First big RV trip and first time at FW

[branv]

Hi! We will be driving from Austin area to FW the week of Thanksgiving and staying at FW from the Fri-Fri after thanksgiving. Though we’ve rented travel trailers before, we are brand new owners and have never done this long of a trip. We’ll be taking a local trip soon and headed to New Mexico for 6 days in October. Hopefully that will get us more comfortable with our rig.
I was hoping for any advice on our itinerary and maybe a suggestion for what spots to request at FW.
Our itinerary, leaving Friday before Thanksgiving week.
Sat: Aus-Beaumont — overnight
Sun: Beaumont-Baton Rouge — overnight
Mon: Baton Rouge-Pensacola (Big Lagoon State Park) — stay Mon-Thurs.
Thurs: Pensacola to near Gainesville — Leaving early on Thanksgiving Day to get closer to Orlando for the day after Thanksgiving traffic hits.
Fri: Gainesville to WDW

I know our reservation will put us in 100, 200 or 300. We are a 33 ft TT with one slide out. We don’t have any pets with us, don’t have bikes or a golf cart, and it’s just me, DH and our DS10. Do have a 12’ screened canopy we’d like to have room for. DH is pretty good about backing in and we have a camera. But if one loop is friendlier for us to navigate than another, I’d be happy to hear about it.

Thanks for any advice. Been to WDW many times and I’ve always dreamed of getting to stay at FW, let alone during the holiday season!

 

[proudmomof4]

Welcome to the RV life!

Loop 100 will put you closest to the Marina and Settlement area. Loop 200 will put you just a few steps further.

The Settlement bus depot will be convenient for you to get the bus to the Outpost where you’ll catch the buses to all of the parks, except Magic Kingdom which is boat transport from the Marina.

The Settlement is also where Trail’s End is, that’s the quick service restaurant.

You will be fine without bikes or a golf cart.

I can’t give any advice on your travels from Texas, but I can answer any questions you may have about the Fort.

Happy Camping!

 

[cruising spud]

Loops 100/200 are my favorite loops.

I know you said no bikes, but (just saying) bike riding would be fun at Disney during that time of year.

We come from Pennsylvania. We take our time coming down (four days). Disney's camp store is very expensive, so we stock up on the basics before we leave, and then stop at a grocery store or Walmart before we arrive at Disney, to get fresh fruit, bread, milk, etc.

Depending on what you like to drink, you might want to consider getting the refillable cup. You will be close to Trails End/the refill machine.

Enjoy your trip.
Kathy

 

[Teamubr]

For your rig, all the Preferred loops will be fine to navigate. 300 has a few tighter curves, but nothing that would be a problem for a 33ft TT. I'm 42 ft and I can usually make it.

Loop 100 is my favorite. It is easy to get around and closest to the Settlement with the boat dock, trading post, Trails End and Hoop D Doo.

Have a great trip.

j

 

[bama_ed]

I was in 100 loop for two weeks around Thanksgiving 2022 (the week b4 Tgiving week and the week of Tgiving).

Our site 114 was down by the Settlement Trading Post (the closest site to Bay Lake) and honestly 100 loop was LOUD in the evenings and mornings. This is a recent change as we go to the Fort almost annually. There are food trucks and events that create noise and crowds which are not the best for me as a guest in 100 loop.

200 loop would thus be my recommendation. Still close and walkable but a little further away for some peace and quiet at 10pm or 5am.

Your travel plan of Austin - Beaumont - Red Stick - Pcola is conservative and a good choice if you have the time to spend with short travel days on the way over.

On our Fort Arrival Day we show up as early in the morning as we possibly can. We care about the site we will have for our Fort time and try to scout out several specific site numbers based on location, inside/outside, size and general ease of backing. We've found it best to go into the Fort lobby and ask a Cast Member to assign us to one of the several sites we've chosen in our favorite loops (for the category we've booked). Not every site will be available/empty that day for assignment (which is why I have a list of a half dozen). The CM will do what they can.

Of course, if you show up late in the day, there may be only 3 sites available to be given to new arrivals that day for your site level or desired loop. If you show up at 8am, however (as an example), there may be 12 sites to choose from before other guests arrive later in the day and the CM will swap you with someone showing up later (because you are there and know what's happening) and the later guest will never know they've been swapped out (if they even were).

