Wednesday, March 1, 2017 – Can you ride a Segway? I can!

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.

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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.