The Fort Wilderness Camping Rate Summary for 2022 Is Available

[bama_ed]

I may just do every other year. Or dare I say it, stay offsite and go to Universal.

 

[Teamubr]

We can't stand the Sept heat, so we got one of the cheaper weeks of January reserved.

Ed,

Thanks for tabulating this again. I know it wasn't long ago when we were shocked with $200/night. This nearly $300 is an attention getter.

DW agrees with @Wendysofftoneverland. We will be cancelling our September/October (50th aniv) reservation and I already have 2 weeks in January when the rates (and temps) are more reasonable.

j

 

[bama_ed]

Ed,

Thanks for tabulating this again. I know it wasn't long ago when we were shocked with $200/night. This nearly $300 is an attention getter.

DW agrees with @Wendysofftoneverland. We will be cancelling our September/October (50th aniv) reservation and I already have 2 weeks in January when the rates (and temps) are more reasonable.

j

Did I hear you say "January 2022", Teamubr? IMO, not a bad place to "work from home". Just sayin'.

I've already posted that I will be there at the same time, along with @garneska in a different thread, to celebrate her 52nd birthday (yes, she's younger than both of us) in mid-January 2022. That would be awesome if ya'll were there also.

Ed

 

[Teamubr]

That would be awesome if ya'll were there also.

Right now, I have January 9th-22nd booked. We have been considering cutting that down to 1 week and spending another week on the coast somewhere. I went back to campus nearly fulltime starting this week. My VP said it was a "bad visual" for leaders to be working remotely now. Never mind nearly all my team has been working remotely. By next January, working from home will be a distant memory for me.

j

 

[bama_ed]

Well, based on my January and March travels to the Sunshine state:

If you want consistently wonderful weather in January, you have to head south of Orlando. West Palm, Lauderdale, Miami/Keys on the East Coast and Fort Myers/Naples on the West Coast.

If you want consistently wonderful weather in March, do Jetty Park/Cocoa Beach on the East Coast, Orlando in the central, and Tampa/Clearwater on the West Coast.

I noted in @garneska's long stay at the Fort in January that there were some cold, unpleasant days in there.

All that to say a few days further south on the coast might indeed be what you're looking for in January. But try to be around the Fort around MLK weekend to

Kris. (Seriously, she'll need help blowing out those 52 candles...)

FWIW, I'm taking my own advice and will be down around Naples late Jan after being at the Fort mid Jan. Will hit the Fort on the way south and then maybe a couple Gulf lighthouses on the way north to home.

Ed

 

[garneska]

@garneska in a different thread, to celebrate her 52nd birthday (yes, she's younger than both of us) in mid-January 2022. That would be awesome if ya'll were there also.

I am still younger than you and @Teamubr but please I am NOT that old. I promise I can’t even stay up like I am 21, but we are still having an old people’s party. It starts and ends early.

 

[bama_ed]

I am still younger than you and @Teamubr but please I am NOT that old. I promise I can’t even stay up like I am 21, but we are still having an old people’s party. It starts and ends early.

You're right. I'm so sorry.

We'll only put 51 candles on the cake and party like it's 1971. I'll be there with bells on!

Ed

PS - the top song on AM radio in 1971, according to Kasey Casem's American Top 40, was "Knock Three Times" by Tony Orlando & Dawn.

 

[garneska]

You are still funny @bama_ed still not that old but getting closer. It won’t be a milestone birthday for me either . However I spent a lot of my youth listening to Kasey Casem.

 

[bama_ed]

Me too, Kris. And they get replayed on SiriusXM.

It's getting tougher to plan a longer stay at the Fort with all these changing rates.

I mentioned in the first post that there were now 35 rate periods in 2022 (that's how many times rates change during the course of the year). Sometimes the rates are the same as some point earlier in the year but they are always changing. The oldest rate set I have is from 2009 and there were only 12 rate periods (rates changed 12 times during the year).

So more ups-and-downs are intended to produce more revenue. As I said previously the longest single rate period is 49 days in the spring. Fall/Winter is pretty chopped up now as it stands. They'll likely start to chop up Spring while still raising overall rates.

At least that's my prediction.

Bama Ed

 

[lucky4you]

Geez, why is the end of March so expensive? Mardi Gras isn't even a national holiday. There are only 2 other times that are more expensive.

