Question about tent camping

[mom22bless]

I was just curious as to why people would want to stay in a tent when the prices are comparable to values at resorts? My husband and I have both been in the Army, and know all the things that you have to bring for setup when you camp. It just seems like a big hassle to me.

No flaming please!! I really am just curious!

 

[bama_ed]

Well,

First, you can get a tenting site at the Fort for $42/night (cheapest season 2008 rack rate) and you can get a Value room for $82/night (cheapest season 2008 rack rate). So to start, depends on how you define "comparable" but the Value room starts being twice as much approximately. Oh, you can get an $82 campsite as well but then again you could also staying in a Moderate rather than Value resort.

Second, campers usually have a Coleman stove and a cooler or some other means of eating meals at the site. So by choice they can eat healthier and cheaper. Paper plates and plastic utinsels eliminate most cleanup. The DDP is a waste of money and has as its most attractive asset convenience.

Third, the atmosphere at the Fort is a lot more relaxing. If you go to a theme park every day all day I suppose it doesn't matter. But I also go on vacation to relax. Being cooped up in a Value room would drive me nuts. Sitting out by the pool or in the lobby is too much concrete and glass. Give me shade trees, sidewalks, cool breezes, and friendly neighbors - campers are by nature a more friendly bunch. Ever try to strike up a conversation with the family in the room next door?

Reasons one and two save families BIG money and allows them to come to WDW sooner or more often than the Value/DDP route (special offers not withstanding). For what it costs in tickets this is a big driver for some. I choose the Fort for reason three myself.

I could go on and on. If you feel bringing stuff is a hassle then maybe the Value route is for you. You won't find a nicer campground than Fort Wilderness!

Hope that was tame enough for you.

Bama ED

 

[Born 2 Fish]

I can completely understand why folk enjoy tent camping. Tent camping however is not for everyone. As a young man I greatly enjoyed tent camping, over the years my physical ability to tent camp has diminished somewhat and my likes or taste in types of camping has changed as well.

I think there are many reasons for different types of camping. It depends on what you like, what you can aford, how many people will be there, are you cooking at camp or eating out, how long the stay, etc. There are a lot of variables and some times the difference in cost of a value room or a tent site could mean the difference if a family can go to Disney or not.

 

[4daubers]

What is a hassle to one is part of the camping lifestyle for another and not a big deal. Tent campers are organized planners who can set up quickly.

On a side note...campers aren't sharing hotel germs with the bizillion people who have slept in and on the beds. To me, that's worth the hassle of setting up any time.

Born 2 Fish said it well!

 

[julierocks]

I completely agree with Bama. We are choosing to tent camp this January for the very reason of it being half the price of staying at the value resorts. Even with the new buy 4 get 3 free deal from Disney recently, the camping still comes out cheaper. We just check the tent, 2 tarps, our sleeping stuff, and our regular luggage. We purchase the DDP, so packing cooking equipment isn't a requirement for us. We fly southwest that doesn't charge to check up to 2 bags, so it works for us. Everyone is a little different though. We also like paying the least of anyone at Disney and being as close to the MK as the most expensive resorts!

 

[2goofycampers]

A family of 10 can camp on 1 site, you would need 3 value rooms to accomodate 10 people.

 

[mom22bless]

aahh...those all make sense now!!!

Thanks!!

 

[PixieDust32]

I was just curious as to why people would want to stay in a tent when the prices are comparable to values at resorts? My husband and I have both been in the Army, and know all the things that you have to bring for setup when you camp. It just seems like a big hassle to me.

No flaming please!! I really am just curious!

Well, maybe because some of us real campers like the tents. Also because in my case my family is too big for value resort and we spend more money on food that on anything else, at the campsite we cook and we save the money for other things, we do character meals or eat ath restaurants but not everyday.

Also we spend all day at the parks, we just sleep at the hotel or at the campsite, to me is a waste of money paying more for a hotel were all we do is sleep, we can do that in our tent for less.

I never question what other people do, I really don't care, all I care is what we do and why we do it.

 

[PixieDust32]

A family of 10 can camp on 1 site, you would need 3 value rooms to accomodate 10 people.

No kidding!! Dahhh!

