Considering tent camping at FTW for the 1st time... Any advice?

[mommy2paris]

My family is making another trip to the World in Mid May of this year. We have stayed onsite at all 3 levels and offsite a few times as well. We were looking for something "different" this trip and considered tent camping at the Fort. We take our girls, 5 & 7, tent camping at least once a year, so it would not be new to them. Husband is concerned it will be too exhausting on top of the all day goings at the parks... Was hoping that someone could share their tent camping experience with us. Maybe recommend a loop or area close to the bathhouses, etc.. Thanks!!

 

[D in Davie]

I would recommend bringing some fans to make sleeping at night comfortable. Florida in May can get humid and will be in the 80'during the day. You will find that the tent sites are segregated from the bigger units so you won't be listening to your neighbor's A/C unit all night. The ground is a crushed shell kind of sand that is not muddy but will track into the tent with traffic. The bathhouses are the cleanest you will find anywhere and you should spend at least one day in the campground exploring. We camp there at least 3 times a year and rarely go to the theme parks. Rent a golf cart to get around. While DW does spray for mosquitos ask for a site that is not near any bodies of standing water. If sleeping on the ground does not appeal to some of your family members then look into the cabins they rent there. They are bigger that the hotel rooms with full cooking facilities. Maid service is also provided.

 

[jonimce]

We have tent camped at the fort several times. Try to get the 1500 loop. Much smaller than the 2000 and much closer to the action. We didn't cook when tent camping. Always did the dining plan. There are several places in the parks for quiet cool down time in the afternoon's as you won't have it in the tent. Fans at night worked great and we always camped in Aug. You should be fine in May.

joni

 

[Brendonsmom]

We tent camped our first time at FW April 2011 after camping several times with Scouts. We loved it. Stayed on Loop 2000 and backed up to a water spill off/small creek with no bugs. There is some shrubbery and trees between the campsites but not full privacy. Take a clothes line or two with you to dry towels as well as make a privacy screen. When you check in ask to be set away from the main road so you don't hear traffic all night and also ask not to be put on the main path to the comfort station or you will hear people walking/talking all night. We were about 5 sites away from the station and found it was still very close, well lit in the evening, yet we didn't deal with the noise. If you are light sleepers you will want ear plugs or fans. The whistles on the water taxi can be heard by 7AM every morning if not a little earlier. Oh, the bus station was a quick walk for us as well and we usually had it to ourselves coming and going to the dock/pool. Use the water taxi to Magic Kingdom instead of waiting for the bus at the front of FW. It was much quicker and who doesn't love a boat ride?! Last, the pool with slide is not close to the tent area. Take bikes with you or use the bus. There is no car parking at that amenity and the walk is a ways especially if you are tired from walking miles at the park. Don't miss the s'mores with Chip N Dale and the outdoor movie. You can take your own camp chairs, sticks, and s'more fixings or buy them at the concession. Enjoy your trip! We are headed back with our pop-up in April for spring break again.

 

[5stljayhawks]

larger the tent the better. Some folks do a sleeping tent and storage tent. Spent 2 weeks in a tent and had a cott to sleep on. Storage containers- rubbermaid or the sort to put clothes and food in and double as tables. Extension cords, and light-home depot floresent work hand light about $10-$20, the hubby will like it the next time he;s working at home in a dark spot.

Alarm clock, power strip for cell phone charger. Air matress, pillows. There is also great laundry facilities.

 

[pooh4me]

Just to let you know there is a bridge from the Creekside camping (right next to the 2000 loop), which goes into the 900 loop which is right across from the Meadows trading post and pool. It puts the 2000 loop about the same distance as the 1500 from the center of the action.

 

[suzicute20]

1500 loop is great! Right across from the pool and close to the other trading post and docks. We used a fan when we went in May. We also took a mini-fridge (we already had) and kept cold drinks and snacks in there. We ate breakfast at the campsite, but we ate other meals at the parks. Especially coming back from MK, I found it more relaxing. A nice evening ride on a boat really eases you. We actually find it more calming that a hotel because there is not as much hustle and bustle going on around. I hope you enjoy it. Having gone camping other places, this is a very luxurious camping experience.

 

[mommy2paris]

Thanks so much everyone!! Hubby and I are really on the fence about camping. We take our girls tent camping for a 4 day weekend at least once a year, so it won't be new to them. My biggest concern is... RAIN lol. We got caught over the summer, tent camping, in a horrible storm, and everything we owned was soaked, it was miserable. Have any of you been rained on badly? How did you handle it? Decisions, decisions lol.

 

[Nature Mom]

Thanks so much everyone!! Hubby and I are really on the fence about camping. We take our girls tent camping for a 4 day weekend at least once a year, so it won't be new to them. My biggest concern is... RAIN lol. We got caught over the summer, tent camping, in a horrible storm, and everything we owned was soaked, it was miserable. Have any of you been rained on badly? How did you handle it? Decisions, decisions lol.

