One thing led to another, and we ended up camping at Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground for nearly the entire month of January.
WAS IT MAGICAL? .........YES!
WAS IT EXPENSIVE? ..........YES!
WAS IT WORTH IT? ..........YES!
Fort Wilderness is one of our favorite campgrounds, and we aren't even Disney junkies.
WHY?
IT'S A GREAT CAMPGROUND:
It's beautifully laid out and landscaped. Even though you are in the middle of Orlando, you do feel like you're in the wilderness. The sites are generously sized, clean and somewhat private.
EVERYONE IS HAPPY:
In general, people are in a pretty good mood when they're vacationing at Disney. This includes the Disney employees - most are usually incredibly helpful and a joy to interact with.
My parents were able to come down from Montana to camp at Fort Wilderness as well, and Disney was able to coordinate our sites to be close together.
FREE TRANSPORTATION:
"FREE" as in it is including in the cost of your stay... but we do really enjoy the additional perks of staying at a Disney resort.
We love riding the ferry boats across Bay Lake to other resorts. One of our favorite things to do is grab Dole Whip from the Polynesian Resort and sit on the beach by the water, or grab dinner at the open air Geyser Bar & Grille at the Wilderness Lodge. We enjoyed some really fantastic character dining experiences at nearby resorts - Storybook Dining with Snow White at the Wilderness Lodge Resort and Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort.
We can also hop on the monorail or Disney busses to check out any of the other Disney resorts or head down to Disney Springs for shopping and eateries galore.
FREE ENTERTAINMENT:
Wander down to the beach at Fort Wilderness for a perfect viewing spot of the Magic Kingdom fireworks across the lake EVERY NIGHT! The electric water show also swings by on the water most nights.
At the campground there is a sing-a-long with Chip & Dale, campfire, and outdoor movie every night as well.
We also take full advantage of the two pools, tennis courts, and miles of great bike paths.
If you do decide to head into one of Disney's theme parks, just hop on a boat, bus or monorail!
CLOSE TO DISNEY PARKS:
At Fort Wilderness, you are very close to all of the Disney theme parks. We chose to visit Magic Kingdom one day, and the convenience of being just one quick boat ride away is fantastic. We usually ride the boat back to the campground for a late lunch and little break before heading back to enjoy the hitting a few more rides in the evening.
