Loop Recommendation

[takeme2epcot]

Hi folks:

I'm new around here. I started going to FW as a child back in 1976 but haven't stayed there still since 1987. My wife and I are going to stay there for a week in November. Hurray!

Anyway, I understand you can request a particular loop. No guarantees, but you can request. Knowing that things have likely changed quite a bit since 1987, I was hoping you folks here could give me some advice.

I'm looking for the "best" loop for us. Here's how we define "best":

- Lots and lots of shade
- Lots of foliage in between sites...we prefer not to see the people next to us
- A loop that allows a dog
- As few RVs as possible (we're coming in a popup)

We really don't care about being close to anything, as we'll have a golf cart.

My father used to always request Wagon Wheel Way (1900), as it was always well wooded and far away from everything. Is 1900 still like that now?

Thanks!

Norm

 

[luckycharm19335]

Wow!
Good Luck!

 

[medic9016]

Hi folks:

I'm new around here. I started going to FW as a child back in 1976 but haven't stayed there still since 1987. My wife and I are going to stay there for a week in November. Hurray!

Anyway, I understand you can request a particular loop. No guarantees, but you can request. Knowing that things have likely changed quite a bit since 1987, I was hoping you folks here could give me some advice.

I'm looking for the "best" loop for us. Here's how we define "best":

- Lots and lots of shade
- Lots of foliage in between sites...we prefer not to see the people next to us
- A loop that allows a dog
- As few RVs as possible (we're coming in a popup)

We really don't care about being close to anything, as we'll have a golf cart.

My father used to always request Wagon Wheel Way (1900), as it was always well wooded and far away from everything. Is 1900 still like that now?

Thanks!

Norm

What did you pay for Partial, full, preferred or premium?

 

[luckycharm19335]

And when will you be there? Thanksgiving?

 

[takeme2epcot]

What did you pay for Partial, full, preferred or premium?

Premium, but we'd be very much OK with downgrading to a full or partial if that meant lots of shade and more foliage. Premium was all they had when we booked.

And we're going the week before Thanksgiving.

 

[retired and happy]

Most of the foliage between site has been removed at the order of the federal government. Seems a lot of it was a vine that was dangerous to native plants and it had to be destroyed before it got out of hand. WDW plant specialists have planted new shrubs and trees between sites, but these will take a long time to close off between neighbors. Expect to see your neighbors. Most of the big trees are still there although they took a beating from the hurricanes of 2005. Premium sites have expanded concrete with the sand pads removed. The premium dog loop is 500.Preferred dog loop is 300. I don't recall what 1900 is rated. But now they can put you anywhere whether you have a pet or not. Just be sure to tell them that you have one.

 

[luckycharm19335]

I was there the week before Thanksgiving last year and the place was pretty empty.
You should be able to get something that will make you happy.

 

[takeme2epcot]

I was there the week before Thanksgiving last year and the place was pretty empty.
You should be able to get something that will make you happy.

Thanks...that's what I'm hoping. But I need to know what loop to ask for! Any recommendations?

 

[Tri-circle-D]

You can't have pets in the partial loops, so a partial is out for you.

That leaves full, preferred and premium as your choices.

As far as shade and foliage between sites go, I don't think there is a whole lot of difference from loop to loop. All of the loops have been substantially cleared out in the last few years. There is very little privacy between the sites in any of the loops. The 600 loop has some new sites that have absolutely no shade, so you probably want to stay away from it.

Since you have a pop-up camper, there is really no reason for you to have a premium site. If you are OK with being off the beaten path, then go for a full hook up. Those are the 1600-1900 loops. All of the full hook-up sites are pet friendly. You mentioned the 1900 loop. It is the most remote and quiet. The 1600 and 1700 loops are closer to the bus stop, but some of the sites back up to a main campground road. 1800 is a nice, quiet loop. It seems more wooded to me than the 1900 loop, and some of the sites back up to a canal. So, based on your criteria, I would say you should downgrade to a full hook up, and ask for 1800 or 1900.

TCD

 

[takeme2epcot]

You can't have pets in the partial loops, so a partial is out for you.

That leaves full, preferred and premium as your choices.

As far as shade and foliage between sites go, I don't think there is a whole lot of difference from loop to loop. All of the loops have been substantially cleared out in the last few years. There is very little privacy between the sites in any of the loops. The 600 loop has some new sites that have absolutely no shade, so you probably want to stay away from it.

Since you have a pop-up camper, there is really no reason for you to have a premium site. If you are OK with being off the beaten path, then go for a full hook up. Those are the 1600-1900 loops. All of the full hook-up sites are pet friendly. You mentioned the 1900 loop. It is the most remote and quiet. The 1600 and 1700 loops are closer to the bus stop, but some of the sites back up to a main campground road. 1800 is a nice, quiet loop. It seems more wooded to me than the 1900 loop, and some of the sites back up to a canal. So, based on your criteria, I would say you should downgrade to a full hook up, and ask for 1800 or 1900.

TCD

Excellent! Thanks...that's exactly what I wanted to know.

All of the loops have been substantially cleared out in the last few years. There is very little privacy between the sites in any of the loops.

Interesting. Some other folks here have mentioned that much of the foliage was knocked out by the hurricanes...but that was five years ago. Foliage grows fast here in Florida. Another poster mentioned the Federal Government forced them to remove foliage.

Is there an attempt to restore the foliage in between sites or does it seem Disney is just going to leave it as is?