 

[bama_ed]

Geez, why is the end of March so expensive? Mardi Gras isn't even a national holiday. There are only 2 other times that are more expensive.

Spring break for those oceans of families all over the USA, lucky4you.

I'm in Alabama and the schools around me usually give an entire week off during the second full week of March (elementary school, high school, and universities). And generally it seems that the further north you go, the later spring break comes for TN, KY, OH and so on.

Mardi Gras is a time I am familiar with in Louisiana. I used to be in sales with customers in LA and had to go to work.in.the.Quarter. the week before MG and know that especially in south LA, they take the ENTIRE MG week off from school and many families head to WDW. But Easter Sunday (which drives the MG date) moves year to year so you can't blame Disney's high rates for FW on MG.

After a cold winter, many families are ready to head to FL and WDW for spring break. I was on that hamster wheel for many years and only hopped off of it when my last kid graduated college last December. Now I can travel to the Fort during less expensive times.

But if ya'll folks would stop coming in March, Disney would slow down the price increases and then us old retired folks could afford that time of the year.

See my signature for March and April trips to feel my past pain. Spring has had high rates for over a decade now.

Bama Ed

PS - I compensated for higher campsite rates by buying fewer theme park days on our tickets. It was down to two days most trips at the end: MK and one other (we always did MK).

 

[StormyCA]

Spring break for those oceans of families all over the USA, lucky4you.

I'm in Alabama and the schools around me usually give an entire week off during the second full week of March (elementary school, high school, and universities). And generally it seems that the further north you go, the later spring break comes for TN, KY, OH and so on.

Mardi Gras is a time I am familiar with in Louisiana. I used to be in sales with customers in LA and had to go to work.in.the.Quarter. the week before MG and know that especially in south LA, they take the ENTIRE MG week off from school and many families head to WDW. But Easter Sunday (which drives the MG date) moves year to year so you can't blame Disney's high rates for FW on MG.

After a cold winter, many families are ready to head to FL and WDW for spring break. I was on that hamster wheel for many years and only hopped off of it when my last kid graduated college last December. Now I can travel to the Fort during less expensive times.

But if ya'll folks would stop coming in March, Disney would slow down the price increases and then us old retired folks could afford that time of the year.

See my signature for March and April trips to feel my past pain. Spring has had high rates for over a decade now.

Bama Ed

PS - I compensated for higher campsite rates by buying fewer theme park days on our tickets. It was down to two days most trips at the end: MK and one other (we always did MK).

Personally I think they need to have a 3 week 'Old Farts Season' and you have to be over 50 to make a reservation. You know, kinda like 'Senior Hours', but we'd get 3 whole weeks.

 

[lucky4you]

Spring break for those oceans of families all over the USA, lucky4you.

I'm in Alabama and the schools around me usually give an entire week off during the second full week of March (elementary school, high school, and universities). And generally it seems that the further north you go, the later spring break comes for TN, KY, OH and so on.

Mardi Gras is a time I am familiar with in Louisiana. I used to be in sales with customers in LA and had to go to work.in.the.Quarter. the week before MG and know that especially in south LA, they take the ENTIRE MG week off from school and many families head to WDW. But Easter Sunday (which drives the MG date) moves year to year so you can't blame Disney's high rates for FW on MG.

After a cold winter, many families are ready to head to FL and WDW for spring break. I was on that hamster wheel for many years and only hopped off of it when my last kid graduated college last December. Now I can travel to the Fort during less expensive times.

But if ya'll folks would stop coming in March, Disney would slow down the price increases and then us old retired folks could afford that time of the year.

See my signature for March and April trips to feel my past pain. Spring has had high rates for over a decade now.

Bama Ed

PS - I compensated for higher campsite rates by buying fewer theme park days on our tickets. It was down to two days most trips at the end: MK and one other (we always did MK).

I'm so sorry, I meant to say the end of February/beginning of March. We are going February 25 to March 5. So, I'd think that spring break wouldn't have started for anyone yet.

I live south of New Orleans and we get a week off. We normally go to Disney every other Mardi Gras. We were going to go this year for Easter because Mardi Gras fell on the same week as president's day and we knew that the crowds would be high. But, we had to cancel the trip.

I looked at the chart again with my correct dates. It is s little better. 6 other dates are cheaper for weekdays. But, still only 2 for weekends.

 

[bama_ed]

Well okay.

