I camped at Disney World, the cheapest way to stay near the parks. Here's what it was like and why I

• I stayed in a tent at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground for $92 a night.
• It wasn't worth it, and didn't save me money. I'd only stay here again in an RV or a cabin. 
• However, I did like the resort's amenities and proximity to the Magic Kingdom.

I booked a stay at Disney World's cheapest accommodation, Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.

I have stayed at almost every resort at Walt Disney World during my over 20 years of visiting, but I'd never booked the cheapest accommodation — a campsite at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort.

This was my first time camping, so I was excited to see what it would be like and if the accommodation would be worth the low cost.

I booked a two-night stay for the beginning of November. It cost $92 per night and $207 total after taxes.

When we arrived, we had to pass through security.

Luckily this didn't take long. A member of security asked to verify the name on the reservation and see my friend's ID since he was the person driving. 

The check-in process was seamless.

Next, we headed over to the Fort Wilderness Reception Outpost to check in.

Though the official check-in time was 3:00 p.m., we made our way to the resort earlier around 12:30 p.m. in hopes that our campsite would be ready. We wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to pitch our tent before sunset.

Fortunately, our campsite was ready when we arrived.

As I checked in, I got information about the resort's activities.

Before leaving the desk, the cast member — what Disney calls its employees — handed me two sheets with information about the various available activities including a Movie Under the Stars and Chip 'n' Dale's Campfire Sing-A-Long. 

The resort assigned us campsite 2069 near Spanish Moss Lane.

I was pretty happy with our campsite location since it was only a couple of feet from both a comfort station and a bus stop. 

The size of our campsite surprised me.

The campsite was very roomy and provided more than enough space for our belongings and four-person tent.

According to Disney's website, the main concrete area is about 10 feet by 25 feet and can technically fit up to two tents and 10 people. 

It came equipped with space to park our vehicle as well as a picnic table, grill, hose, and various outlets to provide electricity.

Once I got a feel for the campsite, I lugged all of my stuff over to the picnic table.

Since it was my first time camping, I wanted to be overprepared instead of unprepared. 

It ended up taking about 30 minutes to take the stuff out of the car, but it felt good to know that I was ready for the next couple of days. 

I brought first-aid supplies, blankets, bug spray, and other basics, but we didn't bring food because we didn't want to attract any bugs or wildlife. 

While unloading, I felt myself getting itchy from mosquito bites, so we sprayed bug repellent around our campsite and tent in the hope that it would keep them away.

I was also happy I packed mosquito-repellent bracelets.

Pitching the tent wasn't easy, so I was grateful my friend and sister were there to help.

Originally, our plan was to rent a tent from Disney because its website says you can rent tents and cots for a fee, but I couldn't find any clear information about how to do so.

When I contacted a cast member through the online chat, he said Disney rents out tents but doesn't set them up and that he couldn't tell me how to rent the tent or how much it would cost. Instead, he provided me with a phone number to call.

I called the number and was on hold for an hour. I then reached a cast member who said they don't believe Disney has tent rentals, then transferred me to a different line. After 30 more minutes of being on hold, another cast member told me Disney doesn't do tent rentals. 

With that in mind, I purchased an "easy-setup" tent before my trip and brought it with me. 

Sadly, I still struggled. Despite how many times I read the directions and watched videos online about how to assemble the tent, it just wasn't going my way.

Insider reached out to Disney for additional clarification about its tent-rental policies but did not immediately hear back. 

During the process, my friend got stung by a bee.

A bee stung my friend's hand while he was assembling the tent poles. 

I was grateful he was OK and that I had packed a first-aid kit. He put some Neosporin and a Band-Aid on and quickly returned to being a happy camper. 

After almost two hours, a fellow camper stepped in to help us set up the rest of our tent.

After a while, we were growing discouraged as we didn't seem to be making any progress. 

A fellow camper recognized our struggle and offered to guide us in building the rest of the tent. 

I had been using a rubber mallet to push the steel pegs into the ground, but she showed us it's sometimes easier and quicker to step on them. With all of her guidance, what probably would've taken us another hour took only 15 minutes. 

Pitching the tent took longer than expected, but it was rewarding to see it finally constructed and standing up on its own. 

When it came time to blow up the air mattress, we realized that we pitched the tent too far away from the electrical outlets.

Since it was my first time camping, I didn't think about the importance of the location where we pitched our tent because I was just eager to get it up. 

Although we'd brought one extension cord with us, it wasn't long enough to allow us to inflate the air mattress inside.

We ended up having to slightly inflate the air mattress, drag and place it in the tent so it would fit in the door, then finish inflating it. 

Luckily, a fellow camper lent us a longer extension cord so we could finish inflating the mattress. 

