Is Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground Worth the Hype?
Fort Wilderness is the only official “on-property” campground at Disney World. Staying there gets you all of the perks Disney extends to resort guests. But, is it worth the price tag?
Nightly rates vary by time of year and expected attendance, but you can expect to pay well over $100 per night, even if you’re camping in a tent.
I stayed at Fort Wilderness for three nights—the longest stay I could get with just a few weeks’ notice during the holiday season (early November).
In this post, I’ll share what I learned so you can decide for yourself if staying at Fort Wilderness is worth the booking hassle and expense.
About Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground
The campsites at Fort Wilderness are surrounded by 750 acres of beautiful pine and cypress forest, with lots of trails and activities to keep you busy. (More on that later.)
It’s easy to forget you’re in central Florida when you’re here; Disney has done a nice job of creating a traditional summer resort campground feel.
Types of Campsites
Fort Wilderness has five different types of campsites to choose from:
Each campsite can (theoretically) accommodate RVs up to 45 feet, and some site types fit much bigger rigs. You can also camp here in a tent or a cabin, with a max of 10 guests per campsite. All sites have water and electrical hookups, a picnic table, and a charcoal grill.
Most sites have sewer and free wifi as well. I stayed in a Preferred site near the marina, and getting my 32-foot fifth wheel into my spot felt a little tight. It wasn’t an issue, but I definitely wouldn’t want to try getting a 45-foot rig in here.
The campground loop was clearly designed decades ago. With narrow roads built for smaller RVs, the tight turns can make access a bit tricky.
Fort Wilderness Campground: The Pros
First, the good stuff. I really enjoyed my stay at Fort Wilderness overall. I stayed in the cabins years ago, but this was my first time visiting in my RV.
As a Disney parks enthusiast, I’ve now camped both on-site and off-site and I can highly recommend the experience of staying in an official Disney campground.
It’s a lot of fun to visit with your pets and enjoy the creativity of all the campsite decor. I was there in November, so I even got to see Fort Wilderness in all its holiday glory.
On-Site Guest Benefits
Staying on official Disney World property has benefits that off-site guests can’t access, including:
Lots of Resort Activities
Not a Disney parks fan? Don’t worry. There is still a ton of stuff to do at Fort Wilderness. Some people even plan trips here just to spend time at the campground!
The shortlist of available activities at Fort Wilderness includes:
There’s also basketball, volleyball, arcades, running trails… You get the idea. You won’t be bored at Fort Wilderness Campground.
Cabin Stays
If you don’t have an RV or tent (or just don’t want to drive all the way to Florida), you can rent one or stay in one of the on-site cabins at Fort Wilderness.
The cabins sleep up to 6 people and include a full kitchen in case you want to enjoy some “home-cooked” meals. They’re pretty well-spaced and also include a porch, so you can still relax and enjoy the outdoors even if you’re not camping.
Pet-Friendly Campground
One of the best things about RV travel, in my opinion, is that you can bring your pets! Fort Wilderness is very dog-friendly.
There are miles of trails and lots of new smells to keep them busy. There’s even an off-leash dog park so your furry friends can run around and burn off some energy before you go explore.
Holiday Decorations
At Fort Wilderness, it’s definitely a thing to get creative and go all out when decorating your campsite and golf cart.
I don’t personally travel with much holiday decor, but I love to see it, so I really enjoyed all the inflatable yard characters and decked-out golf carts around the park. Around Christmas, there are even golf cart “parades”!
If you’re an individual or a family who loves the holidays, this is a great spot for you to lean in and participate in some good-natured decorating competitions with your camping neighbors.
Fort Wilderness Campground: The Cons
Size
First and foremost, this park is HUGE! Most people rely on internal buses or golf carts to take them from one end of the park (the waterfront/marina area) to the other (the front of the park where the buses pick up). If your campsite is somewhere in the middle, you’ll be taking a lot of steps just to get around!
If you’ll be here a while, most people prefer to rent golf carts to make navigating the park easier. Apart from saving you steps after those long park days, Florida is famously rainy, and it’s nice to climb into a covered golf cart rather than slosh your way home in the rain.
Internal buses are also an option, but you might be waiting at the bus stop for a while, which can be a drag with young kids or in rainy weather.
That said, I did just fine without a golf cart. I booked a Preferred site near the marina and drove my truck up to the front when I needed to take a bus somewhere.
Cost
The biggest drawback, in my opinion, is the expense. Most Florida parks charging upwards of $120 per night at least offer waterfront sites for your trouble, but Fort Wilderness is an older campground in central Florida.
That said, it’s very well maintained, and the park staff keep it almost impossibly clean. You’re paying for proximity to the parks, and in that sense, Fort Wilderness delivers.
You’re just a short boat ride from Magic Kingdom, with a view of the nightly Electrical Water Pageant. You can also take short boat ride to the resorts on the monorail system, like the Grand Floridian and the Contemporary, for a fun way to explore other resorts without having to drive and park.
Advance Booking
This con is specific to my travel style, but I prefer to avoid making reservations more than a month or two in advance when I can help it.
Fort Wilderness can book up a year or more in advance, especially during the holiday months when it’s at its busiest—so the earlier you plan your stay here, the better.
This won’t be a con for everyone—after all, it’s not unusual to plan a Disney World trip a year ahead—but if you’re an RVer who just wants to swing by while you’re in Florida, you may struggle to find any last-minute bookings.
Smaller Sites
Depending on where in the campground you stay, some sites are a little tight for big rigs. My fifth wheel is 32 feet long. Although I got into my campsite without an issue, I think it would be challenging to get into the 45-foot sites with a fifth wheel longer than about 37 feet.
Class As might have an easier time, but for fifth wheels topping 37 feet or so, I’d recommend the 60-foot sites for comfort. The streets in the older loops are narrow, so there’s just not much room to maneuver.
One perk is that every site has landscaping to make it feel at least somewhat private. You’ll always have trees, plants, and a bit of space between you and the site next door, which definitely doesn’t happen everywhere.
So, Is Fort Wilderness Worth the Hype?
Is Fort Wilderness worth your time and money? In the end, it comes down to your point of view.
If you love access to plenty of resort-style activities, or if you’re a Disney parks fan who covets on-site guest benefits, Fort Wilderness is a great way to experience Disney on a (relative) budget.
But if you happen to be camping in central Florida and just want to dip into the parks, without worrying too much about advance bookings or things to do at your campground, you can find much better deals elsewhere without too much driving.
I hope this helps you and your family decide whether a trip to Fort Wilderness is right for you. I’m not planning a return visit any time soon, but I’d definitely come back!
Sarah Kuiken has been a full-time solo traveler for 4 years and counting, but she’s been a solo adventurer for decades. She owns her own copywriting business, Flourish Writing, which she operates from the road. Sarah loves to explore state and national parks with her two dogs, Orion and Piper—wherever they’re allowed, of course. When she’s not whipping up web copy for fellow entrepreneurs, she’s probably out hiking or paddle boarding with the dogs in tow. Learn more about her freelance writing business at FlourishWriting.com.
