Disney Fort Wilderness Campground

Disney Fort Wilderness Campground

As our first winter season of camping came to a close, we decided to end it in a big way. Our family was spending a week at a Disney World resort, so we decided to join them and treat ourselves to a few days at Disney Fort Wilderness Campground in Orlando. After all, who wouldn’t want to share in the thrill of “The Most Magical Place on Earth”?

Over the years, we’ve spent numerous vacations as a family at Disney, mostly because of one of Mickey Mouse’s best friends – my sister. She was a Disney cast member, and we hugely benefited from her perk of free passes to the parks and hefty discount on lodging.

However, even though we were very familiar with all of the Disney parks, we’d never camped at Fort Wilderness Campground.

After visiting so many Florida state and national parks in our RV this winter, we weren’t sure how something so commercialized as Disney would stack up. Those natural parks didn’t need a sprinkling of pixie dust – Mother Nature had already worked her magic. But, let me tell you, we were quite pleasantly surprised. We couldn’t have been more pleased with our Disney Fort Wilderness Campground experience!

Disney Fort Wilderness Campground is the real deal.

The Fort Wilderness Campground is one of the three original resorts at Disney World. Along with the Polynesian and Contemporary, it was opened in fall of 1971. It’s built on 750 acres of cypress and pine forest, and was intended to be an extension of Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom to give guests the experience of staying in the American frontier.

The sites are woven into the landscape and even though you can definitely see your neighbors, there is plenty of green vegetation surrounding you. We could feel the intention and vision behind creating this space to embrace the look and feel of being in the wilderness.

Not your average Disney Park        

If you are looking for Disney characters at every corner and fancy parades, this is not the campground for you.  But if you want to experience a slower pace and a step back to a more-simpler time, then Disney Fort Wilderness Campground may just be your ticket.

Chip and Dale make an appearance at the nightly bonfire and sing along, where you can roast marshmallows and create s’mores,. That’s about it for character sightings. But you can get plenty of that if you visit one of the parks.

Activities that don’t require standing in line for hours or cost a cent.

There is plenty to do at the campground that doesn’t require extra cash or waiting in line. I took advantage of the paved walking trail and did about two miles every day around the campground and down to the lake and back. Although you are not permitted to swim in the lake, there are rows of lawn chairs on the sandy beach inviting one to stretch out. Feel free to watch the sun shimmer across the water…or read a book…or see the ferry come and go.

Keeping in mind that we visited in February, I loved seeing the flowers along the trail blooming. Surprisingly, there is an abundance of wildlife to see as well. I was treated to a gang of turkeys along my walk and even one displaying his beautiful tail feathers. There were tons of squirrels, chipmunks, and even a small herd of deer. Also birds a plenty, including one that was very persistent on building its nest behind the spare tire of our RV.

If swimming is what you desire, there are two pools in the campground available to cool you off.

You can also visit the Tri Circle D Ranch, which is where the working horses of Disney live. It’s a short walk from the lake area, and well worth it. Some of the residents are Cinderella’s ponies and the horses of Main St., including the Clydesdales.

The ferry runs frequently from the dock at the Fort Wilderness Campground, and will take you to the dock at Magic Kingdom. It’s a nice, relaxing ten minute or so ride that gives you a different perspective than you will get on land. You can even see Cinderella’s castle in the distance as you approach the dock! Once at Magic Kingdom, you can hop on a bus that will take you to visit other resorts, or just take the ferry back to the campground.

As I mentioned above, Chip and Dale host the nightly sing-a-long and bonfire and they show a Disney movie afterward.

Once darkness falls, there is a gathering at the docks to watch the Electrical Water Pageant float by on the lake. Then the fireworks explode over the Magic Kingdom. It’s really a magical way to end the day.

Of course, you can always continue your adventure back at your own campsite, enjoying the warm Florida evenings.

Additional Activities to Purchase if you Choose

And all of those things won’t cost you a penny more! However, if you have more dollars to spend, there are also plenty of options for activities to engage in.

