Camping for the first time SERIOUShelp needed

[Ivette1980]

Hi All, i know theres alot of first timers on here and I veread all of the threads and they seems to have it all figured out. I on the otherhand havent a clue where to begin on camping at Disney.

All I know is I have a visual of renting am RV from somewhere (dont know where) in NYC and drive down to FW. thats as far as I made it with the plans. I dont know where to look for an RV. I found one in JFK airport but how am I to get there amd drive an RV back to my home. Where do I park it or am I supposed to pick up the morning I plan to leave? Wed like to leave in the middle of the night. We being DH DD17 DS11 DS9 DS8 and myself.

Also once I can figure that very important part out where do I look for rest stops for RVS along the way. And are we supposed to sleep in the RV at an RV park is that even safe!!???

And if we get through all of that and finally make to FW how do we begin to know where to go and what are the differences in the spot with regards to Premium, preffered and hooks up etc .... I know this has to be booked beforehand.

So now we would like to bus it to the parks and areas or boat. If Id like to rent a car for a day to perhaps visit legoland is there an rental agent on site?

So many questions but please help me out.voh amd I would like to adventure to take place for the last weeks of August.

I know I left tons out but anything anyone can do to help. I thank you in advance.

 

[chartle]

ok so your plan is to rent a motorhome in NY and drive it down to wdw with no prior experience.

a 6 person motorhome can be pretty big like bus size, have you or your DH even handled something that big?

I really think you should look into renting an rv from one of the off site dealers. they will get it there and set it up for you. it will also be totally outfitted with everything you need.

its probably going to be cheaper than renting locally and driving it yourself. those motorhomes get like 6 miles to the gallon.

you can then drive or fly down and "camp"

 

[jeffrey1966]

Hi there! Sounds like you have a very exciting trip in the works. We are also from NY and took that trip back in 2011. We rented an Rv from Camping World in Tappan, NY and drove down to FW for an 8 night stay. We got caught in traffic in NJ and only made it to Fredricksburg Va the first day. Second day we made it to Jacksonville Florida. That left a fairly short day of driving the third day. We rented a 27' class C and had more room than we needed for the two of us. The stay at FW was without a dought my favorite trip to WDW. On the return trip we travelled through the Outer Banks and I am so glad that we did. Try to enjoy the planning phase of the trip and take the advice of the true veterans on these boards. They have a lot of experience with this kind of vacation.

 

[North of Mouse]

I'm with chartle Have you ever gone camping locally in an RV? Motorhome?. You would be wise to take a local camping trip first. As pp said, driving a MH is not usually an easy venture for first timers - especially on a long hall - not safe for yourselves or others.

Definitely not trying to be a 'Debbie Downer', but think you need to do a lot of research on driving a MH, campgrounds, and just camping in general. It can be lots of fun and very rewarding, but there are just some things that you need to be very aware of, and knowledgeable about, before embarking on such a long trip.

Also, I agree that you would probably be better off to rent a RV in Orlando and have them set it up and take it down.

 

[MattFromPA]

Consider renting from a local Orlando outfit. We did that last month (a pop-up) and everything was up and running when we arrived, couldn't have been easier. I've been RV'ing for nearly 15 years, and would advise against such a long trip for your first time out. At the least, maybe take a rental out for a weekend and see how it goes first. My $.02!

 

[Southern Bell]

You may look at some RV websites for the best answers to your RV questions and campgrounds to stay at along the way.

http://www.woodalls.com/


We usually look for campsites to stay at that aren't to far off the interstate that we are traveling on. Its always nice if they are near a walmart or some eating places. You don't want to get off the interstate and drive an hour to a campground. Some people stay at Walmart but we never have. I've read you call them first but I'm not really for sure. I feel safe at a campground but I would not at Walmart. We have also stayed at a hotel. My husband just looks at the map and decides about where he wants to stop and we check out the hotels or campgrounds for that area that are close to the interstae. Now the internet makes it alot easier!

At Fort WIlderness We used to always ask for loop 100 and we have never rented a golf cart. We stayed there in preferred(loops 100, 200, 300) because it is close to the marina and we could catch a boat to Magic Kingdom without catching a internal bus at Fort Wilderness. We just walked right out to the marina and cought the boat. Last time we camped they put us in loop 700 and now this is a premium site. it is also fairly close to Marina but not as close as loop 100. A premium site is concreted all the way where it used to be pebbles in the back of campsite. Campsite (concrete pad)is now bigger but may be hard to put an awning or tent up on that site. It also cost more for a premium site. My husband rented a campsite in 700 section, premium site for this summer. He thought it would be easier to back into theese spots than loops 100, 200, 300. This is a row of campsites instead of a circle and my husband kind of liked that about it! But as for my opinion it doesn't have a bathroom and shares a bath house with loop 400. You have to walk across a pretty busy road that the bus transportation runs on. So unless you have a bathroom in your camper I wouldn't want this section.
If I did not have a golf cart I would either ask for a campsite near marina or the pool if I were going to be using it. If you have a golf cart then it won't matter as much I guess. If you don't have a bathroom I would ask to be across from a bath house. You may not want to be right beside one.

