tents

[minnie04]

I was just on the Disney website and I was looking at renting a camp sight. Do they rent out the tents that they have featured? and if so has anyone stayed in one. Are they worth it? If you dont have an RV or tent of your own?

[faline]

Not sure if they still do it but I did undertand that Disney did have tents available. You might need to contact them to see if they still do this. We always brought our own tent(s) with us when we camped there.

[minnie04]

ok thanks, also how was it to camp in the tent?? Do they have a place to shower? and how safe did you feel leaving your stuff there all day when you went to the parks?

[Tygger7]

Although my DH and I tent camped at Ft. Wilderness for our honeymoon, I don't think I would do that now. I saw a report of black bear sightings in the campground and Disney encouraging guests to not leave food out or accessible at their sites. Small chance, I know...but I still wouldn't want to run into a bear walking to the restroom in the middle of the night.

Oh, and they do have really nice shower houses. I definitely wouldn't leave anything of value in the tent unattended...your best bet would be to rent a locker to place any valuables in while you're at the parks.

[faline]

It's been years since we've camped in a tent at Fort Wilderness. In my camping experience, Fort Wilderness is the nicest campground I ever stayed at. The showers and laundry facilities are large and clean. We never felt ill at east going to the facilities. If this is a concern, request a campsite as close to the rest room as possible. When I once did this, we were literally placed right across the road (within sight of our tent) from the restroom.

Whenever, and wherever we've camped, we've always locked valuables in the car duirng the day. That said, there typically has always been a fair amount of camping gear that is also worth some money left around the campsite. Campers are typically considerate folks and rarely have their been issues with property. Of course, the possibility of a theft always exists regardless of what type of accommodations you use.

I wouldn't worry too much about bears. I've camped in other locations where bears are present and have yet to see one in the wild. They typically are not bold or aggressive (unless you get between a mama and her baby) and shy away from human contact. They WILL seek out easy food wherever they can find it. For this reason, we have never allowed any food to be stored inside our tent or even to be eaten inside our tent. This includes snacks like chips etc.

[minnie04]

Thanks, I will look into it for one of our getaways, I think it would be fun to try. Maybe in the cooler months.its too hot in the summer to camp in Florida with the bugs..

[bord1niowa]

The wildlife, not just limited to the rare Black bears, but tree rats (squirrels) are exceptionally BOLD. They will get into a tent if they are looking for food. Anything left outside will be gone. An example of how bold they are... my wife was sitting in her chair eating a snack and a squirrel jumped up onto her shoulder, she thought it was me touching her. She looked to her right and staring at her inches from her face was a squirrel. She shooed it away, but others were sitting at her feet looking for food. The turkeys are also bold and walk right into your campsite under the awnings even while you are there. No fear whatsoever. Not sure if they are looking for food but that would be my guess. They are very large too.

[faline]

Unfortunately, this type of behavior is typically caused by folks who purposely feed the wildlife and/or by careless campers who leave foodstuffs around where they can be found by the animals. I've not experienced this at Disney but have been to other campgrounds where we've encountered quite bold racoons and, in one instance, an extremely bold skunk!!

[Davy Crockett]

Knowing the security level at FW just to get into the camping area you would have to really want to be devious to bother some ones stuff there not to mention the roaming security patrols. I vouch for what Faline stated on how nice the campground is and how clean everything there is and the campers around you are always as nice as can be. If you do tent camp I would suggest you bone up on your Boy Scout / Girl Scout (not to leave anyone out) skills as you will want to prepare your site as well as your tent for rain (LOTS of RAIN) as well as insects based on the time of the year you are planning on traveling. I think you'd have a GREAT time tent camping at FW.

[CJDDS]

Just because a guy in a shack checks your name off a list on a clipboard doesn't mean security is good at the Fort. And security patrols? Come on. The last few years there has been problems with "locals" using the pool and other amenities. In 2009 a child molestor was arrested at the Fort. A year or so ago some visitors were evicted for theft at campsites, they were from Germany and guests at the Fort. Secure anything you don't want stolen. I have made that my rule and have not lost anything in over 20 years camping at the Fort.

[Kenny1113]

Unless you are set on tent camping... I just heard that a friend of my BIL rented a 5th wheel RV from a company to have set up at FW. The company sets it up and they have ones with a theme inside. I am assuming it was clean because they came back and recommended it to my BIL. Idk what the cost is,( if that is the reasoning as well)

[JRocker]

My daughter and a friend of hers celebrated their college graduation in a tent at FW. They had a blast and didn't have any problems at all.
Just use your head about securing certain things, but there is definitely no need to go all paranoid.
My family has stayed there many times and never had anything ripped off, and the kids have left things outside the camper that should have been stolen...

[jonahbear2006]

I dont know what it costs to rent a tent but I dont understand it. Tents arent that pricey and you can get them at target and walmart. You are going to spend it anyways, so you might as well own it bc you will probably find that camping at Fort Wilderness is : Awesome! Their bathrooms and showers are always clean and easy to use, people dont bother your site so you can leave your cooler on the table and your clothes in the tent and you will be fine. ( just lock up valuables in your car.) Another amazing aspect to this is having your car parked right next to you. How nice to just be right there and not walk to the parking lot. The campground is the most beautiful ive stayed at and we always use a tent. Be sure to bring electrical cords to plug things in, a busway, and all your comfort items. we bring an area rug, we pack our clothes in plastic drawers instead of bags so we have end tables, we bring a fan, and a standing light. It ends up looking like a little apartment and nothing is more magical than falling asleep to the sound of wishes on your early to bed evenings. I love this resort more than any other wdw resort.

[jonahbear2006]

she mentioned rain,above. tents need to be sprayed with silicone sealant. Other than that, I havent needed to do anything else to prepare for it. that takes care of it.

[bord1niowa]

A friend of mine recently bought a new tent and it rained. He got wet. He thought he had done all that was needed but alas, it didn't work. Disney does rent tents for I believe $30 a day. Another option could be renting a pop up. Set up for you too.

[faline]

A friend of mine recently bought a new tent and it rained. He got wet. He thought he had done all that was needed but alas, it didn't work.

That does not sound like a fun camping trip!! We set our tent up in the back yard and waterproofed it before it ever went on a camping trip - just to be sure!!