Camping for Christmas

[arone]

has anybody here camped at fort wilderness around Christmas time before?

any advice, tips or suggestions?

 

[2goofycampers]

It's gonna be busy, allow extra time for everything.

It could be warm, cool, cold or very cold, be prepared for all.

Enjoy the decorations, they change nightly with people coming and going in sites.

 

[retired and happy]

And get your reservations several months ago. It will be very hard to get them now for this year, but keep trying. Something might open up.

 

[tajz90]

Yes! It's awesome. Years ago, DCL would allow decorations. Not sure if that's still the case. Lights and the air decorations were the norm. So check if you still can and pack yard decos!

 

[Born 2 Fish]

If you can go at Christmas, it's gonna be a crowd of people you'll never forget.
However, the Disney Christmas Magic is something that you'll never forget ,
it's a truly one of a kind experience.

And take a fish'n pole with ya camp'n,,you haven't lived til ya landed a Christmas bass outta Bay Lake.

 

[super_camper]

has anybody here camped at fort wilderness around Christmas time before?

any advice, tips or suggestions?

We tried Fort camping at Christmas about 7 or 8 years ago and have returned every Christmas since. If you like camping this is the place to be at Christmas.

I agree with the comments above, be prepared for variable weather and large crowds. If you don't have reservations yet for this year it will be difficult but probably not impossible to get - you just have to be very persistent.

 

[arone]

Thank you all for your info

We do have reservations for 3 nights
I've never camped before so I'm kinda nervous but from the pictures it looks like it would be a blast!

 

[bama_ed]

Thank you all for your info

We do have reservations for 3 nights
I've never camped before so I'm kinda nervous but from the pictures it looks like it would be a blast!

arone,

That will be a nice little visit coming over from Vero. What, it's about 90 minutes to the Fort from there?

Since you say it's the first time you might want to camp close to home for a weekend to learn how to do things. You probably COULD first-time it at the Fort but having even one weekend of experience under your belt will make the Fort trip flow more smoothly.

Bring some Christmas lights to decorate your Fort site!

Bama Ed

 

[arone]

arone,

That will be a nice little visit coming over from Vero. What, it's about 90 minutes to the Fort from there?

Since you say it's the first time you might want to camp close to home for a weekend to learn how to do things. You probably COULD first-time it at the Fort but having even one weekend of experience under your belt will make the Fort trip flow more smoothly.

Bring some Christmas lights to decorate your Fort site!

Bama Ed

Yes Bama it's about 90 mins away
That's a good advice I will do some camping around here first to get some experience
But I first need a tent lol
Any suggestions for 2 adults an 8 year old and a 2 year old?

 

[arone]

If you can go at Christmas, it's gonna be a crowd of people you'll never forget.
However, the Disney Christmas Magic is something that you'll never forget ,
it's a truly one of a kind experience.

And take a fish'n pole with ya camp'n,,you haven't lived til ya landed a Christmas bass outta Bay Lake.

Will definitely do some fishing we have never fresh water fished before so I hope I catch something
What's the Disney Christmas magic?

 

[2goofycampers]

What's the Disney Christmas magic?

It's Christmas, Disney style, over the top beautiful.

 

[retired and happy]

But don't count on fish for supper. All fishing is catch and release.

 

[arone]

But don't count on fish for supper. All fishing is catch and release.

Not a problem I enjoy fishing for the fun

 

[Stinkerbell1973]

Hey Judy...it's Holly. Love you!!

Christmas at the Fort is....well.....magical. We spent Christmas there in 2011. DD was 7. On a very basic level, it was sooooo cool to wake up on Christmas morning in our camper! DD, ummmmm, still believes - so it was so fun planning for Santa in such a small space. So fun!

She did not see Santa anywhere before we left for WDW. She saw him at MK...sat in his lap and gave him her list. That by itself was SO cool. Santa pictures at MK are a priceless memory.

