Availability in January?

[Rpsemont]

Hello!

My Daughter and Fiance recently bought a fifth wheel and have been travelling the country. I was trying to get them a reservation at Fort Wilderness for January, but it looks like it's sold out. Is that usually the case? Should I keep checking? I'm surprised it's totally booked this far in advance. Also, I was hoping to use my DVC points, but I assume if there's no cash reservations, there won't be DVC point reservations.
Thoughts?
TIA
Anne

 

[team bradfield]

FW fills up 1 year in advance.
From what I've heard, DVC doesn't do the Fort

 

[bama_ed]

January is a busy month, Rpsemont.

You have the end of the Holiday/New Year's week when people are still on vacation.

You have the Marathon week after that (sometimes overlaps NY week).

You have MLK weekend which is a three day weekend for many folks.

You have locals that book campsites for weekends when the booking window opens at 500 days because January is cooler obviously and thus nicer camping weather than summer (when you can get weekends closer to time). That means that weekdays are often available but not weekends.

You have the snowbirds/retirees who book for long periods of time (some times an entire month) in January to escape colder northern climates.

Of course you can keep trying and people can and do piece together a reservation. Settle on a level of campsite and a timeframe then look for individual nights. You find a night (or two) here, a night there, and keep plugging away till the gaps are filled. People have done that successfully but you have to check often (every day and/or multiple times a day). You pay a deposit of one night which means on a one-day reservation you are pre-paying. Then before you arrive you can get the individual reservations merged into one reservation (same level, consecutive nights) which makes it easier for planning and dining (if you want to).

It's work but that's how it's done at this point. With increasing demand, no added extra campsites (Disney has added LOTS of hotel rooms over the decades), you have to book WAY in advance. As team bradfield said, (at least) a year in advance. And at the booking window for major holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter seasons, you have to book at the max window. Sadly, it is what it is.

So it's up to you if you want to try to pull it together piecemeal (and obviously check for your entire stay) but odds are you'll be luckier with individual nights than one big chunk of dates. But cancelations do happen.

Good luck, Anne.

Bama Ed

PS - As an example, I booked Thanksgiving 2022 (2 weeks) at the Fort at the max booking window time which was about a month ago. Now (a month later) only Tent sites show any availability for Thanksgiving week.

PPS - Another example, the booking window is based on your ARRIVAL day. So I could be looking for a weekend (2 nights) in January but if someone books a month long (30 day) stay and leaves on that desired weekend, they have a 28-day head start on you on being able to get that weekend.

 

[FtW Mike]

As Team Bradford indicates DVC is Not extended to FT W accommodations. In Jan you have a Large Number of events that make Ft W a prime location. IE New Years , Race weekend , MLK Day and the migratory influx of Snowbird like us that go then.

 

[Rpsemont]

Thanks for all the replies. Ideally, I was looking for a 6 day period that we could park the RV and DH and I would be dogsitting while DD went to Jamaica. We don't want to have to drive it, so day by day piecemeal probably won't work. Any other recommendations for campgrounds with hookups and pet friendly hear by? (50-60 miles radius?) Or places nearby we could store the RV while they are away? We own a condo in Kissimme, but no RV's allowed.



Thanks!
Anne

 

[PaHunter]

January is a busy month, Rpsemont.

You have the end of the Holiday/New Year's week when people are still on vacation.

You have the Marathon week after that (sometimes overlaps NY week).

You have MLK weekend which is a three day weekend for many folks.

You have locals that book campsites for weekends when the booking window opens at 500 days because January is cooler obviously and thus nicer camping weather than summer (when you can get weekends closer to time). That means that weekdays are often available but not weekends.

You have the snowbirds/retirees who book for long periods of time (some times an entire month) in January to escape colder northern climates.

Of course you can keep trying and people can and do piece together a reservation. Settle on a level of campsite and a timeframe then look for individual nights. You find a night (or two) here, a night there, and keep plugging away till the gaps are filled. People have done that successfully but you have to check often (every day and/or multiple times a day). You pay a deposit of one night which means on a one-day reservation you are pre-paying. Then before you arrive you can get the individual reservations merged into one reservation (same level, consecutive nights) which makes it easier for planning and dining (if you want to).

It's work but that's how it's done at this point. With increasing demand, no added extra campsites (Disney has added LOTS of hotel rooms over the decades), you have to book WAY in advance. As team bradfield said, (at least) a year in advance. And at the booking window for major holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter seasons, you have to book at the max window. Sadly, it is what it is.

So it's up to you if you want to try to pull it together piecemeal (and obviously check for your entire stay) but odds are you'll be luckier with individual nights than one big chunk of dates. But cancelations do happen.

Good luck, Anne.

Bama Ed

PS - As an example, I booked Thanksgiving 2022 (2 weeks) at the Fort at the max booking window time which was about a month ago. Now (a month later) only Tent sites show any availability for Thanksgiving week.

PPS - Another example, the booking window is based on your ARRIVAL day. So I could be looking for a weekend (2 nights) in January but if someone books a month long (30 day) stay and leaves on that desired weekend, they have a 28-day head start on you on being able to get that weekend.

We are also booked the end of Nov 2022 to mid Dec 2022 in a Preferred Site.

 

[Stratman50th]

Thanks for all the replies. Ideally, I was looking for a 6 day period that we could park the RV and DH and I would be dogsitting while DD went to Jamaica. We don't want to have to drive it, so day by day piecemeal probably won't work. Any other recommendations for campgrounds with hookups and pet friendly hear by? (50-60 miles radius?) Or places nearby we could store the RV while they are away? We own a condo in Kissimme, but no RV's allowed.



