Fort Wilderness & Reflections Lakeside Lodge Construction Update
For our next Walt Disney World construction update, we head to Fort Wilderness to see the latest progress on Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge, the next Disney Vacation Club property to debut after Riviera Resort. We’ll also look at the work around the Settlement, and how this will impact campground guests.
We’ve been putting this off for a while, in large part because accessing this area of Fort Wilderness is something of a hassle if you’re not staying there. However, we had a stay booked at Wilderness Lodge for the last day of Extra, Extra Magic Hours (you will be missed!), which made things a lot easier.
Walt Disney World announced Reflections — A Disney Lakeside Lodge almost exactly one year ago, and provided additional info about the Princess and the Frog-themed restaurant and A-frame accommodations at the D23 Expo over the summer. You can read both of those posts for our analysis of Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge. Suffice to say, we’re more than a little apprehensive about this project–both its design ambition and placement adjacent to Fort Wilderness…
Reflections — A Disney Lakeside Lodge is not set to open until 2022, meaning we’re in for a relatively drawn out project. Demolition of the abandoned River Country water park began early this year, and the original incarnation of Tri-Circle-D Ranch closed in August to make way for a new Draft Horse Barn and Pony Farm that will open in Spring 2020.
With the proper background established, let’s take a look at work on Reflections — A Disney Lakeside Lodge thus far…
We’ll start with an elevated vantage from Disney’s Contemporary Resort. We were in the neighborhood for the installation of the Gingerbread House (which is now open!), so we headed up to an elevated vantage for an “aerial” view of the Reflections — A Disney Lakeside Lodge construction site.
Most of the land-clearing is on the former River Country water park (immediately below the Four Seasons Orlando tower in the photo above), although this is starting to spill out onto an area beyond that, more towards Wilderness Lodge.
Prior to doing this update, we were also at Disney’s Contemporary Resort last week to watch testing for Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks when the construction caught our eyes.
Above is how the site looks at night.
Returning for another daytime view, you can see some vertical construction in addition to the land clearing. This is for the new Tri-Circle-D Ranch building.
It would make sense that this is much further along given that it’s slated to open in Spring 2020, as opposed to sometime in 2022 when Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge will make its debut.
Above is the official concept art released by Walt Disney World of the new Tri-Circle-D Ranch building.
Per Disney, Imagineers have redesigned the Tri-Circle-D Ranch, which will offer a modern stable and updated outdoor spaces and facilities. The new ranch will maintain the history and spirit of the original Tri-Circle-D, welcoming guests to explore exhibits of classic Disney equestrian artifacts, some of which date back to the 1950s.
After taking a boat from Contemporary over to Fort Wilderness, you can see this concept art for yourself on a display board in the Settlement.
This previews the future of Fort Wilderness, and also quashes some rumors, fears, and speculation. Most notably, it offers confirmation that Pioneer Hall and the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue will survive all of this. That’s great news, as both are Walt Disney World institutions.
We also have a view of Tri-Circle-D Ranch construction as it starts to rise about the Settlement Bus Depot.
I have zero concept of how long a fancy barn takes to build, but it’s good to see this going vertical already. Hopefully it’ll be operational sooner rather than later.
What was most shocking to me about this construction is how it has opened up the Settlement, and not in a good way.
The razing of River Country is one thing; this was overdue and it’s nice to no longer seeing it rotting in plain sight. However, a huge parcel of land has also been cleared–which has basically meant the removal of a ton of trees. What used to be a thick canopy is now open air.
If you’re unfamiliar with Fort Wilderness, these images may not be that striking.
However, if you are familiar with it, you know what’s missing. It’s almost surreal to walk around and see this in person.
Heading back to the Bay Lake dock, you can see that the playground, picnic tables, and Clementine Beach are all now behind construction walls.
If the concept art that flashed on-screen (which hasn’t yet been published online by Disney) during the D23 Expo is accurate, this is where the treehouse villas for Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge will be located.
