Camping at Disney World

Soon to be retired wrote:
We will be RVing at Disney World the first week of April. What is the most cost effective way to see all the parks and water parks in Disney World and camp with our RV, for 7 days?
Thanks
Walt & Joanne

My family and I will be arriving in Fort Wilderness Campgrounds on April 9th. We will be staying until the 15th. We got a 3 day park hopper with the meal plan so we don't have to run back to the rv for lunch. Our plan is breakfast at site then lunch and dinner in the parks. With the park hopper we also get a round of golf at the walking course included so we will be taking advantage of that. I recommend getting the package quickly and setting up your fast pass and your reservations as soon as possible.

Best site you will ever visit for planning Disney camping is Fortfiends.net. They are really impressive with their knowledge base. I learned all kinds of tricks before we went down. We had a blast staying at fort wilderness last summer and I can't say enough how much that forum helped me out. They even have an app for your phone so you can see pics of all the sites.

Yes, there is a hit or miss on AAA discounts. But its complete hit or miss, all I have ready Disney never seems to offer any discount rates directly like they do at their other resorts.

Each site reservation can be just reservation only or a full package with tickets and dining plan. You can get a Grand Gathering which links multiple reservations with the goal of keeping the group next to each other, or at least close to each other (this year with 3 sites we where 1-2 sites apart from each other.)

Mr.Beebo wrote:
I've come back to the top of the circle, lol. Many of the Disney resorts will offer a "free dining plan" and discounted rates if you book with them. Fort Wilderness does not offer the "free dining plan".

Correct. The 'free dining' option is just another discounting plan Disney uses to draw guests. Sometimes it is 'get a day free,' sometimes it is '30% off a room,' etc... When they offer free dining, they balance that by charging the full cost of the vacation package (giving less expensive dining packages for lower cost rooms, better ones for moderate and deluxe rooms, etc...). At FW, the campsites simply don't draw the needed income to offset the cost of free dining.

I've come back to the top of the circle, lol. Many of the Disney resorts will offer a "free dining plan" and discounted rates if you book with them. Fort Wilderness does not offer the "free dining plan".

Mr.Beebo wrote:
You cannot include a dining plan with a package deal at Fort Wilderness. You still have to pay for that separately. The deals available on rates are best in the off seasons. If you want something there in July, you will pay the peak rate.

We might be talking in circles here. I am not sure what you mean by "package deal", as the two times we went (2008 and 2011) we paid one price for Fort Wilderness, Magic Passes, and a Dining Plan.

Usually staying at a Fort Wilderness campsite does not allow you to get a discounted dining plan... I think that is what you are saying?

We were able to have a package built at the Fort with tickets, site and dinning plan for 2 different families on 2 separate sites and they even linked them together so we were next to each other plus a 3rd family without the dinning plan.

You cannot include a dining plan with a package deal at Fort Wilderness. You still have to pay for that separately. The deals available on rates are best in the off seasons. If you want something there in July, you will pay the peak rate.

JamesBr wrote:
Not sure about the price item, yes the fort is NEVER discounted....

I am not sure what you are referring to.

We did get a good discount for the Fort by reserving through AAA in 2008. When we went in 2011, they didn't have a discount available.

Ask around, check the internet, you never know what you might find.