Hello,We have reservations at Fort Wilderness starting November 8th and leaving November 17th. It is a Premium site and we are traveling with pets.My questions are:Can you request / select a site? I have heard that some of the sites can be very difficult to back into. Also since I have a disability a site close to a bus pickup would be very helpful.Are there any sites or loops to avoid if possible? What are the best loops sites?My daughter and her family will be staying at Disney Port Orleans. Are they allowed to come to our site? They want us to watch our granddaughter for awhile while they have some together time.Any other information that you can share would be appreciated!Thanks!Dave

Get the app "sites at the fort". It has pictures of all the sites and info on how easy to get into. Also, check out fortfriends.net a lot of good info there.The best loops depend on what you want to do and how close you want to be to certain activities.The earlier you arrive the easier it is to change your site. If you arrive too early they put you in overflow and notify you when your site is ready. Be sure to mention your disability issue to help them get you a good site. If you haven't already call ahead and inform themWe have arrived as early as 10am. Got straight in one time and had to wait a little another. Sometimes you can even get upgrades free when available. It doesn't hurt to ask.Info from the fort:Loops by typeLoop 100 – PreferredLoop 200 – PreferredLoop 300 – PreferredLoop 400 – PremiumLoop 500 – PremiumLoop 600 – PremiumLoop 700 – PremiumLoop 800 – PremiumLoop 900 – PremiumLoop 1000 – PremiumLoop 1100 – PremiumLoop 1200 – PremiumLoop 1300 – PremiumLoop 1400 – PremiumLoop 1500 – PartialLoop 1600 – FullLoop 1700 – FullLoop 1800 – FullLoop 1900 – FullLoop 2000 – PartialBest Loops -Best is a subjective term. Generally, campers want to be near the Settlement Trading Post on the north end of FW, which would allow them to be close to the FW marina and beach, Pioneer Hall, and guest services. Loops in this area are 100 through 500 and 700. Others may want to be more near the center of FW near the Meadow Trading Post, the campfire program, the main swimming pool, tennis courts and Bike Barn. Loops in this area are 600, 800 through 1600. For those campers who want to be a little farther away from the action and are looking for quieter surroundings, loops 1700 through 2000 are best. Guests in Cabins are located in loops 2100 through 2800. 2100 is the closest to the center of the resort. Loops 2200 through 2800 get increasingly farther away as the loop number increases with 2800 being the closest to the south end of the resort near the entrance. They can visit. Getting to you can sometimes be a hassle but not always. The easest way in my opinion is to get a minnie car (special Lyft car) and have them drive to you. They can also use the bus system (it will be two busses) or they can drive up to gate and tell guard they are visiting you(may or may not let them in but since they are on property too, should make it in.) They could also take the boat from Magic Kingdom to the Fort.

I have had the best luck faxing a request (yes, faxing, old school as it is) to the Site Assignor at the Fort 5 days ahead of my arrival. The fax number is 407-824-3508. The fortfiends.net site has recommendations for how to best accomplish this: https://www.fortfiends.net/topic/79-fort-wilderness-faq/?do=findComment&comment=9676My recommendation is to outline your general needs in the letter, such as needing to be near a bus stop, easy to back into, etc. The assignors have ALWAYS met my needs when I've done this. If there are a handful of specific sites, or loops, you want to request then do so in the letter and they'll do their best to meet it. But definitely tell them WHY you requested those sites (the needs per above). Good luck!

I have requested a specific loop numerous times and got it but have been told that a specific site cannot be guaranteed.

Wilderness princess.net. Then click on ultimate guide to the fort. You will locate a section that describes each loop and shows pictures of each site in loop. It gives you a breakdown of good things of each loop.

Bears Den wrote:I have requested a specific loop numerous times and got it but have been told that a specific site cannot be guaranteed.Same here. This is why the reservations list the type of site, rather than the loop or specific campsite.We've been there several times. Usually get a nice spot. Did get a horrible one once, but that's a story for another day...

Disney Fort Wilderness Site selection and other questions

Bears_Den
Explorer
Aug 02, 2019
Just found out that Ft Wilderness now has a fourth campground loop designation. It’s called the Meadows Premium loops. The 400, 600, 900, 1000 and 1400 loops are now this classification and are $20 a night more because they are closest to the Meadows Trading post, pool, bike barn and campfire movie area. DW is finding new ways to increase profits. First it was charging you to park at the resort your staying at, now this. Who knows, next you may have to pay to use their transportation. Just an FYI
ependydad
Explorer
Aug 02, 2019
dpgllg wrote:
OP here<

Has anyone used the Minnie Van service. Supposedly it is operated by Lyft. Just wondering what the cost might be.

