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2022 Fort Wilderness in Review: Looking Ahead to 2023

Published on by thewildernessprincess

After a couple of years of pandemic madness and a new barn, Fort Wilderness was relatively sleepy in 2022.

Still, there are a few defining highlights.

Winter 2022 –  beginnings of a return to normal

Slowly, little pieces of Fort Wilderness, like the rest of the Walt Disney World, seemed less gripped by the pandemic. In January, the Fort Wilderness carriage rides returned. Immediately, life at the Fort seemed better, as the sights of the elegant horse and carriage are one of the many distinguishing features of everyone’s favorite campground.2022 fort wilderness

By March, refurbishment began at the old Clementine Beach area. This had been fenced off prior to the pandemic for the buildout of the Reflections: A Lakeside Lodge resort on the old River Country property.

Clementine Beach

However, the pandemic paused construction of the Reflections project. The return of Clementine Beach brought conjecture that Reflections might never be built at all. This was good news to those Fort glampers who saw the resort as an intrusion on the tranquil and pioneer vibe of Fort Wilderness.

Below is a 2020 Tweet showing concept art for the Reflections: A Lakeside Lodge project.

Yet, a new DVC tower announced for the Polynesian Resort had much of the same misfit modern energy. It is almost as though the Reflections plans were recycled and moved from Bay Lake to Seven Seas Lagoon.

And DisTwitter is calling bullsh*t – particularly since it being built on the site of what was the luau.

summer 2022 –  more major returns and a big policy change

In May, Walt Disney World began taking reservations for the Hoop Dee Doo, which reopened on June 23. After the long-running vaudeville-style show went dark during the pandemic, some were worried it might never return.  But it came back with only a few minor changes in the script and set.

Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue
Photo Courtesy Disney

Yep, that famous strawberry shortcake remained.

Then, on July 6, the Chip and Dale Campfire Show returned to Fort Wilderness. At this point, Fort Wilderness fully felt like the campground that it did prior to March 2020.

A blow to campsite hoarders (Good news)

Later in July, a change to the way that peak-holiday reservations are handled represented a massive shift.  Previously, a few travel agents had reserved large blocks of campsites during the most popular periods at Fort Wilderness  – especially Halloween. This made it difficult for other normal travel agents and regular individuals (like you and me) to get Fort reservations during these times.

Fort Wilderness Meadows Pool Gate

But overnight. Walt Disney World disrupted the game. No longer could one change the names of individuals on a reservation for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. If your name (not the travel agent’s name or some other name) was not on the reservation, then you’d have to start all over to get one. This left many individuals who had Halloween reservations through one of these “groups” in the cold – with no reservation at all.

The good news is that the system seems to be somewhat of an improvement. Once reservations were opened for Christmas 2023 (January 2, 2023), there were still many spots days later, whereas they sold out almost immediately under the previous system.

Fort Wilderness Christmas Tree

food trucks gain some staying power

When non-Disney food trucks first appeared at Fort Wilderness, it seemed as though it was some sort of experiment. With Trail’s End Restaurant now closing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, it looks to be sticking around.

fort wilderness food truck roundup

I’ve said it before, but the food trucks are the single best addition to Fort Wilderness in the last several years.

fun in the fall + weather

September rolled out with Hurricane Ian, closing Fort Wilderness for a little more than a week.

Still, mid and late October at Fort Wilderness was better than ever. Well, at least for those whose reservations were solid. Remember, Halloween is perhaps the highest demand season of all, and Disney put a stop to travel agents making mass reservations to resell.

Clearly, the decorations seem to become more over the top every year. Highlights included a full-Blockbuster set up at a campsite as well as a Fort Wilderness “train” in the golf cart parade.

But any holiday decorations had to come down quickly in early November, as Hurricane Nicole brought yet another closing.

hurricaNe Nicole – should I stay or should I go?

With the approach of Hurricane Nicole, serious confusion ensued regarding whether or not Fort Wilderness would temporarily close. First came an announcement that guests would be relocated. Oh, never mind – that was a mistake. Or maybe that’s just tent campers. Hours later, everyone was evacuated after all. Fortunately, Fort Wilderness sustained little damage and the campground reopened quickly.

The big bob switch

Then in November came the biggest news of all – former Disney CEO Bob Iger would be returning to his post after stepping down in early 2020. His successor, Bob Chapek, ended his reign in November after Disney underperformed financially and its stock took a deep dive.

Under Chapek, prices for food, resorts and tickets rose dramatically, and many guests and Disney fans criticized him for charging for previously-free Fass Passes.

2023 Projections and Wishlist

With Bob Iger back in charge, we should see some price stabilization of tickets and overnight stays, as well as more modifications to the much-loathed park reservation system.

Rather than roll back overnight rates at Fort Wilderness, look for a return of more specials that could effectively lower the price of stays 25-30 percent. Hopefully, 2023 will bring some love to the area demolished by pre-construction of the seemingly-dead Reflections project.

What do we want most?

Topping our wish list is the return of the walking trail from Fort Wilderness to Wilderness Lodge.Fort Wllderness Trail

Of course, we are also looking forward to seeing what improvements are coming to the largest of the two pools in Fort Wilderness – the Meadows Pool. If all remains on schedule, it will be closed from January 9 until some time in April. This sounds like a little more than a minor cosmetic repair.

fort wilderness discounts

I suppose in the ideal world, we would see a return of the Fort Wilderness Railway – or at least the trams. We would have another swimming area on the old River Country property or perhaps even a second campground built near Epcot.

Realistically, our best hope is that Walt Disney World leaders will genuinely understand the importance of Fort Wilderness, its history and its guests as a vital part of the resort offerings.

Related: 2023 Fort Wilderness Rate Tables