# Disney - Fort Wilderness Campround



## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Hello friends. We have confirmed our travel to Fort Wilderness Campground at WDW in Orlando for 7 Days in late April. I am looking for some suggestions, travel tips, etc. We will be leaving from SE MI early on a Friday or Saturday morning and looking to make the trip in 2 days. We are not opposed to a 3 day trip if there were places along the way down or back up worth stopping to sightsee.

My original thoughts were to stop in Chattanooga, TN on the way down and Charlotte, NC (obvious reasons&#8230;..NASCAR) on the way back. This would make for roughly 2, 10 hour driving days each way. The 6 mo old will be staying home with the grandparents so it will be just the 3 and 5 yo. This was a hard decision to leave her home but we felt this would make the trip a little more enjoyable not having to concentrate on diaper changes and feedings, etc. This should help reduce some work and stress both during the trip and at WDW.

So any insight on travel routes, tips, durations, etc would be great !!
Thanks!
DT


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## campingnut18 (Mar 11, 2004)

Depending on your interests but we like Fall Creek Falls CG in Pikeville, TN. They aren't taking reservations right now due to renovations but this is a great CG in the woods with nothing else around. They have great water falls that are a very short walk or overlook. And, if it's warm enough there a pool for a small fee. The park used to have a lot of activities for the kids too.

http://www.fallcreekfalls.org/

http://www.myfallcreekfalls.com/

http://www.tennessee.gov/environment/parks/FallCreekFalls/

We stayed at a CG in FL near Gainesville for an overnite stay that was really decent and wooded as well called Ft Payne I believe.

Hope that gives you some options for stop-off points if you get tired anyway.

Have fun.

C-


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## bigdisneydaddy (Oct 26, 2007)

About halfway through this podcast there is a discussion about Fort Wilderness, also some video of the campground.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-podcast/#


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

Get their premier sites...they are worth it.

Take Bikes or be prepared to rent a Golf cart.............

Make sure you have a sewer extension.....and check to make sure it is good........i usually do not need my extension and when i pulled it out..............it had a hole....thank goodness i checked it before using it









Extra cable extension and splicer............. all hook ups are at the front of the campsite...........Literally.......... my 10 foot and 25 foot cable came up short.....they have 20 or 25 footers there.........20 + dollars.

Take Beer........it is expensive there and anywhere around there..........

Take what ever food you want...............there is not a grocery store close by.............that being said the store does have a lot of groceries and things......and they are not terribly priced.........they are "convenience store" priced......but not "Disney" priced..........I was pleasantly surprised..........

Sap/Pitch remover before it bakes on.................My truck had quite a bit of it on it.

Bathrooms are NICE & CLEAN........and they have washers and dryers as well.........

I do not know about your trip route.............but we have done a lot of "longer" trips with our kids over the years.........we have a 9,8,5,3 year old..............and if you are comfortable driving through the night....i always think it makes it easier on everyone.....especially if the DW will sleep in the truck.............to leave at midnight and get a good 5 hours of driving with the kids asleep.......

Remarkably ours made the 17 3/4 hour drive home straight through..........last couple of hours were stressful on the dw and the two younger ones


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## AbbeysRoad (Dec 22, 2008)

You're going to have a great time. FW is the ultimate campground. It truly is a resort.

I was there in May of '07 & '08. Lovely wife and 2 kids - 3 & 5yrs.

We towed our 12ft Fleetwood pop-up camper behind our 2002 Ford Windstar from Burlington Ontario Canada. Took us about 26 hrs total to get down there. We crossed the border at Windsor/Michigan and drove the I-75 straight into Fla.

We left on a Saturday about 4pm. At around 9pm, we pulled over, got the kids in thier pj's and tucked them in thier car seats for the night. They slept all night. We drove straight through the night. Kids woke around 7am. Stopped for breakfast (and extra large coffee's for us) and kept on driving untill 2pm. That put us in Macon, GA. We got a motel, ate, swam, played with the kids, went to bed early (this was now Sunday night). Monday - on the road at 8am - was driving down International Dr. in Kissimee at around 3pm. Grabbed our groceries at the Wal-Mart for the week. Checked into FW at about 430pm. Set up the camper and ate supper - jumped on the bus to Hollywood Studios and saw the Philharmagic show at 7pm.

We did this driving method for both years in a row and found it to be the least painful on the kids having to spend that many hours in the car. They slept all night and from 9pm to about 7am. when they were awake they watched the DVD player and we stopped every 2-3 hours.

We've since sold the pop-up and will be aquiring our new Outback 250RS this April. The nice part about retuning to Disney is when we need to stop for sleep we can use the trailer and avoid the cost of a motel. We felt it would have been too much to set up the camper and pack up again traveling that kind of distance.

Anyway - once you're in the Campground - prebook the premium sites. And give yourself about 20-25min to get to any of the parks. To get to Magic Kingdom you take the boat. For Hollywood Studios/Animal Kingdom/Epcot and any of the water parks or DowntownDisney you take a bus. On our 2nd trip in '08 we discoverd a nicer way to get to Epcot instead of the bus - Take the boat to Magic Kingdom then take the Monorail to Epcot. You need to transfer monorails at one point but no big deal. Another thing you can do is while waiting for the Monorail to arrive, ask one of the attendants if you can ride up front with the conductor - the kids get a kick out of that and the views are cool too.

