I can't believe I agreed to stay in a TENT at Disney.

[ArielRae]

DH has been wanting me to go camping in a tent with him since we got married. He is an eagle scout.
Well now seems the time he really wants to do it and to make sure I would agree he planned it for Disney.
We will be leaving our son with grandma for the weekend so no need to worry about the baby.

We'll be doing this the first weekend in November for 2 nights.

Tell me anything and everything I will need to know about tent camping at Fort Wilderness.

 

[BradyBz12]

The "Tent Camping at Disney" experts will be by soon enough, but just wanted to say that he's breaking you in REALLY easy at the Fort.

FW is not just a campground, it's an actual resort, with all the amenities that go along - oh yeah and it's a 12 minute boat ride from the Magic Kingdom!

It also has some of the nicest, cleanest comfort stations you'll find in any campground anywhere.

A really big plus when tent camping!

 

[DaveInTN]

If your husband harbors hopes of ever getting you to camp at state parks or even most private campgrounds, he is making a huge error breaking you into camping at the Fort. You will forever make comparisons between any other campground and FW...and they won't be good! The Fort is several steps above most other campgrounds.

Sorry, like Monique I am not very well versed in tent camping at the Fort, so will defer to those experts to offer specific advice. Just wanted to chime in and tell you not to worry...I think you'll love the experience.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Welcome to the camping boards.

Asking us to tell you "anything and everything I will need to know about tent camping at Fort Wilderness" is a bit of a challenge. There is a lot to tell. A great place for general information is the thread titled "Fort FAQ's-work in process." You can click on it up near the top of this page. It will give you a ton of general information about Fort Wilderness.

After you read that, feel free to come back and post some more specific questions.

One thing I will tell you is the weather in early November is usually great. You picked a great time to visit!

Have fun!

TCD

 

[Bdawgsc]

In regards to the weather, it really is great - usually.

I was there the second weekend in November last year and had a blast... but it was a lot cooler than I expected - low 50's at night. I didn't pack enough jeans to make it through the week, so spent a lot of time doing laundry. I thought, "It's Orlando. It's always warm there."

So just keep an eye on the weather and you should be fine. That's perfect camping weather.

 

[SCCamper]

Fort Wilderness is going to spoil you. Hope you have a great time.

 

[rm0530]

I agree that you will become spoiled by starting off at the Fort. I'd rather drive the 5.5 hours to the Fort rather than go to a state park that's closer. I grew up camping and the Fort is by far the nicest campground I've seen.

If your husband is an eagle scout, he probably has the tent camping gig down. I don't know what Fort specific information you need but I'll be happy to help. My DH and I have taken 4 trips to the Fort this year and 2 more on the way. We tent camp with luxuries (mini fridge and A/C unit to name a few). The tent sites have electric, water, and cable so the word primitive won't be in the picture.

Maybe you can ask your husband what specific things he would have questions about so we could help more?

 

[jonimce]

I see you are coming from NJ. Are you driving or flying? That will make all the diffrence in the world. When I last tent camped at FW I had a fold out bed frame with a deluxe areo bed, down pillows and a box fan. Also a fridge for water and we don't cook any meals. We split this trip between FW and WL and I had a hard time getting comfy at WL. The areo bed was more comfortable.

You'll have a great time no matter what.

 

[Soladaddy]

I drug my terrified DW to FW to tent camp in Dec '08 for 3 nights. She never camped before and kept delaying the outing. We took our children, 7, 4, and 2 at the time. Within 24 hours she was very suprised that she liked it. By the end of the trip, she liked it so much that the other resorts were no longer a consideration.
As a matter of fact, right now she is there camping with the kids while I'm taking a couple of days off from the trip to work. Stinks for me, (little vacation time), but I'm amazed and proud that she is running the camp all my herself. - Love you Solamom!

So don't worry, the worst that can happen is getting hooked on camping.

