Why Fort Wilderness is better than the other resorts for the Disney Dad.

First of all I have to admit this is a very biased article but for good reason.  It is the only place I stay at in WALT DISNEY WORLD. Being that we have a 37’ Pace Arrow motor home, it is of course our preferred choice of lodgings anywhere the road takes us, but in Florida it’s the ONLY place to stay. First of all, this place is the epitome of the RVer’s dream campground. There are sites dedicated for tents, pop-ups, travel trailers, and cabins for rent, as well as premium (enlarged) sites for regular RV’s and of course those MILLION DOLLAR PREVOST(ugh ugh ugh) buses we all love to gawk at.

Among the many amenities of Fort Wilderness Campground are things like laundry facilities, outdoor movies, plentiful bathroom/shower facilities, gorgeous pools and spas, on-site restaurants, horse ranch, fishing and the like but all with a touch of Disney flair. Another aspect of Fort Wilderness is its close proximity to Magic Kingdom. Bay Lake is the only thing separating you from the Mecca of all Disney parks which is just a short ferry ride away.  In fact the nightly Magic Kingdom fireworks (WISHES) are perfectly visible from the white sand beach at the Fort Wilderness side of Bay Lake, not to mention the nightly electric light parade of boats on the water just after the show.

As you walk around the campground you will notice touches of Disney everywhere. From the beautiful landscaping to the immaculate facilities, the Disney model of perfection is fully enforced here. The foot paths and jogging trails are impeccable. The sports and recreation facilities – state of the art. And the arcades are stocked with all the latest and greatest. In fact, on our third trip to WDW, we had unanimously voted to omit the beach and off site trips we had planned at the mere site of the WHOA! sign which signifies the entrance of the campground. Instead, we all agreed to spend our two weeks staying put and getting the most out of Fort Wilderness.

Another aspect of the campground is its encouraged use of Golf Carts. The carts can be rented at a slightly above modest cost per day and must be reserved well in advance as the 300 carts on hand get gobbled up quickly. The golf cart adds a whole other aspect of camping due to the fun in just riding around and visiting with new friends, or just gawking at the gorgeous RV’s and custom carts of the other guests. Some of the carts can cost more than my first two cars combined (see the Custom Carts section of disney4dads.com for examples) fact there are certain paths and parking lots dedicated to carts alone. Also, at over 700 acres, without a cart you would be forced to take the bus system or just foot it in general to get around (as if).

FYI – this is how I convinced my wife to let us buy one of our own.

The last aspect of the campground I have to point out is that is never closes. When you leave one of the theme parks and head back to your hotel room typically the day is over. Not at Fort Wilderness. After you have washed all the ooey gooey Disneyness off of the kids you can tuck them in their sleeping vessel (tent, camper, RV or rented cabin), so you and the misses can fire up the provided charcoal grill (no fires allowed) and sit under the stars to relax the night away with the libation of your choice. What Dad do you know that doesn’t like barbeque? If you’re the adventurous types you can all head to the 80° pool for a midnight swim or just hop on the cart and enjoy a nice ride. If you’re back in time I would recommend catching a movie under the stars with Chip and Dale.

Finally you can save a boatload of cash and time in line by bringing in your own groceries for meals and doing the cooking at your site. Would you rather stand in line at the steak restaurant with the grumpy kids or smell your own dry rubbed sirloin sizzling on the charcoal and drinking an ice cold beer while the kids are off at the playground getting out the remaining yet never ending energy they always seem to be missing when it’s time to clean up.  Well having said that I feel a tremendous urge to check the calendar to see how many days are left until our next Fort Wilderness stay.

See ya real soon! Jerry

Jerry is the Founder of Disney 4 Dads, when he isn’t busy grilling out and doing other manly things he is sharing the Disney Magic from a Disney Dad’s perspective.

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