The resort has miles of paved paths for use by pedestrians, joggers and
bicyclists. However, if that is not enough there is also the Fort Wilderness
Swamp Trail that begins next to the Settlement Trading Post and meanders
through a cypress swamp along the shore of Bay Lake. It is accessible
only by foot, and mosquito repellent is recommended.
There is also an exercise/nature trail that runs for 2.3 miles of paved
and unpaved roadway, connecting the resort with the Wilderness Lodge Resort
(behind the bike/boat rental building on the beach). I’ve not personally
checked this out, but it is on my list of things to do on a future stay
when the weather is comfortable.
Bicycles,
golf carts and non-motorized boats can be rented from the Bike Barn.
The Bike Barn is the place to rent canoes and paddle boats for use in
the canals as well as bicycles and electric golf carts. Some people bring
their own golf carts, which can save considerable money. Golf carts are
best reserved in advance, as sometimes there are not enough to satisfy
all the requests. Reservations are taken up to a year in advance. The
daily rental is approximately $43 a day plus tax, and many people rent
them for their entire stay for transportation within the resort.
It is certainly more convenient to drive your golf cart to the Magic
Kingdom boat or the bus to the other parks, and it’s also a lot more fun.
The golf cart parking spots have electric hookups so your battery will
be charging while you are gone. To rent a golf cart you must be at least
18 years of age, but only need to be 16 with a valid driver’s license
in order to drive one that an adult has rented.
A couple of the golf carts available for use.
Bicycles are another popular mode of transportation within the resort.
There’s no need to wait for an internal bus to arrive when you can hop
on your bike and pedal to the bus or boat that will take you to your final
destination. Helmets and infant seats are provided upon request, and there
are even bicycles with training wheels for the younger set. Bikes are
rented by the hour and by the day, although if you can bring your own
from home you can save enough money over the course of the trip to splurge
on a nice dinner out somewhere.
Surrey bikes are also available, as they are at almost every Disney resort
by now! These rent on a 30-minute basis and seat either four or six people.
Kids love them, but will have to be a certain height in order to reach
the pedals. Otherwise, the adults will be doing all of the work!
Ft
Wilderness Marina
The Fort Wilderness Marina is home to the motorized boat rentals. The
WaterMouse boats are small two-passenger speedboats that are great fun!
The driver must be at least 12 years old and five feet tall, although
the renter must be at least 18 years old. The boats are rented in 30 minute-
or one-hour increments, with a slight price break for taking the hour.
The 30-minute rental is approximately $22, while the hour is just over
$30. Life jackets must be worn by all passengers at all times, and it
is likely you will get wet from the spray from the waves.
Also, although these boats claim to hold two people, unless it is an
adult and small child you may not get very much speed. The lighter the
load, the faster the boat will move. There is also an upper weight limit,
but I would strongly recommend that if two adults want to ride, they should
each get their own boat even if their combined weight falls below the
limit.
Also available are SunTracker pontoon boats and a limited number of sailboats.
For all boat rentals a valid driver’s license or Disney resort identification
card is required. Fishing enthusiasts can book a fishing excursion from
the marina as well. There is a bass fishing excursion, which lasts two
hours and is conducted three times per day. The cost is $165 to $195 depending
on the time of day, and which accommodates up to five people. Fishing
guide and equipment is provided and reservations are necessary. There
is also a Children’s Fishing Excursion for 6 to 12-year-olds.
There are also Recreation Family Plans for those parties who expect to
make use of the WaterMouse and pontoon boats. These plans are open to
any resort guests, but if you were staying at a different resort, you
would need to come to the Ft. Wilderness Marina to use the boats under
the plan. These same plans may be offered at other resorts with full marinas
as well. I know last Thanksgiving they had the plans available at the
Villas at Wilderness Lodge.
The Captain Plan allows the family to use 4 hours of rental (total; not
per person) for $115 plus tax. Since the normal rental is approximately
$30 per hour, this plan provides minimal savings.
The Family Plan is a weekly rate for unlimited use of the WaterMouse
and pontoon boats for up to four people. The cost is $199 plus tax and
is a flat fee whether you will be staying a full week or only a few days.
This plan is very attractive to my teen son, who would like nothing better
than to spend a week at Villas at Wilderness Lodge and spend all of his
days on a WaterMouse. To be fair to other guests, people on the plan can
take a boat out for an hour at a time. If nobody is waiting to rent that
boat at the end of the hour, they can stay out for another hour. Otherwise
they have to return the boat and wait for the next one to be available.
One
of many playgrounds.
Other recreation is scattered throughout the resort. There are several
playgrounds, tetherball stations, and a basketball court. This is a great
resort for allowing children to burn off pent-up energy while adults relax
at a picnic table with a cold beverage or snacks.
Pioneer
Hall – the center of downtown Ft Wilderness.
While not exactly recreation, dining is a big part of most people’s vacations
— and Fort Wilderness happens to be home to a couple of dinner shows.
The Hoop Dee Doo Revue is the most popular dinner show at all of Walt
Disney World, and has been running for over 25 years. It features the
corny comedy and lively music of six talented actors. Themed to the Old
West, it is described by Disney as “a foot-stompin’, hand-clappin’
Western revue.” It’s fun for all ages, even the very “cool”
teens. Dinner is all-you-can eat and consists of salad, fried chicken,
ribs, corn, baked beans, and strawberry shortcake. Unlimited beer, sangria,
and soda is also included.
While it’s not a gourmet meal, it’s always been delicious on my visits,
and the sangria especially is a favorite of mine. The cast moves throughout
the audience interacting with the guests, and towards the end some people
are selected to come up on stage and be in the final number.
Reservations are required, and they are taken up to two years in advance.
Seating is set based on when you make your reservation, so for the best
seat call as far in advance as possible.
Cast
of Hoop Dee Doo Revue during Christmas season.
The other dinner show is conducted seasonally, and is called Mickey’s
Backyard BBQ. The cost is the same as the Hoop Dee Doo revue (around $50
to $60) but here the food is burgers, hot dogs, and sometimes ribs. The
characters show up and teach line dancing to the guests. It sounds like
a good opportunity for children to enjoy the characters, but if you are
not a fan of line dancing or country western music, I would book a character
breakfast or dinner elsewhere.
Trail’s End Restaurant is very popular for its relatively inexpensive
buffet meals. Many people travel here from other resorts specifically
because the food is good and the price is lower (partly due to not having
characters at the meals). Crockett’s Tavern is right next door and serves
appetizers and pizza as well as beverages.
If the Petting Farm doesn’t appeal to you, Crockett’s Tavern is another
place to wait for your Hoop Dee Doo Revue seating to begin.
The
dock and nearby beach is a great spot to watch the nightly water parade.
You can view the Electrical Water Pageant nightly from the beach at 9:45
p.m. This is the only parade that has been running without change since
Walt Disney World opened in 1971. People attending the 7:15 Hoop Dee Doo
Revue can be outside in time to watch this delightful parade. A series
of connected floating barges each illuminate while music is playing. It
creates a parade of sea creatures first, then switches to patriotic music
and scenes of red, white, and blue.
Many
peacocks roam freely throughout the campground.
As you can see, there is plenty to keep you busy during a stay at Fort
Wilderness Resort and Campground even without going to the theme parks.
With the Wilderness Cabins it is also a great vacation spot for people
not willing to give up air conditioning and daily housekeeping, too!
