2019 Fort Wilderness Rates and Price Increases

[bama_ed]

Folks,

As I have done for the last couple years, I have taken the recently announced Fort Wilderness campsite rates for the coming year (2019) and laid them out into an easy-to-read format and included the year-over-year price increase chart (commonly referred to as a "Heat Map").

Data courtesy of www.mousesavers.com

A couple observations:

1. Yep, prices keep going up
2. For 2019, though, no double digit percent increases unlike the last two years
3. Prices increased 2-5 percent
4. No new time periods or rate windows - they are the same as 2018 (other than moveable holidays)
5. Officially, though, Disney no longer uses "rate periods" like "Value", "Peak", "Holiday", etc. They are included just for relating to past years.
6. Spring Break in March is now the most expensive time - surpasses the Christmas Holiday time

Here are the rates for 2019 (full price with no discount referred to as "rack rates"). Note they include the 12.5% tax and are rounded to the nearest dollar amount.



And here are the year over year prices increases from 2018 on a percentage basis:



A couple data nuggets:

• a full year (365 days) at rack rates (full price) in a Tent site = $36,864
• a full year (365 days) at rack rates (full price) in a Full site = $47,201
  
• a full year (365 days) at rack rates (full price) in a Preferred site = $52,601
  
• a full year (365 days) at rack rates (full price) in a Premium site = $56,011

A few more observations. I have data back to the 2015 year. The cheapest Tent rates back then in the August/September time frame were $56 weekday versus $62 weekday now in an obvious effort to show low rates still available at the Fort ".... starting at $62 a night....". On the other hand, the highest Premium rate for 2015 was $156 and now is $205 so quite a bit more increase there (they don't advertise the high end rates, do they? )

Good luck on scheduling your future trips. You can generally book online 500 days in advance or call by phone.

Hope you all get back to the Fort soon. And I hope this information is helpful.

Bama Ed

 

[Shanti]

Wow. Yuck.

 

[PaHunter]

Now I am sad....can we put the genie back in the bottle ??

Once again Ed has done a wonderful job.

May have to sell a kidney for the next trip.....

 

[bama_ed]

Now I am sad....can we put the genie back in the bottle ??

I'll help you with the genie, PaHunter, if you can help me get this toothpaste back in the tube....

Same principle....

ED

 

[sirenia88]

Gotta make that money somewhere when you are trying to outbid Comcast for Fox and the Incredibles 2 didn't do as well as you liked. Campers must have money since they all own $350K Class A diesel pushers and big class 8s to bring in the rig!

If you can't tell I am being very sarcastic about it. I know not everyone owns a 350K diesel pusher and the sort. However, it will be sometime before we see the Fort again anyway. No plans until 2020-21 time frame. We are thinking 50th anniversary for the proper pricing hikes. As everyone will be there for it. So I have a feeling everything will be more more more cause well it's the 50th.

 

[rml0win]

Thanks Ed. I know it's expensive but we just got back from a trip out west. Put 7000 miles on the rv and spent about 5 grand. The fort doesn't look so bad after that. Just made ours for Halloween, 2019, October 21st through November 1st. We have never attended the golf cart parade and am now looking forward to it.

 

[Bishoparc]

Thanks ed for all the work on this!

 

[friendofeeyore]

Thank you, BamaEd, we will be there Nov/Dec 2018
for 3 wks. Grumpgyaggie has finished Oct. 23 thru Nov 7th 2019. He wants to do the golf cart parade.

 

[bama_ed]

Thank you, BamaEd, we will be there Nov/Dec 2018
for 3 wks. Grumpgyaggie has finished Oct. 23 thru Nov 7th 2019. He wants to do the golf cart parade.

Everybody should do the Halloween Golf Cart Parade at least once, Gloria. Good for you and Arnold.

I did it with my dad last October 2017 on a quick trip (my one-and-done-Fort-Halloween). We rented a Disney cart but IIRC you have your own and we did the parade (checked off a bucket list item). All I will say is don't UNDERestimate the cart decorations you will need.

Here is the Camping Board October 2017 Trip Report thread and the link is where the golf cart parade pix start.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/official-october-2017-pretrip-and-trip-report.3600058/page-39

Our posters tltay2005 (Terri) and Flametamr (Joe) were down there with me and both gave advice (repeat Halloween visitors) and Terri/DH bailed my butt out when I committed the social crime of under-decorating the cart. Their leftovers made my cart at least respectable.

Being both in the parade and experiencing it and all the carts as a viewer makes the whole event a blur. So enjoy it.

Bama Ed

 

[jaredjohn4]

Thanks Ed, I think. I really don't want to know that prices are going up again. We have relatives getting married near Anaheim this November, so we are going to fly there for a 3 1/2 day weekend. I think I got the cheapest hotel room on property out there, only about $400 per night. Then next spring we will be heading South again for two weeks at the Fort in mid March. Another fly/drive vacation. Me and the dog doing the drive from northern Illinois while the dw flys in a few days later.

