Had to do Fort Wilderness

It's not what I would call our style of camping in general, but being a mere 90 minutes from Fort Wilderness we just couldn't resist getting away for 4 nights to preview it for the hoped-for upcoming trips by our 4 grandkids.

For those unfamiliar with it, this is the Disney World campground, a manicured, expensive (~$50/night with tax) place with manicured woodsy atmoshphere, a range of entertainment, shopping, pools and trails on site, bus transportation free to any Disney park. The bathrooms and showers were meticulous, the camp sites spacious and well tended.

We hung out, I jogged, we walked, took in the Disney stuff in small doses (annual Florida resident pass makes that easy to do). Amazing array of RVs with scores of 40' class A's and similar number of popups. In some ways it was not as relaxing as a backwoods state campground, but also not as hassled and frenetic as a resort hotel would have been. All in all, a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend. Next time it will be with the little ones - you can only take just so much Mickey Mouse unless you're watching your grandkids or kids taking it all in.

The TM was perfect except for a fridge that was DOA in our new 3124KS. Quite a few comments were received - people can't quite figure out what this hybrid beast really is.

That’s a bummer about the DOA fridge! Hopefully the dealer will take care of that for you ASAP. Was it non-functional in all modes? AC/12 volt/and propane?

Anyway, regarding Fort Wilderness…also being a Tampa resident we had to give it a shot too. While it was a family favorite in regard to the cleanliness and the amenities, it is by no means “camping”. Ha-ha. We’re actually heading back there next month for a Thanksgiving weekend trip. I’m not sure when you’re going back with the grandkids, but if you can time it around Christmas time…the light displays that the “scores of 40’ class A’s” put out are absolutely amazing. Last year we rode around in our rented golf cart, (the preferred mode of transportation at Fort Wilderness, I’ve discovered), drinking hot chocolate with our son and had a blast looking at light displays that rivaled if not surpassed anything in a typical residential neighborhood. The downside is the cost during ‘high season’ approaches $80 night! Ouch.

Next weekend, we’re heading out to Fort Desoto, with a water front site. Hopefully it’ll cool down some so we can enjoy it!

Yup, the fridge was dead on shore power, DC, and propane (LP and AC 8 hour trials). It has just been in for servicing ("bad gauge") on the propane ignition indicator. My guess is they messed something up while removing the unit for servicing.

Any tips for getting a good site at Fort Desoto? We've been blocked every time we tried, up to 3 months in advance.

Next trip will probably be Silver Springs for a couple of nights. Nice break from the day job.

I just checked my reservations from Ft Desoto, and I'd made them last April or about 6 months ago! If you're a gambling man, (Which I'm not, when I have to tow the TM), you can try for one of the campsites that they reserve for "drive ups".

Other options *around* our general area are Wekiwa Springs in Apopka. This is another family favorite. I've also heard great things about Rock Crusher Canyon in Crystal River, but their website hasn't been up lately. Another one you may like is Hillsborough River State Park. Very nice hiking and scenery.

Best of luck on the fridge!

[countrygirl]

I also hear great things about Rock Crusher Canyon and plan to go there...next year.

Originally Posted by countrygirl

I also hear great things about Rock Crusher Canyon and plan to go there...next year.

We've done Rock Crushier and it's a gas. Funky and rather unique - very large, lots of snowbirds, pool, clubhouse and very friendly. Definitely give it a try.

Hillsborough State is also very pleasant, though it can get a bit, well, lively with young tent campers.

My last trip to Ft. Wilderness during Christmas was disappointing. From the time I was there last in May they decided to get rid of all of the scrub brush and smaller trees around every site. I suspect they did this to lower the fire hazard, but it has lost that wooded look and there is no longer any privacy or feeling of being in the woods. SteveS is right, the Christmas lights and decorations around the campgrounds were fantastic.
The most irritating part of staying at Disney is that they don't appear to have any dump stations. So, if you stay at a tent/pop-up site you are out of luck. Last time I had to scout out an empty full hook-up site on the way out and use it. There weren't any empty spaces during Christmas however.
Fort DeSoto reserves 10 percent of their sites for drive-ups. If you drive up early on Friday or on Thursday you should be able to snag one though I wouldn't try it during holiday weekends or anytime school is off. I stopped in on Christmas day around 7:00 p.m. and they had sites available.

[Leslie & Nick]

Originally Posted by 13dano

My last trip to Ft. Wilderness during Christmas was disappointing. From the time I was there last in May they decided to get rid of all of the scrub brush and smaller trees around every site. I suspect they did this to lower the fire hazard, but it has lost that wooded look and there is no longer any privacy or feeling of being in the woods.

Thanks for the update. We were at FW Between Thanksgiving and Christmas of 2006. I thought it was a pretty nice place - a bit pricey, but worth it for a few days anyway. As I recall, the sites were pretty small and close to each other. If they removed most, or all of the shrubbery around and between the sites, the sites would certainly seem even smaller. There wasn't much privacy to begin with. This is definitely not a good thing!

If you're a Florida fan you might try Topsail Hill near Destin. We went there for a few days this past fall, and thought this was one of the nicest RV parks we had ever stayed at. A beautifully maintained state park with good sized sites. Though no Disney, there were a lot of things to do.

Nick

We were down in the Tampa area in September for Lisa's parents 50th wedding anniversary. They live in Brandon and we stayed in the Alafia River State Park. If you normally enjoy dry camping this is a great park with full hook ups but plenty of room between sites.

It was not as close as we would have like to stay to Brandon but if you live in the area and want someplace close to go on a weekend check it out.