a few newbie questions...we are tent campers

[mtnminnie]

Hello!....I have a few questions....

I have been reading the board for a bit, and obtained a lot of great answers...we newbies appreciate the vast education we can get here!

So, background is we will be tent campers with five kids ranging from baby to teen.

we are "thinking" of visiting Oct 16-24.

things that are important to us...

LOW crowds...or at least as low as we can go (we hs so school for us can be moved around)

ability to swim in pools and not freeze (even though they are heated)

and avoidance of mosquitoes.

My post question is mainly about going when we can swim and avoid mosquitoes. I am concerned about mosquitoes mostly because we are traveling with a baby. (Now, you can imagine why I am worried based on the news...I would rather not talk about whether or not I should worry as obviously it is already a concern .... rather rational or not).

so, would there be a better time for us to go? a different date? and if so, would you please offer some wise advice.

I need to come during low crowd time as this will be our first visit. I think low crowds for us with a large family with varying ages seems reasonable for us.

So, if you got this far...God Bless Ya...and thanks for the input! (and yes, we are season campers so the thought of long term camping at Disney is not scary to us)

 

[PaHunter]

I checked one of the crowd calenders and found that the dates you are looking at were Moderate crowds for that time. You have Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween parties and The Food and Wine festival that run during that time. We have only been there during Feb, but I know the others will jump in to help.

 

[mtnminnie]

thanks...yes, I was trying to find lower crowds and the ability to swim.

I don't really know when the pools get cold...swimming is going to be our activity on our off days/hang out at the resorts. I thought I would start here asking about mosquitoes because camping spots vs resorts probably don't have the same issues/concerns and there seems to be a lot of water around the sites with lake swimming as well.

I wouldn't mind going in Jan/Feb...but, I was thinking the pools would be really cold even with heating.

But, since we have never been to Disney, I really don't know.

I know Disney sprays, but that might not matter at the campground? and when you look at FL there are those big black things in every backyard with a pool/grill so I am thinking...mosquitoes might be a FL issue for sure.

 

[G719]

November is a lower crowd month as long as you avoid Thanksgiving week. We've gone in 2013 and 2015 and have had decent swimming weather both trips. It seems that October is becoming more popular as many schools are doing fall breaks in October.
We went the week before Thanksgiving in 2015 and while it's certainly not empty, it's very tolerable crowd wise. The weekends are worse than the weekdays.

 

[PaHunter]

There were people swimming last Feb when we stayed, it was 90 degrees the first few days there. By about the 5th day it dropped the one evening to 50. Was really hard to deal with 50, back home it was -10 degrees. Don't think I even saw a mosquito or had a bite the whole trip down and while there.

 

[G719]

I go to www.easywdw.Com for crowd calendars and recommendations for park touring.
I did not see any mosquitoes in November. And if there were any, we'd know. My oldest is a magnet for mosquitoes.

 

[staceyrhood]

As a long time resident my advice would be to pick early November if possible or early to mid May. October is becoming busier and busier every year with fall breaks and food and wine drawing huge crowds. And those are both good pool months also...not as many Mosquitos and not as hot and humid. Have a great trip, the fort is awesome!

 

[snowmedic]

We where there this past Oct.. Never had any problems with the mosquitoes on any of our trips. We enjoyed a few down days at the Fort, and went to the pool often, DD 8 dragged us there whenever she could, not that it was a bad thing. The pool, to us was not crowded at all, and we would go up 3 -4 times a day and especially at night to relax in the hot tub. We hs also and have talked to a lot of others at the pool that do also. Hope you have a great trip, and maybe we will see you there.

 

[mtnminnie]

I just read how cool Halloween is at FW and now the kids are thinking they might like to go a little bit later. We live super rurally so the kids have never had the opportunity to give out candy at TOT...they find that thought thrilling.

yeah, if we go during that time period it won't be hard to figure out who mtnminnie is...five kiddos stick out like a sore thumb...or so it seems...we cannot get through a shopping trip without a lookieloo asking if they are all mine...I usually just smile but just once I would like to say nope, I picked them all up on the way b/c grocery shopping with five kids is SO much more fun...LOL!