When we kicked off our Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs construction updates a couple of years ago, we did so with stays at those hotels in order to answer the question of whether we recommend avoiding them during construction. That seemed less necessary here, as the whole point of Fort Wilderness for us is its serenity and seclusion.
My view is that construction will have an outsize impact on Fort Wilderness guests, which is why we didn’t book a stay at Fort Wilderness. Construction blight and noise eliminate the main appeal of Fort Wilderness for us in the first place. We simply would rather sit out the next few years there will this work is ongoing.
However, after wandering around a bit, I’m already getting the sense that this will be another “it depends” scenario. For one, Fort Wilderness is a huge campground, and this project is occurring near the Settlement. Without an overnight stay, it’s hard to say to what degree work impacts other guests. Second, guests book Fort Wilderness for a variety of different reasons. If you’re staying closer to the Outpost and will primarily be at your campsite/cabin and using the Meadow’s facilities more than the Settlement, you’d probably be less inclined to notice.
Accordingly, we intend upon booking a campsite at Fort Wilderness in the near future and returning to offer a more thorough and concrete assessment of how this work impacts guests based upon our firsthand experience. We’ll cover that in another update within the next few months. For now, we’d consider looking elsewhere if you’re not dead-set on camping or a cabin. If you’re a Walt Disney World regular and are just looking for a different way to do WDW, perhaps hold off on a stay at Fort Wilderness for the time being.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of the construction at Fort Wilderness to make way for Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge? Are you apprehensive of staying at the Fort for the next few years? Thoughts on guest impact if you’ve stayed here recently? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
So sad as we walk around the settlement. We have camped here maybe 30 times in our life and our adult children have fond memories of biking the trail that connects Wilderness lodge and the campground, seeing wildlife along the way. I am glad we stopped by because I would be really disappointed if we were staying here. We will not be staying anytime soon. The campy atmosphere, aided by trees and wildlife and the original purpose of the campground have faded.
One thing you can do to lessen food expenses is stop at a supermarket on your way in and stock up. We do it every visit and eat breakfast in pretty much every day. Not only does it save money but it is far more convenient. We also have snacks and sandwiches for when we return for a break during the day. We save our in-park meals for places like Narcoosee’s, the Yachtsman Steak House and the occasional hotdog at Casey’s. When you come right down to it, most park food is more hype than taste and, as you pointed out, really expensive. There are better ways to spend money, especially if you have your own kitchen. Last time down we all did a barbecue dinner. Eleven of us. Had a ball!
Yes we save where we can . We bring lunch with us . But you want the kids to see the characters and they charge way to much for eggs bacon and Mickey Waffles .
BTW I buy my brew and the wife’s wine outside the park as well. As for meeting the characters, this can be done all over the parks for free but we always do one breakfast, usually the buffet at Chef Mickey’s in the contemporary or the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom. The food prices aren’t going to change except upwards. To save a buck or two I’d suggest combining activities to see the characters in the parks as well as at a meal. Get the kids in on the game as well. When ours were younger, grandchildren too, we would make finding the characters into game.
Just got back from Fort Wilderness. And we are in a state of shock. The DvC resort is taking away so much from the campground .Back Yard BBQ the beach are gone They say welcome home when you check in
But they tore down your back yard and gave it to the “club” . Not enough parking for the golf carts and our beach with a view will be bungalows . The marina looks like it will go to the club and we will get one re located. All that wildlife is now displaced no shortage of deer in the campground now . Rabbits everywhere too .Bay lake is beginning to look like Lake George Littered with buildings instead of natural beauty . Times are a changing . The cheapest rooms on the lake are $360 a night. Bungalows on the water $2600 a night And the campground is a high of $120 this time of year . Get the picture ? We are on prime real estate and they want it. I really don’t want all the extra foot traffic in the Fort . That’s why we go there . It sad I was once a great fan. It doesn’t look like there is room at the lake for the average family anymore . I have to save up for 2 years to do the trip .
