The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort offers guests a unique camping experience in the heart of the Walt Disney World Resort. The resort compromises 700 wooded acres of cypress and pine forest and features around 800 campsites, each equipped with picnic tables, charcoal grills, and access to water and electrical hookups. The campsites available for guests are spread out on 21 camping loops and includes sites designed for tents, popup campers, full hookup sites and preferred or premium sites giving more room and a closer location to the amenities. In addition to these options Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort also, has rental cabins on property.
Using RVshare at Disney
It has been a dream to camp at Disney’s Fort Wilderness, but even after buying my own RV I really didn’t want the expense or hassle of traveling with it over 1,500 miles to Walt Disney World. Then I was introduced to RVshare. You can think of RVshare as an AirBnB, but for camping where you can rent someone else’s RV. There are many different RV choices to pick from including towable, drivable or delivery. For this trip I opted for delivery directly to the Campground at Disney’s Fort Wilderness so I didn’t have to worry with moving the unit around or setting anything up. I just wanted to arrive and checkin.
Booking with RVshare was a breeze and each listing had so much information to help me make the right decision. RVshare also, has live agents that can help you book your trip and give you ideas if you need it. For the price of one night at some the Walt Disney World Resorts during the same dates I booked three nights at the Fort Wilderness Campground with a RVshare rental including setup/breakdown and delivery! You can even get $25 off your next rvshare.com rental here.
When booking a RV with RVshare you will need to decide on a few things for example if you want the owner to furnish the linens or to deliver the RV to a certain location or set/breakdown the RV for you. Each owners may offer different options and prices with their unit. The choices I made allowed me to have a RV that was walk-in ready. All I needed was to bring my luggage and necessities. This experience was like checking into a hotel and how I had hoped it would be. You may have different requirements for your needs and vacation making your cost different than mine.
Checking Into the Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
The RV owner I worked with advised me to select early checkin to the Campgrounds at Disney’s Fort Wilderness. I prepaid my Walt Disney World Resort reservation and completed checkin on the My Disney Experience app requesting a before 7:30am checkin weeks prior to arrival. On the day of arrival the RV owner had also, instructed me to call the campground for a campsite number at 7am. Getting a campsite assigned that early isn’t guaranteed and in my case I wasn’t assigned a campsite until around 2:30pm.
After being assigned a campsite number in the 1800s loop I conveyed it to the RV owner and he brought over the RV and got it setup by 5pm. If you are planning to explore the campground while you wait for your RV delivery or plan to use the amenities you are going to want to rent a golf cart either from your RV owner if they offer one or the Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. I like to walk, but the campground is HUGE and without some sort of transportation (golf cart, bikes ect) you won’t be able to get around to everything. Using a personal vehicle is limited because of where you can drive them vs a golf cart and bike path access.
TIP: without some sort of transportation (golf cart, bikes ect) you won’t be able to get around to everything at the Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. Don’t expect to get to your campsite early and make a plan of what you will do while you wait at the campground or make plans to go to Disney Springs or the parks the day of your arrival. You can always go to the Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and park your vehicle at the campground and use Disney transportation. You could even hop a boat from the dock and go check out some of the other resorts around Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon or make a dinning reservation for one of the resort’s restaurants. There is plenty to keep you and your family occupied while you wait to get into your RV. If you are flying and didn’t rent a vehicle at the airport you can also, easily get the campground to store your luggage for you while you go explore.
Amenities at the Campground at Disney’s Fort Wilderness
Guests of the Campgrounds at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort can enjoy a variety of recreational activities, including horseback riding, fishing, and archery for a fee. Plus, the resort is just a short boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom entrance. I didn’t partake in any of the amenities during this trip, but have gone on a carriage ride during Halloween from the stables and I would recommend it or horseback riding if you and your family like horses. A visit to the stables might be something fun to do during your stay at the Campgrounds at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort.
