Caravan from CT!!!!!!!

[pjpoppins]

So excited. We bought a 31' Wildwood X-lite last fall (winterized). We booked FW for summer 2016 back in March without ever even taking it out around here lol (we have done one trip and 6 more booked this season). Well our non-Disney friends decided they want to come and have booked for 9 nights also. Then another family of our camping crew booked as well. We are up to 12 people so far and may have another family booking with a party of 5.
My family is disfanatics so getting to share this with friends is unbelievable. I think maybe 1 or 2 people out of the crew has ever been before. So far there are 5 kids who will be experiencing Disney for the first time.
Just wanted to share.
The real point it is...we bought the camper to join our friends and family for the fun American experience called camping. Now our camper has led others to experience Disney. Full circle. I'm not trying to take credit but I do feel that had we not booked this trip some/most of the other families wouldn't have gone to WDW. One family stated that it was the camping aspect that sealed the deal on a Disney trip.

 

[Jimsig]

Sounds like you guys will have a blast. We are staying in a cabin in Nov and are hoping to have friends come down in their RV from Ocala at the same time.

 

[jbrostek]

With 2016 reservations you will have lots of time to learn the camper and figure it all out. I would recommend trying to squeeze in something that is a bit of a drive for you in the mean time. Nearby campgrounds are great for quick trips, but the lack of experience on a longer road haul can leave you unprepared for how much fatigue you can get driving such a distance. I learned that the hard way with the farthest I ever took my first bus was 4 hours. Only 2 months before the trip I took a trip 6 hours away and learned a lot about what I need to adjust for a longer ride. Now after 6 years of making the trip to FW every winter I feel like an old salt and my trip down 95 is just ticking off the miles till I get there.

Enjoy the adventures of the new RV!!!!

 

[pjpoppins]

Thanks for the advice. We live in CT and picked it up in northern VT. That was a long 5 hour ride through construction ("It looks like we'll clear this Jersey barrier") lol

 

[4077]

we have done one trip and 6 more booked this season

Hi! We are going to do our second summer of local camping (trailer new last season). Curious what campgrounds make up you other 6 trips? (We live in Seymour, CT)

We drove to Fort last October with the trailer...it is a long drive towing...and we have made the drive in just the Tahoe 4 or 5 times previously along with various other northeast to FL or other way around trips over the years. Pulling the trailer is def more tiring....I would plan a longer trip with shorter driving days next time, but was kinda boxed in by my vacation limits. In any case, happy camping! I am so ready to get out after the winter!!!

 

[pjpoppins]

We did Normandy Farms in Foxboro MA a month ago. Doing Burlingame State Park in RI over Memorial Day. Witch Meadows in Salem, CT Fathers Day Weekend. Brialee in Ashford, CT for the 4th and close to Halloween. Charlie Brown in Eastford, CT sometime late summer and looking into one or 2 close ones. Possibly Odetah in Bozrah, CT.

 

[pjpoppins]

Oh yeah also....GO SOX!!!!

 

[bama_ed]

pjpoppins,

I'm torn.

I'm happy you have got a Fort trip planned and have turned other campers onto the Fort.

I'm concerned that the increased attendance you are fomenting will make it harder for me to get a site someday.














Aw heck, have a great time next year. I guess I still have time to slip one (or two) trips in before you clog up the place.

Bama ed

PS - camping is good family fun - you got that part right.

 

[pjpoppins]

I'm sure they'll still hold your seasonal site for you.

 

[4077]

We did Normandy Farms in Foxboro MA a month ago. Doing Burlingame State Park in RI over Memorial Day. Witch Meadows in Salem, CT Fathers Day Weekend. Brialee in Ashford, CT for the 4th and close to Halloween. Charlie Brown in Eastford, CT sometime late summer and looking into one or 2 close ones. Possibly (we have done one trip and 6 more booked this season)Odetah in Bozrah, CT.

Awesome....I liked Odetah a lot. Brialee was good too. Most of those others are "to do" for me too... Have fun!

