A Whole New World, A Whole New Life! -- A Jan-Feb-Mar 2015 TR -- *COMPLETED* 9/29

DisneyFreak98

DIS Veteran
Joined
Oct 15, 2012
Howdy, folks, and welcome to my first trip report ever!
My name is Shannon, I'm 18 years old, and this is pretty much the story of how my family went crazy, moved into an RV, and went to live in Florida for 3 months. It's actually a pretty long story, but this trip report is just to talk about the Disney-related aspects of our crazy adventure. So, I'll start at the beginning and get you caught up.
Last February my dad had this idea to sell our house, move into an RV, and live life on the road. We were all slightly hesitant at first, we being my mom, two brothers, and me. He eventually convinced us, though, and everything happened very fast. We sold our house to one of my older sisters, found the perfect fifth wheel RV, moved in, and parked at my brother's house until January 1st, which is when we left for Florida!
I'm sure you're wondering how we could possibly live in an RV and travel all the time and still be in school and have jobs. Well, we kids were already being homeschooled, and our dad has an online business, so it actually wasn't that big of a transition on that front. I'm sure you're also wondering who these other brothers and sisters are that I mentioned above. I actually have 7 brothers and sisters, but 5 of them are married and have their own homes, so it's just me, my younger brother, and my older brother that is closest to my age. The other siblings will make appearances in this TR, but that'll be later.
So, now that we got the back story out of the way, on to the fun part - Disney!
We're staying at the Fort Wilderness Campground from January 4 - March 29, and we have Annual Passes. You will meet many different characters on this trip, but for now I'll just introduce you to the 5 of us staying at FW -
Mom and Dad:

IMG_9852.jpg

Dad has been going to Disney World since the year it opened, and he pretty much dragged mom and all of us kids into his Disney obsession. Not that we mind, though. We've been coming to the World as a family since around 1997, and this is our thirteenth-ish trip (You lose count after a while, you know?).
Travis:
IMG_1472.jpg

Travis is the goofball of the family. He's 15, and he wants to be a Jungle Cruise boat driver when he grows up.
Sam:
232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv333%3B9%3Enu%3D539%3A%3E23%3B%3E256%3EWSNRCG%3D35984683%3A6347nu0mrj

Sam is probably the most serious out of us 3 kids, but we're actually all pretty weird. He's 21, and he goes to college full-time now.
And finally, me!

Like I said, I'm 18, and next to my dad I'm probably the most Disney-obsessed person in the family.

More intros!
IMG_4073.jpg

This is my sister Amy and her husband Jack! Amy is one of my 3 sisters, and she is 24 years old. She just moved to Florida with her husband Jack, and she is a seasonal pass holder. Jack is new to Disney, but he seems to like it well enough. They will be joining us on my birthday, and also for our little family reunion!

This is Bethany!
IMG_0549.jpg

Bethany has no actual relation to us, but we've known her for over 10 years, and we call her our honorary sister! She's 28, and this was her second time coming to Disney. She was with us from January 15-19.
Meet our brother Nathan and his wife Ginger!
232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv39655%3Enu%3D539%3A%3E23%3B%3E256%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3A9%3C93777347nu0mrj

Nathan and Ginger were here for our family trip from January 23 - February 4 and they also make a short appearance later in March. Nathan has been to Disney almost as many times as we have, and his favorite character is Grumpy. Ginger's first time in Disney was in 2012 for their honeymoon. She was skeptical at first, but she has totally fallen in love with all things Disney! Ginger is obsessed with pin trading, and she was very excited to meet Scoop on this trip.
This is our brother Scott and his family:
232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv378%3A5%3Enu%3D539%3A%3E23%3B%3E256%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3A%3B%3A69%3A59347nu0mrj

There's Scott, his wife Sarah, their 4 year old son James, and their 3 year old daughter Maddie. Scott and Sarah hadn't been to Disney in about 6 years, so this was James and Maddie's first time! They were very excited, and they ended up having an amazing time!
Last but not least is our sister Lindsey and her family:
232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv36294%3Enu%3D539%3A%3E23%3B%3E256%3EWSNRCG%3D35%3A%3B%3A7329%3B347nu0mrj

There's Lindsey, her husband Adam, their 4 year old son Jack, 2 year old son Max, and 1 year old daughter Emma. Jack and Max had been before with their parents a couple of years ago when Jack was 2 and Max was just a baby, and this was Emma's first time. Jack ended up really loving all the thrill rides, and Emma loved It's a Small World! They had a great trip despite the kids getting sick about halfway through.
So, that's it for the intro, now on to the fun part! I hope you guys stick around for this, but even if you don't I'm going to write it out anyways, and it will just be like an online journal. I really hope you guys enjoy and follow along, though!

