Campers, y’all are not going to believe this

[Disneypeach]

Hey all,
I’ve just checked into the Fort and was informed that only people with Fort reservations are allowed in. In other words, the Fort is in a “hard stop” just as it was last Halloween. It’s been this way for the last 3 or so days and will be so thru tomorrow according to the two CMs I’ve talked to so far.

It’s all due to someone on social media (one CM mentioned Facebook) that said the Fort was having Halfway to Halloween activities. The CMs said there aren’t any activities (never have been) but so many people descended on the campground to see the “activities” that the Fort was overwhelmed by the numbers!

Granted I’ve seen a handful of decorated golf carts and some blow up Halloween decorations at a couple of sites but nothing big.

Kind of amazing from a couple of angles: power of random social media and the power of Fort Wilderness’ popularity at Halloween and Christmas to see the campers decorations.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Disney stopped granting vehicle access to non-resort guests or guests with ADRs a number of years ago. Guessing this is the same at Fort Wilderness.

 

[team bradfield]

Thought that was always the case, pool's would be overwhelmed with locals

 

[rdaky]

Disney stopped granting vehicle access to non-resort guests or guests with ADRs a number of years ago. Guessing this is the same at Fort Wilderness.

Yes, this is the general rule across all resorts. Some resorts are more strict than others and it can vary by security guard, too. I'm guessing they were just emphasizing it because maybe they had a lot more than their usual cars trying to drive in.

 

[rdaky]

Thought that was always the case, pool's would be overwhelmed with locals

Don't even get me started on this one. As a local, I actually know for a fact that there are locals who park at Disney Springs and take the bus to their resort of choice to enjoy the amenities. I don't. But I know people who openly do. Even some playgroups meet at their playgrounds.

 

[team bradfield]

Lifetime ban would be a nice addition

 

[bama_ed]

Thought that was always the case, pool's would be overwhelmed with locals

The bus from Disney Springs (where there is free parking) has no one checking who gets on the bus during the summer months ....

Dump them out at the Outpost Bus Depot then hop an internal bus to the Fort pool.

The Fort management CAN NOT be this dumb to let it to continue.

(Hope they read this board - or at least my posts ..... which are all cogent, concise, and accurate).

Well, most of my posts are ....

Bama Ed

 

[rdaky]

The bus from Disney Springs (where there is free parking) has no one checking who gets on the bus during the summer months ....

Dump them out at the Outpost Bus Depot then hop an internal bus to the Fort pool.

The Fort management CAN NOT be this dumb to let it to continue.

(Hope they read this board - or at least my posts ..... which are all cogent, concise, and accurate).

Well, most of my posts are ....

Bama Ed

Except the Ft. pool is just kind of boring if we're being honest. I think other pools are more appealing and easier to get to. And yes, bored teenagers and even adults who have nothing better to do will park at Springs and ride the bus to the resort. It seems incredibly inconvenient to me but people do it. I was not exaggerating at all when I said that I am aware of a local playgroup that posts their meetups on Facebook and they are often visiting the resorts.

 

[team bradfield]

Except the Ft. pool is just kind of boring if we're being honest. I think other pools are more appealing and easier to get to. And yes, bored teenagers and even adults who have nothing better to do will park at Springs and ride the bus to the resort. It seems incredibly inconvenient to me but people do it. I was not exaggerating at all when I said that I am aware of a local playgroup that posts their meetups on Facebook and they are often visiting the resorts.

I read this as, I'm guilty

 

[rdaky]

I read this as, I'm guilty

I'm not. Nice try, though. I am not risking my annual pass for this nonsense and I have my own pool that no one pees in. lol

I find the behavior of a lot of locals despicable… between abusing amenities, abusing DAS, pool hopping reselling, and so on…Awareness is never a bad thing especially if you’re willing to report things.

 

[BikeFan]

Is it just using the pool that people consider bad behavior from non-resort guests? I'd never do that, but our family has certainly resort-hopped to grab a unique bite to eat, see what's new, or just enjoy the ambiance of a particular resort. We stay out of the pool area, however; that's for resort guests only, and we have no problem with that rule.

 

[bama_ed]

Is it just using the pool that people consider bad behavior from non-resort guests? I'd never do that, but our family has certainly resort-hopped to grab a unique bite to eat, see what's new, or just enjoy the ambiance of a particular resort. We stay out of the pool area, however; that's for resort guests only, and we have no problem with that rule.

For the most part, yes, using the pool is the part that I consider bad behavior.