 

[bama_ed]

Thanks Ed, I think. I really don't want to know that prices are going up again. We have relatives getting married near Anaheim this November, so we are going to fly there for a 3 1/2 day weekend. I think I got the cheapest hotel room on property out there, only about $400 per night. Then next spring we will be heading South again for two weeks at the Fort in mid March. Another fly/drive vacation. Me and the dog doing the drive from northern Illinois while the dw flys in a few days later.

Well jaredjohn4, that will be like your third or fourth trip of driving ahead and your guests flying in IIRC.

DL sounds so cool. Have a good time. $400 on property is a deal in South California especially on property.

You are quite welcome.

ED

 

[jaredjohn4]

Yes, I'm starting to like the fly/drive combo. The dog rides well in the truck and we go at our own pace. We have it plotted out which Pilot/Flying J truck stops for me and which rest areas for the dog. After upgrading from a conversion van and pop-up to a big truck and big fifth wheel, the drive is actually easier. So smooth, much quieter, no wind pushing me around or fighting in traffic. Just point it South and go with the flow. I'm coming in about 3 days before my wife flies in, so I can take my time setting up and getting everything right while still doing some things at the park. If we went together over spring break, everything would be a rush. Quick set-up, walk the dog, go to the parks. The same at the end of the trip. She will fly out on Sunday, I won't leave until Wednesday. Plenty of time to slowly put away a little everyday and get ready for the trip North. I just wish we could catch some cheaper airfares. Spring break flying is expensive

 

[Teamubr]

I appreciate you pulling this together each year. I knew it was coming, but seeing $200 a night sites is a gut punch. It just reinforces that I won't go down over Spring break or Christmas.

j

 

[PaHunter]

After upgrading to a big truck

 

[bama_ed]

Now Chris, be nice.

I appreciate you pulling this together each year. I knew is was coming, but seeing $200 a night sites is a gut punch. It just reinforces that I won't go down over Spring break or Christmas.

j

Jim,

In working with these rates for years, I've noticed that the "3 figures" are creeping in from the right towards the left. As in:

Rates are going over $100 in the table quite easily. For Premiums, oh sure, both weekday and weekend. And Preferred sites for both time periods are still over $100. But still looking left, Full sites for weekends are all over $100 and only the single Value season period for weekdays are under $100.

It'll be 2-3 years before that weekday Full rate gets over 3 digit$. The Tent rates have QUITE the variety of rates (high/low) in terms of percentages. You would think tents, being entry level camping, has a large following (both local and not-so) the the law of supply-and-demand is even more pronounced here.

Personally, all I can do is limit my stays to 4-6 nights max coupled with a Lake Louisa preview stay. I've already cut back to 1-2 days worth of park tickets. That's my comfort zone for how often we come to WDW and how we do a visit there.

Bama Ed

PS - although I will say, since the kids have flown the coop (mostly) and now it's mostly just me and DW, I'm more willing to do the Disney Dining Table Service thing. It's a huge difference paying for two of us in a meal versus five (hungry teenagers who order off the adult menu).

 

[Teamubr]

The Tent rates have QUITE the variety of rates (high/low) in terms of percentages. You would think tents, being entry level camping, has a large following (both local and not-so) the the law of supply-and-demand is even more pronounced here.

I noticed the huge variance in the Tent sites. 142% from lowest to highest. Premiums are only 67%. I can't imagine a tent site is nearly 3 times more valuable at one time of year compared to another time... unless this is the impact of throw away sites. I hate to bring it up, especially considering I'm still not sure it is a real thing, but this could be Disney's way of making a tent site less of a benefit to use as a throw away, while opening up more availability for real campers.

Disney addresses the complaints of campsite availability due to the throw away theory while generating more money regardless. Genius!

j

 

[rideswithchrist]

Good work Ed!
One day we will go in September- when it is cheapest.
I'm used to Texas State Parks where $22 a night is the most we have paid...ouch to $150 for the weekends in our popup in March.
But hey- overall, it's still cheaper than the Caribbean or POR

 

[georgina]

Wow! That looks like it was a lot of work to compile. We haven't camped at the Fort since 2003, but now that DH is retired I was thinking about it, but not at those prices. I think an offsite condo or house would be more cost effective for us.

 

[pr_littlemermaid]

Thank you Bama_ed for this wonderful spreadsheet.
I am so sad. I love the Fort, but I don't think is worth to do tent camping anymore. Every year we stayed during the fall. Here is how prices have increased during the years. (I couldn't find the receipt from previous years to 2014.)
2014 Mid-Oct Weekday $54 Wknd $59 / 2015 1st wk Oct Wkday $57 Wknd $60 / 2016 1st Wk Oct Wkday $59 / 2017 Halloween Wk Wkday $62 /
2018 Halloween Wk Wkday $67 Wknd $77. There have been gradual increases, but a huge difference for 2019. If they increase to provide excellent service and amenities, I understand, but not with the decline in service we have seen during the past 2 years.

 

[BeachMama13]

Thank you @bama_ed for putting this together for us. I think my decision between going over Spring Break or Thanksgiving has just been made. I'll keep the Thanksgiving week and we'll take the kids elsewhere for Spring Break.