Have a great trip, @branv !

Bama Ed

PS - we often camp near Big Lagoon (a FL SP) in nearby Gulf Shores, AL at Gulf SP (an AL SP). The panhandle of FL/AL is wonderful that time of year.

 

[StormyCA]

We tow from California and try to do between 400-450 miles/day. Used to be between 500-600 but we've slowed down.

Unless you have specific reasons for your stopover locations or the daily distance you drive, this is our 'usual itinerary' if we take I-10 with the adjustment for leaving from Austin. As you can see, our drive takes 4 days as opposed to your 5, with 'staging' quite near Ft W, but you could easily do 3 days and arrive at the Fort on Day 3 in the afternoon.

Day 1 - Austin to Breaux Bridge LA 388 mi
Day 2 - Breaux Bridge to Marianna FL 426 mi
Day 3 - Marianna to 'staging location' near Ft W 290 mi
Day 4 - Arrive Ft W 30 mi

Here are our 'caveats';

Our 'party' is 2 'senior' adults and one Dachshund, no kids.

'Rig' is a Ford F350 diesel towing a 31ft TT.

Daily drives for Days 1 and 2 are around 6-7 hours each, Day 3 is about 5.5, if you drove directly to the Fort on Day 3, it'd be around 6. We average between 50-55 mph and that includes factoring in fuel and potty stops.

We boondock at truck stops overnight, you'll need to check for RV parks in the places I mention if you aren't comfortable with boondocking or are looking for a more leisurely or a more 'scenic' trip. Our cross country drive is 7 days and we just want to get to the Fort so our focus is on just 'getting there'.

Re Day 3; we 'stage' on private property that's about 30 miles from FtW, and usually stay there a couple of nights to do laundry, grocery shop and any other odds and ends that need doing. It also allows us some 'leeway' in case we have delays on the road. As others have pointed out there are state parks and RV parks galore in the area and you could do a quick overnight and head to the Fort the next day.

 

[FtW Mike]

Branv, congrats on your new TT. You have gotten some great advice regarding travel planning . You know your limits best , along with your preferences for stopping.
Like StormyCA , we travel with 2 Sr. Adults . both retired and 2 dogs. Our trip to The Fort is essentially a run down I 95 once we get to Alexandria VA from Outside of Dover DE. ( 979 miles per GOOGLE MAPS , 1050 per trip meter taking in stops ie Overnight, Food, Fuel and Potty )
We have done the trip several times since 2011 so have learned what works for us . As we travel in the December to February time frame I make sure we are stopped by 4 pm so any set up I need to do is done before dark. StormyCA is spot on with his average of 50 to 55 miles traveled per hour . My limit is 8 hours with 300 to 350 miles a day. Side note , if we are stopping at at any of the 3 shrines to the Blessed Beaver on our route ie , BUC-EES , I cut my travel day to 200 miles or less.
Like many others we stage for a few nights within 50 miles of WDW so on our check in day we are approx 1 hour away and can arrive early in hopes of getting the site we want. Camp Margaritaville in Auburndale has become our go to for that. There are 2 PUBLIX supermarkets and a WALMART very nearby as well several chapters of the FOB.
Most of all enjoy your trip. record what works and didn't for YOU and adjust accordingly

 

[branv]

Wow, so much amazing advice!! Thank you all!! I am the type that will drive 10 hours straight. DH doesn’t like to drive more than 6. And he’s the driver, so I bow to him, lol. Our very first RV rental, what should have been a four hour trip took 7. We stopped about 6 times bc everything sounded/felt so strange, including a paranoid impromptu stop at an RV dealer/repair place to check our hitch work. It was fine, we were just nervous newbies. SO, we’ve scheduled this trip very conservatively to allow for our own learning curve. Hopefully over the next few months we’ll get comfortable enough with our “New to us” TT to adjust the itinerary.

I’d never heard the term “staging”! I’m loving this idea. Originally we were going to go straight from Pensacola to WDW but I wanted to get closer to avoid as much holiday traffic as we could. You’ve inspired me to maybe try to get even closer.

I have been curious about boondocking. We have a generator but I’m not sure about the etiquette or legality of using it when boondocking (we’re A/C people even in 70 degree weather, lol) or of deploying the slide (we have to to get to the bathroom/bunk). But it would definitely make it cheaper and simpler a trip to boondock on those single-night stops!

