Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort Debuts Bigger Pool, Refreshed Lobby

Jul 10, 2026 in "The Campsites at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort"

Gallery / 9 Photos
Fort Wilderness Resort's Expanded Pool Area and Refreshed Reception Outpost

See all 9

Posted: Friday July 10, 2026 1:14pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Fort Wilderness Resort has added new space to its Meadow Swimmin' Pool and refreshed the look of its Reception Outpost. The updates give guests more room by the pool and a smoother arrival when checking in.

Meadow Swimmin' Pool Gets More Room

The Meadow Swimmin' Pool area now includes a new zero-entry pool and additional deck space next to the existing pool. Together, the changes roughly double the amount of pool space at Fort Wilderness Resort.

Fort Wilderness Pool

Guests can still take on the 67-foot corkscrew waterslide, or spend the day relaxing poolside or swimming.

The pool area also includes a nod to Walt Disney World history: an old-fashioned barrel carriage with Mickey Mouse dressed in his camping gear, along with a tribute to Disney's River Country. River Country was the original Walt Disney World water park, located next to Fort Wilderness before it closed.

Fort Wilderness River Country

River Country Fort Wilderness

Reception Outpost Refresh

Fort Wilderness Resort has also refreshed its Reception Outpost, the first stop for guests checking in. The updated space gives cast members more room to greet arriving guests and help them get settled before heading out to the resort's cabins and campsites.

Fort Wilderness Check In

New artwork above the fireplace shows Mickey Mouse and friends enjoying outdoor activities along the water, matching the resort's rustic setting.

Fort Wilderness Artwork

Look up, and you'll spot three scenes featuring Huey, Dewey, and Louie taking part in activities guests can do during a stay at Fort Wilderness Resort, including archery, fishing, and camping under the trees.

Fort Wilderness Details

Fort Wilderness Stage Shop

Fort Wilderness Interior

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

monorail81Jul 13, 2026

It gets especially annoying when they tap around on the iPad and then say, “Follow me over to the desk.” I’d rather they have just been at the desk in the first place.

TrainsOfDisneyJul 13, 2026

I agree. I also think the iPad makes it look less polished and professional in general. But the good news is…. The check in area looks great. Ft. Wilderness has so much charm and it’s great to see them do such a nice job with this space.

SpectroMagicianJul 13, 2026

"The updated space gives cast members more room to greet arriving guests and help them get settled before heading out to the resort's cabins and campsites." The building and floorplan is the same, there is no "more room" as you say. They just removed part of the desk, which is a weird trend I still do not understand. Dealing with a case member using an iPad is so much more annoying than just having them behind the desk on a computer doing things much faster.

DobergeJul 12, 2026

The new pool also includes new restroom facilities on the south side, furthest from older facilities. Pool games are in the new pool and that helps spread out the crowd at busy times. There's a nice table area near the new pool as well, built around a tree. Like @DisneyFanatic said it works best to have the two pools near each other. This area as an activity hub means there's already a crowd. Many that get there (bus, csrtx whatever) would not leave a busy pool to check a distanced second pool with an unknown crowd (imagine leaving one crowded pool to go to another that ends up more crowded). I "felt" that the outpost (lobby) was different but the changes were subtle so I was unsure. It's now a little brighter. Around the resort, water levels have been low for a while and kayaks and canoes have been unavailable since February. As of July 1 even summer rains have not raised water enough for boats. It was a bummer not being able to paddle around.

BurgermeisterJul 12, 2026

There are two pools at Ft Wilderness.

DisneyFanatic12Jul 11, 2026

Satellite/leisure pools are nice because they aren’t crowded, but that also means they don’t attract as many people. With a waterslide, nearby campfire, bike barn, other activities, nearby gift shop, and more, Meadows Swimmin’ Pool gets extremely busy during the summertime. Adding a satellite pool would help, but wouldn’t have a significant impact on the overcrowding because it wouldn’t draw in a large number of guests. The other unique feature of Fort Wilderness, like you said, is that the average guest has means of transportation, whether that be a golf cart, bike, or if they’re generally comfortable using the internal shuttles. Proximity is definitely important to some guests, but the majority of guests don’t weigh it too heavily when choosing which pool to go to. The new pool nearly doubles the capacity of the pool deck, without drawing in twice the number of guests. The pools still get noticeably over capacity (150% capacity over the Fourth of July weekend when I counted), but it’s nothing like years before the expansion when it was hard to even move within the pool. From a “feels” standpoint, I’d say it feels like each pool is about 75% as full as what the old pool used to be during the peak months, and about half as busy during the quieter months.

Vegas Disney FanJul 11, 2026

As someone who’s never stayed at Fort Wilderness did a new pool, right next to the old pool, make more sense than a satellite pool? The few times we’ve stayed at Caribbean Beach we used the satellite pools more than the main pool purely for convenience and serenity. As a golf cart community does that eliminate convenience as a factor? It looks great, just seems odd at such a huge resort that they didn’t put it in the north end where there’s no current swimming pool (at least not that I can see on Google Maps).

EeyoreFan#24Jul 11, 2026

It was.

Gary7777777Jul 10, 2026

I thought the AC issue was at Wilderness Lodge?

EeyoreFan#24Jul 10, 2026

Heard they rigged up a real clever contraption as part of the new refresh. They call it air cooling. But it will probably not catch on.

nickysJul 10, 2026

And don’t forget to pick up some beignets on the way. A quick boat ride …..

nickysJul 10, 2026

Sure. Just head to Disney Springs and take a bus to the Fort. 👍😎

wdwmagicJul 10, 2026

Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort Debuts Bigger Pool, Refreshed Lobby The Meadow Swimmin' Pool at Fort Wilderness has expanded with a new zero-entry pool and additional deck space, roughly doubling the total pool area. The Reception Outpost has also been refreshed, giving cast members more room to assist arriving guests, with new artwork featuring Mickey and friends throughout the space. https://www.wdwmagic.com/resorts/Disneys-Fort-Wilderness-Campground/news/10jul2026-disney-s-fort-wilderness-resort-debuts-bigger-pool-refreshed-lobby.htm