Have a great time, if I think of anything else I'll post again.
-


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

We use the above monorail to Epcot transfer as well..........maybe a little longer .......but its fun and a ride with in itself









Also...the Epcot monorail is the best opportunity to ride up front............we usually wait for the front on the way back as there are usually less people as it is more staggered and you do not have the morning rush.

I do not want to hype it to much but.FT Wilderness was the best IMHO, with having the bikes and a campground (yet with a resort flair) ..........I personally will only do Disney Camping............can't say enough about it........

We found Chef Mickeys for dinner is a good way to get the Character Meets out of the way..............we don't bother with them in the park......... For our girls Lunch in the Castle is good...........They book 6 months out..............so you might be to late for them............but they are our two favorites.......if you have girls....there is a little Tinkerbell store in Magic Kingdom..........that is neat!! a Hologram of tinker appears at the cash register and sprinkles fairy dust (sparkles) on the kids....Way Cool for my daughters!!

Fast Pass the Major rides early!!!

You can do a switch off as well.....where one parent waits in line with the kids and comes out and the other parent gets to go through the fast pass line with them...you need to ask the attendant at the entrance for this................you can combine it with fast passes (since you only get 1 fast pass per time slot) we would get 2/3 fast passes for one ride and do the same for another......ask for a switch off when entering the fast pass and we were getting 2 fast passes per time slot.........

Fireworks and the night shows (fantasia) are awesome ..............see as much as you can............we would start late everyday..........Our next trip .....we will do 1 day on 1 day off..to keep the Sanity or maybe not









i will post if i think of more............


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## disneykid (Nov 21, 2008)

if you go to Epcot be sure to find me, i will be in future world. ill let you know what times i work in late april and maybe i might be able to meet you.. I hope that you have a great trip down, and make sure you bring sunscreen and drink lots and lots of water...food wise, if you dont feel like spending a fortune on food in the parks a bring lunches and snacks... any other concerns dont hesitate to message me i am full of disney advice...


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

disneykid said:


> if you go to Epcot be sure to find me, i will be in future world. ill let you know what times i work in late april and maybe i might be able to meet you.. I hope that you have a great trip down, and make sure you bring sunscreen and drink lots and lots of water...food wise, if you dont feel like spending a fortune on food in the parks a bring lunches and snacks... any other concerns dont hesitate to message me i am full of disney advice...


That reminded me.....we packed lunch,snacks and drink and took it in the park.............

if we had to wait in a long line we would use that as an opportunity to eat our lunch


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## dynamicOutback (Jan 29, 2009)

Sayonara said:


> Hello friends. We have confirmed our travel to Fort Wilderness Campground at WDW in Orlando for 7 Days in late April. I am looking for some suggestions, travel tips, etc. We will be leaving from SE MI early on a Friday or Saturday morning and looking to make the trip in 2 days. We are not opposed to a 3 day trip if there were places along the way down or back up worth stopping to sightsee.
> 
> My original thoughts were to stop in Chattanooga, TN on the way down and Charlotte, NC (obvious reasons&#8230;..NASCAR) on the way back. This would make for roughly 2, 10 hour driving days each way. The 6 mo old will be staying home with the grandparents so it will be just the 3 and 5 yo. This was a hard decision to leave her home but we felt this would make the trip a little more enjoyable not having to concentrate on diaper changes and feedings, etc. This should help reduce some work and stress both during the trip and at WDW.
> 
> ...


Hey, we are leaving in 2 weeks /March 1st-6th. I will let you know about the trip and Ft wilderness when we get back. I have been to the disney parks many times but not camping..so this will be a first as far as that goes. Have Fun














........Brian Maloney


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

dynamicOutback said:


> Hello friends. We have confirmed our travel to Fort Wilderness Campground at WDW in Orlando for 7 Days in late April. I am looking for some suggestions, travel tips, etc. We will be leaving from SE MI early on a Friday or Saturday morning and looking to make the trip in 2 days. We are not opposed to a 3 day trip if there were places along the way down or back up worth stopping to sightsee.
> 
> My original thoughts were to stop in Chattanooga, TN on the way down and Charlotte, NC (obvious reasons&#8230;..NASCAR) on the way back. This would make for roughly 2, 10 hour driving days each way. The 6 mo old will be staying home with the grandparents so it will be just the 3 and 5 yo. This was a hard decision to leave her home but we felt this would make the trip a little more enjoyable not having to concentrate on diaper changes and feedings, etc. This should help reduce some work and stress both during the trip and at WDW.
> 
> ...


Hey, we are leaving in 2 weeks /March 1st-6th. I will let you know about the trip and Ft wilderness when we get back. I have been to the disney parks many times but not camping..so this will be a first as far as that goes. Have Fun














........Brian Maloney
[/quote]

Have FUN!!!!


