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Our premium site this past March was $198 per night. We feel your pain!

I compared some prices at a few of the "nicer" resorts on site and they were all $350 - $500 per night!

I'll pick camping at FW every time!
 
The spring break time from mid-March to late April is now THE most expensive time of year at the Fort surpassing the Christmas-New Years time. And yes, prices have raced up the last couple years, beagles.

I stayed off-site and day visited the MK last Month (paying for parking) and the $45 a night for our off-site campsite gave me the savings to pay for the park tickets versus a Fort trip. Granted, I love the Fort but will be camping there when it's not such an expensive time.

We shadowed our three children's band trips marching in MK. My two boys were on one trip and DD in the other. For you parents it's best if they march around the afternoon parade time during daylight. Much better for taking pictures. The boys marched in the afternoon but DD went at night and you need a serious flash or a photographer with good equipment who knows what they are doing to get pix of your kids in the brief moment you have as they go by.

But on- or off-site, parents make it to the park regardless on parade day. You'll enjoy it.

Bama Ed
 
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Yep, Disney priced me right out of spring break. The really bad part is that you will pay that huge amount and the parks are so full that you can't do anything. Pay more, get to do less.

Not me. I'll avoid the Orlando area during spring break and try to figure out a different game plan.
 
Just back from Mammoth Cave National Park in KY - $65 a night. That was an acceptable amount to pay for what the campground offered and proximity to the park.

Just made our KOA Yellowstone reservations and they are $117 a night. That is an acceptable amount to pay for what the campground offers and proximity to the park.

$212 a night.....well you are booking at prime time....and in a prime location.....Disney is priced accordingly and they know it. People will pay. They always do.

I agree though, its too much!

I would come up with another option and head to the park the day she marches.
 


My pop up site isnt looking as bad now !

This is one of the reasons we will never get rid of our pop-up. The tent/ pop-up sites are gorgeous and have everything all the other do, minus the septic connection. The comfort stations are super nice, modern, air conditioned, and very clean. Loop 1500, in my opinion, is the best location in all of FW. It's small, quiet, and you can walk to the Meadows right across the street.

Our last stay, in 9/18, was $44 per night. Not too much more than state park prices. Our next stay, in 12/19, is inexpensive as well, but can't find the email to figure out what we're paying. I'll update when I figure it out ... my Disney account shows the reservations, but not the price. (update: $67 night, early Dec. 2019)

We always do Disney as inexpensively as possible. Even our quick two-night trips are during value seasons, and when we can get a FL resident or passholder discount, and at the cheapest resort we can get. We prefer Pop Century, but Sports is usually cheaper so we end up there a lot.
 
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Disney stock proved to be a poor investment. My parents bought shares for all their grandchildren 20+ years ago. They all cashed them in the past couple of years. It wasn't nearly what it should have been when you consider the increase in prices and attendance.
 
Timing is everything. Buying stock and funding trips to WDW are different animals. The Disney stock I have owned over the years has outperformed any of my other investments.
 
This is one of the reasons we will never get rid of our pop-up. The tent/ pop-up sites are gorgeous and have everything all the other do, minus the septic connection. The comfort stations are super nice, modern, air conditioned, and very clean. Loop 1500, in my opinion, is the best location in all of FW. It's small, quiet, and you can walk to the Meadows right across the street.

I second this opinion.

I've had a pop-up for nearly 15 years IIRC. And I've camped with one at all four site levels at the Fort. While I whine and complain about prices going up in general for campsites, I know one viable option is, like you say Tallis, to drop back to the Tent/Pop-up sites and spend the savings elsewhere.

Bama Ed

PS - I love 1500 too!
 
I second this opinion.

I've had a pop-up for nearly 15 years IIRC.

I think lots of people don't realize how nice and comfortable pop ups are. Ours is now 20 years old and this past year we had considered buying a new one ... more than we would spend on a small travel trailer (we have a large travel trailer that we don't use.) We finally decided to keep the one we have and buy it a new canvas for $1k. Just put it on a few weeks ago and it was an amazing upgrade! Our old canvas didn't technically need replaced, but it was old and didn't clean up the best anymore.

None of our state parks, here in Florida (and most other states we have camped,) have septic on site, just dump stations. We tend to camp two weeks at a time and it's so much easier to deal with a cassette toilet and tow-able grey water tank, than drag the entire RV to the dump station repeatedly.

My only regret with pop-ups is not discovering them earlier in life. When our kids were growing up, I thought they were basically just a tent on wheels, and had no idea that we could have comfortably slept our entire family in one with all the comforts of home. To sleep that many people in a travel trailer, we had to drag the equivalent of an entire house along with us. Our pop up sleeps 7, our 32' two bedroom travel trailer sleeps 8. And our pop up goes anywhere, towed by almost anything. And, of course, can save us lots of money at Fort Wilderness!
 
I think lots of people don't realize how nice and comfortable pop ups are. Ours is now 20 years old and this past year we had considered buying a new one ... more than we would spend on a small travel trailer (we have a large travel trailer that we don't use.) We finally decided to keep the one we have and buy it a new canvas for $1k. Just put it on a few weeks ago and it was an amazing upgrade! Our old canvas didn't technically need replaced, but it was old and didn't clean up the best anymore.

None of our state parks, here in Florida (and most other states we have camped,) have septic on site, just dump stations. We tend to camp two weeks at a time and it's so much easier to deal with a cassette toilet and tow-able grey water tank, than drag the entire RV to the dump station repeatedly.

