First big RV trip and first time at FW

[friendofeeyore]

We lived in Cedar Creek, Tx off 71. We would leave early morn. Our 1st stop was Baton Rouge, then Milton or Perry Florida, then arrive early on the 3rd day. It is approx 2 hours from Perry to "The Fort". Have a great time! Nov. is the perfect time to visit "The Fort". Day after Thanksgiving, the Christmas decorations start appearing. Be sure & keep us informed on your trip & fun.

 

[friendofeeyore]

We stayed @ Lake Louise per Bama Ed's advice. It is a nice State Park & very close to "The Fort". Our problem, we were pulling a 44' Toy Hauler & did have a little problem getting into our site. We love to camp @ State Parks. You have received wonderful advice from very experienced campers. Have a fun & safe Thanksgiving trip.

 

[2goofycampers]

Thousand Trails and Lake Magic are also close to WDW.

 

[mco65]

I don't see any issues getting a 33' trailer into any of the loops. 100 and 200 are so close to the Settlement that you will love that location.

Remember the time change and note it will be getting darker sooner that time of year so you will want to arrive before dark.. at least i would. Backing up at night is no fun and setting up is even worse!

 

[branv]

I hope you guys don’t mind a few extra questions!

Is there a good place to stop near WDW for groceries where you can easily get into and park your entire rig? Ideally we never have to go except when the truck is unhitched, but just in case…

How is it doing laundry at the Fort? We might try to find a place with laundry room at our “night before” stop. Definitely prefer to not waste a WDW doing laundry.

How do you think it will be the day after Thanksgiving for arrivals? Curious if that’s a big departure day for people who need to drive home.

And since I have you here , we’re trying to build an emergency repair kit but are trying to figure out what the best things to keep on hand are. I’ve read sturdy trash bags, duct tape and eternabond for leaks you need stopped until you can get to a repair place. Any suggestions?

Again, so grateful for your help!

 

[Stratman50th]

And since I have you here , we’re trying to build an emergency repair kit but are trying to figure out what the best things to keep on hand are. I’ve read sturdy trash bags, duct tape and eternabond for leaks you need stopped until you can get to a repair place. Any suggestions?

Again, so grateful for your help!

What kind of rig do you have? Asking as what would be great for @bama_ed A liner might not be the same for our motor home, or yours for that matter.

 

[bama_ed]

... great @bama_ed ...

FIFY

Oh and I will sit this question out.

 

[branv]

We have a 33 ft travel trailer, 2017 Wildwood. Nothing fancy. Just one slide out. We call it Mater (because, “My names Mater. Like Tow-Mater”). And we pull with an F150 with all the towing upgrades.

 

[mco65]

Doing Laundry at the fort is pretty easy and a no brainer, IMO. If you can't find a place before arriving, i wouldn't think twice about using the Forts laundry facilities. We never had an issue finding an open washer or dryer. Each loop has their own facilities plus a vending machine if you forgot your detergent or dryer sheets.

I don't know of any locations that I would stop at with a big rig before arriving for groceries. We typically head to the grocery store after setting up. (Wal-Mart). But i bet there are better options, the Wal Mart is always busy busy busy.

Its been years (decades) since i have been at WDW for Thanksgiving and that was not at the FORT so I am no help there. Regardless of departures/arrivals, I would want to arrive as soon as possible. Give myself time to setup and head out for groceries if thats what you decide to do before it gets dark.

The only spare parts i keep on hand are sewer hose and attachments. 90/T/ etc. Like you i have duct tape plus my tool bag. Bring a flashlight. I typically bring a battery leaf blower. So much easier to blow off the debris from the patio/seating area than it is to sweep it. If you do bring a battery-operated leaf blower or drill or light or fan, bring a charger as well! Yes a Fan, a box fan did wonders for us in Aug... whew, it can get hot even in November. Also, bring a 5 gallon bucket to help catch any leaks that might show up. We had our outside faucet leaking back in Jan.. that 5 gallon bucket helped keep the area around us dry. We got it fixed after we left WDW.

