Recipe for an Unforgettable Family Reunion
Written: Feb 17 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Full Disney Magic, Easy Access to Parks, Reasonable Cost, Beautiful Simulation of Wilderness
Cons: More costly than Motel 6, but you do get your money's worth.
The Bottom Line: If you want to visit Disney World with children, staying at Fort Wilderness Campground is your absolutely best way to do it and maintain your sanity.
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| nobody_knows's Full Review: Fort Wilderness Campground |
In early December, 1998, my husband, Pip, and I wanted to host a family Christmas trip in lieu of buying lots of presents that nobody needed. Two of our three children and their kids were able to join us. Somehow the trip began to grow. We invited Pip's Mom to join us. Then I spoke to my sister, brother-in-law and brother and convinced them to come, too. My sister's oldest daughter and her husband and three girls were included. My brother's unmarried son found himself free to join us for a few days.
By the time the invitation list was closed we had 19 people eager to come together for a five day Disney World extravaganza. Being a hard-core Disneyphile, I really wanted us to stay "on the grounds." The only possible answer was to reserve four cabins at Fort Wilderness.
The Disney staff bent over backwards for us. They easily and smoothly took care of our highly complicated reservations - we had our four cabins together in a quiet, out of the way spot. With all the children, ranging in age from 2 to 11, we were glad not to have to hush them constantly. When one plumbing problem cropped up, people were sent immediately to fix the trouble. This was done with equanimity and promptness. (And that couldn't have been easy, considering the nature of the problem.)
Our first night together we had reserved a table at the Christmas Show - a family style feast held at the Contemporary Hotel, a Disney Show complete with Disney characters, Santa Claus and real snow falling at the end of the evening - inside! What a bang-up beginning to our reunion!
Having a kitchen in each cabin gave us the chance to feed young children easily and conveniently without having to herd them all to a dining room three times a day. When we did opt to eat in restaurants, everything went smoothly. reservations were easy to make and we were accommodated with every request. The biggest meal we ate out was at the Japanese pavilion in EPCOT. We all gathered at two tempanyaki tables for a feast for 19! The waitresses were completely unruffled, helping all seven little ones fix their chopsticks with folded paper and rubber bands so that even the two-year-old was able to eat her food with them. The evening was one we will never forget, as was the entire five day trip!
Cousins who had never met before became fast friends. We have enough photos to last us several life times. The accommodations were ample, the beds comfortable, the maid service incredibly efficient and tolerant, considering the mess our crowd was capable of making. When the weather took a few hours to become perfect for visiting the park, we gathered all the children in one cabin and made paper snow flakes together. I'll bet they're still vacuuming up bits of paper from that!
In addition to seeing almost all of the three parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and MGM Studios) we found much fun at the campground itself. There are family style restaurants, convenience stores that can supply you with groceries (albeit at a price) and lots, and lots of planned family fun. The children had as much fun tumbling on the grassy grounds as they did on the rides. The pool was a big hit when children got tired of walking around the parks.
Best of all, it was an easy trip back to the cabins when nap time beckoned. In five days, there were no problems. How many vacations can you remember that went perfectly for such a large crowd?
Disney does a wonderful job of moving crowds, and except for the popular school vacation times, I would not hesitate to visit the parks again (we're planning a trip there in late April). Easter at Disney is worst than Hell itself. But pre-Christmas break, pre-Spring vacation, pre and post-summer vacations are perfect times to visit Disney World. Fort Wilderness is the best place to take a group of family members to make the best of your trip to Disney World.
We have stayed in the other on-park resorts: The Contemporary Hotel, The Polynesian Resort and The Grand Floridian. All are wonderful and treat guests like royalty. But for the money, I highly recommend Fort Wilderness Campgrounds. You won't regret it!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
nobody_knows
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Member: Judy Wick
Location: Brooklin, Maine
Reviews written: 27
Trusted by: 34 members
About Me:
I used to have a handle on life. Then it broke.
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