One of the most magical things about Fort Wilderness is how campers and glampers go totally bonzo when it comes to decorations. You’ll read folks complaining about rising site prices in various groups (such as our Mouse Glamping Society), but then note that many people have thousands invested in their multiple inflatables, homemade haunted mansions, and life-sized Cinderella coaches.
But if you’re like me, your decorations may be a little more modest. While I love seeing other people’s displays, I grimace at the thought of storing So Much Stuff.
Nevertheless, one of the questions I often get from followers and friends is what types of decorations to put up in any given month and what’s allowed. Does Halloween decorating start in August? How big can you go?
Here’s a few things you might want to know.
Halloween and Christmas are the biggies.
Sure, Fort decorations go on all year long with lots of patriotic, Star Wars, general lighting or Mickey-themed stuff. But its October through December that brings it out in the most obnoxiously-beautiful way. Some folks even rent three sites and haul their stuff in on horse trailers. And these wonderful, gaudy displays of Big Lots consumerism are one reason why the holidays are more popular at the Fort than just about anywhere else in Disney World.
Halloween actually does start in August.
And Christmas starts as early as November 1. These are the norms. Honestly, nobody gives a mouse’s butt if you put out Halloween stuff in March.
Some people honestly live and exist for decorating their sites at Fort Wilderness.
In addition to the sea of inflatables, there are often some full-scale, built models of pirate ships, rooms at the Haunted Mansion, life-size Cinderella carriages. Now the Fort Wilderness rules (more on that below) kinda frown on this, but fortunately they keep coming. You’ll see groups in costume for days, never breaking character. You’ll add up the numbers and realize that some of this stuff probably adds up to close to $20,000 or more. Whoever these folks are, thank you.
Just a taste of the insanity that is Halloween at Fort Wilderness!! #Halloween #WaltDisneyWorld #DisneyWorld #Disney #FortWilderness pic.twitter.com/VA9m2ebtRN
— Fiesta De Zaroff 🎃🎃💀💀 (@GeoZaroff) October 29, 2020
It’s totally cool to decorate just a little or even not at all.
People aren’t gonna feed you poisoned apples just because you aren’t keeping up with the Joneses. I actually enjoy the classy effect of simplicity and maybe just a string of lights. It gives my brain a break.
When it comes to Disney-themed ready-made stuff, Lowe’s is the biggie. But there are other fun sources too.
This year, the Lowe’s Disney-themed Halloween stuff showed up in stores a couple of weeks ago. I went in there and experienced complete Zen for 30 minutes just pushing all the buttons. A lot of it was Haunted Mansion themed, and sold out quickly. Right now those talking Leota tombstones (yes, they are cool) and the grandfather clock are going for a premium on eBay. People are dying to have this stuff. Home Depot has a similar eerie vibe, but with far less Disney.
But there’s also a fair amount of stuff on Amazon (check out my affiliate/infuencer store for some ideas). Target usually has some more hipster-typestuff and it’s online and in stores now. And if you have a Big Lots near you, they also have a lot of the giant flashing talkie stuff – but usually no Disney themes.
There’s a plug for your decorations at your campsite.
Most campsites have two plugs – attached to the number sign. You can use one to charge your golf cart and the other for your decorations. No need to haul a generator. Just bring plenty of long green outdoor extension cords.
Fort rules stipulate how much space you can use.
All decorations have to be at least three feet from the road and within 10 feet of your concrete pad. They should not flow over into your neighbors’ areas or impede the flow of traffic in any way. A few years back, they also cracked down on having structures that people actually walk through, although some folks are kind of staying in some gray areas on this one.
Don’t forget to decorate your golf cart.
Attaching battery-operated lights and other decorations is fairly simple with zip ties and command hooks. If you need more electricity for serious décor, check out the Halo Box (affiliate link) that you can plug into the golf cart.
Haha guilty as charged! We go all out at Christmas, heck I’m too tired to put up a tree at home!!! We love talking to guests as they come by our site and take pics of their children in front of our lights (no inflatables!). We have met the nicest people. Plus the horse-drawn carriages clip-clopping by! Hopefully we’ll be in loop 100, or upgrade to 400-700 if they assign us to a site too small! Come by and look for Olaf roasting marshmallows by his campfire and Minnie ice skating on her pond!! And our Cricket golf cart is fully decorated with presents on the back (look for Santa popping out of a present). Can’t wait!!!
Jo Ann – This is absolutely fabulous and your holiday spirit is glowing right through my screen! Thank you for what you do and for sharing your motivations. Looking forward to looking out for your site in Loop 100.