Last time we were down we had a long conversation with a Disney DVC person. We are not the only ones upset with the myriad of changes but new people who are not familiar with the way things were consider this the new normal. Essentially we were told that as long as people keep coming, the changes will continue and that the best we could hope for is a hiatus if attendance dropped, until such time as things picked up again. That is the history behind changes and Disney sees no reason to change. Profit is the driving force and that is not going to change so we will have to get used to it or leave.
I emailed them Tuesday with our concerns. To their credit they called back the next day. The representative was of course friendly . She says all concerns do get forwarded up the ladder . And they do consider our opinions . Not that they will make a difference. Like i said and others i speak to have said the people in charge now give that warm fuzzy feeling but in the end its a business . Ad we are the low rent district . Always have been in their eyes. I have a Travel trailer . But some folks roll in in $600,000 Coaches and they see that. They see hey they can well afford a site price increase and if they don’t like it . They can go to Tropical palms on 192. As ive said this is the firts time Ive been really soured. Its not just this it the price of everything else. A family of Four with a ten and 13 year old get charged for 4 adults on every meal. It costs over $200 to eat at trails end now (with no alcohol ). It costs over 2 hundred for a breakfast it Ohana $18 for a measly 6 pack of Lite beer at the camp store . i got to see the best days of it all. River Country was a hoot as a kid . MY friend even road on the railroad. That was cool they just didn’t build it right. They have the technology and resources now to make it reliable and safe . Bring it back . Bring back the fun times. relocate the Back Yard BBQ I understand change has to happen to stay fresh. But some things need to be left to share with future generations.
We have reservations at Ft. Wilderness mid-December, with a request for a campsite near the Settlement. I’m trying to think positive, but not thrilled with this news.
Disney needs to stop building DVCs and hotels and build another park! The crowds are outrageous already. More people=no thanks. And I mean that is the warmest way.
Great idea. Not happening. More rooms mean more revenue. Larger parks are just an “unnecessary expense” when they can cram more attractions into the existing space. Same with hotels. You have to understand that as we long time Disney people become less and less of the crowd, Disney is inculcating those coming lately into the “new normal” of packed parks, increasing prices at thedrop of a hat. and disappointing accommodations. It ain’t Walt’s world anymore.
I’m staying here right now and have been coming 2-3 times a year since 2014 with our small children. The construction will have no impact in terms of campsites. We have only been slightly inconvenienced with the loss of the good playground, the beach west of the boat launch, and the stables. But everything else about the resort is just as it should be. The construction is taking place on the other side of the bus drop off area at the settlement that was already off-limits to guests anyway. It’s more sad that anything. We already miss Mickey’s Backyard BBQ but the loss of the trees and the rest of the lakefront is pretty upsetting. The Fort has still been an awesome vacation for us this time though.
P.S. Yesterday morning they didn’t run any boats for some reason. They said all the boats were down but didn’t give a reason and then bussed people to parks or wherever. THAT’S the real mystery. How could all the boats be down?
I am glad I’m not the only that misses Mickey’s Backyard BBQ
Reading through this thread of comments, I have a couple of thoughts. First I absolutely love Wilderness Lodge and stayed there this past July. I had thought about staying at Ft. Wilderness cabins next summer. Knowing about the construction in that area, I struck up a conversation with the boat driver one evening. (Mind you, I had not been over to Ft Wilderness) i asked him how it was looking. He was reserved in his response as i am sure he wanted to remain professional, but he said the amount of tress gone, etc…well… then he commented that he was hopeful Disney would do a good job replacing the trees, etc. He said the construction at Wilderness Lodge a few years ago was pretty tough. I know i was shocked at the removal of trees, was fearful of how the peaceful quiet pool would turn out. But I think it looks amazing now. I love the new quiet pool and Geyser Point area. The driver commented that Disney ended up replacing trees and doing a good job with the landscaping, so he was hopeful the same thing would happen at the Lakeside Lodge. On the other hand, I think the bungalows at the Poly are an eyesore and ruin the view. I hope they retain the “wilderness” feel in the end.
