At what point does the Fort not become worth it?

[Beckers 1,136]

8 hours ago, shoreline99 said:

Norm, I totally agree. I doubt we're going back to WDW any time soon for many of the reasons you and Andrew have outlined above, in addition to others that I've mentioned. (On top of all that, it now appears that we brought home bedbugs from the cabin we stayed in at the fort; our house is being fumigated as I type).

Oh man oh man that sucksssss. I can't even imagine. I'm sorry.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

3 hours ago, PGHFiend said:

Seroisly? Find a campground as nice as the fort in such proximity to a major, heck, even minor attraction that has the turnover it has and I'll go visit there just to see how its managed. 

You guys are living in the past pining for the good old days.  Guess what, these are the good old days, so enjoy them instead if whining.  When is the the last time you saw a station wagon pulling a camper! I could just see the photos some of you would post, "Look what we saw towing in the fort today, bet they were wayyyy overloaded!" . 

And you guys dislike that someone has the means to stay at the fort for a few weeks? I would love to do this! You have a lot of room to talk when you cite the wealthy retirees, who possibly are themselves the adults that took you to the fort as children.  I've seen some of you post pictures from places I will never be able to afford. I'd rather have a retiree in a tour bus next to me that a busted down wagon with a family of 6.  Just sayin.

If anyone owns a campground, connected to the nations largest tourist attraction, with a line of people who are waiting for a spot to open year round is reading this, please tell me why you would limit stays and lower prices. I would love to hear it!

I wish the fort was free and vacant when I am there. It's not reality unfortunately and the way other campgrounds are maintained, it looks better every day. I'd say 15 percent of CG's that we have tried are ones we would go to twice. The fort has a dinner show! Two stores! Two pools! Paved sites! A marina! AND ON AND ON AND ON.  I pay 85 bucks for a good CG near our home with a tenth of the amenities......whats wrong with the price? Imagine your posts if they didn't have high prices to keep out some of the riff raff.

Bottom line is that you can not, will never, and can't justify or nullify someone's choice of the way, how or where they vacation. 

I will agree that sometimes there are ignorant people, but have you watched the news?

 

 

Posted from my cell if there are spelling  errors.

 

 

 

I agree with most of this. I still love the Fort. The prices are high, but it has way more amenities than most other campgrounds we go to. Am I likely to complain about our Christmas rate? Yes, but for us, it's still "worth it." 

[southernview -- Ray 25]

On 2/4/2016 at 3:08 PM, Travisma said:

So we just got 2  partial site weekday nights at the Fort (Wednesday ,Thursday) in the middle of March, way before most school spring breaks begin, and it cost us $191.  We really wanted Friday also, but guess what, it's not available.  Can't go onto MDE to try to add a day, have to call reservations, and since it's a Friday, if we even get it, it'll be over $100 on top of the $191 we already have.  We are thinking of cancelling it, and just staying in a hotel Friday which is really the day we were looking for.  $300 for a quick trip is a lot to spend. Sorry, but the Fort aint that magical.

By the middle of March, we will have this whole city taken over by breakers.  I have no idea how many of them will be further south, but most all colleges are on break before, and around the middle of the month.

College Spring break dates

[Snarky-Fairy 1]

I've heard some valid arguments on both sides of the issue.  

Was the fort built to accommodate 40'+ diesal pushers?  No. 

Should they allow 40'+ deisal pushers?  Yes. 

If I could afford it I would trade-in the TT for 45' bus to accomadate our large family. I don't begrudge someone because they have nice things I envy them. 

"These are the good ole day."  well said. Let's not dwell on the past.  

So with that said I challenge you to find alternatives to the Fort. For people who want to camp and enjoy WDW.   I'm not trying to be snarky. It's a legitimate question.  If you were bring your family to WDW to camp and couldn't stay at the Fort.  Where would you stay?

[ependydad...Doug 176]

If you were bring your family to WDW to camp and couldn't stay at the Fort.  Where would you stay?

I've stayed at Thousand Trails Orlando- the price is right. I pay $400/year and that covers as many TT nights as I want (something like 30-50 and then after that is $3/night). Depending on the site, there may be a $3/night up charge for 50-amp service. With the "back way" getting in, the drive into WDW isn't awful and with annual passes, there are no parking fees.

Friends of ours stay at Tropical Palms, I think.

I will also say- the Fort is way more of a "campground" experience than the TT park. The TT park is very much a "wide open" RV park; not a campground.

