We are new to the RV world and so far, having a blast with it! Here's my question: We had friends that said they stayed on-site (I think) at Disney World and were offered the same benefits as if they stayed at the resort. (Fast Passes, etc). Has anyone stayed in that area before and know if this is true? Our friend told us that he stayed at a hotel there and spent $3000 for a week and then went back the following year in an RV and spent only $1000 due to the low costs of RV sites. Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for all the informative "stuff" on this site! We are learning so much!
Disney World does have its own RV Park--Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. I can't give you any first hand knowledge about it because we have never stayed there. We did drive through it in a car a few years ago, and it looked really nice. When we inquired about rates and amenities the staff was very nice and friendly. I don't think you can call their sites "low cost", but they are probably better than the hotel rates. This site has reviews for the park under Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Sorry I can't help more. Happy RVing!
RV Today did a show on the Ft. Wilderness campground and it looked great. We no longer have kids at home but if we are ever in the area, I want to stay there.
It's been a few years (1997 was the last), but we have stayed there. And yes, we got the same "perks" as any other Disney guest. They have continuos bus service, so you never have to move your vehicle once you are there unless you want to. The pool is great. They have a bonfire, wagon rides, Chip and Dale appear. We had a 36' 5th wheel with 1 slide and the site was plenty big enough. It is more expensive than other campgrounds in the area, but I think it is worth it.
We camped at Fort Wilderness in Sept. of this year (2006). You get the same benefits as any other disney guest. After staying at the resorts and now staying at the campground...I will never again stay at a Disney resort, the campground is THAT nice.
My wife and I think Disney is the best campground we have stayed at. We have been 4 times the last 5 years since we have two little campgrounds. You can spend a couple of days in the campground itself without visiting the parks. We usually get a 4 day pass for a 7 day stay and just hang out in the park. Make sure when you make your reservations that you are specific on the size of your unit. They are pretty good at matching it up with the sites. The roads are tight, the park was built in the early 70's for pop ups. They have recently upgraded some of the utilities. Overall, it is a great park with plenty to do.
Yes we have stayed at Fort Wilderness and already have res for next May for 10 nights. They do have one of the nicest campgrounds we have stayed at. It will cost however. In May for 10 nights with unlimited use of all parks and all water parks etc, and we got a preferred site with water, sewer, electric and cable for approx $1472. The sites are clean and all back-ins (about 25x60 for preferrd). The shows are good and they have a comp shuttle service that takes you to all the parks. You are not allowed to drive your car around once inside the camp. Bathrooms are clean and certain loops are considered pet loops. They will charge you $10.00 per day for your pet. I know that is expensive but she is our baby. Good Luck to you...
We have been to Fort Wilderness 3 of the last 4 years. We love it there.The 700 loop is great. It is a pet loop. You can walk to the boat to the magic Kingdom from this loop and you are not too far from the main pool. At night there is a light show on the water. The place is very bike friendly, but the golf cart rentals can be a little overwelming. We take the boat to the Magic Kimgdom, then the monorail to Epcot, however we do drive to the other parks because we found we were spending too much time waiting for the buses. Parking is free at all the resorts if you are staying at a Disney resort. Don't miss the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue. It's a little pricey, but a real hoot. Definitely schedule a couple of days to just hang out and enjoy the campground. It is our 9 year old's favorite place to go. this website has lots of good info http://www.kingdom-travel.com/Walt_Disney_...mpgrounds.shtml
We stayed at the Fort Wilderness Campground this past April. It was one of the nicest (and cleanest) campgrounds we have ever stayed in. We bought the Disney Dining Plan because we figured we wouldn't want to be travelling back and forth to the RV for meals all the time. It cost about $700 for a family of 4 for 5 days (gives you 20 "snacks", 20 "counter service meals" and 20 "table service") - when I totalled the receipts when we got home, we would have spent over $900 on the food we got with the dining plan - it's worth it if you don't plan on heading back to the campground for lunch and supper every day. You can even use it to go to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue, which is part of the campground (make sure you make reservations if you want to go). Most of our time was spent visiting the parks, however, there are lots of things for the kids to do at the campground if you just want to relax for a few days. It's not cheap, but it's Disney all the way!
