Is FW out-dated?

[proudmomof4]

I see your point. Don't forget..gone are the open air trams..replaced by the busses. I think the trams were easier to hop on and off of. Am I the only one who remembers when Crocketts was a full service restaurant at dinner time.and there was a Chip and Dale character breakfast at the fort? Did I imagine this..?

I remember Crockett's Tavern being a full service restaraunt.

 

[AuburnJen92]

I also remember riding the train. What a memory.

 

[LONE-STAR]

I remember it and preferred it. I am not a big fan of buffet they cost more which just makes you eat more. Some times it would be nice to be able to grab a burger. Heck turn River Country into a out door eatery by a swamp. (I would prefer the return of River Country but we know that wont happen)

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Well I'm one of those believers that the Fort was intended for all the blue collar FAMILY folk......nothing wrong with that......Walt wanted every angle covered...

Many changes have occured to the fort in the last 30 years...some good ....some bad........but the one thing that has changed the most is the ever declining family camper......Things change......life changes.....


I get a chuckle at seeing all the high dollar campers at the fort.......not a child to be found in or around any of them......


I would say to the fort..... take back the cable tv.........you can have your wi-fi.....keep your dog walk......take away the remodeled CS they never bothered me or my family....

Give me back the steam train and the children that rode it with glee.........give me back the beaches and the sand castles and moms and dads buried to thier chins......let me wake to roosters crowing and peacocks singing........

Why must I pay more for things my FAMILY never asked for??????

Now THIS is the true camper, I couldnt have said it any better in a million words. If there were a way to let the suits know how much that train could mean...and I would be willing to pay per ride...like public transportation.

I guess theres a difference between RVers and Campers.....Any camper can be an RVer, but not all RVers can be campers!!!

 

[auntie]

I'm glad I'm not the only one..was begginng to wonder there for a bit. I hope that they do make some improvements, but also keep in mind the things that make FW unique. You don't have to toss out the old to bring in the new..they can compliment on another.

I do think having either a full serve restaurant or even something like the Roaring Forks (WL) would be a welcome addition.

 

[LONE-STAR]

Now THIS is the true camper, I couldnt have said it any better in a million words. If there were a way to let the suits know how much that train could mean...and I would be willing to pay per ride...like public transportation.

I guess theres a difference between RVers and Campers.....Any camper can be an RVer, but not all RVers can be campers!!!

I'm glad I'm not the only one..was begginng to wonder there for a bit. I hope that they do make some improvements, but also keep in mind the things that make FW unique. You don't have to toss out the old to bring in the new..they can compliment on another.

I do think having either a full serve restaurant or even something like the Roaring Forks (WL) would be a welcome addition.

I agree with both of you

 

[ejmbibb]

I have an update that would be nice, how about a free golf cart when you check in, you know everyone gets a cart while you are there for free.... allright I stopped laughing now... I thought maybe I could get that out without loosing it

I love the fort, but I do feel the pool is a little lacking, and cable and wifi, just seem to be the norm at every other campground in the US. I mean we stayed at a campground in commerce ga once, that DW and son would not leave the camper without me, (and I swear I heard banjo music after the sun went down) had cable tv.

 

[nascar-j]

Location, location, location... Disney has it! And that magic.

I pay $90 a night at a place in Destin to camp on the beach and I'm paying about the same to stay at FW the week before Easter (I know I'm crazy).

It's like anything else... We each have to decide what's worth it.

I personally love the magic at WDW and FW lets me get even more... That and the easy transport to all the places I want to go. Could the overall CG have a few more "modern" amenities? Sure. But I don't spend much time at the CG anyway... Maybe this March the crowds will make me hang out at the camper a little more and I'll question the "value"... Naaa. I'll still be at WDW and that's worth every penny!

j

 

[clkelley]

I agree about the counter service. I wish they had one. Most of my camping trips are "camping" trips and we grill out and hang out and maybe do a little walking and fishing. I'm actually camping right now, but not doing much more than sitting in the camper staying warm with a good book. (It went down to 15 last night). However, Disney is different. We eat at lots of sit down restaurants all over property, but for the most part, we want a quick breakfast with eggs on the run. So that means starting each day at the Contemporary Food n Fun Center (now closed), or Roaring Forks at WL.

I don't care much about the internet as work provides me with a wireless aircard, and I really could care less about cable. I can watch TV at home.

I guess the only things I wish they would add is a convenient place to dump grey water in the partial loops and a sidewalk down the road that the "Purple" bus takes so I can get to Settlement from 2000 on the scooter or bicycle without going way out of my way.

 

[LarryJ]

The problem I see with counter service is that by the very nature of campers sales would vary. A lot of folks cook themselves, and why buy a sandwich when you can make it yourself in your cabin/RV. CS options would degrade sales of cold cuts at the stores.........

You can see where I'm going

Food courts work in large hotels with folks with few other options

In FW, most folks bring their kitchen with them.

I sort of agree with you and you do have TE take out. We just scored a 10 pc. chicken meal on the way back from MK and will have it later tonight and well get a lunch or two out of it. Even at almost 8PM the take out section was fairly busy. I just don't see Disney doing the food court thing since they would have a heck of a time making it fully utilized when everyone there has the option of saving a few $$$$ by eating in their RV or cabin.

They have redone some of the loops with new pads since we started going there back in the early 1980's.

While not related to this topic and I'm too lazy to find it, but a while back there was a thread on new resorts near FW and last week I say some folks surveying behind and across the canal from the 1600 loop.

