Best tips for getting 1500 loop?

[KalamityJane]

Our flight gets in at 5:50 am, so I will not be able to be there at 6am. Is it worth a call to the Fort from the airport begging for 1500? I will also fax in or call in a request as well.

 

[tiggerdad]

Your site is usually assigned about 5 days prior to your arrival. Your request should be in before then. The old way was to fax in a request but I have been told by several Cams that this is not as effective as the paper can potentially get lost and thus not added to your request.

I was told that you can call the FW front desk about a week out and put in your request as typically when you call they open your account and thus have direct access to input the request at that time.

MDE used to be worth using to put in the request but in the last year they have messed it up and you no longer have an option for loop request ( though you can request to be near the stairs).

Give these a try.

 

[KalamityJane]

Your site is usually assigned about 5 days prior to your arrival. Your request should be in before then. The old way was to fax in a request but I have been told by several Cams that this is not as effective as the paper can potentially get lost and thus not added to your request.

I was told that you can call the FW front desk about a week out and put in your request as typically when you call they open your account and thus have direct access to input the request at that time.

MDE used to be worth using to put in the request but in the last year they have messed it up and you no longer have an option for loop request ( though you can request to be near the stairs).

Give these a try.

Thanks!! You guys are the best Will do.

 

[peg110]

What about the elevator... can we be by the elevator?

 

[KalamityJane]

What about the elevator... can we be by the elevator?

All the cool kids are by the elevator

 

[bama_ed]

Jane,

Here is my approach for getting a requested/desired loop:

1. add a note to your reservation to request your desired loop (it's not a guarantee).
2. try to avoid checking in on a Friday or Saturday (lots of competition for sites during check-in those days).
3. use the early check-in option in MDE and specify an early time (even if it's not when you plan to arrive) like 630am.
4. be willing to wait in order to get what you want.

Let's look at these in reverse order:

4. if you end up with a site you don't like/want, give yourself time to request a different site (maybe one you saw as you drove to yours) and give it time to be cleaned/prepped. If you schedule your FP for an hour after check-in, you'll be pressured to take whatever you get. So I tell the CM checking me in the lobby (and I always talk to a CM to try to improve my position) that I am willing to wait if someone in my desired loop hasn't checked out yet that morning and give it time to be prepped and cleaned.

3. If you specify an arrival time during the Early Check-in process, you will get a text about 30 minutes beforehand with a welcome and a pre-assigned site (if one is available). If it's a site in your desired loop, Congrats - You're In! If you want to stop and try to improve the site location within that loop, you can (if you know that level of detail). If not, get to the Fort as soon as possible and negotiate - you know what you have to do. Be polite and not overly demanding. I have 3 site numbers in most loops in my head - I'll ask for those and if those aren't available, I take what I am given.

2. This time of year (spring break/Easter time) folks are coming in for an entire week. But other than spring, Halloween, and Christmas-New Years, the weekends generally fill up more on Friday and empty out on Sunday and the Fort is about half-three quarters full on weekdays. So if you can come in on a Thursday, for example, you have a better chance (fewer arrivals) than if you came in on a Friday or Saturday (I realize sometimes you can't control when you check in. Friday-Sunday are popular weekend arrival dates. Just sayin').

1. It all starts with the request. Give yourself at least a chance.

IIRC you are arriving early in the morning so that's good. Why? because if you and i are both arriving same day and the computer randomly assigns me to 1500 and you to 2000, you have a chance. If you arrive before me, you can ask for a 1500 site. If I didn't use Early Check-in and get my assignment text already, they will bump me out and give you my 1500 site and probably stick me in 2000. Once you get your Early Check-In assignment text, you can't be bumped. If you don't use Early Check-In and wait to get there to get your site, you could get bumped and never know it.

So if you early check-in and get an arrival text and like it, good. If not, get to the Fort and ask for the desired loop. The CM will bump me out if I haven't got my text.