 

[PixieDust32]

What is a hassle to one is part of the camping lifestyle for another and not a big deal. Tent campers are organized planners who can set up quickly.

On a side note...campers aren't sharing hotel germs with the bizillion people who have slept in and on the beds. To me, that's worth the hassle of setting up any time.

Born 2 Fish said it well!

Well said!

In our case, we can get great discounts at the marriott since DH works for them, but we like to stay onsite and we LOVEEEDDDDD to camp. We have so much fun and we don't care if we sleep in a tent, no big deal.

 

[PixieDust32]

Well,

First, you can get a tenting site at the Fort for $42/night (cheapest season 2008 rack rate) and you can get a Value room for $82/night (cheapest season 2008 rack rate). So to start, depends on how you define "comparable" but the Value room starts being twice as much approximately. Oh, you can get an $82 campsite as well but then again you could also staying in a Moderate rather than Value resort.

Second, campers usually have a Coleman stove and a cooler or some other means of eating meals at the site. So by choice they can eat healthier and cheaper. Paper plates and plastic utinsels eliminate most cleanup. The DDP is a waste of money and has as its most attractive asset convenience.

Third, the atmosphere at the Fort is a lot more relaxing. If you go to a theme park every day all day I suppose it doesn't matter. But I also go on vacation to relax. Being cooped up in a Value room would drive me nuts. Sitting out by the pool or in the lobby is too much concrete and glass. Give me shade trees, sidewalks, cool breezes, and friendly neighbors - campers are by nature a more friendly bunch. Ever try to strike up a conversation with the family in the room next door?

Reasons one and two save families BIG money and allows them to come to WDW sooner or more often than the Value/DDP route (special offers not withstanding). For what it costs in tickets this is a big driver for some. I choose the Fort for reason three myself.

I could go on and on. If you feel bringing stuff is a hassle then maybe the Value route is for you. You won't find a nicer campground than Fort Wilderness!
Hope that was tame enough for you.

Bama ED

Well said Bama!

The Fort is just amazing, relaxing!

We have annual passes and all we pay is for the site, saves us a lot of money and we can go back to Disney more often this way!

 

[RustManFan]

I also would pick tent camping as one of my favorite vacation options! One of the times we were at the Fort it was TOO hot to do much of our own cooking but it was still nice to have the stove and cooler available and to save us money on food and drink.

We were at FW when Hurricane Andrew hit Homestead, FL. A couple times every day the folks at WDW dropped notices on our picnic table so we would know storm status and evacuation plans if they were needed.

Besides FW, best tent camping we ever did was at Shenandoah National Park. Gettysburg was awesome too!!!

 

[Cindy F]

I like camping for many reasons--just one is that I can bring my dog. We didn't bring him this time and have been very unhappy with missing him so much. I love to look at others' tent sites but I don't think I personally would make a very good tent camper LOL! I like the campervan and pop up combo because it gives me the best of both worlds so to speak. We have the amazing comfort and ammenities of the campervan while traveling (especially the toilet!), and the pop up provides us with a way to carry our luggage, extra space when camping, a shower, much more sleeping room, and awning.

I like the popup because I can still have the open-ness and light of a tent while still having the ammenities and conveniences of a travel trailer. We also have the campervan to sleep in if we get scared or the weather gets really bad. Having babbled on about all that, I will say this.....

We won't be camping again at The Fort when going to Disney World. We will probably stay here a few times a year just to enjoy The Fort BUT if we're going to do Disney World, we'll stay at the campground up the road for $20 a night. I guess I kinda look at it the same way I do hotels: if we're going to spend all day in the parks, I really don't care what kind of hotel it is as long as it is nice, clean, safe, and family oriented. Same thing with a campground. To us, The Fort is really a destination in it's own right and once here, we just want to relax, enjoy all the activities here, and hang out-even DD said the same thing.

If we're traveling with someone (which is really the only way we do the whole "Let's get to the park and spend every moment there", since we've been so much) we'll stay at the other campground and bypass all the buses, cart rentals, and frustration of wanting to do everything at The Fort but being pushed for time to get to the parks.
I also kinda miss knowing that the campervan is in the parking lot. It's nice to be able to get in the van between parks and take a nap/eat lunch/watch a bit of TV and just overall "re-group".

To each his own!