Just a word up front about Disney’s Fort Wilderness – IT IS EXPENSIVE… but it’s also very convenient. Off season rates are around $70.00 per night. In season rates are much higher. This is one of the campgrounds where you will need to decide if the convenience of the campground, and the really nice sites, are worth the price that you will pay to stay here. Tammy and I have spent a lot of time camping in the Disney area. We never camped at Fort Wilderness even when the kids were small. Actually as a young family I’m not sure we would have been able to afford it.
Disney’s Fort Wilderness
We had heard a lot about Fort Wilderness and always thought it would be great to stay there, primarily because you are right on the Disney grounds. It’s a lot easier in the morning to get up and see the attractions when your starting position is within the park. In addition they have a doggy day care that we thought might be a good fit for our dogs Hanna, and Kaela. After looking at all the information we could get on the web, and reading reviews; we decided to book the trip.
Although we paid for everything up front, the check in procedure was a bit frustrating. As a camper, you will pull up to a booth as you enter the campground area, and provide your reservation number. Then you will get your assigned site, and information related to the park and whatever else you may have added to your trip (Disney Passes etc.) This took an inordinate amount of time, and at least for me was frustrating. This may not be the same experience for everyone, but for us it was not what we expected.
Once we entered the campground you understand why it is referred to as a “Resort”. The campground is 750 acres of Pine and Cypress trees and can accommodate even the largest camping rigs. The way they have landscaped around each site gives you a sense of privacy. Now that being said, as soon as we got to our site it became apparent that the site they assigned us to was not large enough for our trailer and truck combined (see picture above). I called admissions and was told to just scout the campground in the morning and find one we liked and call back with the site number. It seems like a resort of this magnitude could easily avoid these issues since trailer size is provided when you book your reservation. Early the next morning we found a great site and set up camp.
Site Number 2 – Much Better!
If you travel with dogs you know how important it is to have some privacy between sites. Dogs by nature think anytime they hear noise it must be someone coming to visit them. This results in quite a bit of barking. The second site was more private, giving the girls much more privacy. As a result Kaela and Hannah were much happier.
Being boarded is not something my dogs enjoy. Our first dog, Shana (a white shepherd) absolutely hated it. Hannah (our second white shepherd) barely tolerates it, while Kaela and Kendra have always been fine with it. Our plan at Disney was to just board them during the day and then pick them up early to mid afternoon and go back to camp. We were a little apprehensive on how day care would pan out for the girls. Later when we picked them up we knew it had been a good idea. The people that worked their told us how well they did, and told us things that happened during the day that reinforced the fact to us that they knew our dogs and had taken great care of them.
Everyday the girls would almost pull us out of our shoes to get to the day care office; it was apparent that they loved day care. Every afternoon we would pick them up from day care and they would fall sound asleep once they arrived at the trailer. Apparently, daycare is quite exhausting.
The evenings and nights at the Fort Wilderness Campground is more quiet than you might imagine, with the exception of the nightly fireworks but they don’t last very long. Hannah is not a big fan of fire works or thunder. However, they were not so loud that they disturbed her.
During the day everything is close enough that you could easily return to the campground for lunch, if you so choose, and then return to the park. This convenience factor is huge. You can leave your site in the morning and head over to the attractions either by bus or water taxi. The water taxis are within easy walking distance from Fort Wilderness and go to and from the Magic Kingdom , Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney Springs.
Beyond the Fort Wilderness Campground…..well there’s Disney!
We have been to Disney many times before but we have never gone on the African Safari, which is available at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The Safari involves riding in an open air vehicle for about 20 minutes winding through some paths and waterways that make up part of the 110 acre wildlife reserve.
Make sure that you bring a camera as this will be a pretty up close encounter with the animals. Here is a list of some of the animals we saw on the tour:
- Antelope
- Baboons
- Crocodiles
- Elephants
- Gazelles
- Hippos
- Rhino
- Wildebeest
- Zebras
I’m sure that depending on the time of day that you take the tour will determine the number and type of animals that you may see.
I could fill this entire page with pictures, but you can see from the few I selected; that this is more like a national geographic film than a tour. I have to give credit to the folks at Disney, they couldn’t have done a better job of making the scenery look as if you were in Africa. This is a spectacular tour and well worth the price of admission.
Beyond the Safari, there is still much to do at Disney. Although we had been to the Magic Kingdom before it was still worth another visit.
Disney’s Magic Kingdom
The Haunted Mansion
If you are a first timer at Disney don’t be shocked at how long you can wait in lines at each attraction. We have been here many times and this is the one thing that never changes. If you have a young family my recommendation would be to get there as early as you can. So you can get to as many attractions as possible.
My favorite spot at Disney is Epcot center, mainly because I really enjoy the world showcase. The world showcase is a large loop around a small lagoon. As you walk the loop you will move from country to country. The World showcase will give you an opportunity to eat foods from eleven different countries; Italy, United Kingdom, Mexico, United States, Canada, Norway, Japan, China, Morocco, France and Germany. So whether it’s Bratwurst and Beer in Germany or lamb dishes and shish kabob in Morocco, there really is something for everyone to eat here. In addition there is entertainment in almost every country. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this foreign land – You will be glad you did.
World Showcase At Epcot
And Then There’s Disney’s Hollywood Studio
Disney’s Hollywood Studios was known as Disney’s MGM Studio prior to 2008. When you enter the park it looks as if you have stepped into an older version of New York. A wizards hat was once the landmark in the main street but that has been taken down and I don’t believe anything has taken its place.
Disney’s Hollywood Studio
As with all of the Disney Park areas, there is plenty to eat and drink as you stroll around and enjoy the various attractions.
Beyond Disney………….
Don’t forget the Kennedy Space Center, NASA’s working spaceflight facility. Since 1968, Kennedy Space Center has been NASA’s primary launch center. It’s less than an hour away from Disney, and you should probably plan on spending at least an entire day here touring the facility and attractions.
Then if you want another animal adventure there is Bush Gardens near Tampa, a little over an hour from Orlando. If you are going to Busch Gardens it may be better to camp nearby as there is much to do in this huge African safari type them park, and you may want to spend more than one day here.
In conclusion there is a lot to do in the Orlando area and Florida in general. Whether you decide to stay at Disney’s Fort Wilderness to be on the Disney Park grounds, or camp off site; you can still enjoy everything this place has to offer.
Staying at Fort Wilderness allowed us to take our time at the park. It was more relaxing knowing the dogs were well cared for. It really is everything a “Resort” campground should be and more!
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