We just wrapped a full Sunday-to-Sunday week living at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground — in the thick of Florida's June heat. The best part wasn't a ride or a park, though. It was having Andrew fly in and the whole family back together under one (very warm) Florida sky.
The Week in a Nutshell
Seven nights, two campsite loops (more on that later), four theme parks, one water park, a day at Universal, and the whole crew finally together. Hot? Absolutely. Worth it? Every mile.
Check-in day: backing a big rig into a tight site
We rolled in early — that's the move at the Fort. Show up around or after checkout time and your odds of a ready site go way up. We were assigned a preferred site in the 300 loop, and right away we hit the classic Fort Wilderness puzzle: a busy loop, vehicles parked along the edges, and a car sitting in our spot. A friendly conversation later (turns out it's before checkout, so a little confusion is normal), the car moved and we got to work.
Backing in solo is a different game when you're also juggling a second vehicle. Joseph drove the coach while Stefanie spotted, and we figured out the new logistics on the fly — earbud in, "keep coming, you're good," and don't panic about the line forming behind you. Slow is pro. We backed up to the creek with a little slice of a backyard, and we were off to the water park before lunch.
First-timers at Blizzard Beach
Water parks aren't usually our thing — especially a busy Disney water park in June — but we'd never done Blizzard Beach, so we gave it a go. We grabbed a couple of chairs near a shaded spot and jumped in line. The mat racer was a highlight (lay on your belly, lift everything else off the mat for less friction, and go), though we watched more than one rider lose their mat down the hill while a very reluctant lifeguard fetched it. The kids loved the obstacle course and the Home Alone–style zip handle. A few hours in the heat was plenty.
Andrew lands — and the dog loses his mind
That evening we made the hour drive out to Sanford to pick up Andrew. We brought Loki along, figuring he'd be the most excited to see him — and we were right. The second Andrew climbed in, Loki was all over him, head on his lap, face against his face. We were pretty thrilled too. Flight was on time, kids stayed up late to say hi, and just like that the whole crew was together for the week.
Park days: Epcot, Animal Kingdom & a peekaboo ostrich
At Epcot we rode Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (an Andrew favorite), the new Soarin' Across America overlay, and Living with the Land before splitting off to do our own thing.
Animal Kingdom is running as a bit of a half-park right now with DINOSAUR down, but we hit Expedition Everest, took the train over to see the new Bluey area at Conservation Station, and rode Avatar Flight of Passage with a short wait. The unexpected star of the day? A random ostrich behind the fence on the train ride, ducking and popping its head up like it was playing peekaboo with every passing car. Graham was sure it wasn't real. We capped it with a Night Blossom slushy in Pandora.
One of our favorite running themes all week: every single ride, the kids fought over who got to sit with Andrew. Graham on Guardians, Juliet on Everest — Andrew was the hottest seat in the family.
The curveball: an underground fire and a midnight-ish move
Mid-week, we started noticing extra security, fire trucks, and even forestry crews with thermal cameras across the creek. Turns out there was an underground fire near our area. Stefanie was literally making homemade chicken nuggets when Joseph got the call from Disney: we'd need to move. They relocated us from the 300 loop to a bigger site in the 800 loop — and of course, the sky chose that exact moment to open up. After weeks of barely any rain, we packed up our outdoor setup and made the move in a full downpour, umbrella out, backing in on flooded streets. Not the smoothest night, but we landed on a roomier pad and made it work.
Fort Wilderness tips from our week
- Arrive after checkout time for the best shot at a ready site — and don't stress the loop traffic while you back in.
- Preferred = closer, but smaller. The original 100–300 loops put you near everything, but the pads run tighter than the clover loops. Big rigs, plan accordingly.
- Bring bike lights. The loops get dark, and bikes are the fastest way around the campground.
- Transportation times vary a lot by destination. The Jeep was quick to Epcot, but the boys' bus actually beat us to Animal Kingdom one morning.
- Check out the new zero-entry pool at the Settlement — it's finished and lovely.
Magic Kingdom nights & a last-chance classic
We squeezed in Magic Kingdom for Space Mountain, the PeopleMover, and Big Thunder Mountain — and made a point to ride the Carousel of Progress one more time, since it's changing in July and this was likely Andrew's last spin on the original. The kids also met Chip 'n' Dale and the Country Bears later in the week.
Andrew's big day at Universal Orlando
We bought Andrew a day ticket to Universal and went all in: VelociCoaster (still the gold standard), the Incredible Hulk Coaster, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Skull Island: Reign of Kong, Cat in the Hat, and yes — the Fast & Furious ride, which we'd file under "one and done" (the sarcastic crew members were the best part). Andrew became a serious butterbeer fan. It was hot and crowded, but a great long day, and we came home and made pizza at 8 p.m. like the wild, off-schedule family we become on vacation.
Father's Day & saying goodbye
Our last day with Andrew was a rainy one, so we kept it slow: waffles in the morning (Graham was a big help), and homemade chimichangas for Joseph's Father's Day dinner. Then it was back out to Sanford to send Andrew home — his flight had its own adventure dodging a storm — and the next morning we packed up the Fort and rolled over to Tropical Palms. A hot, full, wonderful week. Our week with Andrew.
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