Dave

We used it as a treat for the kids once from the Bay Lakes Tower at the Contemporary to the All Star Movies Resort. Regular Lyft/Uber cost was $9; Minnie Van Lyft was $30. I can't justify the cost when taxis and regular Uber/Lyfts are available.

Ironically, I didn't ride in it to tell if the experience was different or "better". We sent Grandma and the kids in it. But I can't imagine how it's 3x better.
dpgllg
Explorer
Aug 02, 2019
OP here<

Has anyone used the Minnie Van service. Supposedly it is operated by Lyft. Just wondering what the cost might be.

Dave
one_strange_tex
Explorer
Aug 02, 2019
Just my own opinion, if anyone is interested. We have stayed with our grandchildren the last 2 times we have been to Fort Wilderness. We stayed at loops 600 and 1200 in proximity to the campfire show and found that really enjoyable.
As to the buses vs. driving around Disney World, I kind of enjoyed letting someone else do the driving. It was worth the few minutes extra it might have cost. That being said we had to meet the grandkids' parents on a couple of occasions for a dinner at one of the resort restaurants. We drove to meet the schedule, but if you show your resort card you can park in the lot of the resort in question.
Carlos___Ranae
Explorer
Aug 01, 2019
The. Closest premium loop to the dog park is the 500 loop.

Your family will have to park by the bus depot and take the Orange loop bus to the 500 loop.

There is a pool and the outdoor movies area next to The 500 loop.
reelcamper1
Explorer
Aug 01, 2019
If you need help getting around rent a golf cart, helpful in catching the bus! Plenty of parking for golf carts too. We also used a golf cart to take our German Shepherd to the fenced in dog area, dogs are allowed on the carts!

They overbooked the premium sites on our last visit, gave us "cheaper options" & site numbers to look at during check in. Kept the premium site, backing in was a breeze! The site was accommodating to our slides too!

Your family can visit at FW! Make sure you take your grandchild to the nightly campfire program/sing along! And there is a nightly lighted water pageant on bay lake! Kinda cheesy-but not to be missed!

We have ALWAYS taken the free bus transportation to and from parks. Get on the earliest bus in the am! And after a long day at the parks, riding home on an air conditioned bus has always been relaxing! At the FW marina, you can take a boat directly to Magic Kingdom!
ACZL
Explorer
Jul 29, 2019
We stayed in the 900 loop with a 41' 5er. Wife did a lot of research and like post above, we drove to Animal Kingdom and did not rely on buses for exact same reason. I found tho that driving to/from anywhere's to be a bit confusing to get back to Ft Wilderness. Son was in back seat rattling off turns and such via his phone.
hfd45c9
Explorer
Jul 28, 2019
We went a few years back with our granddaughter age 5 then. When we arrived we waited in line and were assigned a spot. We were told if we didn't like the spot to come back and they would assign another. A lot of the sites were not designed for larger rigs (we have a 40' 5th wheel) so they can be difficult to get into. Another tip, first 2 days we took the bus to the boat landing and rode the boat to the park. We ended up wasting about an hour and a half each day. You will receive a pass for your vehicle that gets you admitted to the daily parking lots of each park, which is about a 15 minute drive. Also, rent a stroller for your backpacks, ice chests etc. Lugging them around all day gets tiresome.
ependydad
Explorer
Jul 24, 2019
I personally prefer the 800 loop, on the outside. I find the sites to be the most private with no one behind us and still near the things we want to be near.

Here's a walk-thru of our most recent site:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJGwDv_gVyM
mgirardo
Explorer
Jul 24, 2019
dpgllg wrote:
Hello,

We have reservations at Fort Wilderness starting November 8th and leaving November 17th. It is a Premium site and we are traveling with pets.

The first few days of your trip falls during New Jersey week, so getting a specific site might be tough. Like Dave in TN said, faxing is the best (and only as far as I know) way to get a specific site. What's NJ week you ask, at the end of the first full week in November, there is a Teachers' Convention in Atlantic City. Schools are closed Thursday and Friday. Some schools are closed more days. Lots of NJ folk go to Disney that week. The first time we stayed at Fort Wilderness was NJ Week 2005. We got there on Sunday. By Wednesday the campground was packed. By the following Sunday it was empty. We had a few days at a practically empty Fort. The weeks between NJ week and Thanksgiving are our favorite time to go to the Fort.

The only loop I have been in that I thought had some back in sites that were difficult to get into is the 1400 Loop. However, the 1400 loop is now a new classification of Premium (Meadowview Premium or something stupid like that). They are more expensive than normal Premium sites because they are closer to the Pool and Meadows Trading Post. Gotta love Disney.

Get a map of the campground and find out which sites are closest to the bus stations. Some loops do share bus stations, so you probably don't want to stay on one of those loops. 300 Loop would be good because it is across from the Dog park.

-Michael