First time at The Fort.. a couple questions.

[dizneefan13]

We are very excited to be staying at Ft Wilderness in November. We have reserved a preferred site. Which loop do you prefer? 100 200 or 300?
We will be taking the boat to MK for MK, Epcot, and possibly Minnie Van to the other parks. Can a Minnie Van pick up us near our site or at The Settlement?
We do MK and Epcot the most.

Also, we are renting our RV. We found a great deal with Outdoorsy but haven't reserved yet. Any opinions on using them?
It would be awesome to find a rental that includes a golf cart. Is this possible?

My husband is a little leery of the time it will take to go back and forth to the parks, other than MK, but camping at the Fort is on our bucket list!

 

[jeepfreak]

We prefer 100 or 200. Closest to the boats and trails end cafe. We’re going to be there 10/3-10/10. No matter what loop your in your going to really have fun, especially if this your maiden voyage!

 

[dizneefan13]

Thanks, jeepfreak. We love camping and we love Disney so we are very excited to be staying at the Fort.

 

[Teamubr]

I'll second the 100 Loop. My favorite. Easy walk to the Settlement Trading Post, the boat dock, Trails End and the Settlement bus stop isn't much farther.

As for travel to the parks. Give yourself an hour to get anywhere, even the boat to MK. It generally won't take that long. Then it;s great. You get there "early". Sometimes you wait longer for a bus or there is an extra stop you didn't plan on (Blizzard Beach on the way to AK) and then you aren't as annoyed when you think it should be 30-40 minutes.

I've never used the Minnie Vans, but I think they are the only hire car that can go to your site. From what I've read, they also drop you off closer at the park.

Also can't help on the RV rental. We have always taken our own.

No matter what you decide, have a great time!

j

 

[bama_ed]

If you look at my signature, I've stayed in the 100 loop a lot. I have a small folding hard side trailer (an Aliner) and I love the Preferred loop area (always request 100).

Sometimes when I arrive, though, 100 is not always available so I've been put in 200 (which was fine - a minimallly longer walk to the MK boat dock) and 400 (the CM thought they were doing me a favor by bumping me up to a Premium but I was not happy). But it was across Big Pine Trail (main road) from 100 loop so okay.

300 is a Preferred loop also but because it is close to the Dog Park it tends to get a lot of pet campers and it is a further from the MK boat dock.

I love 100 because it is so close to the MK boat dock and Trails End. In some sites you can hear the TE porch music. You can clearly hear the boat whistles toot as they come into the dock (two long pulls for incoming, three short toots for backing out). When the MK Railroad is running, you can often hear the sad long faint whistle of the train as it approaches the MK Depot.

It's a great loop for people watching especially if you are on the outside of the loop (with the higher numbers). Golf carts, walkers, they're all there.

Easy to refill a mug if you go that route. It's at the TE take out door called P&J's Southern Takeout (Paulette and Josephine were two long-serving Cast Members at Trails End [like nearly 40 years each]).

My friend Teamubr likes 100 too but since he got his mammoth trailer there are a few sites in 100 that are too tight for him (like me looking at my wardrobe contemplating a diet). With his truck he is a big combined rig and yes some sites are shorter and others are longer in 100. Try to stick to an outside site is the simple advice (although even some of those can be ).

Minnie Vans can come pick you up directly at your campsite which is something Uber/Lyft etc. cannot do (although some try but they will be banned if caught). They have to meet customers up at the check-in building area (which means you have to wait for internal bus to take you up there). Time coming back to the Fort and returning to the park is an issue but it helps if the park has longer hours and how tired the family feels and if it needs to recharge.

Come back at us if you have questions. I love the Preferred loops because I have a small rig but as I go to Disney annually the Preferreds are starting to get pricey so I may look at Full or Tent. But for what you are asking about, they are great.

Bama Ed

 

[dizneefan13]

Thanks bama_ed for the great information! I will request 100 and see what happens.
Love that Minnie Vans can pick up up right at the campsite. We will use them on AK and HS days. I know they are pricey, but we don't spend much extra money in the parks. No fancy meals (Yak+Yeti and Cape May are about it). No souvenirs, no after hours party, etc. So the convenience of Minnie Vans is our indulgence. We love easy and convenient.

I don't think we will really need a golfcart but might rent one for a day just to check out the grounds. Most likely will get bikes for a few days though.

Is there somewhere to see what specific campsites look like? Everything is online these days, right?

 

[bama_ed]

Thanks bama_ed for the great information! I will request 100 and see what happens.
Love that Minnie Vans can pick up up right at the campsite. We will use them on AK and HS days. I know they are pricey, but we don't spend much extra money in the parks. No fancy meals (Yak+Yeti and Cape May are about it). No souvenirs, no after hours party, etc. So the convenience of Minnie Vans is our indulgence. We love easy and convenient.

I don't think we will really need a golfcart but might rent one for a day just to check out the grounds. Most likely will get bikes for a few days though.

Is there somewhere to see what specific campsites look like? Everything is online these days, right?

fan13,

Your one-day golf strategy is used by many. Just make sure you reserve it well in advance (they charge your credit card about 24 hours before you pick it up). And speaking of picking it up, cart hours are generally tied to check-in and check-out times (about 1pm and 11am respectively). But if it is not a busy time, you can often get a cart earlier in the day if one is availble (I've gotten one as early as 630am ). As I say you can return it as late as 11am the next day or there is a key drop box in the area where you pick up the cart if there is no CM around to take your key.

If you rent a Disney bike they are almost $20 a day each (last I knew) and they have to be returned every evening to the Bike Barn between the pool and Campfire Singalong area. So no overnight rentals. They do have helmets though. Off-site rentals are available but not cost-effective. So either do 1-day bikes or get a 2nd day on the golf cart.

For loop and campsite views, I like this website: https://wildernessprincess.net/loop-site-details/

Scroll down to 100 loop and they have a pic of each site (mostly with campers on them). For the record, I've stayed in 101, 104, 116 (great), 125 (great), 127 (great).

Bama Ed

 

[dizneefan13]

No renting bikes for a few days at a time? Hmmmm.
I have seen some RV rentals that can include bikes so I'll look into that.
We would like to bring our own RV, but we live near Seattle and haven't made a cross country trip yet. Someday, though.

Wow, WildernessPrincess site is awesome! thanks for the link!

 

[Karlrob]

Unless you are staying at a resort where you can walk to the Epcot, Hollywood Studios - you need to allow an hour to go anywhere. I don't think it is much longer at the Campsites. We stayed at Animal Lodge, and an hour took us anywhere. Campsites are great, and we love the atmosphere of the campground. Be sure to try the buffet breakast at the Trails End restaurant, it is fantastic. We also like Hoop De Doo revue for the show and the food. If you haven't seen it, worth it. Enjoy the experience.

 

[dizneefan13]

Thanks Karlrob. We are never in a hurry to get anywhere and make plans accordingly. We stay a couple weeks at a time and take it easy. My husband was concerned that the Fort is a bit isolated and an internal bus is necessary at times, as well as 2 different modes of transportation depending on where you are going. But camping AND Disney, works for me!
We have eaten breakfast at Trail's End and thought is was great, especially for the price. Having it so close will be a big plus.
We haven't done Hoop de Doo yet. Its on our list.