Even though it can feel as though getting a reservation at Disney’s Fort Wilderness is nearly impossible, this is only true for a few weeks of the year. As Disney has shifted its pricing models, no longer is summer necessarily among the most crowded times. In fact, the Fort can be astonishingly quiet (except for weekends) in the last weekdays of July. And Fort crowds do not necessarily correlate to park crowds. For example, there are snowbirds who spend weeks in Fort Wilderness in the winter. Likewise, the Fort has become (somewhat unfortunately) one of the hottest places to be in all of Florida on Halloween.

Our predictions take into account these factors unique to the Fort, special events, and quantified occupancy and reservation patterns that include both the campsites and the cabins. With the marked increase of Fort nightly rates and fears of an impending recession,  it would not be surprising to see more sales next year that include campsites. Nevertheless, it appears that the new and most expensive category of campsite – Premium Meadows – is filling up more quickly than the lower-priced categories.

Going beyond the estimated crowds, let’s look at what to expect each month. A crowded day in July is going to look and feel a lot different than a crowded one in January.

Jaded january

With a hangover from busy December, January arrives as the most crowded time of the year in Fort Wilderness and ends as one of the least. This is consistent with park crowds and other resorts. You can enjoy low crowds most of the month, with the exception of MLK weekend and the Marathon weekend.  On the downside, January is the coldest month of the year, and looping around at nights on a golf cart can get chilly and sometimes very cold. And the sunset comes before 6 pm. What’s different at the Fort is that you’ll find a lot of snowbirds in January, and fewer families than you do in the summer. So, even if the campground is nearly booked on a given night, there may be fewer people per site.

fabulous February

Temperatures warm up a little in February, and early spring flowers start to appear. Snowbirds are still around, but families appear as many schools have a February break.  Rates are lower than much of the year, and there are many quiet periods, particularly on weekdays.

Hello March

Average highs in March are a perfect 77 degrees, and the first week is typically quiet. Later in the month, crowds (and rates) tick up with spring breakers and their families, and both the parks and the campground will be quite busy. This is one of the most pleasant months for tent camping.  And one of the luckiest for fishing.

April abloom

Expect to see roses in bloom and lots of animal activity in the midst of spring at the Fort. The first couple of weeks are the peak of spring break, and Easter falls on April 12 in 2020. This means that the Fort will be quite busy, but not as much as during Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas weeks. Trail’s End often offers an extra-special meal on Easter.

May DAZE

May is a wonderful month with a lot of slow weekdays, but busy weekends. Temperatures are getting uncomfortable, but usually still bearable. An unwelcome guest comes this month in the form of yellow flies, which are nasty, biting bugs. The days are continuing to get longer, with sunsets past 8 pm. As some schools get out later in the month, crowds start to swell, with a lot of families there for the Memorial Day weekend or week. Summer officially kicks off with a crowd, but it is usually tolerable.

sweet June

Beautiful June is an active family time at the Fort, but crowds are not quite what they once were with the new pricing structures. Weather may be pleasant, especially early in the month, or may be brutally hot. This is the month when afternoon thunderstorms become a regular occurrence. Crowds increase throughout the month, as local schools get out. Oh, and the bugs aren’t going anywhere.

July jammin’

America’s big celebration is in full force at Fort Wilderness with golf cart parades, packed swimming pools, and swarms of campers. Early in the month, you’ll see many people fully taking advantage of the 10-person max on campsites, bringing along every distant cousin. The last week or so changes drastically, and it seems like the Fort is extremely quiet during the weekdays.

dog days of August

August is one of the least crowded times of the year at Fort Wilderness. Kids have returned to school, and the heat-index easily reaches 110. Summer rains and storms continue, with an increasing threat of hurricane activity near the end of the month.

sleepy September

Even though fall starts in September, Orlando didn’t get the memo. If you can take the heat, this is one of the least busy times to go. Days are getting shorter, and hurricane season continues. During this month, you can often walk into Trail’s End without a reservation.

October nights

Fort Wilderness campers decorate in full force for the holidays, with Halloween being a favorite. This, combined with somewhat cooler temperatures, make October one of the more popular months at Fort Wilderness. Getting a reservation the week of Halloween is nearly impossible unless you plan 499 days in advance (and call in for your reservation early that morning). In addition to a golf cart parade, Disney campers typically give out pounds of candy to the hundreds (if not thousands) of trick-or-treating kids.

November Turkeys

Ah, November. Once the Halloween decorations come down, up go the Christmas ones. While weekdays can be uncrowded and mighty pleasant in early November, the end of the month brings one of the busiest of the year.  Thanksgiving week is not only extremely crowded, it can also be one of the rowdiest weeks of the year.  Even more so than other holidays, it seems the combination of football, feasting and family brings more alcohol consumption than usually. Just don’t be surprised if you see a few wild turkeys.

merry December

One of my favorite times of the year at the Fort is early December. There are few better ways to get into the holiday spirit. Campers have dressed their sites with garland, lights, and sometimes over-the-top holiday displays. There are some relatively uncrowded days early in the month, but around mid-month this changes rapidly. The days before Christmas leading up to after the New Year are the busiest of the year – equaling only Thanksgiving and Halloween.  They are also the priciest.