For an additional fee, they offer archery, fishing, bicycle rentals, kayaks, and horseback riding. The little ones can ride a pony at the Tri Circle D Ranch.

We took a romantic carriage ride around the campground which we found very enjoyable.

Golf carts are available to rent, and I do recommend this, even though they are pricey. It’s a big campground to get around! You can take the buses from here to there at no cost. However, the golf cart is more convenient and lots of fun to joy ride around the campground! Many of the guests decorate their carts with twinkle lights, etc., especially during the holidays.  I attached some glow sticks that I brought with me. This makes it easy to identify your cart in the sea of carts parked in the lot after dark.

During the holidays, lots of campers decorate their campsites, making everything even more festive!

There are two stores in the campground. You can get your retail therapy and buy provisions or shop for souvenirs.

Other Ways to Stay

If you don’t want to camp, but would like to experience the joy of Fort Wilderness Campground, you could stay in one of the many cabins. They are made to look rustic from the outside, but have all the Disney comforts on the inside. In fact, I’ve read that in 2024 the cabins will be refurbished and replaced to give guests an even better experience!

What do we Eat?

That’s not a problem at Disney Fort Wilderness Campground.

When we visited, they had designated food truck nights with a variety of dinner fare. Also restaurants for take-out, including pizza. They also have a dinner-theater show called Hoop-Dee-Doo-Review with a buffet. I believe they are refurbishing this area soon, so I am reluctant to say exactly what you can expect in the future. Whatever happens, I bet there will be some great eating!

So, if you are tired of your camping food options, there will be a delicious alternative.

Not as Expensive as you’d Think

You can get a campsite for as little as $ 150, and as expensive as $ 250+ a night. Some have full hook-ups and some with just electric and water. We are a 22’ RV, so we were able to fit into the tent/small RV spots. These have no sewage, and that saved us some. Be aware, there is no dump station. If you get a tent/RV site with no sewage, they do offer you the courtesy of dumping at one of the sites that do have sewage when someone has checked out and before it has been cleaned.

The cost may seem like a lot to spend comparatively. But for something special, and with so many amenities included, I feel it’s well worth it. (And so much less expensive than a hotel room)

The sites are all nice, and keep with the Disney expectations of clean and magical. Even the electric pedestal is disguised as a tree trunk.

Someone had made a Mickey Mouse silhouette at our camp site out of pinecones. What a nice welcoming surprise that was!

Welcome home to Disney

This is a wonderful way to have the Disney experience without all the hustle and bustle of going to the park. In fact, we just enjoyed the campground and never did go to a park – it was that good.

But if you do decide to go to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, or Disney’s Hollywood Studios, they make it easy-peasy for you to do so. Free transportation is excellent. And how great it would be to know you have your home waiting for you at the end of the day?

Mother Nature – we love you…but we all can use a little pixie dust from time to time.

The End of One Adventure and Many More to Come

It was the end of February 2022, and time to head back home to Pennsylvania. We had seen so many new and wonderful things on our Florida adventure! It was mind-boggling, actually. We had been to Florida countless times before, but never had we experienced Florida as we had on this trip.

RV life had been everything we’d hoped for and more. It allowed us to be free and move at our own pace to visit so many places. And yes, we spent money gas, but what a trade off for such a spectacular adventure!

When we first bought our RV, I had imagined all the things we’d see out those windows. And now we had. Gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, swaying palm trees, sandy beaches, ocean waves, amazing wildlife. We’d been on the Florida west coast, east coast, southern most point, and across the Everglades. All in, we’d traveled over 3,500 miles.

We have since traveled thousands of miles more, and I am excited to share those adventures too! We are truly blessed to be able to have this experience. All because we took a chance and said, “Let’s do it!”

I get it that Disney claims to be the “Most Magical Place on Earth” . But to me, RV life has been magical beyond compare.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/campsites-at-fort-wilderness-resort/