So when IS a good time to camp at Disney World?

[penguinande]

I asked about camping (tent) over on the resort board and they said NO WAY in June our August. So what would be a good time to camp at FW? We would be flying and probably bringing a tent as luggage.

 

[2goofycampers]

The best month would be Nov for me if If I were gonna tent camp. Not too hot not too cold, typically. The better range would be Nov thru April. But, you may get some spring showers.

 

[bama_ed]

penguinande, to the DIS Camping Board .

Well we have folks here who can, do, and have tent camp(ed) in June to August but they drive and come prepared with portable air conditioners, extra rain flies, and the like. And it helps if you are an experienced camper and not a newbie to it.

I would tent camp any month other than June-September because those months have heat, humidity, and rain showers (wash, rinse, repeat). If I had to sometime in that window it would be as early in June as I could make it.

Also in the fall and spring, the weekends in particular fill up with "locals" coming in for short camping trips and the tentable sites are usually in demand then. So get your reservation in as far in advance as you can. If you can't, people do piece together their dates by getting multiple reservations.

Finally since you are flying, you can choose to ground ship some camping gear ahead of you and send it home the same way to simplify what you take on the plane. Just label it "Hold for guest arrival on 08/01/15" or something like that.

So to answer your question in the title of your thread, ANYTIME is a good time to camp at the Fort.

Bama Ed

 

[John VN]

Don't eat oysters in months not containing a R is generally accepted unless they are farmed in cold water.

Don't camp at FW in months not beginning with an A, D, F, J, M, N, O, S.

Being prepared for the elements and crowds is all that is required for the hardier than me tent camping individual. I tip my hat to those adventurers.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . Finally since you are flying, you can choose to ground ship some camping gear ahead of you and send it home the same way to simplify what you take on the plane. Just label it "Hold for guest arrival on 08/01/15" or something like that . . .

Any package (including tents) sent to a resort:
. . . send to exact mailing address of resort, not simply Disney World
. . . addressee should be "Front Desk"
. . . in lower left, place you name, arrival date and ressie number

Example:
. . . Front Desk
. . . Fort Wilderness Campground
. . . 4510 North Fort Wilderness Trail
. . . Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830-8415

. . . Hold For Mr. John Smith
. . . Arrival Date 2/1/2015
. . . Ressie #1234569812345697

 

[mightyexplorers]

The perfect time is the time that you can get there

 

[Teamubr]

Bama_Ed gave you the best answer... Anytime!

I see in your sig you're from California. Not sure what part or what kind of weather you are used to, but here are my slightly picky preferences and my rationale.

Mid Nov through New Years will be decent weather, but huge crowds with the holidays. Crowds can be manageable if you don't get in a hurry to do everything.

Jan-March are nice crowd wise, but can be cold for me. I've been twice in Feb and once in March. The weather was a mix. 1 trip was perfect with most days in the 70s. One trip was cold. 40s in the am with highs around 60 and windy. The last trip over spring break in March was busy because of spring break, but the weather was mixed. A couple of cool days and a couple of nice ones.

April and May are perfect weather wise. Crowds are dependent on when Spring break occurs (it usually spreads over 3 or 4 weeks around Easter and depends on when schools are out. The Flower and Garden Festival also runs in April and May. That tends to add crowds, but not terrible spring break crowds.

June/July/August... Ed summed it up. If you aren't used to midwest/south summers, it will kill you... literally. The combo of 98 degrees and 98% humidity is not a good combo. I'm from the midwest where 98/98 is common in the summer. A/C is the only way I could get comfortable enough to sleep at night. If you're used to it, the daytime can be managed. Summer crowds are typically 8-9-10s. School is out and that's when those of us with kids can get there.

Now we are getting to my favorite time. Sept- early November. Days are warm, humidity is lower. Nights are nice enough to sleep outside and the crowds are generally the best of the year.

Once school is back in, the weekends and any holidays get busy with more local people doing short trips in nicer weather. You can get reservations, but earlier is the best way to guarantee to get when you want.

Hope this helps.

j

 

[penguinande]

Thanks all! Appreciate the insights!