[Snarky-Fairy 1]

14 minutes ago, ependydad...Doug said:

 

I've stayed at Thousand Trails Orlando- the price is right. I pay $400/year and that covers as many TT nights as I want (something like 30-50 and then after that is $3/night). Depending on the site, there may be a $3/night up charge for 50-amp service. With the "back way" getting in, the drive into WDW isn't awful and with annual passes, there are no parking fees.

Friends of ours stay at Tropical Palms, I think.

I will also say- the Fort is way more of a "campground" experience than the TT park. The TT park is very much a "wide open" RV park; not a campground.

Great price.  I went to their website and noticed 6 parks in the Orlando area. Which one do you like best?  Is it the Orlando RV resort on thousand trails blvd?

looks like a nice place.  Is there much to do for he kiddos?  (5 kids from 7-21 yrs old). We usually do 4 park days and 4 hanging out at the TT.)

it looks like there are some full timers in the pictures. Or am I reading to much into the pictures?

[Avatab.... Steve 124]

14 hours ago, keith_h said:

 While the Fort  is still nicer than any KOA I've been to it is not what I expect of Disney nor for the price we pay. 

And that is the heart of the matter.

The Fort is NOT what I expect from Disney.

It is still nicer than your avg KOA, and it certainly has location going for it, but it is not what it used to be.....   

That is why some of us here sound overly critical.  Disney used to care about FW and it showed. For several years now that has not been the case.

 

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

58 minutes ago, Snarky-Fairy said:

I've heard some valid arguments on both sides of the issue.  

Was the fort built to accommodate 40'+ diesal pushers?  No.

 Should they allow 40'+ deisal pushers?  Yes. 

And to add pull-thrus they would be removing an awful lot of trees.

If I could afford it I would trade-in the TT for 45' bus to accomadate our large family. I don't begrudge someone because they have nice things I envy them. 

"These are the good ole day."  well said. Let's not dwell on the past.  

So with that said I challenge you to find alternatives to the Fort. For people who want to camp and enjoy WDW.   I'm not trying to be snarky. It's a legitimate question.  If you were bring your family to WDW to camp and couldn't stay at the Fort.  Where would you stay?

All of the RV parks in the area have full-timers and many are CM's. With that said you have Lake Magic, Sherwood Forest, 2 Thousand Trails ( one on 192 and one on 27) Mouse Mountain and Theme World to name a few.  We've stayed at Lake Magic. 

[ependydad...Doug 176]

Great price.  I went to their website and noticed 6 parks in the Orlando area. Which one do you like best?  Is it the Orlando RV resort on thousand trails blvd?

looks like a nice place.  Is there much to do for he kiddos?  (5 kids from 7-21 yrs old). We usually do 4 park days and 4 hanging out at the TT.)

it looks like there are some full timers in the pictures. Or am I reading to much into the pictures?

Yep, that's it.

https://www.thousandtrails.com/florida/orlando-rv-resort/

For stuff to do, it's fairly hit or miss based on time of year. In the "peak season" (Dec-Mar), there are a lot of activities. But, like most places in the area, it's dominated by older folks/snowbirds. But, there is a growing contingency of families. In fact, there's a Facebook group (Fulltime Families - Orlando and Surrounding areas or something like that). In the summer, it's pretty quiet and they don't always do their activities.

There is a playground, 2 pools, hot tub, and a handful of other activities (tennis/pickle ball courts, duck pin bowling, horseshoes). And, I'm not sure but you might be able to paddle the lake.

We've only stayed there and at Lake Magic. We were at Lake Magic for a week in June of 2014 and the place was barren; a living ghost town. I think we saw 2 or 3 other RVers. But, it was cheap- either $99 or $135 for a week.

I have reservations for Peace River and Three Flags, but they're getting to be a bit far for traveling into the parks on back to back days. Maybe an hour or so.

[dblr....Rennie 224]

We also use the Thousand Trails park and find it average but cheap for us. Did Tropical Palms once just not sure how I would make out with our current truck & camper might be tight but I did manage the Fort with some careful driving.

[Snarky-Fairy 1]

2 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

All of the RV parks in the area have full-timers and many are CM's. With that said you have Lake Magic, Sherwood Forest, 2 Thousand Trails ( one on 192 and one on 27) Mouse Mountain and Theme World to name a few.  We've stayed at Lake Magic. 

 

Maybe i should have been more clear. I don't want names of rv parks in the orlando area. I want rv parks that have some of the amenities that the fort has.  Someplace that might  a restaurant, swimming pool(s),  a marina with boat rentals, horseback riding,  fishing, etc.  I know not every rv park is going to have all these amenities but when I'm on vacation I want just that. A vacation.  I don't just want a place to park the TT.  

