Free things to do at the Fort?

[MomofSixinSC]

I am planning a vacation for my family for early November (after Jersey week). Our budget for the trip, not including gas, is $300 for the 8 of us. Can you help make a list of all the free things we can do at the Fort? I want my family to know they won't be bored.

TIA!

 

[Solamom]

The pool is free They also have daily activities that the lifeguards put on, crafts, rec games, etc....all that is free. So is the Chip and Dale Sing Campfire sing and the movie that follows. But the horseback riding, carriage rides, etc...those you pay for.

 

[peggyN]

Sitting on the beach at night, watching the fireworks is great fun and quite relaxing. It's good to see families chilling at the end of a hectic day. Kids were playing in the sand with their trucks and toys. There is a nice playground nearby also. Riding the transportation boats to other resorts is free and fun, too. The resorts along the lake are amazing and a must see. One evening an otter was swimming along side our boat! There are little horses to see at the corral, even my big kids enjoyed that. I believe fishing in the canals is ok, please correct me if that's not so. Walmart has a collapsable fishing pole you could bring. I have always seen interesting birds near the lake and deer near the canal.

 

[DisCamper]

To start there is nothing free at Disney or Fort Wilderness if you stay there. But there is lot of free thing not just at FW.
1 Pool Hop
2 Take a monorail ride
3 Just walk the fort at night lots of people will start putting their Christmas decorations by then
4 All the free night time activities the fort offers
5 Go to the beach to watch WISES
6 The water parade
7 Anything anyone has come up with or will up with
Hope this helps

 

[MomofSixinSC]

To start there is nothing free at Disney or Fort Wilderness if you stay there. But there is lot of free thing not just at FW.
1 Pool Hop
2 Take a monorail ride
3 Just walk the fort at night lots of people will start putting their Christmas decorations by then
4 All the free night time activities the fort offers
5 Go to the beach to watch WISES
6 The water parade
7 Anything anyone has come up with or will up with
Hope this helps

Thank you for the responses. I do have 2 questions.

I thought pool hopping was not allowed? I would love to do this, if it is allowed.

What is WISES?

I am so excited - it is getting very hard to wait until November!

 

[ntsammy5]

Those are two word that are rarely seen in the same sentenct --- FREE and DISNEY.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Pool hopping is NOT allowed...but the Fort has 2 pools...maybe he meant hopping between those 2?

WISES probably translates to WISHES(the Magic Kingdoms fireworks show that can be easily watched from the fort beach every night)

Before the fireworks start, there is the Electrical Water Parade...a display of dancing lights in the form of dolphins and dragons and other neat, disneyesque creation on barges that stop at the fort's beach...very nice.

Its really difficult to make a complete list of free fort stuff....because there is just so much...tennis courts, basketball courts, TriCircleD Ranch, Fishing (really good bass fishing) several playgrounds, exploring is endless......your kids WILL NOT be bored!!

 

[DaveInTN]

What is WISES?

I think DisCamper meant to say Wishes...the MK fireworks display that you can view at the beach, including piped in music.

And I have to ask...in your original post when you mentioned your budget, did you mean to type $3,000, rather than $300? Because if you can pull off a trip to Disney for a family of 8 for $300, I need to get some tips from you!

 

[I'mDownWithDisney]

Some of my favorite things to do on the cheap are:

Downtown Disney and the West side
Visit the Boardwalk
Water fountains at the Contemporary for the kiddos
Ride the monorail
Resort hop and explore
Check out Animal Kingdom Lodge
fireworks at the beach (campground and Polynesian)
Check out the TCD stables
ride bikes to Wilderness Lodge and explore
pool and slide at the campground
ride the boats around
campfire movies
Looping on the bikes at the campground

 

[stefa70]

A good time for free? Spend a relaxing day around the fort/campsite with a few cocktails, and wait for the busses to unload all the people coming from a sweltering day at the parks. You will be able to recognize them by the wrinkled/wet clothes, sunburns, crying exhausted children, and Mom & Dad fighting over who's cooking dinner and who is on bathing duties! GOOD TIMES!!

 

[MomofSixinSC]

And I have to ask...in your original post when you mentioned your budget, did you mean to type $3,000, rather than $300? Because if you can pull off a trip to Disney for a family of 8 for $300, I need to get some tips from you!

No, that isn't a typo. :lol: Here is how our budget breaks down:
4 nights at Fort Wilderness Campground in the value season = $198 (incl. tx)
All meals cooked at campsite = same price as eating at home = $0
One day at MK using GAD vouchers = $76.50 (for 3yo, who was too young to volunteer)
Other days spent at campground, DTD, or touring other hotels = $0

Total cost = $274.50

That does not include gas costs driving there and back. However, part of that cost has been defrayed as well - someone at church today offered us a $50 gas card to use for the trip.

Thanks for all the ideas of what to do while we are there.

 

[campingcorgi]

Oh, you will all have a great time! Here are a few more suggestions:

If you have the space, take bubbles, balls, beach toys, sidewalk chalk, riding toys and gear. Lots of places to ride bikes and trikes and scooters.

Take a picnic to the beach and spend several hours there.

Take lots of snacks from home, and on your MK day let everyone fill a ziploc bag to carry in fanny packs. Then everyone can graze through the park and they won't be whining at the popcorn stands. You can even carry some bags of popped popcorn. Carry a small softsided cooler with some frozen juice boxes (if you can freeze them at the Fort). Keep everyone fed and hydrated--it makes the day go so much more smoothly.