I noticed wildlife almost immediately after we arrived at the campsite.

As soon as we started pitching the tent, we heard turkeys approaching our campsite. I'd never seen turkeys in person, so they startled me. They didn't bother us and they were cool to look at. 

During the trip, I also saw a beautiful owl. 

Our air mattress barely fit inside of the tent, but we made it work.

Since three people were in our party, I purchased a queen-size air mattress to make sure there would be enough room for all of us. The bed just fit inside the tent.

It was a very tight squeeze that didn't allow us enough room to store the rest of the stuff we'd brought with us. We kept the rest of our things on the picnic table and in the trunk of the car.

After we set up camp, we went to refresh at the comfort station.

I was very grateful it was nearby as it wouldn't have been the most private or comfortable thing to freshen up at our campsite considering the small size of our tent and our close proximity to other campers. 

The station nearest to us also had a machine outside where guests could purchase ice for $2. There were also bulletins outside containing campground and site-decoration information. 

The inside was very nice and equipped with plenty of mirrors.

The front contained two full-size sinks and one kid-size sink all with running water in addition to a couple of restroom stalls with flushing toilets.

A self-service laundry room containing multiple washers and dryers was attached to the restroom portion of the comfort station.

The showers also seemed quite nice.

There were multiple showers in the back that seemed quite clean, though I didn't use them. I especially liked the tile.

The area also had a baby-changing station, hooks, and a bench. However the campsite provided no shampoo, conditioner, body wash, or towels. 

Overall, I was surprised by how nice the comfort station was.

After freshening up, we went to go look at the rest of the campsites in our loop.

I was amazed by how creative fellow campers were with their campsite and golf-cart decorations. One of my favorites was this one with Mickey ears and gloves. 

Our site was definitely the most basic compared to the others in our loop, but we still made it work.

I loved seeing the inflatable Halloween decorations, which provided our loop with some character. I also saw signs for birthdays and other celebrations. 

We decided to head to the Magic Kingdom, a journey that started with a bus ride.

Overall, it was going to take about 40 minutes to get from our campsite to the Magic Kingdom. 

To get to the Magic Kingdom, we'd take a bus to a settlement area where we'd take another bus or boat directly to the park. 

Though we weren't in any kind of rush, it was still bothersome to have to transfer so much.

Luckily, our campsite was only a couple of feet away from the first bus station.

One major thing I did not like about this resort was how long it took to travel to different areas.

The internal-bus system was also confusing to us because there were multiple buses labeled with different colors to reflect their routes. 

Fortunately, the bus from the settlement area to the Magic Kingdom was quick.

The bus from the settlement area to the Magic Kingdom was waiting there when we arrived, which was nice.

From the settlement area, it took about 10 minutes to get to the park, which wasn't a long time at all compared to the approximately 20-minute ride from Disney's All-Star value resorts. 

When departing the Magic Kingdom, we decided to stop at Wilderness Lodge for dinner since the two resorts shared a bus.

It worked in our favor that both resorts shared a bus since Wilderness Lodge is home to two of my favorite quick-service restaurants on the property, Roaring Fork and Geyser Point Bar & Grill. 

We ordered food from Geyser Point and, since it's a to-go spot, we sat in the indoor seating area of Roaring Fork.

I also tried one of Roaring Fork's new desserts, the bear-mousse cake. It was delicious with its raspberry mousse, almond cake, and dark-chocolate ganache. It was cute, but it felt a bit overpriced at $7.99.

Geyser Point has one of the best cheeseburgers on the property.

Whenever I visit Wilderness Lodge, I always have to get the bison cheeseburger. It is just so delicious with its sweet crispy-onion straws, marionberry sauce, and garlic aioli. 

After taking the bus back to Fort Wilderness, I had to finish up some work.

If there's one thing I did really like about the tent, it's how intimate it was. It was dark at night so I was happy to have brought a lantern with me to provide light.

After I finished working, I made my way to the comfort station to change into my pajamas.

I took my lamp with me since it was completely dark outside aside from the decorations. It was a bit scary since I didn't know if any wildlife was around me, which definitely increased my anxiety. 

My party made it a point to stay together to remain as safe as we could in case something were to happen. 

I ended the night with a movie, which was a great way to wrap up the day.

Luckily, the campground had complimentary WiFi available for guests so I was able to stream the live-action version of "Pinocchio" on Disney+.

The WiFi was a bit spottier on our campsite than in common areas nearby, but it still got the job done. 

The next morning, we rented a golf cart since we were going to be at the resort for the entire day.

The golf-cart rental was surprisingly cheaper than I expected at $67 — including tax — for the day. 

The cast member did a great job at explaining how the golf cart worked, since it operated differently from a traditional car. 

