1 night in tent ?

[sonomom]

So my DH says we should camp at disney for a night maybe for our dd bday which is during a 2 week trip. I didn't know how brilliant that idea was until i read about the " throw away " room. We wouldn't actually be throwing it away but do i have this right.. for 1 night stay they will send magic bands for all on the reservation, parking for 2 days and emh for 2 days and early fast pass for those days?

do they still rent tents for $30?
Any other perks?
When do they send magic bands?

 

[bama_ed]

What time of year are you planning to tent camp in and does your family camp at home?

During warm weather it can be uncomfortable at night plus other things if you just don't get lucky. On the other hand, your one night might go great.

Yes, the Fort rents tents. And cots to not have to sleep on the ground. It's a resort like any of the other Disney resorts. All the other resorts get the same perks and band ship dates as the Fort does. Only the Fort is better for kids IMO.

Bama Ed

PS - also the concept of the throw-away room is not popular here since stealing guest services is not a good thing. we realize it's popular on some boards though.

 

[sonomom]

Sorry i prob shouldnt have mentioned the throw away part since we actually intend on using it .... It will be in June but we are from Phx so we can handle the heat. I just think it would be a great way to celebrate my DD bday we went to DW 5 years ago and went to the fort for the sing along and thought the place was great! Another perk will be watching the fireworks as my DH wont want to do that in the park.

 

[Teamubr]

Do you camp at home? Doing one night in a Disney tent won't be too bad as long as the weather cooperates. In June, you should expect daily afternoon rain. It may last 20 minutes. It may last 10 hours. If this is the first time you have ever camped and things don't go well, I'd hate for that to ruin your ideas of camping and the Fort. For similar money to renting a site and the camping gear, have you considered renting a FW cabin? Same great atmosphere and amenities, but a bathroom, real bed and A/C.

Also, the heat in Florida in June will be a lot different than Phoenix. My dad lived in Phoenix for 3 years. I'll take Phoenix at 110. The Fort at 95 with 95% humidity is a whole different kind of heat. June will be slightly better than July/August, but not much.

j

 

[sonomom]

Well it's just a thought I guess we can play it by ear with the weather the cabins are $360 we will go with limited supplies and have the option of going back to the hotel if it gets to bad . I keep trying to tell hubby about the humidity he doesn't believe me lol .. I know phx is a "dry heat "

 

[Teamubr]

If you have a backup plan if the weather doesn't cooperate, I say go for it. You are already tackling the heat and humidity with the trip to Orlando. Camping, even for a night, will make some great memories.

Humidity is funny. I spent some time in Phoenix and Las Vegas. 105, even 115, didn't 'feel' as bad as home. I would walk off the plane in STL and the humidity would push you back in the door.

I live outside of St Louis. Our summers are very similar to WDW in June/July/August. Mid-to-upper 90s with humidity in the 80-100% range.

I work at a major academic hospital and we have physicians and other staff that come from all over the country and world. Many people from S. CA, Phoenix and other places with low humidity really struggle the first summer. Others figure it out pretty fast.

j

 

[sonomom]

The news was saying we had high humidity today so I looked it up to see what it was .. 45% lol . We will be spending lots of time in pools/beach/water parks ect

 

[Teamubr]

The news was saying we had high humidity today so I looked it up to see what it was .. 45% lol .

That's funny. My cousin lives in Scottsdale. She was saying the same thing about the "high" humidity. I told her she could move back to the Midwest. Her answer was, "But it's supposed to be 105!"

Sounds like you have a good idea what to expect and a great plan to have some fun. Stay up with us in the camping forum until your trip. I'm considering a Fort trip next June too.

j

 

[bama_ed]

BTW one unique feature of the Fort is the Chip & Dale campfire singalong. In June it starts at 8pm with a cowboy or cowgirl with a guitar leading song while c&d circulate among the crowd for pix, autographs, etc. A fire or two is burning off to the sides so kids can roast marshmallows (BYO or buy from the stand nearby). Then they run and outdoor movie starting abt 840pm. Its iconic.