 

[jbrostek]

Towing is definitely more wearing on you, but due to lack of infinite PTO I have to consolidate as best I can. I am in N. VA and do the trip in no less then 2 days. First day is about 12 hours of "road time" 8 hours of actual driving as it works out. We usually leave between 8-9am and run for 3-4 hours first run. Stop for a potty break, lunch, pup walking and hit the road again. Another 3 hours and usually stoping for a quick bathroom break, pup walk and leg streach. Depending on fuel prices I might top off at that time (I carry a 45 gallon Aux tank so I can skip the expensive states.) We usually stop for the night somewhere between SC exit 53 (New Green Acres), SC Exit 53 (Point South KOA), and only once made such good time we continued to GA Exit 87 (Savannah South KOA.) By then its usually 7-8pm and call it a night. Next day try to get on the road again between 8-9am and end up at Disney by about 2pm with a fuel stop if I had not made one yet and a lunch stop.

That is about as hard as I want to push myself, the best way to guess your drive time is to plan on averaging 50mph. When I tow my truck prefers to sit around 65-68. Any slower and I drop a gear and get worse milage.

 

[peg110]

I don't know how the drive will be without towing our 27' TT. I am going to find out though this November (2015) because we are coming to stay at Pop Century (with the Free Dining).

Coming from NEPA I will say this, with the Trailer, it's a LONG drive because the DW won't take a turn driving. She just doesn't feel comfortable with towing. She's okay with driving the truck, just not towing. So we also make a quasi-two day trip. Usually leaving after work/school getting below the DC Beltway and breaking for the night. Usually stopping in Ashland VA as there is a nice truck stop there (Sleep in the camper) and in the AM we get Breakfast at Cracker Barrel (same Exit) and get on the road. The next day is a FULL day of driving (for me) with bathroom/coffee/food breaks as needed. We typically make it almost all the way (about an hour or less) from the fort that day. Then we pull over for the night. Get up early, and pull in early to the fort. It's nice checking in at 7 or 8 AM. No real line to speak of. Even if our site isn't ready yet. We just park in the overflow and start doing stuff to get ready (as much as we can) or we just park the vehicle and go to the park.

This year we are driving down but not with the TT (Staying at Pop Century) so we hope to drive straight (with coffee/food/bathroom breaks) through because the DW will take a turn at driving too, allowing me to rest a bit. If we have to, we will pull over and sack out in the truck or find a cheap motel somewhere. First time driving this far with the family and no TT.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

We did Normandy Farms in Foxboro MA a month ago. Doing Burlingame State Park in RI over Memorial Day. Witch Meadows in Salem, CT Fathers Day Weekend. Brialee in Ashford, CT for the 4th and close to Halloween. Charlie Brown in Eastford, CT sometime late summer and looking into one or 2 close ones. Possibly Odetah in Bozrah, CT.

How would you rate those campgrounds? Which do you prefer? We have done a new campground called Ashaway in RI. The people that run it are really nice, they have a really AWESOME pool area and small water park like area. The only problem when we went is construction was going on last year and their roads were less than desirable, hopefully they have fixed that. Wonderful people run it, never been treated better. We have ressies for Odetah in July.

 

[pjpoppins]

Hard for me to rate much. This is our first year camping. Normandy farms was very nice and super clean but we went early in the year so there wasn't much going on. Outdoor pools weren't open yet. I probably wouldn't go in the summer cuz sites can be $100/night. We just did Burlingame and had a good time but it's a state park. There's a run down arcade playground lake beach and sports facilities. The camp store never opened. you get the typical crowd you would expect when it's $18/night. We didn't have any problems but I couldn't recommend it. looking forward to brialee. Just booked a second trip for late October for trick or treating. It's supposed to be a great place and great value. Charlie Brown is pretty basic but it's close to home and has been around forever. I'll let you know how witch meadow is. They just put an inground heated pool this year.

 

[4077]

Hard for me to rate much. This is our first year camping. Normandy farms was very nice and super clean but we went early in the year so there wasn't much going on. Outdoor pools weren't open yet. I probably wouldn't go in the summer cuz sites can be $100/night. We just did Burlingame and had a good time but it's a state park. There's a run down arcade playground lake beach and sports facilities. The camp store never opened. you get the typical crowd you would expect when it's $18/night. We didn't have any problems but I couldn't recommend it. looking forward to brialee. Just booked a second trip for late October for trick or treating. It's supposed to be a great place and great value. Charlie Brown is pretty basic but it's close to home and has been around forever. I'll let you know how witch meadow is. They just put an inground heated pool this year.

