Fort Wilderness Meadows Pool To Close for Months in 2023 and I Will Survive

Earlier this week, Walt Disney World announced that the much-loved Meadows Pool at Fort Wilderness would close for four months (January through April) in 2023 for “maintenance.” Even though it arguably pales in comparison to most of the other resort pools, it’s really the centerpiece of life at everybody’s favorite campground. It’s got some sort of magic water that draws us in every day and keeps us there til the afternoon stormado makes its daily appearance.

Note that this announcement came almost exactly at the time that reservations started to open up for these months.

fort wilderness lifeguard — While winter is less crowded at the Meadows pool, it’s still popular on balmy days. During spring break the crowds are typically insane.

First I was afraid, I was petrified.

Those months of closure begin on January 1 and are anticipated to last through April. This includes frickin’ spring break and the insurgence of all those out-of-school, uncaged children and their Chardonnay mommas. While the much smaller Wilderness Pool is the announced alternate location, y’all know all those folks just aren’t gonna fit there.

fort wilderness pool slide — The large spiral slide, added in 2009, is a highlight of the Meadows Pool for kids and grown-ups alike.

I scowled as I remembered back that the fabulous Wilderness Lodge pool was offered to Fort Wilderness guests during the 2009 refurbishment.

Not this time, chipmunks.

but i can see clearly now

I’ve thought of at least five reasons how I can find the light in the dark forest, turn lemons to lemonade, sing Hakuna Matata or whatever.

Well, first of all this “maintenance” is more than balancing chemicals and replacing the coping. The last major overhaul of the pool in 2009 gave us big improvements and took even less time. Among the many upgrades then were the addition of the slide (with the old River Country Tower) and the installation of the splash area and hot tub.

fort wilderness hot tub — A hot tub, spiral slide and splash pad were among the 2009 additions.

Maybe, just maybe we will now have keyed access. And that means less sneaky off-site visitors and more room for me and you.

Fort Wilderness Meadows Pool Gate — Except for the blackbirds, the gates at the Fort Wilderness pools are unguarded and accessed without a key, leading to extra visitors.

There will likely be less crowds and less children at Fort Wilderness during this time. If you need some serious peace, winter 2023 could be your time. It may be just us grown-ups watching Cinderella at the campfire show.
It already looks like prices could be a little lower during this time. Currently, a pop-up site for January 4, 2022 is $150 a night (wow). But on January 4, 2023 it’s down to $83. On the other hand, by January 11, the price of $81 vs. $83 is almost the same. But it wouldn’t be surprising to see some specials during this time.
I can choose something other than the priciest Premium Meadows type of site. These are higher due to their proximity to the Meadows, and it’s almost always what we get. Take me back to Preferred and find me hanging around the Settlement.
Finally, we can pretend like its 1971-1972. There were no pools at all at the Land of Dreams until the 1980s. Of course, we could swim in the lake back then, but heck, we’ll just go all out with the retro vibe and party like our grandmas did.