djsamuel

Also the Luau at the Polynesian.

That's odd. We were at the Fort the week before Labor Day as well. It was our 40th stay there over the last 7 years (I was curious and had to count). We've requested a site for all but our first stay. In those 39 times when we requested a site, we only received a text message once. I wish we would get it more often. This trip we did not get a text as usual and went up to the registration lane. When we got there the cast member told us that we got one of our requested sites. Sometimes we get it and sometimes we don't but it has always been noted.

From what I've read on other sites, people seem to take I-40 across and do fine.

Yes, I used the fax request at the end of August and they had it on our record at check in.

Thanks! Yes, Labor Day weekend filled the place up and people must have stayed the week after Labor Day. BIG difference. 🙂

First time for me. We were really glad to hear it at check in and told the cast member that. She agreed.

That reminds me. When we were staying at the Fort a couple of weeks ago, they were actually checking magic bands at the pool.

Currently 9AM to 9PM. The Settlement Trading Post has shorter hours, 11AM to 5PM.

At P&J's it is really nice. Plenty of room to come in and choose a table away from others. They also do a great job cleaning after people leave. At the other restaurants, we found the seating to also be very well done. At the Rose and Crown we were well away from other people. Our server there told us that an early lunch at Epcot is empty, while it gets busier as the afternoon wears on. In all case, we felt comfortable. I posted a trip report in the Trip Reports section of the site with photos from the Rose and Crown and what it was like.

No, the yellow bus travels along the full hookup sites, past the far side of the Meadows Trading Post, past some premium and preferred loops and ending at the settlement. Just take any bus to the Settlement and wait for the Yellow Bus to come in saying the Settlement. Ask the bus driver if he is heading to the Lodge from there. If the bus came from the Lodge, it will be heading to the outpost first. You can ride it and then head over to the Lodge or you can wait for the next Yellow bus which should be heading straight over to the Lodge since it will be coming from the Outpost.

No. You can get on the Yellow bus heading to the Settlement. After it stops at the Settlement it will head to Wilderness Lodge. We used it last week and it works out well.

Thanks for the feedback. It was a very nice stay. Getting into the other resorts was easy, we just told them we were staying on property and offered to have them scan the magic bands which they declined.

I feel like I'll be showing these photos to people years from now talking about the 2020 pandemic as a point in history! 😀

A couple of weeks ago, we saw that our passes that my wife has from her retirement from Disney were finally unblocked for both of us to enter the parks. So we were able to grab a nice reservation at Fort Wilderness and finally get back. It was a great trip and I'll try to add some pictures here to give some info on what everything is like. First I should say that the parks weren't bad the first weekend, and EMPTY the week prior to Labor Day weekend. Our park passes were blocked again starting the Friday of Labor Day weekend, which was fine because it got pretty crowded.

You'll enjoy your stay. Just remember the changes are temporary, enjoy the ones that make for a more relaxing trip, and realize that what you are experiencing is part of history. The photos of my wife and me in front of the castle are ones that, years from now, will bring back a lot of memories.

We were there from August 28th to September 6th. While some things have changed like you mentioned, the atmosphere was still there. To be honest, while I missed Trails End I really enjoyed being able to sit inside with P&J's breakfast of sausage gravy and biscuits. I also enjoyed the parks with no fast passes as well as not having to crowd into the stretchning room at the Haunted Mansion and fight the crowd. We found the cast members everywhere to be excellent. While having lunch at the Rose and Crown we talked to two merchandise cast members who live here but one was from Scotland and

News Article about Cancellation

A woman working at P&J's normally works the food truck. She said no firm date for any reopenings. You can get refills at P&J's, not sure at the pool. You just show them your cup and they give you your drink in a disposable cup. Nice being able to sit inside Trails End while eating or drinking. Very relaxing.

The trail to the lodge is GONE. It was torn up to install water pipes. You can see they are planning on reinstalling it since they've installed new concrete spillways along the route. Lots of work to get done and at least while we were there, no sign of any new work being done. Looks like it will be a while. The water pipes are not installed, just laying on the ground and some big holes dig in a few locations.

Based on what we saw at the campground this weekend I believe it.

And all loops are full. The first week of our stay the campground was EMPTY. Now it is PACKED.

We just got back today from 9 days at the Fort. The boats were running regularly to and from the Magic Kingdom, two boats. At least while we were there, they were boarding well over 4 families and they were allowing people to sit outside in the front as well as the back. They have a sign saying the bus to the Magic Kingdom leaves from the Settlement. The bus to Wilderness Lodge also leaves from the Settlement now and runs the old route, using the road between Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge. Until Friday, the campground was empty. Starting Thursday night it started to fill up.

This past weekend, we were at Magic Kingdom on Sunday. It was more crowded than when my wife went a week earlier. However, this was also the first weekend where both the cast member's pass as well as the associated spouse and guest passes were unblocked for the parks. In addition, it was the last weekend before school started for most of the counties around Disney, and Orlando County started the previous Friday. That added to the attndance. With all of that said, attendance wasn't bad; empty in the morning and not bad in the afternoon. We rode Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in the morning with

So far, with the exception of Hollywood Studios, they usually don't hit their current limits. So until things improve in terms of the virus, the numbers should stay low. We were at Epcot and Magic Kingdom last weekend and it was very empty. Magic Kingdom was great; very well run as well. Epcot was strange. The lack of the International program really changes the atmosphere and a lot of the shops and restaurants are closed. Heading to the Fort Friday for about 10 days. Should be interesting.

You can also go to Subsonicradio.com, set up an account and then go to "Make Requests". Click on "Background" and then search for Fort Wilderness. You can request the Music loop from the Settlement. It runs a little over an hour.