When you arrive at Fort Wilderness they will give you a map and answer all your questions about transportation. You always take the boat to Magic Kingdom. You take a bus to the others. You can take the boat to Magic Kingdom and then from there catch the monorail to Epcot! We have done that just because we thought it would be fun to do so! But it was probably alot longer and alot more walking! LOL!

One thing we have learned is if you make reservations for campsite only you can cancel within 5 days and get your money back, and the total is not due untill we arrive. So my husband prefers to do reservation for campsite only and we buy our tickets after we arrive, just incase something happens and we can't go. You can also buy your tickets at a Disney Store near you before you go but we don't do that either. I have seen a few other places that sound legit to save money on tickets, undercover tourist, but we would still rather wait untill we get there for sure!

As far as renting a golf cart everyone seems to use this person named Kenny. We have never rented one from anyone or at Disney but I did reserve one from Disney this year, for this summer. The amount is not due untill I arrive. It is higher than everyone states Kennys is. We just weren't sure if Disney alllowed it, and how did you get the golf cart if they weren't allowed on property, and what would you do if the golf cart tore up. SO we just rented from Disney paying $439 from Friday to Friday at no discount even for a week. It is higher than we ever rent one for at Myrtle beach. Last summer I think we paid $350 for the week.

If there are any character meals or any other special places you want to eat at you need to make reservations!

If you can't find an answer here other good sources are:

All ears net http://www.allears.net/index.html

Mouse savers http://www.mousesavers.com/

Disney site https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/

Moms Panel has been usefull to me!

GOLFCART RENTAL
Reservations

Advance reservations are highly recommended and can be made up to one year prior to your visit by calling (407) 824-2742. Unreserved carts may be available for rental on a first-come, first-served basis.

FORT WILDERNESS
Resort Address

4510 North Fort Wilderness Trail
Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830-8415

(407) 824-2900

 

[retired and happy]

Premium sites are not necessarily bigger, but the cocina (crushed shells) pad at the rear of the old sites has been replaced with concrete, and the concrete has been widened all the way to the front of the site (with the fronts widened further to facilitate backing in), so there's more usable flat paved surface for your patio. The drawback is that there is no good place if you want to stake a tent or canopy, without the cocina. Premium sites are 400-1400. 1400 is a double loop and has some smaller and some larger sites, but it is the closest premium to the pool and Meadows area. Many loops are now pet friendly, but Disney will put pets in any loop if things are heavily booked.

I'm not sure I agree with those who say to wait and rent at the Fort. If you have some time near home to acquaint yourself with the RV systems and practice driving and parking, the trip to Florida could be a really good adventure and allow you to stop where you want to and enjoy some sights along the way. I would try to plan the travel to avoid big city traffic times, or avoid big cities altogether. That said, there are some good renters at the fort, and one even throws in a free golf cart. We love having a GC there and use it often for errands or just looping to look at other rigs around the Fort. The drawback (if any) there is GC's can only be used in the campground....not to any other resorts or parks. That's not a huge drawback because the Disney transportation system is so good. Busses, boats, and monorails run on a frequent schedule and can take you anywhere. There are also grocery sources that will deliver to your campsite for a modest fee.

Enjoy the planning and the trip and keep posting your progress.

 

[disnic75]

We camped for the first time last week. We rented from http://www.greenbergrvflorida.com/. They had the camper set up and hooked up by 1pm but since we drove we didn't get there until 5pm. The weather was perfect all week and we enjoyed camping at the Fort.

We stayed in the Preferred Loop 300 since it was pet-friendly. We did rent a golf cart which was nice to have but expensive and not really necessary. Our site was very close to the comfort station and a bus stop.

The camper we stayed in was very nice and had every kitchen item you may need, even a crock pot. It had a back room with 3 bunks and a bedroom with a queen bed. The mattresses are not the best. Matt brought us some extra mattress pads and that helped a bit. The sofa converts to a bed as does the dining table. The bathroom was a decent size but we preferred using the comfort station.

If you're going straight to Disney, it may be easier to drive your own vehicle and let them deliver the camper.