 
Last edited:
Table of Contents!
Real Life Updates

Real Life Update 1
Real Life Update 2
Real Life Update 3
January
Day 1: On the Road and Out of Gas
Day 2: The Day Where Nothing Happens
Day 3: Finally in Florida!
Day 4 (Part 1): Welcome to Fort Wilderness!
Day 4 (Part 2): It's Still Christmas!
Day 5: Festival of Fantasy and Mine Train!
Day 6: Water Parks and Sing-Alongs
Day 7: EPCOT and Wilderness Lodge
Day 8: Yetis and Safaris
Day 9: ESPN and Movie Night
Day 10: Wishes from the Beach!
Day 11: Elsa Lights the Castle!
Day 12: Disney Quest
Day 13 (Part 1): EPCOT Adventures!
Day 13 (Part 2): Amy's Here!
Day 14 (Part 1): It's My Birthday!
Day 14 (Part 2): Fun at the Circus and Trading with Scoop
Day 14 (Part 3): The End to a Magical Day
Day 15 (Part 1): A Magical Morning
Day 15 (Part 2): More Fun in the Kingdom
Day 16 (Part 1): Lumberjacks!
Day 16 (Part 2): Around the World
Day 17: A Day in Hollywood
Day 18 (Part 1): Gorillas, Tigers, and Meerkats, Oh My!
Day 18 (Part 2): Bethany's Last Night
Day 19: Bethany Goes Home
Day 20: Marry Me, Belle
Days 21-23: Campground Fun and Preparations
Day 24 (Part 1): Toy Story Gets Us Again
Day 24 (Part 2): Wishes from Big Thunder
Day 25: Art of Animation
Day 26 (Part 1): The Gang's All Here!
Day 26 (Part 2): Acrobats and Drummers
Day 27 (Part 1): High Scores and Star Tours
Day 27 (Part 2): "I'm so sorry, but..."
Day 28: The Cousins Are Together Again!
Day 29 (Part 1): Taking Over The Magic Kingdom
Day 29 (Part 2): Nobody Look at Shannon!
Day 30: Crazy Kids
Day 31 (Part 1): Quinces Invade Typhoon Lagoon
Day 31 (Part 2): FW Afternoon and MK Night
February
Day 1: Super Bowl Sunday
Day 2: All Around the Kingdom
Day 3: Hollywood Studios
Day 4: Scott and Nathan's Last Day
Day 5: The End of Our "Vacation"
Day 6: Back to Work and Fun at the Fort
Day 7: Perfect Days in The Wild
Day 8: Exploring New Paths
Day 9: Swimming in The Rain
Day 10: Characters Galore!
Day 11: Rowdy Rhinos
Day 12: Surprise Visits
Day 13: Kitty!
Day 14: Valentine's Day
Day 15: Downtown Disney
Day 16: Water Slides and School Bread
Day 17: Boring Days Can Be The Best
Day 18: FP+ Trouble
Day 19: Movie Mix-Up
Day 20: The Most Magical Day in Existence
Day 21: Bethany's Back!
Day 22: Resort Hopping
Days 23-24: Soaked on The Speedway
Day 25: Lost in Saratoga
Day 26: River Rapids Fun
Day 27: "Technical Difficulties"
Day 28: Port Orleans Riverside
March
Day 1: The New Hub!
Day 2: Baby Gorillas
Day 3 (Part 1): Trolley Show Morning
Day 3 (Part 2): "I'm here to fight the pirates!"
Day 4 (Part 1): Flower and Garden Fun
Day 4 (Part 2): Magic Kingdom and Movie Night
Day 5: Steve Harvey at Magic Kingdom
Day 6: Festival Center
Day 7: A Bad Day in Disney is Still a Good Day
Day 8 (Part 1): Flowers and Frushi
Day 8 (Part 2): All-Star Resorts and a Fireworks Cruise
Day 9: Happy Birthday, FoF!
Day 10: Trail's End Buffet
Day 11: DisneyQuest
Day 12: FastPass Wishes
Day 13: Cinderella
Day 14: Dapper Day
Day 15: Trekking Around The World
Day 16: A Very Happy Double Birthday
Day 17: A Wild Time
Day 18: Fun at the Beach
Day 19: Blue Angels and Lake Tomorrowland
Day 20: Surprise Meetings and Fantasmic Nights
Day 21: Tomorrowland Wishes
Day 22: Wildlife and Wild Nights
Day 23: Happy Birthday, Mom!
Day 24: Saying Goodbye
Day 25: Water Park Day
Day 26: The Beginning of the End
Day 27: Epcot Easter Egg Hunt
Day 28: The Most Magical of Last Days
[URL="http://www.disboards.com/threads/a-whole-new-world-a-whole-new-life-a-jan-feb-mar-2015-tr-updated-9-29.3371987/page-22#post-56544249"]Day 29: Final Goodbyes[/URL]
 
