When some Disney-loving friends of ours gushed that we HAD to hop to Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground, we were intrigued. Camping under the stars, while only a boat ride away from Cinderella Castle, definitely sounded amazing! "It's not like anything else on property," they promised — and they were toadally right! Flora, the kids and I made our first visit to the Fort in 2017 in our RV and immediately fell in love. We've visited once a year since!
Whether it's taking family bike rides to check out the local baby turkeys, visiting with the resort's working draft horses or hearing the sound of banjos near the Settlement, the campground truly makes us feel as if we live in Frontierland during our vacation. The Fort provides a peaceful retreat from the fast pace of the parks — while also providing plenty to do for busy tadpoles. If, like us, camping out at Disney World has your curiosity piqued, we've got you covered! Here's everything you need to know about the Fort Wilderness Campground, whether in a tent or RV, including what it's like, which type of site is right for you and what to bring ... plus, our tried-and-true tips for hoppy campers!
Overview of Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground feels like a hidden Disney gem. Opening in 1971, the Fort has been around nearly as long as Walt Disney World. Nestled on Bay Lake, the campground spans over 750 acres, complete with towering cypress and pine trees. If you want a visual of how big the resort actually is, hop into your My Disney Experience map! Location-wise, Fort Wilderness is located next to Disney's Wilderness Lodge and close to Magic Kingdom.
There are three main areas to the resort:
- The Settlement — Featuring the boat launch to Magic Kingdom, as well as Pioneer Hall (home to the Hoop-de-Doo Musical Revue), Tri-Circle-D Ranch, P & J's Southern Takeout, Trail's End Restaurant and shopping at the Settlement Trading Post. There's also a bus stop at the Settlement Depot; during peak travel times to Magic Kingdom, a bus may also be available. This is also where you'd catch the internal bus loop to hop to other areas around the resort.
- The Meadows Area — Home to the resort's feature pool, Wilderness Swimmin' Pool, plus Meadows Trading post, Chip 'n' Dale's Sing-Along/movie amphitheater, and the Bike Barn, which rents out bikes, canoes, fishing equipment and more.
- Outpost Depot — Bus transportation to EPCOT, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, water parks and Disney Springs. This is also where trail riders saddle up at Trail Blaze Corral. Reception Outpost is in this area, as well —where you'll begin your stay at check-in and where you can rent golf carts.
Fort Wilderness offers both camping and full cabin suites. Campsites and cabins are organized into loops, and most are pet-friendly — so you can bring your dog along, and even have Waggin' Tails Dog Park to enjoy! (Doggies on golf carts will make your day.) While we are focusing on camping for this guide, be sure to check out all the details on the resort (and the cabins) in our ultimate guide to Fort Wilderness!
What Is It Like to Camp at Fort Wilderness Campground?
Arrival
When arriving, you'll first pass through security who will verify you have a reservation. You'll then head to the Outpost, where you'll officially check-in (all from the comfort of your own vehicle!). The cast member will detail the park's policies and give out your goodies, including a map, recreation schedule and maybe even some Mickey Mouse stickers. Welcome home!
The check-in time for Fort Wilderness camping is 3 p.m., though sometimes your site may be ready ahead of time. Once you've got your assigned site, you'll proceed forward through the campground. (If you're a little early, or your spot isn't quite ready for you, there is overflow parking at the Depot. If you have more than one vehicle with you, this is also where you will park it.)
From the main entrance, you'll first pass the cabin loops, then Full Hook-Up, Premium Meadow and Preferred. The one site type we haven't yet stayed in is Preferred — as the campground's original sites, they were made with '70s camper sizing in mind, which means ours is not an easy fit.
Along the way, you'll also see several hook/unhook areas for those of you pulling other toys or vehicles, or those who need to unload the back of a toy hauler. Note that ATVs are not permitted — just golf carts.
Which Site Is Right for Me?
Fort Wilderness offers three types of RV sites: Premium, Preferred and Premier. All campsites are fully equipped, though they do vary in size to accommodate different rigs of various sizes.
