Seriously! I was trying to get a couple of days the week of my grandson's spring break in the middle of this month and everything is booked! Perhaps we need an insider in booking who can take care of us...
We talked to someone while walking around this morning whose son works at Disney and she said he gets a 50% discount, so if that's true it could be worth it to work and live there. My guess, however, is that the discount is only offered at certain times of the year.
It's not much of a mystery harriet.
March is spring break time. It has some of the highest rates (translate: greatest demand) other than the Christmas-New Years window. Spring rates peak with Easter weekend which moves year-to-year but if you look at the Disney campsite rates, mid-February through the week after Easter is El Primo cost (you're there in part of it now).
Not kidding but there are certain times of the Fort calendar that book up to a year in advance...
- Spring and Fall weekends (locals like yourself come in)
- Thanksgiving and Christmas-to-New-Years weeks (holiday time when people have vacation)
- Mid-February through the week after Easter (spring break)
- Halloween Week (lots of events at the Fort)
- Three-day weekends in winter/spring (MLK in January, Presidents Day in February)
- Memorial Day (to a degree)
Hot summer months not so much fun for camping at the Fort so July 4th might fill up and Labor day weekend too but most of the summer has specials for Fort campsites especially mid-August through September (look for discounts around June 1 for that period of 15-20 percent).
Another thing to keep in mind is that although 2100 loop converted from campsites to cabins to campsites over the decades and 600 loop expanded/infilled, basically the Fort has not added campsites in over 30 years. Thousands of hotel rooms have been added though. The Baby Boom is upon us and they all want to travel in their RV's.
It's simple economic law: increasing demand, limited supply means higher prices. Disney won't expand the Fort because while it might make hundreds of thousands in annual profit, it won't make millions in profit for the real estate an expansion would consume.
Cast Members get a 50% discount if the cast member stays with the guest on property or otherwise it's a 40% discount if they make the reservation but don't stay. Some folks live and work part-time at the Fort with the discount and there is one camper in 400 loop who has literally been here for many years (no discount has been mentioned, they just pay/stay in 30-day back-to-back reservations). A few folks who read this board regularly are into a few-year stay...
Best thing you can do is schedule a couple dates in the future (up to a year in advance) when you can come and then make a go/no-go decision closer to time.
Welcome to the funny farm of making Fort reservations.
Bama Ed
