Disney world in July

[stew47]

Holy heat wave I think wife and kids want to go to Disney this July. So is ft wilderness worth it? Any other campgrounds? Worth it to drag the Jeep behind motorhome? I’ve only been to magic kingdom one time. This time would be 4 day package. What everyone thoughts?

[ACZL]

Above 2 replies are SPOT ON !!!!!!

[2_Retired]

Took our whole family to Disney for our 40th Anniversary. It was August, and it was very hot and humid. Have stayed in Ft. Wilderness several times, and recommend it for just about everything. Convenience cannot be understated. Pricy? Yes, but CGs anywhere near MIckey are close to same cost and not nearly as good. (One was Tropical Palms and we will never go back). If you are only going to be there 4 days and do not plan to go anywhere else but Disney, no need for a car. You can get everywhere using Disney transportation and really don't need to leave the parks. Suggest renting a golf cart though. Great for around the CG, which is like an extra resort in and of itself. Yes, they're not cheap, but it was worth it for us. Best thing about staying in Ft Wilderness is being able to save a few $ by eating meals 'at home' & you can come and go as you like - not stuck all day and evening in the park to 'get your money's worth'. We would be in the park early, break back to the RV for lunch (and naps if required), go back to park, return for pool time and dinner, and then go back for evening and fireworks. Couldn't make this work when outside Disneyworld.

[jbc28]

stew47 wrote:
Holy heat wave I think wife and kids want to go to Disney this July. So is ft wilderness worth it? Any other campgrounds? Worth it to drag the Jeep behind motorhome? I’ve only been to magic kingdom one time. This time would be 4 day package. What everyone thoughts?

We have spent the week of July 4th at the Fort for the last 2 years, and we have this year booked. We have annual passes and go multiple times per year. So we don't try to ride everything or see everything. We spend a lot of time at the Fort and in the pool or riding bikes/golf cart. It will super hot and super crowded. If you spend all day in the parks you will need a vacation from the vacation. My advice is to rope each morning then leave by 11am. Hit the pool, relax at the camper, go on a resort tour, or visit Disney Springs, then head back into the park late in the evening. Take advantage of the extra magic hours. 11am to 6pm at the parks will be a crowded hot hell.

[DavidandDayle]

It wasn't asked but FW is the only place on the Disney property that you can stay in with your pets. But you might be cautious about leaving them in the MH in July.
On a scale of 1-10, I rate FW a 12-12-12.

[magnusfide]

Lwiddis wrote:
Expensive, hot, sticky, crowded.

Double ditto.

[ford_truck_guy]

IF you are having issues getting a reservation, drop me a PM. I am a Disney travel agent as side work and will work on it for you. I have already booked for a couple of RV.net folks.

Joe

[2manytoyz]

It's only a 1 hour drive there for us. Consequently, we've been there a "few times". Going again in May.

Yes, it will be hot. Dress appropriately, stay hydrated, use suntan lotion. You'll be fine, just like the other million people in the park who take these simple precautions.

Fort Wilderness is a very nice place to stay. Your Jeep will be great for driving off the resort into Orlando if you so desire. You won't need it for going anywhere Disney related. I copied the following from their website, and keep a copy on my phone. Makes travel easy.

Fort Wilderness Transportation

In keeping with the wilderness theme, motorized vehicle transportation within the grounds is prohibited unless entering or leaving the resort. Alternatives are bicycles, golf carts, the internal bus system or walking. Supply is limited, but golf carts can be reserved up to one year in advance by calling the Cart Reservations at (407) 824-2742. The two internal buses are called Chip and Dale. The external bus routes are the Crockett and Boone.

To get to:

Magic Kingdom - take an internal bus to the marina and take the Magic Kingdom boat

Epcot - take an internal bus to the Outpost bus depot, and take the bus to Epcot.

Disney Hollywood Studios - take an internal bus to the Outpost bus depot, and take the bus to Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Disney's Animal Kingdom/Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park - take an internal bus to the Outpost bus depot and take the Disney's Animal Kingdom/Disney's Blizzard Beach bus.


The Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue is a dinner/show within Fort Wilderness. Fun for the family, but if you've been to it once or twice, the show doesn't change. Make reservations early for this too.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

[djsamuel]

My wife retired from WDW, and we still go to Fort Wilderness a few times a year. It is a really nice campground and the restaurant on site (Trails End) has a great breakfast and dinner buffet. If you like a dinner show, Hoop de do Revue is good, but we found it rushed. The bigger sites are the premium sites, which cost a bit more (not too much). No matter what type of site you get, it isn't cheap compared to many other campgrounds. But it is good. They do have a free campfire and sing along with Chip and Dale which is followed by a movie each night. The two pools are nice, the Meadows pool is the bigger one more geared to families and the Swimming Hole pool is the quiet pool. There is boat transportation to the Magic Kingdom and bus transportation around the campground and to the other parks and facilities. You don't need to bring another vehicle unless you want to.

If you can't get a reservation, there are several campgrounds in the area. Lake Louisa State Park has a nice campground in Clermont that is about 40 minutes away.

[davelinde]

Fort Wilderness is the best deal of all the Disney on-property accommodations. Still, it is expensive. It is convenient since you can use Disney transport direct from the campground. However at peak times (eg after the fireworks finish) it can take a while to get a boat to a bus to your site. I always find Disney service second to none, but then you are paying top dollar.