 

[StormyCA]

@branv

We've been boondocking on our long distance trips for over 10 years. We choose major truck stops (Flying J, Pilot, TA, Loves, Petro) because, like McDonalds, you know what you're going to get. And we do our best to select stops that are not in major urban areas. We rarely use Walmart or other parking lots to boondock, and more and more places are passing laws forbidding overnight parking.

nDH (non-Disney Husband) always tries to park in a lot that has plenty of available parking. He also parks towards the back or off to the side and always allows plenty of maneuvering room for big rigs. One (very nice) trucker told us it's appreciated if you park in such a way as to be 'visible' in a parking slot to truckers looking for an empty spot. Some truck stops are now setting aside some (not many) parking spots for RVs or they'll request you park in 'such and such' an area of the lot and we always do as requested. We have NEVER had a bad experience with any truck driver and have had great experiences with many of them with tips as to good vs bad routes and detours that are in the roads up ahead.

As far as generator use, yes we use ours. But we have one of the Honda 'ultra quiet' generators so it's not disruptive to those around us. Although one of the things about truck stops is the continuous 'rumble' of truck engines so I guess we just 'blend in'. DH has it rigged in the back of our truck so it doesn't sit on the ground and has excellent ventilation. As far as AC, we don't run the generator overnight. We'll fire ours up (and have even set up our Dish Gator) but we turn it off at bedtime. We've also invested in a 'big' Yeti battery that will run our AC overnight, though. And if it's going to be 'that hot' overnight, we'll get an RV park and use shore power. We've only had to do that a handful of times though.

Speaking of generators and noise, yes, truck stops do have engine noise and trucks pulling in and out during the night. And they are generally well lit. But we actually like that because it means that people are coming and going at all hours which we feel deters people from 'making mischief' or committing crimes. At this point, the noise sort of lulls us to sleep lol.

We don't have to pull out our slide to get to everything (although it's a tight squeeze). In most parking slots you'll have enough room to put your slide out at least part of the way if not all the way. And at some truck stops there will be areas where you can park off to the side with the 'slide side' away from the traffic lane, in which case you can extend it all the way. The main thing to keep in mind is to look carefully and judge whether or not your slide is intruding into a traffic lane or parking slot. And if you're in an 'end spot' it's wise to pull it in at night simply because you don't want a trucker to misjudge a distance or simply not see it in the dark.

We will usually get an RV park on our last night on the way home. We try to make that day a 'short day drive' and do laundry, shower and clean up the TT so when we arrive home the next day a lot of our 'chores' are already done.

On our trips cross country and back I'd say we save an average of $700 or more by boondocking. The other nice thing about it is it's all 'no reservations' so if we want to drive further or stop shorter we aren't scrambling to cancel a reservation or find a new RV park with a vacancy. We just find the nearest truck stop and pull in. We've never yet found a major truck stop that doesn't allow RV parking overnight.

One final thing...if you do boondock anywhere, ALWAYS patronize. At a truck stop, get fuel at their pumps and grab a cup of coffee & a donut or some snacks for the road. When it comes to Walmarts, Cabelas, or any other retail store, always ask management if it's OK (because some don't allow it) and where you should park (usually way in the back or way on the side). And again, buy something to show your appreciation. Oh, and do NOT get out chairs, BBQs, put out awnings etc. Do NOT look like you're 'camping'.


@FtW Mike
"Shrines to the Blessed Beaver" lol lol. Where communion is taken with Bucee Nuggets and a large Icee! If they would only allow boondocking my life would be complete. Although nDH would have to pry me out of the store to get some sleep!

 

[FtW Mike]

@ BranV we all have a trip that is/was a horror story. We all chalk it up to the learning curve.
As you mentioned it , something to consider. Flying J truck stops are the most likely to have RV Fueling lanes. Both gas and diesel are available. SOME , LOVES Truck Stops now offer a small RV Overnight Campground with limited amenities ie Water , Electric and Sewer , Playground and Dog Park. These are limited in number but might be worth looking into. I Believe the LOVES at exit 44 of I 4 Auburndale FL has one and a PUBLIX is just across the highway.

@StormyCA
We love the one in Florence SC. SC is approx. 200 miles North to South. We stop on the southern end at a CG just above the Georgia border and again at South of the Border at the Border with NC so we have plenty of time to partake of Sacramental Communion offerings and search among the Blessed relics and Icons

 

[branv]

Great tips! Thank you!