Last edited:
Today was the big day; the day we started our new adventure! We woke up at 5 in the morning to start getting ready. We planned to leave at 7, but getting everything with the RV and the truck all set took longer than we expected, so we ended up leaving at 8 instead. We live up in New England, and without any stops the drive takes about 24 hours. Because Dad hasn't had a lot of experience driving the truck with the RV hooked up, we decided to allow 3 days for travel. Our plan for this day was to make it to Pennsylvania to spend the night. Everything was going smoothly, we were playing games, reading, listening to music, and different stuff like that. When we started approaching New York, though, we noticed that we were running low on gas. So, we started keeping our eyes out for a place to stop and fill up. The trouble was, though, that we were in a totally desolate part of upstate New York where all we could see for miles was trees. We had to stop for lunch at this point, even though we were hoping to eat lunch and get gas in one stop. We found a little rest area to pull over in and get our lunch. We had peanut butter sandwiches; nothing too exciting. We were getting a little bit worried about the gas at this point, but all we could do was keep driving. We were pretty much below E by the time we found a place, but we did make it! We stopped at a cute little place called Flory's:
232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv35%3B95%3Enu%3D539%3A%3E23%3B%3E256%3EWSNRCG%3D359857%3A276347nu0mrj

The only problem with this place was that it was too small for our RV to fit! So, we had to pull into the Walmart across the street, unhook the RV so Dad could fill up the truck, then hook back up. It wasn't too much trouble, just a little annoying. After we were filled up and hooked up, we were back on our way! The rest of the day was spent reading, sleeping, and doing other car activities. We stopped for gas one more time before we got to our campground for the night in Pennsylvania. We got there around 5:00, and it was a very nice place. We got the RV hooked up, went for a walk, and Mom made dinner. After dinner we watched some TV and went to bed around 8:30. Tomorrow would be another long day of travel!
Some pictures from the campground, Jonestown KOA:
232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv394%3A9%3Enu%3D539%3A%3E23%3B%3E256%3EWSNRCG%3D3598585%3A%3B4347nu0mrj


232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv3%3B23%3B%3Enu%3D539%3A%3E23%3B%3E256%3EWSNRCG%3D3598585%3A%3B5347nu0mrj


232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv335%3C%3A%3Enu%3D539%3A%3E23%3B%3E256%3EWSNRCG%3D3598585%3A%3B6347nu0mrj
 
Last edited:
Well, I'm in! I love the idea of getting an RV and just living on the road - especially if you can spend lots of that time at the Fort! Looking forward to the rest of this report!

TP
 


Get ready for the shortest update ever, because literally nothing exciting happened on this day.
We woke up at 6:00 and started getting ready to go. We were on the road by 7:00, which was right on schedule. The day was pretty much spent watching movies, playing car games, listening to Disney music, and sleeping. We stopped to make sandwiches for lunch in Virginia around 11:30, and later we got Frosteys from Wendy's.
We passed through six states on this day, including Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, which was where we stayed for the night. We got to our campground in SC around 5:30, and got settled for the night. We ran to the Walmart across the street to pick up a few things, then came back and had dinner. The rest of the night we just relaxed, took showers, and watched TV.
I actually didn't take any pictures on this day because by the time we got to the campground it was dark. The place we stayed was nice enough for one night, but it wasn't anything special.
The next day we get to Florida!
 
