golf cart ???

[cinder1]

Ok, so I talked DH into reserving a golf cart. How many people fit in the carts? Are they easy to drive? Are there designated parking areas for the carts at the Settlement Depot, Marina, pools, laundry, etc, etc? How do you distinguish your cart from the multitudes? (We will be there in July.)

Thanks for all your help.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

Try searching for posts about "golf carts" its been discussed many times.
You will most likely find more info on golf carts at FW than you ever imagined existed.

 

[Colson39]

Ok, so I talked DH into reserving a golf cart. How many people fit in the carts? Are they easy to drive? Are there designated parking areas for the carts at the Settlement Depot, Marina, pools, laundry, etc, etc? How do you distinguish your cart from the multitudes? (We will be there in July.)

Thanks for all your help.

Since I have a few minutes to kill at work I'll answer some of your questions. But the above poster is correct, if you search "golf carts" on this forum, you are going to find TONS of information, more than you ever knew existed.

1)Average fits 4 people, although I've seen 5 (4 might be the 'official' limit though). One desperate night we fit 5 adults and one kid into it, but that wasn't the smartest idea :/

2) They are very easy to drive. If you can drive a car, you can drive the cart. Heck, if you can drive a go-cart, you can drive the golf cart.

3) Yes there are designated parking areas at pretty much every location in Ft. Wilderness. The largest parking spots are down by the Marina and Depot. Each lot can probably fit about 30-40 carts. There has always been golf cart parking, however these are newer, and they really help alleviate congestion, you shouldn't have too much of a problem even on busy days.

4) Each cart has a number on it. All you have to do is remember your number, and you'll be able to find your cart. It's not nearly as hard as you're probably thinking, finding your car in the parking lots is MUCH more difficult. The parking areas for carts aren't that big (the largest still really aren't that big). Also, the marina and depot parking lots have places you can plug in and recharge your carts, so if you're gone for the day, you can normally find a spot in those locations to recharge.

 

[cinder1]

Thanks for the info. Until, DH mentioned it, I never even thought about recharging!! So even in the 2nd week of July, there's enough parking? We go to the parks before opening so I'm hoping it won't be too crowded already.

 

[Colson39]

Thanks for the info. Until, DH mentioned it, I never even thought about recharging!! So even in the 2nd week of July, there's enough parking? We go to the parks before opening so I'm hoping it won't be too crowded already.

Yea, it's busy during the summer, but there are other times where it can be a lot busier (Thanksgiving, etc...). 2nd week of July won't be too bad because you won't have to worry about any of the July 4th crowds, which will be good. Don't worry about the parking, you'll find somewhere to park, especially now that they have tons more parking. One of the parking lots is across from the Hoop Dee Doo, the other is down by the entrance to the marina. Especially if you go before the parks even open, you'll be fine.

My family or I have been using the carts for 25 years or so now (whenever they first came out). In those 25 years, I've never once not been able to find someplace to park. Yes there have been times I couldn't find a place to park that was near a place to recharge, but you don't have to recharge that often. If you leave it plugged in overnight at your campsite, and you are only going to the marina in the morning, you will have no problem by the time you get back. Just plug it back in whenever you get back to your campsite, and you'll be good to go. You won't even notice any kind of drop in speed, it's only if you drove all over the place for a couple days and never recharged it, than you might notice.

You're going to love the carts, have fun!

 

[Minnie's Mate]

We have been when the camp ground was 100% booked and there have been places to park in the mornings. We bring our own and it wasn't a problem.

We have also gone up to three-four days without charging and didn't have a noticeable problem with drop in speed when we spent the day in the parks and didn't drive around the camp ground much on those days. You will notice a drop in speed long before you actually run the batteries down. Remember all golf carts are designed to run long enough for a foursome to play 27 or more holes of golf in a single day. Even running from one end of the camp ground to the other several times in a single day, you won't drive that far. Plus, most contemporary golf carts have regenerative braking to recharge the batteries when you apply the brakes at stop signs and other places.

 

[TheGreatGonzo]

If you want an easy way to identify your cart just bring something to decorate it. (Banners, ribbons flags, etc)

 

[lawnspecialties]

I hate to even ask this but it's been on my mind.

We recently bought our own golf cart and it's pretty nice: custom paint, lift kit, polished wheels, etc.. Obviously, it concerns me leaving it unlocked in my own backyard, even more 650 miles away from home. When you drive your own cart up to the marina, do people generally lock up their own carts or just take the keys and trust folks? Yes, it is in a campground but if we're at MK all day, someone could easily help themself with a pick-up truck and look like the original owner heading out the front gate.

Someone set my mind at ease, please.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

I cant see anyone being able to drive a vehicle close enough to the cart to actually load it. Other than taking the key I dont think I would worry too much, the commotion that someone would cause to actually steal it would not go unnoticed.

 

[tmarquez]

We will have 3 adults (each with their own car) with us on our trip. We will be renting a golf cart. I understand we can park one of the cars at the cabin and the others will have to stay in the main parking lot. My question in, is there cart parking near the main parking lot? We would like to take the golf cart to one of the cars in the main lot and then drive ourselves to a park. Thanks!

 

[Minnie's Mate]

lawnspecialties, our golf cart isn't as tricked out as yours, but we have seen many that have been on our trips to FW and they haven't seemed to have been concerned. I did replace the standard "ignition" key with one that isn't standard so nobody could accidentally get on the wrong cart and drive off thinking they had got theirs. You might consider doing this, but your customizer may have done this for you as part of the custom job if the dash was replaced or an insert was installed. I don't know of any kind of lock to use except maybe a bi-cycle lock through the wheels. Generally, though, I think it would be safe. Mostly you would get admirers coming by to take a closer look, but I think that's about it. We did notice that someone had once flipped our "flip/flop" seat. We could tell because the seat belts were underneath the back seat instead of on top of it.

tmarquez, the closest parking to the overflow parking where your two extra cars would be parked (or maybe all three) would be the golf cart parking at the stables/bus stop for the buses to AK, DTD, EPCOT, and water parks. I believe this cart parking lot is also where you will pick up your golf cart. It may be the bike barn, but we have never rented a cart or bi-cycle so I'm not sure, but I have seen people go there for the horse back riding tours.

You might be able to park in the overflow car parking lot, but I don't think the carts are allowed past the cart parking lot. Just ask when you pick up the golf cart. It is located behind the guest check-in building and the CM can point it out to you or you can look on the map they will give you at check-in. It is pretty close and shouldn't be a problem to walk to one of your cars. There may also be a place where you can drive up to to unload luggage, etc. into the golf cart at check-in or if you have packages when you return with your car.

 

[lawnspecialties]

lawnspecialties, our golf cart isn't as tricked out as yours, but we have seen many that have been on our trips to FW and they haven't seemed to have been concerned. I did replace the standard "ignition" key with one that isn't standard so nobody could accidentally get on the wrong cart and drive off thinking they had got theirs. You might consider doing this, but your customizer may have done this for you as part of the custom job if the dash was replaced or an insert was installed. I don't know of any kind of lock to use except maybe a bi-cycle lock through the wheels. Generally, though, I think it would be safe. Mostly you would get admirers coming by to take a closer look, but I think that's about it. We did notice that someone had once flipped our "flip/flop" seat. We could tell because the seat belts were underneath the back seat instead of on top of it.

Thanks for the response. I do admit, I feel better about it now.