Fort Wilderness: Increase the Chances of Getting the Loop and Site that You Want

Unlike many campgrounds, visitors to Disney’s Fort Wilderness are unable to pre-select their sites or loops. The campground is getting more and more popular, and tends to be at or near capacity for many weeks of the year. In addition, there is a tremendous variety of size types, sizes, and convenience in this 800-site, very large campground. However, by following a series of steps, you can greatly increase your odds of getting a loop or site that best suits your needs.

First, Determine Which Loop and Site You Want

Loops are not one-size-fits all. Some enjoy being close to the Meadows Pool, while others want to be close to the boat launch. Another subset prefers being as far away as possible from any of those, and having a more private experience. Other factors in choosing a loop include budget, size of your RV or trailer, and whether or not you need sewer hookups. When you initially reserve a site, you will be asked to choose between Premium, Premier, Full-Hook Up, and Tent/Pop-Up. The table below provides an overview of each loop type. You might also take our quiz to help guide your choice.

Now it’s Time to Make a Reservation

If you are looking at a holiday period, such as Halloween or Christmas, you’ll want to make your reservation as soon as possible – more than a year in advance if possible. The earliest you can do this is 499 days out (yes, that’s a lot of planning). At this point, you can call (407) 939-5277 from 7 am until 11 pm.

You can also make reservations online up to a year in advance once rates have been released. However, new rates for a given year aren’t typically released until the summer before. Therefore, making a reservation for January 2020 in April 2019 would still require a phone call even though it is within the 12 month window.

Let’s suppose you are wanting to take a trip in the next couple of months, and everything is booked. Because of cancellation policies, sites may open up during the last week or two prior to your trip. For example, today is April 25, 2019. When I search for campsites, here is what I find.

April 25 – May 1: Premium and Tent/Popup Sites available
May 1 – May 7: All types available
May 7 – May 13: None available. But a shorter stay of May 7 – May 10 is available.

And then there are other really strange anomalies. When I look into June, there appears to be nothing available for June 2 – June 9. But if I extend the stay to 10 days (June 2 – June 12), there are premium sites available.

Looking into November between Thanksgiving and Christmas (an extremely popular time), I cannot get November 20-23, but I can get three separate reservations for any type of campsite – one day at a time. But when I put in a single reservation for all three nights, it shows no availability . In this case, you might go ahead and make the three separate reservations, and then call Disney reservations, who can usually link them together. You can also look to add days or delete days as your trip approaches.

A third option that some people utilize is to contact a reputable and ethical travel agent who has experience with Fort Wilderness, and can do some of this work for you.

Before You Finalize Your Reservation, Try to Determine a few sites in a given loop You Would Like to Have

Once you have secured a type of site (premium, preferred, full hook-up, or tent/pop-up), then you will be asked to tell what type of equipment you have (motorhome, tent, popup, travel trailer, van), and preferences such as whether you want to be near transportation or near a comfort station.

Fort Wilderness Loop 1 Map — Loop 100 Site Map

By studying the loop maps and site details, you can narrow down where you would ideally like to be. For example, if I want one of the sites in Loop 100 that is closest to the Settlement Trading Post, I would not say that I wanted to be closest to the comfort station or transportation. But if I am hoping for Loop 800 (near the Meadows), being close to transportation would put me closer to the Meadows.

See: 10 of the Best Sites at Fort Wilderness

Making Final Requests In the Days Before Your Trip

If you choose to check in online, you can also add any notes about specific loops or sites here. It is probably best to include two loops as well as four or five sites in each. There is no guarantee that you will get these, but sometimes the extra magic happens.

Next, you may want to follow this up with a fax to the Fort Wilderness front desk (Outpost) about three days prior to arrival. The number is 407-824-3508. Your letter could say something like this:

Dear Fort Wilderness Reservations:

We are thrilled to be returning to Fort Wilderness on Saturday, October 4 for our sixth visit. We have reserved a preferred loop, and would like to be as close to the Settlement Trading Post as we can.

Ideally, we would like to be in Loop 100, in sites 113-118. If Loop 100 if not available, Loop 200 is our second choice – with sites 228 or 230 our greatest preference.

Thank you for creating magic, and have a wonderful day!

Cindy Rella Iger

Arrive as Early as Possible on Your First Day

Although official check in is not until 1 pm at Fort Wilderness, many campsites are often available by 11 am or before. In fact, 11 am is the time when the campground is the most empty. If you have opted for online check-in, you will get a notification when your campsite is ready and the number of your assigned site. You can refer to the sites maps and pictures to see the details, and you will likely find that it is going to be an excellent site for you. However, If it appears unfavorable for one reason or another, then you may go to the Fort Wilderness front desk (at the Outpost) and see what other sites might be available. Sometimes – but not always, it is possible to be switched at this time. Try to remain polite and positive no matter what the outcome.

If you choose to go ahead and go to your assigned site, and find that it is lacking in something that you need (too difficult to back into, not enough shade, etc.), I have found that calling the front desk from the campsite is helpful at this point – particularly if you have identified a nearby one that appears to be vacant. The direct number is 407-824-2900.

You might say, “Hello, we have been assigned site 201, but notice that there is no one in sites 202 or 204, and those are much better for us because _______. I am hopeful that you can switch us to one of those.”

You Can’t Always Get What You Want

If all else fails and you ended up far away from your ideal location, then it is probable you will end up falling in love with the one you are assigned. Something I have observed is that people become comfortable with a site that they have been to before, and it becomes home to them. If you ask people what is their favorite site at Fort Wilderness, they will usually name one that they have actually stayed at.