I am specifically looking for for people who have actually camped - in a tent - during their stay at WDW at Fort Wilderness. I would like to know:
How does it compare to "real" camping?
How close are bathrooms?
do they have showers, etc?
Do you have use of pools, etc?
Has anyone done it in the summer?
Safety?
proximity to park transportation?

Please let me know!!! I've checked the reviews, but they are primarily the cabins.

Thanks!

I haven't camped in a tent there - there's not enough money in the world you could pay me to do that, lol!

The "comfort stations" are conveniently located, large & clean. There are plenty of showers in each one. You have the use of the campground's 2 pools, which are pretty good size but nothing special. There's no water slide, no theming - it's a hole in the ground type of pool.

It's very safe & clean - if I ever had to camp, this would be the best place to do it. It's so much nicer than other campgrounds I've seen (KOA for example).

Camp in summer?? No freakin' way for me! It won't necessarily get below 80 for the low of the day, and with the humidity it'll feel much worse. The high will be into the 90's - perhaps feeling like 100 with the humidity (or higher). In a camper you'd have the a/c running - not sure what you could do in a tent. Keep in mind it's normal to have severe thunderstorms every afternoon. It might only rain for 30 minutes, but it can be an intense 30 minutes, with lots of lightning. A tent doesn't sound very good to me in those conditions.

Transportation can be a pain, and it's the primary reason I stopped staying here (in the Cabins). There's an internal resort loop that you take to the main area. From there it's an easy boat ride to the MK or a bus to any other park. I got tired of having to transfer to a boat or another bus to get where I was going. I understand the preferred loops (cost more) are closest to the main section, so if you're there you could avoid the internal bus. However, I've only seen campers in those loops, as they come with electric & sewer....at least that's what I saw this past Thanksgiving weekend. I don't recall seeing any sites with tents.

wow.
okay...I'm thinking that camping is completely out of the question.
thanks for the reply! :D

I could be way off here...but depending on when you go, from what I remember*** I don't think the cost to stay at Al Stars or Pop Century was that much more than a campsite....

and there they have a rain-proof roof & you dont' have to share your shower;)

disclaimer: it's been years since I compared prices

yeah...that's where we will probably stay - at the Pop. If we did the campsites in early July, it's only $100 less than the Pop in August. Hotel it is!

Fort Wilderness campsites are set up into three different sections/types. The first is just water and electric, and only allows tents and pop-ups. These are typically the closest campsites to the cabins. Next are the water, electric and sewar sites that are non-preferred which are typically in the center of the campground, near where the main pool and trading post is. The preferred sites have cable and (possibly) internet access and are the closest to the Settlement (the boats, the Hoop Dee Doo, Trails End, etc).

Chris

Funny you should ask. I just got back from Tent camping there, today :)

We stayed this past weekend. It was really wet.

We've been doing that since I was a kid, and now that I'm married, my wife and I and some friends have stayed there annually for the last couple years.

Here are some recommendations.

1. Don't go in the Summer. I'm a florida native, lived here all my life, and I can't understand why someone would want to stay there in the summer, in tents. At night you'll be lucky if it gets below 80, and its really humid and sticky. It's just not pleasant at all.

2. If you do go during fall/winter/early spring, be prepared for rain. It rained all this past weekend on us. Bring lots of extra clothes, more than you think you would need. Everything gets really damp during the day, so bring more than you think you'll need, and be prepared to do laundry if you stay for more than 3-4 days.

3. Bathrooms are really close, and plentiful. Our walk to the closest bathroom this weekend was about 60 seconds, and the walk to the next bathroom after that was just another 3 minutes. They have all been recently redone, and they are very clean. The showers are great, however there is not much room to put stuff down in the shower stalls, so don't carry much with you to the bathrooms.

4. Pools: You can use the pools at the resort, they are decent, and specific weekends, pool hopping is not allowed, such as this past weekend when we were there.

5. Transportation: Very easy. The resort has an internal bus system, that you can take all over the campgrounds. The stations are very short walking distances from campsites, and very convenient. Those buses will take you to the main bus hub at the front of the campsite, from where you can take buses to the parks.

6. Safety: They have constant patrols, (I think we saw disney personnel in trucks about every half-hour), and there are so many families there, it feels very safe. Little kids were running all over the place. I dont think you'd have any problems. I always keep valuables locked in my car when I'm not there though. You can have one car on your site, and its a good place to keep cameras, jewelry, etc, that you don't want left open in your tent.

7. It's camping alright...but they don't allow campfires at the sites, except in the grills. It's not as quiet as national park camping, but its a much more fun environment for kids.

8. Bring a good tent. I wouldn't recommend bringing the cheapest tent you can find. Get one that can hold at least 2 more people than will be in it, you'll be glad for the extra room. Make sure the tent has a rainfly as well, as showers will most likely affect you there, and you don't want stuff to get wet.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.