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August 4, 2011

Disney After Dark: Fort Wilderness Campfire Singalong and Movie


Welcome to those of you joining me from Disney on Wheels and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 3rd on our Magical Blogorail. This month, we are sharing our favorite things to do after dark at Disney besides fireworks.

When night falls on Walt Disney World, many families gather in the Magic Kingdom, Resort Beaches, on the shores of the World Showcase Lagoon, and in many other special places to watch Magic fill the skies in the form of Disney fireworks shows.

While my family are huge fans of Wishes, Illuminations, and even Fantasmic, this month's Magical Blogorail theme focuses on our favorite "after dark" activity BESIDES fireworks.

Luckily, this was a no-brainer for me, as my family LOVES the campfire at Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground.  Fort Wilderness is nestled along the shores of Bay Lake and is easily accessible from anywhere in Walt Disney World.




Every night, Fort Wilderness plays host to the Campfire Singalong which over the years has become one of my family's favorite Disney pastimes, and best of all... It's absolutely FREE to Walt Disney World Resort guests.



Guests wishing to participate in the Campfire festivities meet in a special area near Meadows Trading Post. The fun begins around 8 PM (7 in Winter months) with a fire-lighting ceremony during which time guests gather around the two campfire rings to roast marshmallows and create ooey-gooey s'mores.



 

"Go To" Tip: All out of campfire goodies??? That's OK, S'mores Kits, Marshmallows, Popcorn, Pizza, Candy, Sodas, and more at the Chuck Wagon concession stand.







Soon after the fire lighting ceremony gets underway, a Cast Member will lead the crowd in a Sing-A-Long Program while Chip and Dale mingle with guests, taking pictures and signing autographs.


The Sing-A-Long portion of the program lasts about 45 minutes and is followed by a showing of a Disney movie on the outdoor screen.  Guests have a choice of sitting in the adjacent bleachers, on blankets on the ground, or around the campfires.



Since my family stays at Fort Wilderness every January, we have become familiar with this fun-tastic activity.  We change into our PJs or sweats, drive our golf-cart to the special electric cart parking area just beyond the campfire area, spread out blankets on the ground in front of the screen, and cuddle up for a movie under the stars!



If we're feeling super ambitious, sometimes we'll even take an intermission during the movie to head over to the Fort Wilderness Marina just in time to watch the 9:45 passing of the Electrical Water Pageant.


The Campfire Sing-A-Long and Movie at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort is the perfect way to kick back and relax with the family.  This is a free activity for WDW Resort guests and offers a unique character meet and greet opportunity in a fun, family atmosphere!  Be sure to squeeze this in on your next Walt Disney World Vacation.





Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Focused on the Magic.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:
1st Stop ~ Magical Mouse Schoolhouse
2nd Stop ~ Disney on Wheels
3rd Stop ~ Disney Go To Girl
4th Stop ~ Focused on the Magic
Final Stop ~ Delightfully Disney



10 comments:

Beth Doda ~ disneymom2jhe said...

We have not tried this yet, but it definitely is something my children would love. I am going to have to look into that!

The World of Deej said...

In our countless trips to Disney, I've never set foot on Ft. Wilderness property. Someday, we'll have to stop by and check it out. The Vero Beach resort does a campfire with smores, and it's a pretty fun time also...

Brunk said...

Love Fort Wilderness but have never done the campfire. We even stayed there once and didn't do it. So sad. Looks like a great time.

Unknown said...

Oh, that sounds wonderful! The one time we tried to do this, severe storms came through and the event was cancelled. I did wrangle a ride back to my resort on the courtesy van, though, instead of having to wait in the rain for the bus. We'll definitely have to do it again sometime.

Tricia from Return to Disney said...

We've thought about staying at Ft. Wilderness, but I wasn't so sure about the cabins - are they as comfortable as resort rooms?

Deb @ Focused on the Magic said...

What a fun activity for the whole family! We'll have to try Fort Wilderness sometime.

Heidi said...

I've had that on my "to do" list several times, but we've never actually done it. We visited friends there a few years ago and I just loved the campground. Don't think we'll brave it in a pop-up camper though.

Unknown said...

We have yet to try this but it looks like so much fun!

Unknown said...

That looks like a lot of fun! I'll hopefully check that out someday!

Bird said...

Doing this is one of my earliest memories of WDW. What a trip down memory lane! Thanks!!