Camping but not going into Parks??

[WhereRv]

Has anyone ever stayed at FW but not gone into the parks for any length of time?? We are headed down Jan 31 to Feb 8 and are thinking we may not even go into the parks as we have gone for the past 2 years in a row with the kids. Anyone ever do that with kids, and any suggestions for some fun things to do?? We will have a rented minivan also.

Thanks!!!
PS. Just joined the forum tonight!!!! Great stuff here!

 

[LONE-STAR]

Rent a golf cart and go for a ride.
Go to the marina and rent a boat
Watch MK fire works from the beach
Go to the campfire/movie at night
Play dodge ball during the day.

Sure theres more but thats what I can thank of wright now

 

[stacktester]

Has anyone ever stayed at FW but not gone into the parks for any length of time?? We are headed down Jan 31 to Feb 8 and are thinking we may not even go into the parks as we have gone for the past 2 years in a row with the kids. Anyone ever do that with kids, and any suggestions for some fun things to do?? We will have a rented minivan also.

Thanks!!!
PS. Just joined the forum tonight!!!! Great stuff here!

Welcome to our world. I'll warn you now. There's a poster on here named Gatordad. Don't listen to him and all is ok.

We've been several times and not gone to parks. If you rent a cart or bikes you can see a lot more of FW.

 

[noabeliv]

We did this a few years ago at Christmas time. We only bought tickets to the Mickey Christmas party. The other days we did the golf cart thing driving around looking at the Christmas decorations, shopped Downtown Disney and enjoyed the movies with Chip and Dale. We also used Disney transportation to go to the Contemporary to play in their gameroom and ride the monorail. Ft. Wilderness has plenty to do, that's for sure!

 

[BigDaddyRog]

We're going to the fort may 22nd-31 and no disney parks this time...we will visit Universal and Islands of Adventure for 2 or 3 days but the other days are just for lazying around the campgrounds, swimming, looping, and drinking.
Dont forget to take pics on Burl's Porch!!!

 

[tungpo1]

to tell you the truth I have annual passes and I'm not going to renew them. We hardly ever go into the parks we chill at the campground.

 

[big kahuna1]

Last time I visited a park was when Animal Kingdom opened. We generally just chill at the Fort. That's what camping is all about.

 

[Us3]

Yes, we've stayed for 8 days at the Fort and never went to a park! We did all of the above mentioned things plus...

We also enjoyed resort hopping. We would take a boat ride over to Contemporary and hop on the monorail to other resorts. There are so many ways you can have the "Disney Experience" without even stepping foot in a park! If you want to see characters, you can always go to character dining at any of the resorts.

We also spent time at Downtown Disney and the Boardwalk. But most of all, we spent time at the Fort! It's like relaxing camping....but with so much to do if you get bored with the relaxing!

Sonya

 

[dizcrazee]

We are only going into the parks on two days when we go for a one week trip to FW in May. That's what we have left on our tickets. We'll probably go to MK on one day and Epcot on the other. For the remaining 5 days, we plan to explore around central Florida. We are considering checking out some of the springs, the beach, and Kennedy Space Center. We also plan to go to Ripley's Believe It or Not (for my daughter, who loves that stuff). Also, the Orlando Science museum is supposed to be top-notch, and we plan to go there as well. There's so much to do in that area that I'm sure there's enough to entertain a family for many trips without stepping foot in the disney parks. Of course, we will make sure that we have plenty of time to drive around in the golf cart and hang out at the pool.

 

[CottontailCurl]

Take a bus to MGM and then walk along the path to The Swan and Dolphin, then to the Boardwalk where you can order a pizza or eat at any of the restaurants there. If it's early you can get something at the bakery (I want to try that place some day), there are sometimes people doing acts along the boardwalk. It's also a nice walk around and between the Port Orleans Resorts. You can go watch Wishes on the beach of the Polynesian or even better is to take the boat across to the Contemporary and at the end of the dock closest to the resort you can hear the music very well and see the fireworks over the MK (the speakers there are better than on the Poly beach).

There are many places to explore all over WDW, but the #1 think you can do is to go to the FW beach and claim a hammock as your own and swing, swing some more, snooze, swing, watch the birds, swing, watch the boats going back and forth, go get some take out fried chicken for lunch, go back and make sure no one is in your hammock and take a nap (cause eating lunch will take a lot out of you). If you have any sand toys with you, the kids can play with them while you chill, if not there are some Tonka trucks on the beach.

