Newbie to Camping at the Fort. Questions!

[dhearn]

My son is involved in sports, bicycle racing to be exact and I am spending a load on hotel rooms every year. This year, I am kicking around the idea of buying a toy hauler so that we can load his bikes, four wheelers, etc into it when we need to and have a nice camper to stay in when we are at these races. This October, the last weekend to be exact (Halloween) Disney is hosting one of these races at the Sports complex and so I thought what a perfect time and excuse to stay in the Fort. I have only stayed there one time before many years ago as a child and we stayed in one of the cabins. So obviously, I know nothing about these loops and the other things I read on this forum. First of all, is there a map I can download of the Fort to familiarize myself with it? Second of all, how do I find information about booking a spot and what kind I need? I have looked on the Disney site but all they seem to be able to do is book cabins online. The trailer I am looking at is 23' and I will be towing with a 2007 Chevy Avalanche and probably looking for full hookups (water, electricity, cable, etc). Thanks for any advice and help!

 

[Colson39]

My son is involved in sports, bicycle racing to be exact and I am spending a load on hotel rooms every year. This year, I am kicking around the idea of buying a toy hauler so that we can load his bikes, four wheelers, etc into it when we need to and have a nice camper to stay in when we are at these races. This October, the last weekend to be exact (Halloween) Disney is hosting one of these races at the Sports complex and so I thought what a perfect time and excuse to stay in the Fort. I have only stayed there one time before many years ago as a child and we stayed in one of the cabins. So obviously, I know nothing about these loops and the other things I read on this forum. First of all, is there a map I can download of the Fort to familiarize myself with it? Second of all, how do I find information about booking a spot and what kind I need? I have looked on the Disney site but all they seem to be able to do is book cabins online. The trailer I am looking at is 23' and I will be towing with a 2007 Chevy Avalanche and probably looking for full hookups (water, electricity, cable, etc). Thanks for any advice and help!

Here is a map you can save to your computer to look at:

As for the second question, your best bet would be to search this forum for information regarding sites, there are tons of posts about it. You can book the campsite online, it's not just cabins. Maybe when you want to go it's all booked already, and sometimes the online reservations aren't as updated as if you call Disney reservations themselves. A 23 foot trailer should fit into most spots nicely, the bigger question is how many (if any) slideouts do you have. Normally length isn't a problem, but width in some campsites can be a bit tight.

I would call reservations and make sure you tell them what kind of camper you have, how many slideouts, and make sure they take note of it. They are notorious for giving large campers small campsites and small campers large campsites, so just double check!

 

[nbodyhome]

I have several sections of Fort Wilderness "walks" on my site (photo walks): http://www.denisesfitnessblog.com/disney/?pg=2 - that is the direct link to where the FW photos are.

I didn't go through any of the loops with these walks (it's be kind of hard to show any distinction between the loops in photos!) It might help familiarize you with other areas of the campground, though.

 

[dhearn]

Thanks for the info everyone! Luckily, the trailer I am looking at doesn't have any slideouts so that shouldn't be a problem. Maybe you are right Colson about them being booked already. I know that Halloween weekend is usually a busy time down there but I didn't figure they would be booked this early. Anyone know of any other good campgrounds nearby? I hate to even think of not staying on property, but it may have to be an option.

 

[Colson39]

Thanks for the info everyone! Luckily, the trailer I am looking at doesn't have any slideouts so that shouldn't be a problem. Maybe you are right Colson about them being booked already. I know that Halloween weekend is usually a busy time down there but I didn't figure they would be booked this early. Anyone know of any other good campgrounds nearby? I hate to even think of not staying on property, but it may have to be an option.

Yea, Halloween can be busy at the Fort, it's not surprising that it's booked this far out. If you really want to stay at the Fort, just call every morning around 7 AM EST and ask them if they have anything available. It ALMOST always works, eventually someone will cancel and hopefully you'll get their spot!

 

[stacktester]

Dhearn if you can get a site for your stay I would go for it. If you can't get a site I stayed at Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake in March. We couldn't get all the days we wanted at FW so I reserved there and it's only $15 a day. It's owned by the city of Orlando is why it's cheaper. The cg is over behind Universal and I will stay there again. It's easy to get to Disney property from there as well.

What kind of toy hauler are you looking at? I've had 2 and trying to get my third and last one I hope. My 1st one was a Tailgator 21' but it was 7k pounds and too heavy for such a small trailer. I have a Hobbi 22' now but I want a fifth wheel so I'm looking to sell this one. If this is the kind your looking for IM me and let me know if you're interested. It is a lightweight unit. I've used it about 5-6 times and it's only a few months old. Not trying to sell here, but if it was something you wanted to see about I'm going to sell it for a reasonable price.

Hope you get a ressie and enjoy your stay.

Donnie