IIRC you are flying in. We drive and I travel about 550 miles in one day and spend a night at a Florida State Park only 30 minutes from the Fort ($25 for a site rather than $100 at the Fort). Then we leave out early in the morning and get to the Fort 630-700am to give me time to play out steps 1-4 above if I need to. But we spend 5-7 nights with only 1-2 park days so I can afford to relax and waste my arrival day waiting for a desired loop and site.

So there are no guarantees but there are things you can do to help your chances. Main thing is to be polite to the CM's you talk to if you have to, don't press them, and if not this trip maybe next. They will try to help you if they reasonably can.

Bama Ed

 

[KalamityJane]

Although

Jane,

Here is my approach for getting a requested/desired loop:

1. add a note to your reservation to request your desired loop (it's not a guarantee).
2. try to avoid checking in on a Friday or Saturday (lots of competition for sites during check-in those days).
3. use the early check-in option in MDE and specify an early time (even if it's not when you plan to arrive) like 630am.
4. be willing to wait in order to get what you want.

Let's look at these in reverse order:

4. if you end up with a site you don't like/want, give yourself time to request a different site (maybe one you saw as you drove to yours) and give it time to be cleaned/prepped. If you schedule your FP for an hour after check-in, you'll be pressured to take whatever you get. So I tell the CM checking me in the lobby (and I always talk to a CM to try to improve my position) that I am willing to wait if someone in my desired loop hasn't checked out yet that morning and give it time to be prepped and cleaned.

3. If you specify an arrival time during the Early Check-in process, you will get a text about 30 minutes beforehand with a welcome and a pre-assigned site (if one is available). If it's a site in your desired loop, Congrats - You're In! If you want to stop and try to improve the site location within that loop, you can (if you know that level of detail). If not, get to the Fort as soon as possible and negotiate - you know what you have to do. Be polite and not overly demanding. I have 3 site numbers in most loops in my head - I'll ask for those and if those aren't available, I take what I am given.

2. This time of year (spring break/Easter time) folks are coming in for an entire week. But other than spring, Halloween, and Christmas-New Years, the weekends generally fill up more on Friday and empty out on Sunday and the Fort is about half-three quarters full on weekdays. So if you can come in on a Thursday, for example, you have a better chance (fewer arrivals) than if you came in on a Friday or Saturday (I realize sometimes you can't control when you check in. Friday-Sunday are popular weekend arrival dates. Just sayin').

1. It all starts with the request. Give yourself at least a chance.

IIRC you are arriving early in the morning so that's good. Why? because if you and i are both arriving same day and the computer randomly assigns me to 1500 and you to 2000, you have a chance. If you arrive before me, you can ask for a 1500 site. If I didn't use Early Check-in and get my assignment text already, they will bump me out and give you my 1500 site and probably stick me in 2000. Once you get your Early Check-In assignment text, you can't be bumped. If you don't use Early Check-In and wait to get there to get your site, you could get bumped and never know it.

So if you early check-in and get an arrival text and like it, good. If not, get to the Fort and ask for the desired loop. The CM will bump me out if I haven't got my text.

IIRC you are flying in. We drive and I travel about 550 miles in one day and spend a night at a Florida State Park only 30 minutes from the Fort ($25 for a site rather than $100 at the Fort). Then we leave out early in the morning and get to the Fort 630-700am to give me time to play out steps 1-4 above if I need to. But we spend 5-7 nights with only 1-2 park days so I can afford to relax and waste my arrival day waiting for a desired loop and site.

So there are no guarantees but there are things you can do to help your chances. Main thing is to be polite to the CM's you talk to if you have to, don't press them, and if not this trip maybe next. They will try to help you if they reasonably can.

Bama Ed

This is amazing!! Thank you so much! We are arriving on May 2 (Tues) so I'm hoping it will go well. I will definitely do what you have said! We will get the rental car and head over to the Fort to chill. We won't be going to the parks until the next week so I don't mind waiting for a better site. Seriously, thank you so much for typing this all out, it's gold <3