When I asked my ten-year-old son what his favorite ride was after this year’s family vacation to Walt Disney World, it wasn’t Test Track or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad — it was riding in the golf cart to and from our cabin at Fort Wilderness! Another favorite part of his vacation was the top bunk he slept in each night. Fort Wilderness is my kids’ favorite place they have ever stayed at Disney, which includes Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter!
For years, we have had friends who camp regularly at Fort Wilderness tell us how nice the resort is. As non-campers, we didn’t take them seriously until we saw it for ourselves while attending the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. The resort is truly charming and a hidden gem for many at Disney.
We really wanted to stay at Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground but did not want to rough it in a tent or rent a RV, so we decided to try a cabin. The first thing I noticed was just how clean and comfortable our cabin was. I never think of those two things when I think of sleeping in the woods. Everything was immaculately clean and exceeded my expectations.
The second thing we appreciated was the extra space. We are a family of four but the cabins sleep up to six. My boys got to pick between the fold-out couch and the bunk beds. They both chose the bunk beds. The bunk beds gave them plenty of room to spread out and enjoy their own space; at ten and twelve, they need more room than they did when they were toddlers. They did not want to share a bed! They each had their own private overhead light as well, which was a nice touch. I was also glad they chose the bunk beds because the couch was perfect for an afternoon nap!
Another good feature of the cabins is the kitchen. It has a table that will seat six, a full-size refrigerator, two counter-top burners, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, sink, dishwasher, and plenty of cabinets stocked with pots, pans, coffee mugs, etc. Now, don’t get me wrong; I don’t like to cook on vacation! We did, however, love having the kitchen for breakfast every morning. We used the toaster and microwave and ate our breakfast at the table or outside at our outdoor picnic table on the porch. I took plenty of yummy things we don’t normally allow ourselves to eat at home, and we really enjoyed our breakfast at the cabin each day. The full-size refrigerator was also great to store and cool plenty of water bottles for the theme parks. We brought two 45-packs from Sam’s Club!
Finally, the last thing that made the cabins so much fun to stay at was the charming campground community. We loved driving the golf cart around the resort and seeing everyone’s seasonal decorations. Guests decorated their campsites, cabins, and golf carts. My oldest son decorated our cart with his Atlanta United flag. I also had a friend surprise me with door decorations on my birthday. It was such a treat to come back from Epcot and find our cabin door decorated with birthday balloons! Besides the fun, creative guests, the resort is also full of friendly, furry guests. We saw lots of turkeys, rabbits, and deer!
Looking for a unique, new experience at Walt Disney World? Try cozy camping with charm at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort.
Laci Post is a travel agent for Dreams Unlimited Travel and would be happy to help you with your next Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Universal, or Disney Cruise Line adventure.
