Questions about FW Campsites... (Moderator please move this to Camping at WDW board)

[yalidae]

Just for my reference (I'm so curious). For those of you who have stayed at FW Campsites (not Cabins), how was it? Did you stay at FW because you love camping or because it was cheapest way to stay inside WDW? Did you bring large tent or the small one?

I just want to know... Perhaps sometimes if I want to do some adventure and budget trip... I don't know when. Maybe long, long time ahead 'cause I still want to complete my resort quest that includes GF, ASMu, YC, BWI, and AKL.

TIA, Tommy.

 

[yalidae]

Oops... I post this thread on the wrong board....
Could moderator please move this thread to "Camping at Walt Disney World" board, please?

 

[dtum]

For years we stayed in our popup at FW and loved it. It's a quiet relaxed way to still enjoy disney, but when you are at the fort everything slows down. You can relax on the beach and just lay around your campsite. We have started "hotel" trips because we no longer have our trailer, but miss it greatly. Yes, it is cheaper, but nothing beats having your own home with you and the freedom of staying in your own camper. Never stayed in a tent there, but back in the day, our popup didn't have A/C just fans and in June it could get pretty hot, but we loved every second of it. Can't beat the family time spent in a camper. Great memories!

 

[yalidae]

Before I go on, I'd like to say thank you to one of the moderators at Disney Resorts board who had move my thread into this board. Whoever you are, thanks for your help and I hope you read this post!

Tommy

 

[yalidae]

For years we stayed in our popup at FW and loved it. It's a quiet relaxed way to still enjoy disney, but when you are at the fort everything slows down. You can relax on the beach and just lay around your campsite. We have started "hotel" trips because we no longer have our trailer, but miss it greatly. Yes, it is cheaper, but nothing beats having your own home with you and the freedom of staying in your own camper. Never stayed in a tent there, but back in the day, our popup didn't have A/C just fans and in June it could get pretty hot, but we loved every second of it. Can't beat the family time spent in a camper. Great memories!

Hmm... popup or pop-up or whatever it is... is a new word for me... And I believe that the word pop-up here isn't related with the internet. So, what is popup or pop-up?

BTW, thanks for your comments!

 

[carissanboys]

A popup is a camper that you pull behind your vehicle. It's called "popup" because it collapses and you need to crank (or maybe they have electric ones now??) it up. Hope that helps! I'm thinking about tent camping at some point in the future to be able to afford a second trip. I think it would be fun to camp at Disney...have a relaxing camping trip but also throw in some fun at the parks.

We have a fairly large L.L.Bean tent. With 3 kids, we need something big.

 

[jtdl]

Hmm... popup or pop-up or whatever it is... is a new word for me... And I believe that the word pop-up here isn't related with the internet. So, what is popup or pop-up?

BTW, thanks for your comments!

Also known as a tent trailer.

 

[Ellen aka Snow White]

We stay at FW for many different reasons. The main one is we LOVE to camp. We have a pop-up with AC. As my sig will tell you, we stayed at the AS once over Christmas. It was a long weekend trip and we didn't want to set-up camp for that short amt of time. (Note - each time we went back to our room - we were wishing for our camper! Nothing agaisnt the room - it just wasn't the same)

Another reason is that we can do many of our meals at the camper (saving $) I do not spend a lot of time cooking. Most meals are either crock pot meals or something that can be heated in the micro. I also double cook some of our meals before leaving home and freeze half for our trip - not too many due to refrig/freezer space.

Third reason is that we can stay longer! Since it doesn't cost soo much to sleep - we can sleep there more nights.

Fourth reason - the bathhouses. Yes I said the bathhouses. They are sooo nice and with having two girls, it really helps that everyone can take a shower at the same time and all be ready to go quickly.

Fifth reason goes with my main reason. The memories that we build. We have camped with our girls since our oldest was 2 and we started with our youngest at 2 months!! We love the campground - it is easy to leave the hustle and bustle of the parks behind and just relax. We are "cammondo" style when hitting the parks - up early, first at the parks (We have some great castle pictures with no one else in them!) go, go, go. But when we step foot in the campground, it is another whole world. Bike riding, swimming, just walking around and feeding the ducks. My girls are 14 and 17 now - my oldest is graduating from HS this year. When asked what she wanted do as her grad trip - she said "go to WDW of course". She knows our only means at this time is to camp, that says it all to me!

 

[magicforever]

We love to camp in our pop-up. It is just a glorified tent off the ground. The A/C is the added bonus. There are ways to have this in your tent also. There was a thread a while back about that. I have seen several tent campers when we have gone. They all had a great set up at their sites. You can make tent camping just as comfortable as a cabin/rv/pop-up. The campground is wonderful. Everything does slow down there. It has an entirely different feel to it than staying at a resort. I know that when you go to WDW everyone is friendly, but everyone seems friendlier at the campground. I am sure that other campers can agree with me on that. It also has a special kind of Disney magic. DO IT!!! You will not be sorry.