 

[PaHunter]

I just read how cool Halloween is at FW and now the kids are thinking they might like to go a little bit later. We live super rurally so the kids have never had the opportunity to give out candy at TOT...they find that thought thrilling.

yeah, if we go during that time period it won't be hard to figure out who mtnminnie is...five kiddos stick out like a sore thumb...or so it seems...we cannot get through a shopping trip without a lookieloo asking if they are all mine...I usually just smile but just once I would like to say nope, I picked them all up on the way b/c grocery shopping with five kids is SO much more fun...LOL!

Well the only thing with going over Halloween is getting a campsite can be a challenge. The trailer sites at least are booked up nearly the year before. BamaEd has a thread around here somewhere about Halloween and trying to get a reservation. Just checked MDE and there was nothing for 10/25-11/3 2016. Sometimes they open at the end as people cancel but it is a very popular time.

 

[mtnminnie]

thank you...perhaps I should go see what is currently available.

 

[PaHunter]

Sometimes, you can get single days or one or two days and piece everything together. If one day in the 8 days or whatever you select it will tell you it is not available. So sometimes it is best to check day by day. Of course you can always call the friendly people on the reservation line also.

 

[mtnminnie]

I think we will stick with the plan. It seems Halloween needs more planning in advance. I think we might bookmark that for in the next trip.....

my original dates are open. I think we shall stay the course.

Disney is a lot of planning for those of us who have never been. Planning day by day to camp might make my head actually spin. But, I do appreciate the info.

 

[mtnminnie]

hmmm...I don't want to jinix myself...but, I think we will make our decision tomorrow and reserve. Then it becomes so much more real!

 

[snowmedic]

You can make a room, campsite only reservation 499 days out, but you have to call, the online will not let you go that far. I know Halloween is booked full for this year but for next year, Halloween falls on a Tuesday, so you could make a ressi for Oct. 26 ( Thursday) until whenever, on Tuesday June 14 of this year.
Not sure if that helps.

 

[mtnminnie]

booked!

we are so excited!

 

[snowmedic]

 

[PaHunter]

Congratulations !!

 

[mtnminnie]

and wink, wink...the fort is not full on Halloween.....

 

[Shanti]

Hello!....I have a few questions....

I have been reading the board for a bit, and obtained a lot of great answers...we newbies appreciate the vast education we can get here!

So, background is we will be tent campers with five kids ranging from baby to teen.

we are "thinking" of visiting Oct 16-24.

things that are important to us...

LOW crowds...or at least as low as we can go (we hs so school for us can be moved around)

ability to swim in pools and not freeze (even though they are heated)

and avoidance of mosquitoes.

My post question is mainly about going when we can swim and avoid mosquitoes. I am concerned about mosquitoes mostly because we are traveling with a baby. (Now, you can imagine why I am worried based on the news...I would rather not talk about whether or not I should worry as obviously it is already a concern .... rather rational or not).

so, would there be a better time for us to go? a different date? and if so, would you please offer some wise advice.

I need to come during low crowd time as this will be our first visit. I think low crowds for us with a large family with varying ages seems reasonable for us.

So, if you got this far...God Bless Ya...and thanks for the input! (and yes, we are season campers so the thought of long term camping at Disney is not scary to us)

October is not a low crowd month at all. Search Disboards with the words "October crowded" and you'll see the reports. October used to be low crowd, but times have changed at WDW. There are no guaranteed low crowd times anymore, but the most likely ones are very late August/early September (poor weather for camping in Orlando) or mid/late January (also poor weather for camping and usually impossible for outdoor swimming).

Not trying to be the bearer of bad tidings, but don't want you to be bitterly disappointed after you arrive, either. We loved tent camping at Fort Wilderness (did it in mid-March last year.) Never had an issue with mosquitos there (or anywhere in WDW), and no, your concern is not irrational.

You might try mid-November (at least a week before Thanksgiving and a week after Halloween) for relatively low crowds & nice weather, or try a time in spring that is several weeks away from Easter. Learning how to tour the parks effectively is going to be more important than trying to find a low crowd time, though, because as I said, there are no reliable low crowd times anymore. FastPass+ is your friend, as is arriving at the parks 30-45 minutes before they open (or "rope drop").