Giving thanks at Disney

We went to Disney for Thanksgiving. We didn’t actually walk the grounds of Disney World, though, or pay the $100 entrance fee. Instead, we loitered near the entrance for a few days by staying at the Disney campground, Fort Wilderness. I must admit that Disney isn’t the first place I think to take a vacation, even though we now live a mere four hours from Orlando. However, my brother and his family were vacationing for a week at Disney, and the promise of family time at a place that is beloved by my niece, nephew, and sister-in-law was reason enough to go. And we had a blast.

The campground (contrary to what you might expect from Disney) is filled with real dirt and trees and squirrels and raccoons. But there’s also luxury – water and electric hookups at every campsite, and heated bathroom stations (a nice improvement over ‘dig a hole in the dirt’ bathrooms we have when we normally rough it). They also have lots of Disney events: there’s a nightly sing-a-long with  Chip and Dale, followed by an outdoor Disney movie. There’s a communal campfire for roasting marshmallows, and a restaurant where you can drink (very expensive) beer. We watched the nightly light show, when a train of boats with huge lighted screens glides by on the lake which separates the campground from the Magic Kingdom. (See how much I learned? I didn’t know until this weekend that Magic Kingdom refers to the original Disney World, whereas “Disney” is an all-encompassing term for the brand and/or the location.)

My niece Kyla got into the spirit by making her own nature-filled Mickey decoration.

We kayaked through the canals of the campground.

We played pirate-themed miniature golf.

We also froze nearly to death. We shivered through the first night, when the temperatures dipped to into the low 40s. Then we slipped over to a big box store and bought electric blankets for all, which led to camping bliss. I’m starting to see the benefits of electric hookups at campsites after all…