Wilderness again, Rental this time?

[RMColosimo]

Hello All.

So last year we went to Disney and stayed at the Cabins. It was great. I can say that the buses were a little hard to live with sometimes, but overall we were happy with the atmosphere.

We are planning our trip for next year, and have added one additional person, so we are now at 7 total participants. (Me, my wife, my mother, our 3 girls, and one of my wife's friends.)

So it looked to me and my wife we would need to rent a house offsite. While that is not the end of the world, it just wasn't what the two of us wanted. We loved the ability to ignore our car and just use the transportation( yes it can be annoying sometimes, especially when everyone is going to the show), but overall we enjoyed everything about Fort Wilderness.

So just this morning I thought of changing from the cabins to an RV rental. This would overcome our issue of 7 people and needing 2 rooms or an expensive suite. So I have checked two websites so far:

http://www.greenbergrvflorida.com/
http://www.floridacamperrental.com/

Does anyone have any thoughts on things to ask or look for given our group, and RV's available.

 

[peg110]

Keep in mind that an RV that is "Sized" to sleep 10 people may or may not be appropriate for your party.

The physical size of the people is a factor. I say this because while our RV (a 27' Travel Trailer) is "Sized" to sleep 8, we struggle with 5 of us. There is a Queen Bed (2 adults, DW and I), bunk beds (2 kids, dd18 on bottom, dd11 on top because there is a 150# weight limit on that bunk. DD18 is over that) Then there is a fold out couch, which can sleep 2 smaller children but is a struggle for an adult (DD18's BF21 sleeps there), particularly if they are tall. Then there is the Dinette that folds down to a bed to again sleep 2 (but again would be a struggle for 1 adult)

Sleeping on the Dinette or Couch means you will have to put them in "position" before going to bed and set them back after getting up. This could also (depending on the layout) impact movement for those late night bathroom trips.

Even still, if an RV is sized for 8 (or more) people, you will NOT get adequate storage for everyone's clothes or supplies. So be prepared to keep most clothes in the luggage, which will, of course, tend to get in the way while everyone is inside the camper/rv. Most RV's won't seat more than about 4 (maybe 6) people at the dinette, and at that, it may still be cramped. So either be prepared to eat in shifts (at the table), or be willing to use the picnic table outside or on the sofa or beds with plates on your lap.

Please don't get me wrong, even in our camper (floor plan above) we are cramped with our 5 people (4 adults, 1 child) and it gets crazy sometime because it is close quarters, but we still love it. We still have the great outdoors that we can go out into as well. We throw luggage and what not on the beds when not sleeping in them

A big question you want to ask is about the layout. Most RV's will have a diagram (on the web or whatever) similar to the one I have above (which is our layout) so you can get an idea of what you are dealing with.

Good luck and I hope whatever you decide, that you have an awesome time.

 

[5kidsmommy]

I would try to get one that doesn't require using the dinette for a sleeping space. We have a hybrid with three queen beds, a fold out sofa and the dinette also folds out. Technically it can sleep 8 and with 7 of us it's a bit tight. I would look for a large one with a bunk house, bonus points if it has four bunks. The sofas are easy to fold down but having the dinette as an always dinette is super convenient.

 

[5kidsmommy]

Looking at your links above the first one on Florida camper rental would be great for you. It would give you a little more room to spread out. You wife's friend could sleep on the sofa in the living space and grandma could bunk with the girls in the back.

 

[RMColosimo]

Great information. It looks like the Florida Camp Rental has one that meets some of the specified things to look for.

That layout looks like our kids could sleep in the bunkbeds, and my wife and I could sleep in the Queen bed in the front. That leaves one adult for one of the bunk bed and one for either the couch or fold down table.

Here is what they list:

• Sleeps 12 Two Bedrooms Two Bathrooms Two A/C’s Two Entry’s Outside TV
• 1 Queen size memory foam bed + 3 Full size beds + 2 Twin bunks 2 Twin Blow ups
• 1 stove w/3 burners/oven
• 2 30lb propane tank
• 2 Air Conditioners
• Gas furnace heater
• Electric Awning
• Double Kitchen sink
• Corian Kitchen Counter Top
• Huge Private Master Bedroom
• Master Closet w/Sliding Doors
• Draws/Cabinets
• Extra Large Shower
• Large Refrigerator and Freezer (small and large coolers available)
• 1 51″ SMART 3D PLASMA TV DVD (living room)
• 1 32″ LED/TV (outside)
• 1 24″ LED/TV (bedroom)
• 1 22″ LED/TV/Smart Blu-Ray Player (bunkhouse)
• 50 Amp power cord for campground connection
• Fire Extinguisher/smoke detector
• As low as $169.00 per night when you book for 6 nights or more

I am not sure where the 3 Full size beds are, unless one of the bunk beds on the bottom is a full size one. But the price is perfect, as even with the lot rental we are under what a house rental would be.