My husband has been camping at Fort Wilderness since the early 1970s. We moved to FL 4 years ago and bought an RV and a golf cart so we could camp and “go looping” at FW. We have spent many days at the Fort when we were visiting FL over the past 30 years just walking around. We loved the feeling, the ambiance of the place. We thought the new resort would be between FW and the Wilderness Lodge, and have no impact on the Fort. Wow! So wrong. The tree houses will be built ON Clementine’s Beach. The parking lot will be NEXT TO Hoop Dee Do. The barn, etc are all gone. I’m afraid a new, slick barn doesn’t quite cut it for us…no thanks. I suppose the guests at the new resort will love it. Disney wanted the lake front property more than keeping the Fort as it was…peaceful, beautiful, with big lawns at the Settlement…places for children to run. So disappointed, so angry…we feel like we’re being pushed aside for another deluxe/DVC. (And we’re DVC members, too).
My thoughts exactly. It was like an extension of frontier land. I feel like this was the last affordable place for people who needed more than a hotel room. Our kids love it because it gives them a chance to decompress from the “magic”. I’m trying hard to stay optimistic…but that’s only because that place has always been my familys sanctuary.
A while back I read that Disney essentially keeps pushing the envelope until they see a drop in revenue, then they pull back for a bit until people get used to the new status quo. When things calm down and people have accepted the changes, they resume. My wife and I have had several discussions with DVC personnel who have stated that many long time members have complained about the same things being brought up here but “progress is progress.” In other words, we have to learn to live with it or bail. Remember, new people have no idea how things were. To them, this is normality.
“Extension of frontier land”. Well said. And my favorite land in MK since I was a little kid. Disney is bordering on destroying not only trees but nostalgia and good ol American fun.
Splash mountain is my favorite!! I really hope ft.wilderness survies this. This place is such a break from the chaos that is Disney. It caters to a whole different crowd…people that like woods and trees and space, that like seeing animals roam, that like a nice porch for coffee in the morning and drinks at night 😉 and people that aren’t afraid of mosquitoes. I can honestly say that the cabins are our kids favorite part about the trip. They love the late night golf cart rides to one of the trading posts just to look around, smell that amazing Disney smell in there, maybe find something new we didn’t see the night before. Going down to the beach to see the fireworks, running to catch the boat….I know lots of this stuff won’t necessarily change, but I hope they are able to maintain the original ft.wilderness feel….otherwise it’s just an over priced trailer park.
I’m just glad I was able to stay at Wilderness Lodge/Copper Creek a year ago, while also popping over to the Fort Wilderness Settlement in its ‘original’ state – with the beach, the playground, the trees. My son was just small enough to hop on a pony and take one for a ride on the old loop too. I kind of wish I walked back and forth on the connecting path once or twice for a final time, knowing a year ago that it was going to be removed. I haven’t checked, but I imagine the Wilderness Back Trails Adventure Segway tour has also been taken off the agenda – the route heavily used the area around Tri-Circle-D ranch and also the nature path. What a great tour, that I recommended on here a few times – hopefully someone read my comment and jumped on it (literally!). I’m usually all in for progress at WDW, even Reflections – I just didn’t realize how close the construction is to Fort Wilderness. All of the changes it will bring to an area of WDW that always seemed frozen in time (in a good way!) are sad.
Do you think when it’s all said and done, the beach will be back open like it was or…is that going to be reserved only for those that can afford several thousand dollars a night for a tree house or Aframe?
Tom, is DVC still a cash cow for Disney you think? Are more DVC properties anticipated after Reflections? Since the conventional wisdom is to build adjacent to parks — or now with the Skyliner hub as a draw, where else could they cram them in and still be feasible for guests without the mythical 5th gate ever being created? Maybe on top of Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach and throw in free admission year-round to those places? IDK. We bought at Riviera (and yes, we know about the resale restrictions. Had enough people jump all over us and everyone else who dared say we love it and know about them,) but it’s getting booked solid whenever I do a “test” booking.). The price points are really high. Barring a recession, how much can Reflections/next DVC swallow more consumers?
