Do you think COVID-19 will increase demand for Fort Wilderness?

[loves to dive]

That general question has been asked on a couple of RV forums I belong to and it gets about a 50/50 response of yes/no. Personally, we love our RV and love the sort of freedom it gives us but I also love staying in hotels and not having to deal with cooking and cleaning so I enjoy both. I would think as soon as hotels open up it would be the perfect time to stay in one. No one has been in the room in months so the germs have probably died by now. Even if they only give the room a slight cleaning, it will probably be the cleanest its been since it was new. We enjoyed our stay at the Fort in Sept. last year, I didn't have any problems booking it but it was just 4 nights, I booked it only about 3 months in advance. We have certainly stayed at easier sites to get into, both physically actually backing into the site and reservation wise and I'm not sure we will stay there again any time in the near future. That is driven by the fact that hubby isn't a Disney fan and didn't really enjoy the stay that much. He seemed to think my son and I should only spend the mornings in the parks and the afternoons at the resort with him and the dog and eat all our meals in the RV. Ummmm, that was a big ole no from me and my son. We will be going to WDW sans hubby and the dog in the future and staying at the resorts and being much happier. As a matter of fact, we did a do over in January just for that. As far as would you buy a RV just to stay at the Fort, nope. If you go to the parks you are exposed a whole lot more than you would be in your hotel room. You can always just Lysol the heck out of the room every day but not the parks. We didn't buy our RV to avoid staying in hotels for any reason other than we have a dog and she travels with us. Finding hotels that allow pets isn't always easy and we weren't comfortable leaving her alone in a hotel room. We don't care if she has an accident in the RV, there is no carpet there and she is potty pad trained and if she barks it doesn't bother anyone and there is no fear of the maid letting her out.

 

[Tallis]

I never did think that anyone would purchase an RV just to go to the Fort. That would be a bit out there. I was just thinking that people may consider buying them to use a mobile hotel room more. As someone posted here, they did exactly that and rentals are way up.

We have always been avid campers, so nearly always use our camper rather than staying in hotels. Before COVID-19, it was bed bugs. They happen at the most luxurious resorts, including Disney's. We also enjoy having our own outdoor space.

Just want to put it out there for general information, lots of pop up campers have full bathrooms, including ours.

It's a great thing that some people still think any RV is a dive and that hotels are better. There is so much competition to get into Florida state parks and the Fort. Just don't want to see things get worse. Most of my life, we could just show up at state parks with no reservations and get a spot every time. That is already changed drastically over the last decade.

 

[StormyCA]

I think there is going to be an increase in sales overall, but I think it will be mostly the people who were at the 'thinking' stage or who were doubtful about taking on the financial burden (ie payments) before Covid-19. I don't think there will be a huge rush of people who'd never given a thought to camping or RV'ing before.

There was a huge surge in RV purchase before the 08 crash. I remember RV manufacturers and dealerships opening like crazy and RV sales surging as people 'cashed in' on home equity and bought RVs. Then the crash happened people stopped buying and dealerships & manufacturers went belly up. IF it happens, it'll be the same thing. Maybe not as drastic, but there will be a surge as people 'buy for safety', then a decline as they get back to 'old habits'.

Owning an RV is a lot 'harder' than renting a hotel room, it entails a lot more effort and maintenance than just picking up the phone and booking a room. We had 2 friends who bought TTs back then (mainly because they saw how we loved RVing). They lasted about 3 camping seasons and decided it was 'too much hassle'. One sold theirs, the other's TT sits in their driveway and is used for company.

 

[MudQueen22]

I'm hearing that RVs are selling like hot cakes in my area.

In addition to the covid issue, RVing has become trendy. I met a couple in a state park once that said they got into it because, "everyone else was doing it" and "it's the thing to do right now." Such people will soon tire of this, as it's a lot of work, maintenance, and expense.

 

[North of Mouse]

There 'may' be a surge in people buying RV's, but if they're just buying because it seems the thing to do now, they won't last long. Camping is a thought out desire for a certain way of life - you either love it for what it is, or you don't. I can name at least 10 families that bought RV's when we first started camping and all our children were small, many years ago, and only two of those are still enjoying 'the life'. All the others lasted 2-5 years and that was it - some not that long.
Fads, trends, come and go - true campers love it from the heart, and stick with it no matter what others do, because of our love for it.

As others have said, it's not necessarily a cheap way of life because maintenance, insurance, operating expenses, and for some, storage fees, etc. can eat $$'s and time. One couple, friends of ours, pay $100 monthly for covered storage for their motorhome, and inconvenient to boot.

 

[rideswithchrist]

Our pop up was pretty Cousin Eddie... but I am not offended in the least ha, it was one of those "why not" buys and it showed us that we prefer something with walls because we need to easily walk in the camper to put stuff away.

It did seem at our campground this weekend that there were many new campers. I have never seen the site that packed but there really are no other options right now to get together with groups.