I'll be curious about Witch Meadow...just looked at it online today. With new pool, looks like it'll be nice. I liked Odetah a lot (stayed in site "B"..I like those ones up on hill). I think the sites right behind store and pool would be fun too. I didn't care for the other side as much (where most seasonals are), but I enjoyed the place. Also really liked Seaport RV resort as well as KOA in Mystic area. Brialee was ok and just stayed at Nelson's which I liked. Didn't care for Wolf's Den. Going to try Copake NY KOA in a few weeks (pretty much at border intersection of MA/CT/NY). May try Lone Oaks sometime. Strawberry Park was expensive but fun...they have new splash pad there...

 

[PaHunter]

I don't know how the drive will be without towing our 27' TT. I am going to find out though this November (2015) because we are coming to stay at Pop Century (with the Free Dining).

Coming from NEPA I will say this, with the Trailer, it's a LONG drive because the DW won't take a turn driving. She just doesn't feel comfortable with towing. She's okay with driving the truck, just not towing. So we also make a quasi-two day trip. Usually leaving after work/school getting below the DC Beltway and breaking for the night. Usually stopping in Ashland VA as there is a nice truck stop there (Sleep in the camper) and in the AM we get Breakfast at Cracker Barrel (same Exit) and get on the road. The next day is a FULL day of driving (for me) with bathroom/coffee/food breaks as needed. We typically make it almost all the way (about an hour or less) from the fort that day. Then we pull over for the night. Get up early, and pull in early to the fort. It's nice checking in at 7 or 8 AM. No real line to speak of. Even if our site isn't ready yet. We just park in the overflow and start doing stuff to get ready (as much as we can) or we just park the vehicle and go to the park.

This year we are driving down but not with the TT (Staying at Pop Century) so we hope to drive straight (with coffee/food/bathroom breaks) through because the DW will take a turn at driving too, allowing me to rest a bit. If we have to, we will pull over and sack out in the truck or find a cheap motel somewhere. First time driving this far with the family and no TT.

We towed our 25 footer down this spring from NEPA, and made it to Walterboro, SC on the way down at the end of the first day traveling. Was a long day of driving as we left at 3am and arrived there about 5pm. Next day we got up at 5am and headed to Fort Wilderness.
Our return trip was a bit more balanced with our overnight stop in Rocky Mount, NC. It split the trip evenly into about 9 hour travel days. Looks like we will not get to Disney in 2016 as we need to invest in a new tow vehicle. So we can make more Disney trips.

 

[pjpoppins]

Just came back from Witch Meadow Monday. We had a good time. Not much to brag about but the pool was nice. We never made it down to the pond. They had activities on Saturday but not Sunday. Unfortunately I got called in to work Saturday so I can't comment. I can't say "you have to go there!" but can't say anything bad about it. Granted this was out 3rd trip so I don't have much to compare to. Going to Brialee July 3-7. I'm pretty excited about it. I don't know why but everyone loves it around here. I guess they have a lot of activities (full fireworks show 7/4) and for $20/night weeknights it's a good bargain.

 

[KristinU]

Not inexpensive, but add either of the Moose Hillock campgrounds to your list - original one is in NH and they have a new one in Lake George. Both are great and have awesome, I mean awesome, pools!

We've been to Brialee once and it left us flat. However, we have friends that love it there and go every year for a full week, so I think everyone's tastes vary.

 

[4077]

We've been to Brialee once and it left us flat. However, we have friends that love it there and go every year for a full week, so I think everyone's tastes vary.

Brialee was "ok" to me too, but like KristinU, have friends who call it their favorite, so as she said....

 

[pjpoppins]

Just got back from Brialee Tuesday. We liked it. The campground was a little run down but not bad. There was tons of activities for the kids (and adults too). We are going back for Halloween (Oct 23) I believe.