What was most shocking to me on our August visit was that once beautiful walking trail to Wilderness Lodge has been clear cut. So depressing. We are DVC but also life long Ft Wilderness campers (since the 80s) I have no idea how this will all pan out. It was crazy to be standing beside Trails End and be able to see to the Contemporary. I also hate most of the concept art I’ve seen for Reflections with all the Princess. We’re going to Hoop Dee Doo next month and will continue to check back on the progress.
There was a walking trail from the campground to the lodge?! I had no idea!! Granted we didn’t take much time to explore very far with the kiddos these last two times. How long did it take? There were several times we waited for the boat the WL and I would have much preferred to walk!! Or ride bikes 🙂
We just returned from The Fort a couple of weeks ago. We visit annually with our camper. We love it. It is sad to see all of the construction. We stayed in a loop close to the Settlement and yes during the day, there was a lot of construction noise but peaceful at night. I am concerned that the Fort will be sharing boats with the new resort and how this will impact the wildlife. Also concerned about the increase in people disrupting the peacefulness of the campground. To me the campground is a little peace of heaven at Disney. Hopefully once open, we won’t really notice the new resort but only time will tell. We return in Oct 2020 so will see.
“Hopefully once open, we won’t really notice the new resort but only time will tell.”
I certainly hope this is true, but if the permits are any indication, the main parking lot and the treehouses are going to be built really close to Pioneer Hall. Given that and recent precedent with the Wilderness Lodge DVC expansion, I just don’t see how this ends well. Here’s hoping I’m wrong.
Another Chapek disaster. The design of Reflections: A Disney Comfort Inn is bad enough but why do they have to destroy Fort Wilderness 🙁
Because someone reviewed property usage and came to the conclusion that there was too much unoccupied space in the area, space that wasn’t maximizing use and therefore maximizing profit. In case you missed it, somewhere along the way Disney has totally departed from the original “dream” and is now all about packing as many people into the property as possible in search of one thing: PROFIT! Not only that, are you aware that Disney has deals with several local hotels that give their guests almost all of the park “priviliges” available to DVC members such as Extra Magic Hours, discounts etc?
🙁 I guess all we can do now is wait.
We stayed in a cabin at fort wilderness about six weeks ago and the construction barriers around the bus Dept were there but not around the playgroud/beach. I went to the meadow once or twice, but spent more time at the settlement because of its atmosphere. Taking away that open space and views of the lake seems like it would destroy the atmosphere there.
We stayed in a cabin at fort wilderness about six weeks ago and the construction barriers around the bus Dept were there but not around the playgroud/beach. I went to the meadow once or twice, but spent more time at the settlement because of its atmosphere. Taking away that open space and views of the lake seems like it would destroy the atmosphere there.
Yeah. Just what Disney needs, more hotels and more DVC rooms. As if the parks aren’t crowded enough (Remember when there used to be a “slow time?) now the already overcrowded DVC bookings will take another hit! If we don’t book 11 months out we get to enjoy a beautiful view of the parking lot! Pretty soon some brilliant marketing strategist will come up with “hot bunking” to maximize room use. And I’m sure that the National Tiddlywinks Championship could use a new home. Oh, and has anyone heard that the POTUS will be visiting the Floridian for some convention or another just before Christmas? I’d always thought there was a limit to greed. I guess not! We were gonna take the motorhome down to Wilderness in January. Not now.
“now the already overcrowded DVC bookings will take another hit!”
Hyperbole aside, I don’t disagree with what you’re saying in general.
The quoted line is the one exception, and I’ll offer a point of clarification here because this is a common misconception.
The reason DVC has become more difficult to book is primarily because of Aulani. The vast majority of people buying there are not using their points there every single year (no surprise there). The only way to offset that is to dilute those points as a percentage of the overall DVC inventory. The way to do that? Build more DVC at Walt Disney World (or Disneyland).