Resort hopping is fine (we do it) and for most of the year, we Fort campers don't even know who around us is staying at the Fort or hopping over for a few hours. Resort hopping, on a normal scale, doesn't affect the experience of the "residents" of that visited resort (who pay to stay there).

However, the Fort can get crowded in the days leading up to Halloween and also during the Christmas time to the point where the mass of people starts to negatively affect the Fort resident's experience. Restricting golf cart rentals to Fort residents only was a step in the right direction to help that. I get the sense that people visit the Fort in late October in lieu of buying a Magic Kingdom Not-So-Scary special event ticket and the same at Christmas. They want a strong Disney Holiday experience and not have to pay for it.

I also realize the Fort pool isn't special and it's not protected to the degree, say, Storm-Along Bay is, but it gets crowded in summer and I've heard the poolside conversations of local crashers who came over anyway and don't appear to care about speaking openly. So I think that the Fort pool is a "sure thing" but other nicer resort pools might be in the "maybe we can get in" category.

So as the OP said, a Halloween-related rumor (at this time of year) apparently touched off a wave of hoppers and/or locals at the Fort.

Bama Ed

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

I'm not one that's usually in favor of more policing, but I wouldn't be mad if they scanned magic bands or cards at DS before letting people board a bus to the resorts. Either you're staying at a Disney resort or have a meal reservation. They already check at each resort and I can't think of another legitimate reason to ride the bus from there.

 

[tetera]

I just kind of wish they would put a magicband sensor on the pool gates…

Also, FWIW, when we were staying at the Fort last April, they did have signs up about official “Halfway to Halloween” events happening at the end of the month….

 

[CarolynFH]

I'm not one that's usually in favor of more policing, but I wouldn't be mad if they scanned magic bands or cards at DS before letting people board a bus to the resorts. Either you're staying at a Disney resort or have a meal reservation. They already check at each resort and I can't think of another legitimate reason to ride the bus from there.

I don’t think Disney wants to discourage guests from shopping at the resorts or eating at the QS restaurants, and they definitely encourage visitors by publicizing special things like gingerbread houses and Easter egg displays. They discourage parking at the resorts without a reservation because the lots aren’t big enough, not because they don’t want visitors.

 

[bama_ed]

Disney stopped granting vehicle access to non-resort guests or guests with ADRs a number of years ago. Guessing this is the same at Fort Wilderness.

Maybe you meant "withOUT" ADRs, @scrappinginontario ? Because Disney has never turned away guests at the Fort who want to spend money via some sort of ADR (dining, activities, etc.). And I doubt they would turn away guests anywhere else who want to spend money. Unless the lot is literally full (LITERALLY).

And to discern some what, visitors in low attendance times can roll up to the Fort security guard and say, "I'm here to see guest @scrappinginontario in site XYZ and the guards will generally let them in.

Although it helps to add expected off-site guests to your reservation (you can have up to 8 names on a reservation) to remove any doubt of them being able to come in and visit you.

But the guards have been turning away drive up guests with the "hey I just want to visit" line for years now. Because the Fort is a very desirable destination for guests who don't actually stay there overnight.

Bama Ed

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

I suspect that as the DVC presence increases in the Fort that there will be some tweaks to the policies.

My experience at the Fort with "influencers" has not been favorable. I have been camped near a couple of them over the years and they were nothing but arrogant and rude with their sycophants arriving throughout the day. They act as though they are royalty. I realize this is a generalization but my exposure to them has been pretty consistent.

 

[John VN]

I suspect that as the DVC presence increases in the Fort that there will be some tweaks to the policies.

My experience at the Fort with "influencers" has not been favorable. I have been camped near a couple of them over the years and they were nothing but arrogant and rude with their sycophants arriving throughout the day. They act as though they are royalty. I realize this is a generalization but my exposure to them has been pretty consistent.

Like ??? oops

Anyone else long for the time/atmosphere of Winter Resident Rates and the gentleman (forgot his name) with the beautiful Prevost in 301.

 

[hertamaniac]

If they required a scan to confirm an ADR and/or staying at a resort from DS via bus, then they would have lost us as locals who investigate the resorts before committing to a DVC rental and/or WDW resort stay. The DS busses provide us a means to determine which resort(s) are appealing and ones that aren't.

 

[patty57]

If they required a scan to confirm an ADR and/or staying at a resort from DS via bus, then they would have lost us as locals who investigate the resorts before committing to a DVC rental and/or WDW resort stay. The DS busses provide us a means to determine which resort(s) are appealing and ones that aren't.

My guess is this is a minuscule number of people, and doubt if it would impact Disney's bottom line in any way.