Hey all, I’ve been loving this section of the forums lately!!! We will be camping at Fort Wilderness for the first time in June, so I am finding this section very helpful. Thank you to all who contribute!!!
That said, having read through here, I am now leaning towards wanting to get to the Fort early in the morning to try and see what’s available and choose/request loop or sites instead of showing up mid or late day. So, those of you that have gotten to the Fort in the morning hours, what time have you been able to actually get to your sites? Will they call or text when it’s ready if you have to wait or do you have to keep checking in with them to find out? Very curious, because it will certainly affect our leaving and travel time plans on whether we want to try to get there in the morning or afternoon.
DCWarrior,
I'm an early arriver and always have to wait at least a few hours. It's my own fault, though, because I have tended to travel during busy times (right after New Years or during spring break in March) and I am specific about wanting a specific loop. When I book a Preferred site, I want loop 100. When I book a Tent site, I want 1500 (I have a popup). If I was more flexible and would take a site of the same level in another loop, I'd probably get in earlier.
When you get to the Fort early, you go through the whole check-in process (or use early check-in) and you pay up, get your info packet, the whole schmiel and if a site is open then that meets your requests, boom, you can get it early. If it's not ready, you have to wait and you leave your cell phone number or email and they message you with the site number when it's ready. Actually, the CM knows the site number but if it's not ready, that means someone is on it and leaving that morning and it has to be prepped, clean/blown, and THEN the message comes to you "Site 634 is ready for you".
If you have to wait, you can park in the overflow lot (furthest lot from the check-in building) and go to the parks, or get a bite to eat, or sit there and check out the Fort (what we do). We walk to the bus stop at the Outpost (check-in) area, ride down to the Meadow Trading Post, lake, get breakfast at Trails End, check out our requested loop, etc. Like Cousin Ed C said, it just varies.
You improve your odds by arriving earlier but there are no bad sites at the Fort.
Bama Ed
PS - I even have 3-4 sites in my head in my requested loops that I usually ask for. For example if I can get ANY site in 100, I'd consider it. But if 116 is coming open that morning, I'll wait for it over taking first available in 100. But if you're not that extreme like I am, the more general you can make your request, the earlier you should get it.
PPS - to answer your question, I usually am on my site by 1pm (except for the time I gave the CM a wrong phone number (they read it back to you so it was my fault)).
