QUICK RESORT OVERVIEW
Resort Category: Moderate
Resort Size: 409 Wilderness Cabins, 784 Campsites
Bed Options: Cabins have 1 full bed (renovations happening in 2016 to update this to a QUEEN Bed), 1 twin sized bunk bed, and 1 full sized pull down bed, as well as a full kitchen, grill provided outdoor and dining room that sits 6.
Transportation Options: bus transportation to all parks, water transportation to Magic Kingdom
Dining Options: 3 quick service dining locations, 1 character dinner show, 1 musical dinner show, 1 table service restaurant
Pools: 2 pools, kids splash area, hot tub
Overall Vibe: The only campground on Disney World property. Surround yourself with hundreds of acres of secluded, natural beauty, knowing you are only a short boat ride away from Magic Kingdom.
DETAILED REVIEW
Check In
Although you can check in as early as you would like, your room is not guaranteed to be ready until 3:00 pm. When arriving, you will check in at the Reception Outpost:
Dining
P & J’s Southern Takeout – quick service dining serving breakfast and dinner. (located in Trail’s End Restaurant)
Meadow Snack Bar – quick service dining located next to Meadow Swimmin’ Pool
Trail’s End Restaurant – table service dining serving a la carte lunch, and buffet for breakfast & dinner.
Mickey’s Backyard BBQ – dinner show with Mickey, Minnie and Friends in an open aired pavilion. Redeems 2 table service credits from the Disney Dining Plan.
Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue – dinner show with Wild West dancing, singing and comedy. Redeems 2 table service credits from the Disney Dining Plan.
Crockett’s Tavern – lounge located beside Pioneer Hall (no dining plan accepted)
Pools
The Meadow Swimmin’ Pool is the feature pool, located in the Meadow Recreation Area. The other pool, a “quiet pool” is located next to the 2500 loop.
Recreation
Chip n’ Dale’s Campfire Sing-a-long
Fort Wilderness Archery Experience – for guests 7 years and up
Tri-Circle-D Ranch – the location for many of the activities listed below.
Holiday Sleigh Rides – reservations highly recommended
Pony Rides – riders must be at least 2 years old, under 80 pounds and no taller than 48 inches.
Wagon Rides – 25 minutes horse-drawn wagon ride
Carriage Rides – fits up to 4 adults (or 2 adults and 3 small children)
Movies Under the Stars
Basketball and Volleyball Courts
Playground
Davy Crockett’s Wilderness Arcade
Wilderness Back Trail Adventure – explore nature on a Segway!
Sandy beach areas, but no swimming in Bay Lake is allowed!
Rooms
First, let’s look at the resort map.
There are 4 campsite categories, as well as the Wilderness Cabin. They are spread out around the resort, in what are called “loops”. You can see these loops in the map above, and every loop is numbered. Think of that as compared to which “building” it would be if it were a that type of resort.
- Tent or Pop-Up Campsite – small asphalt area with larger sandy area ideal for tents. Located in loops 1500 and 2000
- Full Hook-Up Campsite – provides both good area of asphalt with an average size tent pad. Located in loops 1600 -1900.
- Preferred Campsite – same as the full hook up sites, except for in better locations. Located in loops 100 – 300.
- Premium Campsite – asphalt suited for 45 foot big rigs, and is a little larger than the other sites. Since the asphalt area is so large, not idea for tents. Located in loops 400 – 1400.
- Wilderness Cabin – 504 sq ft, sleeping up to 6 guests plus an infant. 1 Full Bed, 1 Twin Sized Bunk Beds and one Murphy (pull down) Bed. Has a full kitchen including cookware, flatware and dinnerware, but does not include salt, pepper, sweeteners or coffee filters. Located in loops 2100 – 2800.
Layout of the Wilderness Cabin:
Join us for a tour through a cabin!
