Bashor - Camping Disney: The Fort Wilderness Field Guide

The Fort Wilderness Field Guide

Amy Bashor

THEME PARK PRESS

www.ThemeParkPress.com

Chapter 1:

Chapter 2:

Chapter 3:

Chapter 4:

Chapter 5:

Chapter 6:

Chapter 7:

Chapter 8:

Chapter 9:

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, my friend Maureen and I decided to do a non-park day at Walt Disney World. We wanted to do something different. After tossing around a couple of ideas, we decided to take a boat over to Fort Wilderness and see how Disney would do a campground. Nestled a short boat ride away from the energy and fantasy of Magic Kingdom is an oasis of peace. Fort Wilderness, which could be considered an extension of FrontierLand, is how Disney does a campground. And it is quite a campground! Some have suggested it is the best campground in the country. I can say that Fort Wilderness is certainly the best campground we have ever visited.

Hello. My name is Amy. I am a Disney fan. This is my second book on our adventures traveling to Walt Disney World. Wemy husband, myself, and our daughterare lucky enough to live in Savannah, GA, which puts us about a four-hour drive away from the magic. We have taken advantage of our proximity to visit Disney World often. After spending many days in the parks, we now enjoy doing some of the lesser-known attractions. Recently, that has meant spending a fair bit of time at Fort Wilderness. In fact, in the past twelve months we have camped at the Fort in a tent, a cabin, and a rental RV, in addition to several day trips to the campground. This book is all about our adventures in Disneys Fort Wilderness. Along the way, we have made more than our share of mistakes and learned a lot. Thats all in the book, which might save others from repeating the same mistakes. All of our Fort Wilderness fun started with that one moment when we decided to take the boat over from the Magic Kingdom to explore.

What makes Fort Wilderness so great? For Disney fans, it has to start with access to the Disney parks. Fort Wilderness is one of the Magic Kingdom area resorts. Boats take you directly to the entrance of the Magic Kingdom. And Fort Wilderness is a wonderful bridge over troubled waters for split families. In this context, split families are those that have one (or more) Disney fans and one (or more) who are not yet Disney fans. We are a split family. Our daughter and I love Disney. My husband is less of a fan.

There is more than enough to do at Fort Wilderness to keep any family, even those who are not exactly Disney fans, happily entertained. In fact, we have spent many days here without ever stepping foot inside the four theme parks at Disney World. For our family, sometimes avoiding the theme parks for at least one day of the visit is important for overall happiness.

At Fort Wilderness, park fans have easy access to the parks. Family members looking for rest and relaxation can chill at the campground. Families looking to make memories together have more options here than at any other resort. Sure, Fort Wilderness includes pools, boats, shopping, dining, theater, characters, campfires, and movies under the stars. Then again, so do many of the deluxe resorts around Disney World. But the Fort also has carriage rides, pony rides, Segway tours, characters at the campfire, tennis courts, ball courts, and so much more.

In addition to the sheer love of the great outdoors or even placating family members who would rather be in the national parks than at Disney, there is another reason to consider staying at Fort Wilderness: cost. There are nights during the year when you can sleep ten people at a campsite in Fort Wilderness for around $50 per night. While that may be on the high side if you compare it to state parks, it is remarkably inexpensive for a Disney property.

Now, Ill say it loud and clear. Do Not Start Camping at Fort Wilderness for the Very First Time. There are a couple of reasons why you should not. First, camping is much smoother when you do it enough to get good at things like setting up and taking down the tent. I have tent-camped a lot and I still would not go without my husband to be the one primarily in charge of the tent. Second, if this is your first trip to Disney World, you want it to be as easy as possible. Splurge and stay at either the Animal Kingdom Lodge where you can watch exotic animals from your balcony or at one of the resorts where you can walk to a theme park. Walt Disney World is larger and more complex than most first-time visitors imagine. Make it easy so that it is also fun. There is another compelling reason not to start your family camping experiences at Fort Wilderness. When you start at the best campground available, nothing else is really going to compare.

Fort Wilderness takes camping to a whole new level. To start, there are three levels of camping to choose from. You can go with the basic pitch a tent on a campsite. You can upgrade a bit and enjoy a midlevel campsite with a preferred or premium campsite. These work well for RV camping. You can haul in or rent anything from a basic pop-up to a drop-your-jaw fancy camper. To go all-out at Fort Wilderness, try renting the one-bedroom cabin that sleeps six and has a bedroom, bathroom, full kitchen, and separate living area, plus a private deck, picnic table, and grill. Perhaps best of all, the cabins come with daily housekeeping. Each of these Fort Wilderness camping options include a two-car drive right at your campsite or cabin. This is fantastic if you happen to over-pack as much as I do.

There are also primitive camping sites at Fort Wilderness for groups such as Boy Scouts. We did not try staying in these campsites. I will sleep on the ground, but I want electricity and easy access to hot running water. Perhaps one day when our daughter is a Girl Scout we will try these primitive campgrounds. More likely, we will go visit during Thanksgiving week. I dont want to let that cat out of the hat too early, but there is something extra special at the campground then.

On the basic camping side, there is a lot that Fort Wilderness has in common with any well-run state campground. There are campsites for rent. At many public campgrounds, there are limits on how many tents may be put in a campsite. At Disney, the limit is a total of 10 people staying at the same campsite. You can do that in one tent or several tents, just as long as all your stuff stays in your designated area. Do not camp on grass or other undesignated areas. Youll be told to move.

Much like public campgrounds, Fort Wilderness features bathhouses for guests. Actually, I take that back. The comfort stations at Fort Wilderness are not at all like those at the other campgrounds we visit. For one thing, they are always clean. And they smell good. And there is toilet paper. And hot water. And they have well-lit areas, suitable for applying makeup. And shower stalls large enough that a mom can help her kid(s) get clean. And they are climate controlled. And, well, I could just keep going, but that comes in the chapter on tent camping! Suffice it to say that the comfort stations at Fort Wilderness really are about comfort.