On the MK day I'd pack a picnic lunch for everyone so you don't have to head back to the Fort. Normally I like to go back for lunch and a rest, but with only one day you may want to stay all day. Take a stroller for your little one and hang the food on the stroller. Peanut butter sandwiches are safe, and cheese and crackers and other less perishable things would be safe. Take fruit and anything else your crew will eat.

Back at the Fort, there are playgrounds in several areas. We always had to hit every playground every day--looking for new friends. Riding the bus is fun, too, and it is cool in the middle of the day.

If people get tired of the Fort (sacrilege, I know) you can ride to Downtown Disney to walk around there. The Lego store has play stations and a playground (last time I was there, anyway) and if you want to travel more you can catch a bus to another resort and check it out.

You can also check out the Lodge and the Contemporary. Several times at the Contemporary they have had kids activities going on. One time Lauren got to make ice cream there. We told them we were from the Fort and it was fine for her to join in.

You can cool off in the midday by riding a boat to the Contemporary and riding the monorail for a while, too.

Don't be afraid to think outside of the box and give things a try. You'll have a blast!

 

[clkelley]

While it's not free, it's about the cheapest thing you can do at Disney and that is collect pressed pennies. Each pressed penny costs 51 cents. Each resort has a different pressed penny machine, Magic Kingdom has several different machines and there are several different machines at DTD.

 

[stpetedisneydad]

Take the bus to DTD then the boat to Port Orleans. The boat ride takes like 20 or 30 minutes. Then you can check out the resort which has 2 sections, Riverside and French Quarter. There is a sidewalk along the river that connects the 2 which makes for a nice walk, then to kill more time take the bus from there to MK then the boat back to FW. All that should kill a lot of time.

Another suggestion to save money in the park is to bring those individual drink mixes like Crystal Light makes. Walmart has their own version which is cheaper and my wife says are just as good. She likes the lemonade, raspberry and fruit punch. Any counter service restaurant will give you a FREE cup of ice water, just ask for it then pour in your mix and stir.

 

[DaveInTN]

No, that isn't a typo. :lol: Here is how our budget breaks down......

That's awesome! Value season sure helps...our site fees are usually more than that. And I hear ya on the groceries...we typically try to eat most meals at the campsite, but we do eat some out and it sure gets expensive. You're doing great!

On the trips where we have not done parks, we have found SO MANY free and enjoyable things to do. Resort hopping (I didn't say "pool" hopping! ) is so much fun...we do that on every trip. We love riding our bikes around the Fort. Swimming, fishing...you will not get bored!

Hope you have a GREAT trip!

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Someone mentioned hopping on the monorail and touring the other resorts....THATS A DEFINATE MUST DO!!!! It eats up time, and is so much fun to spend half a day cruising the rails and getting off at every stop....disney makes their lobbies VERY visito friendly in hopes of making you want to stay there on your next visit.....take advantage of that! BUT, stay firm at the gift shops!!!! The kids will definately raise you budget if you let them!!

 

[des1954]

Take the bus to DTD then the boat to Port Orleans. The boat ride takes like 20 or 30 minutes. Then you can check out the resort which has 2 sections, Riverside and French Quarter. There is a sidewalk along the river that connects the 2 which makes for a nice walk, then to kill more time take the bus from there to MK then the boat back to FW. All that should kill a lot of time.

Another suggestion to save money in the park is to bring those individual drink mixes like Crystal Light makes. Walmart has their own version which is cheaper and my wife says are just as good. She likes the lemonade, raspberry and fruit punch. Any counter service restaurant will give you a FREE cup of ice water, just ask for it then pour in your mix and stir.

We do the "Crystal Light" in ice water all the time. I finally broke down & spent the money on Good Life Stainless Steel insulated bottles. The ice doesn't melt in them like the PBA Free Plastic ones - even in 95 degree weather. They were pricey at $30 each, but 3 or 4 trips to the parks & they've paid for themselves.

 

[MomofSixinSC]

Another suggestion to save money in the park is to bring those individual drink mixes like Crystal Light makes. Walmart has their own version which is cheaper and my wife says are just as good. She likes the lemonade, raspberry and fruit punch. Any counter service restaurant will give you a FREE cup of ice water, just ask for it then pour in your mix and stir.

Thank you for the reminder! My family can't do most drink mixes because of the petroleum in the artificial colors and flavors. But I found a petroleum-free one at Whole Foods I want to try out. Hopefully, it will taste good! LOL

 

[ambertides]

Here's a good article: http://www.mousesavers.com/freestuff.html

One thing we really like to do is go to the Poly and hang out in the hammock, watching the boats come and go. We also usually share a self serve Dole Whip ($3-4), but it might have artificial colors/flavors.

I think you can see the fireworks part of Illuminations from the bridge by Beach Club?

 

[des1954]

Thank you for the reminder! My family can't do most drink mixes because of the petroleum in the artificial colors and flavors. But I found a petroleum-free one at Whole Foods I want to try out. Hopefully, it will taste good! LOL

Petroleum in the artificial colors & flavors? Please, tell me more. I'm reading the side of a Crystal Light package and nothing on it even sounds like petroleum - but I'm no chemist. I'm looking at Pink Lemonade & it lists color: red 40 lake. Is this a code for "crude oil"? Seriously - what's up with this and where can I go to research it?

TIA