Bug spray. I always bring some bug spray that would use around the house. Not the spray type to spray on yourself although i would bring that as well. I typically spray outside around the camper as well as inside when we first arrive.

 

[Stratman50th]

Good suggestions from @mco65 .
I have a spare 55' white fresh water hose. Extra sewer hose, a 10' and a 25'. After having one break, I have a spare elbow that attaches to the sewer hose at the ground side, as well as the bayonet connector for the tank drain side. All the spare sewer hoses have adaptors so they can be joined.
I carry a 50' tan water hose for general use not related to potable water hookup. I have a pistol type sprayer in case cleanups of some type are needed. I have a short non-potable water hose for flushing the tanks.
I agree on the barrier bug spray. If I'm going to be someplace longer than just overnight I spray around all hoses, electrical lines, and tires.
8 gage wire on spools both red and black. I have green too but that's me. A good quality crimp tool and strippers. I have a flat multi-compartment box with assorted electrical connectors and fuses. Oh, a multimeter. Lots of RV problems seem to be electrical. Assorted socket set with standard and metric. Metric and standard wrenches- I like the ratchet type. Assorted screwdrivers and torx bits. I carry a rechargeable drill.
I have more but storage space obviously dictates what you can carry. All of the above I have needed and used before.

Other stuff I carry is several 6' lengths of PEX pipe in blue and red. Shark bite connectors and tool. LED headband light. Gloves, garden and a box of latex surgical. Extra fluids, antifreeze, boiler fluid for the Hydrohot.
There's a bunch more but that's all I can remember.

 

[cruising spud]

Okay, I will start with laundry. I do laundry at the Fort. I DO have trouble. As I recall, you can't use money anymore (what the heck)!! You use a credit card. And, I have often had trouble using my credit cards. NO idea why. Other than that, laundry is a smooth process. And, bring your own detergent.

Anytime we head south, we bring heavy duty bug spray to spray around the tires-don't want all of those Southern creepy crawlers getting into our rv.

I also include the names of several rv repair people, just in case we need a repair done. And, if you ever bring animals, bring the name of a vet.

I believe there is a Walmart fairly close by (twenty minutes away or so) that we stop at before we hit the fort.

Kathy

 

[FtW Mike]

@branv
Going back 12 years on the Laundry and Day after Turkey Day Check in. Laundry rooms are part of the comfort stations and are highly usable. It can be difficult to get a free Machine at times and no longer accept cash. As we have a washer dryer unit in our Coach we haven't needed Laundry since our cabin days.
That was also the year we spent Thanksgiving at the FORT. Starting Friday people were leaving and and by Sunday the occupancy was @ 60%. Remember this was 12 years ago and I have Old Timers Disease so please don't to a high level of accuracy.
There are WALMARTS and PUBLIX on 192 both East and West of -I-4. The WALMARTS will be more crowded and parking will be tighter at the PUBLIX. IMHO

 

[StormyCA]

Do they still have that app that connects with the washers and dryers? For the life of me I can't think of the name, but they were great! The machines locked and you could keep track of the time remaining and just head back over when you had a couple of minutes left.

 

[bama_ed]

There is a Walmart Super Center off Hwy 192 just west of World Drive. I went there several times during our stay last November (week b4 Tgving, week of Tgiving). Walmart Supercenter, 2855 N Old Lake Wilson Rd, Kissimmee, FL 34747



Personally I liked hitting it in the early morning as it gets crowded during the daytime. But I went there all times of day over 2 weeks. Our mode is to bring a plug-in cooler from home with a little bit of food but we bring all the condiments etc and food/drink for the first Fort night. I like to do the first main shopping after I set up at the Fort. But if you want to shop before you arrive, this is the closest. You would come down the Turnpike, turn south on Hwy 429 (toll), get off at Hwy 192, and head in that way. Just stay in right lane leaving WM, right lane on 192, and curl up onto World Drive.

