We are all very excited to visit Walt Disney World (WDW) in Orlando this summer. It is a 8 day 7 night trip. I spent a lot of time (over 100 hours) planning this trip. In the end the most economical and fun option for lodging was Fort Wilderness. I originally booked a cabin but then when I was researching I discovered that you can rent a 5th wheel RV from a private company (there are many) and they set it up and provide everything you need (except food). This combines two things our family loves, camping and WDW.
I know it isn’t really camping when you are not in a tent and packing in your own water (that’s how we normally roll) but this is a close second. I actually think this will be better than the cabins for a lot of reasons.
- First, off it is cheaper by about $500 and includes a golf cart.
- I have never stayed at Fort Wilderness (FW) but I have been in large camp grounds and wore myself out just getting from place to place. From all the reviews a golf cart is a must as FW is not just large but gargantuan.
- Third, the location of the cabins is not that great, but I am assured our trailer spot will be awesome.
- Fourth, the sleeping arrangements are better in the camper. The cabin has one bedroom and a Murphy bed in the living room that fills that space. The camper has a master bedroom at one end and a bunkhouse room at the other end. (Read as far away as possible from kids.
During my planning I looked at all the WDW properties and about 8 off site properties. Of the WDW properties FW is by far the lowest cost for the week we are going that offered multiple room accommodations. The Art of Animation would normally be a great low cost choice if you go off season as they offer amazing family specials.
We could have stayed off site for less money but I really wanted the meal plan. More on that later. My biggest issue was that the recent reviews of almost all the non-WDW properties were not that great and some were down right scary. Of the few that had decent reviews they tended to be over 20 minutes from WDW. From talking with others that have gone and reading reviews the distance mixed with infrequent buss schedules can make to and from travel go from 20 minutes to 60.
So that’s how I ended up on property and at Fort Wilderness. I will of course let you all know how things turn out.
~John