Fort Wilderness lessons learned for the first timer

[retired and happy]

Disneylitch, We use Enterprise. They have always come to the campsite for pick up and drop off. In providing full disclosure, I have used Enterprise since i rented for years in my job (before retirement) and have always gotten good results. On my last trip I was told that Enterprise, National, and Alamo are one company now and in fact use the same pool of cars (somewhere near WDW) for all of their rentals. Although I have not checked directly, I was told that Enterprise is the cheapest...strange if they are all one company and use the same vehicles. But that's what i was told.

And I still want to see your rig up close and personal.

 

[skyp4WDW]

Sorry to hear that your trip was so miserable. (It sounds like a "perfect storm" of problems and mistakes). If I were you, I'd put those leftover passes away someplace safe for a few years. Maybe someday you might want to give the Fort and WDW one more try. Someday, a long time fron now, you might even laugh about your misadventures.
The first time I ever camped years ago, was at Ft Wilderness in a tent with my 4 young children. It rained the first night and we woke up laying in puddles. It was horrible! I vowed never to return. But as the months passed, we decided to try it again. I hated that I'd failed at camping and wanted to improve my grade. So, I read everything I could find about camping (that was when I found this site and Allears and mousesvers, etc.) and when were returned the next summer; I was prepared. We had so much fun that it became an annual event for us.

 

[UMADDBG]

Sorry, You had such a bad experience.
We also had a GPS issue our first Fort visit……turned into a plus…..we found a back way in that had a lot less traffic.

The torrential rains of Florida have never kept us from the parks…we just put on the ponchos and go…there are few lines and a lot of the attractions are inside so they don’t close down. Some of our best days in the parks were in the rain.

Wow, never did we not get our KTTW cards, they usually pull those out of the packet and ask if you want to use them to charge stuff. That’s really odd.

 

[gillenkl]

Sorry you didn't have a great time - but I agree that planning is key to a great disney trip. I have been there many times and never came across the things that happened to you.

For all first timers I highly recommend www.tourguidemike.com - I use this for every disney trip I take without fail - his "least crowded parks" is very valuable information. He also has park touring plans. I would never consider going to disney without some kind of "plan" in place. If you aren't interested in that website -I suggest you really keep reading up on the disboards.

 

[martymarty]

For all first timers I highly recommend www.tourguidemike.com - .

I checked out this web site, and Im sorry to say it comes across like snake oil, promises everything you want to hear " never waiting more than 10 to 15 minutes for their rides, even during Disney's busiest travel seasons" access to our private SECURE webpage, bla bla bla, all for a low FEE of 22$

maybe its ligit, but honestly, it sounds like any other "too good to be true" website

 

[katrina1122]

I checked out this web site, and Im sorry to say it comes across like snake oil, promises everything you want to hear " never waiting more than 10 to 15 minutes for their rides, even during Disney's busiest travel seasons" access to our private SECURE webpage, bla bla bla, all for a low FEE of 22$

maybe its ligit, but honestly, it sounds like any other "too good to be true" website

I agree there's no need to pay for the site, there's so much disney info online you can plan it all for free, though I do always get a book so I have something to put on my hands on and pack in the suitcase since we don't pay for wifi access.

 

[Teamubr]

We used TGM 3 years ago on our last trip. It was like anything else... another tool to arm yourself with. Was it worth $22? Probably. In todays money, $22 is cheap. It certainly wasn't the only resource I used though.

I know TGM is a sponsor on DIS. I have not paid to use his site this trip. It's too easy to find similar info free on the web. I did download an Android app for my phone that has very similar info. It was only $6.99, but I don't think it is a sponsor here. If you search for phone apps, it will come up. That's how I found it.

Also on KTTW cards. All my trips to the Fort, the ONLY card we received was the KTTW with Fort access, park access and every where else we were asked to show a "card". Unless the OP bought his tickets from a non-Disney reseller, I'm not sure what cards he had. (or didn't have)

j

 

[ftwildernessrick]

Everyone listed on your reservation automatically gets a resort ID to use as a gate card, extra magic hours, etc.. The key is, they have to be listed.

If for some reason they were listed & you did not get it in your check in packet, then some CM messed up because they print automatically when your packet is printed.

As far as the fireworks, sure, if you want a curb side seat, you have to grab one early, otherwise, there are plenty of viewing areas just standing anywhere & facing the front of the castle.

Fort Wilderness guests also have the luxury of viewing the fireworks while listening to the music piped in from MK around the beach & dock area of FW Landing. This & the Electrical Water Pagent are both listed in the FW Gazette received upon check in, unless it has been changed since I was there last - 6 months ago.