 

[BradyBz12]

As a matter of fact, right now she is there camping with the kids while I'm taking a couple of days off from the trip to work. Stinks for me, (little vacation time), but I'm amazed and proud that she is running the camp all my herself.

 

[SandrA9810]

Camping at the fort is like living in luxury.

I'm another to live it up at the fort, mini fridge, AC, sometimes a 13" tv and the PS2. One time we stayed like 6 nights, and wound up there for 10 nights because I didn't want to break down camp.

Nothing to worry about there. Just when you're tent camping, make sure you keep the tent zipped up at all times. There's bugs all the time in FL, and you want to keep those out. I even fold the tent with the door zipped up.

And don't forget to bring some fall decorations. Every one loves decorating, I think Halloween is the best for the all out decorations. Christmas next, then July 4th. But there's something for every month.

I also run a sting of rope light at the edge of the sand pad. It's dark at the fort and you don't want to be fumbling around trying to find your tent.

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

If your husband harbors hopes of ever getting you to camp at state parks or even most private campgrounds, he is making a huge error breaking you into camping at the Fort. You will forever make comparisons between any other campground and FW...and they won't be good! The Fort is several steps above most other campgrounds.

You're in for a fantastic surprise.

 

[ArielRae]

I see you are coming from NJ. Are you driving or flying?

We will be driving down.

 

[jonimce]

We will be driving down.

Then you should be able to take the extra luxuries. Have a great time.

 

[5stljayhawks]

make sure you have a thermarest or other air mattress and at the end of the trip, tell your husband you love him, over and over. That he is better than the mouse.

Make sure you take in the fire works on the beach. Bring a cocktail from your campground or the FW tavern sit back and watch. Don't forget the campfire with chip and dale.

Are you going to be at the parks every day or just hanging at the fort.

 

[GOBA Mom Lynn]

Hi and welcome to the camping boards!

I'm also married to an eagle scout (and a sister and a mom to 2 others, too) but I grew up camping myself. Like everyone else has said, camping at the Fort is unlike camping anywhere else!

My one recommendation for you is to make sure you have a big enough tent. If your husband has been a backpacker, and all you have is a 2 or 3 man backpacking tent, I would suggest buying a larger 4 or 5 man "family" tent that you both can stand up in. It will make staying in a tent more like staying in a hotel room. Find the thread with pictures of others' tent set-ups to get some good ideas. We tent camped last year- our first time at the Fort- it was very different than any of the other places we have camped. Taking the advice here on the camping board made all the difference.

Good luck and have fun planning!

 

[ArielRae]

Are you going to be at the parks every day or just hanging at the fort.

We will be just hanging out. Only going to be there for two nights so we will be going to DTD and visiting the resorts. DH is big on pin trading.

 

[5stljayhawks]

Check out ebay for pin trading. Just got a new pins for our next trip. I think we may have even got a few full sets?!?!?!?!?!?!? Send you a PM if you want the seller info.

FW is awesome, so is the pizza at the tavern. Check out the boat transportation from FW to MK/Monorail and transport center for resort hopping.

 

[AprilLizbeth]

You will have a wonderful time. To DH and I, it is our peaceful place. We love just hanging around the campground. We have both tented and stayed in my parents 36' RV. Either way, I have never stayed at a nicer, cleaner campground. Like another poster said, be sure to make it to the beach for fireworks and the Electric Water Pagent. Visit with the horses at Tri-Circle D ranch. Lounge by the pool if its warm enough, if not, hop in the jacuzzi! The Fort is a relaxing, romantic place. Hope you enjoy it with your sweetie!

 

[mikeymouse1]

I too would recommend an air bed or a cot of some sort. Some other things we carried when we were EARTH DWELLERS were a electric cube heater and extension chord and also get an area rug for a rv or a good size piece of green indoor/outdoor carpet from a home improvement store, the ground on the sights at the Fort is a sand and shell mix and the rug will help to cut down on dirt in the tent. You are going to love the Fort and it will spoil you to all other camping! Happy Camping!