First Trip to the Fort and Disney!

[Savy]

My family and I will be visiting Ft. Wilderness Campgrounds this summer for the first time, I might also mention it will be our first trip to Disney.. We will be driving down from Texas, the drive seems a little scary but we are so very excited!!

 

[dudelydude]

My family and I will be visiting Ft. Wilderness Campgrounds this summer for the first time, I might also mention it will be our first trip to Disney.. We will be driving down from Texas, the drive seems a little scary but we are so very excited!!

Well congratulations and welcome to the club. I'm sure you'll have a magnificent time. We've been many times, but not to the Fort....not yet anyway. Our first Fort stay will be in August. I just can't get over how many times I have heard words describing FW like, "Its the best kept secret at Disney" and "Once you stay at FW, you'll never go back to staying in hotel rooms." My girlfriend and kids just moved to Chicago from Texas a year ago and we'll all be going together...our first family vacation together. We're just way too excited for words. Good luck and be safe on your drive.

 

[CCIntrigue]

You're going to have a wonderful time! Congrats on your first trip to WDW. There isn't a better place to stay than the fort.

 

[bama_ed]

My family and I will be visiting Ft. Wilderness Campgrounds this summer for the first time, I might also mention it will be our first trip to Disney.. We will be driving down from Texas, the drive seems a little scary but we are so very excited!!

Congrats! Are you pulling a trailer or staying in a cabin? Be prepared for hot humid weather and daily showers.

You will love the Fort.

Bama ED

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Don't know bout your trip to the Fort, but, ya'll are gonna be pleasantly surprized at the Fort, AWESOME Campground !
But ed is right, be prepared for daily showers, it's hot and people stink ,,uh,, wait,,, was ed talk'n bout rain ??... Nevermind.

 

[2goofycampers]

Congratulations, you have embarked on the best vacation of your life. Plan some, relax more.

 

[rford]

First let me say you and your family will have a blast!!! We are also from Texas and have made the drive to Disney twice. Our second trip to DW was last summer. I wish we could go more often than we do but......we can only afford to make the trip every 4 years. If possible take your time driving and enjoy stopping and seeing everything you can/want on your way down and back home.

 

[mikeymouse1]

Honk! When Ya Hit Tallahassee! You will have a wonderful time!You cant beat the Fort!!!

 

[Teamubr]

Not sure what part of Texas you are coming from, but it is close to the same distance we come from St Louis. Take your time, enjoy the drive. We take 2 days coming down so we can get to the fort earlier in the afternoon. Usually try to drive straight through on the way home. It's not a big deal getting home at 10 pm.
A 1000 mile drive seems like a big deal, but making stops when you feel like it, get out of the car for a bit, stop to eat and walk around. It's fine. My DS is 13 now, we've been driving to Florida for vacations since he was 2. He used to be the biggest worry about long trips, but was rarely an issue. When he was tired of sitting, so were the rest of us.

As for Disney, it is everything you've read and a lot more. If you're a planner, go crazy on here and the rest of the cool resources on the 'net. If you like to live in the moment, slow down and take time to look around at all the cool things you never notice if you are running constantly.

j

 

[martymarty]

My family and I will be visiting Ft. Wilderness Campgrounds this summer for the first time, I might also mention it will be our first trip to Disney.. We will be driving down from Texas, the drive seems a little scary but we are so very excited!!

HEY SAVY!!

We too are going this summer, we will arrive on sunday the 5th of June. What part of TX are you coming from? we are in Shreveport, la

 

[Savy]

Thanks for the welcome from all! We are definately looking forward to it and we camp alot, typically staying at Jellystone parks so really looking forward to Fort Wilderness.. My in-laws are pulling the camper and we will be following behind them! We are near Waco,TX, looks to be about an 18 hour drive for us! I think we plan to make 2 overnight stops on the way down, one at Lake Charles, LA and one near Pensacola! So excited! Seeing as we are from TX we are use to humid and hot weather.. Just wondering how much of a difference it is in Florida!

 

[Macgyver91]

So I read this post because it is our first time to go to Fort Wilderness as well, but not first to WDW. I was also interested in the info for the drive from Texas since we are not far from the PP...very cool. However now I am a little worried with my decision to stay in a tent!!! The kids and I have always wanted to go camping and we thought were better to camp then Disney...DH doesn't quit feel the same and took some convincing. We are going to be at the campsites from June 12th to the 16th. Since DH isn't real thrilled anyway, how dissappointed is he going to be with the heat and rain!? Living here in Texas the heat doesn't really bother us, but the humidity at night and rain may make for a very unhappy hubby. Do I need to look into something else? This is just an extention of our vacation as we are staying the first part at the Boardwalk. DH has 2 weeks off work and we just wanted to plan something away from home. The Fort was the obvious choice since, DS wants to ride the horses, DD wants to ride bikes, DH wants to go play golf, everyone wants to swim and fish, and lets not forget just sit around and relax. But now I am beginning to worry... I would hate for a vacation to cause a divorce when we got home...