Last edited:


Even though today was the day we were getting to Florida, we weren't getting to Disney on this day. Our plan was to stay the night in St. Augustine so that we only had a short drive to Disney the next day.
So, we got up at 6:00 this morning and got everything ready to get back on the road! We left the campground at 7:00 and were on our way. The stretch of road we hit at this point was THE WORST. It was horribly bumpy and jerky; not fun.
We spent the morning watching movies, eating snacks, listening to music, and playing games. We stopped for lunch and gas in Georgia around 11:30 and spent some time stretching our legs. There was a Dunkin Donuts across the street from where we stopped, so we went there and got some drinks. After that it was back on the road! We spent the afternoon pretty much the same way we spent the morning; watching movies and playing games.
We entered into Florida around 1:00, and we got to our campground in St. Augustine around 2:30. It was so warm, and we were so excited!

We got all set up, then decided to try to go see the beach. That didn't exactly work out, though, because the beach was super crowded and there was no place for us to park our giant truck. We found this apartment complex we thought we could park at and just go get a look at the beach, but it turned out that they didn't have beach access. We walked around the building only to find a big fence, so we figured we should get out of there. :rolleyes1
After we gave up on the beach, we decided to try to go check out the Fort at Old Town. So, we made our way over there only to find that it was CROWDED beyond belief. We quickly decided that there was no way that we were going to find any place to park, so we decided to just drive by and look at it.

We found out that the roads in Old Town were most definitely not designed for giant duel-wheeled trucks like ours. It was pretty stressful trying to get out of there, but Dad did a great job! At this point we were at Plan C, which was to go kill some time at the outlet mall near the Cracker Barrel we were going to eat at for dinner. We made it there just fine and had fun looking around. I even bought another Disney shirt. (Side note: You should probably know that I have a little Disney shirt obsession. I get a lot of them at places like Walmart and Target, and my collection has grown to about 32 shirts. I have a problem, I know.)

After we were done at the mall, it was about 5:00, so we decided to head on over to the Cracker Barrel for dinner. We had a nice time there, and the food was good (It wasn't Disney food, though :rolleyes:). After dinner we ran to Walmart to pick up a few things, then went back to the campground. We spent the night just hanging out and watching football. We went to bed around 10:00 with a plan of leaving at 7:30 the next morning. Tomorrow we get to Disney!
 
Last edited:
Hello there! I'm Meghan! :)
I am 1000000% in for this report! I'm from New England too (MA!) and have made the drive to Florida twice before. I am SO JEALOUS of your mobile life. I am totally into the tiny home movement thing, and an RV is pretty much the same concept. My (long ago) ex-boyfriend's parents bought a legit mobile home, not a pull-behind, and when they both retire, theyre selling their house to their oldest child and going mobile. I am SO excited to hear of your adventure at Disney and your mobile life! :) I should be starting my own PTR soon for my trip to Disney in November. Id really like to fly this time, but if the budget dictates driving, thats what will happen. I am an avid tent camper and have never been to Fort Wilderness so I am SO ready to hear how you like the fort. I cannot WAIT to see how this goes for you, and your family! :D
 
Love your TR so far. We homeschool our kids and would love to do something like this someday.

I would love to hear how you fit your schooling in to your time at Disney.
 
I am really enjoying reading your trip report. I love camping and Disney. I homeschooled my children also.
 
Hello there! I'm Meghan! :)
I am 1000000% in for this report! I'm from New England too (MA!) and have made the drive to Florida twice before. I am SO JEALOUS of your mobile life. I am totally into the tiny home movement thing, and an RV is pretty much the same concept. My (long ago) ex-boyfriend's parents bought a legit mobile home, not a pull-behind, and when they both retire, theyre selling their house to their oldest child and going mobile. I am SO excited to hear of your adventure at Disney and your mobile life! :) I should be starting my own PTR soon for my trip to Disney in November. Id really like to fly this time, but if the budget dictates driving, thats what will happen. I am an avid tent camper and have never been to Fort Wilderness so I am SO ready to hear how you like the fort. I cannot WAIT to see how this goes for you, and your family! :D

Love your TR so far. We homeschool our kids and would love to do something like this someday.

I would love to hear how you fit your schooling in to your time at Disney.

I am really enjoying reading your trip report. I love camping and Disney. I homeschooled my children also.

I'm having a good time reading this.What an adventure!
I can't wait for more!!!:thumbsup2

Joining in!