Disney has been bumping up the pricing on the "edges" of popular times. 'The month of March is popular? Let's also bump up the prices the last week of February and the first week of April'.

Can you downshift the site level you wanted? Instead of Premium Meadow, do Premium? Or instead of Premium, do Preferred? Or instead of Preferred, do Full? I'm in a popup so I can down shift all the way to a Tent site if need be (although I like a Preferred site in Loop 100 for its location).

I also spend the night before arriving at the Fort at a state park for $28 a night before I roll over to the Fort at 7am. So I have a nearly full day at the Fort (waiting to check in but can do stuff). We don't do parks on arrival day (never have). Or shave off the last night and check out of the Fort early in the morning, pull the trailer to the overflow lot, and drive to a theme park for the day and then come get the trailer and pull out for a short drive away from Orlando and pay for a night on the road. It might mean a different travel pattern for you.

They are certainly fleecing families in that spring travel period for whatever reasons (Mardi Gras, Spring Break, band and cheer trips, etc.). They are because they can. Wish I had a better message for you.

Bama Ed

 

[Brett Wyman]

So for the week of Christmas a premium medow site is the same price, 1 dollar more actually, as a standard room at Pop. That’s just crazy.

 

[PaHunter]

So for the week of Christmas a premium medow site is the same price, 1 dollar more actually, as a standard room at Pop. That’s just crazy.

And you don't get Mousekeeping.

 

[Bishoparc]

So for the week of Christmas a premium medow site is the same price, 1 dollar more actually, as a standard room at Pop. That’s just crazy.

Earlier this year there were times a premium was $25 more than a room at Pop. But as everyone always comes back to, at least you're in your own camper with your own bed, etc. (At least that's what we keep telling ourselves)

 

[Brett Wyman]

And you don't get Mousekeeping.

I mean they do an excellent job of spraying down that concrete slab!

 

[bama_ed]

So for the week of Christmas a premium medow site is the same price, 1 dollar more actually, as a standard room at Pop. That’s just crazy.

Brett,

Do you think this could be something of an apples-vs-oranges comparison though? Premium Meadow sites are the most expensive category in the resort campground. Wouldn't it be appropriate to compare its rates to the most expensive category over at the resort hotel (Pop)? Which appears to be a Preferred Pool View? A PPV room during Christmas-to-New Years is $335 + tax which is $377 out-of-pocket (PM is $298). Pop still well exceeds the exorbitantly priced PM campsite.

And wouldn't that mean that a Standard Room at Pop would be comparable to a Tent campsite at the Fort?

At least over the decades since I've been going to WDW (I is old now) they have built tons of hotel rooms for various price points and added DVC capacity. And they added about 20 campsites (in-fill 600 closer to the Meadow TP) in the same time frame. Fort Wilderness is being squeezed by constrained supply and ever growing demand. At least on the hotel side some of that supply-and-demand equation has been offset by increased supply (but room rates continue to go up fast too, I get it).

At some point, however, the "pricing streams" may indeed cross.

Bama Ed

 

[MudQueen22]

Ed, I appreciate you posting the rates so much.
As much as we enjoy camping, and as much as our family enjoyed the Fort on our last visit, we have to calculate all costs and decide what is most important within our budget.

Fort Wilderness (FHU) campsite from June 1-11, 2022.
campsite: $1,554
gas (both directions): $600
campsites (6 nights on the road combined since it takes longer): $300
TOTAL: $2,454

Pop Century (standard room) without discount June 1-11, 2022:
rack rate: $2,145
gas (both directions): $300
hotel stays there and back (2 nights on the road combined): $240
parking fee (tow vehicle is free at the Fort): $150
TOTAL: $2,845

Pop Century (standard room) with traditional Fun in the Sun discount (has been offered several years) June 1-11, 2022.
25% off rack rate: $1,608.75
gas: $300
hotel stays there and back: $240
parking fee: $150
TOTAL: $2,298.75

Although we cook most of our meals on regular camping trips, we don't at WDW. We like to eat out while there. (The exception is breakfast, which we bring and eat while waiting on WDW transportation.)
I-10 through Louisiana and parts of Mississippi really shook some things up in our camper, which required repair (biggest issue for us). We will also need more time on the road when hauling the trailer, which puts my older child out of athletic conditioning at home.
Unfortunately, it may be awhile before we get back to the Fort, as much as we loved it so much. (It was our favorite trip.)