Early Arrival Question

[PrincessCooper's Mom]

If we have reservation for 10/11 - 10/18, Sat - Sat but at last minute decide to leave Friday after work it would put us arriving after midnight at the Fort.

Can we park in overflow until morning?
What is the earliest you can check in for 10/11?
Will we need to call while on road to see if they have site available for that 1 night?
Is there a campground less that 1 hour out that we could stay at? We will be driving down I-10 and I-75 and Florida Turnpike.

Thanks

 

[bama_ed]

If we have reservation for 10/11 - 10/18, Sat - Sat but at last minute decide to leave Friday after work it would put us arriving after midnight at the Fort.

Can we park in overflow until morning?
What is the earliest you can check in for 10/11?
Will we need to call while on road to see if they have site available for that 1 night?
Is there a campground less that 1 hour out that we could stay at? We will be driving down I-10 and I-75 and Florida Turnpike.

Thanks

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3165460&highlight=check

PCM, this thread I've linked above recently covered this. Basically check in can start at 6am. If you arrive after midnight you will NOT be permitted to park in the overflow parking lot as that is boondocking which is not allowed at the Fort nor at any Wal-Marts in the central Florida area. If you come in late and want a campsite you will have to pay for that night.

When it appears I might be arriving late and don't want to pay Disney for a night of setup and sleep only, I have stayed at Lake Louisa State Park in Clermont for one night then driven 30 minutes over to the Fort to arrive in the early morning. LLSP is on Hwy 27 which is an exit off the Turnpike and actually south of Clermont by a few minutes. There is a WalMart in Clermont I like to grocery shop at to stock the fridge before going to the Fort.

In the past I would arrive at the Fort late afternoon, set up, run out for groceries, come back, cook or get take out for dinner and fall asleep. For that I paid the Fort $100 or so. LLSP is less than $30 per night, close by, and convenient to shopping.

You'll want to investigate their checkin procedures for later arrivers. It's a process I've used and will use again.

Bama Ed

 

[PrincessCooper's Mom]

Thanks that is exactly what I needed to know.

Thanks

 

[TheRustyScupper]

TO ECHO A LOT OF bama ed's thoughts:


Can we park in overflow until morning?
. . . absolutely not
. . . that is like getting a night free at Disney
. . . and, "Disney Don't Do Free", ANYTHING

What is the earliest you can check in for 10/11?
. . . 6:05am on 10/11 *

Will we need to call while on road to see if they have site available for that 1 night?
. . . sure, why not give it a try
. . . if not, Lake Louisa is a good choice
. . . we live just down the road (5-min) away and go there for picnics often
. . . nice place

Is there a campground less that 1 hour out that we could stay at? We will be driving down I-10 and I-75 and Florida Turnpike.
. . . the aforementioned Lake Louisa State Park

* The computers actually "roll" during the 2:00am-3:00am period, and
2:00am-4:30am on Tuesdays. However, the policy is not to let folks check
into any resort until 6:05am. Folks used to drive all night, check-in at 5:00,
and get some sleep before hitting the parks. In effect, they got a free nite.
As I have said, Disney Don't Do Free.

 

[tiggerdad]

I am planning on leaving around 6pm when I go in November. It's roughly an 11-12 hour drive down for me, plus I jump an hour ahead due to leaving central timezone. I wanted to get there early enough to get my spot and land a nap before hitting MK because I know my kids are not going to want to wait.

This should have me timed just right.

Everything is going just as I have forseen...

 

[2goofycampers]

As for close there is a KOA, Thousand Trails, Lake Magic, Tropical Palms, Sherwood Forest.

 

[lokin4deer]

We had a similar situation if we would have kept driving we would have arrived in WDW at midnight so we called ahead not knowing the policy and we got the same info that was relayed here. So we decided to stop in Ocala (which I think is on your route??) which is about an hour out and slept in the Wal-mart parking lot until 8am or so then got up and arrived in WDW around 10 after breakfast. Worked well for us.

 

[John VN]

I am planning on leaving around 6pm when I go in November. It's roughly an 11-12 hour drive down for me, plus I jump an hour ahead due to leaving central timezone. I wanted to get there early enough to get my spot and land a nap before hitting MK because I know my kids are not going to want to wait.

This should have me timed just right.

Everything is going just as I have forseen...

Just remember that "your spot" might not be available until 1:00PM so the overflow lot could be where you might have to park to take a nap.

 

[ash901]

I am planning on leaving around 6pm when I go in November. It's roughly an 11-12 hour drive down for me, plus I jump an hour ahead due to leaving central timezone. I wanted to get there early enough to get my spot and land a nap before hitting MK because I know my kids are not going to want to wait.

This should have me timed just right.

Everything is going just as I have forseen...

tiggerdad, just wondering where you are travelling from to the fort? I remember you being from the south, correct? DH and I were wondering how much time to add to our travel time if we decided to pull our TT. Its normally a 12 hour drive for us from central Louisiana. Thanks

 

[tiggerdad]

tiggerdad, just wondering where you are travelling from to the fort? I remember you being from the south, correct? DH and I were wondering how much time to add to our travel time if we decided to pull our TT. Its normally a 12 hour drive for us from central Louisiana. Thanks

Ash901,

I am traveling from Meridian,MS. I would figure you probably travel down to Interstate 10 and come across from there. I travel down hwy 45 to Mobile then get on I 10. Roughly, last trip down in camper was about 11-12 hours for me including the fuel stops.

 

[tiggerdad]

Just remember that "your spot" might not be available until 1:00PM so the overflow lot could be where you might have to park to take a nap.

Yep, no big deal to me. I don't typically request specific sites when I camp. If "my spot" isn't ready I'll see if another premium is open. If not, I nap easily in a truck. After that ride I shouldn't have any trouble.

 

[ash901]

Ash901,

I am traveling from Meridian,MS. I would figure you probably travel down to Interstate 10 and come across from there. I travel down hwy 45 to Mobile then get on I 10. Roughly, last trip down in camper was about 11-12 hours for me including the fuel stops.

We travel to Baton Rouge then get on I-10. Thinking of a Fort trip in 2015, but we haven't had our TT long enough to get a good estimate on travel time. Thanks

 

[tiggerdad]

We travel to Baton Rouge then get on I-10. Thinking of a Fort trip in 2015, but we haven't had our TT long enough to get a good estimate on travel time. Thanks

Good deal, hope it works out and keep us posted.

Mapquest was just about dead on with the time. Remember, you will be towing the campe rd so your speeds should match up with mapquest's predictions. I was advised to come in on the Western Way, thus avoiding I4 and the traffic.