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## swanny (Oct 31, 2007)

i see Clarkely mentioned sap / pitch. i've never camped at FW but if there is sap/pitch dripping out of the trees get ready now. buy a cheap cover for you vehicle. if it were me i would also buy a cheap outdoor mat and leave the awning closed if possible. now I'm sorry if that sounds drastic. as i said i've never camped in FW to know how bad it is. But i do know how HARD it is to clean off. we camped in Lake George NY last year for a week and the sap was bad.
i tried everything to get it off the awning and awning mat. they were very tough to clean. it never all came off. again Lake George was very bad maybe it was the time of year. my sneakers were also totaled. have a great time and a safe trip


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

dynamicOutback said:


> Hello friends. We have confirmed our travel to Fort Wilderness Campground at WDW in Orlando for 7 Days in late April. I am looking for some suggestions, travel tips, etc. We will be leaving from SE MI early on a Friday or Saturday morning and looking to make the trip in 2 days. We are not opposed to a 3 day trip if there were places along the way down or back up worth stopping to sightsee.
> 
> My original thoughts were to stop in Chattanooga, TN on the way down and Charlotte, NC (obvious reasons&#8230;..NASCAR) on the way back. This would make for roughly 2, 10 hour driving days each way. The 6 mo old will be staying home with the grandparents so it will be just the 3 and 5 yo. This was a hard decision to leave her home but we felt this would make the trip a little more enjoyable not having to concentrate on diaper changes and feedings, etc. This should help reduce some work and stress both during the trip and at WDW.
> 
> ...


Hey, we are leaving in 2 weeks /March 1st-6th. I will let you know about the trip and Ft wilderness when we get back. I have been to the disney parks many times but not camping..so this will be a first as far as that goes. Have Fun














........Brian Maloney
[/quote]
Brian, How did your trip go ??


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Sayonara said:


> The 6 mo old will be staying home with the grandparents so it will be just the 3 and 5 yo. This was a hard decision to leave her home but we felt this would make the trip a little more enjoyable not having to concentrate on diaper changes and feedings, etc.
> DT


Just an update... the DW swindled one of the Grandparents to fly down with the baby and meet us at FW. They will have a room in the FW Lodge for the week and now we will have the whole family together but not have to burden the baby with 40 hours of driving.

What is the best way to head south out of SE MI. I have run the route online and on my vehicle GPS and it came back once using I95 and once using I75. I guess I was assuming heading down on I75. Any suggestions?

We are starting to get excited !!


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## Bull Elk (Feb 28, 2005)

My family has never camped at Fort Wilderness, but we have been to Disney World 4 of the last 5 years. We were just down there last month and we rented a golf cart at the campground one afternoon to look around. It was a great afternoon of videotaping the local wildlife, aka armadillas. I do not have any input on the trip down, but the following link has really helped us each time we have visited the parks. 
http://allears.net/index.html
I am jealous that we have not had the courage to pull the Outback that far.
Have A Great Trip!


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/schedule.html

Its not the shuttle but there is a launch scheduled April 28. You re close enough to consider seeing it.


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## bigdisneydaddy (Oct 26, 2007)

Sayonara said:


> The 6 mo old will be staying home with the grandparents so it will be just the 3 and 5 yo. This was a hard decision to leave her home but we felt this would make the trip a little more enjoyable not having to concentrate on diaper changes and feedings, etc.
> DT


Just an update... the DW swindled one of the Grandparents to fly down with the baby and meet us at FW. They will have a room in the FW Lodge for the week and now we will have the whole family together but not have to burden the baby with 40 hours of driving.

What is the best way to head south out of SE MI. I have run the route online and on my vehicle GPS and it came back once using I95 and once using I75. I guess I was assuming heading down on I75. Any suggestions?

We are starting to get excited !!
[/quote]

Your best bet is to take 23 down through the state line and pick up 75 south of Toledo. Other than the Macon bypass, we stay on I75 (IIRC the bypass is 475)
Atlanta is the only real problem and I deal with it by staying in the center lane and watching closely for the merging at the interchanges with 20 and 85.

Scott


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

Sayonara said:


> The 6 mo old will be staying home with the grandparents so it will be just the 3 and 5 yo. This was a hard decision to leave her home but we felt this would make the trip a little more enjoyable not having to concentrate on diaper changes and feedings, etc.
> DT


Just an update... the DW swindled one of the Grandparents to fly down with the baby and meet us at FW. They will have a room in the FW Lodge for the week and now we will have the whole family together but not have to burden the baby with 40 hours of driving.

What is the best way to head south out of SE MI. I have run the route online and on my vehicle GPS and it came back once using I95 and once using I75. I guess I was assuming heading down on I75. Any suggestions?

We are starting to get excited !!
[/quote]

Nice!!!

You now have a sitter for a night out if you want...............Lucky sob


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

We've always done I75. I95 is way along the coast, so I can't see how it would be faster.









Edit:
You could drive back up I95 on the way home and drop that beast off at egregg's place.


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Nathan said:


> Edit:
> You could drive back up I95 on the way home and drop that beast off at egregg's place.


I could deliver it right to egreggs door....


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