My only regret with pop-ups is not discovering them earlier in life. When our kids were growing up, I thought they were basically just a tent on wheels, and had no idea that we could have comfortably slept our entire family in one with all the comforts of home. To sleep that many people in a travel trailer, we had to drag the equivalent of an entire house along with us. Our pop up sleeps 7, our 32' two bedroom travel trailer sleeps 8. And our pop up goes anywhere, towed by almost anything. And, of course, can save us lots of money at Fort Wilderness!

Interesting.

I've read about the canvas replacement. Did you use Bear Creek Canvas?

We had a Jayco Highwall 12' popup and used the heck out of it for 10 years. But my 3 kids are all growing up and not there to crank the roof, slide the bunks in and out, and help push it around. So with only 1 kid left (and leaving soon) I bought an A-liner 14' box on a super deal new a few years ago. It's small enough for me to push around myself and easy to set up by myself (DW likes to supervise :rolleyes: ). Another reason is being in Alabama, it was a lot of extra work to camp in winter and stay warm. With a hard sided folding trailer now, I'm ready to grab-and-go year round.

I don't want to get my knuckles rapped (again) for derailing yet another thread (stay on topic, Ed) but if you could post a pic of your camper in the new canvas, I would love to see it. Then we can talk about those high, high prices in 2020 the OP mentioned.

Bama Ed
 
I booked a tent site for Christmas 2019. I am STILL in shock at how much it is costing me. On the peak days, it's $150/night!!! OUCH!!!
 
I booked a tent site for Christmas 2019. I am STILL in shock at how much it is costing me. On the peak days, it's $150/night!!! OUCH!!!

Hi elaine.

Like I said above, Christmas-New Years is only the 2nd most pricey time period (and it used to be numero uno) but the difference between #1 and #2 is only around $5. So I would consider you lucky to get the dates you wanted for a tent site 8 months out. It certainly is "ouch" indeed but there are off-site alternatives out there (though I don't know if they have your dates).

In my life, my kids are aging out of my household so spring break (March) and holiday time (December) is no longer a priority for us. I have been in early Jan a few times to re-run the Full and Half Marathons (check those off my bucket list again-did those both 15-20 years ago). Now as me and DW enter the age where we get senior citizen discounts [ :rotfl: ] I'm looking forward to trying less expensive times like late January, early October, and maybe, <maybe> early December.

Of course, there are MEMORIES of past visits with kids, parents, nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters <in laws> all over the place at the Fort. Everywhere!

My philosophy is any family member is free to drop a tent on my site (me and DW will be in my A-liner :teeth: ) at no charge. But the site IS in my name.

Hope you have a good time at Christmas (try to forget what your site costs). :santa:

Bama Ed
 
Hi elaine.

Like I said above, Christmas-New Years is only the 2nd most pricey time period (and it used to be numero uno) but the difference between #1 and #2 is only around $5. So I would consider you lucky to get the dates you wanted for a tent site 8 months out. It certainly is "ouch" indeed but there are off-site alternatives out there (though I don't know if they have your dates).

In my life, my kids are aging out of my household so spring break (March) and holiday time (December) is no longer a priority for us. I have been in early Jan a few times to re-run the Full and Half Marathons (check those off my bucket list again-did those both 15-20 years ago). Now as me and DW enter the age where we get senior citizen discounts [ :rotfl: ] I'm looking forward to trying less expensive times like late January, early October, and maybe, <maybe> early December.

Of course, there are MEMORIES of past visits with kids, parents, nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters <in laws> all over the place at the Fort. Everywhere!

My philosophy is any family member is free to drop a tent on my site (me and DW will be in my A-liner :teeth: ) at no charge. But the site IS in my name.

Hope you have a good time at Christmas (try to forget what your site costs). :santa:

Bama Ed

My kids are 16 and 17 now so I am looking forward to the days of off-season travel! In the meantime, I am still stuck to school holidays so it is what it is. I have been dreaming of Christmas season at the Fort for a long time now so thrilled I was able to snag the site (I booked last Christmas).

It is expensive though. I currently have 17 nights booked for a whopping $2k! Considering cutting back to a still lengthy 13 nights to save $550. This was meant to be a budget trip as I have a blowout trip planned for 2020. I'll wait to decide later in the year - maybe some surprise fun money will appear :) Or maybe I can find some nice people to split the cost of the campsite.
 
We are currently at Disney, and I, too, am shaking my head in amazement at the cost of things. Back in 2008 we took all three daughters, a boyfriend, and my husband and myself to Disney. Except for the older girls paying for their own cabin, while we used the rv, we paid for the tickets and all the meals. And, I didn't feel that anything was too outrageous (at least by Disney standards). Now, WOW !!! I look around and see huge crowds of people here, but is everyone comfortable paying these prices? Maybe it is just my age and my thinking of what the cost of things used to be? I don't know. What I do know is that we like to go to Disney every five years or so, so I guess we will keep coming. And, I also know that after coming in the summer, I really like nicer weather months when I am not melting in the sun.
 
We stayed off site in a deluxe site Christmas 2017 for $60 per night and rented a car for about $55 per day. AP took care of parking. Nice park, but we only stayed there because we booked too late and couldn’t get a slot at FW. Never stayed there but have done several resorts and I do like the convenience of not having to drive. If I remember correctly it would have cost $150ish per night for a premium at FW.
 
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