What do you picture when you think about staying at Walt Disney World? A modern luxury hotel room in the Contemporary’s tower? A stay in the faux South Pacific of the Polynesian Village? The opulent grandeur of the Grand Floridian?
How about… a tent? That’s right, a tent! What’s it like to sleep in a tent at Walt Disney World? We found out!
While a tent might not be the first thing that comes to mind, camping has been an integral part of the Walt Disney World experience since (close to) the very beginning. The Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground first opened at the resort on November 19th, 1971, just under two months after the Magic Kingdom, Contemporary, and Polynesian opened on October 1st.
In fact, the Campground — which Disney describes as evoking the “timeless beauty of the American frontier, with deer, rabbits, ducks and armadillos roaming the Resort’s 750 acres of pine and cypress forest” where guests can “discover charming woodland trails, spectacular pool areas and rip-roarin’ entertainment at this picturesque backcountry retreat” — was supposed to be an opening day offering. It wasn’t finished in time and was delayed for several weeks, however, due to its inclusion in opening promotional material and like, many guests think it was an October 1st offering to this day.
On to the campsites themselves, Fort Wilderness offers 4 types of campsites that “accommodate everything from tents to 45-foot and longer RVs—with a maximum of 10 Guests per site.” Each campsite features “privacy-enhancing landscaping, water, cable television and electrical hook-ups, a picnic table and a charcoal grill. Most campsites also include a sewer hook-up, and some even permit pets.”
So, what was the tent itself like?
Well, it was certainly an experience! The areas to pitch a tent are coated with a gravel or sand type mixture, and since we literally just had sleeping bags on the floor of our tent, it wasn’t all that comfortable! (Of course, there are other options one can go with, like an air mattress to make things slightly more palatable, and the resort itself offers various pieces of equipment and amenities for sale).
Don’t get us wrong, though, it was a lot of fun to sleep under the stars and capture a bit of rustic feel at Disney World, but truth be told ,we probably wouldn’t do it again!
Camping in a tent at Walt Disney World is certainly one of the… more unique offerings on Disney property. Stay tuned to AllEars for more!
What I Wish I Knew Before Staying at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Have you ever camped at Disney World? Let us know in the comments below!
I just returned from camping at Disney in a tent! The camping itself was awesome but the Florida weather can be so unpredictable. I rented a golf cart which I had read was reccomended. 🙌👍 The first two nights were great. But thunderstorms were forecast and I didn’t think I could stay dry so I rented a cabin for the third night. The prices for camping were awesome! Saved a bundle over even the least expensive Disney hotels. The campground was awesome with plenty of places to eat, shop, and play! Grabbing the ferry over to MK was so fun and easy! Will definitely do it again but probably going to wait until Fall when the weather cools down!😁
Yes, about 20 years ago we went with family from FL and they stayed in the camper while us “northerners” offered to sleep in the tent when no one else volunteered. We didn’t realize what it’d reaaaallly be like camping in May in FL. We laugh about it to this day. You never get a break from the humidity and it’s complete chaos in the shared bathroom and shower area. Maybe its changed these days, but both way I’d do it again.
Our 1st trip to WDW was in a 2man backpacking tent in 1974. We had to call animal control to remove a snake off our site in the early morning hours. Still enjoyed it. That was when the train ran around the campground. Our next trip wasnt until 1985, no train, campground much larger and of course River Country was there. Still sad over the train being gone and of course River Country.
Yes, the first time we went we rented a tent and cots from them. We bought a styrafoam cooler at a grocery store, soda, and a few groceries Like butter, bread,catsup, mustard, coffee,milk,and sugar.The outpost sells pizza and chicken for pick up. We flew down and rented a car. The next time we rented an rv, and picked up the rv, with one of us driving each to the campground.We love the campground.