This pandemic took a lot of things away from all of us, but one thing it wasn’t going to do was take away the Obrist’s annual trip to Disney! We totally thought that it wouldn’t happen this year, but as we slowly but surely adapted to our “new world”, we felt that it was worth the risk. It wasn’t going to look like our previous years, but just like the we had to change the way we live in all areas of our lives, we were willing to make the changes it took to enjoy this trip in a different way. We have been camping throughout the summer and early fall, so our kids have been trained well with camping, and they love it! Who knew that camping at Fort Wilderness at Disney would have so much?? Before corona, I vaguely heard about camping at Disney, but I had no idea that it was a whole other world. I’m telling you… just when I think I know everything about Disney, I discover something new every time. Well, once we made the decision to go, we went online right away to book our trip!
Ok, so here’s the thing about Disney camping. There’s so much to do there that it’s an experience in itself. It’s considered a Disney resort just like any other Disney resorts, so you have free parking to the parks and can attend the parks and purchase tickets in your package. So, if you’re into camping and need ways of saving money while at Disney, this is definitely the way to do it. Their camp site rates as you can imagine is much higher than your usual sites, but as you can also imagine, Disney definitely makes it worth it.
So, tell me a little about it!
SURE! Fort Wilderness is about 750 acres. I know… HUGE, right? I think that’s bigger than the city we live in. Like, for real! Anyways, if you didn’t know, Florida is pretty FLAT. So, 750 acres of FLAT land for kids is GREAT! There are trails, fields, and just endless sidewalks where our kids roller bladed. Craig and I jogged in those paths and just enjoyed the peacefulness of the site with our kids. Oh, and all around the site, you’ll randomly find deer, armadillos (we had one come around one night right next to our tent and scared me so bad!), and turkeys too! It’s so big that most families rent golf carts which are about $65 per day or if that doesn’t work for you, there are buses that run all throughout the day and evening. Yes, it’s that big!
So, what’s the cost and overall pros and cons?
Just like any resorts or hotels, it depends on the season… higher the demand, the higher the cost. When we went early November, they had a sale going on for 15% off, so we paid about $75 per night and that included all the taxes and fees. So, compared to an average site, it’s a little over double or even triple the price. Yes, there are pros and cons to our experience at Disney for sure, but one thing you know you will get at this place is excellent customer service and cleanliness. The bathrooms with showers and laundry mats beat any other places we’ve ever gone and that alone is worth it especially when there are three ladies in the family. Where you find bathrooms is where there’s a laundry mat and ice that you can purchase for $2 per bag. (Laundry is $6 per load for washing and drying.) The only two things we didn’t like about camping at this happy place is that they don’t allow campfire! I know…. they’re always super cautious about everything which I respect, but with campfires, I wish they allowed it because what’s camping without s'mores on fire, right? Well, there is an exception though… you can bring in your own fire pit that has a cover and other things that they approve, then you can have it. For us, we weren’t willing to make that purchase and even more than that, we had NO room in our van whatsoever! The other con is that there isn’t that much privacy here either. So, you definitely have to get over that if that bothers you. The sites are very close to one another and the bushes/trees that are in-between each site don’t give you much barrier. Other than that, everything is amazing!
So, what’s there to do?
The question should be…. what’s there NOT to do? Here’s a list of what we did and there’s more on the to do list, but we just didn’t have the chance or the interest to do them.
Tether ball - yes, these are everywhere. Such a simple family fun, but we had a BLAST! It was an easy ‘sport’ to learn with the kids, and I’ll never forget all the giggles and hits in the faces we got from this… We are seriously considering having one in our backyard!
Archery (extra cost… about $45 per person) - This was something I looked forward to going so badly since I saw it on their website. It wasn’t cheap by any means, but totally worth doing if it’s in your budget. It’s a 75 minute session and they give you a thorough lesson… after the lesson, you get to shoot in a very safe, organized manner until your time is over. I honestly thought that the time wasn’t going to be enough, but it was actually more than enough. But, we definitely wouldn't do it again. First, it’s expensive when the whole family does it and I just thought that especially at that price, although it was fun, it could’ve been better. They need to have more targets so that everyone can have their own or just limit the number of people that can attend the session. We had to take turns with others, so that made it a bit slow and felt that I wasn’t getting my money’s worth.
Horseback riding or pony rides - Craig and our girls got to go horseback riding, but Ethan and I had to stay at the campsite because Ethan was too young for horseback riding, but too tall for pony rides. That was a bit weird because there are many kids his age at that height, but we respect their rules, but it was disappointing that he couldn’t go. The others had a wonderful time however and couldn’t stop talking about how great it was. The girls begged us to ride again, but the price for this wasn’t cheap either! It was $55 per person. But when Ethan is old enough (you have to be 9 years old), we will definitely go again.