Larry

 

[Gatordad]

I have an update that would be nice, how about a free golf cart when you check in, you know everyone gets a cart while you are there for free.... allright I stopped laughing now... I thought maybe I could get that out without loosing it

I love the fort, but I do feel the pool is a little lacking, and cable and wifi, just seem to be the norm at every other campground in the US. I mean we stayed at a campground in commerce ga once, that DW and son would not leave the camper without me, (and I swear I heard banjo music after the sun went down) had cable tv.

keep the free cart, i'll take the one i have now.

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

FW used to have counter service of a sort. Both trading posts had a "deli". You could get salads(potatoe, pasta, cole slaw, baked beans), cold cuts and even that yummy fried chicken. As a kid my favorite at the deli was the soft serve ice cream. My guess is Disney did away with them because they weren't proffitable, after all Disney wouldn't pass up the money. Now with the cabins and a whole differernt type of guest(looking more for a resort fee) it might work for Disney to try something like the deli again.

Oh and I love the idea of a hot tub for every loop
And I miss the train and the trams, riding around on the train while our parents set up the site was a tradition for my siblings and me.

 

[LarryJ]

This is true....but with a couple of exceptions, like LarryJ who cooks some gourmet style banquets, god bless him, the rest of us are lazy and would LOVE to cook ourselves, and even DO once or twice a visit.....but in order to cook, ya gotta take time away from Kungloosh mixing....and we just wont tolerate that. I think a counter service would be VERY profitable..so profitable that I bet they dont have one because it would cut the sales at trails end by close to half.

But we go and stay 30 to 40 days and eat out around every 3rd to 4th day one meal. To eat out for 120 meals would cost a fortune. While we do cook as we do at home and tonight it was to be soup and sandwiches, I mentioned to the DW about some good comments on the fried chicken take out and since that is one thing she nor I will do in the trailer we shelved the soup and sandwiches and got the "grab and go" bucket of chicken on the way back from the MK. FWIW this A.M. we drove to AK and did one ride which was Everest which finishes that park for this trip. This afternoon we visited with some friends (actually my best man from 37 years ago) and then this evening we went to MK to do "Jungle Cruise" at night. That was for us two parks and two rides for today .... DONE

Tomorrow is our big night out "Bistro" and two days later it's dinner at CRT.

Larry

 

[OK GRUMPY]

Auntie, I remeber Crockett Travern when they were full service and I do miss it. We usally go and get appetizers know, but its not the same! A full service resturant would be nice. Trail End can keep the buffet. I realize that alot of people like TE.

 

[stacktester]

But we go and stay 30 to 40 days and eat out around every 3rd to 4th day one meal. To eat out for 120 meals would cost a fortune. While we do cook as we do at home and tonight it was to be soup and sandwiches, I mentioned to the DW about some good comments on the fried chicken take out and since that is one thing she nor I will do in the trailer we shelved the soup and sandwiches and got the "grab and go" bucket of chicken on the way back from the MK. FWIW this A.M. we drove to AK and did one ride which was Everest which finishes that park for this trip. This afternoon we visited with some friends (actually my best man from 37 years ago) and then this evening we went to MK to do "Jungle Cruise" at night. That was for us two parks and two rides for today .... DONE

Tomorrow is our big night out "Bistro" and two days later it's dinner at CRT.

Larry

Larry I was at MK tonight. Didn't see you though lol. We ate at TE and rode the boat over. We're coming by tomorrow to spend the day at the fort so we'll try and see you. Hope the DW's leg is better.

 

[mdoc]

We've only been going to FW since 2002, so I don't remember a lot of the stuff that other folks do. We've visited the Fort at least once a year since then. I'm just fine with the amenities at Fort Wilderness. It is pricy during prime season, but so are lots of campgrounds, and I think it's a bargain during value and pre-holiday seasons. We've paid more for campgrounds that aren't nearly as clean and nice and don't have the Disney magic. Sure, I wouldn't mind a counter service restaurant (or a non-buffet restaurant, for that matter), and a better themed pool with a slide would be nice, but I like Trail's End and the Meadows pool is more than adequate. One thing that would be nice would be more sites made to accommodate today's larger motorhomes and campers - I know we're a tight fit in many sites and it's obvious that the campground was designed when campers were much smaller. It'd be nice to have more sites period, as it can be very difficult to get a reservation at times if you don't plan way in advance. But even if nothing changed, I'd be very happy to continue driving 20 hours each way to go to FW once or twice a year for the foreseeable future.

 

[LargoLori]

I really wish they would upgrade the pool and add a slide. We are DVC members but still like to camp in our pop-up. DD11 really misses the slide when we camp.

 

[Gatordad]

Hey Lori, hows things going???

 

[CarolinaBlue]

I really wish they would upgrade the pool and add a slide. We are DVC members but still like to camp in our pop-up. DD11 really misses the slide when we camp.

I just read this on Mouseplanet:

Fort Wilderness renovations/upgrades on the way
The renovation project slated to take three to five years will include a new pool area in the next year and a half, which may be inspired by the themed pool at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort, including a slide and a hot tub. About a dozen new campsites will also be added, featuring wider and longer campsites.

Here's the link:http://www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=wd080121mg

 

[juligrl]

The problem I see with counter service is that by the very nature of campers sales would vary. A lot of folks cook themselves, and why buy a sandwich when you can make it yourself in your cabin/RV. CS options would degrade sales of cold cuts at the stores.........

You can see where I'm going

Food courts work in large hotels with folks with few other options

In FW, most folks bring their kitchen with them.

Not everybody has a nice rig with a kitchen and at that not everybody always wants to cook in the kitchen they have. I would love to see FtW offer a counter service option to those of us who don't travel with many amenities.