Do you like the Fort?

[retired and happy]

I see a lot more posts critical of the Fort lately. Whether it be the food, the new concrete, the lack of vegetation, crowds or lack thereof, or whatever, what is the general consensus of opinion about the place as a whole?

 

[freshlybarked]

Those of us who visit often are sometimes critical of changes because I think we feel more closely tied to FW than someone who may only visit once or twice. I am fortunate to live 1.5 hours away. We visit about 5 to 6 times a year. Sometimes for a week and sometimes for a long weekend. I would like to see more vegitation between the sites, the fact that the new grills are rusting bug me, I personally like the larger pads for longer stays especially. I wish there was another choice of someplace to eat there and wish the Meadows pool service for food stayed open at least until 6:00. But nothing is perfect and all in all it is the best place we have ever stayed. It's home or at least I wish it were.

 

[Judy in Texas]

We visited Fort Wilderness for the first time last week. We now realize it is a destination, in and of itself. It is meant to be enjoyed at a slow pace and not when trying to "power Disney". We only had a week off work and four days were spent driving 1150 miles each way from and to Fort Worth. We wish we had a minimum of 10 days so we could spend several days at Fort Wilderness - kayaking, hiking, swimming, watching movies, enjoying the various activities it has to offer. We will visit again - heck, we would love to retire there if it were allowed. I just wish it weren't so far away.

Judy in Texas and Joyce in Texas

 

[Shan-man]

It's my favorite place... enough said!

 

[DaveInTN]

I consider the Fort a destination campground, which I will travel to even if not seeing anything else in the area. It takes us 14 hours to get there. The next "furthest" destination campground for us is Kentucky Horse Park...a mere 4 hour drive. So, I am willing to drive 10 additional hours to get to the Fort over my next favorite destination campground. Despite any complaints I may occassionally have, FW is still my favorite campground BY FAR!

Complaining about the Fort's shortcomings is like complaining about my hometown, or my family, or my favorite sports teams. It is complaint born out of love and a desire to protect something I feel vested in.

 

[graciejane]

My parents started taking us to the Fort in the late '70's. It has always been the campground that I judge all others against. It is a very long haul for us to get there so when we go, we stay for 10-13 days. We usually make this a big family trip including my parents and my brothers family (all in their own campers of course). My DS's who are 18 and 16 are already planning on getting pop ups so that they can take their future families to the Fort.

 

[wlkw03]

It is the best place to stay on Disney and the best campground in the nation. I would stay there all the time with the my family, but my DW "puts up" with camping, so I have to compromise with her and stay in other resorts once in a awhile.

 

[fla4fun]

I see a lot more posts critical of the Fort lately. Whether it be the food, the new concrete, the lack of vegetation, crowds or lack thereof, or whatever, what is the general consensus of opinion about the place as a whole?

I haven't really felt that the posts were critical of the Fort as a whole, just a few aspects, most of which will change with time. The new landscaping will grow, crowds will come and go, and the restaurants will continue to tinker with the menus until they find a balance of quality and quantity that keeps the guests returning. I think that a lot of times people just want to discuss the changes that are going on, and change always has good points and bad points - it's rarely all one or the other.

Personally, the Fort is one of my favorite resorts. It's not my only favorite, but it's definitely one of my top picks.

 

[Born 2 Fish]

yeah,, the Fort pretty much sucks but we'll most likely keep spending our $3 grand there once a year, , like we have done for the past many years.

 

[des1954]

The Fort has basically been our only campground of choice since 1974. Two winters in a row we did live there for 3 & 4 months. And yes....I could live there.

I've seen lots & lots of changes at FtW over the past 35 years, with most of them being good changes. My biggest problem with this last overhaul is that too many loops have been converted to the premium pads. The original plan was to convert 4 loops (600 - 900) to premium in order to accommodate the big rigs. Someone who was in Fort management a short time during the reno's decided to make the majority of the loops premium so that the site assigners wouldn't have a difficult time placing the big rigs. This decision was also made partly in fact that the "if we build it, they will come & pay our price" mentality was being exercised. Well, they found out last winter that the guests with the big rigs who normally stayed 4 - 6 months would NOT pay the price, and families who have smaller Class C's, pop-up's & tents won't pay the price either.

We live close enough that we often take our bikes over to ride around the Fort & this summer we have never seen it so un-busy in the summer. The only loops that remained full were 1600-1900 (full hook-up), 1500 & 2000 (partial hook-up), and 100-300 (preferred). The premiums were only full on the weeks surrounding the July 4th holiday. Even Memorial Day weekend was fairly empty as was Labor Day. That's unheard of - and this country has had other recessions since FtW has been open.

That being said, there is new management at FtW (actually a manager who worked there before & is cycling back), and they are now discussing re-pricing the sites and re-adjusting the site levels. The Fort is losing $$$ from projected earnings, and if I was told correctly, they have lost what I term "real dollars" when comparing the first 2 quarters of '08 to the first 2 quarters of '09.

We'll see what happens. In the meantime, let's drink more beer!!!

