New 2021 Fort Wilderness Discount

Walt Disney World has released a new discount for Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground that ends just before the holiday weekend of Memorial Day 2021. In this post, we’ll share details, some of our photos from the campsites, historical comparisons, and why Disney might have reason to incentivize stays at Fort Wilderness right now.

With Walt Disney World’s “Stay Under the Stars, in the Magic!” promotion, guests can save 20% on fully-equipped campsites most nights and weekends from April 11, 2021 through May 27, 2021 when booked by May 27, 2021. Campsite types eligible for this offer can accommodate everything from traditional tents to luxury RVs.

“Discover fantastic pool areas, charming woodland trails and rip-roarin’ entertainment–all in the magic of the great outdoors–and you can enjoy a variety of Guest benefits designed to make your Disney vacation as easy and convenient as possible, including complimentary transportation around Walt Disney World Resort.”

Here are more official details and fine print: The number of campsites allocated for this offer is limited. Savings based on the non-discounted price for the same campsite. Length of stay requirements may apply, and advance reservations are required.

The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground are not included in this offer. This deal cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion, which means no the “two free days” ticket deal if you book this. That special offer is valid now through September 25, 2021.

It’s also worth nothing that’s also currently a room-only discount offering the general public up to 30% resort stays. That deal excluded campsites but offered 20% off the Cabins at Fort Wilderness (and runs through July 10, 2021), so there actually is a similar deal for the cabins–and one that lasts longer.

For some historical context, last year Walt Disney World released a very similar offer on March 6. That was also a 20% discount on stays at the Campsites most Sunday through Thursday nights from March 29 through May 21. It had to be booked by May 21.

We never saw those travel dates arrive at Walt Disney World, as the parks closed 10 days after the discount dropped and didn’t reopen until after the deal had ended. This ended up being the last special offer prior to the closure, with nothing at all released until July and no general public offers until September.

Coincidentally, tent camping at Fort Wilderness was our last resort stay at Walt Disney World prior to the closure. It was fairly uneventful, so I’m not going to rehash it here. Read Our Fort Wilderness Camping Experience if you’re on the fence about booking a stay at the Fort Wilderness Campsites.

I will say that we are huge fans of Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. Just about everything about it is great, from the old school Vacation Kingdom vibes to the tranquility so far removed from theme parks that it’s hard to believe Magic Kingdom is only a short boat ride away to the glorious & great value feasts. About the only thing we don’t love about Fort Wilderness is the normal pricing.

Prior to consulting my records and discovering that a similar Fort Wilderness Campsites deal was released around this time last year, my instant gut reaction was that this discount was dropped due to the lack of on-site perks at Walt Disney World right now. While that’s obviously wrong, it does have me curious what the true impact of “burner campsites” is on overall bookings at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.

For those unfamiliar with the burner campsite phenomenon, it’s a pretty common practice in some Walt Disney World fan circles to book a throwaway room for one night to take advantage of the perks associated with it. Namely, MagicBands, plus the priority FastPass+ and Advance Dining Reservation booking windows. It has also been used strategically by some to get Extra Magic Hours and free parking for two days, purchase the Disney Dining Plan for the same amount of time, and acquire reusable mugs.

This has been a pronounced issue in the last several years that the Fort Wilderness Campsites. It’s so bad that there are times of the year when campsites sell out faster than any other rooms on property. There are a few reasons for that: Fort Wilderness Campsites are the least expensive on-site “resort” reservation, each campsite accommodates many more guests than standard rooms (making it great for large parties staying in off-site vacation home rentals), and there’s no separate parking fee.

Regular readers of this blog might be totally unfamiliar with this problem and we sort of apologize for not covering it in the past. Okay, not really. As an avid camper and budget conscious consumer, this practice really grinds my gears. Even if I went on a lengthy diatribe about how bad of a practice booking a burner campsite is and offered choice words for those who exploit the loophole, it would invariably have negative ramifications, giving more people bad ideas. Many of you spite-readers already do the opposite of our advice, anyway! 😉

However, I have no problem mentioning it now, given that MagicBands are no longer complimentary with resort reservations, Extra Magic Hours are a thing of the past, FastPass+ is temporarily (?) suspended, and so on. The days of burner campsites being a widespread issue that shuts legit guests out are probably a thing of the past. (However, if all or most of those perks return, you better believe I’ll be scrubbing the preceding paragraphs from the internet in solidarity with the “Fort Fiends” out there.)

The point is that the degree of discounting we see for the Fort Wilderness Campsites going forward should provide insight into whether the burner campsite phenomenon was a significant issue, or something that was overblown online. Honestly, I’m not really sure. My guess is that it played some role in causing campsite prices to soar into obscene territory, and I hope that prices now trend back in the other direction. Knowing how Walt Disney World operates, I’m not holding my breath on that happening. Nevertheless, it is good to see both availability and deals for the Fort Wilderness Campsites!

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

What do you think of this Fort Wilderness Campsite deal for Spring 2021? Will you be booking? Thoughts on the “burner campsite” phenomenon? Have you camped at Fort Wilderness? What did you think of the experience? Anything else to add that we didn’t cover? Do you agree or disagree with our thoughts/review? 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!

36 Responses to “New 2021 Fort Wilderness Discount”
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