We do it because it is cheaper. We love the dining plan. We can stay at the campground and do the dining plan for a decent price. I just priced a trip next fall and with the dining it was going to run us around $1700. That is a basic site, no cable/sewer and me DH,DD3. We also love to go there because we love camping.

 

[yalidae]

A popup is a camper that you pull behind your vehicle. It's called "popup" because it collapses and you need to crank (or maybe they have electric ones now??) it up. Hope that helps! I'm thinking about tent camping at some point in the future to be able to afford a second trip. I think it would be fun to camp at Disney...have a relaxing camping trip but also throw in some fun at the parks.

We have a fairly large L.L.Bean tent. With 3 kids, we need something big.

Thanks a lot. I've just learned a new word! Hohoho...
Anyway, has anyone here ever camped with dome tent or even self-erecting tent (throw it into the air and it opens itself)?

 

[DavidHobart]

Thanks a lot. I've just learned a new word! Hohoho...
Anyway, has anyone here ever camped with dome tent or even self-erecting tent (throw it into the air and it opens itself)?

I love (tent) camping, and I love Disney, so I have tent-camped twice--in a small dome once, and a big tent the other time. My family went the first time, but doesn't think Disney and camping go together...I love it...it isn't that much cheaper than the value resorts...

 

[jima53]

We just returned today from 8 nights at FW and saw several sites with just tents. Some were big and some sites had several small sites. Also saw a grow of vintage travel trailers having a camp-in. We used our popup.


Jim

 

[poohbearwithme]

yalidae, Here is a picture of a "Popup". Hope this helps.. BTW this type of "popup" has been around a lot longer than internet popups. But beware a popup blocker does not work on this kind of popup...

 

[clkelley]

I tent camp at Disney World. I've used 7x7 dome tents, 8x10 dome tents, and have now moved up to a 13x13 dome tent with two side rooms (L-Shaped) and this is just for me I've also flown and tent-camped, but doubt that I'll do that any longer. Getting older, lots of work. By next year, I'm hoping to move up to a "Teardrop Camper". http://www.freedomteardrop.com/gallery.htm

http://www.teardrops.net/

Don't think I want to pull anything bigger than that.

In my big tent, I'll have an air mattress cot and a little side table. In one side room, I'll have one of those plastic dressers and a portable hanging clothes rod. In the other side room, I'll have a little table and chair for my computer with full internet access. I'll bring a fridge.

The other thing I like about Ft. Wilderness, is that friends can share the same campsite and by having their own tent don't have to worry about the stigma of "sharing" a room.

For example, myself, my adult son, and a female friend of mine will all be sharing the same campsite in December. At a hotel, my friend would feel obligated to get her own room, or I would have to get a seperate room for my son.

Ft. Wilderness is great!!!

 

[clkelley]

Also saw a grow of vintage travel trailers having a camp-in. We used our popup.

Were these vintage trailers teardrops?? Do you have any pictures??

 

[capegrenier]

I'll have a little table and chair for my computer with full internet access.

Ft. Wilderness is great!!!

Is there internet access at Fort Wilderness Campground?
Thanks for any info, Kati

 

[clkelley]

At the preferred campsites (with water, cable, and sewer), you can get a cable modem from the front desk and access the internet for $9.99 a day. This is high speed.

For my internet access, I have access to a Verizon Internet Card that gives me access. (Work provides it.) It's a fairly decent speed, somewhere inbetween dialup and high speed.

 

[Lan]

My parents have a 37ft motorhome and we just stayed at Ft. Wilderness for the 2nd time last week. We enjoy it. We are going back in Jan. Here are some pictures and I have a trip report going on as well

This is where you check in

Our campsite - 506 on of the preferred loop

 

[PoohHappens]

Wpuld it be too hot to tent camp the 1st week of April. We are campers and camp in the summer other places and it can be too hot. I would think it still cools a little in the evenings. If we were only going to stay 1 or 2 nights and plan on eating in the parks or nearby CS, would we really need to bring any of our gear. We would mostly sleep and relax there. Can you get tickets and th DP with a regular campsite?

 

[clkelley]

What do you mean by your gear?? Do you mean cooking stuff?? I don't cook at Ft. Wilderness, so no stoves, dishes, etc. I do bring a fridge for keeping water and soft drinks cool when I drive down.

I would imagine the first week of April would still be pretty comfortable. Especially with a fan. All of the campsites have electric hookups.

Now, I do bring plenty of other stuff so that I'm comfortable. Air mattress, shelters, chairs, electric blanket, fan, etc.

Yes, camping guests at Ft. Wilderness are the same as guests at any other resort. You can purchase tickets, Disney Dining Plan, get Extra Magic Hours, free parking, etc.

However, the campgrounds usually don't participate in some of the discount promotions that the other resorts do, such as the free dining last fall or the free hopping, and extra ticket options going on next spring.