First Time Question

[Kfam516]

Newbie here, been lurking for a little while and wanted to get some advice of the veterans.....we are headed to the Fort the last week if March. Yes it is Spring Break, and I know it will be nuts. In your opinion, is it better to arrive late on a Friday (8 pm?) or early on Saturday for best chance at getting your requested loop?

Thanks in advance, looking forward to our first Fort Wilderness Adventure!

Karen

 

[SouthAlabama5er]

First off all to the forum Karen,

When is your check in date? If it's Friday I would get there that day, even its late. I've seen campers arrive late (around dark). I would call the Fort and let them know that you will be coming in late. On the other hand, we just made the trip and we arrived at 11AM and they didn't have any sites ready and we had to sit for 4 hours in the over flow lot waiting. Some people leave their camper and go to the parks and spend the day and then come back and then set up their camper, which sound like a long day after driving there and walking in the park. With that being said, if you plan on going to a park Saturday getting there Friday might be something to keep in mind with it being spring break, it will be crazy busy. Either way you will enjoy Fort Wilderness.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

The earlier the better. Yes, Friday would be better than Saturday.

 

[Kfam516]

Thank you very much for the quick response! We are set to arrive on the 28th of March, unfortunately no spaces on the 27th, so we will aim for that morning. We have requested 1400 or 1300 so we shall see how it goes. We have a 28 TT and this will be our longest trip with it, coming from just outside Chitown. Looking forward to dusting the snow off the RV and hitting the road.

Thanks again for the welcome and feed back.

Karen

 

[Scott Babb]

I would certainly get there as early as possible on check in day. With it being spring break though don't get there too early or you will be sitting waiting on a site as stated above.

 

[snowmedic]

If you were able to do March 27, I would call everyday to see if there was a cancellation. I believe guest have 5 days before check-in to cancel with no penalty. I would most definitely want to check-in on a Thursday than a Friday or Saturday. Those 2 days will be rather busy, and you would have a better chance of getting your requested loop, if you could get your extra day.

 

[bama_ed]

Given it's a busy time of year (spring on a weekend), there's little difference between Friday 8pm and Saturday morning IMHO. By 8pm, the sites that are empty will probably still be empty early the next morning.

The one thing I will say (and you didn't say what your requested loop # was or what type of site you have reserved) is that if you come in on Saturday morning, if you DON'T get a site in the loop that you want, you have the option to say that you will wait for one to come open if somebody is checking out the same morning you come in. Whatever your plans are for the check-in day, it comes down to how bad do you want your requested loop? That's along the lines of what Scott posted. On a Friday night you have to choose from what's available. Period.

For example, kfam, say you want loop 1400. You might come in Saturday morning at 9am and there are no empty spots at 9am and the CM has you in 500. You can ask (no guarantee) to wait for someone who MIGHT be checking out of 1400 that same morning and ask that it be assigned to you. Let's say me/Ed was coming in and I specified on my early check-in option on MDE that I would arrive at 5pm and I was pre-assigned a site in 1400. The CM would likely take my site and give it to you (although you would have to wait till it was cleaned and prepped). I might be given your pre-assigned site in 500 (and wouldn't have any idea what happened). You'll do the check-in process with the CM and they will likely take your cell number and text you the site number when it's ready. Then you just drive in, head to your loop, and set up.

Now if you have something major scheduled for Saturday there might be a conflict. But if you check in during the morning, you can let events unfold and if things didn't work out for you initially, then you can give them another chance that morning at the last minute. I can't say things will work out for you (it might be fine from the get-go). But as I say, if you have some flexibility, give yourself every opportunity to get into your requested loop.

My 2 cents. Worth what you paid for it. Hope you check in with us regardless when you get to the Fort and tell us the weather is fabulous!

Bama Ed

 

[Southern Bell]

It seems that no matter were we have camped, Friday is better than arriving on Saturday!

 

[Kfam516]

Well persistence paid off! We were able to get the additional night, so we will arrive late on Friday. (No spaces available earlier)

Thanks again for the advice, we are looking forward to a great first trip to the Fort!

Now, it can start to warm up so we can de-winterize the camper before we leave Chicago and not wait until we cross the Mason/Dixon Line to have water!

Karen

And I will post a photo or two!