Just outside the parks near Celebration is a campground called Tropical Palms. We spent several winters there and liked it a lot. For that you would need a vehicle to get into the parks (and pay to park it).

[ACZL]

Good morning again! Have a lil sleep under my belt for now.

We went down in 1st week of Aug back in '18. Stayed at Ft Wilderness. Site was pretty much across from 2nd trading post/larger pool/bike rental area and next to bathhouse. Yes it was hot, but we just dressed accordingly. DW did a lot of research and for what we wanted to do/see, we ended up driving to each place and parked the truck. As long as you have your "Magic Band" parking is free. Having been down before, we didn't go to all the Disney parks, just Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney. Visited nearby waterpark, Kennedy Space Center, friend down along west coast. 1 day at CG itself at 2nd pool (not as crowded). As noted in another post, if you haven't seen it, Hoop-De-Doo Review is pretty cool. Can rent golf carts (50 /day I think---may have week special or so). Very nice sidewalks and lots of people/kids on them. You can get groceries delivered to your site from local big name stores (DW loved this). There is a on Disney property a doggy day care place/kennel if your gonna be gone all day and into the eve if you are not going to be back to let Fido out.

When we went to Animal Kingdom, we got there 1st thing, hit the rides far away from gate and worked backwards. Ate at some buffet place, watched some bird show (cool), more rides. Took tram back to truck in late afternoon, back to CG, relaxed/dinner, then back to AK for Avitar ride, Light show on water and walk thru the "Tree of Life" area as they have tons of blacklights and things are painted to "glow". Also took in a show inside TOL which was neat. So yes, we drove each day instead of taking Disney bus, but like I said, DW found that there times didn't jive to well for what we wanted to see/do and all. Wasn't a big deal.

As far as CG go, yes it's top notch. Trash p/u daily, secure, well lit. Now if you compare it to reg Disney hotel properties. we thought then the CG played 2nd fiddle as far as overall neatness, appearance. We went to the Poleneasian Resort to get some kind of drink DW heard about (very good). Lobby was nice as well as their pools. Think tho that their pools were for guests of hotel only or it could have been towels----CRS (sorry).

So if we go back to DW, it's very LIKELY we will stay at FWCG.

[BB_TX]

Tvov wrote:
Yes, Fort Wilderness is worth it. Having said that, the "free meal plan" which is sometimes included with staying in other on-site Disney hotels can save a lot of money. ..............

If you ever choose to stay at a Disney resort hotel, definitely try to take advantage of the free dining plan only offered a few times a year for a few weeks each. We have taken advantage of it twice. Both times we arrived on the last of the free plan. But since we did arrive while it was available, it was valid for our full stay past that date. Particularly money saving if you have kids as everyone in your party eats free, within the limits of the plan. And eating in Disney food establishments is not cheap.

Wise to use a travel agent knowledgeable on Disneyworld in this case as reservations must be made in advance, sometimes far in advance. A good agent will generally know approximately when the free plan will be offered and can begin your reservation process. Then maybe adjust dates after the free plan dates are announced.

[Tvov]

Yes, Fort Wilderness is worth it. Having said that, the "free meal plan" which is sometimes included with staying in other on-site Disney hotels can save a lot of money. But... The Fort is an awesome campground just by itself!

Too bad you only have 4 days there, you will find it is just not enough time.

"Hoop-de-do-Review" at Fort Wilderness is worth seeing.

There is so much to do there, really consider if you want to wait in line for a ride for 2 or more hours. Take advantage of whatever they have for the "fast pass" system these days, use that for the most popular rides. Otherwise, look around! There are so many attractions, shows, rides, etc there might be something right behind you that has a short line and is very much worth seeing.

Keep your eyes and ears open for specials, passes, etc. Sometimes employees walk around giving out "stay late" passes or "get in early" passes... they can really be fun to use.

Does someone in your group have a special occasion? anniversary, birthday, etc? Get a button from the town hall to wear for that occasion. Employees will see that and it is fun getting recognized, and sometimes (many times!) they will do something special for the person or group - from an extra dessert or treat to maybe giving you a special access pass of some sort.

It has been almost 10 years since we've been, so I am sure some things have changed.

Look around on forums for ideas and tips, and when you are at Disney... Ask! Whatever the question is, many times they will go out of their way to help.

[mleekamp]

We've been 9 times since 2005. Usually squeeze in a DW trip a month or so after a major national park expedition. Split between Fort Wilderness or their many resorts.

Yes, Hot, Sticky, AND fun. I love it...kids and wife love it. Yes, it can be more exhausting than hiking in the mountains.

I'd forgo the dinghy unless you want to travel outside DW resort as a whole. There are so many transportation options in the park you don't need the dingy. You can save a bit of fuel not towing it, and one less thing that can go wrong.

Pull in the park, relax, enjoy, and have fun. DO IT...you won't regret it.

[ACZL]

I will reply later. Too pooped at the moment.

[stew47]

Hi everyone. Thanks for the reply’s. We will be down there for a week. 2 days of parks. Off couple days then two more parks. As far as why July.....lol there seems to be such a narrow window between June church camps and august band camps. We would love to go over spring break but we made other plans.

We have a new to us 2007 Georgetown 37 ft. Hoping to take few trips beforehand to shake things out. We sold truck and fifth wheel for mh and Jeep.

It’s funny about the post where it was hotter at home. Few years ago we went to Hilton head first week in July and it was beautiful. Was way hotter in Ohio that week.