 

Show me rv parks that have some fun amenities for families.  And what they charge. 

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

5 hours ago, Snarky-Fairy said:

 

Maybe i should have been more clear. 

Show me rv parks that have some fun amenities for families.  And what they charge. 

Yep, specificity helps.  :)

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Snarky Fairy makes a good point though. Take away the theme park even.... most campgrounds with the amenities of the Fort charge around what they do. Look at Camp Gulf on the panhandle or any of the private campgrounds in the Keys. 

[Avatab.... Steve 124]

It is a very good point.  If any of us rolled into FW tomorrow never having been there before, I think it's safe to say that we would be impressed and happy.

(except maybe for the whole too many cars, trucks and crazy golf carts thing.....   )

None of us would be here on FF if we didn't Love the Fort with a capitol L, even with imperfections.

And that's the problem. We do love the Fort and most of us HAVE been there before, some of us many,many times.

As good as the Fort still is, like so many other things around us these days it should be better, it WAS better.   

 

 

[ependydad...Doug 176]

We also use the Thousand Trails park and find it average but cheap for us. Did Tropical Palms once just not sure how I would make out with our current truck & camper might be tight but I did manage the Fort with some careful driving.

Your setup is longer but my buddy stays there in a crew cab/long bed truck with a 42' fifth wheel.

[LONE-STAR 370]

On 1/30/2016 at 8:37 AM, oft013 said:

 

[LONE-STAR 370]

“Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” 
― Walt Disney Company

[Santa ... Shannon 160]

I'm late to the party, but just wanted to interject a couple of thoughts. I just did a price comparison between The Fort and Sherwood Forest for 9 days in August (picked at random). SF is $650 out the door, and the Fort was $850. That's a $22 per day difference. IMO, SF's nicest sites are far inferior to any site at the Fort, to say nothing of the facilities. Figure in the cost of parking for non-resort guests, the value of EMH access, the convenience of being on-site and being able to use Disney transport, early FP+ selections, and just the ability to remain in the Disney-bubble and not having to deal with Orlando traffic... Easily worth the $22 if you ask me.

A much earlier post questioned why Disney makes it so hard, placing and removing blocks, making it hard to get the dates you want. Well, I can think of two ways Disney can moderate demand: raise prices until demand drops, or, keep the prices relatively low and put in place a kind of lottery. With the latter, you have far more guests who want to stay than you can accommodate, but you also don't want to cater to just the insiders who know to book at 499 days. The inscrutable placement and removal of blocks essentially creates a lottery system. In addition to fairness, the "lottery" also helps Disney to book longer stays and book more fully. I would be a lot more upset if their prices were double, reservations were plentiful 2 months out, and then they clearance priced unreserved sites a week out for locals.

[disneylitch......Debbie 61]

There is a big problem with the way The Fort is booked, but I don't think there is anything we can do about it. 

If The Fort caters, so to speak, to week end travelers then it will be very difficult to book a longer stay.

If The Fort caters to guests that want to book a longer stay, then it is very difficult to book a week end.

I don't know how they can remedy the situation.  We travel 1000 miles, so we obviously need a longer stay.  If we lived closer, hopefully we will in the future, then we would want to be able to book for weekends.

Also, I don't begrudge anyone that is able to stay at The Fort for months.  We have met many very nice couples that do just that.  Quite a few of them are also seasonal workers for Disney.

I do wish The Fort would crack down on golf cart use, or misuse!!!  We were at The Fort and saw golf carts parked everywhere.  Many were driven by underage drivers.  We were almost run over by an underage driver.  When I confronted the parents, they told me to mind my own business.  I told them it was my business when I am paying to stay at The Fort.  In my opinion, this should be a top priority.  Unfortunately, they can't hire enough security to handle the amount of golf carts.  If they did, our rates would skyrocket.

I just don't understand why people can't follow the rules:

cars, golf carts, etc. must be parked on the pad

16 years of age with a valid license to drive a golf cart

plus the misc. other rules

If you don't like the rules, then stay someplace else!!!!

Yes, price is a concern, but you can stay with 10 people on your site.  For us that is important.  We usually have my husband, myself, daughter, sometimes son in law, and 3 grandkids.  It would be costly to add on that many people at other campgrounds.  Also, there are some campgrounds that don't allow over 5 people.

For first time visitors, The Fort is definitely magical.  For me it still is, especially when we bring our grandkids.  The love it!!!

