Hi Heather,
Thank you so much for visiting planDisney with your question! I am happy to help you to navigate going from
Disney's Art of Animation Resort to
Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.
There are a couple of ways that you can get from one Disney Resort Hotel to another using
complimentary Disney transportation. Typically, doing this will require at least one transfer of transportation. I suggest that you do this transfer at a theme park or Disney Springs. So you would need to head from Disney's Art of Animation Resort to a theme park or Disney Springs, and from there take transportation to Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.
For this trip, I would suggest that you first catch a bus from Disney's Art of Animation Resort to
Magic Kingdom, and then take a
boat from Magic Kingdom to Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. The reason for this is twofold. First, taking a boat is a lovely and relaxing way to head to your dinner. Secondly, the restaurants at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground are located at the Settlement area of this resort, which is nestled along the water and is most easily and quickly accessible by boat.
I would allow yourself at least 90 minutes for this travel. This will account for any time that you need to wait for the bus or boat, as well as the travel time itself. If you are looking for shorter travel time, you could consider using
Minnie Van Service. While a Minnie Van might not take you directly to the door of your restaurant at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, they will take you to Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and get you as close as they can. Minnie Van Service will cut out the middle step of waiting to transfer transportation methods. Please note that Minnie Van Service is administered through Lyft, and it does require an additional cost.
By the way, Heather, if you can, do allow some extra time to explore the Settlement area at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. If you have small children there are wonderful places for children to run and play. Simply hanging out on the sandy area and looking at the water is calming and lovely. I have wonderful memories of watching my daughter play in this area when she was younger. It is truly one of the relaxing hideaways at Walt Disney World.
I hope that this information is helpful for you, Heather! Have a lovely time planning your magical vacation, and please do let us know if you have any further questions.
~ Mona Leigh