 

[gillenkl]

I checked out this web site, and Im sorry to say it comes across like snake oil, promises everything you want to hear " never waiting more than 10 to 15 minutes for their rides, even during Disney's busiest travel seasons" access to our private SECURE webpage, bla bla bla, all for a low FEE of 22$

maybe its ligit, but honestly, it sounds like any other "too good to be true" website

Tourguidemike is a sponsor on the disboards and it is legit with no "snakeoil" - I was just putting it out there as a possible tool for a newbie. Some people pay $20 for a disney tourbook - I choose tourguidemike. To each his own but don't knock it until you've tried it. Whatever you use, planning is still the key.

 

[Brocktoon]

This & the Electrical Water Pagent are both listed in the FW Gazette received upon check in, unless it has been changed since I was there last - 6 months ago.

Yep, everytime I've been down we've been handed a packet with various paperwork which included activities and scheduled event times for the Fort and the parks as well.

 

[ajcolorado]

I checked out this web site, and Im sorry to say it comes across like snake oil, promises everything you want to hear " never waiting more than 10 to 15 minutes for their rides, even during Disney's busiest travel seasons" access to our private SECURE webpage, bla bla bla, all for a low FEE of 22$

maybe its ligit, but honestly, it sounds like any other "too good to be true" website

We have found the cost of good information a very small investment compared to what you gain when going on a vacation. Also, with four kids, we just don't have the time and energy to try to figure it all out as we go.

We went to New York last summer and bought a couple of guides. When we cruised the first time, we bought one guide for cruising newbies and another for Caribbean ports-of-call. We're heading to Yellowstone this coming summer and I'll certainly do some advance research.

Tourguidemike.com is an online guide with informational articles, tips, sample touring plans, forums, etc. We've used TGM and have also bought the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World (book format) and found both to be absolutely excellent. We did sometimes arrive at shows about 30 minutes early but I can honestly say that we never waited more than 20 minutes (other than the time Test Track was shut down due to lightning) for any ride and we rode them all. We typically visit WDW in June and we've seen 60 & 90 minute lines for attractions but we were never in those lines. We go to WDW every few years so I always subscribe or buy the UG (usually both) because stuff changes at WDW. Toontown Fair is now closed and that affects the rest of Magic Kingdom. Star Tours is being revamped and that will affect crowds at DHS. Up-to-date information is worth alot.

You probably can get the same information online for free and the disboards are certainly an incredible resource. But it takes time to sort through information to determine whether it is accurate, outdated, etc. So it boils down to which is easier to come by: $22 for information that has been researched thorougly and put in an easy-to-digest format or time to hunt down information on various websites and verify its accuracy.

 

[Lightgician]

We camp at Fort Wilderness 3 or 4 times a year and have never had the problems you wrote about. The Fort quickly became the standard by which we judged other campgrounds.

As far as having packages delivered to the Fort, again never a problem because I always checked off where to send it. If there was a mistake, it was my fault. No mistakes yet though.

Never thought about using GPS to find the Fort, too many signs pointing the way. Getting out, that's something else, always use the GPS to get me out of there.

 

[sshane]

I thought I would add that on our first trip to Disneyworld and Fort Wilderness, we, too, did not receive KTTW cards during check-in. We were told (by the concierge at Fort Wilderness) that if we didn't purchase a full vacation package up front, we had to purchase all of our tickets at the park. Not knowing any different, that's what we did. Fortunately, about a day into the whole deal, some friendly neighbor campers straightened us out and we went up to get our KTTW cards. They were very apologetic and gave us fast pass vouchers to use as well. All ended well, but sometimes things like that do happen.

 

[Disneylitch]

Another great book to purchase is Birnbaum's guide to Disney. I think I got the spelling correct. From what I can tell, this is a very honest book. It gives you accurate wait time, pricing for food, etc. I think it's about $17. You can get it at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and WalMart, just to name a few. I think it's worth the investment. The bottom line is to gather as much information as you can prior to your trip and if something doesn't seem right, just ask. While Disney goes out of its way to create the Magic, they are only human and mistakes are made.

 

[MeridianMama]

Too bad you had a lousy experience.

 

[Mr.Myke]

It sounds WDW wasn't a good fit for you

 

[Ed.Rollins]

I think it was a combination of several things. First off I did exactly as sshane did and purchased my tickets at the gate after my arrival and had paid for the campground in advance directly from Disney. I did it that way to receive the discount price for having just returned from a combat zone. Secondly, there is not always room for one more to view the fire works show durring spring break. As for the rest who say its all my fault for bad planning, maybe you should try accessing the internet from Iraq to plan your trip, not everybody has fast reliable regular access to the internet...

 

[2goofycampers]

Here are some POI for GPS.

http://www.mousesavers.com/gps.html

 

[retired and happy]

Ed, Now that explains a lot more that we didn't know up front. Sorry about your experiences at WDW and at the Fort, but I am eternally grateful for your service. Thank you.

 

[YensidCamper]

I too am grateful for your service, sorry the weather turned so bad. Disney is a meal best served dry. The crowds to me are part of the experience, but if I weren't expecting them it would frustrate me too. I hope your trip home is safe and you get to use your tickets at DL.