The decor EVERYWHERE is unbelieveable. Make sure you see the Christmas trees in all 4 parks. Do the resort tour. Buy gingerbread at the Grand Floridian.

MVMCP is totally awesome. The parade was the best part. Loved the gingerbread men and toy soldiers. Snow falling on Main Street was awesome too. The snickerdoodle cookies were DH's favorite thing.

The Osborne Lights cannot be described with words, and pictures do not do them justice. Incredible.

Hearing Christmas music as you do the parks and tour the resorts is awesome too.

The best part, in my opinion, is the Candlelight Processional. AH-MAAAAA-ZING. Emotional. If this is on your must do list (and it should be), I highly encourage you to do the dining package so you have a guaranteed seat.

All of this being said - the days right around Christmas, especially the days between Christmas and New Years, are the busiest days of the year at Disney. The year we went, Christmas Day was on a Sunday. We checked in on Saturday, 12/17. Saturday through Tuesday were great! Wednesday the crowds started picking up. By Friday, the place was nuts. We were in MK on Christmas Eve - we had a 6pm ressie at Liberty Tree Tavern for our Christmas Eve meal - and it took us 30 minutes to walk from the hub in Town Square to the hub at the Castle. Not exaggerating. It was shoulder to shoulder to shoulder people. We rode 3 rides - Peoplemover, Tea Cups and the Carousel - and that was all. But....the atmosphere was purely electric. Everyone in a happy mood. Everyone singing Christmas carols on the ferry from MK to FW.
The weather we had was awesome! We had the windows open every single day and night. I was very concerned about it though, as I believe just the Christmas before they saw record lows (or at least the time around the holiday, I know it was very cold). We could have been in the pool every afternoon.
I booked that trip 15 months out. Ressie window opened in August 2010 and I booked the day it opened. The anticipation of that trip nearly made me CA-RAZY. Haha.
You really, really have to go into a trip at Christmas with one thought in mind. You will NOT be able to go commando every single day and hit every single ride/attraction/show you want to. Focus on the things you really want to do, and bake in time to do things that are holiday specific, thus you can't do them at any other time. And, just take it all in.
Pure.Magic.

 

[Stinkerbell1973]

HOLY COW - almost forgot one very important must do.

TOUR THE FORT! Rent a cart. Walk it. Bike it. You will be blown away by the decorations. It's truly an experience!

 

[amomma23]

Just wanted to say I'm jealous! Disney camping at Christmas is totally on my bucket list. Just need to get my other half on board.

 

[musicmama]

We were there for a wonderful 10 days! The best trip we ever had - explored the different loops to see all of the decorations, took the boats and buses as well as using our rented car. Yes, it's really busy in the days from Christmas Eve to New Year's, but if you manage your time well, it can be great fun as well. The great thing about bringing your own home is that you CAN pack for all possible weather scenarios because you don't have to worry about overweight bags. And if you eat at a restaurant and can't finish, you can bring your leftovers "home" with you and enjoy them later.

And the Fort is hands down one of the nicest campgrounds we've ever stayed, it's spoiled us forever!

 

[retired and happy]

One small point. The rules say you are not supposed to use your rental or privately owned car for "touring" the campground. Such vehicles are supposed to be used only for getting to and from your campsite or cabin. The loops are narrow and often congested. It would not take much distraction for you to hit a child, dog, or adult....especially at night.

 

[Boomer1]

We have been camping at FW every Christmas since 2004. It is truly magical. If you do intend to visit the parks between Christmas and New Year I would suggest being at park opening. By 11 am the parks are super crowded and you will want to return to your " home away from home".
You may not get to ride all the rides multiple times during the holidays, but the decorations and festive spirit makes the vacation truly awesome. We have discovered over the years that we have enjoyed the family time together touring the Fort and other resorts; as well as, kicking back at the pool. Enjoy your trip, perhaps we'll see you there.

 

[arone]

I'm still scared of freezing lol