Disney’s Fort Wilderness in 2026: Is the Magic Still There?
The RV Atlas Podcast
RVFTA Podcast Network
4.6 • 584 Ratings
🗓️ 5 June 2026
⏱️ 52 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
For years, we’ve called Fort Wilderness one of our favorite campgrounds in the country. It combines the beauty and tranquility of a forested campground with immediate access to all the magic of Walt Disney World. But a lot has changed recently. Disney is constructing the new Disney Vacation Club resort, Lakeshore Lodge, next door, and longtime Fort Wilderness fans have strong opinions about what that might mean for the future of the campground.
To get an up-to-date perspective, we invited longtime RVer and Disney enthusiast Jess Phillips onto the show. Jess recently returned from a stay at Fort Wilderness with her husband Dan and their two daughters, giving us a fresh look at what the campground experience is like right now. Then we turn to the RV Atlas Facebook Group to hear what other campers had to say about the ongoing changes.
To listen to our interview with Jess click on the media player above or subscribe to The RV Atlas podcast wherever you get your favorite shows!
Why Disney's Fort Wilderness Remains So Special
Even after all these years, Disney's Fort Wilderness remains one of the most unique camping experiences in America.
Located directly on Walt Disney World property, Fort Wilderness sits across Bay Lake from Magic Kingdom. Guests enjoy easy access to all four Disney parks while staying in a campground that feels remarkably peaceful and secluded.
What makes the Fort special is the contrast. One moment you're riding Space Mountain or watching a parade in Magic Kingdom. A short ferry ride later, you're back beneath towering cypress trees, listening to birds and relaxing at your campsite.
Jess described it perfectly: Disney's Fort Wilderness feels like a state park campground that just happens to be located inside Walt Disney World.
A Campground That Feels Like a State Park
One of the biggest surprises for first-time visitors is how natural Fort Wilderness feels.
The campground covers approximately 750 acres and includes:
Nearly 800 campsites
More than 300 cabins
Forested loops
Paved biking paths
Multiple playgrounds
Pools
Camp stores
Restaurants
Boat transportation
Despite its size, it never feels crowded.
The campsites are large, paved, level, and carefully maintained. Loops are designed to minimize traffic, creating a quiet atmosphere that feels far removed from the energy of the theme parks.
Jess noted that even during a packed week in March, the individual camping loops remained calm and peaceful.
Biking, Looping, and Exploring
One of the unofficial traditions at Fort Wilderness is “looping.”
Visitors spend hours riding golf carts or bicycles through the campground exploring:
Decorated campsites
Elaborately themed displays
Vintage RVs
Luxury motorhomes
Family camping setups
As always, the campground featured impressive site decorations during Jess’s visit, even in early March.
For many campers, simply riding through the loops is part of the entertainment.
It's also one of the best RV shows in America. You can see everything from pop-up campers to million-dollar motorhomes all in one place.
Getting Around Walt Disney World
One of Fort Wilderness's biggest advantages is transportation.
Guests can access every Disney park without moving their RV.
Transportation options include:
Internal campground buses
Disney buses to all parks
Ferry boats to Magic Kingdom
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | No, I mean, I think if you haven't been added to your bucket list, it is a great place to go. |
| 0:05.7 | If you have young kids, if you have old kids, if you're a grandparent, if you have no kids, it doesn't matter. |
| 0:10.7 | It is a campground for everybody. |
| 0:16.0 | Hi, everyone. I'm Stephanie. |
| 0:18.1 | And I'm Jeremy. And we are the authors of the best-selling Where Should We Camp Next |
| 0:22.3 | Series of Guidebooks and Camping Journals. And of the brand new children's books, my first book of hiking and my first book of camping. |
| 0:29.0 | This year we are celebrating the 12th anniversary of the RV Atlas podcast. Join us now as we cover the best campgrounds, |
| 0:35.7 | the best RVs, the best food, and the best gear and gadgets to bring with you when you go. |
| 0:40.8 | So pull up a chair and join us around the digital campfire. |
| 0:44.5 | This is Season 12 of the RV Atlas. |
| 0:50.6 | Hello everybody and welcome to today's episode of the RV Atlas, which is a long overdue episode. |
| 0:58.4 | On today's episode, we are going to get a fresh review of Disney's Fort Wilderness, which, as many of you know, is probably my favorite campground in America. |
| 1:10.2 | For years, I have actually said that it is my favorite campground in America. For years, I have actually said that it is my |
| 1:12.5 | favorite campground in America, but now because they are building the DVC resort next door, |
| 1:18.0 | I'm not sure that it still would be my favorite campground in America, but maybe I don't know. |
| 1:23.7 | So I've invited my friend Jess Phillips onto the show to give us a fresh review of Fort Wilderness. |
| 1:29.9 | She was there very recently, and she's going to break down the entire experience. |
| 1:35.1 | She's going to give us her thoughts on the overall experience of Fort Wilderness, and then we're |
| 1:39.1 | going to specifically talk about the construction and how it either affected or did not affect her stay there. |
| 1:45.8 | And we're just going to bluntly address this issue of whether Fort Wilderness is being |
| 1:50.4 | ruined by the construction next door. There's a lot of different opinions out there about |
| 1:55.2 | this, some good, some bad. So Jess is going to give us a current campground review, |
... |
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