 

[krichards]

I can't really answer your questions about staying in a tent because I haven't ever stayed in one that time of year. But what I can tell you is this...If you want the atmosphere of the campground but your having a hard time convincing DH to stay in the tent then just rent a cabin if your budget allows it. You will still have an amazing experience because the atmosphere at FW is amazing PERIOD! I wouldn't stay anywhere else.

 

[gillenkl]

So I read this post because it is our first time to go to Fort Wilderness as well, but not first to WDW. I was also interested in the info for the drive from Texas since we are not far from the PP...very cool. However now I am a little worried with my decision to stay in a tent!!! The kids and I have always wanted to go camping and we thought were better to camp then Disney...DH doesn't quit feel the same and took some convincing. We are going to be at the campsites from June 12th to the 16th. Since DH isn't real thrilled anyway, how dissappointed is he going to be with the heat and rain!? Living here in Texas the heat doesn't really bother us, but the humidity at night and rain may make for a very unhappy hubby. Do I need to look into something else? This is just an extention of our vacation as we are staying the first part at the Boardwalk. DH has 2 weeks off work and we just wanted to plan something away from home. The Fort was the obvious choice since, DS wants to ride the horses, DD wants to ride bikes, DH wants to go play golf, everyone wants to swim and fish, and lets not forget just sit around and relax. But now I am beginning to worry... I would hate for a vacation to cause a divorce when we got home...

there's no easy way to put this.....it's going to be HOT!!! Personally I would stay at the Fort first and then move to Boardwalk, unless you can swing getting a cabin. We go in our popup in June and I wouldn't be able to stand it without A/C. You can get A/C units for a tent and I'm sure someone on here can point you in the right direction. It's going to be HOT and HUMID and there's no getting around it. To quote another disboarder: "it's so hot the squirrels use potholders to pick up their nuts!" - I love that quote! So if no A/C is a deal breaker.....consider a cabin. Just my 2 cents.

 

[martymarty]

So I read this post because it is our first time to go to Fort Wilderness as well, but not first to WDW. I was also interested in the info for the drive from Texas since we are not far from the PP...very cool. However now I am a little worried with my decision to stay in a tent!!! The kids and I have always wanted to go camping and we thought were better to camp then Disney...DH doesn't quit feel the same and took some convincing. We are going to be at the campsites from June 12th to the 16th. Since DH isn't real thrilled anyway, how dissappointed is he going to be with the heat and rain!? Living here in Texas the heat doesn't really bother us, but the humidity at night and rain may make for a very unhappy hubby. Do I need to look into something else? This is just an extention of our vacation as we are staying the first part at the Boardwalk. DH has 2 weeks off work and we just wanted to plan something away from home. The Fort was the obvious choice since, DS wants to ride the horses, DD wants to ride bikes, DH wants to go play golf, everyone wants to swim and fish, and lets not forget just sit around and relax. But now I am beginning to worry... I would hate for a vacation to cause a divorce when we got home...

Macgyver91

What part of NE Texas are you? What kinda tent do you have? what kinda gear or camp accories do you have?

all this will either sway or convert your DH. IF you are worried about the heat, get a small window AC unit, there is kit you can but to intall a access port for the AC. If you get a big enough tent, the room is great and most all come with a rain fly.

my advice, I would make a camping trip once or twice befor spending the m,oney for the Fort, to work out the bugs, and to be sure the DH will enjoy himself, Disney already has one Grumpy

If your in the east TX area, Im in Shreveport, I can hook you up wiht some really great camp sites, or invite you alone with us some time soon, I have a few friends that we camp with.

we too have yound children, daughter 12 and son 9

 

[soccermomof3]

We have tent camped in a tent the last 2 times at WDW. Both during the summer. The heat really isn't to bad at night with a fan going and we are at the parks during the day. We came back to the campsite a couple of times to swim and rest and it was ok. We have now upgraded to a pop up with air conditioning to be more comfortable. Every vacation we plan starts with "how long are we staying at disney this time". You will be hooked as soon as you check in, and the first boat ride to MK, is so awesome. We are in Greenwood La., just outside of Shreveport and it takes us 14 hrs to drive. Last time we stopped in Pensacola to spend the night, but the first time we drove it straight thru. Have a GREAT TIME and take lots of pictures.