But the space thing is going to be the biggest concern, but if we drive we will have our minivan to store things as well, so I think we can swap out stuff as needed. Maybe not as convenient as I would like, but I think doable.

Thanks for all the thoughts. I have reached out to the RV rental places to see what they suggest as well.

 

[catheren]

We are renting from Florida Camper this October. Can't wait! Question does the Fort have towels at the pools? Like at the resort hotels. Any other suggestions on what to bring? Thanks in advance

 

[peg110]

I am not sure where the 3 Full size beds are, unless one of the bunk beds on the bottom is a full size one. But the price is perfect, as even with the lot rental we are under what a house rental would be.

It looks like the 3 "Full" beds are 3 "fold away couches". The first one is obvious (in the main area) where the other two are the lower bunks in the bunk house.

So it looks like your "12 Person" capacity breaks down like this.

2 on queen bed in front.
2 on "Full" couch in living area
4 (2 each ) on 2 "Full" couches in bunk house
2 (1 each) on 2 twin top bunks in bunk house
2 (1 each) on "Blow up" twins presumably usable in the bunk house.

I base this on images I found on google:

You can see the couch in the back folded down to a bed

Here you see the couch in it's normal position (with added tables.. Nice)

So this is probably a good choice for you as this can comfortably sleep 7 without too much issue. I am not a big fan on the "Blow Up" beds as they also tend to get in the way. (do you blow them up and leave them setup or deflate every day and put them away?).

I also think it's a nice floor plan and very doable. My question is, Which "Adult" is going to be with the kids?

 

[RMColosimo]

Heh. My Mother will sleep with the kids in the back most likely. I actually talked with a person and they have a slightly larger one that 'sleep' 14. I laugh, because when I think of 14 people in one of these RV's, I can only hope someone has 10 small kids, otherwise no one will be able to move around.

We also think we finalized the dates to be June 8th - June 16th. So it will be a Thursday to Friday stay. My wife has a new mission to find Tickets from Cleveland to Orlando for around 100/ticket. At that price point, we can afford to fly down and not have to drive. Since with the kids we always stop at a hotel our travel down budget is around 400, and getting the 2 travel days back is worth 1-2 hundred easy.

I am going to get the contract from Florida Campers this week, and make sure everything looks good. I don't mind putting a deposit down now, to ensure the RV we want is there, but want to make sure if we change dates or worse happens, with enough notice, that I can get my money back. Again, not worried, as I would be the only one to cause an issue since my wife and kids will be out of school so no real constraints for them. But if we can get tickets that are shifted a few days either way, I want to make sure that we have not locked ourselves into anything.

The people at the rental place have been awesome to work with so far, and have answered all my questions. It is also nice that you get a few chairs and a table for outside along with the rental. And for 40.00 you can rent a 'fire pit'. So the extra's are there.

Now we just have to wait until Disney opens us those dates for us to actually book the campsite.

 

[bama_ed]

We are renting from Florida Camper this October. Can't wait! Question does the Fort have towels at the pools? Like at the resort hotels. Any other suggestions on what to bring? Thanks in advance

No resort towels at the pool, catheren. It's strictly BYOT.

Bama Ed

 

[RMColosimo]

So here is a question, it looks like there is internet available Via Wireless at the campgrounds. But how about cable TV? Does a full hook-up include getting cable hooked up to the RV as well?

 

[peg110]

So here is a question, it looks like there is internet available Via Wireless at the campgrounds. But how about cable TV? Does a full hook-up include getting cable hooked up to the RV as well?

WiFi is not completely set yet at the fort but it's in progress.

Yes, there is Cable TV at the sites. Also (as of the last time I was there) you can get a "Cable Modem" as well. It only has one wired (ethernet) connection, so if the Free WiFi is not available and you need WiFi for your other devices, then you need to bring your own WiFi AP or Router. You then connect the Cable Modem to the your WiFi AP or Router to get WiFi at your site. Again, that is IF the Free WiFi isn't fully enabled by the time you get there.

