First FW Trip!!! (Pre-trip Report)

[Chkysbak]

Just some information for back-up:
**See signature for August Trip Report for family story**

Travel Trailer (2006 Travelstar 30QBS)
Towing Vehicle (2004 Ford F150 4x4)
Reservations @ FW: Oct 10-18th
Premium - Pet Loop
Requested 800 Loop

We have towed this camper to many trips to the beach (~4 hours) away with no issues, so I decided to take it to Disney. This trip will only be my DW & DS as my daughter is at college . We have purchased the NSSHP tickets for Oct 13th. I have a reservation at KOA in Jacksonville for Oct 9th and will drive the remaining time to Disney on the 10th. I haven't purchased anything for the camper special for this trip as I don't think that many decorations will be there as its two weeks before Halloween.

This is the longest trip I have had with this camper so this weekend I will be doing a complete check-out at the house. Hopefully I don't find anything and we can start packing.

Since this is our first trip to FW, we were going to eat breakfast and dinner at the trailer and eat at the parks for lunch. A couple of questions below will help me pack my trailer for the long haul.

1. Was thinking about BBQ and Crock-pot meals. Any other ideas?
2. I will be traveling down I-95, as I don't like to go over 60-65 with my trailer am I going to get run over...lol
3. What items should I pack special to FW?

I know I should have asked these questions months ago, but I have been slammed with Military work this past two months.

 

[jbrostek]

Since you are leaving from NC, Jacksonville is doable for the first day drive. We leave from the N. VA area outside DC and making it to point south KOA is about the best we can make without being completely wiped out. We tend to not make reservations for the overnight stop, but we have not really ran into issues finding an overnight stop on the way south.

As for I95, at 60-65mph youll be fine. We usually run around those speeds and never ran into an issue with traffic even in the 70mph areas. Going through the Jacksonville area the construction of the new overpasses are pretty much complete. But with the poured pavement there, I tend to stick to the 55mph till we get through all the exchanges and south of Jacksonville. I also perfer to ignore my GPS and take the exit for Magic Kingdom, exit 65 I believe. That and you follow the signs to Magic kingdom onto world drive. When you get to the gates for MK, you stay to the right and use the lane one over from the Bus only lane. From there follow the signs to FW, I prefer this way because its a left turn into the CG entrance which is easier to swing then trying to the make the right turn.

 

[SouthAlabama5er]

For what its worth, we travel I-10 to I-75 with our fifthwheel, never traveled on 95 but if its anything like 75, traffic flies. I tow around 70 -75 mph and traffic still flies by us. I just chug along with the 18 wheelers in the slow lanes. As far as food.. the dw will do a roast in the crock pot one night and take the left overs back in the next day and make bbq. Grilling cheeseburgers, hot dogs, chicken breast, pork chops. We will cook breakfast at the camper and if we are at MK or EPCOT we will come back to the camper for a sandwich for lunch. The only special stuff we pack is our micky lamp and some Disney themed items we put out on our site. If you like to camp and Disney, FW is the only way to go. Hope yall have a good time and safe travels.

 

[staceyrhood]

Have a great trip! We LOVE the 800 loop, its right in the middle of everything! FYI - we were there 2 weeks before Halloween last year and there were tons of sites decorated...you might want to bring some to out up...it is so much fun! Have a safe and fun trip!

 

[Chkysbak]

We plan on having a few decorations ie, laterns, blow-ups, etc but nothing extravagant. Good idea on the crock pot meals. I think we are also going to do a seafood boil while we are there. Which reminds me... I need to fill up the propane tanks...lol

All I know is that I am going to be tired on Thursday. We are leaving right after work and going to the KOA in North Jacksonville (Right at the GA/FL border) which will take about 7 to 8 hours. So I won't get there until 1 or 2 in the morning. Reserved a pull through for only $24, so I thought it was a good deal.

This weekend I am going to pull my TT to the house and get started packing/unpacking. There are things that I don't feel I need to bring (ie Cornhole boards, Satellite, etc...) Which will save me weight

We are going to get the TT stocked with groceries as the food will be cheaper in NC than in FL. Besides who wants to get groceries while on vacation. Only thing I hate doing is cutting on/off my refrigerator to gas up, but it isn't that much of a hassle, just have to remember to do it.

 

[Chkysbak]

I also perfer to ignore my GPS and take the exit for Magic Kingdom, exit 65 I believe. That and you follow the signs to Magic kingdom onto world drive. When you get to the gates for MK, you stay to the right and use the lane one over from the Bus only lane. From there follow the signs to FW, I prefer this way because its a left turn into the CG entrance which is easier to swing then trying to the make the right turn.

Great information as I would have blindly followed the GPS. I looked it up when you said something and couldn't agree with you more.

 

[jbrostek]

The other part of taking the path vs. GPS through the back way is even I love to see the Disney World gates as a major part of arrival.