Thanks!
Anne

You might try a travel agent. Give them the details and let them do the heavy lifting.
As far as other campgrounds there's a bunch that people on here use.
There's a brand new resort near me which is about 30 minutes from Disney. It's very nice but actually Disney expensive.

 

[bama_ed]

We are also booked the end of Nov 2022 to mid Dec 2022 in a Preferred Site.

We are in a Preferred for 2+weeks leaving on Monday 11/28/22, Chris. Hope there is some overlap in our reservations.

Ed

PS - just added 2 nights in a Preferred leaving Wednesday 11/30/22 so I hope you and DW can join us for dinner on your arrival night ....

 

[bama_ed]

Thanks for all the replies. Ideally, I was looking for a 6 day period that we could park the RV and DH and I would be dogsitting while DD went to Jamaica. We don't want to have to drive it, so day by day piecemeal probably won't work. Any other recommendations for campgrounds with hookups and pet friendly hear by? (50-60 miles radius?) Or places nearby we could store the RV while they are away? We own a condo in Kissimme, but no RV's allowed.

Thanks!
Anne

The Orlando Airport (MCO) has oversized parking available as does the Port Canaveral Cruise Ship Terminal depending on how they are travelling.

https://orlandoairports.net/parking-transportation/parking/#oversized-vehicles

https://www.portcanaveral.com/Cruise/Directions-Parking

And I assume you could keep the pet at your condo with you while they are gone? Unless you want to "camp" somewhere while they are gone, there are these alternatives available.

Bama Ed

 

[Rpsemont]

Bama Ed,
Thanks for those suggestions. I would not have thought about that. I will also start looking for other campgrounds

 

[Judique]

As Team Bradford indicates DVC is Not extended to FT W accommodations. In Jan you have a Large Number of events that make Ft W a prime location. IE New Years , Race weekend , MLK Day and the migratory influx of Snowbird like us that go then.

Actually, the Fort Cabins and Campsites are, but it's very difficult to book them. Points become available for use at 11 months and the sites can be long gone by then. I try every now and again but have not been successful other than the Cabins. The campsites are usually gone when I want them.

As copy and pasted from the DVC website:

• 
  The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort
  Walt Disney World Resort in Florida
  Disney Resort Hotels
  •  View Points Chart & Calculator
    
  • Rooms From
    32
    Reservation Points Per Night
  
  
  
  
• 
  The Campsites at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort
  Walt Disney World Resort in Florida
  Disney Resort Hotels
  •  View Points Chart & Calculator
    
  • Rooms From
    8
    Reservation Points Per Night

 

[Lisa P.]

Is it possible to make a cash reservation and later change it to a DVC points reservation?

 

[Judique]

Is it possible to make a cash reservation and later change it to a DVC points reservation?

I don't think so. Cash reservations would go through the regular Disney site or by calling a Disney number. You could make a cash reservation and cancel once you acquire a points reservation but you can't convert your reservation from cash to points.

A points reservation goes through DVC Member Services, either online or by calling Member Services.

Another thing to consider is that your points may or can be rented out for considerably more than the campsite costs. In the early days of DVC, campsites were as low as 6 points. And dues were $3 to $4 in the year 2000 for example.

The structure has changed and unless you have points to use up such as reservation points from a canceled cruise or other non DVC entity, it just doesn't make sense to use points to book this option. Plus, if you have to cancel your camping trip, you then would have reservation points and could no longer use them to book a DVC resort.

The best use of DVC points are DVC hotel rooms.

But....the Fort is a special place and worth a trip or trips. I enjoy it there. But, my DVC points are enjoyed in the DVC hotels.

 

[WeLovePluto]

is the 500 day booking window back in effect? trying to figure out if I can plan now when to book my next trip....i.e. how long I have to sell everyone on Mardi Gras 2023. I don't suspect it will be a hard sales job.

 

[WeLovePluto]

is the 500 day booking window back in effect? trying to figure out if I can plan now when to book my next trip....i.e. how long I have to sell everyone on Mardi Gras 2023. I don't suspect it will be a hard sales job.

I'm talking to myself, but the reservation system stops at the end of 2022 as of now, so it's not going 500 days out.

I'm not sure if that means I should call?...the online agent confirmed no bookings past 2022 yet.

 

[Teamubr]

So it's up to you if you want to try to pull it together piecemeal (and obviously check for your entire stay) but odds are you'll be luckier with individual nights than one big chunk of dates.

@rqsemont.
I saw you weren't interested in "piecing it together". Many have had success getting what they want in the past doing that. Reminder that there has been a recent change that seems to require a 2 night minimum. That will make it harder for the "piecing it together " crew.

I'm talking to myself, but the reservation system stops at the end of 2022 as of now, so it's not going 500 days out.

You do have to call for dates beyond what is on the web site. The site generally only has this year and next year after the new rates are released.

j

 

[bama_ed]

@rqsemont.
I saw you weren't interested in "piecing it together". Many have had success getting what they want in the past doing that. Reminder that there has been a recent change that seems to require a 2 night minimum. That will make it harder for the "piecing it together " crew.


You do have to call for dates beyond what is on the web site. The site generally only has this year and next year after the new rates are released.

j

Jim as FYI even though the early part of 2023 is within the 500 day window, no 2023 reservations are available yet even by phone. Has folks for the 2023 DIsney Marathon on pins/needles.

Ed

 

[Teamubr]

I thought I saw people booking December 2022. Didn't realize you couldn't get January yet.

j

 

[WeLovePluto]

Online still does not go past the end of 2022. however, the chat person told me they were booking the 500 day window, so I called this morning and was able to book for Mardi Gras 2023.

 

[nomorethan8]

Is it possible to make a cash reservation and later change it to a DVC points reservation?

Make a cash reservation and then rent your points out to pay for it.