Like the rest of Disney World, there is outstanding attention to detail at the Fort Wilderness Campground. Our campsite had a paved parking area and a large, well-packed sandy pad for pitching a tent or parking a pop-up tent camper. The pad is very solid, as it took some effort to pound our metal tent stakes in place. Water and multiple electrical outlet hook-ups are available at each pad — perfectly disguised to look like a tree stump.
Each loop has a comfort station, so bathrooms and showers are never too far away. The merchandise shops offer basic food and supplies, though we highly recommend bringing your own groceries. There are two pools on-site — the main Meadows feature pool and a quiet Wilderness pool closer to the cabins. Laundry is located by the quiet pool, so Lily and Tad tend to tag along to swim while we wait for clothes to finish. But you don't need to be near them — the machines will text you when your time is up!
Full Hook-Up is wonderful, but after six days of trekking gravel into the rig, Flora decided it was time for an upgrade. My glamping wife has most enjoyed the Preferred sites, which are all concrete. They are roomy, and some sites back up to creeks. While drinking her coffee outside one morning, I heard her excitedly exclaim, "just like Pocahontas!" and turned to see kayakers paddling past. (Pro? Con? You decide!)
Look at a map and think of location, while keeping in mind your options to get around. There are perks to being closer to the marina (closest to the Settlement!), but there are drawbacks too (further away from Meadows recreation and the Outpost). The same can be said for most loops, so it comes down to your family's preferences.
The Frog Fam has found the Meadows location to be our favorite, since it's equal(ish) distances from the Outpost and the Settlement, but close to the recreation Tad and Lily are most excited for. Generally, we bike to the pool and will use the golf cart to get to either the Outpost or the Settlement, depending on what we are doing. (Frog Family tip: If you have access to a golf cart, your frog legs will appreciate being able to hop on at either the Outpost or the Settlement after being on the go all day at the theme parks).
Benefits
Just like any Walt Disney World Resort hotel, Fort Wilderness offers on-site benefits such as complimentary transportation, free theme park parking and advance dining reservations, up to 60 days in advance for the entire length of your visit. Fort Wilderness guests can also take advantage of Early Theme Park Entry, which grants access to any Disney World theme park 30 minutes early, every day. Resort guests are also able to book Individual Lightning Lane selections beginning at 7 a.m. each day.
In our opinion, the biggest perk to staying on-site is simply never having to leave the Disney "bubble." If you have an RV, you can expect all of the amenities of a traditional RV park or campground, such as comfort and laundry stations ... but make it Disney. That's to say, there are magical touches around every corner, and it is impeccably clean. But be warned: Once you've been, you may be hooked!
What to Bring to Fort Wilderness Campground
We highly recommend bringing or renting a golf cart. Since Fort Wilderness campground is so large, it's much easier to travel around via cart. Various Orlando companies offer cart rentals, or you may rent them directly from Fort Wilderness. Know that Disney allows golf cart rentals one year in advance of your cabin reservation. Unreserved carts may be available for rental on a first-come, first-served basis. Same-day golf cart rentals are typically very limited or unavailable during busier times (especially on the weekends) so we highly recommend booking ahead of time.
For extra fun decorating, bring something to differentiate your golf cart (especially if you are renting from Disney, as they all look alike). You'll see all sorts of themed golf carts — last visit we even saw 'Mater from "Cars"!
Supplies-wise, you'll want to consider bringing extra items such as a broom and dust pan, bikes, signs and laundry supplies (though Disney does offer tiny sizes for purchase). Some campers bring chalk to chalk the walk, or even little trinkets to give out, rocks or geocaching to hide. For tent campers, you'll need to bring all your tent supplies — extra items like air mattresses are a big help as well as laundry lines or racks for towels (or wet socks and clothes after a rainstorm). To save some more money, bring your own smores and hot dogs if you want to participate in the roasting.
