I drove from NJ in November and it was great. There were 5 of us that went, myself, wife, mother and two daughter's(3&4). The gas cost round trip was $600. I think right there we saved money on airfare. We had a partial campsite, which has electric, water, and cable for $46 a night since it was value season. Cheapest hotel on site was $89 a night was the All Star Resorts and we would have needed two rooms. The campground itself is full of activities so you have plenty to do even if you don't go to the parks. The comfort stations are the cleanest that you will ever see. Plus you're camping at Disney. Here is a link to a few pics from our trip of the site we had, #1519. https://canvascampers.com/inde.....21#msg9521 You can also go to fortfiends.net/forum which is a website created by fans dedicated to Fort Wilderness. I learned alot on that board, plus they have trip reports and lots of pictures of the campground. Any questions, just ask.
Best Regards,
Norm
Ditto everything acenorm said, except it was just me, my wife and two boys so we only needed one room. We've been there a few times and have yet to have a bad experience.
One thing he didn't mention was food. Since you have your camper, presumably including a galley with a stove and fridge, you can bring some food and cook it at your campsite. You don't have that option if you're staying in one of the hotels. There are several nearby grocery stores to stock up during the week. I can provide a map of the ones I know about, if you're interested.
Also, you can take some food into the parks with you. They aren't (weren't) as draconian as some other amusement parks. I think the only restriction was on glass bottles. We generally stuff breakfast, snacks and sometimes lunch in a large CamelBak, and brought some water bottles for the boys. You can get free ice or ice water at any place that sells fountain drinks to top off the CamelBak. Dinner was usually purchased, but sometimes made back at the camp site.
Is it cost effective....You will obviously save on the hotel. I was always told that driving to FL -vs- flying, 2 people break even, 3 people save money. Now you have to calculate at least 1, possibly 2 night on the road (I would do 22 hours straight driving when I was 23). Can you afford the extra time on the road? There are many factors to consider and whatever you choose will be the right choice for you and your family.
My personal thought.....you have to do both, Camp at Disney and stay at a resort on the property just for the experience. Now my opinion is biased, I worked there in College in the Hotels, but Disney just does it right in all aspects. I haven't camped there, but i will someday. While you are down there, look at the detail of everything. Nothing is done without a purpose. The cracks in the walkways in Animal Kingdom were put there to make it seem old.
Matt O 2006 Skyline Nomad 27' travel trailer. Previously owned 1986 Coleman Columbia / 1992 Coleman Senecca / 1989 Born Free Class C RV.
We had a reservation last September to stay at Ft. Wilderness. But we decided to change it and instead stayed at the value resort Pop Century. The reason we did this is because we were able to land Disney's meal plan. That is not available if you stay in the fort. We estimated the meal plan saved us $650-700. Just my .02. I don't know if we will ever go to Disney without the dining plan, have you seen them food prices?? 😮 I can always camp elsewhere.
2003 GMC Yukon SLE
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[quote author=Houndog1178 link=topic=1354.msg10490#msg10490 date=1327803794]
The reason we did this is because we were able to land Disney's meal plan. That is not available if you stay in the fort. We estimated the meal plan saved us $650-700. Just my .02. I don't know if we will ever go to Disney without the dining plan, have you seen them food prices?? 😮 I can always camp elsewhere.
Just to clarify this statement, he got the dining plan for FREE when Disney was offering it. You CAN get the dining plan if staying at Fort Wilderness campsites, you just have to pay for it. The reason for this is that each campsite can have up to 10 people on it and than Disney would be losing money. You CAN get the meal plan for free when they offer it if you are staying in the cabins at Fort Wilderness as well.
Also, they were offering the free meal plan when we went, but because of us needing 2 rooms, it actually would have cost us more. We purchased the meal plan and it was great to have. We made full use of it, and enjoyed many character meals.
Best Regards,
Norm
[quote author=Houndog1178 link=topic=1354.msg10506#msg10506 date=1327901633]
Oh well, I guess we were mislead by a Disney cast member...go figure.
It's possible. People (phone cast members and guests alike) get confused when Disney offers free dining when staying at one of their resorts. A lot of the people on the phones have no clue when it comes to certain resorts.
Like I said in the previous post, you can purchase the dining plan if satying in the campsites and I found it was worth it for our stay and helped us enjoy our vacation a little more, since we didn't have to cook.
[quote author=Houndog1178 link=topic=1354.msg10506#msg10506 date=1327901633]
Or maybe they don't offer it for free to the campsites?? Anyways I could not afford to look at a lodge, let alone stay in one :2funny:
This is correct. They do not offer FREE dining if staying in the campsites, but not the cabins. Also very expensive. Cabins during value season are $305 a night this past year.
Best Regards,
Norm
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