I told you guys back in July (Let’s Go Glamping/Camping at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground) that I was planning a “glamping” outing. I was in the planning stages then and told you how to go about reserving and making all of your arrangements. Well, I just got back from the trip and boy do I have lots to tell you about camping/glamping at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.

I’m not a camper. I’m not really even a glamper. But camping/glamping at Disney is different than doing it anywhere else and made super easy by companies like Florida Camper Rental.

If you have never camped before and are on the fence about trying it – try it at Disney! The process is definitely easy, the grounds, the amenities, the extras and everything offered at the campground are done in the way that only Disney can do.

I have no camping knowledge. I have no idea what needs to be hooked to what when it comes to a camper. None of that mattered since Florida Camper Rental took care of everything that needed to be taken care of. They delivered the camper to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground on our designated date and time. They hooked up the camper, and the camper was equipped with most everything needed – dishware, utensils, etc. All we needed to bring was our food and our clothes!

Florida Camper Rental can provide full-service RV rentals to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, as well as to several other camping locations in the area. The company offers some of the largest 5th Wheel RV Rentals available on the market. The camper we arranged was a 38 ft. Heartland Elkridge camper that sleeps 10. I will say that if I had it to do over, I would limit the sleeping capacity to 8 in this unit since 2 of the 10 person limit sleep in the living area and 2 on blow-up air mattresses. The unit would be ideal for a large family that may require a suite or two separate rooms in a regular hotel, so it’s a great way to get to Disney on a budget.

Florida Camper Rental generously worked with my group to provide the camper. Again, if you want to try camping, definitely go through Florida Camper Rental and if you are a first time camper, head to Disney’s Fort Wilderness. The rental process is simple, they offer several different sizes in campers and they have the absolutely nicest guy that brings the camper to your site, hooks everything up, walks you through anything you need to know and then at the end of your stay – POOF – he comes and picks it all up and takes it away. He arrived with our camper early in the week at exactly the time I was told he would and I received a little check-in from the company later in the day to be sure all was well. The camper was backed in, set-up, hooked-up, gone over and he made it all look so simple. 

The Cost:

Prices for camper rental vary depending on size of the units. When renting from Florida Camper Rental, you will need to place a $200 security/reservation deposit. This deposit is 100% refundable if you cancel before 90 days; 50% refundable if you cancel within 89 days; and, 0% refundable if you cancel within 30 days of your reservation. The $200 security/reservation deposit is not applied to your total bill. This amount guarantees your reservation date and acts as a security deposit against damage to the camper. This $200 is 100% refundable and will be received back within 14 days of your last rental date as long as there is no damage to the RV. Your full and final payment for the rental is due 7 days prior to the start of your reservation.

You must add to the cost of the camper rental, campsite rental at Disney’s Fort Wilderness. Prices for campsites vary. Since we needed a premium site, our cost, with tax, was $470 ($106 per night plus tax). As with all Walt Disney World Resort reservations, one night cost is required as a deposit with the balance due on check-in since it’s treated the same as a room-only reservation.

A few days before arrival you will receive a an email with a full list of very helpful instructions and suggestions, which I found extremely helpful since I had never stayed in an RV or campground before. This e-mail included the following:

Instructions & Suggestions:

Some things to note:

• The refrigerator can take 10-12 hours to cool completely to optimal temperatures.
  
  • If you keep both the freezer and refrigerator doors closed as much as possible, it will help it cool faster.
    
  • Also, by adding room temperature food and drinks, it will take a bit longer for the refrigerator to cool.
    
  • You may want to keep your cold items in a cooler until the refrigerator is cooled down. 
  • The freezer will cool first; you can put any perishables in the freezer if needed.
• Fort Wilderness does not provide pool towels like the other resort pools. So you will want to plan to bring pool towels unless you plan to purchase souvenir towels. 
• We provide an initial supply of a four pack of Scott’s RV toilet paper, a roll of paper towels per RV and three trash bags. If you think you’ll use more, you might want to get some at a grocery store rather than the campground. It is important that you only flush RV toilet paper to keep from clogging the tank. Using regular toilet paper will back up the system and cause odors.
• This RV has a convection oven/microwave combination. You may also use the stove top. If you would like a crock-pot, please let us know.

The Elkridge 2 will have 12 bath towels, facecloths and pillows. There will be a set of sheets and blanket for each bed.