Shame if that's the case. That was one of the biggest draws for us to FW back in the day -- the foliage really made you feel as if you were in the woods and "away from it all."

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Interesting. Some other folks here have mentioned that much of the foliage was knocked out by the hurricanes...but that was five years ago. Foliage grows fast here in Florida. Another poster mentioned the Federal Government forced them to remove foliage.

Is there an attempt to restore the foliage in between sites or does it seem Disney is just going to leave it as is?

Shame if that's the case. That was one of the biggest draws for us to FW back in the day -- the foliage really made you feel as if you were in the woods and "away from it all."

This federal government directive is news to me. I never heard that one before. I have no doubt that a retired and happy was told this by some well meaning castmember (a bus driver, perhaps?), but I doubt that the feds told Disney to clean out vines from the Fort.

This is a copy of an official notice that I got from the Fort in November, 2007:

By the time this notice was distributed, most of the clearing had already been completed.

Disney has clearly spent a ton of money on this project. They have planted thousands of new bushes in the loops. These three photos are from November 2007 and show what at the time were new plantings behind the 700 loop:

These photos are about three years old. If you go by there now, you can no longer see the campsites very well from the road.

The new plantings are growing in, but the privacy is still nothing like it used to be.

Here is a good example of what the clearing looks like. Before all of the clearing, you couldn't see into the loops or campsites from the main campground roads. For example, in April, 2008,I took this photo of a little path in the woods that came out by the main road by the 1500 loop bus stop:

I had seen that path many times, but didn't know where it led. It turns out it was a shortcut from the back of the 1500/1600 loop comfort station out to the bus stop- it was a good shortcut from the 1600 loop out to the bus stop, or the footbridge to the pool.

This is a photo of the same area taken the next month, May 2008 (use the little utility pole in both photos as a reference point):

Before, you would have no idea that comfort station was back there. Now, it is out in the open.

Since the clearing in 2007 and 2008, they have used herbicides and hand clearing to keep the nuisance vegetation from growing back. The new plants continue to fill in, but there is much less privacy and much, much less wilderness than there used to be.

You really have to be there to appreciate how much it has changed. The loops now resemble municipal parks more than they do a forest.

TCD

 

[starbuc71]

Does anyone have any more pics of the fort pre-hurricane of 04 or before they cleared out the foliage? I would love to see how secluded the sites used to be.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Does anyone have any more pics of the fort pre-hurricane of 04 or before they cleared out the foliage? I would love to see how secluded the sites used to be.

Here's an old photo from the spring of 1999. It shows site 522:

If you stood at the same point from which this photo was taken today, you would see the main road- Fort Wilderness Trail in the background, and probably some of the campsites in the 600 and 800 loops.

I don't have a photo of this, as far as I know, but I remember camping in the 1000 loop one time, on a site on the inside of the loop, about 3/4 of the way around. I remember walking through some of the brush behind my campsite, and being surprised that I could kind of see the Meadow Trading Post. Now, you can sit on the porch of the Meadow Trading Post and clearly see every site on the 1000 loop, and you can see the Meadow Trading Post clearly from every site in the 1000 loop.

Also, if you drove down Big Pine Drive from the four way stop toward 2100 loop, and looked to your left, all you would see would be forest. Even though there is a cabin loop right there, you couldn't see the cabins. Now, you can clearly see all of the cabins.

This major clearing was not from hurricanes. It was done intentionally by Fort management.


TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

For anyone interested, the first few pages in this thread contain photos of FW campsites before the clearing beginning in mid 2007:

Official 'Post a Picture of your Campsite' Thread

If you look behind the RV's and tents in those photos, you will see very thick foliage. In those days, you could not see across a loop or much behind any campsite.

TCD

 

[des1954]

In answer to the OP, yes, the 1800 or 1900 loops will meet all your needs. They are full hook-up loops, so you will need to downgrade. Don't wait until you get to the Fort to do this. Go to the reservation website and first input the dates you want. It will probably come back as unavailable, or, like you experienced, a premium site. Go back and edit your dates, adding 5 days before you want to check in and 5 days after you want to check out. You may have to do this several times, expanding as far a month. Once you get the site level you want, book it!! Yes, you will need to put down another deposit, but don't despair. Just book it, and print out a copy of the confirmation. Next, call the reservation center at 407-939-7429. Cancel your original reservation for the premium site. Your original deposit will be credited back to your charge card. Next, have the rep pull up your second reservation (that's why you printed it out - so you'd have the number ready). Tell the rep that you need to cancel out all dates except the days you want. I know that's a lot of work, but for some reason, that's how the online and direct call reservation systems work. It's been that way for a few years now and doesn't look like it will change anytime soon.

I hope you enjoy rediscovering the Fort after all this time. A lot has changed, but, it is still the best campground in the world!!

 

[takeme2epcot]

Since the clearing in 2007 and 2008, they have used herbicides and hand clearing to keep the nuisance vegetation from growing back. The new plants continue to fill in, but there is much less privacy and much, much less wilderness than there used to be.

You really have to be there to appreciate how much it has changed. The loops now resemble municipal parks more than they do a forest.

TCD

Thanks for this great info and all those excellent photos. You are very good at powerfully illustrating points with imagery.

Believe it or not, I am somewhat relieved by this. While I will say I think it's somewhat silly to remove "non-native" foliage from a private campground to be more "green," when my wife and I toured FW a few months ago, my skeptical mind had mistakenly concluded that Disney had cleared the foliage to make room to cram more sites next to one another.