Cheapest way to camp for 4

[Toadlover]

I've been thinking of doing All-Star as its about $100/night. Can we camp for less than this? My kids aren't too thrilled with all staying in a tent- they'll be 12, 14 and 16. The rest of the family is camping in a cabin and a motor home. Ideas?

By the way, we've been in 2009 and 2004 and are planning to go in 2014 again.

 

[North of Mouse]

I've been thinking of doing All-Star as its about $100/night. Can we camp for less than this? My kids aren't too thrilled with all staying in a tent- they'll be 12, 14 and 16. The rest of the family is camping in a cabin and a motor home. Ideas?

By the way, we've been in 2009 and 2004 and are planning to go in 2014 again.

Unless you are campers already and own camping gear, the All Star deal would be about as cheap as you could go if it's $100 per night.

Even if you decided to tent camp (doesn't sound like is too favorable) if you had to buy a tent plus supplies it would be fairly expensive - especially if this is basically a one shot deal.

Renting a travel trailer would be more expensive, plus the site rental.

Good luck on your decision!

 

[Toadlover]

Unless you are campers already and own camping gear, the All Star deal would be about as cheap as you could go if it's $100 per night.

Even if you decided to tent camp (doesn't sound like is too favorable) if you had to buy a tent plus supplies it would be fairly expensive - especially if this is basically a one shot deal.

Renting a travel trailer would be more expensive, plus the site rental.

Good luck on your decision!

That's a good point. We were thinking about renting a little camper, but it might just be as much as All Star, in the end. And yes, we aren't planning on camping again any time soon. Isn't All Star about $110 a night?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . about $100/night. Can we camp for less than this? My kids aren't too thrilled with all staying in a tent- they'll be 12, 14 and 16.

1) Actually, a blessing in disguise.
2) No tent, no problem.
. . . rent a site
. . . buy four sleeping bags
3) You get
. . . to do it on the cheap
. . . to have no tent which the kids don't want
. . . to stay near relatives

 

[bama_ed]

The cheapest campsite at the Fort is about $55 in the low/off season.

A popup campers is $75/night at its cheapest.

While room costs-to-room costs is slightly more than a Value resort, the camper has a kitchen and a fridge so you can save serious bling by cooking and eating meals at the camper or packing a lunch into the parks and use counter service or table service dining occasionally or rarely. The popup rentals have A/C, folding chairs, etc all you need for a stay.

If you're not regular tent campers, sleeping on the ground is not a newbie's idea of a vacation, I would say.

The Motorhome and you in the rental popup could request loop 1100 and the cabin folks can request loop 2100. If the three of you link reservations the Fort will try to assign you as near to each other as possible. Some campsites in 1100 are a 10 second walk from some of the 2100 cabins. I would think staying apart from everyone else would be a bummer. (1100 is not a cheap loop, though)

Bama Ed

PS - I think if you have more than 10 folks between the three parties you can use Disney's Grand Gathering reservation service.

PPS - if the Motorhome will be at the Fort, you can put a tent on a site with a motor home. You can rent a tent from Disney and cots too (I don't think the combined would cost near $100) and since you don't have to pay for a site, that saves money. Just bring pillows, blankets, sheets from home for the cots.

 

[Toadlover]

The cheapest campsite at the Fort is about $55 in the low/off season.

A popup campers is $75/night at its cheapest.

While room costs-to-room costs is slightly more than a Value resort, the camper has a kitchen and a fridge so you can save serious bling by cooking and eating meals at the camper or packing a lunch into the parks and use counter service or table service dining occasionally or rarely. The popup rentals have A/C, folding chairs, etc all you need for a stay.

If you're not regular tent campers, sleeping on the ground is not a newbie's idea of a vacation, I would say.

The Motorhome and you in the rental popup could request loop 1100 and the cabin folks can request loop 2100. If the three of you link reservations the Fort will try to assign you as near to each other as possible. Some campsites in 1100 are a 10 second walk from some of the 2100 cabins. I would think staying apart from everyone else would be a bummer. (1100 is not a cheap loop, though)

Bama Ed

PS - I think if you have more than 10 folks between the three parties you can use Disney's Grand Gathering reservation service.

PPS - if the Motorhome will be at the Fort, you can put a tent on a site with a motor home. You can rent a tent from Disney and cots too (I don't think the combined would cost near $100) and since you don't have to pay for a site, that saves money. Just bring pillows, blankets, sheets from home for the cots.

There are supposed to be 2, 4, and 5 people so a total of 11. So far, we can't even seem to figure a time to go! I said we should go in April so my kids will be off school for a week, but that's not okay with my sister.

We were talking about ordering groceries and cooking and packing lunches, yes, as eating just one meal at the parks can really add up with 4 people.

I hadn't thought of linking up that way. That gives more food for thought!

