Jan 2015

[WDWNerd]

We are booked for Jan 2015!

Our plan was to go in May, but our situation has changed & now we are heading down to the fort on Jan 2nd for 6 nights! I'm so excited! (I'm hoping the crowds will be leaving as we are arriving.)

We will be pulling our travel trailer down & staying in a full hookup campsite. Anybody have a favorite full hookup site or loop?

Any tips for staying in January at the Fort?

Also, what time (normally) is the chip & dale campfire in January? I'm assuming it's earlier than it is during the summer.

So excited!

 

[bama_ed]

Nerd, come on down!

Crowds should drop off by Sunday Jan 4 according to easywdw. http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/01-january-2015-crowd-calendar/

Weather is probably the most unpredictable in January but you can get some really nice days. Several of us are coming in around the time you are leaving for the Marathon weekend events Thurs Jan 8 - Sun Jan 11.

For a Full reservation, depends on what you want. 1600 has access to 2 Comfort Stations with one side of it close to the Meadow TP and pool area. The other side of 1600 has several waterfront sites along the canal. 1800 behind it has a few waterfront sites and is quieter. 1900 is furthest in the back and probably the quietest.

The Campfire/Sing-a-long time rolls with Daylight Savings Time. In the winter months the singalong starts at 7pm and movie about 740pm.

Right now my prelim plan is to come in on Jan 8 for the Half Marathon. Hope to run into you. (get it? marathon = run ) okay, it was lame.

Bama Ed

 

[azureskies]

Have a magical time!

We are planning our first stay (of many, many, many) at FW in March or April.

We moved to FL almost 1.5 years ago. I suggest bringing layers of clothes. Last winter I found myself wearing jeans (or capris) and short sleeves during the day but wanting a hoodie early morning and late evening. My son wore shorts year-round and put a hoodie on a few times. We only turned on the heat in the house a handful of times. It might have been a mild winter last year.

 

[John VN]

Early January is a great time to be at FW. We have done that since the last century.... Actually enjoy January more than May.

We arrive on 7th for Marathon Weekend events, 8th the 5K, 9th the 10K, 10th the half marathon, 11th the full marathon then on the 12th the unofficial FW half marathon starting at approximately 0330 at the Meadows, then Dream cruise at 1700, 10K aboard Dream on 13th, 14th the 5K on Castaway Cay, chill out 15th back at FW 16th and leave for home on 18th.

All of the above is to usher in our 65th birthday year, DW's retirement year, our 42nd anniversary year and hoping to finish out the year with a lottery entry into Ironman Kona World Championship in October and then we have the Space Coast Half Marathon in November.

You WILL have a wonderful time.

McFlurry John

 

[PapaPiper]

We are heading down for almost the exact same dates (1/2-1/9). This will only be our second trip to WDW and our very first to the Fort. We'll be renting an RV and seeing how our family adjusts to the RV lifestyle before we dive in headfirst.

I'm very much looking forward to the camping atmosphere and can't wait to experience the Fort first hand. Everyone here has made it sound wonderful!

 

[WDWNerd]

Yay! Thanks everybody! We are excited! We love camping & WDW, so I can only imagine it will be great!

I hope to run into some of y'all while I'm there!!

 

[RVMH]

We will arrive at the fort on 1/11 for a 3 week stay - YES! Hope to see some of you marathoners there though I won't be one of them; I will congratulate and admire ...

We like the 1800 loop as it has good access to the canals for walking people and pups; it's pretty quiet and it's a nice bike ride to the Outpost bus stops. We've also enjoyed the 300 and 500 loops when we've been upgraded, but they are a bit more expensive. You really can't go wrong though and you'll have a great time.....even if there's a cold snap like the 2010 freeze when we wore gloves and heavy jackets and had to leave the water dripping to keep the campground lines from freezing.

 

[garneska]

I just booked my campsite for Jan 9 to 18. I will be running Goofy and my hubby is doing Donald. No McFlurry John I am not doing the Ft Wilderness half on Jan 12. Maybe i will cheer you on if i can wake up. I really was not planning on staying that long but my birthday is on Jan 17. It would be so sad to leave the day before.

 

[joefire]

Hi! I have been camping at Fort Wilderness since 1973. We visit at least three times a year in the camp ground. Some of my family including myself have done the half marathon for the pass six or seven years.This is the first that I have heard of the FW half. Can anyone share the details with me because we are going to be down again and it seems appealing. Thanks for any details.
Joe Mik

 

[Disneyaddictz]

We are booked for Jan 2015! Our plan was to go in May, but our situation has changed & now we are heading down to the fort on Jan 2nd for 6 nights! I'm so excited! (I'm hoping the crowds will be leaving as we are arriving.) We will be pulling our travel trailer down & staying in a full hookup campsite. Anybody have a favorite full hookup site or loop? Any tips for staying in January at the Fort? Also, what time (normally) is the chip & dale campfire in January? I'm assuming it's earlier than it is during the summer. So excited!

How fun!! We went January 2-14th of this year, travel trailer premium site in 900. It was awesome being across from the store! The biggest tip is to pack for cold! I came sooooooo prepared for everything but the cold! We were shocked and so was Florida by the weather! We actually wrapped ourselves in blankets to go to the MK because we weren't willing to miss a day! On the other hand I'm glad we also brought bathing suits because we did have a few swim days....shocking...
I believe chip/dale was between 6-7 but you can find exact times when it gets a little closer. The crowds were leaving the first Sunday after the new year and it was great!

 

[jbrostek]

We go every year in January, for 2015 our arrival is Sunday the 4th for a 2 week stay. We prefer the 300 loop since we want a pet loop. I enjoyed the 500 loop as well, but the 300 works fine for us.

We really enjoy going that time of the year. For the most part over the past 5 years we have lucked out that we have had reasonable weather for each stay. Jan 2013 was amazing with a warm spell, last year was closer to seasonal. But it did get pretty cold one night.

I will say that you should pack for 3 seaons. But I never found the want or need to head ot the pool in January.