Disney has a very popular campground here called Fort Wilderness Resort.
Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground opened in November 1971. The resort has 799 campsites and 409 air-conditioned Wilderness Cabins residing on more than 700 acres of lush vegetation and surrounded by pine and cypress trees. It is not unusual to see wildlife such as rabbits, deer, armadillos, ducks, geese, and peacocks roaming the grounds.
They have a very complicated rate system for the sites.
The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort Room Rates for 2017
Rates listed are full price, also known as “rack rates,” rounded to the nearest dollar, and include tax of 12.5%. Where there are two prices for a period, the first price is for weeknights (Sun-Thu) and the second is for weekends (Fri-Sat).
| Date Range | Rate | Tent or Pop-Up Campsite | Full Hook-Up Campsite | Preferred Campsite | Premium Campsite |
| Jan 1 | New Years | $135 | $159 | $170 | $176 |
| Jan 2-Jan 4 | Value | $60/$75 | $83/$97 | $96/$107 | $101/$112 |
| Jan 5-Jan 7 | Marathon | $76 | $101 | $114 | $124 |
| Jan 8-Jan 12 | Value | $60/$75 | $83/$97 | $96/$107 | $101/$112 |
| Jan 13-Jan 15 | MLK | $76 | $101 | $114 | $124 |
| Jan 16-Feb 15 | Value | $60/$75 | $83/$97 | $96/$107 | $101/$112 |
| Feb 16 | Peak | $97/$123 | $144/$152 | $160/$164 | $165/$170 |
| Feb 17-Feb 19 | Presidents Day | $127 | $158 | $170 | $176 |
| Feb 20-Mar 9 | Peak | $97/$123 | $144/$152 | $160/$164 | $165/$170 |
| Mar 10-Mar 23 | Spring | $126 | $158 | $170 | $176 |
| Mar 24-Apr 8 | Peak | $97/$123 | $144/$152 | $160/$164 | $165/$170 |
| Apr 9-Apr 20 | Easter | $126 | $158 | $170 | $176 |
| Apr 21-Apr 22 | Peak | $97/$123 | $144/$152 | $160/$164 | $165/$170 |
| Apr 23-May 25 | Regular | $86/$109 | $109/$129 | $132/$151 | $137/$156 |
| May 26-May 28 | Memorial Day | $111 | $140 | $152 | $158 |
| May 29-Jun 29 | Regular | $86/$109 | $109/$129 | $132/$151 | $137/$156 |
| Jun 30-Jul 8 | July 4th | $115 | $138 | $158 | $165 |
| Jul 9-Jul 29 | Regular | $86/$109 | $109/$129 | $132/$151 | $137/$156 |
| Jul 30-Aug 31 | Value | $60/$75 | $83/$97 | $96/$107 | $101/$112 |
| Sep 1-Sep 3 | Labor Day | $79 | $101 | $114 | $122 |
| Sep 4-Sep 30 | Value | $60/$75 | $83/$97 | $96/$107 | $101/$112 |
| Oct 1-Oct 5 | Fall | $70/$81 | $93/$102 | $100/$109 | $108/$120 |
| Oct 6-Oct 8 | Columbus Day | $86 | $108 | $117 | $130 |
| Oct 9-Nov 9 | Fall | $70/$81 | $93/$102 | $100/$109 | $108/$120 |
| Nov 10-Nov 12 | Veterans Day | $86 | $108 | $117 | $130 |
| Nov 13-Nov 17 | Fall | $70/$81 | $93/$102 | $100/$109 | $108/$120 |
| Nov 18-Nov 24 | Thanksgiving | $87 | $109 | $116 | $135 |
| Nov 25-Dec 9 | Fall | $70/$81 | $93/$102 | $100/$109 | $108/$120 |
| Dec 10-Dec 14 | Regular | $86/$109 | $109/$129 | $132/$151 | $137/$156 |
| Dec 15-Dec 21 | Peak | $97/$123 | $144/$152 | $160/$164 | $165/$170 |
| Dec 22-Dec 31 | Holiday | $135 | $160 | $177 | $183 |
I had never visited the campground and as an eggcamper chick I was curious to see the campground that many people rave about. While researching the trip, I read about a tour offered at Fort Wilderness.
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Wilderness Back Trail Adventure
Experience nature the high-tech way as you explore Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and beyond on a Segway® X2.
Go “Wild” on 2 Wheels
Take in Florida’s natural beauty while gliding along scenic back roads.
If you’ve never ridden a Segway before, you’re in for a treat! Maneuverable, fast, quiet, fun to ride, the X2 is an all-terrain vehicle that can be mastered in minutes. And what better way to do it than with a beautiful backdrop of Florida countryside!
Navigate a variety of surfaces from paved paths to woodland trails as you complete a 2-hour circuit that includes stops at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, the stables of Tri-Circle-D Ranch, and glassy Bay Lake, where photo ops abound.
Your informative, entertaining Cast Member acts as a guide, sharing trivia, anecdotes and instructions along the way and keeping you in the loop through your electronic headset.
So I called and reserved a spot on the tour a month ago or so. I believe I paid about $82 for the tour. There is no parking near the building you begin your tour so you must park at the front and take a bus to the “bike barn” where the segway tour begins. It took almost 30 minutes to get through the front gate, park, wait for the right bus, ride the bus that made multiple stops and then walk to the “bike barn”. At 11:30am we were given a helmet and some verbal instructions. We then watched an instruction film. After that we went outside for hands on training and practice. There is a pretty good learning curve to it.
We then were led on a tour around Fort Wilderness Campground for about one hour and 15 min. We made a few stops and learned some interesting Disney information along the way. It was pretty warm in the sun with the helmets on. The high was 86 degrees. Here is a lovely photo to prove I actually rode a Segway.
The Segways do not hold still by themselves so while you are on them (like in this picture) you are balancing them with your body to keep them upright.
So it was fun but it was too warm for me. As for the campground, I am not sure I would enjoy staying here, especially for the rates they charge. It is a huge place and you either have to drive, bike or take a bus to the various amenities. Many people rent electric golf carts from Disney to get around at a cost of $59 per day.
So by the time I took the bus back to the parking area, it was about 2:00pm. I went back to my hotel to shower after my warm tour, wash off the sunscreen and have lunch.
I arrived at Animal Kingdom at 4:00pm, enjoyed a couple of shows and a safari ride and left at 8:00pm. Here are a few photos from Animal Kingdom.