Wish I were there now.

 

[ntsammy5]

I hate to say this, but the only reason I go to FW is to go to the parks. For camping I go elsewhere. There is nothing very special about FW once you take away WDW. When I go camping to relax there are many more picturesque campgrounds in this country than FW and most a lot cheaper.

Sorry, JMO.

 

[mike k.]

I hate to say this, but the only reason I go to FW is to go to the parks. For camping I go elsewhere. There is nothing very special about FW once you take away WDW. When I go camping to relax there are many more picturesque campgrounds in this country than FW and most a lot cheaper.

Sorry, JMO.

WhereRV,
Greetings from Levittown
Welcome to the REAL DISNEY CHARACTER show!
I gotta agree with NTSAMMY5.
1104 miles is an awfully long drive just to camp.
But my better half could stay for a month and never see the parks
Mike

 

[CottontailCurl]

There is nothing very special about FW once you take away WDW.

I'm OK. I agree about there being other wonderful campgrounds out there, if I could I'd camp in every national and state park I could, but to say there is nothing

 

[ntsammy5]

to say there is nothing

OK. I went overboard. But my point is, if FW wasn't at WDW many of us wouldn't travel thousands of miles to camp there. I'm also a little upset about the brush clearing they did. It's a little too open now.

BTW my idea of camping is probably a little different than many on the boards. I like state park tent camping so I can bring beer, but back packing and wilderness camping are my true love. It's the military in me.

 

[OlderMan]

...we go to WDW 2 or 3 times a year.

It's been over six years since we've been to any WDW park, and, honestly, my DD's 9 and (almost) 11 prefer Seaworld to the Disney parks.

We own at OKW and go to the pools, enjoy the outlet shopping, cook out some nights, and, generally, just relax.

Isn't that the point of a vacation??

 

[BigDaddyRog]

...... back packing and wilderness camping are my true love......

I'd like to go camping with you Al, but all that mountain climbing sounds like it might make a guy REAL thirsty......But I agree, I love a REAL forest, with a REAL stream leading to a REAL river, and if ya DONT catch some fish...your stuck with MREs for dinner, which aint awful, better than going hungry. Ya know, every MRE has the neccessary materials to build a small grenade like bomb!!

 

[ntsammy5]

Ya know, every MRE has the neccessary materials to build a small grenade like bomb!!

Rangers pride themselves on being able to make several weapons out of MREs. I think they're deadly enough on their own!

I once had a dehydrated beef patty heart attack. It rehydrated in my esophagus and I thought I was having a heart attack. I was embarrassed when they found out what had really happened. The med evac pilot thanked me because he needed the flight time!.

 

[Shannone1]

I'm an RVer, NOT a camper, lol !! I need my full hook ups and amenities.

That said, I would not drive 2200 miles roundtrip just to go to FW. It's definitely the best place to stay while checking out WDW. We had a great time last time and are really exciting about our next trip. But we will probably only go every 2-3 years. There are just so many other places we want to see. And the older the kids get, the less excited they get about the character interaction. They want thrill rides !!

We do a lot of camping within 4 hours of home. We will leave on a Thursday and come back on Sunday night. I have so many campgrounds on my list of places to check out that it will take me years to get through them...and those are just the MI ones

Last summer we did an almost 3 week trip to South Dakota and had a GREAT time. This year we are going to Panama City Beach with my mom and stepdad, spending a week in Ohio with 4 other families, and then our big trip to FW in the winter. Everything else will just be local.

The summer of '09 we want to take an 8 week trip out west. Wisconsin Dells,Yellowstone, Redwood Forest, Pacific Coast, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, TX, OK and on back towards home.

 

[homemaker]

We stayed for 5 nights in october and didn't do the parks. The only thing we did was the halloween party. I was afraid my boys would be upset not doing the parks, but they really enjoyed the fort. We went to the pool, rented a boat, did horseback riding and took a joy ride on the monorail. We did still do the hoop dee doo and a character meal. They really had a great time just hanging out. It was probably one of our best trips.

 

[tungpo1]

Also you can take a bus to downtown disney lots of great stores and resturants