Recent Refurbishments?

[leafyeon]

Hi Fort Wilderness experts! My family and I are looking to spend an afternoon at Fort Wilderness on our next trip next week. We won't have park tickets that day, so our original plan was to sleep in, make our way to Fort Wilderness, rent bikes, explore, perhaps go on a carriage ride, check out the horses, go to the campfire, and then head to dinner at Artist's Point (Storybook Dining). On our last trip, we headed out to Fort Wilderness to catch Chip & Dale at the campfire but arrived too late, so we are trying to make sure we don't miss them next time!

But I've just read that the Tri Circle D ranch is currently being refurbished, and the Disney website states that bike rentals are also not occurring due to construction. Is anyone there/has been there recently who knows whether we can still enjoy those things somewhere else at Fort Wilderness? Will the construction/refurbishment be over soon? I've tried Googling but can't seem to find much!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jimsig]

...the Disney website states that bike rentals are also not occurring due to construction.

Bike rentals at Wilderness Lodge have been suspended not Fort Wilderness.

"Please Pardon Our Pixie Dust
Bike rentals at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge have been temporarily suspended due to construction in surrounding areas. Please check back for further details."


At The Fort you get the bikes at The Bike Barn located at The Meadows..

Another option at The Fort is to rent a golf cart for the day.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/recreation/cabins-at-fort-wilderness-resort/golf-cart-rental/

 

[bama_ed]

The only horses to see at the moment are those used for the Trail Ride behind the Outpost Bus Depot up at the Check-in area of the Fort. They may not be as close to view as those at TCD but that's where some are. However, there are some up in the front corral (close viewing) as people get on them for the rides which are at the following times: (am) 830, 1000, 1130 and (pm) 100, 230.

Carriage rides were offered around Christmas first come first served in front of the Meadow Trading Post in the middle of the Fort (sort of across Fort Wilderness Trail from loop 900). Don't know if they still are or if so when.

The campfire singalong starts at 7pm with Chip & Dale working the crowd posing for pix and and signing autographs. The Food Truck there sells a s'mores kit if you want to ruin your appetite before your dinner for about $10 (some grahams, some mallows, some chocolate, some sticks). The movie following the singalong will start about 740pm.

The construction for the new resort and DVC bungalows IMO will go on for another year at least but the new TCD should reopen in a few months across the WL Bus Road from where it was.

Have a great trip!

Bama Ed

 

[Cosmic]

The construction for the new resort and DVC bungalows IMO will go on for another year at least

I checked in on the progress recently to see if there was maybe a chance of a soft opening by the fall so I could walk over to Wilderness Lodge... it won't open until 2022.

 

[rideswithchrist]

I checked in on the progress recently to see if there was maybe a chance of a soft opening by the fall so I could walk over to Wilderness Lodge... it won't open until 2022.

that makes sense- they are building a gigantic DVC resort between WL and FW- so they can't have people walking through the heavy construction zones.