We have 6 Buc-ees within 50 miles of us but we *still* just had to stop at the one outside Gulf Shores on our spring break. Because apparently it’s not officially a road trip unless DH is tortured for 100 miles with a piece of Buc-ees beef jerky stuck between his molars but doesn’t want to stop and dig through the luggage for floss.

Every. Time.

 

[bama_ed]

FWIW we "stage" at Lake Louisa State Park south of Clermont on Hwy 27. It's only 30 minutes to the Fort. That way we get to the Fort early the next morning and get a full day (basically) to set up and enjoy the Fort (we never plan much of anything for that arrival day anyway).

Bama Ed

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

Pensacola to WDW would have been a very, very long towing day. And don't forget you lose an hour with the time zone change. I believe Marianna is still Central Time as well.

Seconding that Lake Louisa is a good location to overnight before checking in.

 

[StormyCA]

@StormyCA
We love the one in Florence SC. SC is approx. 200 miles North to South. We stop on the southern end at a CG just above the Georgia border and again at South of the Border at the Border with NC so we have plenty of time to partake of Sacramental Communion offerings and search among the Blessed relics and Icons

Can I get an Amen from the Amen Corner, brothers and sisters? AMEN!!!

 

[StormyCA]

Great tips! Thank you!

We have 6 Buc-ees within 50 miles of us but we *still* just had to stop at the one outside Gulf Shores on our spring break. Because apparently it’s not officially a road trip unless DH is tortured for 100 miles with a piece of Buc-ees beef jerky stuck between his molars but doesn’t want to stop and dig through the luggage for floss.

Every. Time.

nDH loves their jerky too. Doctors Brush Picks are a jerky-bit's worst enemy.

 

[bama_ed]

Great tips! Thank you!

We have 6 Buc-ees within 50 miles of us but we *still* just had to stop at the one outside Gulf Shores on our spring break. Because apparently it’s not officially a road trip unless DH is tortured for 100 miles with a piece of Buc-ees beef jerky stuck between his molars but doesn’t want to stop and dig through the luggage for floss.

I pass that Buc-cees 2-3x a year on my way to/from stays at the Alabama Gulf Coast (Gulf State Park) @branv.

Honestly I've never bought anything at a B's except gas and I've used the wonderfully clean bathrooms. No B-Nuggets for me nor jerky. But the retail side there must be AMAZE-ing (for everybody else).

Bama Ed

PS - personally I set a target of about 500 miles a day to drive/tow. WDW is 550 miles so I stretch my drive from Alabama (my DIS name) to Central Florida to be one long day (but as was said earlier, you move to Eastern time). Rather than pay $1xx-2xx to arrive late at the Fort and pay to breathe the Disney air, I stay at a FL SP which allows booking 11 months b4 arrival and roll over to the Fort early the next morning (no extra charge!) to negotiate a site.

 

[FtW Mike]

Can I get an Amen from the Amen Corner, brothers and sisters? AMEN!!!

AMEN

 

[jimmytammy]

branv
Great questions! We are newbies to the RV world, having never stayed in a camper at all. Have tented a few times but my ol bones cant take that anymore

We will be staying in Apr at The Fort with a rental from Meachems. Our hope is that we fall in love with glamping, buy a TT down the road. Many of the folks on here have been very helpful so far in giving advice on things to look for before purchasing, and we have watched several videos on particular models we think will fit our wants/needs.

Your questions have brought up much more to think about, so thank you!

 

[FtW Mike]

@Bama Ed
I am guessing with a daily range of 500 miles , the new his and her seats for the tow are paying dividends

 

[morrik5]

branv
Great questions! We are newbies to the RV world, having never stayed in a camper at all. Have tented a few times but my ol bones cant take that anymore

We will be staying in Apr at The Fort with a rental from Meachems. Our hope is that we fall in love with glamping, buy a TT down the road. Many of the folks on here have been very helpful so far in giving advice on things to look for before purchasing, and we have watched several videos on particular models we think will fit our wants/needs.

Your questions have brought up much more to think about, so thank you!

You will have an excellent experience with Meachams. If we "treat" our DD and her family to another Fort stay, we will be renting from them again.