Camping in Disney World
We took advantage of the one Disney resort that would let us bring our travel trailer
If we have a choice while traveling in the continental United States, we prefer to journey with our travel trailer.
We want our space with us. We want to return at night to “home.” And we’re already paying for it. We might as well get some use out of it instead of paying for a hotel room.
When most people think about going to Orlando for vacation, they think about condos and hotel rooms housed in elaborate resorts all over the city. But when Jeff started making plans for our first big family trip to Disney six years ago, he had his sights set on someplace else entirely: Fort Wilderness Campground.
We fell in love.
We spent our first night in the resort entertained by the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Review, enjoying the delicious multi-course meal (and appreciating the children’s pricing for the food because our kids were still under twelve).
Our son, who was still young enough, enjoyed the poolside play area while the entire family enjoyed going down the twisty slide that drops right into the large main pool that was close to our campsite.
We rode our bikes to the pool, Meadow Trading Post, and the Settlement, where we met up with the ferry that would take us across the lake to Magic Kingdom. We saw the fireworks from the beach. And we walked on the paths that connected one loop of campsites to the next.
We enjoyed long, hot showers in the air-conditioned bathrooms and I did laundry in the adjoining laundromat.
And on our last night, we enjoyed the campfire movie and s’mores as our kids watched The Goofy Movie for the very first time on a large outdoor screen.
We loved our stay at the campground and couldn’t wait to go there again. While Jeff curiously looked for other camping options around the Magic Kingdom, Fort Wilderness remained our best bet, especially with the help of our Disney travel agent.
And so, for the summer of 2023, we returned to a place that felt like home from the moment we drove through the gates.
We arrived in mid-afternoon, just in time to park into our site for the next eight nights, before sending off our kids to the pool while we unpacked. Now twelve and fourteen, we pointed out to them that they no longer needed us to be with them at all times, the sudden freedom coming as a shock to them. We also enjoyed some pool time before taking a bus to Disney Springs so we could meet up with Jeff’s younger sister who lives near Orlando, our daughters meeting up again for the first time in years.1
We spent the next day enjoying the resort: swimming, Jeff and I riding our bikes to check out the ferry launch, and making plans for the next day. When it appeared that rain was going to put a pause on spending time outside for the rest of the afternoon, we jumped on the Disney public transit with Jeff’s parents, who had just arrived from Michigan, to check out the other resorts. We made it through the rain and to the Polynesian Village Resort, which reminded Jeff and me of Hawaii.2 It’s beautiful and I’m sure is a delightful place to stay, but we left still loving that we would be returning to our home-away-from-home once we took the monorail to the ferry.3
I Fell in Love With Hawaii
Jeff’s younger sister joined us for dinner at the campground. We walked down to the beach to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from across the lake.4 Then we watched a train of lit watercraft give us a show with lights and music. It was nothing like we would see over the next three nights, but it was a fun way to finish the evening at the campground.
Over the next week, our camper was our home-away-from-home. We had snacks, breakfast, and everything we needed when we weren’t at the parks. We had our beds and clothes put away into drawers and closets instead of suitcases. It wasn’t perfect. Because we didn’t have a maid service coming in to clean up, it became increasingly messy inside as we went through a daily routine of getting up, eating something, leaving to get to the parks at a decent time, and returning late at night just to go to bed.
But we were returning home. It was our place. It was our food. And we didn’t have to worry about throwing out stuff we didn’t eat before we left because it was just going to come home with us anyway.
Fort Wilderness isn’t perfect and it’s definitely showing its age. Disney doesn’t consider it one of its premiere resorts and this time it was easier to tell, especially as the bus service was less than stellar in transporting guests from one end of the campground to the next.5 With staffing shortages and changes from over three years of adjusting to a global pandemic, there are clearly some issues in the campground that need to be resolved.
But the campsites are still high quality, as are the facilities. The cabins on the other side of the campground appear to be nice places to stay for those who do not have a tent or camper of their own. (Yes, there are spots specifically for tent campers.) The staff is friendly and helpful and there are plenty of camping-type activities available for those who don’t want to spend the entire week park-hopping. And instead of being holed up in a hotel space, our older kids were able to freely ride their bikes wherever they wanted.6
When it comes to Orlando resorts, Fort Wilderness is still perfect for us, and that’s all we really needed.
Support my writing
While most of my work here is free for all subscribers, it is still a labor of love that I fit into the few hours I have when I am not teaching or being an attentive wife and mom. If you would like to support my writing but you do not want to commit to being a paid subscriber, please consider one-time donation.
You can also support me by ordering my book or books from my favorite book lists at my Bookshop.org affiliate page.
If you want to be a regular supporter, you can upgrade your subscription from free to paid and get occasional content only for paid subscribers.
And thank you for supporting my journey 💗
Our niece is three days younger than our daughter and significantly shorter. We don’t see them nearly enough, so it was good to have a chance to remind them that they have family that is so close in age.
If I’m going to feel like I’m back in Hawaii, I want to actually be in Hawaii.
To be honest, the kids probably had a little bit of resort envy. It is beautiful and I’m sure the rooms are very nice, although significantly more expensive than what we paid for staying at Fort Wilderness.
We weren’t planning to walk, but when the bus didn’t show up in time, we decided to hike the mile to the beach. During that whole time, we didn’t see a bus. It was definitely not an ideal situation.
It was one mile from our campsite to the ferry launch, so for those without transportation or without the ability to walk distances, a quality bus service is definitely needed.
I almost told Jeff we didn’t need the bikes, but I was wrong. We needed the bikes. If you are staying at the campground, you need your bikes.
Loved and could relate to your stories. We bought a used fifth wheel style camper when the kids were still pretty young and though I felt it was like outfitting a new home (and it kinda is) I didn’t want to dragging stuff from the house as much as possible. We dragged that camper to the Smokey mountains(great place to vacation) and up to Maine. Fell in love with Maine. We also took it down to the outer banks in NC, another favorite destination, and to the eastern shore in our home state. We wanted a less labor intensive Disney World trip so we splurged on a Disney theme hotel and flew down and back. Although I didn’t see Hawaii with my husband I did go in a previous relationship and yeah, it’s magical. I’d like to go back but it’s not at the top of our list. We hope to get to Alaska, preferably in winter because it’s crowded with tourists in summer. I’d also love to see the Grand Canyon from the ground and not flying over. My sister moved her family to Ca. so we’ve been out there a few times hence the fly over.
The Disney trip was a blast and cost less than expected. We also went during October and took the kids out of school for a week. That would not have been possible if they were in middle or high school but they were still in elementary. I lived in Florida for about 18 months after graduating high school and it’s too crazy hot in summer not to mention the lines are insane at Disney.
That old camper was the old fashioned kind with no pop outs so it gets claustrophobic. We took the kids tent camping up to the Adirondacks and even though it rained the first two days we still managed to hike up three different mountains. It’s another spectacular place to take kids. Our kids are grown now with the oldest about to celebrate his first wedding anniversary. Time just flies so fast that it’s hard to remember some of those long ago early days. Meanwhile the whole worlds caught on fire and I worry for the little ones. My sisters have grandkids and I wonder what kind of world they’ll inherit.
I will follow your substack and I look forward to hearing what you have to say about education esp in that you identified yourself as a Christian.
Fort Wilderness Campground paints a picture of a serene and enchanting haven. The idea of having your own space amidst the beauty of nature while enjoying the amenities and unique atmosphere of the campground is what I would love to experience for myself. It seems like a place where I can truly unwind and savour the ambiance.