TR | Tent Camping (with a baby)

[bama_ed]

Melissa, your camping/tent set-up looks inviting, fabulous, and thought driven. Sorry you had to go to the cabins, but safety is first. Welcome home, although Disney's Fort Wilderness is a great 2nd home. Good luck on the final building process of up your new home. Think Spring!

Barb,

I think it's her organizational skills that are impressive. I wanted to call my DW over to look at the pix but I knew I would be sleeping on the couch tonight if I did.

Like I said, we had that same site years ago. Looks very much like I remember.

Also, I second Fortforever's suggestion that it's time for the MM family to get a camper. Big Dan probably has a barn to store it in and with 3 young kids you'll use it in the off-season.

Bama Ed

 

[snowmedic]

Great set-up as usual, I see that you have, looks like two heaters? If so, did you find that you had to use them. We where suppose to be there today and was wondering if I should have brought ours along. We won't be there until the end of Feb. and will be watching the weather to decide if we should still bring the heater or the AC.
Glad you made it back home safe.

 

[Teamubr]

We won't be there until the end of Feb. and will be watching the weather to decide if we should still bring the heater or the AC.

End of February? Bring both!

j

 

[bjschil]

Ed, still snickering at the "sleeping on the couch" comment. I think Bill feels the same as your wife. Although we have the desire to downsize our fiver, I know a tent (again) is not an option for my dear husband. He quotes he roughs it enough in the daily grind of owning a dairy farm. However, I so admire those who continue to really camp in a tent. Might have been that rainstorm and flooded tent at our "farm campground" that changed his mind -FOREVER! Many times we drove through the loops to check out our survivalist friends.

Happy February to all.

Barb and Bill

 

[spartankid34]

Looking forward to reading along. Seriously considering a February tenting trip next year, and excited to see your set-up, and read your tips!

 

[ilovedisneymm]

@snowmedic I would bring the heaters for sure. They work great! I make sure they are pulled out and away from baskets/blankets and use the kids' hard cover books as a steady base too. The last two weeks were warmer than usual and only needed them a few nights. Now all the other trips we used them almost nightly and the electric blankets as well. Probably overkill for both, but I like to sleep well and after a long day, it is so nice to snuggle in a warm bed. Who wants to worry about sleep while on vacation?? Prepare and be thankful if you don't have to use them and thankful for when you do. Right now, the temps are cooler and would be a must have in my book. I can't imagine Feb to be much different in temps. A little, but not that much.

For our next trip, I am considering the first two weeks in December with hopes of adding a few more pool weather days. When I get time, I'm going to accuweather average temps in early Dec/verses late Jan/verses late Feb. I love the low crowds and nothing above 80 days in those times (makes good camping weather and crowds tolerable) but I sure would like just a few more warmer days to enjoy the pool.

Next trip we are going to shoot for the 1900 loop. The outside sites starting about 7/8 in and then all around to the second to last site look PERFECT for tent camping. I have them written down if you are interested in exact site numbers. To me, all the preferred and premium sites are pretty close together. While the full hook up sites 1600 - 1900 have more room in between. The 1900 loop has the most foliage of them all and a tent camper wouldn't feel so isolated in a sea of big rigs around.

Looking forward to your set up.

 

[MalkaR]

Any chance your kids were running around Tom Sawyer Island last Thursday, the 2nd? I could swear I saw a boy and girl who look just like yours while we were there.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

Sorry for the time lapse in my report. Finishing it is always in the back of my mind, but keeping children fed and alive always end up take first priority. Adulting is seriously hard work!

I'll address FortForever & Bama Ed's suggestion on us upgrading to a camper...

My issue with campers are a price, quality, and usage. I'm a huge fan of quality! I know this sounds odd coming from a person that lives in a tent a few weeks out of the year, I know! We have looked and looked. We traveled to Tampa last trip (thanks to tickets from Kris & Bert) to the RV show and looked at every kind they make from mini minis to grands. In my opinion, most new campers under $50,000 are poorly built. I will not spend $20,000 or $30,000 on what I believe will fall apart in a matter of a few years. I also will not spend $50,000 and up on something we can only use a couple times a year. Finally, we try to live debt free and would never take a loan out on what I consider a "toy" item. We don't even borrow money for our vehicles. Our new home has taken over our lives as we are doing quiet a bit of the build ourselves in order to not have debt. So it seems we are at a constant crossroads with the we love FW and love to camp there annually, but also the whole camper/tent thing. I will continue to troll the Craigslist sites in hopes to find a quality older trailer, that we could remodel, but until then it looks like we will stay tent campers.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

We did a few days in the parks. I think our favorite ride is the boat ride from Fort Wilderness to the Magic Kindgom. So peaceful, so serene, the black birds chatting with you on the dock, all the happy families joyfully waiting in line, the fresh air smell, the boat coming around the bin, the horn, all of it! I just love all of it!

There is no mad dash, no stress, no scanning your iPhone to double check that fast pass time, no rude person cutting you off, no parent screaming at their child from behind you.......

This is my favorite part of the parks.....Ironically, this is not the parks...hmmm....

 

[ilovedisneymm]

So if parks are stressful, why even go into them? Because this little baby of mine is in love with her Micky Mouse Clubhouse, that's why. I never would have imagined a baby would enjoy a show, but she loves it. I just lay her on a blanket and turn the tv in the morning so I can work with the kids on their school work. Over time, I have learned that she is as happy as she could be while that show and that show only is on. She squeals at Minnie Mouse! Other shows, will keep her interest for a few minutes at a time, but I can work with Grace & Daniel a full 30 minutes while Clubhouse is on.

So naturally, we had to go see Minnie Mouse.

Charlotte told Minnie that she had been waiting her whole life to finally meet her. What a magical moment indeed!





And this big guy needed his annual ride on the Dumbos with his daughter. This year was an upgrade to riding with both his little girls.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Your kids are so beautiful and just LOVE the big smile on your baby's face!! Just priceless!

 

[rideswithchrist]

Great TR!
I love the Minnie pic and the boat trip photo.
I hope we can get there with our new little one and see his reaction too. We bought a $300 popup camper that we are fixing up. Even if we end up out $1500, that's a great price and we should get 5 more years from it before needing a bigger one- we camp often though so it isn't just a Disney camper. I love love love your tent set up every year!

 

[ilovedisneymm]

That is awesome on the popup camper! Have you ever checked out the Popup Princess Blog? I love looking at all the remodels. I would do the same (and want to) but hubby says no on the popups.

When you go please share, I would love to see your remodel job!!!

Great TR!
I love the Minnie pic and the boat trip photo.
I hope we can get there with our new little one and see his reaction too. We bought a $300 popup camper that we are fixing up. Even if we end up out $1500, that's a great price and we should get 5 more years from it before needing a bigger one- we camp often though so it isn't just a Disney camper. I love love love your tent set up every year!

 

[rideswithchrist]

That is awesome on the popup camper! Have you ever checked out the Popup Princess Blog? I love looking at all the remodels. I would do the same (and want to) but hubby says no on the popups.

When you go please share, I would love to see your remodel job!!!

YES YES YES ! Even my hubby looks through her blog!
He was not on board with Popups either until I found that one on CL. I told him that if he hated it, it was only $300 and we can turn around and sell it. The first day out, he was hooked and loved being off the ground. (Plus on our last tent camping trip, ants got in the tent and the poor kids were the ones that got munched)

 

[rideswithchrist]

Here is my thread with some of the progress pics. I don't have a very good "before" because I took it with my phone but it was UGLY and reeked of hobo and cigarette smoke.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/bo...ke-in-sept-trip-cancelled-7-10.3471180/page-3