There is a lot to explore around the campground itself including two pool areas and a private beach. One of my favorite things about this Walt Disney World Resort property was the private beach that over looked the Seven Seas Lagoon. Putting my feet in the sand and soaking in the warm Florida sunshine was a vacation in itself. In the evening from my same lounge chair I was able to watch the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom and see the 50th Anniversary Walt Disney World Electrical Water Pageant as it made its way to the campground around at 9:45pm.
Watching the 50th Anniversary Walt Disney World Electrical Water Pageant from the beach was truly a magical experience and I always find so much nostalgia in the Disney Electric Water Parade. The campground even has food trucks that come out to the area giving more food options than just P and J’s Southern Take Out. P and J’s does offer mobile ordering from the My Disney Experience App and has many food options. If you’re a Disney adult without children it is so much fun to grab some snacks and enjoy a quiet evening on the beach while waiting for the evening fireworks. Likewise, the area is also, fun for children to dig in the sand and play while waiting.
The campground also, has the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue which you can make reservations for. I have been to the revue on a previous trip to Disney and thought it was really entertaining as an adult and was glad to see they offered meatless food options. Another fun feature of staying at the campground is the free Campfire Singalongs and Movies Under the Stars. You will need to check with guest services to see what is offered during your stay.
Saving Money Camping at Disney
One of the most commonly posted topics posted related to camping at Disney is cost effectiveness. Having now camped at Disney I can say that camping is a great way to stay on Walt Disney World Resort property, enjoy all the resort options available and also, have a unique cost effective experience. Camping at Disney’s Fort Wilderness even with the cost of renting a RV was dramatically cheaper than many of the other Walt Disney World Resort options for the same time period.
The amenities at the Campground at Fort Wilderness as mentioned are wonderful. Typically a Walt Disney World Resort with access to the Seven Seas Lagoon and multiple transportation outlets can be pricy. The campground also, allows one to stay on property, but have a campground experience giving the best of both options. If you are not a seasoned camper this campground has all the bells and whistles that you might not find at other campgrounds along with staff to help you along the way.
The campsites are well laid out, the grounds are well manicured, the comfort stations are clean and spacious with apparent Walt Disney World Resort special touches. While at the Campgrounds at Disney’s Fort Wilderness I didn’t even realize sometimes I was in central Florida at Walt Disney World. The area really gives such a rustic feel and is vastly different from the bustle of the Walt Disney World parks. The campground even had quiet spots for example to watch nature and I saw several deer and turkey.
Another thing to consider is that hotel rooms don’t typically give one access to a full kitchen. With RVshare you can have your choice of renting a RV with a full kitchen. This can add up to cost savings in itself by getting groceries and cooking your own food while at Walt Disney World. If you have dietary restrictions this may also, be a comfort knowing you have a space to prepare meals.
Disney Parks are very welcoming of dietary issues and try their best to accommodate guests. There are many options for vegan, gluten free and vegetarian options at the restaurants within the campground at Disney’s Fort Wilderness, other Disney resorts and in the parks. If you choose you can even bring in your own food to the parks (within reason) if you need special foods. I have had no problem bringing in medicine or food while I have visited the parks and always alert security to what’s in my bag.
What was it like to camp at Walt Disney World’s Fort Wilderness Resort?
If you are on are the fence about trying out camping I would recommend booking for just a few days. Give enough time to have a day to check in and get settled and then a couple days to enjoy the experience. You can then book a second Walt Disney World Resort for the other half of your trip and not commit the entire trip to camping. Which in my opinion this experience is more like glam-ping thank camping because you are at a Walt Disney World Resort.
RVshare takes all the work out of camping and let’s a renter truly enjoy the experience even if you are a novice at camping. A seasoned camper can find exactly what they need too with RVshare. In addition a RV owner can choose to make some extra money by joining RVshare and renting out their RV at this link. Over all it was a dream come true to go camping at Walt Disney World and you can have it too even if you don’t own a RV by using RVshare. No matter what type of RV you choose camping at Walt Disney World will be memorable and fun.
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The Virginia Hype Girl| Virginia Foodie, Lifestyle and Travel Blogger 