 

[BradyBz12]

No place is perfect, but we'd happily move in tomorrow!

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I sort of conveyed my feelings on the thread about the breakfast buffet.

 

[lolafrances]

I love it there. I think it is a place that my young family can grow into, since there are so many activities. The best part for us is, there is so much to do there, we don't have to go to the parks every day from morning till night when we are on vacation! Our kids are happy to ride ponies or go to the pool or just hang out. That is priceless, if you ask me!

 

[ob1quixote]

LOL!

Way back when the wife and I honeymooned at Disney and the Keys, tent camping, we stayed at the Jellystone CG close by WDW.

Spend a weekend there before being quite so critical of FW! I'm sure both have changed a bit since then, but I am just as sure the difference between them is just as it was then.

Sure, FW has changed a bit, some for the good, some not so much. The only place I like to camp better is at my club's 700 acre OHV playground.

When will FW put in some cycle trails? THAT would be perfect!

 

[bradisgoofy]

I'm one of the big rig owners that has been "challenged" to park even in a preferred site, so I appreciate Disney upgrading the sites. But I can also understand what Debbie is saying. I agree that Disney is just trying to get more money for sites where basically they just added more cement and new grills. FW is at the top end for site pricing, and we have stayed at some premium "class A only" resorts. I do have the luxury of using my DVC points which, believe it or not, saves me money over a cash stay. We haven't been to FW since the upgrade but I will say this...a bad day at FW, is better then a good day at work.

 

[RocklandRVers]

No place is perfect, but we'd happily move in tomorrow!

Our first visit was in April 2003. We fell in love with the place. I will never forget our last night during that visit. DW and I took a last ride around in the golf cart while DS was at the movie. As we sat up by Clementine Beach enjoying the view of the lake, DW said she would love to make this our retirement home someday. She said she would clean the bathrooms in exchange for a campsite. I said I would drive a bus or handle security.

We have visited a lot of campgrounds on the east coast from the eastern most tip of Maine which is the first town in America to see the sunrise everyday all the way down to Florida. The Fort beats them all hands down. In fact we consider it the best in the UNIVERSE and would be proud to call it HOME!

 

[RocklandRVers]

No place is perfect, but we'd happily move in tomorrow!

Our first visit was in April 2003. We fell in love with the place. I will never forget our last night during that visit. DW and I took a last ride around in the golf cart while DS was at the movie. As we sat up by Clementine Beach enjoying the view of the lake, DW said she would love to make this our retirement home someday. She said she would clean the bathrooms in exchange for a campsite. I said I would drive a bus or handle security.

We have visited a lot of campgrounds on the east coast from the eastern most tip of Maine which is the first town in America to see the sunrise everyday all the way down to Florida. The Fort beats them all hands down. In fact we consider it the best in the UNIVERSE and would be proud to call it HOME!

 

[dtum]

We have stayed at the fort ever since DD was 5, but this last trip may be our last. They have priced themselves out of the market for us. We have stayed at some RV resorts with cheaper rates and nicer accommodations (fitness center, spa, free wi-fi, etc.). We have decided that for Disney, when we factor in site cost and towing cost, it's cheaper to stay elsewhere. If Disney is truly losing $$ it's probably because they have finally priced themselves out of the RV market. We'd be back in a heartbeat when, if, we feel we are getting a little more up-scale amenities for our $100.

I know this is a sore spot of some people, but we like to stay at the higher end RV resorts and FW is just still a campground when you compare apples to apples. JMHO.

 

[schase726]

I grew up at the Fort.... well almost! I have been camping there for over 20 years and now I have the luxury of taking my own children camping there. This is a wonderful vacation spot whether you are looking for a relaxing camping trip or want adventure in the parks. Thus far, my children prefer to play on the playground, swim at the pool, ride bikes, and the most favorite activity is riding the bus, boat, and monorail, and of course the golf cart. We camp at the Fort 6-10 times a year. I grew to love WDW so much that it was my first real job! I have lived and worked Disney for 5 wonderful years! Now, I teach and during school breaks, I pack the pop up and we head to the Fort.... lucky for us it is only 45 mins away! The Fort is so wonderful that I have often taken the kids just for day trips to ride bikes and the mass transit! Just being at the Fort with the atmosphere is relaxing and enjoyable! I don't even mind when it rains because after all you are still at WDW! I have gone to the Fort to celebrate many things, birthdays, honeymoon, graduation from college, and now anniversaries. (I even skipped the graduation ceremony just so I could check in early at FW!) This is truely one of the best campgrounds around. I have been camping my whole life and FW is by far the best campground I have ever been to.

 

[camperhappy]

Our first visit was in 2005, the first year we had a camper and we fell in love. Went back in 2007, 2008 and are returning again at Thanksgiving this year. One thing I really like is, after a long drive, the kids can get out and run and we are not all trapped in a small hotel room. When you arrive later in the day it is nice to be able to set up and sit around or go looping. If we stayed at a hotel, none of that would be possible. It is too bad that they seem to be taking away more than they are giving back, esp when Disney campers give so many kudos to FW.