In the kitchen there are cups, bowls, plates, silverware, coffee cups, coffee maker, toaster, pots and pans, trash bags for kitchen and bathroom, hand towels, dish towels. And outside we provide charcoal BBQ grill utensils, four camping chairs, patio mat, camping table and fan. Each Disney campsite has a picnic table with seating for 6-8 people. We provide a broom, vacuum, multipurpose cleaning spray.

Some common calls we get are related to these items:

• If you plan to smoke outside or have a campfire, please close the windows and doors so that smoke does not enter the RV.
• Please close all windows and doors when leaving the RV, in case of rain so as to not incur water damage.
• When flushing the toilets, make sure to use plenty of water with each flush so as to avoid odors from the holding tanks. When plenty of water is used, it helps to push solids through the system so that it drains through the sewer hose that is connected to Disney’s outlet.
  
  • Make sure to flush only RV toilet paper, all other items need to go in the trash. 
  • At least once a day, toilets should be filled within a few inches from the rim and then flushed, repeating this process three times to avoid odors
    
• The hot water tank holds 6 to 10 gallons at a time. After that has been used, you will need to wait about 10 to 15 minutes for it to fill up with more hot water.
• If running several high current electrical items (such as the air conditioner, microwave and hair dryer), you may experience a power failure. You will need to locate the breaker box panel inside the RV and flip all breakers off then back on. If this does not resolve your issue, find Disney’s power pole, usually at the back of the campsite, and flip those breakers then back on again. Please call or text us for additional help at 863-605-3995
• For RV’s that use air mattresses, please do not allow children to use as a trampoline. We make every effort to make sure that our air mattresses hold air and are usable, however small pinholes or tears do occur. This will mean a loss of air, if it goes completely flat and is not holding air, please notify us so that we can make other arrangements for you with an air mattress.

While you are staying in our RV, please report any malfunctions or breakdowns to us as soon as possible. If you have any questions while in the RV, please don’t hesitate to call or text. We want your stay to be as relaxing as possible and can help you troubleshoot many problems over the phone. But we can’t help if we don’t know you are experiencing a problem.

On the morning of check out:
You are not responsible to return the linens clean, but we do ask that you place any used linens in the shower upon departure. This will prevent wet towels from getting left on the floor and beds. Also, by removing the sheets and blankets from the beds, it helps to make sure you haven’t left any personal items behind. Many times we will find personal items at the foot of the beds under the sheets.

Along with putting the used linens in the shower, we also ask that you sweep/vacuum the floor, wash and put away any dishes and please remove any trash/food items from the RV.

To comply with Fort Wilderness check out time of 11am, we ask that our guests depart the RV by 930 am so that we have time to prepare the RV for transport. 
You may leave the door unlocked and the key inside on the key hook.

When our stay was over, Florida Camper Rental swooped in, unhooked and drove away! As long as you follow the very clear instructions you receive from Florida Camper Rental regarding site size and location for the particular unit you rent, all will be okey dokey.

FYI: When you camp at Disney’s Fort Wilderness you are entitled to the same Disney perks that every Disney resort guest gets (except of course those little bottles of shampoo!) Even if you are staying in a pop-up tent! Transportation to and from the parks, MagicBands, FastPasses, dining reservations, Magical Express, Wi-Fi, etc. And, most importantly, great Disney cast members to guide you all along the way.

When arranging (and checking in) to your camp site you will be able to look at a map showing the lay-out and location of each loop of camp sites. Since we were 10 women in a camper, I knew we needed to be close to a comfort station and Disney easily accommodated that request. The comfort stations are very nice and Disney clean and offer toilet stalls, showers and dressing area for each shower.

Photo Credit: Kuleen Lashley/My Small World

Photo Credit: Kuleen Lashley/My Small World

There is so much to do at Fort Wilderness, there are times you may not venture to one of the parks. You can read all about the  

• Pools (2)
• Wagon Rides
• Chip ‘N’ Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long
• Movies Under the Stars
• Fishing
• Motorized Boat Rentals
• Bike Rentals
• Playgrounds
• Davy Crockett’s Wilderness Arcade
• Daniel Boone’s Wilderness Arcade
• Archery
• Tri Circle D Ranch
• Pony Rides
• Horseback riding
• Canoe and Kayak Rentals
• Basketball and Volleyball Courts
• Hiking and Walking Trails
• Dog Friendly

I was provided with free and/or discounted items, stays and meals as part of the Glamping Blogger Retreat 2017. All opinions are my own.

Camping at Disney’s Fort Wilderness? Be sure to have Dinner at Trail’s End Restaurant at Disney’s Fort Wilderness!

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