If you have ever parked your RV or popped a tent at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, then you know how much fun it can be. Sadly, the price for that fun is getting to the p point of it not being worth it.
Over the years my family and I have dropped over $1,000 a week to stay at one of the RV sites at the resort but now, that price shoots up well over that number once you factor in taxes and fees. And that is for the cheapest RV site they have.
I wish I could say these prices were post-pandemic but they are not. This was the hike we felt before the pandemic started. These are the prices that made us look into timeshares instead and has left my 32′ Winnebago sitting in my driveway.
The Fort Wilderness Resort is pretty cool. There is a large community pool and stores at both the dock area and pool area. Prices for items you may have forgotten are not priced out of this world. There are movies that play nightly in the central area of the campsites nearest the pool and roasting marshmallows is always fun during the films.
Transportation is easy. Disney transportation busses are consistently on time and they visit each area dropping you off at either the pool, main entrance, or the boat docks. The docks offer a quick trip across the lake to Magic Kingdom’s entrance and from there you can hop a monorail (when they are running) to Epcot.
From the main entrance, you can catch a bus to any of Disney’s other parks and Disney Springs. There is a lot going on around the campgrounds and a couple of decent dining options near the docks.
For all that Disney’s Wilderness Resort has to offer, it’s still overpriced.
Looking at prices today, during the off-season as it is, a tent or pop-up campsite will run you $98.00 a night plus taxes. For a tent site. If you want to park your RV you have several options. A full hook-up site will run you $132.00 a night. For that you get a 10×50 concrete pad, water hook-up, electric hook-up, and sewer.
While those are the smaller spots they still can accommodate larger rigs. The next tier is the preferred campsite which is preferred because it is closer to the marina area. This will set you back $160.00 per night plus taxes. Everything else is the same as the full hook-up site.
Next, you have the Premium Campsite which will cost you another $7.00. These are much better for the larger RV as they have an 18×60 feet pad. The premium Meadow Campsite is the top site of the park. At $176.00 a night plus tax you get the large concrete pad and get to set up in a spot nearest the Meadow Recreation Area, or the pool, outdoor movie venue, store, and diner truck.
When you take these prices into consideration, you may find better deals at some of the other Disney resorts. It wasn’t long ago when the prices for these spots were nearly sliced in half. A full-hook-up site was around $70.00 a night and the Premium Campsites were just over $100.00. With construction projects in full swing, a pandemic cutting into the overall profits and the prospect of a $15.00 minimum wage, we can expect these prices to go up further over the next couple of years.
Frankly, the value of having your own rig and belongings with easy access to the rest of the parks is hard to pass on but it is at the point now that it is getting far too expensive to be realistic. Especially given the fact that you could stay off property for a fraction of the price driving yourself to the parks instead.
Of course, there is always the draw of driving around in one of the golf carts you can rent for the duration of your stay if you can get them. Those will only set you back around $65.00 or so, for a day.
I don’t usually complain about Disney prices because it is Disney and they have great customer service 98% of the time but at some point, there has to be a leveling off and when you are paying over $1,000 to park an RV with electricity, it is a little much.