Our last hotel vacation was to Waco and the only place available for the weekend was nice, but the room either had mold they were trying to clean, or had just clean because it reeked of bleach. I am fairly chemical sensitive so it was a very miserable sleep that cost us $205. We could have slept in our own camper for half that and knew what I was getting

The main reason we have a camper is there are 6 of us- we don't fit in normal size hotels due to fire code so since we were already tent camping we just bumped it up a bit.

 

[rideswithchrist]

I never did think that anyone would purchase an RV just to go to the Fort. That would be a bit out there. I was just thinking that people may consider buying them to use a mobile hotel room more. As someone posted here, they did exactly that and rentals are way up.

We have always been avid campers, so nearly always use our camper rather than staying in hotels. Before COVID-19, it was bed bugs. They happen at the most luxurious resorts, including Disney's. We also enjoy having our own outdoor space.

Just want to put it out there for general information, lots of pop up campers have full bathrooms, including ours.

It's a great thing that some people still think any RV is a dive and that hotels are better. There is so much competition to get into Florida state parks and the Fort. Just don't want to see things get worse. Most of my life, we could just show up at state parks with no reservations and get a spot every time. That is already changed drastically over the last decade.
[/QUOTE]

Actually- what initially started looking for Popups was my thriftiness and trying to get us to Disney for as cheap as possible when we outgrew Pop Century. I found this board, looked at photos and fell in love with the Fort before we had a camper. DH said there was NO WAY he would tent camp at Disney, even though I showed him so many awesome set ups and we were already tent camping. So I asked if he would camp in a Popup...from there we set a trend in our family and both of our parents now own popups (one being a 2019 Rockwood beastie) and we moved up to our Hybrid, which I specifically set parameters to fit in the 2000 loop haha.

But the same is happening here in TX- if you don't book 6 months in advance, you may not get a site at the State Parks on weekends.

 

[Tallis]

Actually- what initially started looking for Popups was my thriftiness and trying to get us to Disney for as cheap as possible when we outgrew Pop Century.

I guess never say never. But you were already campers and planned to use it for other camping as well, so it's a bit different.

Also, I should add that I was not offended by people thinking all pop ups had no bathroom, I put that out there for informational purposes only. Anyone that knows me personally, like @Sjm9911 know I couldn't care less about appearances.

Our pop up roof is most certainly in the Cousin Eddie family. It has Eternabond tape all over it, covered by truck bed liner. If I cared, we could rip off the ABS and re-coat it and it would look brand new. I just don't care enough to do it. It looks popped up, but rolling down the highway, we may get our picture taken for People of Walmart: On the road. My concern is the interior and functionality.

If I concerned myself with appearances, we do have a very nice'08 travel trailer we could use. It's just too big for the tent loops at Disney and most state parks. And the cheap side of me would rather get 18 mpg than 8 mpg.

 

[Nicely Making Way]

I wonder if more people considering RV purchases now, rather than staying in hotel rooms? It may impact camping in lots of places, like here in Florida where some state parks must be reserved 11 months in advance.

Then again, it may not even occur to people if RV'ing/camping has never been on their radar before.

Fort reservations are so hard to get now, does anyone think it will get worse because of this virus? My opinion keeps swinging back and forth, so was curious what others think.

I think more and more people are seriously considering purchasing and traveling in RV’s. And I think reservations for popular resorts like Fort Wilderness as well as the big National Parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite are going to become even more difficult to get.

 

[FtW Mike]

We saw a news story on this subject recently. They interviewed an RV Rental Company that claimed that they were booked solid Many of those bookings were with people who had never camped before. A good deal of those renters I suspect will be in for an awakening when they find many of the ameneties that resorts offer will not be at the campgrounds. Just my opinion

 

[StormyCA]

We saw a news story on this subject recently. They interviewed an RV Rental Company that claimed that they were booked solid Many of those bookings were with people who had never camped before. A good deal of those renters I suspect will be in for an awakening when they find many of the ameneties that resorts offer will not be at the campgrounds. Just my opinion

Not to mention that new owners and renters just don't get how small even a 'large' black tank is. Obvs not a problem at a full hook up site, but a BIG problem in most Natl and State or County Parks where 'dry camping' is the norm!

I wonder if rental companies make renters dump the tanks before returning? That could be an experience! One of our friends who bought a TT after we'd had ours for awhile didn't listen to DH's advice on being sure the tank valves were closed and being very careful and slow in removing the drain cap when getting ready to dump. Yep, either he didn't check the valve upon arrival or some joker had pulled the black tank valve. What a mess!

 

[tcufrog]

I have some friends who just purchased one that they can tow behind their SUV. They are concerned about some elderly relatives so they are using their's to safely visit them this summer to check on them. They are extremely organized and not afraid of work so I have no concerns about them handling any extra work involved. I'm curious to find out if they decide to use it to take other vacations afterward.