If u dont want to take a chance with the we@ther for one night, do this on a day visit like you did in the past. Pick a day with good weather. Come over to the Fort before supper, visit the horses in the barn, then get a 10 piece chicken dinner with 2 sides for abt $25. Then attend the campfire singalong and stay for the movie or watch the fireworks. A day visit can improve the chances of a good experience. About all u cant do as a day visitor is swim.

I visited the Fort as a kid and have been going back since. And if you want to rent the tent then do it. If the weather cooperated i believe you would have a great time.

Bama Ed

 

[sonomom]

Will the tent spaces sell out?

 

[bama_ed]

Will the tent spaces sell out?

I doubt it but it depends on a few factors.

Generally in summer, things don't fill up for the most part in the campground side. Weekends are more full than weekdays. Times near holidays like July 4th get more full.

We did a trip after Memorial Day in late May one year that ran into early June. It tested the limits of my comfort scale (we were in a popup with AC at night but days were pretty hot. Strong sun too). So maybe it depends on if you would be there early June versus late June.

I think it's great what you want to do by trying tent camping but it's such a roll of the dice weatherwise. Some folks who are prepared to tent in Florida in summer bring portable AC units to plug in and run at night while sleeping (and other times).

I'll see if I can find my rental tent pix.

Bama Ed

 

[bama_ed]

Here are a few pix of the rental tents I took in March 2014.



with the rental cots





Given you have 4 in your family in your avatar picture, the picture above of 3 cots in the tent looks a little tight. Sleeping on the ground might be room for 4 but I don't know if these have room for 4 inside cots. Looking at the Kodiak website, I'm guessing these are 10x10. Typical of Disney. Their old tents were more square with straight walls and might have slept 4. These are smaller and force a group/party to only fit 3 people inside (meaning more tent rentals, more revenue, blah blah blah).

Here is the Group Campsite brochure that lists the price of tents and cots (and a telno). You would conceivably book a tent loop (1500 very convenient or 2000 a little further away) and pay the going rate for it.



Bama Ed

 

[sonomom]

That's funny. My cousin lives in Scottsdale. She was saying the same thing about the "high" humidity. I told her she could move back to the Midwest. Her answer was, "But it's supposed to be 105!"

Sounds like you have a good idea what to expect and a great plan to have some fun. Stay up with us in the camping forum until your trip. I'm considering a Fort trip next June too.

j

 

[sonomom]

Well we did it! We lugged 2 backpacking tents in a backpack on the plane, bought 2 air mattress from Walmart and "borrowed" hotel pillows, blankets. Got there alittle late to tour much but kids swam then did the campfire thing the next day husband packed up while we went to Epcot so short and sweet but something they will remember . The weather was great it cooled down nicely at night and not hit at all. We actually think Florida humidity and all still beats Phx 118 . We did not however appreciate the birds "wake up calls" lol

 

[sonomom]

Well we did it! We lugged 2 backpacking tents in a backpack on the plane, bought 2 air mattress from Walmart and "borrowed" hotel pillows, blankets. Got there alittle late to tour much but kids swam then did the campfire thing the next day husband packed up while we went to Epcot so short and sweet but something they will remember . The weather was great it cooled down nicely at night and not hit at all. We actually think Florida humidity and all still beats Phx 118 . We did not however appreciate the birds "wake up calls" lol

 

[peg110]

Sounds awesome. I am glad that you guys enjoyed it. To bad you couldn't stay there at least 1 more day. More time for "appreciation" of the Fort.

 

[sonomom]

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[sonomom]

 

[4077]

Kudos to doing that for the one night adventure! Glad it was a good experience!

 

[Teamubr]

Thanks so much for checking back in. It's great to get the "other side" of the posts.

Glad you enjoyed it and the weather was manageable. Hopefully you got to experience enough of the Fort to try it again for a little longer.

What loop did you end up in?

j