 

[Chkysbak]

Ok, a couple of years ago when we purchased the TT the roof vent above the bed was cracked and leaked onto the mattress. Well I repaired all the water damage, it was just the plywood and carpet . Since we were strapped for cash at that time we just put the old mattress in a protective cover and had a foam topper on it for comfort. Well yesterday I purchased a new 9" queen short foam mattress off Amazon for $245. We currently have a Serta sleep comfort foam mattress in our bedroom so hopefully this will be fine. It should arrive tomorrow and I will let it air out for at least a week before I put sheets and other stuff on it.

Last year I purchased (2pcs 42-SMD T15 12V LED Replacement Light Bulbs + STICKER 921 912 906 - White) from Amazon @ $4.79 and replaced all the 921 bulbs. I have to admit they worked great for about 10 minutes then they started to overheat and burn the plastic covers. So I removed and returned them. Since that time, there have been many reviews on these cheaply made LEDs. Yesterday I ordered (6 x Gold Stars 92111803-06 LED Replacement Light Bulb 921/T15 Wedge base 190 Lumens 12v or 24v Natural White) from Amazon @ $39.95. Hopefully these will be better as the reviews are good.

Found some good Crock pot recipes and discussed cooking at the camper with my wife. This is our plan to date:
Friday (Steaks)
Saturday (Crock pot chicken fajitas)
Sunday (Hamburgers & Hotdogs)
Monday Lunch - MNSCHP (Sandwhiches)
Tuesday (Seafood Boil)
Wednesday (Crock pot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches)
Thursday (BBQ Ribs)
Friday (Grilled Chicken Breasts)

All above subject to change based upon DW...

 

[Chkysbak]

Here is a picture of my TT from last year at the beach:

 

[PEC]

Just some information for back-up:
**See signature for August Trip Report for family story**

Travel Trailer (2006 Travelstar 30QBS)
Towing Vehicle (2004 Ford F150 4x4)
Reservations @ FW: Oct 10-18th
Premium - Pet Loop
Requested 800 Loop

We have towed this camper to many trips to the beach (~4 hours) away with no issues, so I decided to take it to Disney. This trip will only be my DW & DS as my daughter is at college . We have purchased the NSSHP tickets for Oct 13th. I have a reservation at KOA in Jacksonville for Oct 9th and will drive the remaining time to Disney on the 10th. I haven't purchased anything for the camper special for this trip as I don't think that many decorations will be there as its two weeks before Halloween.

This is the longest trip I have had with this camper so this weekend I will be doing a complete check-out at the house. Hopefully I don't find anything and we can start packing.

Since this is our first trip to FW, we were going to eat breakfast and dinner at the trailer and eat at the parks for lunch. A couple of questions below will help me pack my trailer for the long haul.

1. Was thinking about BBQ and Crock-pot meals. Any other ideas?
2. I will be traveling down I-95, as I don't like to go over 60-65 with my trailer am I going to get run over...lol
3. What items should I pack special to FW?

I know I should have asked these questions months ago, but I have been slammed with Military work this past two months.

On I-95 at 60 you will get run over. One good thing is most of the way has at least 3 lanes each direction. Be prepared to stay in the right lane a lot. One thing about I95 is it is flat. I was only pullling a pop-up but going 70 on I95, I felt like I wasn't pulling anything.

Crockpot meals work great. Put them on while you are at a park and then come back and eat. For the most part you do not have to worry about meals overcooking. One night we just did loaded back potatoes and that worked well. Put sour cream, cheese and bacon bits on a big potatoe and called it a meal (with a small side salad).

 

[tina.tina]

Maybe 95 won't be too bad on a weeknight late at night. We hardly passed anyone else (but we were going 70+) for long stretches through GA. We got to Brunswick, GA at about 1am.

 

[jbrostek]

60 is the low point, but you can manage without being run off the road. I am usually in the 65-68mph range which is when my truck is happy with the 5er and drops to OD. Lots of cars pass me, and occasionally I find a car or tractor trailer I need to pass. But overall not bad at running in the 60-65mph range.

 

[Chkysbak]

Well, I was just going by the rating on my Carlisle trailer tires rated at 60-65 mph. I am borrowing my dads truck as my truck was sold due to me having the same model work truck. I don't think work will like if I take that truck pulling a trailer to WDW. Besides my dads truck is a F-150 that has a lower gear that my truck so it can pull more. Depends on the gas mileage and RPMs, but 65 should be doable. Either way I'm going to probably only get about 8-9 MPG

 

[jbrostek]

Should have no issues rolling along at 65-68 like I do with a big 5er. Given the weights, you are probably right to expect to average 8. On my old diesel pusher (2001 Monaco) I used to average 9, with the 5er im up to just shy of 12mpg for the trip from VA to Disney. Not cheap by any means, but when you consider how much airfare and parking alone costs, its usually about even in costs vs. round trip for a family of 4.