I disagree. I contend that Aulani itself cannot supply enough people to “flood” all the other DVC properties such that availability will suffer that much. I postulate that, in search of profit, Disney is selling more DVC rooms than they should. Two years back I was actually told by a DVC staff member that was, in fact, being done. Yes, I realize this is anecdotal, but it does explain a lot and it has only been within the past four or five years that we have noticed this trend. This post dates Aulani too far for it to be the sole causative factor.
I also disagree about Aulani. They are selling too many DVC’s period. I was tempted to buy but at the tour I gave the girls multiple dates when I would like to go and none were available except for one here or there and not at the resort I wanted. It was difficult at the 12 month date and near impossible for the 7 month window. Why would I spend thousand of dollars and not get the dates I want to go or the resort I want. I’d rather pay cash and go when I want with the passholder discount. The overcrowding at the parks is largely due to the overselling of DVC. Ask any DVC member if they can find a room when they “really want to go” or do they settle for another date and another resort they really don’t want to stay at? And forget about renting DVC points. I tried that but you have to pay 100% up front and cannot cancel. Travel insurance is a joke since you can’t cancel if you just change your mind. Only for true sickness. How do I know 11 months in advance if something may come up and I have to change my plans.
Building more DVC resorts will only add to the already over crowding of the parks.
If you two are contending that Disney is selling more DVC points than the actual total inventory of the resort, that would constitute fraud.
Something tells me that if DVC executives were committing fraud, they wouldn’t send that memo to DVC sales reps. Moreover, such an allegation of fraud is contradicted by deeds and public records.
There’s a ton of mistakes and missteps DVC has made. I disagree with how they’re building, where they’re building, and more–but accusing them of fraud and claiming that a DVC rep would not only have knowledge of this, but willingly volunteer that info? That doesn’t pass the smell test.
Just to clarify, by “Selling DVC rooms to the general public” I do NOT mean overselling DVC contracts, I mean renting out allegedly unused DVC rooms under the 60 day window provision. Why? Two years ago when I and my wife were told this, we had a party of eight in the park for Food and Wine. Two couples, us included, both DVC members, were able to book DVC rooms at Beach Villas for a contiguous stay of six nights for six people. One couple came late to the trip and, reasonably enough we thought, we could not get them any DVC rooms for six contiguous nights at ANY DVC resort, BUT they were able to independently, through Disney, book six contiguous nights AT THE SAME SUPPOSEDLY FULL DVC RESORT for “only” $450 a night. That is when we started asking Disney questions about DVC occupancy and that is when we were told what was supposedly going down. As for DVC personnel getting a “memo” on the subject. of course not, but they DO have powers of observation and they DO, I’m sure, discuss things like this with friends employed in other Disney departments. Finally, if you think that Disney is above stretching the rules to make larger profits I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
Ah, I misunderstood.
We address that along with other causes of limited availability here: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/limited-availability-disney-vacation-club-resorts/
Very comprehensive and informative article on how points and rooms are allocated. Thanks for the link. Even if I trusted Disney to properly and fairly allocate rooms based on your description, and being an Engineer, as there is no hard usage data or other audits offered to back them up and many resorts are reported to me as “sold out” of points, I basically don’t, there are ways to mitigate this. For instance:
As points are returned to Disney, DON’T RESELL THEM. Taking points off the market will make it easier for “active” users to use theirs. And given the 60 day window rooms can always be sold for cash.
Sell less points for the upcoming resorts allowing more use by present point holders.
Lower the points required for “premium” villas making them more attractive to book. As a side note, in 25 DVC years we have only ONCE booked a studio. In fact, we have routinely been offered studios that we have turned down so I’m having trouble buying their alleged popularity as a bottleneck.
Limit points renting to, say, once every three years, requiring ID from a contract holder upon any non-rental check in.
I could go on but my point is simple; Disney COULD fix this if they wanted to but they have little motivation to do so. No matter which way things go they make money. Oh, and unless it can be shown that money from villa rental actually goes to that particular resort, or any DVC venue for that matter, I’m pretty cynical about the statement that implies it keeps maintenance and othet fees down.