That said, I wish the cart had had turn signals. 

My party was provided with a magnet that we could use to identify our cart as well as bring home as a keepsake.

Buying a gift at a Disney gift shop could cost a pretty penny, so I was glad the resort gave us a complimentary magnet with our rental to remember our trip. 

Driving the cart around the property was surprisingly fun and allowed us to look at areas we hadn't seen before.

Driving the golf cart was surprisingly fun and easier than I expected. It expedited the amount of time it took us to transport around the property.  

We even saw a dog park on the grounds.

One of the things I liked most about this resort was how many amenities it had for guests such as the dog park, playground, bike rentals, archery, fishing, and canoeing. Some were free, but others, like the bike rentals, cost extra. 

This was also the first time I'd ever seen a dog park at a Disney resort, and it was nice to see the franchise accommodating pets.

We also stopped by the area's Meadow Swimmin' Pool.

I was blown away by the pool area, which felt similar to the ones found at many Disney deluxe resort hotels. Access to it was also included in the price of the campsite. 

I didn't go down the slide, but I was surprised to see one since they aren't any at the other value-resort hotels on the property. 

The hot tub was a nice touch and provided adults with something relaxing to do while the kids played in the pool.

The only downside to the pool area was that towels were not provided and we had to bring our own — luckily, I had packed one with me. 

The pool chairs were also, comfortable which surprised me — usually, the chairs at value resorts aren't great.

This area also had a variety of games that guests could play including Connect 4, chess, and pool. There was also a room filled with arcade games. 

After spending time by the pool, we tried the quick-service restaurant on the property.

P & J's Southern Takeout was about a 10-minute golf-cart ride away from the pool area.

The place had a lot of Southern-inspired dishes and barbecue, like fried chicken and ribs. It also had a breakfast menu, snacks, salads, burgers, and desserts. 

The priciest dish was about $25 and some sides and snacks cost as little as $4. 

It now may be my new favorite.

I ordered the barbecued pulled-pork sandwich which came with one side. I chose mashed potatoes with gravy. I also tried the macaroni and cheese my sister got with her sandwich.

The food was delicious and reasonably priced for a quick-service dining location that serves higher-quality cuisine than the average burger and fries. 

My sandwich and side cost $10.79 before tax. 

After dinner, we sent to see what the Chip 'n' Dale's Campfire Sing-A-Long was all about.

We headed over to the area at 6 p.m. in the hope that we would see the characters. To our delight, they came out to greet guests as soon as we arrived. 

We were able to spend 30 minutes with the characters without any other guests there, which is a rare experience at Disney. 

As a Disney adult who loves meeting characters, this was a very special memory for me.

Unfortunately, it started to rain heavily, so we went back to our tent to seek cover and struggled to get around in the rain.

After about 30 minutes, it began pouring and we got worried our belongings inside the tent would get wet.

Driving the golf cart through the rain to get back to our campsite was very challenging as there was only a bottom window and therefore all of the rain and wind hit my face while driving. 

When we went to go check the tent, we realized neither of us zippered the door shut. 

The tent's rainfly did its job repelling water as only the Chip 'n' Dale blanket was damp. Other than that, our bed, pillows, and extra blanket were mostly dry, which we were thankful for. 

The next morning, we noticed that some rain had leaked into the corners of our tent.

Luckily the amount of rain that was able to penetrate the corners of the tent was negligible compared to how much it had rained.

Since we were heading out that morning, we didn't worry too much about cleaning it up, since we were disassembling the tent anyway. 

I was surprised by how easy it was to disassemble the tent.

We had learned a lot about our tent from the time it took us to assemble it, so disassembling it was a breeze. It took about 15 minutes, which was good since our check-out time was 11 a.m. 

The tent was wet from the night full of rain, but luckily, it didn't set us back too much. 

My stay at the campsite wasn't worth it, and it didn't actually save me money.

Though I mostly enjoyed my time camping — especially because I was with my sister and friend – I would never do it again.

Camping might be a cost-effective option for those who have equipment already, but I spent $313 on supplies — tent, air mattress, sheets, lantern, mosquito-repelling supplies — in addition to the $207 fee for my campsite. I also spent $67 to rent a golf cart, which ended up being essential for getting around.

This experience also made me realize that camping is not for me. 

I enjoyed the grounds and all of the amenities the resort provided for guests, but when I am visiting Disney on vacation, I like to relax. I found camping to be far from relaxing, and filled with mosquitoes. 

I would much rather pay a bit more to stay in one of Disney's value resorts for a more pleasurable experience. For example, Disney's All-Star Music Resort can cost as little as $119 a night and it comes with a comfortable room and a themed experience. 

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