Wow, thank you guys! I'm so glad you're all interested! I've never done this before, so I was kind of worried that I would just be writing to myself the whole time. :goodvibes
 
Today's the day! The day we finally got to Disney World! We woke up at 6:15 and got everything ready to go. We put everything away, hooked everything up, and were on our way at 7:30, just as planned. We had about a 2 1/2 hour drive, which felt super short because we were so excited! We spent that time watching out the window for Disney signs and doing a lot of Disney planning. We finally got to Disney around 10:00! Our GPS took us into Disney through a back way so we didn't get to pass through the gates, but we did pass by them.
232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv3%3A956%3Enu%3D539%3A%3E23%3B%3E256%3EWSNRCG%3D3598796652347nu0mrj

We found Fort Wilderness very easily, and checked in without a problem.
232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv3755%3B%3Enu%3D539%3A%3E23%3B%3E256%3EWSNRCG%3D3598796649347nu0mrj

It was too early to go to our site, so we had to park out in the lot. So, we found a place to park, then got out and went exploring! We went in search of Loop 1400, which is where we would be staying. We saw the little main lobby, the ranch, the pool, tennis courts, and campfire area on our way.
232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv36%3A45%3Enu%3D539%3A%3E23%3B%3E256%3EWSNRCG%3D35987%3A4592347nu0mrj
232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv3%3A988%3Enu%3D539%3A%3E23%3B%3E256%3EWSNRCG%3D35987%3A4597347nu0mrj
232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv35%3B56%3Enu%3D539%3A%3E23%3B%3E256%3EWSNRCG%3D3598796645347nu0mrj
232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv3%3B%3A%3B7%3Enu%3D539%3A%3E23%3B%3E256%3EWSNRCG%3D3598796642347nu0mrj

We got to loop 1400 and walked around looking at the different sites. They all looked awesome, and we were so excited to find out which one was ours! After checking things out we caught an internal bus back to the front of the Fort, or the Outpost, to see if we could get our site yet. Our site was still unavailable, and it was around noon at this point, so we decided to have lunch! We ate peanut butter sandwiches in the overflow parking field.

After we had lunch, we decided we didn't just want to sit around, so the boys went to go play tennis and Mom and I went to do the laundry that we had accumulated in our 3 days of travel. It was SO hot outside, and the air conditioned laundry room felt super nice. Sam and Travis played tennis for a while, Mom stayed with the laundry, and Dad and I went to check out the Meadow Trading Post.
232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv36%3A%3C2%3Enu%3D539%3A%3E23%3B%3E256%3EWSNRCG%3D35987%3A4582347nu0mrj

It's such a cute little store! After that we went to find the boys at the tennis courts. Dad stayed with them, and I went to go find Mom. I found her at a picnic table near the pond. We sat there for a while, then we walked back to the store and she mailed a couple of things. Then we went back to check on the laundry, and the boys met us there.

It was around 2:00 now, and at this point we weren't sure what else to do, so Mom stayed with the laundry while the boys and I went back to the front lobby to ask if our site was available yet. It wasn't, which was a bummer, so we left. The funny thing is, almost as soon as we walked out the door, we got a text from Disney telling us that our site was ready! We thought that was a little odd, but we didn't care because we were so thrilled that we could finally go and park and get settled! So, we went back inside to find out which site would be ours. At first they were going to give us site 1412, but when we had been checking things out earlier, Dad noticed that that site looked a little difficult to back into. Because he had never backed in before, he asked if there was another site available that might be a little easier. They were able to switch us to a new site just fine, so we all hopped back in the truck and were on our way! We found our site, and Dad began the process of backing in. I won't say that it went totally great and that there were no problems, because there were. Dad got himself into a bit of a sticky situation because there was a van parked in the site across from us and it was right in the spot where he needed to go to be able to straighten out. He was pretty much stuck when one of the grounds crew guys drove by in his golf cart and saw our predicament. His name is Nelson, and he was SUPER helpful, and also funny! The site next to ours was also empty, and he was able to talk to someone and get us that site instead, which was much easier to get into. With help from Nelson, Dad was able to back into our new site just fine, and he was so relieved!
232323232%7Ffp83232%3Euqcshlukaxroqdfv36567%3Enu%3D539%3A%3E23%3B%3E256%3EWSNRCG%3D35987%3A4567347nu0mrj

After thanking Nelson, we started getting set up and unpacking some things. We weren't going to get totally settled, though, because we had plans to go to Hollywood Studios to see the Osborne Lights because it was their last night! So, Mom came back with the laundry, we did all the unpacking that was necessary at that point, then got ready to go! We were on a bus to Hollywood Studios at 4:30, and we were so excited that our crazy new life was actually beginning!
 
Last edited:

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top