 

 

[Avatab.... Steve 124]

Good points by Shanta and Debbie about the booking procedures and meeting demand.

There is one other way that they could remedy the problem and make everyone happy, both weekenders and long-term

BUILD MORE CAMPSITES!

It baffles me why they would jump through hoops to "massage"  demand for a product when they could easily just make more product.....

Build some new loops w/ bigger sites just for long term campers, or build a new campground that caters to weekenders with just the basics.

If it were up to me, I would approach camping at WDW just like they do the resorts:  Value - Moderate - Deluxe

Build 2 more CG's and designate 3 levels of camping w/ pricing set to reflect what you are getting.

Disney has no problem building new hotel rooms, but they continue to treat camping families as an afterthought or an annoyance....  

 

[Avatab.... Steve 124]

59 minutes ago, disneylitch......Debbie said:

 

  Unfortunately, they can't hire enough security to handle the amount of golf carts.  If they did, our rates would skyrocket.

 

  It would be costly to add on that many people at other campgrounds.  Also, there are some campgrounds that don't allow over 5 people.

 

 

Debbie brings up two more good points, both of which, like the booking, have simple solutions if Disney had the desire to solve them.

 

Golf Carts: As Debbie rightly points out, there are too many carts and too few security.

Solution?  Put BIG easy-to-read License plates or Numbers on every cart.  On the public roads, if the police get calls about a crazy driver they can check the plate and possibly take some action, FW could do the same. If they get 2 or more calls about the same cart send someone to talk to the person its registered to, read them the riot act and/or take the cart away if necessary.

 

10 people per site?:  I know that many (including Debbie) say it's a plus. But it is also being abused and it becomes a big problem for those around the abusers.

Solution:  As noted above, most other CG's charge extra for extra people or don't allow them at all on one site.  Make FW like other CGs and I believe you would cut down on the overcrowed sites and parking, and I also believe that many more sites would open up as groups decided to rent rooms instead of campsites.  

Another simple solution would be to just build more and bigger campsites, but I repeat myself...   

 

[CJHokie 43]

We have only been to the Fort twice, the first time being 2014, so we missed the glory days, evidently.  However, my husband still says it is the best campground he's ever stayed at, and we have stayed at 37 other ones (yes, I just counted them on my blog list.)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

On ‎2‎/‎6‎/‎2016 at 0:07 PM, Snarky-Fairy said:

Maybe i should have been more clear. I don't want names of rv parks in the orlando area. I want rv parks that have some of the amenities that the fort has.  

You make a good point- but, it's not one that anyone disputes- there are no other RV resorts that are on the same level of Fort Wilderness- it is in a class by itself.

 

On ‎2‎/‎7‎/‎2016 at 10:03 AM, Santa ... Shannon said:

 I would be a lot more upset if their prices were double, reservations were plentiful 2 months out, and then they clearance priced unreserved sites a week out for locals.

Exactly- and the current management regime agrees with this philosophy.  They know that there is great demand for their product.  And there is more demand than there is product for weekends.  So, they block off the weekends and hold those spots for guests willing to pay for stays of a week or more.  That's good for business.  But, it's bad for me, and others who would like to just book a weekend without having to plan 365+ days ahead. 

And, I'll save those of you who love to beat a dead horse by reminding me that it's their sandbox/their rules.  Everyone knows that.  I know that.  That doesn't mean I have to like it.

TCD

 

[Travisma 1,317]

I believe it was the all knowing Lou, bus driver extraordinaire, that set everyone straight a while back.

He stated, that except around holidays, the Fort is like a ghost town during the weekdays, and until those days get filled consistently, there is no reason for management to build additional sites or Forts.

I don't see how they could make a new Fort for just weekend visitors, unless it was fenced off and they just staffed it Thursday thru Mondays. Would it have a pool, that wasn't maintained 3 or 4 days a week?  What about site cleanups after storms, would they stay littered until the staff opens the gates for weekend visitors? 

I'm all for a place for weekend visitors, and obstacles could be overcome, but is it worth it for Disney to try to do it? 

Remember, they aren't your friend, they are a major money making conglomerate.

[DavinD 4]

Please don't assume that all folks who come for long stays are somehow wealthy.  Being from AZ, my family and I can only go every 2-3 years.  And when we go, we make it a big one.  When you have 6 days of driving, you want to stay as long as possible.  The time between those trips is spent eating PB&J sandwiches to save money for our next trip.

..and sorry Norm, I drive a diesel truck.  Please don't hate me.