Comfort stations and laundry rooms are accessed using MagicBands — so you'll want to order at least a basic one if these are in your plans for your trip. (We have not tried MagicMobile to enter yet — let us know if you have!). If you are a light sleeper, consider earplugs or a white noise machine. You will likely be able to hear the fireworks at night, but if you have pets with you who are sensitive to fireworks, be sure to bring their thunder jackets or other comfort items.
Activities at Fort Wilderness Campground
Believe it or not, some folks camp for a week or two and only go into the parks a handful of times. There is SO MUCH to do at the Fort that it's a destination in itself. Many campers, especially around Halloween or Christmas, decorate their sites. "Looping," aka taking golf cart rides around the loops to check out the decor, is a favorite pastime. There's also swimming, fishing, tennis, basketball, horseshoes, bike rides, walks, horseback riding, archery, kayaking ... the list goes on. During the holidays, there are even golf cart parades, pumpkin carving contests and trick-or-treating.
There is an activity schedule detailing everything going on, including some at an additional cost, such as tie-dying. More officially, you can catch Hoop-de-Doo, Chip 'n' Dale's Campfire Sing-Along, a food truck roundup, fireworks from the beach and the Electrical Water Pageant.
On top of the sites being the most affordable on-site option, you also save money when camping by having your own kitchen. (Let's not even get into how awesome it feels to have your own bed at the end of every night!)
Holidays at the Fort
As if there isn't enough to do at the Fort already, holidays at Fort Wilderness are truly a sight to behold. You can find campsite decorations around the loops year-round (really, we've seen inflatables in June!), but Halloween and Christmas are especially festive. Fort Wilderness sprinkles some seasonal activities to the mix during these times, too, including pumpkin carving contests, sleigh rides, trick-or-treating, golf cart parades and more. For New Year's Eve, the Fort held a huge beach party with a DJ, special games and even some special guests in their tuxedos.
Fort Wilderness Campground Tips
- Be ready for weather. If you're in a tent, take the time of year you're visiting into consideration (and perhaps bring a small heater or AC unit to make things more comfortable).
- If you're in an RV, keep your awning in mind — we've seen several casualties due to wind or rain while folks were in the park or sleeping and left it out. (One of them maybe being our own. Oops!)
- Bring a pop-up for your golf cart. (Weather! No one wants to come sit on a wet golf cart.) We usually pop a dry towel or two under our seats just in case.
- Resort TV 1 works with cable. Hooray!
- Get to the beach early to watch the Electrical Water Pageant and the Magic Kingdom fireworks. Post up and park front row in your golf cart.
- Watch out for critters! Those squirrels at the Fort are crafty and will try to get into anything you leave out.
- No matter the time of year, go "looping" to see the other sites. You'll see fun decorations, meet other campers and get to know the grounds. Mommy Frog's favorite looping story is when we were looping in a golf cart, and another camper came running after us exclaiming that she had sangria to share. Needless to say, we made a stop (and a new friend!). This isn't unusual — you'll find campers with coloring sheets, trinkets for kids or food or beverages out to enjoy with other campers who stop to say hello.
- The Disney campground is very large, so if you choose to use Disney transportation, you will first need to take a bus from your loop in the campground to another location, either the boat dock for a ride to the Magic Kingdom or another bus area for transportation to the rest of Disney World. After doing this for one morning, we decided it was quicker and easier to just drive to the parks, especially since we always arrived well in advance of park opening. Alternatively, if you have the space, you can bring your bicycles or rent an on-site golf cart to get around the Fort.
- Plan for "off" days to enjoy the resort. There is so much to do and enjoy.
- Book in advance! We cannot stress enough how quickly this amazing place books up. Hoppy camping!
What questions do you have about camping at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground? Leave any of your thoughts or comments below! And check out the Where to Stay in Orlando page inside our Orlando Planning Timeline for more tips!
Related: Tips for Preparing to Visit Disney World with Kids
Related: Ultimate Guide to Fort Wilderness at Disney World
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