Transportation
There are two main Depots that are pivotal in all traveling: Settlement Depot and Outpost Depot. You can see these on the map above. Basically, the Outpost Depot is located at the entrance of the resort, and where you will go to wait for the external bus to take you to the park you are going to that day. The Settlement Depot is where the water transportation will depart from. There are THREE internal bus routes, which run between all the “loops” and take you to either the Settlement or Outpost Depots.
Every bus stop will have covered seating like this:
Due to the size of this resort, we highly recommend either bringing your own, or renting a golf cart to get around! This will eliminate the need for the internal bus, as you can then just drive to either depot and park there until you return.
The Settlement Depot offers two boat launches. One goes strait to Magic Kingdom and back.
The other travels between Ft. Wilderness, Wilderness Lodge and Contemporary Resort. This option is great if you have a dining reservation…OR you could hop off at the Contemporary and walk to Magic Kingdom if the line for the Magic Kingdom bus is long!
The internal bus routes also need to be gone over, since it sometimes can be confusing to guests. These colored routes can also be seen on the map above. There are three internal bus routes:
Orange: This transports guests from Outpost Depot, through the cabin loops (2100 – 2800), down Fort Wilderness Trail (600 – 1300) and down to Settlement Depot.
Purple: This transports guests from Outpost Depot, through the cabin loops (2000 – 2800), through Creekside Meadow and to Settlement Depot.
Yellow: This transports guests from Outpost Depot, down Big Pine Drive, covering loops 100 – 500 & 1400 – 1900, and to Settlement Depot.
Loops
Loop 100 – Preferred location, the closest loop to the Settlement Depot which is ideal for going to Magic Kingdom. Downside is can tend to be a little more noisy due to the number of guests coming through Settlement Depot.
Loop 200 – Preferred location, a little more quiet but further from Settlement Depot and the internal bus stop.
Loop 300 – Preferred location, this is a pet friendly loop, and located next to the dog park.
Loops 400, 500 & 700 – Premium sites, just across from Settlement Depot. All of these loops are pet friendly.
Loops 600, 1000 – 1400 – Premium sites, closest to Meadow Recreation Area. The 600 loop is also pet friendly.
Loops 800 & 900 – Premium sites that are also pet friendly. Not close to Settlement Depot or Meadow Recreational Area. Could potentially be noisy due to Creekside Meadow, which is specifically for large groups.
Loop 1500 – One of only two loops designated for the Tent or Pop up Campsite locations. This loop, we feel, is better than the 2000 loop due it being closer to Meadow Recreational Area.
Loops 1600 & 1700 – Full Hook up Campsites, both are pet friendly. These two of the four full hook up sites, we feel, are more conveniently located due to being closer to Meadow Recreational Area and internal bus stop.
Loops 1800 & 1900 – Full Hook up Campsites, both are pet friendly. These two of the four full hook up sites, we feel, are less conveniently located, as they are further from Meadow Recreational Area and the internal bus stop. They are, however, much more quiet and remote.
Loop 2000 – One of only two loops designated for the Tent or Pop up Campsite locations. This loop, we feel, is not as conveniently located as the 1500 loop in the same category. It is also closer to Creekside Meadow which could potentially be noisy due to it being specifically for large groups.
Loops 2100 – 2300 – Three of the eight loops designated for the cabins. These particular loops are not conveniently located to anything specific, but are close to an internal bus stop.
Loops 2400 – 2600 – Three of the eight loops designated for the cabins. These particular loops are a little closer to the small pool in the area, with 2500 being the closest. Out of all the cabin locations, these 3 are furthest from an internal bus stop.
Loops 2700 & 2800 – Two of the eight loops designated for the cabins. These two loops are the closest to Outpost Depot, which is the bus stop at the entrance of the resort in which you would catch an external bus to a park. They both are close to an internal bus stop, with 2800 being the closest.
If you have any further questions about Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, please contact your PPDD Travel Planner.
This site was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I’ve found ssomething which helped me.
Manyy thanks!