We were at FW in October during what felt like a monsoon move through and something like 8 inches of rain in just one day fell. We were fine on the first day but the second day when the winds came in and it poured for hours on end, I had to go get a bigger tarp that I put over the tent and canopy. We just stuck it out. It was much too wet to cook, so we resort hopped to Port Orleans and had gumbo and beignets to warm us up. We had a tv and the blue ray player, so we just watched movies when we weren't out. I read, my DD colored...it was relaxing at times, scary at times and frustrating at times. It was a great learning experience about sticking it out for my DD, I think. So what if we got wet? lol We were on a Disney adventure!

I'm still working on my trip report, but here's a link to my thread...I have a post on the worse day of the rain, when we thought we needed a boat. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2813142

 

[mommy2paris]

Dawn - Thanks so much for sharing! I am checking out your trip report now. One question I must ask... Would you do it again, after that experience? Do you feel like it ruined your trip? Thanks!

 

[Tinkerbellchick820]

we went in the middle of august and tent camped...had 4 adults in a tent...it was VERY hot...but we still had a great time...we used a a/c unit...like one you can put in windows, but we got that from a buddy of my dads...but if you don't have access to one of those things, then decent fan will do...
we stayed in loop 1500...which was amazing...it was near everything...ive heard 1300 is also small and private which makes it nice to camp there as well...but 1500 is like the best...lol...in my opinion at least.

 

[ColoradoDisney]

My short answer is, no I would not tent camp at FW again. There is hardly a cost difference between a campsite and a value resort room. The last time I camped at FW it rained really hard and our tent was soaked. After a long day at the park, the last thing I want to do is hop in a wet tent. The other extreme in FL is hot and humid. Unless you get extremely lucky, there is a good chance you will get rain or hot/humid (or even both).

I live in Colorado and frequently camp in the mountains. So, I am not against tent camping. I just avoid tropical camping.

 

[Nature Mom]

Dawn - Thanks so much for sharing! I am checking out your trip report now. One question I must ask... Would you do it again, after that experience? Do you feel like it ruined your trip? Thanks!

Yes...I would do it again. I can't control the weather, but I can control how I react to it. I won't lie, on the worse day there were thoughts in my head of securing everything well and then going to get a room for a night, but I am glad I didn't. It definitely didn't ruin our trip although all around us people were bailing out left and right, and when we were in the parks, all we heard was people complaining about it.

Our princess breakfast at Akershus was one of those days, so we just threw on our rain gear and went with it. While waiting in line, another family was behind us with a daughter around the same age, maybe a year or two older than my DD and she was just ridiculous about complaining and the mom was getting fed up, etc. and had started in, too. My DD finally had enough and turned around and said, "I never get to play in the rain at home, I never even want to, but here at Disney, playing in the rain is like being in your own Disney channel show and it's pretty fun!" The other girl never complained again, at least not while we were there standing by them. (And Belle heard my DD since we were next for the picture and said, "Oh how I wish I could go out and play in the rain!" and DD and Belle had a nice little conversation about it.

Yes, we had some leakage. Yes, we got wet. But water dries, clouds move on and a Disney vacation doesn't happen often enough to get discouraged. We had a great time, have a great 'we survived' story and can't wait to go again.

 

[North of Mouse]

Once in the heat was too much for us. I am from LA bayou country so am used to heat, being muggy, but not in a tent . Add the rains to this mix and everything feels damp and is definitely not my idea of fun I must be dry and cool at night even though I don't mind the heat of the parks during the day

 

[cyndilou01]

tent camping with our children are some of our fondest memories... just be prepared, for example: make sure you have a tarp that goes over the tent to make sure it does not leak if it rains... also a FAN is most important, you can bring your elec. skillet and cook a range of things... air mattress are nice with the sheets and comfort of home... they do have cabins that are a little pricey... but there is so much to do at the campground you will not miss going to the parks...


Hope you guys have a magical time..

 

[mommy2paris]

Thanks! I like to hear success stories too. We will still be doing the parks, but just a little more down time at the fort. Did you put a tarp over the "rain" cover on the tent? If so, how did you secure it? Thanks again!!

 

[Brendonsmom]

We too had a rainy day like Dawn. We knew before we left for Epcot that the weather was going to be bad--lots of red on the weather channel forecast map. We moved our clothes to the car, pulled the air mattresses and sleeping bags towards the center of the tent in case water blew in around the seams, made sure the tie downs and stakes were good and tight and went on with our day. We did not add an extra tarp. We put a tarp under the tent when we set up so we did not have extra water seeping up from the sand just in case. When we made it back to the park we had survived the wind and rain. There were tornado sightings in the Orlando area, but none near Disney. Our tent was in perfect shape, but we did see a lot of soggy tents leaning over with puddles pooling on them. Many people were going to have a wet night because they did not prepare (many did not use their rain cover--oops.) You can't predict mother nature. Don't let it deter you from a great vacation. Just check the forecast each morning and prepare.