Even if every on site property were filled the parks wouldn’t be that crowded. Hotel occupancy at the park is a poor indicator of crowd levels because there is more capacity at the parks then there are on site rooms. Crowded parks are primarily when there are throes of offsite guests. All that aside, I’m not in favor of another dvc property.
No. In my opinion the “shortage” of DVC rooms and as I said was told this by a DVC staffer AND this was witnessed by my wife, that Disney is selling more DVC rooms to the general public sooner than they claim they can or will in the DVC contract. Why do Ibelieve this? Because it is a more logical and reasonable explanation than the underuse of one resort. As well, it is also easy to obfuscate behind contractural intetpretations. Disney is far from open about most of its statistics. Why isn’t this, then, even a possibility?
For all of Fort Wilderness drawbacks the Settlement area was one of its biggest strengths. That area, its ambiance and combination of amenities was just sublime. And they are ruining it, short term and long.
Agreed.
I really hope Walt Disney World spends the money to plant mature trees around the Reflections parking lot (which will basically abut Pioneer Hall), rather than just opting for saplings. They need to at least attempt to restore some of the serenity and wilderness to Fort Wilderness.
As a family living on farming income/teachers pay we began camping and after our first stay at a Disney cabin and loved the campground we bought our first motorhome. Over the years we’ve made about seven trips down and this started in late 80s. The campground is such a relief after fighting the crowds in the parks plus the convenience of getting around. Sad to see so many resorts crowding in and wonder how much is not what Walt Disney had in mind.
Yes …I hope they really do invest in mature trees. Ft.Wilderness is such an amazing spot. I really really hope they manage to keep it that way.
I had booked a split stay in December with our second stay at Wilderness Lodge. I had envisioned my family renting bikes and biking to and through Fort Wilderness to see the Christmas decorations and having a meal at Trails’ End. It all sounded so wonderful, and was mainly driven by your recommendations and reviews of both locations. I made the tough decision to cancel that part of our trip due to the fact that the pathways would be closed between the two resorts grounds for construction, so no bike riding. I would love to experience Wilderness Lodge and area one day when this is all finished, but am now thinking that we should do Yellowstone and Yosemite first to experience the real thing. I’m not complaining too much though, because we still have the Poly to look forward to for now.
“we should do Yellowstone and Yosemite first to experience the real thing.”
Yosemite National Park is one of my favorite places in the world, so I’d strongly advocate for this. Moreover, the National Parks are places being hit hard by climate change, so sooner is definitely better than later on both of those. (I’d also strongly recommend Glacier National Park for the same reason.)
I loved Yellowstone because of the abundant wildlife and geothermal activity but I was underwhelmed by their park lodges thanks to my visits to Wilderness Lodge.
This is the only place we stay when we go and I obviously have not been staying up to date with everything. We postponed our annual September trip until May of next year and now I’m really upset. Looking at the pictures it’s hard to fathom what’s going on. It looks like when you are on the dock looking at the property, all that’s to the left of you is blocked off and it looks like there is significant blockage by the trading Post as well and the ranch is closed?? So the beach sounds like it’s all getting an upgrade to match the nice dvc lodge being put it. I’m so bummed. The best part about the campground is that it doesn’t feel like Disney. It’s a slower pace, trees everywhere and winding roads and sidewalks. I really hope this Lodge doesn’t ruin the charm.
I’m not sure I’d say the beach is getting an upgrade…that’s where the treehouses for the DVC resort will be built. That half of the beach is going away.
So the whole beach that’s right there by the dock and the playground?! The beach that we could watch the fireworks from?? I was just thinking that was to build an extra dock and make room to accommodate for more people. From pictures I’ve seen it looks like the lodge will be far enough over but now It sounds like it’s taking over??
Nothing has been officially released yet–I’m going off of the blueprints (which were filed for permit purposes).
Based on those, it sure looks like that side of the beach will be replaced by treehouses, and on the other side of Pioneer Hall is where the main parking lot for Reflections will be located.