 

[Teamubr]

First, tow where you're comfortable. If you aren't comfortable towing at least 60 or so on the highway, then perhaps towing isn't your thing. Sounds like you will be fine though.

At 60 (or under 70), expect to get passed a lot. But don't worry about them. If they are annoyed at your speed, that's their problem.

As for fuel mileage, if you really stick to around 60-65, you should get well over 10. I had a Travel Star (smaller than yours) that I towed with a V8 Explorer. It got over 10 unless it was windy.

I have a much bigger truck and trailer(s) now (F350,4X4, dually, long bed, crewcab, diesel- 9000lbs) and a 42 ft, 13 1/2 ft tall toy hauler that goes about 14,800 lbs with one of our race cars in it. I get 8-10 towing it at around 70 depending on weather.

Frontal area on the trailer (width and height) along with wind are the biggest factors to fuel mileage. Obviously the faster you go, the worse it will be, but my experience is the difference between 65 and 75 is only about 1 mpg or less. Weight, unless you are in the mountains doesn't seem to impact much.

A real life example. The race team has 2 trailers. The toy hauler described above. Tall, but not real heavy. The other trailer is a 48 ft gooseneck enclosed 2 car hauler. It is only 12 ft tall, but weighs 20,000 + lbs. We normally tow together going to races. We set the cruise on 72 and have identical trucks. The one towing the toy hauler (lighter but taller) always gets .5-1 mpg worse mileage. Generally 8-10 mpg. And if it's windy, it can be over 2 mpg worse. One really windy trip across Kansas, I got 6.8 mpg towing the toy hauler. My team mate pulling the 2 car trailer in front of me got 9.

Trips like that I'm glad I have a 97 gallon fuel capacity.

j

 

[Chkysbak]

Yeah, I use to tow my camper at 70-75 until someone told me that I was faster than the speed rating on my camper tires so I backed it off. Normally I have towed with my pick-up that doesn't have a camper shell on it, but my dads has a camper shell that has a sloped top so I am hoping that this will help with the gas mileage. I am sure that it will be minimal due to the extra weight of the camper shell, but it couldn't hurt.

 

[Teamubr]

Yeah, I use to tow my camper at 70-75 until someone told me that I was faster than the speed rating on my camper tires

I mostly run Goodyear Marathons on my bunk house and toy hauler. The tire specs have a 60 mph "limit", but there is a disclaimer that said for speeds in excess of 60 mph, inflate tires an extra 10 psi. I think I still have the form on my laptop at home. I'll try to find it and post tonight.

I have always done this and not had issues towing at 75+. I also tow over 10,000 miles/year between camping and the race team.

j

 

[Readerbug]

Welcome (when you get there/here) to the Fort!
Your sig list looks like a nice spectrum of stays, I am eager to hear how Fort Wilderness and this trip sits with you!
We do all crockpot, but it is all regular stuff like lasagna, BBQ pork and French Dip or Italian Beef sandwiches, Taco meat for salads and burritos, plain baked potatoes and sweet potatoes with toppings added afterwards, breakfast burrito filling with eggs, cheese, bacon or sausage, tots and vegs, baked beans, oatmeal with additions, Hawaiian haystacks/chicken curry.

Very meat centered, which can be a storage challenge. What I'd love is to do crock freezer meals this trip, but we've grown and don't have the space for the large cooler, just driving down and renting a rig. (one will be there waiting for us). A great prep-ahead, if it's possible for you and you *know* you'll like the dish.

As for other prep, here's a popular catch-all packing thread to scan at leisure and take what you can use:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1115732

 

[Chkysbak]

The tire specs have a 60 mph "limit", but there is a disclaimer that said for speeds in excess of 60 mph, inflate tires an extra 10 psi.

See, this is exactly why I post on this board... Great information

 

[Teamubr]

See, this is exactly why I post on this board... Great information

Found it. And this is dated January 2014 so it is up to date.

Goodyear Product Service Bulletin

Here is the quote:
"Special Trailer (“ST”) Tires
Goodyear Marathon trailer tires are widely used in a variety of towable trailer applications and are
designed and branded as “ST” (Special Trailer) tires.
• Goodyear Marathon Special Trailer tires, with the “ST” size designation, are speed rated
at 65 MPH (105 km/h) under normal inflation and load conditions.
• This speed rating is based on Tire and Rim Association loads and inflation pressures for ST
trailer tires without a service description for speeds up through 65 mph. (ref: TRA 2013
Year Book)
• If Goodyear tires, with the ST designation, are used at speeds between 66 and 75 mph
(106 km/h and 120 km/h), we recommend the cold inflation pressure be increased by 10
psi (70 kPa) above the recommended pressure based on the trailer placard for normal
inflation and load conditions. You should also consult your trailer manufacturer’s
Owner’s Manual for maximum operating speed recommendations for the trailer."

j