzzi (come on – for $60/day? I want a jacuzzi!).
It was truly ironic that in every RV park thus far, no matter how many overhead obstacles – tree limbs, phone lines, high-tension wires – we had no problem maneuvering the bus around our site to get the satellite Internet working. But in the fake campground that is Fort Wilderness, Disney does such an uber job of simulating roughing it, that we could never lock on to the signal. It figures The World would provide no less than the most campground-like campground imaginable.
We were assigned to one of the doggie loops, costing us five extra dollars a day. Geez. What would Goofy think? But it was worth it, for every evening, the real parade ain’t on Main Street, it’s on the loop, where canines, their grief lifted after being left alone all day, lead their masters on a joyful trot. You can almost hear them sing, “Hi ho! Hi ho! It’s off to poop we go!”
You’re making me nostalgic…
Brandon
Ahhh, Mickey Mouse is a vampire. Don’t let him bite me!!! Ahhhh. Hehe, once again a great video. I love this blog. Happy Holloween. Fort Wilderness is great. I’ve never been there for holloween. I might check it out. Thanks!!!!