We have stayed at Fort Wilderness twice. Last time I asked for a break out of the cost per night, it was $92. I needed this for business reasons. Very nice park, I think the nicest we have ever stayed in. You get full Disney Resort privileges. There is public transportation to get you around all of the Disney properties. Expensive RV park but worth the money to stay in your own "home" and still be in Disney World.
We just left from 10 days at Ft Wilderness and were also there in December. It' s great park. I agree with the person who suggested a couple of days just to hang around the campground. We plan to go back for two weeks again in November. We did not need park tickets as we have annual passes. Here are the notes I kept from our visits: Great campground - pool, trails, play equipment, restaurant, two trading posts. Great transportn to Disney. Resort card allows access to extra Magic Hours - at amusement parks. We used bikes and found no need for electric cart. Our sites were Both back -in. 1400 loop was tight in terms of trees and length. Our site in 500 loop was very nice, close to comfort station - nice, clean laundry facilities. Could not get satellite either place. 300 loop had several seasonal residents - even mailboxes! $61 night off season with tax for four of us.
We have been to Ft. Wilderness on two occassions - the first for 7 nights in March, 2001, and the second for 12 nights in December, 2006. Both were wonderful experiences. The campground is beautiful - probably the nicest we have ever been to. As previously stated, though, the sites can be tight and tough to back into as much of the park was designed and built before the large rv's we have today. On our most recent trip, we were in site 419, loop 400, and it took my husband almost 40 minutes to maneuver the trailer into our sight (my apologies to the neighbors who were there at the time). Another note - we found the electric to be a bit of a problem - very low voltage - a fact that was confirmed by the disney cast member (maintenance man) who responded to our call. He said that during the warm months when all of the a/c's are running, it is very common for the transformers to shut down in certain loops. Aside from the electric issue (not much of a problem for us really since we were there in December), the park was absolutely wonderful. Sparkling clean bathrooms, friendly and helpful staff, well stocked (though somewhat pricey - it is Disney after all) stores, and plenty to do even if you don't go to the parks! We can't wait to go back!
When we were there in September, I noticed that Disney had renovated the electrical boxes in the 300 loop with newer hook ups. I ran both AC's the entire week due to the fact that the temp was near 90 and did not have a problem. The campground was not full either, so that could have been a factor.
I forgot to mention that at the website www.Disboards.com, there is an entire board devoted to discussions on Ft. Wilderness. It has a wealth of information.
QUOTE(mastercraft @ Jan 28 2007, 06:23 PM) [snapback]5930[/snapback] When we were there in September, I noticed that Disney had renovated the electrical boxes in the 300 loop with newer hook ups. I ran both AC's the entire week due to the fact that the temp was near 90 and did not have a problem. The campground was not full either, so that could have been a factor. We were there in May 2006. I agree the sites were VERY tight for a 40ft motorhome. Everything else was good--transportation in the park etc. We did not have young children with us, but those who did seemed to be very tired and frustrated.
We stayed there approximately two years ago with a 20' travel trailer. The streets in the section we stayed in were a little tight for backing in, even with only 20'. The plus things are it is usually super clean, well kept up, you can take the boat ride to all the parks, or hotels (we just walked around the lobbies, etc.) and the restaurant at the campground was excellent. We moved up to a 30' fifth wheeler and I don't think it would work now unless they have pull throughs (which I didn't use the first time there)... Check in was crowded and there were four lines with about three campers in each line and took a while. But remember, it's DISNEY WORLD! :blink:
We stayed in a 34' 5th wheel (one slide) in a back in site in one of the pet loops, twice. Sites were plenty big enough for us. The last time was in 1997 - don't remember the site numbers.