If you have to head back there during your stay, I loved cruising down World Drive and merging smoothly west onto 192. But what was frustrating was it would take 2-3 light changes to make that left turn off 192. The easiest path from the Fort to the store (for me) was go out Osceola Parkway past the AK parking lot, turn left at the traffic light, and curl back onto Sherberth Rd and take it STRAIGHT ACROSS 192 and then get over to WM.

They also have a Murphy gas station there FWIW which had best pricing around the Mouse.

We stayed till the Monday or Tuesday after Tgiving (Preferred loop 100, site 14 next to the paved walking trail to the Settlement TP). IMO there certainly were departures that Fri-Sat-Sun after Tgiving but new people coming in too. The Fort has become more popular for those first 2 weeks of December (and the pricing reflects that) and it's not a bargain or half empty any more during that period. My advice, if leaving the day after Tgiving, would be to start the return journey as early as possible in the morning. The Turnpike is not a problem but when you reach I75 you get all the travelers coming up from Tampa and it can get very crowded (towing is no fun then) and fenders get bumped, people pull over, and it's a 10mph crawl for 2 hrs to get up to the scene and see everyone is okay. Once you get up to I10 it's smooth sailing. But the earlier you can start, the fewer fellow travelers on the road.

Bama Ed

PS - lots of DIS folks are at the Fort in November so we usually have a group "November Trip Report" thread that people can post into. Last year's thread is here:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/november-trip-reports.3899929/

Our trip starts on page 3 post #52 if you want to see what goes on then.

 

[morrik5]

Okay, I will start with laundry. I do laundry at the Fort. I DO have trouble. As I recall, you can't use money anymore (what the heck)!! You use a credit card. And, I have often had trouble using my credit cards. NO idea why. Other than that, laundry is a smooth process. And, bring your own detergent.

Anytime we head south, we bring heavy duty bug spray to spray around the tires-don't want all of those Southern creepy crawlers getting into our rv.

I also include the names of several rv repair people, just in case we need a repair done. And, if you ever bring animals, bring the name of a vet.

I believe there is a Walmart fairly close by (twenty minutes away or so) that we stop at before we hit the fort.

Kathy

Being from Canada we don't want to incur foreign exchange or service charges by using our credit card or debit card so we always go to the Outpost and purchase a laundry card(s) specifically for when we need to do those mid-week laundry duties during our 8 day visits.

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

Do they still have that app that connects with the washers and dryers? For the life of me I can't think of the name, but they were great! The machines locked and you could keep track of the time remaining and just head back over when you had a couple of minutes left.

Yes, it's called LaundryView

Only one time at the Fort I had an issue with the laundry machines in our loop and had to use a different one. The credit card thing was down.

 

[StormyCA]

@branv

Your post made me realize that we've never left WDW property to grocery shop. I have NO idea where grocery stores are near the Fort lol.

If you decide to do the 'staging thing' the day before, just Google it and do all your shopping then. There's a Publix near where we stage and we do an inventory and make a list beforehand and do all our shopping on our arrival day there, including 'stocking up' on things we use a lot of (bottled water, coffee, paper goods, OTC meds etc). We figure it can all come home with us if we 'overload'.

To make the shop go quicker, DH and I split the list and each shop for half. Saves time, especially in an unfamiliar store.

 

[GA WDW Fan]

Yes, it's called LaundryView

Only one time at the Fort I had an issue with the laundry machines in our loop and had to use a different one. The credit card thing was down.

https://www.laundryview.com/selectProperty?propertyList=disneyworld

 

[tigger92662]

If you have time to look or are interested, check into Harvest Host.
These are places you can stay for free on the premise that you may (or may not) patronize the establishment.
There is a fee to join, but if ya use it a couple times it pays for itself.
Just throwin' out there and welcome the camping addiction, er I mean lifestyle

 

[tigger92662]

There's a bunch more but that's all I can remember.

To add to @Stratman50th, just in case your trailer didn't come with, a spare tire, jack and lug wrench