I don't know about bringing blankets. The group of two is driving a motor home down and we could conceivably send down a few things with them, but I wouldn't think too many. We're planning on flying down and meeting them there. My car isn't up for the drive and that's a lot of people one motor home for a 20+ hour drive.

 

[Toadlover]

1) Actually, a blessing in disguise.
2) No tent, no problem.
. . . rent a site
. . . buy four sleeping bags
3) You get
. . . to do it on the cheap
. . . to have no tent which the kids don't want
. . . to stay near relatives

Do you mean sleep under the stars?

 

[bama_ed]

Do you mean sleep under the stars?

Knowing Scupper, he's one tough dude. Bear Grylls has nothin' on him. He probably didn't even realize how rough-and-ready he came across.

Florida panthers respect him.

Hurricanes avoid his path.

Disney management asks his advice on their private personal investments.

Oh, I found a picture of Scupper. He is the world's most interesting man.



Bama Ed

 

[Toadlover]

Knowing Scupper, he's one tough dude. Bear Grylls has nothin' on him. He probably didn't even realize how rough-and-ready he came across.

Florida panthers respect him.

Hurricanes avoid his path.

Disney management asks his advice on their private personal investments.

Oh, I found a picture of Scupper. He is the world's most interesting man.

 

[Surfinpiratee]

I would do whichever you prefer and think would be more fun!
I go camping all the time, and I love it, but it doesn't really feel like I'm on vacation.Camping is a lot of work. So for me, I will be staying in a resort for our WDW vacation

 

[Toadlover]

I guess part of it depends on whether or not I can get a part time job to help pay for a hotel or not and if we're going on February or in April. Those two things make a difference.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . Hurricanes avoid his path . . .

1) Just for clarification: the weather, not the football team.
2) Been much too long and too many pounds, since Boilermaker Big-10 football.

 

[Toadlover]

1) Just for clarification: the weather, not the football team.
2) Been much too long and too many pounds, since Boilermaker Big-10 football.

 

[bama_ed]

I forgot to add that women swoon at Scupper's feet...

And he's fluent in 14 languages.



Dude, love the hair. Really.

Bama Ed

 

[tiggerdad]

I forgot to add that women swoon at Scupper's feet...

And he's fluent in 14 languages.

http://s947.photobucket.com/user/ba...tude Forum/dos-equis-man_zpscdcd919d.jpg.html

Dude, love the hair. Really.

Bama Ed

Hey Scupper, they said you once parallel parked a train...that just the engine or did you have some freight cars attached too?

Sent from my Desire HD using DISBoards

 

[Toadlover]

Hey Scupper, they said you once parallel parked a train...that just the engine or did you have some freight cars attached too?

Sent from my Desire HD using DISBoards

Shouldn't that be parallel parked a monorail?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Hey Scupper, they said you once parallel parked a train...that just the engine or did you have some freight cars attached too?

1) Just the locomotive.
2) The parking space was actually kind of oval in shape.
3) And anyone knows that a BOX car doesn't fit in an oval.

 

[tiggerdad]

Shouldn't that be parallel parked a monorail?

Nah, from what Chuck Norris told me Scupper quit driving the monorail after his 3rd birthday. Apparently he got tired of having to pick it up and put it back on the track after they took the training wheels off of it.

Sent from my Desire HD using DISBoards

 

[KristinU]

Sorry to derail the fun (and all hail TheRustyScupper!)

But back to the question...thi thing that really sticks out to me is being at the same resort as family. SOOOOOO much more convenient if you're at the same place. I speak from experience. You just waste so much time trying to figure out who is going where, who needs to go back to their room/site, where you're going to spend down time, oh no, the bathing suits are back at the room but we're at the other resort and want to swim...you get the picture.

Personally, I think I'd look into renting a tent setup from Disney. Do they offer cots as well? I think that might be the way to go.

Whatever you do, splurge on the sleeping solution, be it cots or air mattresses. Don't go for cheapie air mattresses, they're a waste of money and will aggravate you and result in an awful night's sleep. The poor guy next to us last weekend was battling with his air mattress all night for both nights (yep, I know because he used his little battery operated pump several times during the night each night) - see if you have any friends with Aero beds that you could borrow for the week. I know we're really open with lending ours out, otherwise they just sit in the basement so I'm always happy when they get borrowed and used. It is a little bit of a task to air travel with some camping gear, but not unsurmountable, many people have done it and there should be plenty of searchable posts.

Of course if you go with a rental pop-up or something, then you should have fairly comfy sleeping arrangements.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . Apparently he got tired of having to pick it up and put it back on the track after they took the training wheels off of it . . .

1) TheRustyScupper don't need no stinkin' trainin' wheels.
2) Not even on his first bicycle.
3) OK, I did have them for a short while on my Harley, but a different story.