Sunset on Okaloosa Island near Fort Walton Beach, FL

Having finished another epic stay in Louisiana, Lois and I loaded up Harold-the-RV, with Irving-the-Car in tow, and pointed ourselves in the direction of Florida, our first trip to the Sunshine State. From our RV Park in Slidell, north-east of New Orleans, we sped past the coastal towns of Mississippi, then Alabama, on our way to the western edge of the Florida Panhandle.

Our initial stop was Okaloosa Island near Fort Walton Beach, a barrier isle stretching dozens of miles along Florida’s aptly named Emerald Coast where a colorful mosaic of multi-colored waters — deep blues mixed with aquamarine hues — spill onto sparkling white sandy beaches. Our RV Park was conveniently located across the island’s main road, just 2 minutes from the Gulf. Here, we treated ourselves to warm, sunny beach days , good eating, and plenty of R&R. More about this in a future blog…

The Campsites at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort

As the idea of full-time RV’ing slowly drifted from dream to reality, we began to brainstorm places to explore. Though not at the top of our list, now again Lois and I would name out loud camping at Disney World’s Fort Wilderness resort as a fun possibility. Opened in 1971, these campsites and cabins were very near and dear to Walt Disney’s original plan for his “Florida Project”. Embodying an American old west theme, Walt envisioned it as a peaceful, nature oriented retreat, offering guests an affordable alternative to the hustle and bustle of expansive luxury resorts.

I wonder what Fort Wilderness looked like when it opened more than 50 years ago? Disney does it right, and I’m sure they did a masterful job constructing a brand new facility that, from the onset, looked like it had existed for years. Fast forward a half century later, here we were enjoying campsites carefully tucked into a mature forest with the signs and sounds of nature all around us. The original 1971 new “old” buildings are now well seasoned and blend perfectly into the natural surroundings.

But is it a resort you ask? Absolutely. Fort Wilderness has plenty to do for everyone. Amenities include two pools, horseback riding, carriage rides, snack areas, an excellent affordable restaurant, canoe and bike rentals, and paved trails winding throughout the park. It is also quite large, meaning you hardly ever see a crowd. To get here and there within Fort Wilderness, a shuttle is available. But in our case we rented an electric golf cart to get us around — what a blast!

One very special memory of ours is an hour long carriage ride that began at dusk. Our masterful driver, Deanna, was very sweet and a joy to share life with. She, like us, lived in Fort Collins, CO for a number of years. In her case, she was a student at Colorado State. The star of the show was Pirate-the-horse who did the hard work. There is something very peaceful and magical, even healing, while plodding through a forest at night behind the clippity-clop of a faithful steed.

As for access to the theme parks, Fort Wilderness offers many options. Our go-to mode of transportation was shuttling by water on a 40 passenger boat straight to the gates of the Magic Kingdom. From there, the Monorail is available to take visitors to other resorts that share the shores of the lake we stayed on. For those who want go further, at a major Monorail hub around the lake, one can either transfer to a dedicated EPCOT line, or jump on Disney buses connecting the other Disney theme parks.

Are we glad we came? You betcha! Lois and I had the time of our lives. There will be future trips to Fort Wilderness, I’m sure.

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Poking Around Disney World

Our stay at Fort Wilderness gave us four full days to enjoy Disney World. Two of those were saved for visiting the Magic Kingdom. The rest of the days were set aside for enjoying Fort Wilderness. One afternoon, however, we decided to do some exploring outside the campground and take a peek at the nearby resorts. As I mentioned above, there are many ways to get from here to there when staying inside Disney World. For this particular excursion, we took a boat to the Magic Kingdom peer, then looped around the lake via the Monorail.

Hotels we saw along the way were the Contemporary, Polynesian Villas, and Grand Floridian resorts. By the time we got to the latter hotel, we we ready for some lunch, so we got off the Monorail to beed our stomaches and get a closer look at luxury Disney World living.

First stop was guest services where we learned there were no less than 5 restaurants to choose from. Lois and I quickly ruled-out. serveral of them, including one that completely blew our minds, Victoria & Albert’s, which, to our surprise, is a multi-course Michelin star restaurant on the second floor. The cost? A mere $400 per person. The engineer that I am, I quickly calculated that that kind of money could buy a person about 56 sandwiches (56.374 to be exact) — with fries and Coke included! Completely at peace with the idea that we could get the job done at the nearby grill — with no more than a shared sandwich, fries, and a cookie or two — we kindly passed on the Michelin option. 🙄

A special experience for Lois was listening to an extraordinary pianist, playing a grand piano in the beautiful, ornately design lobby. What did he play? Familiar pieces with a few Disney pieces tossed in hear and there (of course). At one point, Lois walked over and personally thanked the incredibly gifted and accomplished performer, at which point he said “Thank you so much” and then asked Lois “Can I play something special for you?” Already overwhelmed by the beauty of his music, the two of them quickly sifted through a multi-page list of songs on his iPad, at which point he spotted a “perfect piece” for Lois and solemnly and gently returned to his piano. What unfolded was a beautiful and highly technically song — far, far of the track of his normal main stream reportoire — that absolutely entranced Lois in deep thought. What a wonderful moment for not only Lois, but the performer, giving him the opportunity to masterfully and passionately perform a song that obviously had deep meaning to himself.

The Magic Kingdom

Disney World features four major theme parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. If that weren’t enough already, Disney World also has a couple of water parks, a large shopping/dining district, and who knows what else. For our first trip, we decided to keep it simple and stick to the Magic Kingdom.

Many people have been to Disneyland in Anaheim, CA (if not multiple times). Still others have enjoyed one or more visits to Orlando’s Magic Kingdom. For Lois and I, we have now graduated into the group of folks who have been to both. So how do they compare?

Disneyland (excluding California Adventure) is on a smaller property. Even so, it has more rides compared to the Magic Kingdom. For instance, Disney Land has the Matterhorn with its iconic ride, an Indiana Jones adventure ride, and the relatively new Star Wars: Galaxy Edge section, none of which exist at the Florida park.

The Orlando version, on the other hand, has its Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train (roller coaster), and, IMHO, a larger, more interesting Fantasy Land including Beauty and Beast, and Little Mermaid attractions. As for its Sleeping Beauty Castle, it dominates the skyline, standing more than twice as tall as Disneyland’s.

As for everything else, the two parks are very similar. As Lois and I moved around the Magic Kingdom, there were many moments when it was hard to tell which park we were in, California or Florida. Though not carbon copies — the train station at the main entrance, the walk down Main Street, the plaza in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle were eerily similar.

Interesting as that may be, the most important thing to share is Lois and I had a fantastic time. We are so glad we came as we were blessed with many wonderful moments we will cherish for many years to come. 😀❤️🏰

Reserved Dining at the Magic Kingdom

One last thing… While we were in the park, Lois and I treated ourselves to a couple reserved meals:

Lunch at the “Crystal Palace” with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle plaza
Dinner at the “Be Our Guest” restaurant at the Beast’s enchanted castle in Fantasy Land

Check out the photos!