7 Reasons We Love Staying at Disney’s Fort Wilderness

We’ve stayed at Disney’s Fort Wilderness with our camper, and we’re headed back again this Halloween. There are a lot of reasons we love staying at the Fort, but I think the biggest one is that it gives us something I don’t always associate with a Disney vacation:

A chance to slow down.

After a full day of rides, crowds, walking and trying to fit in all the Disney things, coming back to Fort Wilderness feels completely different. If you have a camper and are considering bringing it to Disney, here are some of my favorite reasons we keep coming back.

1. You’re Coming Home to Your Own Space

This might be my favorite thing about camping at Disney. When we leave the parks, we’re not going back to a hotel room we’re borrowing for the week. We’re going back to our camper. Our beds. Our things. Our kitchen. Our space.

You’re still completely immersed in Disney, but at the end of the day you get to come back to something familiar. There’s something really nice about that after a hectic park day.

2. The Evenings Might Be My Favorite Part

Some of my favorite Disney vacation memories aren’t actually from inside the parks. They’re sitting outside our camper at night. Our little one is asleep. We’re surrounded by trees. My husband and I can sit outside and talk about everything we did that day—the rides we loved, the funny moments, the food—and then start talking about what’s coming tomorrow.

What rides do we want to do? What food do we want to try? What’s the plan? It’s quiet. It’s peaceful. And after spending all day surrounded by thousands of people, it’s one of my favorite parts of staying at the Fort.

3. Golf Carts. Enough Said.

Yes, Fort Wilderness has internal buses. But…

Golf cart.

This is the only Disney resort where getting around the resort in a golf cart is part of the experience. We have our own, which makes it even better for us. We load up, ride around the loops and suddenly getting from one side of the resort to the other is part of the fun. And when our son was younger?

Let’s just say a nice golf-cart ride had a surprisingly high success rate when someone was fighting a much-needed nap. Parents know.

4. You Have an Actual Kitchen

Disney food is part of the fun. Paying Disney food prices for every single thing you eat is less fun. Having our camper means having a real refrigerator, freezer and kitchen. We can grab breakfast before heading out, make something quick when we get back, keep snacks and drinks cold and not have every meal become another expensive stop.

That doesn’t mean we don’t eat at Disney. We absolutely do. But it’s nice to get to choose when we want to spend the money instead of having to.

5. There’s Plenty to Do Without Going to a Park

One thing I really love about the Fort is that a non-park day doesn’t feel like a day with nothing to do. We can ride bikes, take the golf cart out, go swimming or let our little one play in the splash-pad area. There are also activities offered around the resort—some free and some with an additional cost.

Sometimes you just need a day where nobody has to walk 20,000 steps. Your kid can still get the wiggles out. You can still feel like you’re doing something. And everyone gets a little break before heading back into the parks.

6. Treasure Hunting Has Become Part of the Fun

This is one of those things I didn’t know about until we started staying at the Fort. Campers hide little treasures around the resort—often Disney-themed—and post clues in the unofficial Fort Wilderness treasure-hunting Facebook community for other families to find. So we’ll go “looping” in the golf cart and see what we can find.

It’s simple, it gets us outside, our little one gets the excitement of hunting for something, and it doesn’t require a ton of energy after an already busy day. We’ll even bring things to hide ourselves. It’s just campers creating something fun for other campers, and I love that.

7. You Can Actually Slow Down at Disney

This is probably what ties everything together for me. Fort Wilderness gives us somewhere to breathe. Bike rides. Golf-cart rides. Sitting outside. Swimming. Exploring the loops. Eating at the camper. Hanging out in the woods.

There’s food available at the resort, a small shop with merchandise and some grocery-type items, and plenty around the resort to keep us occupied. And I have to mention the cookies. The last time we stayed there, the quick-service location had these delicious double-chocolate cookies. We’re headed back this Halloween, and assuming they’re still there, that’s going to be one of my first stops.

Priorities.

One More Bonus If You Travel With Pets

Fort Wilderness can also be a great option if you’re traveling with dogs and have a pet-friendly campsite. When we had several dogs, this was a HUGE benefit for us. Boarding multiple dogs could legitimately cost more than parts of the actual vacation. Being able to bring them along made the trip easier—and considerably less expensive.

Would I Recommend Fort Wilderness?

If you own a camper? Absolutely. You’re still staying at Disney, but you have a little bit of home waiting for you at the end of every park day. For us, that’s what makes it special. We get the chaos and excitement of Disney during the day.

Then we come back, park the golf cart, put our little one to bed and sit outside under the trees. And start planning what we’re doing tomorrow. That’s Disney at the Fort for me.