Beach fun - Don’t imagine this like your “typical” Florida beach, but there is a section in the area called the “Settlement” with sand and of course tether ball again where you can just relax enjoying the pretty scenery while your kids play in the sand. I think before COVID, this area would’ve been more busy with folks with beach chairs and umbrellas and all, but they put all those away so that not many people can ‘hang out’ there on purpose. When we went, it was usually just us or one other family. It’s right next to a dock on a lake. It’s fenced off from the water (because you know…. Florida alligators….), but the view as mentioned is very pretty and the atmosphere is simply relaxing.
Trading Posts - There are two trading posts at the camp site. Here, you’ll find your usual Disney gift shop, but you will also find some camping essentials that you may have forgotten. They have your items for s’mores (if you have their approved fire pit), hotdogs if you need something to eat last minute at your campsite and you don’t feel like going into town for groceries. They have your basic condiments, snacks and drinks.
“Movie on the Lawn” - this was so cute and fun! It felt like a treat because we have not gone to a movie theater since corona, but felt safe to go here because it’s all outdoors. Disney is EXCELLENT at enforcing face masks and social distancing, so there’s no issue there whatsoever. Many people came comfortably in their PJs, lawn chairs, snacks and blankets. They do have benches, but it’s honestly not comfortable at all especially for that long while watching a movie, so yeah, bring your lawn chairs for sure! They have their movie schedule online. Before COVID, there was a campfire with sing along time as well, but those activities temporarily all stopped sadly. Hope to go again when those things start happening hopefully soon… Oh, they used to do it every night, but currently, it’s just Mon, Wed, Fri and Sat. all at 8pm. So, make sure you check the schedule before you go!
Tri-Circle-D Ranch - This was something low key that I so enjoyed doing with the kids. We took the bus from our campsite to the “settlement”, and there’s a barn called, “Tri-Circle-D Ranch” and it totally looks like Joanna Gaines designed it. Hm… maybe she did? This barn to me looks very new and has all the beautiful horses that they use for the park parades. Parades these days have been very simplified, but when it was “normal,” they used these horses to pull the carriages. I’ve never seen such HUGE and stunning horses in my life. They display some historical things about them as well there - it’s like a mini museum. This is where the pony rides are too!
Volleyball courts - They have a couple of beach volleyball courts around the area, so we took our kids there especially for our eldest who plays well and had a great time!
Golf Cart Rentals - You definitely don’t have to do this because there are buses running all the time, but it really is convenient to have it to get to places easier and faster. Our kids really wanted to do this, so we rented for just one day and rode it around as much as we could.
Ferry to Magic Kingdom - We accidentally found out about this when we were at the beach and we happen to see a sign that said “Ferry to Magic Kingdom” around the dock. We saw a boat ferry come by, so we took a ride just for fun and came back. :) Hey, it’s free so why not, right? We were the only ones on it and the ride is beautiful!
Ok, so that’s what we DID do, but there are a list of many other things to do that we didn’t get a chance to or we didn’t feel comfortable doing because of COVID. A few them that I know you guys would enjoy are bike rentals, kayak rentals and fishing. There’s more with all the details! In our ever changing corona world, please check the details before you go because some activities are still closed, but as mentioned, it keeps changing!
While we were there, we visited Disney Springs first to see how good they were with COVID restrictions. As expected and as we have heard, they were beyond EXCELLENT! If you know us, until we went to Disney, we have not even gone out to eat. We have cooked EVERY.SINGLE.MEAL since corona, and so when we decided that it was time for our family to go out, we wanted our “first time” to be at Disney, and the experience did not disappoint! We went to Yesake for our first “fast food” experience and then the Polite Pig for our patio dining. To eat a meal that someone else made for you after 8 months, can you imagine what it tasted like and what it FELT like? It was heavenly…
After we felt that we could “trust” Disney’s protocols, we got brave enough to check out Hollywood Studios. Ever since they opened up Star Wars Land there, we’ve been wanting to go especially for Craig. You see, back in Sept, we were supposed to go to Disney for his 40th like the way we did for mine in 2019, but it didn’t happen because of stupid corona. So, we really wanted it to happen for him! Let me just say that it was UH-MAZING! We were there from the moment it opened until it closed and all of us couldn’t stop saying, “Wow, I can’t believe we are here!” We truly had a magical time like the way Disney promises and was so happy to have made that decision for our family. We were so tempted to go to another park, but we didn't want to push our boundaries. LOL
Overall, our time at Disney was unforgettable like every year even though this year was so different. Because they’re so strict with face masks, we were glad that we went in the fall when it wasn’t crazy hot. We hope that you guys will consider having a great camping trip with your family! It’s so worth it and so affordable! If it’s your first time camping, check out our blog post for what you need! As always, we appreciate you guys reading and your follow on Instagram. See you there and happy camping!
With much love,
Craig + Unchong