Cable modem (and Internet) is also free but may require a deposit to get the equipment. I was never charged, but I think they took an imprint of my card to make sure.

 

[bama_ed]

WIFI is being installed, RM, but it's not been turned up yet to guests.

Internet service is provided via cable modem which also provides the tv service. You can check out for free at the Meadow Trading Post a wired kit that includes all wires, modem, splitters, and a diagram. If you want wifi at your site, you have to bring your own wireless router to put on the end of the ethernet cable for the computer.

This is the arrangement for all sites at the Fort.

Bama Ed

PS - EDIT - dang, Paul you are quick.

 

[peg110]

dang, Paul you are quick.

As are you. I see you were mere moments behind me.

 

[RMColosimo]

WIFI is being installed, RM, but it's not been turned up yet to guests.

Internet service is provided via cable modem which also provides the tv service. You can check out for free at the Meadow Trading Post a wired kit that includes all wires, modem, splitters, and a diagram. If you want wifi at your site, you have to bring your own wireless router to put on the end of the ethernet cable for the computer.

This is the arrangement for all sites at the Fort.

Bama Ed

PS - EDIT - dang, Paul you are quick.

You both are awesome! Thanks! I can throw a router on the list of items to bring. My kids will be lost if they can not get onto the internet for 8 days. It is over a year away, so who knows if this will change, but I will ask the RV Rental agent if they might offer a router for the RV. Seems like a good service to me, and heck if the RV rental place just rented it as an extra for 20 bucks or so, and you can make your money back in no time.

 

[5kidsmommy]

Also when are looking at going? You can call and book via phone 499 days before. I am already booked for next February even though the dates aren't online. It's a room only reservation (campsite) but I'll convert it over to a full reservation this summer once they open it up for tickets.

Also we are from the Cleveland area, you can get some pretty inexpensive flights down to Orlando, good luck.

 

[RMColosimo]

Also when are looking at going? You can call and book via phone 499 days before. I am already booked for next February even though the dates aren't online. It's a room only reservation (campsite) but I'll convert it over to a full reservation this summer once they open it up for tickets.

Also we are from the Cleveland area, you can get some pretty inexpensive flights down to Orlando, good luck.

Good to know! We are going in June 2017(my wife is a HS teacher, so it's always the 'bad' times we end up going.). I hope to get tickets for 100/person round trip, plus baggage fees. I set-up a couple of ticklers to look for fares from CLE to MCO. So we shall see. If I can't get the price we want, we will just drive.

 

[5kidsmommy]

Just an FYI when you call you the deposit in one night's fee. We are going during peak time (February) and the deposit was $133 for a full hookup site. I figured it was worth it to make sure we have our site. Going in June 2017 you should be able to get a site now. I am sort of a planner so once I knew we were going I booked the site. The last thing I'd want to happen is not be able to get a site.

 

[5kidsmommy]

Good to know! We are going in June 2017(my wife is a HS teacher, so it's always the 'bad' times we end up going.). I hope to get tickets for 100/person round trip, plus baggage fees. I set-up a couple of ticklers to look for fares from CLE to MCO. So we shall see. If I can't get the price we want, we will just drive.

We drive, it's not that bad. We bring the trailer so it takes a little longer since we keep our speed down to keep our fuel mileage up but it's not a super bad drive. I'm too cheap to fly with my entire family, plus I like having a car.

 

[peg110]

We bring the camper and going slower does very little for our gas mileage. I usually hover around 70 to 75 when I can. I get about 8 MPG in my F-250. What we really like about having the camper with us (on the drive) is that the bathroom breaks can occur when we need them (particularly the emergency ones) and you know the "Quality" of the facilities. Plus during a gas-up, we can grab "Lunch" or whatever to snack on. About the only thing I cannot get at these breaks is coffee (It just takes too long to make) so I will buy that in the gas station/convenient stores. (well after the thermos is empty.)

 

[RMColosimo]

So we made a choice already, and I put down the deposit just to ensure we have our dates.

Dates: Thursday June 8,2017 - Friday June 16,2017

Here is the link to the facebook and Youtube video of the RV we rented:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.841547115891608.1073741851.310055782374080&type=3

We have put in our budget to fly, as we have one kid that get's car sick, so we feel that if she can get down quickly without the drive she might like it better. And without all the benefits of bringing our own rest stop, we have to rent a hotel, so with 7 of us and requiring two rooms, we think we can at least break even on the airfare vs driving. Only time will tell on that one, but with 15 months to go, that should not be an issue.